A Service of Worship for
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TODAY @10AM Live Zoom Adult Education
We will hold a live adult education class via Zoom on Sunday, May 31 at 10am, right before our coffee time. Dr. Sravana Varma, who spoke to the class about basics of Hinduism, has agreed to give another lecture about the Hindu caste system. The information on the Zoom class is on our Covenant Gatherings page. This page is password protected, if you need the password or the direct link to the zoom meeting please contact Jodi@covenanthouston.org. Questions can be asked during the lecture using the chat feature of Zoom and Dr. Varma will answer them after the lecture. You can also send questions ahead of time to Bill Martin (wcm@rice.edu). He will forward them to Dr. Varma for consideration. We hope you will join us in the live experiment of education! |
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Prelude
Nun bitten wir den heiligen Geist BuxWV 209 by Dietrich Buxtehude, Patrick Parker, organ. Call to Worship Opening Sentences Exuberant Spirit of God, bursting with the brightness of flame into the coldness of our lives to warm us with a passion for justice and beauty, we praise you. Exuberant Spirit of God, sweeping us out of the dusty corners of our apathy to breathe vitality into our struggles for change, we praise you. Exuberant Spirit of God, speaking words that leap over barriers of mistrust to convey messages of truth and new understanding, we praise you. Exuberant Spirit of God, flame wind speech, burn, breathe, speak in us; fill your world with justice and with joy. Scripture Lesson: Acts 2:1-11 Time for Children 
Call to Confession Unison Confession
God of the living and the dead, we confess sometimes we are more dead than alive to the possibilities you place before us. In the midst of pain, unfairness, and destructive forces on all sides, we see little hope. We find it hard to discern a role for ourselves in working for a better world; we seem powerless to change even that little part of the planet where we live. How can we find a spiritual dimension in life?
Hymn "Faithful God, You Sent Your Spirit," Text: Carolyn Winfrey Gillette; Tune: Beecher. (You are invited to sing along, the words are within the video.) |
Prayer
In the fight for racial justice, people of color raise their voices, asking to be seen, asking for care and help, for safety and for change. It is not the job of the oppressed to change the system. It is the responsibility of the oppressor. While it is very difficult to consider oneself an oppressor, it is past time for those who benefit from unmerited privilege and the entrenched racism in our country to face difficult truths. For our prayer this morning, our siblings of color are invited to rest for a moment, knowing that you are held in prayer and surrounded in love. Our white siblings are invited to click on one of these links and select actions that you will commit to, as you work a little harder for the justice we want to see in the world. And our white siblings are also invited to say a prayer for our siblings of color, that they will see love and change soon, for they have waited long enough. Amen. https://medium.com/equality-includes-you/what-white-people-can-do-for-racial-justice-f2d18b0e0234 https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/1BRlF2_zhNe86SGgHa6-VlBO-QgirITwCTugSfKie5Fs/mobilebasic?fbclid=IwAR0iS_vmr73MoLJLzBUUeF80xWRusAXt6Vy-iT2Bu_EwQ0PQ4nCxY-zmHok Prayer by Kristy Kyle and Laura Mayo
Invitation Prayer of Dedication Thank you, God, for this day of communion, when we share food for body, mind, and heart. In ways beyond our understanding, deeper than our knowing, you come to us and offer us yourself. THE CELEBRATION OF COMMUNION Invitation to the Table Sharing the Bread and the Cup
You are welcome to use whatever elements you have for communion this Sunday. Affirmation of Faith God is in the faith By which we overcome The fear of loneliness, of helplessness, Of failure and of death. God is in the hope Which, like a shaft of light, Cleaves the dark abyss Of sin, suffering, and despair. God is in the love Which creates, protects, forgives. God's spirit broods over the chaos we have wrought, Disturbing its static wrongs, And stirring into life the formless beginnings Of the new and better world. Benediction And so be disturbed. Be agitated. Be angered. Be grieved. Be determined. Work for justice. Work for peace. Amen. Postlude "Al Post Comunion" from Sonate d'intavolatura, Book I by Domenico Zipoli, Patrick Parker, organ. | |||
Worship Notes
The worship leader is Jerrell Jones.
The prelude is played by Patrick Parker, organ.
The Call to Worship is “Preface” from Life Tides by Elizabeth Tarbox.
The Opening Sentences is by Jan Berry from Bread for Tomorrow: Prayers of the Church Year.
The Unison Confession is by Lavon Bayler from Fresh Winds of the Spirit.
"Faithful God, You Sent Your Spirit" is by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette.
The Prayer of Dedication is by Virginia Rickeman in The Well is Deep: Prayers to Draw Up Living Water.
The communion video was created by the deacons and Ryan McKinny. The music is “Jubilate Deo” sung by the Covenant Singers and “Faith’s Hymn” by Beautiful Chorus. The images were captured and edited by Ryan McKinny.
The Affirmation of Faith is from Gates of Prayer: The New Union Prayerbook from the Central Conference of American Rabbis.
The postlude is played by Patrick Parker, organ.
The worship leader is Jerrell Jones.
The prelude is played by Patrick Parker, organ.
The Call to Worship is “Preface” from Life Tides by Elizabeth Tarbox.
The Opening Sentences is by Jan Berry from Bread for Tomorrow: Prayers of the Church Year.
The Unison Confession is by Lavon Bayler from Fresh Winds of the Spirit.
"Faithful God, You Sent Your Spirit" is by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette.
The Prayer of Dedication is by Virginia Rickeman in The Well is Deep: Prayers to Draw Up Living Water.
The communion video was created by the deacons and Ryan McKinny. The music is “Jubilate Deo” sung by the Covenant Singers and “Faith’s Hymn” by Beautiful Chorus. The images were captured and edited by Ryan McKinny.
The Affirmation of Faith is from Gates of Prayer: The New Union Prayerbook from the Central Conference of American Rabbis.
The postlude is played by Patrick Parker, organ.
Copyright (c) 2020, Covenant Church
