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TRUTH: That SILENCES Condemnation ... 5th Sunday After Epiphany
10:45 - Leader's Meeting
11:00 - Coffee Hour in 11 Minutes
(Sip your coffee and discuss Genesis 16 or 21 or Mark 1 ... and how God might reach a Wide Range of People through us during this season of Epiphany ... or what does COMPANIONSHIP mean for you during this unfathomable New Year?)
11:11 - WORSHIP BEGINS
A) PRELUDE: In the Garden (He Walks With Me)
B) ISAIAH 40:21-31 read by #1
1) Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
2) It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to live in; who brings princes to naught, and makes the rulers of the earth as nothing. Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown, scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth, when he blows upon them, and they wither, and the tempest carries them off like stubble.
1) To whom then will you compare me, or who is my equal? says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high and see: Who created these? He who brings out their host and numbers them, calling them all by name; because he is great in strength, mighty in power, not one is missing. Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God”? Have you not known? Have you not heard?
2) The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted;
But those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
B) First Hymn: They That Wait Upon the Lord led by the Young Adult Choir, First Baptist Church of Glenarden originally written and performed by Oscar Hayes, Abundant Life Fellowship Chorale, Detroit, Michigan.
Please MUTE and SING (lyrics are in the video)
What is the mission of Mt. Olive Lutheran Church?
To Serve as a VEHICLE through which the Gospel is Spread!!!
about being a VEHICLE
that will deliver CONFIDENCE, COMPASSION, and COMPANIONSHIP
to a tremendously anxious COMMUNITY,
remembering that God is our REFUGE & STRENGTH.
I) THIS Sunday is the 3rd Sunday of Epiphany
Light ... OF THE WORLD - January 3
Light ... IN THE DARKNESS - January 10
Light ... YET TO COME - January 17
Light ... LET IT SHINE - January 24
Truth ... NEW TEACHING/With Authority - January 31
Truth ... THAT SILENCES/Condemnation - February 7
Truth ... HARD TO HANDLE/In Shadows - February 14
Wednesday, February 17 is ASH WEDNESDAY
Sunday, February 21 is the First Sunday in LENT
Sunday, April 4 is EASTER Sunday
II) THIS Wednesday, February 10 is BIBLE STUDY at 7 PM
Who is my Biblical Companion ... and Why?
January 20 - Pastor Todd: Philip (Acts 8)
January 27 - Lakeesha Browne
February 3 - Yarlette Bryant
February 10 - Jackie Leatch?
Anyone want Ruth or Esther or Deborah or Shiphrah & Puah or Hagar or Rahab?
Or how about David or Jonathan, or Peter or Paul, or Timothy or Titus, or Samson or Saul, or Barak or Bartimaeus?
III) Reports from the EZEKIEL 44:5 EXPERIMENT
EVERYONE is a part of one Project or the Other:
1) Clean HANDS Project ... Pantry Snack Pack Distribution updates
Meet at 9 AM on Wednesdays for 11 AM Distribution
Meet at 10 AM on Saturdays for 11 AM Distribution
2) Clean HEART Project ... Black History Month Celebration
Sunday, February 28 with St. John's
Planning Meetings after church at 1 PM (2/4 & 2/11)
IV) Can I OFFER my STORY? for LENT (My Lament Becomes Praise):
Ash Wednesday, February 17 ...
HERE I STAND/When Powers Assail Me
Being Treated As LESS THAN Another
has helped me remember how God's Grace is MORE THAN sufficient
1) Wednesday, February 24 ... Like the Woman at the Well
2) Wednesday, March 3 ... Like Tamar (either one)
3) Wednesday, March 10 ... Like Rahab
4) Wednesday, March 17 ... Like Mary Magdalene
5) Wednesday, March 24 ... Like Stephen
Maundy Thursday, April 1 ... Pastor Todd leads Seder Meal
6) Good Friday, April 2 ... Led by Laity or Partnership with another Church
VI) NEXT Recording Projects
Carlos, Tanya, & Ms. Davis have blessed us today with:
Detroit Folk Mass, by James Harris and Tillis Butler, Fortress Press
3) Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
4) In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
3) What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
4) No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks Be to God!!
D) MESSAGE for the YOUNG at HEART, a special edition for Black History Month, led by Sydney Bryant and Peaches Goffney, and directed by Yarlette Bryant
E) KYRIE, led by Carlos Leggett
In peace, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the peace from above, and for our salvation, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the peace of the whole world, for the well-being of the Church of God, and for the unity of all, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For this holy house, and for all who offer here their worship and praise, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord.
Amen.
5) The grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
AND ALSO WITH YOU
6) We gather together and share a CREED to remember that in God, we have a Companion who will never fail us and will be with us always. It is a CREED that reminds us that death is never the final answer, and the hope springs eternal for those who follow the God of Resurrection and Life.
I BELIEVE IN GOD, THE FATHER ALMIGHTY
Creator of heaven and earth.
I BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST,
God’s only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead.* On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I BELIEVE IN THE HOLY SPIRIT,
the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
5) We take this moment to confess our sins: Do you confess that you are captive to sin and cannot free yourself from this trap of sin and death, at least not in this life? Do you confess that you have sinned against God in anger, rebellion, frustration, doubt and fear.
WE DO.
6) Do you confess that, because your neighbor fails to love in the way that God commands, that you also have not loved your neighbor as yourself? Do you confess that you struggle to love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength?
WE DO.
5) Do you ask, with the help of Jesus Christ, Forgive us, Lord, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways, to the glory of your holy name.
WE DO. AMEN.
6) Brothers and sisters hear this grace: In the mercy of almighty God, Jesus Christ was given to die for you and for His sake, God forgives you all of your sins. As a called disciple of Christ I declare the entire forgiveness of all of your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
AMEN.
F) GOSPEL LESSON: Mark 1:21-28, led by #7
Halle, Halle, Halle-lujah, led by Tanya Browne & Dolphene Davis
Our Gospel Lesson comes from Mark in the 1st Chapter.
GLORY TO YOU, O LORD!
7) As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them. That evening, at sunset, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered around the door. And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him. In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. And Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, “Everyone is searching for you.” He answered, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.” And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons. At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
PRAISE TO YOU, OH CHRIST
G) SECOND SONG No Condemnation, led by the Don Moen, copyright 1973, release 1994. This longer version reminds me of when I learned this song at St. Stephen's Lutheran in Rockford, MI as I was going through a divorce in 1992.
Please Mute and Sing Along (No Lyrics)
H) SERMON: "What is the SECRET of your STRENGTH" shared by Pastor Todd
Do you have songs that just catch ahold of you at a particular age or a key moment in life and never let go? The song we just sang is one of those for me. While I was going through a divorce we sang this song almost every week at St. Stephen's Lutheran Church in Rockford, Michigan. I was going through a divorce and trying to learn how to be a single father for my little girl.
I was in agony and trying to do alone what her mother and I couldn't find a way to do together. Even my best efforts felt like an utter failure. And I needed to hear this message so badly:
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free, from the law of sin and death. There is therefore now no condemnation ...
Thank God the song just repeats those two lines over and over and over again. Because my head couldn't wrap itself around those words, "the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus". That's a weird way, St. Paul, to say. Grace. Or gospel. Or Good News, St. Paul. "The law of the Spriit of life in Christ Jesus," is a weird phrase, St. Paul Why not just say that GRACE is a better LAW than the LAW, St. Paul? Because you know that's what he's saying, right? That grace beats the law every time. Or better yet, in Jesus' words, GRACE fulfills the Law. I have come, Jesus said, not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it.
So that song just caught ahold of me at that particular age and at that key moment in life and it never let go of me. And I hope I raised my daughter with that message bursting in her heart. Kaite, "There is therefore now no condemnation for you, my darling daughter." Let's share God's grace with each other as much as we can. How grace helps us find fulfillment in life.
And I think it has. Caught ahold of her too. Churches can be tough on pastors' kids. And she has had a tough time as an adult finding a church that meets her expectations about sharing God's grace with people who are lost and broken and outcast and struggling with addictions. As a recovering alcocholic, she has not found a lot of grace in most of the churches she visits. Especially grace for folks in recovery. A lot of us have been hurt by addicts or alcoholics. And it can make us more judgmental than God might like. And that makes me sad. Because, at age 32, Kaite has a lot of wisdom to share with a grace-filled church. If she can find one up there in Plano and Frisco. Who says to her:
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
I'm just glad that I finally found the song on YouTube. I haven't heard it in almost 30 years. And I've looked every time I read St. Paul's words in Romans 8 again. I wonder if Kaite remembers it too. She used to love singing it age 2 and 3 and 4. There is no better way for me to remember the grace found in her baptism than to remember her singing this song at the top of her lungs while taking a bath ...
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free, from the law of sin and death.
Another song like that is one I sang with my brother in my Grandma's church. A song that grabbed ahold of me and has never let go. Grandma was the children's choir director until she was 93 years old. And she would have kept on going, but they asked her to step down. Literally. Have I told you? In their church the choir loft was up high, like the pulpit and the altar at Mt. Olive are up high. So the director had to stand up on a pew to be seen well by the choir. And, as the church president put it, "Ms. Agnes, one of us 60 year olds is going to have a coronary soon watching you step up and step down from that pew. Can you please step down once and for all and save the lives of us faint hearted youngsters?"
So Grandma wanted so badly to have her grandsons sing in church. that it gave me more leverage than I had in my own church. I said, "Yes we will, Grandma. But we will sing Bridge Over Troubled Water and Sound of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel. Or we won't sing anything at all." Anybody else have headstrong child like that? See they woiuldn't let me sing my favorite songs in our own church. And I figured if they wouldn't let me sing these songs in our modern church, they would never let me sing them in Grandma's historic church.
But they did. Because Grandma was smarter than her smart-alleck grandson. She said I should explain why these songs were bona fide church songs. And then she helped me find Bible verses that supported my arguments. And before I knew it, we had written my first sermon together. And Grandma had gotten me to not only SING in her church, but also to PREACH there too. So, appropriately, my first sermon ever was preached from a choir loft. Because I wasn't yet a confirmed Lutheran. So I wasn't allowed in the chancel or in the pulpit or even in the lectern. And in my sermon, her sermon, we started off:
“Hello darkness my old friend, I've come to talk with you again, because a vision softly creeping, left it's seeds while I was sleeping, and the vision that was planted in my brain, still remains, within the Sound of Silence.”
What is the Secret of Your Strength? I asked, or really Grandma asked:
I will submit to you that for Jesus it was SILENCE, we wrote.
Silence. ALONE with God at the crest of a mountain, watching the soaring eagles dance around the crags and cliffs near the Sea of Galilee.
Silence. ALONE with God at the shore of the lake, the waves lapping over the edges of his sandals, reminding him of his baptism ... and his mission.
Silence. ALONE with God in the bow of Peter and Andrew's fishing boat as the sun rose over the water, surrounded by nets that needed mending. The stench of leftover fish and sweating men had long ago seeped so deeply into the wood of the boat, that even the best cleaning could not remove it all.
And, in the silence of the dawning morn, Jesus was so deeply connected with his Father, his Abba, his Dad, that he didn't notice anything but his own breath. His own thoughts. His own prayers. God's thoughts. God's hopes. For HIm. For us. God's plans and promises and possibilities.
Yes, I will submit to you that for Jesus the Secret of his strength was SILENCE.
Oh, yes, Grandma was a brilliant teacher. I never heard her preach herself. But even today, I swear she still here, right with me, helping me write some of my best sermon lines.
“In restless dreams I walked alone, narrow streets of cobblestone, 'neath the halo of a streetlamp, I turned my collar to the cold and damp, when my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light. That split the night. And touched the Sound of Silence.”
What is the Secret of Your Strength?
I will submit to you that for St. Paul it was SUFFERING. It was that moment of loneliness just before he begin to remember ask for help. Romans 5 is my favorite chapter, even more than Romans 8. I rejoice in my suffering, because suffering produces ENDURANCE and endurance produces CHARACTER and character produces HOPE. And it is a hope that does not disappoint.
Almost every time that I experience suffering it is because I did it again. I had found that space where I was listening to God, I was paying attention to God's guidance and God's direction and I was feeling the joy and satisfaction of watching God do something pretty awesome through me. Again. And then. I started taking credit for it. Again. LIke somehow I needed credit for it. Again. What God was doing in and around me. As if I were in the center of it. Not God. And that's when joy turns into suffering, almost in a heartbeat.
It took me almost 40 years to even begin to understand what my Grandmother was saying. She heard the suffering in this song and knew that I resonated with the suffering. But that I would need to suffer much, much more for many, many more years before I would learn that suffering is the beginning of hope, not the end of hope. If we learn Endurance and develop Character in the journey.
And in the naked light I saw, ten thousand people maybe more. People talking without speaking, people hearing without listening, people writing songs, that voices never shared, and no one dared, disturb the the Sound of Silence.”
What is the Secret of Your Strength?
I will submit to you that for many, like for Samson ... who we studied on Wednesday night ... For many, like Samson, the secret of their power is PRIDE. God had given Samson a tremendous gift of great power. But for Samson, this gift from God was experienced more like a burden than a blessing.
And I will submit to you that for too many, like his paramour Delilah, their power is ANIMOSITY. There seems to be a nasty addiction, so easy to develop, to just sap the strength of others. To bring others down. Some people are so lost in life they don't know how to build others up. How to build up even the people who love them and depend on them. They only know how to tear others down. We can imagine all of the nefarious reasons that Delilah betrayed Samson, not once, not twice, not three times, but four times. She was promised wealth. Perhaps that was a reason. Perhaps she had been disappointed by men so many times in her life, she had learned how to survive, by any means necessary, but never thrive.
I don't see a lot in the character of Samson to believe he was committed to caring for anyone for a whole lifetime. Do you? Delilah probably knew that too. Like so many referred to in the song: They talked to each other without really speaking. They heard each other without really listening. They were writing songs that voices never shared. And no one dared. Disturb the sound of silence. Between them.
Samson didn't value endurance or character. Delilah didn't value endurance or character. So they tried to grab everything they could get right now. Because investing in tomorrow takes trust and faith and character. And that means finding something, finding some one we can trust. Not just for a short term. But for the long haul.
"Fools said I you do not know, silence like a cancer grows, hear my words that I might teach you, take my arms that I might reach you." But my words, like silent raindrops fell. And echoed in the Wells of Silence.
What is the Secret of Your Strength?
I will submit to you that Samson and Delilah never discovered what Isaiah knew. When we wait on the Lord, our strength is renewed. When we wait on the Lord God can carry us to heights even eagles can't imagine. When we wait on the Lord, we can run with perseverance. With endurance. We can walk upright without having to look over our shoulder for betrayal and revenge. Because we walk with a character that only great suffering ... mixed with great grace can produce.
So what is the Secret of Your Strength?
When Ms. Yarlette asked this question in our Bible Study on Wednesday night, it bowled me over. It felt familiar. And I needed some time to remember the title of Grandma's sermon that she helped me write. I always wanted to know what the secret of Grandma's strength was. She was the strongest woman I ever knew, at least right up until I came to Mt. Olive. And God help us, Mt. Olive has 8 or 10 or 12 or 20 women that can give Ms. Agnes a run for her money.
Because they know, what my Grandma knew, and what I have also learned over many decades to trust:
Through it all. keep coming back to the altar. God forgives. So can you.
Through it all, keep ooming bck to the altar. God forgives. So can you.
Through it all, keep coming back to tha altar. The God who forgives is the only god we can trust in our times of trial.
"And the people bowed and prayed, to that neon god they'd made. And the sign flashed out its warning, in the words that it was forming. And the sign said, "The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls and tenement halls. And whispered in the of sound of Silence.
What is the Secret of Your Strength?
I will submit to you that for the Jesus it wasn't just the SILENCE. For Jesus it was also the TRUTH that SILENCES CONDEMNATION. The TRUTH that God loved the world so much, that Jesus entered into our broken and messed up lives.
And. And. And. Whoever believes in the Good News of Jesus Christ. In the Gospel of God's Grace. And shares it. Has already tasted eternal life. When we taste God's grace. No matter how much we suffer. We will not perish. No matter how much we suffer. We shall persevere. With endurance and character and hope.
Those are indeed the words that the prophets have written on the subway walls and tenement halls. And yes. On the very streets of our beloved South Dallas. John 3:16 is still one of the most popular graffitti signs in our world, even today.
And it's what my Grandma wanted me to grasp, even more than life itself. How God's grace is sufficient for me. How God's grace is sufficient for us ALL.
She could have said, "Todd the words of your favorite song don't belong in church. The name of the God of Israel, the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Neither is ever mentioned. Others had voiced this objection. Others still will today. But for Ms. Agnes she wanted church to be a place where children belonged. She wanted church to be a place where I belonged. And my brother belonged. Yes with the grace of God.
So instead of rejecting something that spoke to me, she listened to the words and then remarked, "Well, that sound a lot like the book of Ecclesiastes, Todd. With a little St. Paul thrown in. I like it. But I do wonder. Where do you think they look for hope? And then she planted this seed of faith in me with a simple question:
What is the Secret of Your Strength?
Not for me to answer myself. But for me to think about and ask the various people we encountered in the Bible. As we read it together. And then, on Wednesday night, Ms. Yarlette asked Samson, and us the very same question at Bible Study. What is the Secret of Your Strength. And I was profoundly strengthened by the truth found in each of our answers.
Looks like you miss a LOT when you miss a Wednesday or a Sunday at Mt. Olive. Thanks be to God there is still a whole lotta grace left for us to share. And awhole lotta Wednesdays and Sundays to share.
To share this in many different ways. For deep down we know this is true, don't we: What is the Secret of Our Strength? That God's grace is sufficient for us all.
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free, from the law of sin and death. May that resonate with you in your quiet moments, as you, like Jesus, listen for God in the Sound of Silence. Amen.
SERMON SERIES:
Epiphany: We SEE the TRUTH ...
1) NEW TEACHING/With Authority - January 31
2) THAT SILENCES/Condemnation - February 7
3) HARD TO HANDLE/In Shadows - February 14
Lent: HERE WE STAND ... With Jesus
Wilderness or Fulfillment? - February 21
Rebuked, Provoked, or Gracious? - February 28
G) THIRD SONG: The Sound of Silence led by Pentatonix, first written and performed by Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel. Full Pentatonix video.
Please MUTE and SING along (lyrics are in video:)
K) LITURGY of HOLY COMMUNION This is the Feast of Victory .... Led by Carlos Leggett & Tanya Browne
This is the feast of victory for our God. Alleluia!
Worthy is Christ, the Lamb who was slain, whose blood set us free to be people of God.
Power, riches and wisdom and strength, and honor and blessing and glory are his.
This is the feast of victory for our God. Alleluia!
Sing with all the people of God and join in the hymns of all creation.
Blessing and honor and glory and might be to God and the Lamb forever. Amen.
This is the feast of victory for our God. For the Lamb who was slain has begun his reign. Alleluia, Alleluia!
GREAT THANKSGIVING & Preface by #7
Please UNmute & RESPOND
The Lord be with you,
AND ALSO WITH YOU
Lift up your hearts
WE LIFT THEM TO THE LORD!
Let us give thanks to the Lord, our God.
IT IS RIGHT TO GIVE OUR THANKS AND PRAISE.
It is indeed right and salutary that we should at all times and in all places offer thanks and praise to you, O Lord, Holy Father, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who on this day overcame death and the grave and by his glorious resurrection opened to us the way of everlasting life. And so with the Church on Earth and all the hosts of heaven we praise your name and join their unending hymn.
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord, led by Pastor Todd
Please MUTE & SING:
HOLY, HOLY, HOLY, LORD, Lord God of power and might. Heaven and earth are full of your glory, Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he, who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna, in the highest.
WORDS OF INSTITUTION & Lord's Prayer, led by #7
The Words of Institution are recorded for us in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke as well as by St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:
“Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night in which He was betrayed, took bread and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to His disciples saying: ‘Take and eat; this is My body, which is given for you. This do in remembrance of Me.’
“In the same way also He took the cup after supper, gave thanks, and gave it to them saying: ‘Drink of it all of you; this cup is the New Covenant in My blood, which is shed for you and for all people, for the remission of sins. This do as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.'”
When the disciples didn't know how to PRAY in the face of the challenges ahead of them, they asked Jesus for help. He said, "Pray this way!" Will you share with me the Lord's Prayer?
Please UNMute & RESPOND
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name,
thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
1) Lamb, Of God, led by Dolphene Davis
2) By Night We Hasten in Darkness led by Pastor Todd. Taize worship has a tremendous history of Peace and Unity through Music in a world war torn Europe. Pastor Todd has led a Sonrise Easter Vigil based on Taize worship since 2002. De noche iremos. Canto de Taizé
Please MUTE & SING:
1) Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us (repeat) ... Lamb of God, you take away, the sins of the world, grant us peace ... grant us peace.
* AND *
De noche iremos, de noche que para encontrar la fuente, sólo la sed nos alumbra, sólo la sed nos alumbra
By night, we hasten, in darkness, to search for living water, only our thirst leads us onward, only our thirst leads us onward
We will go by night, To find the source, thirst is our only light
They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall run and not be weary, walk and not faint. Teach me Lord to wait.
My soul thirsts for God, the God of life, The Lord is my Savior and my God
All things work for good to those who believe in God. Trust in God. Trust in God.
Why are you cast down, O my soul? Hope in God; for I shall praise him again, my help and my God.
By day the Lord commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me. A prayer to the God of my life.
L) Post Communion Blessing & Prayer led by #7
ALL: May the body and blood of our Risen Lord, Jesus the Christ, strengthen you and keep you in His grace, now and always. Amen.
Let us pray. Life-giving God, in the mystery of Christ’s resurrection you send light to conquer darkness, water to give new life, and the bread of life to nourish your people. Help us to stand with Jesus as witnesses to your Son’s resurrection, that we may show your glory to all the world, through Jesus Christ, our risen Lord. AMEN.
M) BENEDICTION: In His Silence, performed by Hillsong United
Please MUTE and SING along (lyrics in Video and below)
In the silence of Your majesty, In the splendor of Your holiness, In the stillness of Your glory, Let me hear Your voice, The gentle whisper of Your voice.
Father, I long to stand before You, And lay my life before You, I come to worship You alone, oh my God. I reach my hands toward You, With all my heart adore You Let me hear Your voice.
With the power of Your presence, And your beauty all around me, As the heavens stand in awe of You Let me hear Your voice.
SENDING: Led by led by #7
What is the mission of Mt. Olive Lutheran Church?
TO SERVE as a VEHICLE through which the Gospel is Spread!!!
Go in Peace and Serve the Lord!
Thanks be to God!! And WE WILL!!
Companionship is a ministry of PRESENCE, a relationship responding to isolation and suffering and supportive of healing and recovery.
Companionship welcomes the stranger, building a CIRCLE of CARE with individuals who are facing emotional and mental health challenges.
Companionship is rooted in our natural capacities as human beings to be sensitive, compassionate and concerned.
POSTLUDE 1: Kids Explain Black History Month by Global Citizen
POSTLUDE 2: Black History Month for Kids, by Homeschool Pop
POSTLUDE 3: For There Is Always Light, written and read by Amanda Gorman at the January 20, 2021 Inauguration of Joseph Biden, the 46th President of the United States of America)
POSTLUDE 4: Teacher brings Black History Month to life with periodic table, 11Alive's Nick Sturdivant shares the impact the display is having at Cambridge High School in Milton.
POSTLUDE 5: This Little Light of Mine, led by the NFL Choir