Worship Service

Readings for May 16, 2021: 7th Sunday of Easter, Ascension Sunday, Acts 1:1-11, Ps 47, Eph 1:15-23, Lk 24:44-53.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Please keep Pastor Ami in prayer as she is back in the hospital.

Sizzlin’ Chicken

The 1st Sizzlin’ Chicken will be held on June 12th, the 2nd Saturday. Offering 1/2 grilled chicken, BBQ sauce and 2 cookies. Price will be $9--no advanced orders

We need some workers on that day to arrive at 11a.m. to set up and to stay until sold out:

1 cashier; 1 server of the chicken; 1 bagger; 1 person to write down names and phone number of the buyers

1 cleaner at the end; 1 man to help take in tables and chairs at the end

Also, people to make cookies--2 dozen each--putting 2 into a small Ziplock bag
If you can volunteer for any of these positions, please contact Rebecca Schramm--

603-369-9598, rebecca@merrymeadowfarm.com

Thank you so much!!!

Food Shelf Items Needed

Easy to prepare foods for kids, Flour & Sugar, Coffee, Toilet Paper & Paper Towels, Laundry Detergent, Shampoo & Hand Soap, Toothpaste & Toothbrushes (individually packaged, please)

Easy to prepare foods for kids, Flour & Sugar, Coffee, Toilet Paper & Paper Towels, Laundry Detergent, Shampoo & Hand Soap, Toothpaste & Toothbrushes (individually packaged, please)

Grace United Methodist Church
P. O. Box 726, Bradford, VT 05033, Church phone #: (802) 222-9062,
Parsonage phone #: (802) 222-5247
Secretary’s email address: gracesecybradford@gmail.com,
Pastor’s email address: bradfordumcpastor@gmail.com
Find us on Facebook: Grace UMC

Finance Moment: An update on our finances.
Yearly Church Budget: $79,839.00
Needed Weekly: $1,535.27
April’s Collection to Date: $2,980

Offerings may be mailed to GUMC, P.O. Box 726, Bradford, VT 05033 or go to bradfordumc.org, click on “More” in the pull-down menu and click on “Donate”. Follow the instructions.

LEADERSHIP
Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar, New England Conference
District Superintendent: Rev Jill Colley Robinson
Pastor: Ami Sawtelle
Organist: Connie Linnell
Minister: All the People

Thank you, Don, for sweeping and mopping the sanctuary

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“From You Comes My Praise: Guide My Steps”
Fifth Sunday of Easter

Prelude
Welcome

GATHERING OUR STRENGTH
Threshold
Pastor: We are a resurrection people! Those who seek new life – new beginnings. And we, the church, must be a place of knowing and growing and accepting love. We hear today the question asked by the Ethiopian eunuch: “Here is water. What is to keep me from being baptized?” As we dance into diversity and acceptance, may the Spirit guide our steps for nothing is keeping us from it!

Dare to dance with dreamers, sing their song,
Dare to dance their stories, sing out strong.
Dare to dance with freedom your whole life long,
Dare to dance again!

Pastor: Dancing requires that we pay attention to the steps, that we watch for the steps of those who have danced this dance of life before – those whose seeking and questioning and dreaming can lead us to seek and hope and dream. Imagine now a dreamer in whose steps you would like to follow. How did they choreograph their dance of life? Now, imagine yourself following their steps with courage and joy!

Leader: This is the call!
Look to the skies be it rain or shine.
People: We lift up our heads to meet the day.
Look around and see that you do not dance alone.
We fortify our hearts with compassion and action.
If rain still lingers, open the umbrellas of praise and set out anyway.
For we are called to dance again!

Opening Song of Praise: “Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah” UMH 127
CCLI Song # 1448
John Hughes | Peter Williams | William Williams
© Words: Public Domain
Music: Public Domain
CCLI License # 11554317
Streaming License: 20810329

Prayer (Unison)
Holy One, Justice-Seeker, Lover of Creation –
Open us to learn new steps of faithfulness.
Give us courage and patience.
Come and dance with us, engage with us, as we seek you –
so that we can be risen with Christ and in Christ.
Be with us now, we pray. Amen.

A Story for the Ages

First Reading: Psalm 22:25-31 (NRSV, adapted)
From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will pay before those who fear God. The poor shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek the Holy One shall praise the Lord. May your hearts live forever! All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord. For dominion belongs to the One who rules over the nations. To this One, indeed, shall all who sleep in the earth bow down; and I shall live for God alone.

Posterity will serve God; future generations will be told about the Lord, and proclaim God’s divine deliverance to a people yet unborn, saying that God indeed has done it.

Second Reading: Acts 8:26-39 (NRSV, adapted)

Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Get up and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." (This is a wilderness road.) So he got up and went.

Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah.

Then the Spirit said to Philip, "Go over to this chariot and join it.” So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. Philip asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?” The eunuch replied, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him.

Now the passage of the scripture that he was reading was this: "Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter, and like a lamb silent before its shearer, so he does not open his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth."

The eunuch asked Philip, "About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus. As they were going along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?"

He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.

Sermon
“Siyahamba” is one of those songs that gets the heart to beating, the feet to tapping and hands to clapping. UMCDiscipleship reminds us that it is a freedom song from South Africa, speaking of “protest, struggle and solidarity.”

As we watch the news or check the news on our phones, we see protest and struggle in our own country. The loudest voices are those seeking better treatment for those of brown or black skin, but they are not the only voices crying out for justice and right treatment. Those whose gender identity is other than heterosexual find challenges in the work/school environment as well as life in general, while those who are differently abled have long struggled with equal access to facilities and job opportunities that allow them to become independent.

The eunuch, an important official in the court of the Candace, Queen of Ethiopia, had power and position and enough money to afford a copy of the Isaiah scroll he was reading, but he wasn’t allowed in the inner courts of the Temple in Jerusalem. He was an outsider that could never be on the inside due to his incompleteness as a castrated man.

He is reading aloud from the Isaiah scroll as his chariot travels back toward home, but he is not sure he understands what is written. God places Philip in position to help him understand not only what he was reading, but his own worth. That is grace, God’s putting the right person in the right place at the right time to make a difference.

God uses us in our everyday ordinary lives to make a difference in the lives of others. Whether it is to help explain the scriptures to someone seeking to know Jesus better or to advocate for someone being marginalized due to race, ability, gender identity or other reason, God gives us the words, the strength and the knowledge when we need it to help share God’s grace with others.

As we share in the struggle to help others find acceptance, to find justice in a world that rewards those who have power and steps on the backs those who have no power, we speak words of hope in a dark world, we share words of life into a space where darkness and despair often overshadow hope. When we walk in unity with those oppressed, we join in the struggle to bring justice to those who have been used as stepping stones in the path to power for others.

When the eunuch had heard the scriptures proclaimed, he began to have hope, but his question, "Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?" suggests that he may have been unsure as to his full acceptance into the community of followers of the Way. Imagine his joy when Philip stopped and took him down to the water and baptized him. “. . . the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.”

When those who have felt marginalized are welcomed into the community as full participants in the life of the community, when they feel they are worthy participants in all that is happening, imagine their joy.

We need to ‘dare to dance again’ as we experience the Spirit moving within us and within our community for when we follow the Spirit’s lead, we know we are following the pathway that God has set before us. Amen.

Sounds of Resurrection       “Siyahamba”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fi-zd2k8wgQ
CCLI Song # 320947
Anders Nyberg
Andrew Maries
© 1987, 1991 Sovereign Music UK, 1st Verse, rest unaffiliated
South African Freedom Song
CCLI License # 11554317
Streaming License: 20810329
Performance: Nouvel Album Chorale Sainte Famille (CONGO Brazzaville)

THE BODY MOVES IN RESPONSE

Prayers of the People
Our Joys
Our Concerns
   Prayers for the Williamstown United Federated Church in Williamstown, VT.
Our God Sightings

Offering Our Resources and our Energy
Leader: How has the testimony of the people in our lives and through the generations guided our steps into dances of praise at the good news that we are loved and blessed?
What transformation is possible as we abide with God and “find our groove” of praise with the congregation? Let us pool our resources and order our steps to bring life and wholeness to the larger community through our offerings this day.

Communion

Celebrant: Will you open yourselves to the grace of Jesus Christ that is always and already available here at this table? If so, say, “Open us to your grace, Lord.”
All: “Open us to your grace, Lord.”
Will you open yourselves once again to the call of Jesus Christ?
If so, say, “Open us to your call, Lord.”
“Open us to your call, Lord.”
Will you open yourselves to the possibility of transformation through Jesus Christ?
If so, say, “Transform us, O Lord.”
“Transform us, O Lord.”

As we prepare to attend the heavenly feast, we especially pray for those who have no earthly tables, or no place at a table, and so little daily bread.

We confess this day that we have been slow to join the dance
that brings life to all, brings love to all, brings sustenance to all.
In silence, let us lift up our prayers of confession...

A time for silent, personal confession

Celebrant: Hear this good news!
God has loved you from the very beginning.
The invitation of Christ is never-ending.
The Holy Spirit is transforming you even now!
In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!
All: In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!
Glory to God! Amen!

The Peace

The Peace of Christ be with you.
And also with you.
Please greet each other as the Body of Christ as you pass the peace of Christ with one another with a wave.

The Great Thanksgiving

Jesus is with us!
With us now and forever!
So lift up your hearts and voices!
We lift them up to God!
Let’s join in thanks and praise!
How right it is to do this together!

Holy Living One, …

… And so we join with the glorious chorus of saints past and present,
singing a never-ending hymn of praise:

Holy, Holy, Holy!
God of power and might,
everywhere we see your glory!
Blessed are they who come in your name.
Hosanna! Alleluia! Amen!

Indeed, you are holy! …

… And so, my friends, we remember. And we believe:

Christ has died. Christ has risen. Christ will come again!

Pour out your Spirit upon us now! …

… All glory to you, Living Presence, Holy One, Holy God,
through Jesus our Christ
and the Holy Spirit our Advocate.
Amen.
Communion

STEPPING OUT

Song for Stepping Out: “I Love to Tell the Story” UMH 156
CCLI Song # 29413
Arabella Catherine Hankey | William Gustavus Fischer
© Words: Public Domain
Music: Public Domain
CCLI License # 11554317
Streaming License: 20810329

Benediction
Leader: Poet and songwriter Leonard Cohen penned these words that we can surely lift to God:

“Dance me to your beauty with a burning violin
Dance me through the panic till I'm gathered safely in
Lift me like an olive branch and be my homeward dove
Dance me to the end of love
Oh, let me see your beauty when the witnesses are gone
Let me feel you moving like they do in Babylon
Show me slowly what I only know the limits of
Dance me to the end of love.”

May we follow the lead of the Spirit as we find expansive ways to dance the dance of love.

And may the Loving God, Risen Christ, and Dancing Spirit fill you with all you need for the days ahead. And all God’s people said,
“Amen!"

Postlude

www.worshipdesignstudio.com/easterdance - Modified
GRACE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
5th Sunday of Easter
May 2, 2021                                                 Pastor Ami Sawtelle

Food Shelf Items Needed

Easy to prepare foods for kids, Flour & Sugar, Coffee, Toilet Paper & Paper Towels, Laundry Detergent, Shampoo & Hand Soap, Toothpaste & Toothbrushes (individually packaged, please)

Easy to prepare foods for kids, Flour & Sugar, Coffee, Toilet Paper & Paper Towels, Laundry Detergent, Shampoo & Hand Soap, Toothpaste & Toothbrushes (individually packaged, please)

Easy to prepare foods for kids, Flour & Sugar, Coffee, Toilet Paper & Paper Towels, Laundry Detergent, Shampoo & Hand Soap, Toothpaste & Toothbrushes (individually packaged, please)

Grace United Methodist Church
P. O. Box 726, Bradford, VT 05033, Church phone #: (802) 222-9062,
Parsonage phone #: (802) 222-5247
Secretary’s email address: gracesecybradford@gmail.com,
Pastor’s email address: bradfordumcpastor@gmail.com. Find us on Facebook: Grace UMC

Finance Moment: An update on our finances.
Yearly Church Budget: $79,839.00
Needed Weekly: $1,535.27
March's Collections: $2,130.16
April’s Collection to Date: $1,280

Offerings may be mailed to GUMC, P.O. Box 726, Bradford, VT 05033 or go to bradfordumc.org, click on “More” in the pull-down menu and click on “Donate”. Follow the instructions.

LEADERSHIP
Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar, New England Conference
District Superintendent: Rev Jill Colley Robinson
Pastor: Ami Sawtelle
Organist: Connie Linnell
Minister: All the People

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April 11, 2021
Second Sunday of Easter
Threshold
Leader: This is the Easter Season! Easter is not just one day of proclaiming that life and love are more powerful than death and hatred, but a whole “week of weeks,” as we call it–seven more weeks of daring to dance our dances with hope and passion. So let us continue our praise!
Dare to dance with dreamers, sing their song, Dare to dance their stories, sing out strong. Dare to dance with freedom your whole life long, Dare to dance again!
Leader: Dancing requires that we pay attention to our dance partners. It requires finding a rhythm together. The Sunday after Easter brings the story of Jesus appearing to the disciples and breathing the Holy Spirit on them. Other scriptures this week point to the power of being together, of finding fellowship in the presence of Jesus and the presence of the community. What does it take to dance together?
Leader: This is the call!
Shake off the dust that has been gathering underfoot.
People: We lift up our heads to meet the day.
Raise your hands in grateful praise.
We fortify our hearts with compassion and action.
If rain still lingers, open the umbrellas of determination and set out anyway. For we are called to dance again!
Opening Song of Praise: “Thine Be the Glory” UMH 308
Prayer: Unison
Holy One, Justice-Seeker, Lover of Creation – You are the restorer of life, the conqueror of all that is death-dealing in our hearts and in this world. Tune us to each other. Come and dance with us, engage with us, as we seek you – so that we can be risen with Christ and in Christ. Be with us now, we pray. Amen.
First Reading: John 20:19-22 (NRSV, adapted)
When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples
Modified from www.worshipdesignstudio.com/easterdance 1
rejoiced when they saw him. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As God has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
Second Reading: 1 John 1: 1-4 (NRSV, adapted)
We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life – this life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it, and declare to you the eternal life that was with the very Creator of the universe and was revealed to us – we declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with both the Creator and with Jesus the Christ. We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.
Sounds of Resurrection: “I Hope You Dance” by Lee Ann Womack Sermon
Video
Prayers of the People
Leader: For the beauty of the world in all its diversity, we give you thanks, O God. [Our prayers of Thanksgiving]
Leader: Let us pray together...
People: May our gratitude to you fill our days.
Leader: We need your healing, O Holy One, for our troubled planet, for our nation, for all who are struggling in body, mind, relationships, and spirit. We remember those who are suffering...
[Our prayers of concern]
Leader: Let us pray together...
People: Come, O God, and restore our lives.
Leader: Be with each of us now. May the dance of your Spirit ever call us to engage with you and with the needs around us. Lead us; guide us; surround and fill us. Let us pray together...
People: Come, Holy Spirit, come.
Offering Our Resources and our Energy
Leader: Our dance with God needs fuel and energy. If we are to dance the dance of justice, find the steps of service, invite others to dance with us, we must have the resources that will assure that we have the music and the leadership, the tunes and the teachers to continue this holy dance. It’s a dance of generosity, too. Following the lead of Christ calls us to pour ourselves out for the sake of love. Won’t you give now so that the dance of God can be full and free in this place?
STEPPING OUT
Closing Hymn: “The Summons” – FWS 2130
Benediction
Modified from www.worshipdesignstudio.com/easterdance 2

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Easter Sunday!

New Harbor UMC, Maine
Round Pond UMC, Maine
Grace UMC, Bradford, Vt

Call to Worship (AWA)
Leader: Christ is risen!
All: Alleluia!
Leader: The tomb is empty!
All: Alleluia!
Leader: Christ is alive!
All: Alleluia!

* Opening Hymn: # 302 Christ the Lord is Risen Today

Opening Prayer: (AWA) - Unison
God of hope, in the midst of death, you call forth life. When all hope seemed gone, you raised Jesus from the grave. We come before you today, longing for your life-giving presence. God of new life, raise us up with all your people. Lift us from the tombs of our despair and doubt, that we may rejoice in your power over death. God of joy, fill our hearts with alleluias as we sing your praises. Glory to God. Amen!

Prayer of Confession (AWA) - Unison
God of life and love, like Peter, we gaze into the empty tomb and see only death. Like Mary, we stand weeping over loss. We so often feel hopeless. We don’t recognize any possibility for joy. Surprise us with your work in the world. May we dry our tears, as we dance into new life. Amen.

Words of Assurance (AWA) - Pastor
The risen Jesus offers forgiveness of sins through his name. Rejoice, Jesus gives you new life.

Prayer of Preparation (AWA) - Unison
God of grace, we come today to hear the story of Easter. Open our hearts, that we might hear your truth anew. Be with us on the journey that leads to life and hope. Amen.

Early Church: Acts 10:34-43

Moments for Children of God: Fixed

Epistle: 1 Corinthians 15:1-11

* Hymn of Preparation: # 310 He Lives

* Gospel: John 20:1-18

Today’s Message: Resurrection Wholeness

Prayers of the people/God sightings:
Pastoral prayer:

Receiving of God’s Tithes and Our Offerings:
* Doxology #95

* Prayer of Dedication: (WWG)
Living God, you give us the greatest gift of all, the gift of new life. Grateful for this gift, we bring our offerings, the work of our hands. Use our gifts to share your word of hope, your promise of forgiveness, and your blessings with all creation. Grateful for your love, we offer ourselves, that we might walk with our neighbors into your garden of love. Amen.

Communion: please have juice and bread available if you choose to partake
The Lord’s Prayer:
* Sending Forth Hymn: # 327 Crown Him with Many Crowns
* Benediction

AWA – From The Abingdon Worship Annual 2021. Copyright © 2020 by Abingdon Press. Used by permission.

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GRACE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

March 28, 2021                                           Pastor Ami Sawtelle
“Holy, Wholly”
Palm Sunday
Prelude

Welcome and Announcements

Good morning, welcome to this 6th Sunday in Lent, Palm Sunday, at Grace United Methodist Church in Bradford, VT. Whether you are with us on Zoom or watching this on our Facebook page at a later time, know that God loves you and has been with you throughout this past year of social distancing, whether you have noticed God’s presence or not. Our worship series during this special season is focused on “healing,” using Sea/beach glass as an image. Previously we have been reminded of how precious we all are to God, that we are never alone, God is always with us, the importance of telling our stories for our mental health and our need to reenergize our creativity for health. Last week we saw how the health of our planet impacts our own health.

Threshold

When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, just say this, ‘The Lord needs them.’ And he will send them immediately.” This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet, saying,

“Tell the daughter of Zion,
Look, your king is coming to you,
humble, and mounted on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting,

Repeat after me and start waving those branches!

Leader: “Hosanna to the Son of David!
People: “Hosanna to the Son of David!
Blessed is the one who comes
Blessed is the one who comes
in the name of the Lord!
in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, “Who is this?” The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”

The Parade

“Jesus is Coming”
Or
“Hosanna” SongSelect #4785835

Threshold

Leader: We have seen that the stories of Jesus’ healing ministry are filled words and deeds. When he rides into Jerusalem, the people had hopes he would heal the oppressive system they were living under. We know that his healing was not confined to that moment in history, but offers a new way of life that has made a case for compassion for all, especially “the least,” ever since.

As we head into the events of Holy Week, we begin to see that our ability to forgive ourselves and others is the foundation that can transform infirmities and allow us to move on. We integrate our beliefs and actions for the health of the whole. The parade of compassionate power we celebrate today is underscored by a another healing story of transformation, symbolizing our ability to fuel our movement of recovery. We glorify God for beautiful words and works of wholeness and share that treasured beauty with others. We know there will still be pain, but we also know love will win.

Vessels, holy and whole
Broken, needing the One
Open, body and soul
Healer, come.
Prayer for Peace                                           Pastor Kelly Harvell

Eternal God, in whose perfect kingdom no sword is drawn but the sword of righteousness,
no strength known but the strength of love:
so mightily spread abroad your Spirit, that all people and nations may be gathered under the
banner of the Prince of Peace,
as children of one God, to whom be dominion and glory, now and forever. Amen.

Opening Prayer of Confession

Leader: We have approached confession each week in Lent in such a way that we lay bare the brokenness in order to begin the process of healing. Along the way we have acknowledged our need to restore our own Holy Vessels while attending to our role in the healing of the community and the world. The work of healing will continue as we integrate all we have learned with all that we will do moving forward. For now, we remember how hard it is
to move from thinking to doing.

Let us pray:

Forgiving God,
We have opened ourselves to healing and sometimes it is easier to pray nice prayers
than to do the hard work of putting into action what needs to happen.
Help us remember the sacred nature of the holy vessels that we are,
fragile and susceptible to shattering and yet capable of transformation.
Help us to see ourselves as you see us.
Help us to believe in our ability to change and heal
as you believe in us.

Help us, Healer.
Show us our strength.
Forgive our inertia.
Move us to move
one step at a time toward greater care.

In this silence, we sense and acknowledge our yearning for wholeness.

Silence

Vessels, holy and whole
Broken, needing the One
Open, body and soul
Healer, come.
Assurance

Assurance

I invite you to return to that warm orb of light that lives deep within you once again. It may already be aglow with the excitement of the parade–the presence of Jesus leading us on. But if you are struggling, or have struggled in this season of recovery, to feel this warmth of assurance within you, do not despair. You are not the one who has to create the light. It just is. And it is a pilot light that never goes out. You will at some time begin to notice it returning to your awareness.

Know this: You are never alone in the struggle.
No. Matter. What.

Jesus is on the journey with us.
Life’s parade is not passing you by.
You are part of this Body of Christ, a community seeking healing.
For you, for me, for all.

Take a deep breath in to let this truth fill you…
and breathe out with the relief of assurance.
Peace

I invite you to imagine the warmth that surrounds you extending to those
who may be next to you in close proximity. Imagine it extending beyond
your walls to
the neighborhood…
the wider community…
the church…
and seeing it spread like the rising sun, let it expand to all the world.
Let this be our peace. Amen.

If you have not already, I invite you to open your eyes.

The peace of Christ is with you.
And also with you.

Time for Children

A Contemporary Word

“We know only too well that what we are doing is nothing more than a drop in the ocean. But if
the drop were not there, the ocean would be missing something.”
― Mother Teresa

“People pay for what they do, and still more for what they have allowed themselves to become.
And they pay for it very simply; by the lives they lead.”
― James Baldwin

“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.”
― William James

“What we do comes out of who we believe we are.”
― Rob Bell

“You can't make yourself feel positive, but you can choose how to act, and if you choose right,
it builds your confidence.”
― Julien Smith

Musical Proclamation
“Make Us Holy, Make Us Whole”

An Ancient Word
Matthew 9: 1-8

And after getting into a boat he crossed the sea and came to his own town. And just then some people were carrying a paralyzed man lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.” Then some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” But Jesus, perceiving their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Stand up and walk’? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Stand up, take your bed and go to your home.” And he stood up and went to his home. When the crowds saw it, they were filled with awe, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to human beings.
Song of Preparation
“Make Us Holy, Make Us Whole” (refrain only)

In your love, make us whole.
May we rest in your compassion.
Calm the lost, weary soul
in the warmth of your love.
May your peace fill our hearts.
May we know the love of Jesus.
By your grace, you console.
Make us holy, make us whole.

Prayers of the People

Leader: Healer of our every ill,
especially when we find it difficult to believe or trust that sorrow will end,
we come before you to make our petitions known.
Hear our cries for healing of body, mind, and spirit.
We know that already you are at work among us,
showing us the way to recovery from the toxicities and grief of our time.

Even when we cannot seem to believe it,
we know that you see beauty in our brokenness.
We pray especially for those who feel there is no end to sorrow,
that no matter what we do or how hard we work to bring
peace and justice to our world, it feels like we cannot gain traction.
We give thanks that when we cannot bring ourselves to the healing source of your love,
there are others around us that, through words and actions, bring us hope once again.
Help to also be those who offer hope when we have the opportunity
on this parade of compassion called life.

We pray this day for…

CELEBRATIONS:                   PETITIONS:
Leader: Alleluia?                   Leader: Lord in your mercy,
Response: Alleluia!                   Response: Hear our prayer!

Joys:

Pat’s birthday, 3/23

Concerns:

Young people dealing with mental health issues and homelessness.
People of Newbury—youth detention facility and fears around that.

Prayer of Jesus

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,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.

In your love, make us whole.
May we rest in your compassion.
Calm the lost, weary soul
in the warmth of your love.
May your peace fill our hearts.
May we know the love of Jesus.
By your grace, you console.
Make us holy, make us whole.
Ritual Action for the Week

Leader: The words of Jesus we heard in this week’s healing story were many, but let us hone in on two words, “Take heart.” The French word for “heart” is “couer” and, besides its reference to the physical heart organ, it also means “courage.” Certainly Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem was a sign to people that they were worthy to be “saved”–the meaning of the cries of “hosanna!” Courage in the face of difficulty, and care in the face of being disheartened, go hand-in-hand.

Healing is not always an absence of illness, but rather a trust that God is holding our brokenness and we can move on in life with assurance, making beauty in the midst of hard times. Last week we wrapped our pieces of beach glass in wire. We have been reminded all week that God restores us to life, wrapping and holding us. This week I invite you to give away what you have created to someone else who needs this reminder.

As you look back on this season of focusing on healing, what is it you learned that you want to now “give away” to others… through your words and your actions?

Take a moment to think on this and then when you are ready, enclose the piece of glass in your hand and hold it to your heart, breathing (“spirare”) deeply and inviting that Spirit to show you your next steps in furthering the healing of your corner of the world, even if it is just your household or neighborhood. And keep your eyes open this week for the right moment, the right person, to receive this gift of beauty from brokenness that you have made. When you give it to them, you might say, “Take heart. You are not alone.”
Closing Song
“I Will Trust in the Lord”
Spiritual, NCH 416, UMH 464
Or
“Take Courage” SongSelect #7074837

Commission

Leader: In this series, we have seen that Jesus’ healing actions often get “buzz” from onlookers. This day we have seen two different reactions from the crowd: shouts of adoration and the scoff of judgment from religious officials. His words and actions seemed to get one or the other–praise or accusations of heresy. But he continued his work anyway. He loved those that were deemed unlovable. He proclaimed healing in the midst of despair. He urged people to give their best in the midst of the worst circumstances. To be followers of Jesus is not an easy task. But it is the way that we become whole once again… to participate in the holy endeavor of bringing the kin-dom on earth as it is in heaven. And as we enter Holy Week, these themes will come into sharp focus. May we follow him, even to the broken places.

We have asked this question each week: How can we as a church community become a “health hub” through our ministry and mission? During this Holy Week, we will…

Much has happened in our country this past year. We have struggled through the hardships of a pandemic that has not only resulted in the loss of many lives but has also damaged the health of numerous survivors who suffer from “long hauler” issues that continue to disrupt their lives. The economic impact, particularly for individuals at the lower ends of the pay scale and small businesses has been dire, with layoffs and permanent business closures. Social justice issues, particularly concerning those of brown and black skin color have been front page stories throughout the year, due to the significance of their impact on families of color as well as the lives of people who identify as “white,” though many of the latter don’t recognize the impact. What can we at Grace UMC in Bradford, VT do about all of the above? Are we so overwhelmed we are unable to respond or is the Holy Spirit nudging us and we are resisting? I invite us to start to talk about what things will look like when we can begin to safely gather in small groups. What are ways we can impact the situation in our community and our state in order to share the love of Jesus with the larger community? I am available Thursday mornings from 9-10 by phone or on Zoom if you want to talk. If that is not a convenient time, call me and we can set up a time to talk or drop me an e-mail with your ideas or a request to talk by phone. Let’s come out of this year of isolation rejuvenated and ready to share God’s love in tangible ways in our community.

Monetary gifts to support the mission and ministries or Grace UMC may be sent through the Church’s website: BradfordUMC.org or by check to: Grace UMC, PO Box 726, Bradford, VT 05033. Thank you for your generosity.

Blessing

Now go with confidence
that God is making us whole and holy,
recovering our depth of love for all
and our joy of living in this world.

May the words of Jesus ring in your ears:
“Take heart.”

And may the Spirit hover, move, and deliver
salve to your soul
and a spring in your step.
Amen.

Threshold Into the World
[reprise of theme song]

Vessels, holy and whole
Broken, needing the One
Open, body and soul
Healer, come.

Postlude

“Holy Vessels” worship series copyright Marcia McFee and the Worship Design Studio, https://worship-design-studio.mn.co, All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Threshold Music: “Vessels, Holy and Whole” Words: Marcia McFee, Music: Chuck Bell, All rights reserved, Used by permission.

Song of Preparation: “Make Us Holy, Make Us Whole” – Refrain only Words and Tune: Mark Friedman, ©1998 The Lorenz Corporation, All rights reserved, Used by permission.

© www.worshipdesign.com/vessels

Food Shelf Items Needed

Easy to prepare foods for kids, Flour & Sugar, Coffee, Toilet Paper & Paper Towels, Laundry Detergent, Shampoo & Hand Soap, Toothpaste & Toothbrushes (individually packaged, please)

Maundy Thursday Service April 1, 2021, 6:30 p.m.--via Zoom
Sunrise Service April 4, 6:30 a.m. – Deny Park (Gazebo) – Masks and social distancing required.
Wednesdays 2:00 p.m. Bible Study – the Book of Acts--via Zoom
Thursdays 9:00 a.m. – Coffee with the Pastor--via Zoom

Threshold
Leader: We continue our Lenten “season of recovery” as we focus on health as essential to our spiritual lives.

Vessels, holy and whole
Broken, needing the One
Open, body and soul
Healer, come.

Leader: The demands of following Jesus are great. He shows us that sometimes we must make extraordinary efforts to move in a new direction. As we consider the health of humanity, we cannot ignore the need to heal the very planet that sustains us. We live in increasing chaos of a beleaguered environment and the hoarding of resources. We want to be “saved” by something or someone else, but we discover this week that we are in the boat with the One who shows us our power to turn it around, to calm the storm. We protect the jewel that is our home, restoring something beautiful from scars of the past.

Vessels, holy and whole
Broken, needing the One
Open, body and soul
Healer, come.
Prayer for Peace                                           Pastor Kelly Harvell
Eternal God, in whose perfect kingdom no sword is drawn but the sword of righteousness, no strength known but the strength of love: so mightily spread abroad your Spirit, that all people and nations may be gathered under the banner of the Prince of Peace, as children of one God, to whom be dominion and glory, now and forever. Amen.

Opening Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us acknowledge our need to restore, repair, renew our Holy Vessels, especially this holy container of life on which we live–this very planet.
Let us pray:

Life-giving God,
In the beginning, you created this universe with a phrase, “Let it be…”
and the waters and dry land, the sky and the creatures were formed.
You set humanity among these wonders and invited us to care and honor all things.
We have not successfully answered that call.
Seeing the abundance as a feast that would never end, we gorged ourselves,
taking more than we could replenish at a rate that could not be sustained.
We are beginning to comprehend the magnitude, beginning to see that things
cannot just keep going “as usual” and not have dire consequences.
We are frightened, which is partly why we are slow to accept it.
But we now are witnesses to the forces of a world
more broken that when we inherited it:
water, wind, and wave, fire, drought, and earthquake
that signal it is time to pay attention and to make real change.
Too often we think there is nothing we can do–that the change required is too great.
It all feels overwhelming and so we look away,
sometimes even from the small things that could make a difference
for our own community.

Help us, Healer.
Show us our ability to chart a different course.
Forgive our inaction.
Move us to move
one step at a time toward greater care for one another.
In this silence, we sense and acknowledge our yearning for wholeness.

Silence

Vessels, holy and whole
Broken, needing the One
Open, body and soul
Healer, come.
Assurance

Assurance
I invite you to imagine a warmth begin to arise within the core of your body. It may help to keep your eyes closed. This warm orb of light is deep within you, a flame always there and ready when you need it. This warm glow begins to emerge from the recesses of your inner being and it fills you with determination and courage. It floods your whole body until your skin is glowing with it, radiating outward. You feel strong.

Know this: Jesus asks us to do hard things, to make changes,
knowing we are capable.

No. Matter. What.

We can change in order to heal this jewel planet called home.
The calm of Christ in the storm is available.
For you, for me, for all.

Take a deep breath in to let this truth fill you…
and breathe out with the relief of assurance.

Peace
I invite you to imagine the warmth that surrounds you extending to those who may be next to you in close proximity. Imagine it extending beyond your walls to
the neighborhood…
the wider community…
the church…
and seeing it spread like the rising sun, let it expand to all the world.
Let this be our peace. Amen.

If you have not already, I invite you to open your eyes.

The peace of Christ is with you.
And also with you.

Opening Hymn
“Touch the Earth Lightly”
Or“This Place”
Time for Children

A Contemporary Word

A good person is the friend of all living things.
– Mohandas Gandhi

“The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe,
the less taste we shall have for destruction.”
― Rachel Carson

Twenty five years ago people could be excused for not knowing much about, or doing much, about climate change. Today we have no excuse.
– Desmond Tutu

Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.
– John Muir

We don’t inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.
– David Brower

Musical Proclamation
“Bring Healing”

An Ancient Word
Matthew 8: 18-27

Now when Jesus saw great crowds around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. A scribe then approached and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” Another of his disciples said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” But Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. A windstorm arose on the sea, so great that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him up, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, you of little faith?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a dead calm. They were amazed, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?”

Message

Did you hear what Mr. Mark said earlier? During the pandemic, the earth has been healing; smog has cleared so people can see mountain tops and dolphins are entering harbors they left long ago due to shipping traffic. Another thing that has happened is that people have rediscovered nature, which can have a healing effect upon our bodies, minds, and spirits.

Friends, we have been worshiping by Zoom for one year as of today, well technically, as of yesterday since the 21st of March 2020 was our first Sunday on Zoom. Much has changed since March 8, 2020, when we last gathered in person in the Gathering Space. Many in our community, our nation and our world have experienced fear, anxiety, frustration, depression, and other struggles due to our enforced time apart and the reason behind it.

When we saw the disciples, out in the boat with Jesus, perhaps we noticed their anxiety and can find a connection with them as they faced the raging storm around them. Jesus, asleep somewhere on the boat, was obviously exhausted as he slept, oblivious to the near swamping of the boat. I suspect there have been times this year that some, if not all of us have wanted to echo the words of the disciples, “Lord save us! We are perishing!”

The pandemic has been like a storm, raging all around us. On top of that virtual storm, there have been real storms, hurricanes and ice storms, storms of fire and of rain, that have ravaged parts of our country, along with the increasing tensions of race and politics. “Lord, save us! We are perishing!”

I invite you to STOP! Take a slow, deep breath and let it out. Do that again. Breathe in, breathe out. Let the anxiety of just talking about it go. Let the load we talked about sharing with Jesus at the beginning of our journey through Lent be shared and don’t try to take it back on yourself.
Do you remember the 90’s? Do you remember when all the young people started sporting bracelets that said, “WWJD”? (Confession here, by the time this movement came along, I was an adult and thought it hokey, particularly as I was a bit of a cynic and didn’t think they all really took the time to think about what Jesus would have done in a given situation, but it was a nice thought.) So, were Jesus in our midst today, what do you think he would do? “What would Jesus do?”, that is after all what the bracelets proclaimed. Or, perhaps we should ask, “What would Jesus say?” To the disciples he said, “Why are you afraid, you of little faith?”, but what would he say to us? I think on some levels it might be the same, “Why are you afraid, you of little faith?”, but I think he may have gone further than that.
As we look at the world around us and think about all the changes that have happened in some regions due to the decrease in industrial wastes, automobile traffic and exhaust and all the other things that have had a positive impact on the environment, I wonder what Jesus would do/say. I think he would chastise us for our lack of faith; perhaps saying something like, “Don’t you see what God has done to heal the creation in the brief window allowed as people changed their way of living?” I also think he would be teaching about reducing our carbon footprint to help along the healing process. He would be reminding us that GOD created people in God’s image and placed them in a garden; that God then gave the garden into the care of humanity and now, we are in the process of destroying it, like a bunch of toddlers with a new toy. Just as Jesus spoke to the storm, so might God be speaking to the world and to us.
I can hear Jesus on the boat right now, speaking to the storm as a parent would speak to an out-of-control teenager, (after all, the Scripture says, he “rebuked” the storm). Can’t you see it, Jesus saying, “Okay storm, you’ve proven your point, you can blow and blow and stir up the waves, it’s time you got over your snit and put your energy to more practical, useful work.” Or maybe, “Sit down, shut up and behave yourself. You are out of control.”
What do you think he would say to us today? Maybe something like, “Okay, the science is telling you that if you don’t do something, and do it quickly, the earth as you know it, will no longer be able to sustain life as you know it. I’ve already said:
"Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.' “
How do you think you will be able to follow this directive if you destroy the earth’s ability to produce food?” Relief Web estimates that over 100 million people have faced severe shortages over the last four years and the numbers are likely to grow significantly in 2021. (https://reliefweb.int/report/world/call-action-avert-famine-2021) Go to your web browser, type in “Famine” and a year, and you will find a plethora of articles from trusted organizations such as, the International Rescue Committee (IRC), United Nations (UN), and the Oxford Committee for Famine Relief (OXFAM), along with numerous others.
Jesus tended to, “tell it like it is,” holding people accountable for their actions, telling them the truth of how difficult it would be to follow him into a renewed relationship with God, the creator and sustainer of all life.
As we listen to the interaction between Jesus and the disciple whose father had died, we also hear Jesus telling him and us, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”; that it is not a time to dally; we need to get a move on. Jesus made a demand, not a suggestion, ‘God’s kin-dom is the future. If you want to be a part of it, if you want to follow me, the time is now, not later. Let what has happened in the past be in the past. Look now to what is in the future and make the changes appropriate to ensure your welcome in God’s realm.’

Do we want to stand before God at the final judgement and say:
“I know, the scientists told us things were bad, but I didn’t want to believe them, I really liked the life I led. I’m sorry, forgive me, let me come into your kin-dom. I really tried to be good otherwise. I believe that Jesus is my savior.”

Or are we ready to stand up and make the changes that will be difficult, but will help both us and the earth toward a healthier future? Remember, if the earth is not healthy, that will have negative impacts on our lives and the lives of others. Think of this past year, of the changes that have happened that have positively affected our lives and the lives of the world around us. Some have started taking more walks, others having picnics in the yard, most are not driving as much, all of that and more is sustainable and certain levels. Perhaps we can encourage better use of the scarce resources in the world so that our great, great, great grandchildren have a chance at a life of health and happiness without the burdens we are building up as we damage the environment. Perhaps, if we act quickly, if we, “Follow [Jesus], and let the dead bury their own dead.”, we can impact the entire planet, helping those who are the most vulnerable to lead lives worth living, reducing the food insecurity (starvation) of millions of people and in the process, helping others to experience some of the wonders of God’s kin-dom here on earth. Amen.

For more information: Environmental effects of COVID-19 pandemic and potential strategies of sustainability
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7498239/#:~:text=The%20global%20disruption%20caused%20by,parts%20of%20the%20world.
Environmental impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, as observed from space
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/12/201208162957.htm

Song of Preparation
“Make Us Holy, Make Us Whole” (refrain only)

In your love, make us whole.
May we rest in your compassion.
Calm the lost, weary soul
in the warmth of your love.
May your peace fill our hearts.
May we know the love of Jesus.
By your grace, you console.
Make us holy, make us whole.
Prayers of the People

Leader: Healer of our every ill,
especially our fractured creation,
we come before you to make our petitions known.
Hear our cries for healing of body, mind, and spirit.
We know that already you are at work among us,
showing us the way to recovery from the toxicities and grief of our time.

You remind us that that you are in the boat with us in the midst of difficult times.
We give you thanks for this path of following you,
even when you call us to crossover from one way of life to another.

We pray especially for all who are impacted most by dwindling resources.
We pray that we will continue to learn and see and know
how our actions affect others, not just ourselves.
We give thanks for the wake-up calls that our young people are sounding
and we pray for the fortitude to move this journey forward alongside them.
We give thanks for the courage of activists and educators who help us wake up to this storm
and to see that we have it within our power to calm that storm, to restore the earth’s wholeness.
We ask for courage and encouragement to re-evaluate
how we as a church can join this effort now and into the future.

We pray this day for…

CELEBRATIONS:                   PETITIONS:
Leader: Alleluia?                   Leader: Lord in your mercy,
Response: Alleluia!                   Response: Hear our prayer!

Prayers from last week:
   Joys:

- Bob B.’s 82 birthday is Tuesday, March 16
- Gayle B. hanging out with mom
- Seeing Debbie, Gayle, & Stephanie
- Hints of Spring
- Pauline coming home from rehab on March 16

Concerns:

- Bob B. with health issues
- Jenny, 5 days with chemo then 2 weeks off until July

Prayer of Jesus

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,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.

In your love, make us whole.
May we rest in your compassion.
Calm the lost, weary soul
in the warmth of your love.
May your peace fill our hearts.
May we know the love of Jesus.
By your grace, you console.
Make us holy, make us whole.
Ritual Action for the Week
Leader: The words of Jesus we highlight this week from the healing story are “follow me and let the dead bury their own dead.” This may seem like harsh words. And yet we hear Jesus’ urgency. Now is the time to move, no matter how difficult, we cannot wait. What is past is past. There is brokenness and there are casualties in its wake. But we can move forward. We can make changes. We can face storms because we are a people led by the Healer, the Calm-in-the-Storm who can offer us faith in the midst of fear.

And so this week for our symbolic ritual action, we are going to restore some beauty by adding to the beauty of our glass pieces. You received thin craft wire and you are invite to wrap some of that wire around one of your pieces of beach glass, creating a pendant that can be hung in a window or as a necklace, a constant reminder of our role as those who must “take care,” must care for and contribute to, rather than diminish, the beauty of this earth.

Take some time now to do this simple wrapping and crafting with the wire and glass. We invite you to take a photo if you can and share it with us via [social media, e-mail, etc]. We will use these imagines in our worship next week.
Closing Song
“On the Beach, the Waves of Water”
Or“For the Wholeness of the Earth”

Leader: This week the reaction of the crowd in the story is amazement at Jesus’ connection to the cosmic forces of wind and wave. As scientists now try to teach us, all things are connected. We are part and parcel of all creation. Rather than dominion, we are to be a-tuned to all around us. We see the cry of creation in awakened natural disasters and we must heed the call not to hide in fear, but to work for healing.

And so in our communal discerning about how this church community could become a “health hub” through our ministry and mission, let us put our minds to imagining how we can learn about innovative ways that are being created to revive our communities. Who are the bright spots of life among us, among our civic, political, neighborhood organizing leaders that are working passionately to alleviate the devastating effects of the pandemics that have raged among us. I invite you to explore with us the possibilities for a new or renewed commitment to a contribution we can make at Grace United Methodist Church to our larger community’s effort to recover from this past year.

Much has happened in our country this past year. We have struggled through the hardships of a pandemic that has not only resulted in the loss of many lives but has also damaged the health of numerous survivors who suffer from “long hauler” issues that continue to disrupt their lives. The economic impact, particularly for individuals at the lower ends of the pay scale and small businesses has been dire, with layoffs and permanent business closures. Social justice issues, particularly concerning those of brown and black skin color have been front page stories throughout the year, due to the significance of their impact on families of color as well as the lives of people who identify as “white,” though many of the latter don’t recognize the impact. What can we at Grace UMC in Bradford, VT do about all of the above? Are we so overwhelmed we are unable to respond or is the Holy Spirit nudging us and we are resisting? I invite us to start to talk about what things will look like when we can begin to safely gather in small groups. What are ways we can impact the situation in our community and our state in order to share the love of Jesus with the larger community? I am available Thursday mornings from 9-10 by phone or on Zoom if you want to talk. If that is not a convenient time, call me and we can set up a time to talk or drop me an e-mail with your ideas or a request to talk by phone. Let’s come out of this year of isolation rejuvenated and ready to share God’s love in tangible ways in our community.

Monetary gifts to support the mission and ministries or Grace UMC may be sent through the Church’s website: BradfordUMC.org or by check to: Grace UMC, PO Box 726, Bradford, VT 05033. Thank you for your generosity.

Blessing

Now go with confidence
that we can face the storm with Jesus in the boat,
recovering our depth of love for all
and our joy of living in this world.

May the words of Jesus ring in your ears:
“follow me.”

And may the Spirit hover, move, and deliver
salve to your soul
and a spring in your step.
Amen.

Threshold Into the World
[reprise of theme song]

Vessels, holy and whole
Broken, needing the One
Open, body and soul
Healer, come.

Postlude

“Holy Vessels” worship series copyright Marcia McFee and the Worship Design Studio, https://worship-design-studio.mn.co, All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Threshold Music: “Vessels, Holy and Whole” Words: Marcia McFee, Music: Chuck Bell, All rights reserved, Used by permission.

Song of Preparation: “Make Us Holy, Make Us Whole” – Refrain only Words and Tune: Mark Friedman, ©1998 The Lorenz Corporation, All rights reserved, Used by permission.

© www.worshipdesign.com/vessels

Food Shelf Items Needed

Easy to prepare foods for kids, Flour & Sugar, Coffee, Toilet Paper & Paper Towels, Laundry Detergent, Shampoo & Hand Soap, Toothpaste & Toothbrushes (individually packaged, please)

Grace United Methodist Church
P. O. Box 726, Bradford, VT 05033, Church phone #: (802) 222-9062, Parsonage phone #: (802) 222-5247
Secretary’s email address: gracesecybradford@gmail.com,
Pastor’s email address: bradfordumcpastor@gmail.com. Find us on Facebook: Grace UMC

Finance Moment: An update on our finances.
Yearly Church Budget: $79,839.00
Needed Weekly: $1,535.27
March's Collection to Date: $555.00

Offerings may be mailed to GUMC, P.O. Box 726, Bradford, VT 05033 or go to bradfordumc.org, click on “More” in the pull-down menu and click on “Donate”. Follow the instructions.

LEADERSHIP
Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar, New England Conference
District Superintendent: Rev Jill Colley Robinson
Pastor: Ami Sawtelle
Organist: Connie Linnell
Minister: All the People

***********************************************************************************************************************************************************************
GRACE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
March 14, 2021                                           Pastor Ami Sawtelle

“Different Pictures”
Fourth Sunday in Lent

Prelude

Welcome and Announcements
Wednesdays 2:00 p.m. Bible Study – the Book of Acts Via Zoom
Thursdays 9:00 a.m. – Coffee with the Pastor – Via Zoom

Threshold
Leader: We continue our Lenten “season of recovery” as we focus on health as essential to our spiritual lives.

Vessels, holy and whole
Broken, needing the One
Open, body and soul
Healer, come.

Leader: Prolonged times of difficulty can impede our ability to stay creative. The picture of our lives is dulled and hope for a brighter future can fade. We need a touch of inspiration to awaken us from our sleep, as we hear in one of this week’s healing stories. We also awaken to our agency to seek out the Divine Healer, reaching out to touch the power we know can restore our intellect and imagination. We emerge ready to re-engage with the world, seeking and seeing solutions, creating different pictures of life renewed just as a mosaic artist creates beauty from broken pieces of glass.

Vessels, holy and whole
Broken, needing the One
Open, body and soul
Healer, come.

Prayer for Peace                                       Pastor Kelly Harvell
Eternal God, in whose perfect kingdom no sword is drawn but the sword of righteousness, no strength known but the strength of love: so mightily spread abroad your Spirit, that all people and nations may be gathered under the banner of the Prince of Peace, as children of one God, to whom be dominion and glory, now and forever. Amen.

LEADER: Let us acknowledge our need to restore, repair, renew our Holy Vessels so that we might be able to create and imagine new possibilities, new solutions.

Let us pray:

God of All Possibilities,
Made in your image, you have tasked us as co-creators of a better world. You bestowed imagination and the ability to learn and progress.
But we are tired. Our energy wanes and enthusiasm wanes.
The call for ideas, solutions, work-arounds and adaptations has been non-stop for us all–whether we are needing to find ways to keep children engaged and well, or figuring out how to maintain a passion for our work win the midst of trying times,
or needing desperately to undo systems of oppression too long affecting
our lives and the lives of our neighbors.
Not only our livelihoods, but our liveliness is at stake.
Too often we want to give up, declare it all too hard and simply isolate,
waiting out the time for better days.
It all feels overwhelming and so we look away,
sometimes even from the need in our own community.

Help us, Healer.
Show us our energy reserves.
Forgive our cynicism.
Move us to move
one step at a time toward greater care for one another.

In this silence, we sense and acknowledge our yearning for wholeness.

Silence

Vessels, holy and whole
Broken, needing the One
Open, body and soul
Healer, come.

Assurance

I invite you to imagine a warmth begin to arise within the core of your body. It may help to keep your eyes closed. This warm orb of light is deep within you, a flame always there and ready when you need it. This warm glow begins to emerge from the recesses of your inner being to fill and flood your whole body until your skin is glowing with it, radiating outward. This light from you offers a beacon for those around you, whose own light reflects and multiplies your own. There is now exponentially more radiance.

Know this: We are gifted with agency to affect healing in the world.
No. Matter. What.
We are not alone and we can join with others to magnify hope.
Christ will answer when we call, when we reach out for what we know can help.
For you, for me, for all.

Take a deep breath in to let this truth fill you…
and breathe out with the relief of assurance.

Peace

I invite you to imagine the warmth that surrounds you extending to those who may be next to you in close proximity. Imagine it extending beyond your walls to
the neighborhood…
the wider community…
the church…
and seeing it spread like the rising sun, let it expand to all the world.
Let this be our peace. Amen.

If you have not already, I invite you to open your eyes.

The peace of Christ is with you.
And also with you.

Opening Hymn
“O Love that Will Not Let Me Go”
Chalice 540, GTG 833, NCH 485, UMH 780, VU 658
See lyrics and music HERE
Or
“Mighty to Save” SongSelect #4591782
Time for Children

A Contemporary Word

A single event can awaken within us a stranger totally unknown to us.
To live is to be slowly born.”
― Antoine de Saint-Exuper

“When one realizes one is asleep, at that moment one is already half-awake.”
― P. D. Ouspensky

The authentic self is the soul made visible.”
– Anonymous

“Get out of your comfort zone. Wake up the sleeping giant in you.”
– Dr. T. P. Chia

“Curiosity is the first step down the path of awakening.”
– Anonymous

“The path of awakening is not about becoming who you are.
Rather it is about unbecoming who you are not.”
— Albert Schweitzer

Musical Proclamation
“I Dream of a World (Church)”
Purchase solo HERE. Listen to a duet version HERE

An Ancient Word
Matthew 9: 18-26

While he was saying these things to them, suddenly a leader of the synagogue came in and knelt before him, saying, “My daughter has just died; but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.” And Jesus got up and followed him, with his disciples. Then suddenly a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his cloak, for she said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be made well.” Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well. When Jesus came to the leader’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, he said, “Go away; for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up. And the report of this spread throughout that district.
Sermon

Okay, so how many of us are tired, tired of the constant drag of virtual worship, virtual meetings, virtual classrooms…?

How many of us feel like we get up each morning and must focus on putting one foot in front of the other just to get through our day?

The constant reminders to “Put on your masks when you are with others,” “Wash your hands,” “don’t get so close together,” “Take out dining only,” and the like tell their own stories in this time of pandemic.

When we started a year ago, most never expected that things would be the way they are for so long. We worked to find ways to worship and stay in touch with one another and discovered the gift and the difficulties of technology. Our children who were just leaning to play with others “nicely” have been told for the last year that they can’t play with others outside their pod, and we have had to work at home trying to come up with new ways to keep then entertained. I applaud those who are teachers, innovating new ways to keep students engaged with learning when they either must learn remotely or must stay distanced from one another even in the classroom.

This pandemic is draining our creativity, our energy. Sometimes writers complain of “writers block” a time when their creative juices are at a low point and they just can’t seem to get words on paper. Other artists can have similar problems, in fact we all go there once in a while, though this year it is probably wider spread than ever.

Imagine the struggle for those who are advocating for social justice changes in our country and in our world. While much has spilled over into the streets in the form of protests and riots, trying to keep people focused on the rights and needs of those living on the margins of society, trying to keep others engaged in trying to change a system that is weighted against them grows more and more difficult over time as fatigue often sets in and folks drift on to the next thing that catches the eye.

Think about the woman in our story, the woman who has suffered the stigma associated with a twelve-year hemorrhage. Levitical Law would have treated her as an outcast, as unclean. No one would be allowed to touch her; she could not even enter the women’s court at the Temple, because to do so would have defiled the space. She touches the fringe of Jesus’ cloak, making that garment and Jesus both unclean. How brave she was. How faith filled she was.

Most men, having been touched by a woman such as this, would have been mortified and likely angry. Women were considered of a lower value than men to begin with and should not be touching a man that is not a family member. With the situation of ritual impurity in question, it would have infuriated many. Jesus, on the other hand, speaks to her, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” Jesus sees to the inner person, the broken person, worn out by many years of struggle, of trying every “cure” in the book. Healing, in this case, sounds like it goes hand in hand with curing. The woman is physically cured, returning her to social acceptance, but also heals the brokenness that weighs her down.

When Jesus finally reaches the home of the little girl, he again is walking into a situation that would potentially make him ritually unclean. The mourning has already begun, the flute players are already in place and friends and family gathering outside the home. As Jesus arrives, he takes note of all of this and sends everyone away saying, “Go away; for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” Jesus hasn’t even been in to see the girl, again a female and a child to boot, so how can he know she is “sleeping” and “not dead.” This brings on a round of laughter, but the people begin to leave the house. Once they are gone, Jesus goes in to see the girl, this time initiating the touching as he takes her by the hand and calls her to get up, restoring her to life.

In the midst of all that has happened in the past year, it sometimes feels like we need to be reinvigorated, restored to life, as the little girl was. We are tired; we are frustrated, and we need to be re-energized. Our brokenness, like that of the woman with the hemorrhage, needs to be addressed so we can be healed, even if we are not cured. We need Jesus to tell us, “they are not dead but sleeping.”

As we have used sea/beach glass as a focal point for our brokenness, think about what new thing might come out of this pandemic for yourself, for our congregation, that shows that we are indeed not dead, just sleeping. What do we need to once more get our creative juices flowing as we seek to counter the challenges that still lie ahead, even though the vaccine is becoming more and more available? Is it an art project where we might find bits of glass or rocks or other items to use for a focal point for our prayer time? Is it using art in our prayer time to help us focus on God as we doodle and pray about others? Maybe it is just taking a walk in the neighborhood enjoying and appreciating the many gifts God has given us in creation. Whatever it is, invite Jesus to be a part of it, to guide and focus it. Remember too, we must approach Jesus, like the woman with the hemorrhage, of some of the others we have been reading and hearing about. We must have faith as we reach out that in touching even the hem of Jesus cloak, we can be healed and given new life.

Song of Preparation
“Make Us Holy, Make Us Whole” (refrain only)
URW 160; SongSelect #3315976
https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/make-us-holy-make-us-whole-digital-sheet-music/20343748

In your love, make us whole.
May we rest in your compassion.
Calm the lost, weary soul
in the warmth of your love.
May your peace fill our hearts.
May we know the love of Jesus.
By your grace, you console.
Make us holy, make us whole.

Prayers of the People

Leader: Healer of our every ill,
especially our malady of exhausted spirits,
we come before you to make our petitions known.
Hear our cries for healing of body, mind, and spirit.
We know that already you are at work among us,
showing us the way to recovery from the toxicities and grief of our time.

You remind us that we do not have to shoulder everything alone.
We give you thanks that all we must do is orient ourselves toward your divine spirit to accompany us, touch us, inspire us, heal us.

We pray especially for all who feel opportunity and possibility is cut off to them.
Whose spirit is continually dampened and damaged by those who fail to see value in their contributions, who steal away rights to the fullness of expression.
We give thanks for communities, churches, non-profits, and businesses
that are supporting the flourishing of all voices, especially voices that have been silenced.
We give thanks for the courage of innovators who use their resources and creativity to make more good in the world, making this a priority over profit.
We ask for courage and encouragement to re-evaluate
how we as a church can join this effort now and into the future.

We pray this day for…

Celebrations: L: Alleluia? Petitions: L: Lord, in Your mercy,
                        P: Alleluia!    P: Hear our prayer!

Prayers from last week:
Joys:

Thankful for the gift of the vaccine

Concerns:

Peggy, Elinor, Gwen, John, Bob (Sue’s cousins)
Nick with lymphoma
Catherine
Young people who are struggling
Bob B. – multiple doctor appt.

Prayer of Jesus

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,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.

In your love, make us whole.
May we rest in your compassion.
Calm the lost, weary soul
in the warmth of your love.
May your peace fill our hearts.
May we know the love of Jesus.
By your grace, you console.
Make us holy, make us whole.

Ritual Action for the Week
Leader: The words of Jesus we highlight this week from the healing story are “the girl is not dead, but sleeping.” We have touched today on our need to be rejuvenated in spirit, to awaken with new vigor for creativity and curiosity. This is the intellectual healing that is a spiritual healing. We may feel like we have been slowly dying away these last few months, but Jesus affirms that we are not dying… we perhaps are sleeping. It is the healing we yearn for… to be awakened, brought back to life with vitality and vigor for the days ahead.

And so this week, I invite you being to play with creating a “different picture” from the brokenness. I invite you to take your broken pieces and move them around on a flat surface as a mosaic artist would try various configurations when making a work of art. Even when the raw materials of our lives that we have to work with feel broken, we can get a new perspective that can awaken a new vision for life within us.

When you are ready and have found placement of your pieces that bring a spark of delight, you are invited to take a photo of it. If you use a “wallpaper” on your phone, consider using your photo this week in this way, a reminder that we are capable of reworking, remaking, the pictures of what “life” can be. If this technology is not part of your world, keep your mosaic creation on the table where you can see it frequently, using it as a focal point for prayer.
Closing Song
“Be Thou My Vision”
Chalice 595, GTG 450, UMH 451, VU 642, NCH 451, Songselect #30639
Or
“You Love Awakens Me” SongSelect #7054720

Commission
Leader: Each week we look at the reaction of the crowd in the healing story. This week there is an interesting reaction at Jesus’ notion that the girl was not dead. They laughed. Full-blown funeral rites had begun, flutes and all. And yet Jesus said, this is not the end of this story. The idea that we could come back to life better than before, that we could find some way to bring life back to what feels dead, may seem preposterous to some at this point. Laughable. But, like Jesus, we need not be deterred. Can we forge ahead, enter the “house” of sorrow and dare to proclaim that can still exist?

And so in our communal discerning about how this church community could become a “health hub” through our ministry and mission, let us put our minds to imagining how we can learn about innovative ways that are being created to revive our communities. Who are the bright spots of life among us, among our civic, political, neighborhood organizing leaders that are working passionately to alleviate the devastating effects of the pandemics that have raged among us. I invite you to explore with us the possibilities for a new or renewed commitment to a contribution we can make at Grace United Methodist Church to our larger community’s effort to recover from this past year.

Much has happened in our country in the past couple of weeks. Texas has suffered a catastrophic failure of its electric grid leaving people with frozen pipes and damaged homes and businesses. The United Methodist Committee On Relief (UMCOR) is working to assess and assist as necessary. Other areas of our country have suffered from fires, hurricanes and other weather-related phenomena, UMCOR is ready and willing to assist in what ever ways they can. 100% of donations for UMCOR US Disaster Relief go directly to disaster relief in the US. By making checks payable to: Grace UMC and putting US Disaster Relief on the message line of your check, or writing US Disaster Relief in the message box on PayPal when you donate through our website, not only does the money go to UMCOR, but our congregation receives credit through the conference for our generosity.

Monetary gifts to support the mission and ministries or Grace UMC may be sent through the Church’s website: BradfordUMC.org or by check to: Grace UMC, PO Box 726, Bradford, VT 05033. Thank you for your generosity.

Blessing

Now go with confidence
that we will awaken, we will seek out and reach for
the healing solutions that our neighbors, our communities, our world needs,
recovering our depth of love for all
and our joy of living in this world.

May the words of Jesus ring in your ears:
“You are not dead, you are sleeping.”

And may the Spirit hover, move, and deliver
salve to your soul
and a spring in your step.
Amen.

Threshold Into the World
[reprise of theme song]

Vessels, holy and whole
Broken, needing the One
Open, body and soul
Healer, come.

Postlude

© www.worshipdesignstudio.com/vessels

“Holy Vessels” worship series copyright Marcia McFee and the Worship Design Studio, https://worship-design-studio.mn.co, All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Threshold Music: “Vessels, Holy and Whole” Words: Marcia McFee, Music: Chuck Bell, All rights reserved, Used by permission.

Song of Preparation: “Make Us Holy, Make Us Whole” – Refrain only Words and Tune: Mark Friedman, ©1998 The Lorenz Corporation, All rights reserved, Used by permission.

Food Shelf Items Needed

Easy to prepare foods for kids, Flour & Sugar, Coffee, Toilet Paper & Paper Towels, Laundry Detergent, Shampoo & Hand Soap, Toothpaste & Toothbrushes (individually packaged, please)

Grace United Methodist Church
P. O. Box 726, Bradford, VT 05033
Church phone #: (802) 222-9062, Parsonage phone #: (802) 222-5247
Secretary’s email address: gracesecybradford@gmail.com
Pastor’s email address: bradfordumcpastor@gmail.com
Find us on Facebook: Grace UMC

Finance Moment: An update on our finances.
Yearly Church Budget: $79,839.00
Needed Weekly: $1,535.27
February's Collection to Date: $2,796.59

Offerings may be mailed to GUMC, P.O. Box 726, Bradford, VT 05033 or go to bradfordumc.org, click on “More” in the pull-down menu and click on “Donate”. Follow the instructions.

LEADERSHIP
Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar, New England Conference
District Superintendent: Rev Jill Colley Robinson
Pastor: Ami Sawtelle
Organist: Connie Linnell
Ministers: All the People

***********************************************************************************************************************************************************************
GRACE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
March 7, 2021                                           Pastor Ami Sawtelle

“Stories”
Third Sunday in Lent

Prelude

Welcome and Announcements
Tuesday, March 9, 2021, 6:30 p.m. Administrative Council Meeting – Via Zoom
Wednesdays 2:00 p.m. Bible Study – the Book of Acts Via Zoom
Thursdays 9:00 a.m. – Coffee with the Pastor – Via Zoom

Threshold

Leader: We continue our Lenten “season of recovery” as we focus on health as essential to our spiritual lives.

Vessels, holy and whole
Broken, needing the One
Open, body and soul
Healer, come.

Prayer for Peace                                        Pastor Kelly Harvell
Eternal God, in whose perfect kingdom no sword is drawn but the sword of righteousness, no strength known but the strength of love:
so mightily spread abroad your Spirit, that all people and nations may be gathered under the banner of the Prince of Peace,
as children of one God, to whom be dominion and glory, now and forever. Amen.
LEADER: Let us acknowledge our need to restore, repair, renew our Holy Vessels, and that the health of our minds deeply affects our physical and spiritual health.

Let us pray:

Centering and Calming Divine Breath of God,
You gifted us with amazing minds, capable of so many things. You gave us the ability to think and feel, imbuing us with discernment of thought and emotion.
Like our physical bodies, sometimes this aspect of our selves is beleaguered.
We struggle under the strain of disappointment, despair, and delusion.
Too often we hide this, afraid of what others might think of our difficulties in managing or moving forward, even in the face of devastating circumstances.
Too often we perpetuate the stigma of a less-than-perfect state of mind
by shaming ourselves and others.
Millennia of misunderstanding compounds our fear.
We label and belittle, all the while turning the hatred upon ourselves,
for no one is immune from troubles of the mind at some point.
So many are suffering now, God, weary and distraught, grieving and at the end of their rope.
We cannot fathom the proportions of loss and so we look away,
sometimes even from the need in our own community.

Help us, Healer.
Show us our capacity for compassion.
Forgive our inattention.
Move us to move
one step at a time toward greater care for one another.

In this silence, we sense and acknowledge our yearning for wholeness.

Silence

Vessels, holy and whole
Broken, needing the One
Open, body and soul
Healer, come.

Assurance

I invite you to imagine and search for a warmth at the core of your body. It may help to keep your eyes closed. This warm orb of light is deep within you, although sometimes it feels dulled, even cold. If it feels this way now, allow this. Do not judge yourself. Perhaps you DO feel this warmth and all feels right with the world. This just is. You likely will not always feel that way. Whether or not you feel the warmth of peace and assurance right now, this does not make you right or wrong, good or bad. It just makes you human. And you are not alone. Perhaps you can imagine the warmth coming from someone whose presence fills you with comfort. See it radiate from them to you, as it does when you need it most.

Know this: You are accepted.
No. Matter. What.
Accepting the truth of our difficulties is part of the journey of recovery.
Sharing our stories of difficulty can open the way for healing.
For you, for me, for all.

Take a deep breath in to let this truth fill you…
and breathe out with the relief of assurance.

Peace

I invite you to imagine the warmth that surrounds you extending to those who may be next to you in close proximity. Imagine it extending beyond your walls to
the neighborhood…
the wider community…
the church…
and seeing it spread like the rising sun, let it expand to all the world.
Let this be our peace. Amen.

If you have not already, I invite you to open your eyes.

The peace of Christ is with you.
And also with you.

Opening Hymn

“Be Still My Soul”
Chalice 566, GTG 819, NCH 488, UMH 746, VU 652
See lyrics and music HERE
Or
“Be Still My Soul” SongSelect #6534077

Time for Children

A Contemporary Word

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”
— Maya Angelou

“Sharing our truths can provide the opportunity for great healing.”
— Kristen Noel

“Tell the story of the mountain you climbed.
Your words could become a page in someone else’s survival guide.”
— Morgan Harper Nichols

“Part of the healing process is sharing with other people who care.”
— Jerry Cantrell

Owning our story and loving ourselves through that process
is the bravest thing that we will ever do.”
— Brené Brown

“Sometimes the most healing thing to do is remind ourselves over and over and over,
other people feel this too.”
— Andrea Gibson

“The courage it takes to share your story might be the very thing
someone else needs to open their heart to hope.”
— Unknown

“Your heartache is someone else’s hope.
If you make it through, somebody else is going to make it through.
Tell your story.”
— Kim McManus

Musical Proclamation
“There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy”
See many versions at JW Pepper
More advanced
More simple

An Ancient Word
Matthew 9: 27-33

As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, crying loudly, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” When he entered the house, the blind men came to him; and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you.” And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus sternly ordered them, “See that no one knows of this.” But they went away and spread the news about him throughout that district. After they had gone away, a demoniac who was mute was brought to him. And when the demon had been cast out, the one who had been mute spoke; and the crowds were amazed and said, “Never has anything like this been seen in Israel.”

Sermon

Sea/beach glass. Let’s look at this piece. What does it look like? Does it look particularly special, beautiful, valuable? I wonder what its story is. I wonder where it came from, what it looked like before it ended up in the ocean, tossed and tumbled by waves, polished by the actions of water and sand.

Look at yourself, what is your story? What did you look like before the ebb and flow of daily life buffeted and polished you, before the challenges of life began to erode parts of your surface?

I gained a fascination in archeology in junior high school that has stayed with me. Imagine then my excitement when I visited the ruins of ancient Babylon while I was deployed to Iraq, seeing the roadway made of bitumen, that was laid long before Jesus was born.

Archeologists seek the truth of ancient civilizations as they examine fragments of pottery, mostly destroyed walls, metal artifacts and more. Some beach goers, when they find a bit of sea/beach glass try to figure out its origins, looking at color and folds and the like, wondering what the truth is behind this polished and so changed bit of litter, for what is now a treasure, was once just tossed aside as worthless junk.

See, we are like the sea/beach glass. We may not ever know or understand the full story behind who we are, the truth of what has happened in our lives that has made us the way we are. We may not recognize the true beauty that is us, but Jesus can see beyond our brokenness, beyond the scuff marks and cracks.

Mental health, all of us have it, some are healthier that others, but the actions of the world around us, of the traumas and the comforts, of the genetics sometimes and sometimes the nurture play a role in the development of who we are, what we are. Too often people focus on the scarred, cracked surface with all the scuff marks and cracks that life has delivered, seeing only a piece of worthless junk, failing to recognize the precious, prized vessel of grace and beauty from which we have come, the polished gem that we are becoming.

Jesus encounters three (3) individuals in today’s story; two are blind and the third possessed by a demon that caused him to be mute. All three were broken in their own way, imagine the mental anguish of a blind man (they were not perfect, they could only enter so far into the temple, never into the inner court for worship) or of the one possessed by the demon that caused muteness - what must he have thought of himself?

Jesus recognizes the beauty of the individual God created, not some ugly, unlovable, broken piece of junk, and, seeing these men as the broken people they are, heals their physical ills, but also positively impacts their mental health as well, as with the physical healing, they are welcomed back into society.

God, through Jesus, gave the mute man the opportunity to speak. He could speak of the struggles he had had, he could talk about the challenges, and he could begin the journey to true wholeness.

We must learn to speak of our own struggles, to not be ashamed of the things that have shaped us, but instead to examine them in the light of Jesus so that we can see them for what they are and begin the process of being reshaped into the person God made us to be. Sometimes we need to speak truth to ourselves, other times we need to share that truth with another to aid them in their own healing or to help us let go of some injury that is holding us back. Through it all, we need to let Jesus light the way; let him show us what we need in order that we will be healed.

Jesus, as he healed the blind men said, “According to your faith let it be done to you.” Healing happened through trust that Jesus could do what the blind men believed he could do.

We need to have faith in Jesus also, to trust that he is able to see beyond our brokenness, beyond the scuff marks, cracks and marred surface to the precious vessel God created us to be. We need to trust he can lead us beyond the damage that has happened to us. He will help heal the broken pieces that keep the negative tape running, the tape that tells us how terrible we are. He will replace the tape with a new one that tells us we are indeed valuable, we are indeed beautiful in the eyes of God. Just like the bit of glass found on the beach, we can be gemlike in our beauty as we live into the promise of salvation in Jesus and a home in God’s kin-dom.

Song of Preparation
“Make Us Holy, Make Us Whole” (refrain only)
URW 160; SongSelect #3315976
https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/make-us-holy-make-us-whole-digital-sheet-music/20343748

In your love, make us whole.
May we rest in your compassion.
Calm the lost, weary soul
in the warmth of your love.
May your peace fill our hearts.
May we know the love of Jesus.
By your grace, you console.
Make us holy, make us whole.

Prayers of the People

Leader: Healer of our every ill,
especially our malady of stigmatized fear of mental illness,
we come before you to make our petitions known.
Hear our cries for healing of body, mind, and spirit.
We know that already you are at work among us,
showing us the way to recovery from the toxicities and grief of our time.

You have stamped each one of us as “worthy.”
We give you thanks that your mercy is wide
and your faithfulness to us not depend upon
having our feelings sorted out or our sense of well-being secure.
You are not waiting for us to “get our act together” before
offering us your love and grace.

We pray especially for those who have experienced
heightened and acute mental and emotional difficulties as a result
of this past year of isolation and fear.
We pray for those who feel far from hope
and we mourn those who could not find a lifeline to survive this hardship.
We pray for those who find themselves without access to adequate care,
someone to talk to, or appropriate resources to steady their hearts and minds.
We give thanks for those who are telling their stories,
showing us how to open our hearts to help others
and offering ripples of healing in the community.
We pray grateful thanks for progress toward holistic healthcare
and the efforts of all who are working to de-stigmatize mental illness,
making it easier to ask for, and get, the help so desperately needed.
We ask for courage and encouragement to re-evaluate
how we as a church can help now and into the future.

We pray this day for…

CELEBRATIONS:
Leader: Alleluia?
Response: Alleluia!

PETITIONS:
Leader: Lord in your mercy,
Response: Hear our prayer!

Prayers from last week:
   Joys:
       Call with friends in Maine
       Elizabeth has arrived on the East Coast
       Cousins in Texas have not suffered losses from the failure of the electric grid
       More folks getting their vaccines
   Concerns:
       Catherine and those depressed who can’t find their way out
       Keith Michelson
       Family and friends of two (2) women who died suddenly

Prayer of Jesus

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,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.

In your love, make us whole.
May we rest in your compassion.
Calm the lost, weary soul
in the warmth of your love.
May your peace fill our hearts.
May we know the love of Jesus.
By your grace, you console.
Make us holy, make us whole.

Ritual Action for the Week

Leader: The words of Jesus we heard in this week’s healing story were “Do you believe I am able to do this?” Jesus’ question invites us to consider our own belief in transformation. He invites us to step into a renewed vision of our lives, to speak into being a new story, not be bound by the stories of the past, inscribed on us by others, that may be oppressing and limiting us.

Last week we put our glass pieces in a bowl. Beach glass is usually somewhat cloudy when dry. When it comes into contact with water, it becomes clear and bright. Today, you are invited to fill your vessel containing the pieces with water and watch the transformation. As you do, let it be a prayer for clarity. Ask for a new way to see the struggles you may be experiencing. Ask for understanding and a way forward.

Take a moment to think on this and then when you are ready, pick up the container of broken pieces, now bright and clear in the water, and breathe deeply, inviting the Spirit to live and move and transform you and others who need clarity for their lives. Keep the bowl in a place you will see it regularly this week… perhaps in a bathroom near the place where you shower or bathe.

Closing Song
“There is a Balm in Gilead”
Chalice 501, GTG 792, UMH 375 (or 741), VU 612, NCH 553
Or
“Balm of Gilead” SongSelect #2365453

Leader: Each week we look at the reaction of the crowd in the healing story. This week the crowd was amazed and cried out that nothing like it had ever been seen before. How interesting that the crowd is “seeing” something for the first time, just like the blind man is brought to sight! Could it be that this is as important to the story as the ones who received physical healing? How could we open our eyes, figuratively, in new ways? What do we need to envision anew?

And so, in our communal discerning about how this church community could become a “health hub” through our ministry and mission, let us put our minds to imagining how we could shine a positive light on the work of mental health. The needs are so urgent, especially now. Throughout this time, I invite you to explore with us the possibilities for a new or renewed commitment to a contribution we can make at Grace United Methodist Church to our larger community’s effort to recover from this past year.

Much has happened in our country in the past few weeks. Texas has suffered a catastrophic failure of its electric grid, Kentucky is struggling with flooding and the list goes on. The United Methodist Committee On Relief (UMCOR) is working to assess and assist as necessary. Other areas of our country have suffered from fires, hurricanes and other weather-related phenomena, UMCOR is ready and willing to assist in whatever ways they can. 100% of donations for UMCOR US Disaster Relief go directly to disaster relief in the US. By making checks payable to: Grace UMC and putting US Disaster Relief on the message line of your check, or writing US Disaster Relief in the message box on PayPal when you donate through our website, not only does the money go to UMCOR, but our congregation receives credit through the conference for our generosity.

Monetary gifts to support the mission and ministries or Grace UMC may be sent through the Church’s website: BradfordUMC.org or by check to: Grace UMC, PO Box 726, Bradford, VT 05033. Thank you for your generosity.

Blessing

Now go with confidence
that the One Who Is Living Water
is already cleansing, renewing, and clarifying our lives,
recovering our depth of love for all
and our joy of living in this world.

May the words of Jesus ring in your ears:
“Do you believe it is possible?”

And may the Spirit hover, move, and deliver
salve to your soul
and a spring in your step.
Amen.

Threshold Into the World
[reprise of theme song]

Vessels, holy and whole
Broken, needing the One
Open, body and soul
Healer, come.

Postlude

“Holy Vessels” worship series copyright Marcia McFee and the Worship Design Studio, https://worship-design-studio.mn.co, All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Threshold Music: “Vessels, Holy and Whole” Words: Marcia McFee, Music: Chuck Bell, All rights reserved, Used by permission

Song of Preparation: “Make Us Holy, Make Us Whole” – Refrain only Words and Tune: Mark Friedman, ©1998 The Lorenz Corporation, All rights reserved, Used by permission.

© www.worshipdesign.com/vessels

Food Shelf Items Needed

Easy to prepare foods for kids, Flour & Sugar, Coffee, Toilet Paper & Paper Towels, Laundry Detergent, Shampoo & Hand Soap, Toothpaste & Toothbrushes (individually packaged, please)

Bible Study – the book of Acts – Wednesdays at 2:00 p.m.
Coffee with the pastor Thursdays at 9:00 a.m.

Threshold

Leader: We continue our Lenten “season of recovery” as we focus on health as essential to our spiritual lives.

Vessels, holy and whole
Broken, needing the One
Open, body and soul
Healer, come.

Leader: God gathers us as a Beachcomber gathers and marvels at every precious surviving piece of beach glass she finds. We are never alone, we are never lost to the One who seeks humanity’s wholeness. We affirm our commitment to be the Body of Christ that knows we cannot be personally healed until we see the interconnected community as part of the process of healing. Jesus has the power to re-vision the family of God in which false boundaries are overcome. In a year of devastating loss of livelihood, we consider the economic health that reimagines status quo.

Vessels, holy and whole
Broken, needing the One
Open, body and soul
Healer, come.
Prayer for Peace                                        Pastor Kelly Harvell
Eternal God, in whose perfect kingdom no sword is drawn but the sword of righteousness, no strength known but the strength of love: so mightily spread abroad your Spirit, that all people and nations may be gathered under the banner of the Prince of Peace, as children of one God, to whom be dominion and glory, now and forever. Amen.

Let us seek to simplify this moment, slow down for a time. Let us worship, leaning on prayer, reflection and sharing with one another.

Opening Prayer of Confession

Leader: Let us acknowledge our need to restore, repair, renew our Holy Vessels, which include the communities of which we are a part. Let us pray:

God of All,
You created us for each other. You set in us a yearning for companionship and an empathy that binds us together, protecting each other and delighting in one another.
Yet too often we have broken down our relationships instead of building them up.
We have been set against one another with the lie of scarcity.
We have built systems and economies that widen the gap of resources
rather than safeguarding equitable practices.
Too many, and growing numbers, are suffering hardship, food insecurity, joblessness.
We cannot fathom the proportions of loss and so we look away,
sometimes even from the need in our own community.

Help us, Healer.
Show us our empathy.
Forgive our complacence.
Move us to move
one step at a time toward greater care for one another.

In this silence, we sense and acknowledge our yearning for wholeness.

Silence

Vessels, holy and whole
Broken, needing the One
Open, body and soul
Healer, come.

Assurance

Again this week, I invite you to imagine a warmth begin to arise within the core of your body. It may help to keep your eyes closed. This warm orb of light is deep within you, a flame always there and ready when you need it. This warm glow begins to emerge from the recesses of your inner being to fill and flood your whole body until your skin is glowing with it, radiating outward. This warmth that wraps you as a blanket of assurance is one you want to share. You want all to feel this presence, to kindle this hope.

Know this: God’s love and grace surround you…
No. Matter. What.
You are a precious and holy vessel right now.
Christ’s light is a treasure given freely.
For you, for me, for all.

Take a deep breath in to let this truth fill you…
and breathe out with the relief of assurance.

Peace
I invite you to imagine the warmth that surrounds you extending to those who may be next to you in close proximity. Imagine it extending beyond your walls to
the neighborhood…
the wider community…
the church…
and seeing it spread like the rising sun, let it expand to all the world.
Let this be our peace. Amen.

If you have not already, I invite you to open your eyes.

The peace of Christ is with you.
And also with you.

Opening Hymn
“Community of Christ”
Chalice 655, NC 314, W&R 615
See lyrics and music HERE
Or
“If We Are the Body” SongSelect #4196589

Time for Children

A Contemporary Word

"There is no power for change greater than a community
discovering what it cares about."
–– Margaret J. Wheatley

"In every community, there is work to be done. In every nation, there are wounds to heal.
In every heart, there is the power to do it.
– Marianne Williamson

"The greatness of a community is most accurately measured
by the compassionate actions of its members."
– Coretta Scott King

“Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much.”
– Helen Keller

"I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live,
it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die,
for the harder I work the more I live."
– George Bernard Shaw

“I alone cannot change the world,
but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”
– Mother Teresa

Musical Proclamation
“The Healing of the Nations”
Listen and order HERE
[or see the Music Document in your downloads for other anthem suggestions]

An Ancient Word
Matthew 8:5-13

When he entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, appealing to him and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, in terrible distress.” And he said to him, “I will come and cure him.” The centurion answered, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only speak the word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and the slave does it.” When Jesus heard him, he was amazed and said to those who followed him, “Truly I tell you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come from east and west and will eat with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the heirs of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you according to your faith.” And the servant was healed in that hour.

Sermon

In our worship series, we are using sea (beach) glass as an image of our brokenness, but also of the beauty that arises from that brokenness. How many have gone to the beach and collected these gems, taking them home to display their beauty and variety? As you look at the glass, think about our community, of those broken by the economic impact of the COVID pandemic who struggle to make ends meet, who wonder if they will be able to find a job that will pay the bills. Think of those who have lost their homes because they could not pay the mortgage, of the ones who are ‘long haulers,’ and may not be able to work again or who may have to change careers due to long term effects of the virus.

We, here in Vermont, have been blessed to have far fewer cases of the virus than other states, but people in our community have still been impacted by the changes in the economy and the emotional toll the need for social distancing has caused. Before the pandemic, we had homeless people living along the river in the summer and continue to have people seeking the resources of the Food Shelf in order to feed themselves and their families. Thanks to some of those in our local farming community, many have access to free vegetables on a regular basis, but, as the pandemic begins to wind down (we still have a long road ahead, but there is hope on the horizon with the vaccines becoming available,) the need is not going to go away immediately and a certain level of need will always be present in our community, our state, our country and the world.

As Christians, one of the things we need to do is to see and acknowledge the value of those who are struggling whether it is from issues of economics, race, gender identity or the myriad of issues in our world today. So often those who are struggling go unseen as people walk by on the street, unrecognized as people of value, and uncared for by others. People who are not of a Caucasian, western European heritage often struggle more than those that are white in our society. People whose skin tones are brown or black, or whose facial features identify them as racially and/or ethnically different from their white neighbors, often have a more difficult time in the climb out of economic hardship as they suffer racial discrimination in wages and in job and educational opportunities. Through out the pandemic, we have seen in the news how they have less access to healthcare than their white counterparts and even when they try to access healthcare, they may receive a lesser quality of care.

As we encounter the centurion, we see a man of authority willing to seek help for a lowly servant. This powerful individual, part of the Roman occupying force in Capernaum, Jerusalem, and the surrounding region, appears to be a bit atypical of what we would expect of such an individual. A commander of about 100 troops, he would be similar to the commander of a company, battery or troop in the US Army or Marine Corps. He would have been in a position of authority, but also have been subordinate to someone and would not have wished to appear ‘weak’ to either group as it could have undermined his authority. Yet, he doesn’t send a servant to approach Jesus for the paralyzed servant, he goes himself. A person of power seeking to aid one with no power, not even the power to seek aid on his own.

The centurion is different in another way, he states the issue, but does not demand that Jesus heal the man, in fact he doesn’t even demand that Jesus go to see the servant. This powerful man, rather than using that power, humbles himself as he addresses Jesus as Lord, a title given a superior, and shows both humility and sensitivity to Jesus’ Jewishness as he says, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only speak the word, and my servant will be healed.”? (Matt 8:8a)

How do we go about our attempts at helping others? What is our attitude when we approach Jesus to ask help? Do we demand Jesus’ help or are we truly humble and recognize our own unworthiness?

I’m pretty sure we have some former Roman Catholics in the congregation. The words of the centurion might sound familiar as a part of the Eucharistic liturgy echoes the words of the centurion, “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul will be healed.” (Henry G. Brinton, “Feasting on the Gospels: Matthew Vol. 1)

We are reminded that none of us is truly worthy to approach the table, yet Jesus invites us all anyway, for when we come, in humility willing to share our personal brokenness with Jesus, he is there, waiting to heal us.

When we are seeking to aid others, there is a need for a balancing act between humility and standing up for the rights of ourselves and others. We must speak with assurance and strength as we advocate for the rights of others, but we should do so with humility as well. When we come across with arrogance and pride, we do little to further God’s kin-dom on earth, but when we, like the centurion advocate for the least and the lost with humility, God is able to work miracles.

Do you know someone who is broken today? What might you do to assist them, to advocate for them, so that they may be healed? Are you one of the broken ones? If so, let’s talk, let’s try to find the path that will start you on the road to wholeness once more. Amen.

Song of Preparation
“Make Us Holy, Make Us Whole” (refrain only)
URW 160; SongSelect #3315976
https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/make-us-holy-make-us-whole-digital-sheet-music/20343748

In your love, make us whole.
May we rest in your compassion.
Calm the lost, weary soul
in the warmth of your love.
May your peace fill our hearts.
May we know the love of Jesus.
By your grace, you console.
Make us holy, make us whole.

Prayers of the People

Leader: Healer of our every ill,
especially our malady of separation and fear,
we come before you to make our petitions known.
Hear our cries for healing of body, mind, and spirit.
We know that already you are at work among us,
showing us the way to recovery from the toxicities and grief of our time.

As broken pieces scattered and separated,
we trust that you are seeking us, gathering us into wholeness,
and calling us to join you in the quest.
We pray especially for those who have experienced
the loss of livelihoods and economic security
and are feeling helpless to care for their families.
We pray for those whose businesses have gone under
or are on the precipice between survival or closure.
We pray for those whose disparity of resources
has been made even more pronounced during this pandemic.
We pray grateful thanks for the efforts of all who have been searching for solutions
and have given generously for months of their time and resources
to alleviate the suffering of those they know and do not know.
We ask for encouragement and passion to re-evaluate
how we as a church can help now and into the future.

We pray this day for . . .

Celebrations: L: Alleluia? Petitions: L: Lord, in Your mercy,
                        P: Alleluia!    P: Hear our prayer!

Prayers from last week:
   Joys:
       Pauline Bombard (Jean’s Mom) – hip replacement Monday went well, now in rehab
       Baby K – Recovering from surgery, home and doing well
       Sue saw a cardinal in the yard
           Friend at Grafton County Rehab sent letter of how many things are beginning to happen
       Connie had a good conversation with Vera Merritt
       Pat received 2nd COVID vaccine Friday
   Concerns:
       Jennie (Jean’s sister-in-law) – is in the hospital, cancer diagnosed and starting Chemo
       Nick Smith – awaiting results of biopsies
       Family of Mike Woodard (died while snowshoeing)
       Beth Kimball
       Catherine

Prayer of Jesus

In your love, make us whole.
May we rest in your compassion.
Calm the lost, weary soul
in the warmth of your love.
May your peace fill our hearts.
May we know the love of Jesus.
By your grace, you console.
Make us holy, make us whole.

Ritual Action for the Week

Leader: The words of Jesus we heard in this week’s healing story were “I will come…” When faced with a request, Jesus makes a move to seek out, to come to help one who was previously seen to be outside of help’s embrace. He moves outward to gather in and heal someone unlikely to have crossed his path otherwise. All are within God’s circle of Safe Keeping.

I invite you to take all your pieces of broken glass and put them in a bowl.
As you do so, think about the people you have encountered or heard about in the last few months who are suffering lack of support. What could we do to reach out and to focus on healing of the parts of the human community we don’t spend time thinking about enough?
To what part of our community shall we say “I will come…” ?

Then shift your thinking to your need to be cared for. What do you need to feel safe? What connections do you need to strengthen to heal any isolation you may feel? If you are in need of something, consider this an invitation to let someone know what you need without feeling embarrassment or shame about it. Jesus invites us, always, to ask.

Take a moment to think on this and then when you are ready, pick up the container of broken pieces and breathe (“spirare”) deeply, inviting that Spirit to live and move in you in a special way to strengthen your connection to others and your role in making someone’s life more safe. Keep the bowl in a place you can see regularly this week… perhaps on your dining table.

Closing Song
“The Voice of God is Calling”
Chalice 666, UMH 436, See lyrics and music HERE
Or
“I Will Follow” SongSelect #5806878

Commission

Leader: Jesus’ healing actions often get “buzz” from onlookers. In this week’s story we do not know how his followers reacted to his words, but we can assume that it was hard to hear for some. Jesus makes sure to point out that the belief of this “outsider” and his care for his servant was something he didn’t always see from the “insiders”–from the ones who profess to be “faithful.” His words no doubt affirmed some and offended others. That’s what happens when we get “called out,” as we say. Perhaps we are in need of being “called out.” Not in a way that shames but in a way that energizes. How could our faith call us out more and more until we cannot stand by as some are suffering?

As I said last week, we are working on healing for ourselves in this season, but we are also working toward something communal. How can we as a church community become a “health hub” through our ministry and mission? The needs are so great, especially now. Throughout this time, I invite you to explore with us the possibilities for a new or renewed commitment to a contribution we can make at Grace United Methodist Church to our larger community’s effort to recover from this past year. Perhaps a donation for UMCOR for disaster relief, as we think of the devastation not only in Texas from the severe cold, but through out our country due to cold, floods, storms and fires. Think of your favorite ministry through the church, whether the Youth Group, the Food Shelf, or something else. Make your check out to the church and include on the message line if there is a special ministry to which you wish it to go or write a message in the message box on PayPal when you donate on-line.

Monetary gifts to support the mission and ministries or Grace UMC may be sent through the Church’s website: BradfordUMC.org or by check to: Grace UMC, PO Box 726, Bradford, VT 05033.  Thank you for your generosity.

Blessing

Now go with confidence
that the Holy Beachcomber is gathering us all for “Safe Keeping,”
recovering our depth of love for all
and our joy of living in this world.

May the words of Jesus ring in your ears:
“I will come.”

And may the Spirit hover, move, and deliver
salve to your soul
and a spring in your step.

Threshold Into the World
[reprise of theme song]

Vessels, holy and whole
Broken, needing the One
Open, body and soul
Healer, come.

Postlude

“Holy Vessels” worship series copyright Marcia McFee and the Worship Design Studio, https://worship-design-studio.mn.co, All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Threshold Music: “Vessels, Holy and Whole” Words: Marcia McFee, Music: Chuck Bell, All rights reserved, Used by permission

Song of Preparation: “Make Us Holy, Make Us Whole” – Refrain only Words and Tune: Mark Friedman, ©1998 The Lorenz Corporation, All rights reserved, Used by permission

Food Shelf Items Needed

Easy to prepare foods for kids, Flour & Sugar, Coffee, Toilet Paper & Paper Towels, Laundry Detergent, Shampoo & Hand Soap, Toothpaste & Toothbrushes (individually packaged, please)

Bible Study – the book of Acts – Wednesdays at 2:00 p.m.
Coffee with the pastor Thursdays at 9:00 a.m.

Threshold

Leader: Each of us is created a precious and holy vessel of embodied love. We have been through a harrowing time since last Lent that has shattered our sense of wholeness–body, mind, and spirit–like a glass vessel fractured into pieces. Let us enter a Lenten “season of recovery” as we focus on Jesus, the Healer of our every ill.

Vessels, holy and whole
Broken, needing the One
Open, body and soul
Healer, come.

Leader: Beach glass begins as something whole and yet discarded. As it is tumbled by the sea, it is broken and polished until it becomes a treasured “mineral gem.” We do not embrace that suffering is necessary or God-given, but that suffering is a part of life. When pain comes and brokenness enters our lives, Jesus reaches out to touch and remind us of the Treasure that we all are–worthy of new life in the midst of hopelessness. In a year when pandemic has wreaked havoc on our world, we begin by affirming our journey to physical health.

Vessels, holy and whole
Broken, needing the One
Open, body and soul
Healer, come.

Prayer for Peace                                        Pastor Kelly Harvell
Eternal God, in whose perfect kingdom no sword is drawn but the sword of righteousness, no strength known but the strength of love: so mightily spread abroad your Spirit, that all people and nations may be gathered under the banner of the Prince of Peace, as children of one God, to whom be dominion and glory, now and forever. Amen.

Let us seek to simplify this moment, slow down for a time. Let us worship, leaning on prayer, reflection and sharing with one another.

Opening Prayer of Confession

Leader: Lent developed into a season of intense inward reflection and confession centuries after the life of Jesus. Yet, as we will see, Jesus encouraged people to open up about their lives–to speak truth–no matter how broken. This is the beginning of compassion for ourselves and others. It is the beginning of healing. The Latin origins of the word “confess” is to “study and acknowledge.” This will be a season of studying how we can be a healing presence in our community. To do this, we acknowledge our need to restore our own Holy Vessels.
Let us pray:

Creator God,
We are bodies fashioned by your hand in your own image,
shapes and colors of diverse and immense beauty.
And yet too often we have ignored the sacred nature of our physical lives.
The Holy Vessels you have fashioned are tired and suffering,
ravaged by months of disrupted rhythms and ailment.
Our fragility has come into full view and we are frightened.
We cannot fathom the proportions of loss and so we look away,
sometimes even from our own needs.

Help us, Healer.
Show us our strength.
Forgive our inertia.
Move us to move
one step at a time toward greater care.

In this silence, we sense and acknowledge our yearning for wholeness.

Silence

Vessels, holy and whole
Broken, needing the One
Open, body and soul
Healer, come.

Assurance

I invite you to feel a warmth begin to arise within the core of your body. It may help to keep your eyes closed. Imagine a warm orb of light deep within you. This warm glow begins to emerge from the recesses of your inner being to fill and flood your whole body until your skin is glowing with it, radiating outward. You are surrounded by light. Feel this warmth wrap you as a blanket of assurance.

Know this: God’s love and grace surround you…
No. Matter. What.
You are a precious and holy vessel right now.
Christ’s light is a treasure given freely.
For you, for me, for all.

Take a deep breath in to let this truth fill you…
and breathe out with the relief of assurance.

Peace
I invite you to imagine the warmth that surrounds you extending to those who may be next to you in close proximity. Imagine it extending beyond your walls to
the neighborhood…
the wider community…
the church…
and seeing it spread like the rising sun, let it expand to all the world.
Let this be our peace. Amen.

If you have not already, I invite you to open your eyes.

The peace of Christ is with you.
And also with you.

Opening Hymn
“Healer of Our Every Ill”
GTG 795, Chalice 506, FWS/STF 2213, VU 619, WOV 738
[consider gender-expansive language for verse 3, adapting “every sister, every brother” to “every sibling, sister, brother”]
Or
“Healer” SongSelect #4873981
Time for Children

A Contemporary Word

Bad things do happen; how I respond to them defines my character and the quality of my life. I can choose to sit in perpetual sadness, immobilized by the gravity of my loss, or I can choose to rise from the pain and treasure the most precious gift I have - life itself.
–– Walter Anderson
Some people spend so much time hunting treasure that they fail to see it all around them. It's like sifting through gold to find the silt.
–– Richard Paul Evans

Where there is ruin, there is hope for a treasure.
–– Rumi

Musical Proclamation
“Sacred the Body”
GTG 27, FWS/STF 2228.

An Ancient Word
Matthew 8: 1-4; 16-17

When Jesus had come down from the mountain, great crowds followed him; and there was a leper who came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you choose, you can make me clean.” He stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I do choose. Be made clean!” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. Then Jesus said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

That evening they brought to him many who were possessed with demons; and he cast out the spirits with a word, and cured all who were sick. This was to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah, “He took our infirmities and bore our diseases.”

Sermon

First a bit of trivia – Leprosy, also known as “Hansen’s Disease,” is caused by a mycobacterium and can be treated today. It requires prolonged contact with an individual with the disease for it to be transmitted from one person to the other. Armadillos can also be affected by this disease.

What we call leprosy today is not necessarily the same as Leprosy during Jesus’ time. Diseases of the skin caused an individual to be considered ritually unclean. Such infection resulted in a person needing to live in isolation for various periods of time until the skin became clear again. Sometimes it was a case of psoriasis, or other, similar, non-infectious skin condition, sometimes it was a more devastating condition that led to deformity. No matter what the condition, it still led to the person being ostracized and separated from friends and family at least for a period of time.

The individual Jesus encountered would have been shunned by society, suffered humiliation and exile from community. In healing the leper, Jesus returned the man to community, to a life of productivity and acceptance.

While the pandemic is an easy issue to draw parallels to with its associated isolation for protection of ourselves and others, it is not the only “ill” in our society that results in loss of community. Many people are suffering from loss of community, loss of relationships of the past due to many other situations. What are some you can think of, from which you may suffer?

God created humanity in God’s own image and said that it was good. Through the years, the centuries, the millennia, that image has become severely tarnished.

Did you pay attention to the text of the hymn we sang just before the reading of the Gospel? “Sacred the body God has created,…” How often do we fail to think about the sacredness of God’s creation when we think about our bodies or the bodies of others?

A bit of history behind this particular piece of music. Dr Ruth Duck and Dr Janet Walton were conversing about the existence or lack there of, of hymns “that spoke to issues of battering and abuse using Paul’s concept of the body as the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 3:16-17).” (History of Hymns: “Sacred the Body” UMCDiscipleship.org). A group of seminary students was planning a worship service and were looking for a song. Dr Duck wrote this piece when nothing was found. Dr. Duck states, “I didn’t know of existing hymn texts on that theme, but the idea inspired 'Sacred the Body.' Writing the text was a source of healing for my distress over a friend’s story of being sexually abused by a religious professional.” (History of Hymns: “Sacred the Body” UMCDiscipleship.org).

Women, children and even men have become victims of spouses, partners, parents, and others in positions of power. Elders in our society are not as respected as they once were suffering physical and financial abuse from the children they raised or from others. So much of this abuse stays hidden, hidden deep inside the victim’s psyche because to share the abuse with anyone might lead to further abuse, as the abuser blames the victim for all that is going wrong or disbelief on the part of the hearer and, eventually, loss of the few “good” relationships the abused individual has.

When we think of our bodies as temples that God’s Spirit indwells, do you think we should probably care for them and honor them, as holy space?

What might that look like?

During the pandemic many of us have complained about not being able to go about our “normal” daily lives, about not being able to visit friends and family, but what about those who live in abusive households, what has been their plight?

We have heard that suicide and drug overdose rates have increased during the pandemic, some due to isolation, some due to loss of ability to provide for family as a result of job loss and inability to get a new job. There is a strong suspicion that abuse rates are also increased, domestic violence resulting from prolonged periods of forced increased proximity between abused and abuser. Teachers are struggling to watch for signs of abuse when they are unable to ask questions of children in on-line classrooms and, it is feared, children are suffering more due to the lack of ability to identify the situations that would have been more readily caught in an in-person learning environment.

As we look at pieces of sea (beach) glass, we see how the broken edges have become smoothed, how the surfaces have been polished by the action of wave and sand. There is beauty despite the realization of the littering that placed the original in the ocean to begin with. The bodies and spirits, damaged by abuse, are still beautiful, still temples for God’s Spirit, but just as we have removed the glass from the reach of wind and wave in order to see and appreciate the beauty, so too must those who have been damaged by the actions of others, be removed from these places of abuse, that we may better see their beauty and appreciate their value.

Verse 3 of Ruth Duck’s “Sacred the Body,” reminds us of what it means to love, while listing some of the actions of an abuser:

       Love respects persons, bodies and boundaries.
       Love does not batter, neglect, or abuse.
       Love touches gently, never coercing.
       Love leaves the other with power to choose.

There are many stories in this congregation I don’t know, but from past history with other congregations, I can be sure that some of you have lived in abusive situations at some point in your life, if not right now. Know that it is not your fault. Know that you are loved. Know that God works through people to help you to leave an abusive situation and that, once out of the situation, you will find support to continue on, if from no one else, then from me.

Healing from our hidden traumas of abuse, of neglect, of the damage we do to self and to others, healing from the broken places in our lives that leads us into isolation, self-loathing, and fear can happen, but first, we need to have our load lightened, we need to expose our pain, our brokenness to One whose light will guide our way. Wednesday night we heard these words from Jesus:

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11: 28-30)

Today, from the 8th chapter of Matthew, we hear:
“Lord, if you choose, you can make me clean.” He stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I do choose. Be made clean!”

We need the faith of the leper for our healing, to mend the brokenness from which we suffer. We must open ourselves, trusting in the healing power of Jesus, that the bits and pieces of our lives can be put together. I do not promise that all our trials and troubles will be behind us, for Jesus promised that the road would be difficult, but, when a load is carried by two rather than one, it is lessened.

We do not know what wholeness really looks like for a particular individual, just like we don’t know exactly what the bottle looks like from which any individual shard of sea (beach) glass comes, but we trust and believe that God knows, that the healing that comes from Jesus is what we need to be made whole.

As we move into our time of prayer, think of those areas in your life that may need healing, whether it is from memories of abuse, from traumas brought on by war or other intense situations or from other areas. Let us offer all our brokenness to God, that all our hurts may be soothed and our brokenness be made whole.

There are many things that can result in both real and virtual isolation; the child or adult who seems to be going about a normal life, but when home is the object of abusive language or actions, and may not be allowed to speak to anyone outside the house; the soldier/sailor/marine home from deployment with no visible injury, but who has not had a night of quiet sleep in years due to the nightmares that wake them every time they let their guard down; the individual wracked with depression or fear, that rarely steps out of the house.

The list goes on and on about the effects of trauma on people, the effects of which can cause those individuals to withdraw from participating in the normal activities of life. There is so much hidden disease in this and most countries, diseases

It is easy for me to think of the many soldiers, having deployed to serve the demands of their nation, who then return home with both visible and invisible injuries. They so want to go back to what it was like before they deployed, before they truly understood the horrors of war, before they encountered the shelling, the minefields, the grenades; before they learned to always be on high alert because the enemy could be anyone, attack anytime. They want to go back to a time before the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) or the Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device (VB-IED) took their arm, their leg, their hearing, their decisiveness lost due to traumatic brain injury.

Some of these will overcome their trauma in some ways, but they will always be different and people they thought they could count on may leave them, avoid them, struggle to look them in the eye. Others will always struggle just to accept themselves while also struggling with how others treat them.

Many even feel unloved by even God. Why would a loving God allow this to happen to them….?

This is what the leper was experiencing, an illness that took away not only community, but feelings of self-worth that are tied up with wholeness of body, feelings that even God could no longer love him, because he was unclean.

Then, the leper encountered Jesus. He asked, and Jesus returned him to health in body and in relation to the community, healing his feelings of self-loathing and lack of worth.

Song of Preparation
“Make Us Holy, Make Us Whole” (refrain only)
URW 160; SongSelect #3315976
https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/make-us-holy-make-us-whole-digital-sheet-music/20343748

In your love, make us whole.
May we rest in your compassion.
Calm the lost, weary soul
in the warmth of your love.
May your peace fill our hearts.
May we know the love of Jesus.
By your grace, you console.
Make us holy, make us whole.

Prayers of the People

Leader: Healer of our every ill,
especially our malady of separation and fear,
we come before you to make our petitions known.
Hear our cries for healing of body, mind, and spirit.
We know that already you are at work among us,
showing us the way to recovery from the toxicities and grief of our time.

As demolished pieces that are treasured when found,
we trust that beauty from brokenness is possible
when we seek to bind together that which is wounded.
We pray especially for those who have experienced
the physical loss of family and friends in the pandemic
and those who are still suffering the consequences of the illness.
We pray for each person who suffers in body in other ways–
weariness from inactivity or weariness from overactivity in this time.
We pray for those whose treatment of maladies have been put on hold and those who suffered isolation in their illness, whatever the cause.
We pray grateful thanks for the medical staff everywhere around the world who have shown unbelievable strength and stamina
and we mourn the demise of too many caregivers
who risked their lives for our sake.

We pray this day for . . .

Celebrations: L: Alleluia? Petitions: L: Lord, in Your mercy,
                        P: Alleluia!    P: Hear our prayer!

Prayers from last week:
   Joys:

Handing out valentines
Congratulations to Linda Duxbury & Hank Buereyer on their marriage
Thanksgiving for those who have had or are scheduled for their COVID vaccines
Susan (Sue's sister-in-law) has completed 1 year of health since end of chemo
Baby K scheduled for his surgery Friday

Concerns:

Baby K and those performing his surgery Friday
The family whose garage burned last week
Our Country
The broken ones who are unnamed
Jonathan having brain surgery at DHMC
Nick
Emily (12yo) thrown from a horse with serious injuries
All who have no electricity due to storms and other issues

Prayer of Jesus

In your love, make us whole.
May we rest in your compassion.
Calm the lost, weary soul
in the warmth of your love.
May your peace fill our hearts.
May we know the love of Jesus.
By your grace, you console.
Make us holy, make us whole.

Ritual Action for the Week

Leader: The words of Jesus we heard in this week’s healing story were “I do choose. Be made clean!” Faced with a request, and given the choice, Jesus chooses to say “yes.” And he says “yes” to each precious and treasured life. Recovered wholeness is offered to everyone and will look different for each one. I invite you to take up a piece of beach glass now and examine it closely, noticing the worn edges and the color, feeling the texture and thickness. Examine it as a treasure that is completely unique, which of course it is.

Then shift your thinking to your own rough edges. What broken edges in your own life need help? What will you do in this Lent season to focus on healing of body, mind, and spirit?

Take a moment to think on this and then when you are ready, enclose the broken piece in your hand and hold it to your heart, breathing (“spirare”) deeply and inviting that Spirit to live and move in you in a special way over the next six weeks. Keep your piece close at hand… perhaps on your desk, nightstand, or pocket where you can feel it regularly this week.

Closing Song
“Jesus, Savior, Lord, Now to You I Come (Saranam, saranam)”
GTG 789, UMH 523
Or
“Build My Life” SongSelect #7070345

Commission

Leader: Jesus’ healing actions often get “buzz” from onlookers. Some are amazed and in awe and sing praises. Some are bewildered and wonder at this teacher. Some are disgruntled and feel threatened by the boundaries he breaks and the change he invites. We are perhaps prone to all of these at one time or another. Our own work of recovery will sometimes feel immediately refreshing and sometimes it will demand uncomfortable effort. But the rewards are great.

We are also working toward something communal in this season. How can we as a church community become a “health hub” through our ministry and mission? The needs are so great, especially now. Throughout this time, I invite you to explore with us the possibilities for a new or renewed commitment to a contribution we can make at Grace United Methodist Church to our larger community’s effort to recover from this past year.

Monetary gifts to support the mission and ministries or Grace UMC may be sent through the Church’s website: BradfordUMC.org or by check to: Grace UMC, PO Box 726, Bradford, VT 05033. Thank you for your generosity.

Blessing

Now go with confidence
as “Treasures of God,”
recovering your depth of love for all
and our joy of living in this world.

May the words of Jesus ring in your ears:
“I do choose you.”

And may the Spirit hover, move, and deliver
salve to your soul
and a spring in your step.
Amen.

Threshold Into the World
[reprise of theme song]

Vessels, holy and whole
Broken, needing the One
Open, body and soul
Healer, come.

Postlude

Food Shelf Items Needed

Easy to prepare foods for kids, Flour & Sugar, Coffee, Toilet Paper & Paper Towels, Laundry Detergent, Shampoo & Hand Soap

Grace United Methodist Church
P. O. Box 726, Bradford, VT 05033
Church phone #: (802) 222-9062, Parsonage phone #: (802) 222-5247
Secretary’s email address: gracesecybradford@gmail.com
Pastor’s email address: bradfordumcpastor@gmail.com
Find us on Facebook: Grace UMC

Finance Moment: An update on our finances.
Yearly Church Budget: $79,839.00
Needed Weekly: $1,535.27
February's Collection to Date: $2,205

Offerings may be mailed to GUMC, P.O. Box 726, Bradford, VT 05033 or go to bradfordumc.org, click on “More” in the pull-down menu and click on “Donate”. Follow the instructions.

LEADERSHIP
Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar, New England Conference
District Superintendent: Rev Jill Colley Robinson
Pastor: Ami Sawtelle
Organist: Connie Linnell
Minister: All the People

***********************************************************************************************************************************************************************
GRACE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

February 17, 2021—Ash Wednesday Service                       Pastor Ami Sawtelle

Ash Wednesday

Prelude

Welcome and Announcements

Threshold

Vessels, holy and whole
Broken, needing the One
Open, body and soul
Healer, come.

Leader: Ash Wednesday is a time of naming brokenness. As we enter the season of Lent, we commit to enter also into a season of healing and recovery that requires the naming of what has been shattered as a first step. We take “the yoke” of responsibility as disciples of Jesus to be the Body of Christ–a body of those who need healing and offer healing in the world. The promise of Jesus is that he is with us in our weariness and burdens.

Vessels, holy and whole
Broken, needing the One
Open, body and soul
Healer, come.

Prayer of Confession

Leader: We will be living with stories of Jesus’ healing in the Gospel of Matthew in this Lent season. We will see how Jesus encouraged people to open up about their lives as part of the healing process–no matter how broken. Ash Wednesday developed as a doorway to speaking the truth of our lives, a time to lay the brokenness of life before God.
Let us pray:
Merciful God,
we have lived a year of Lent.
In the midst of it all we have seen love shine through at times
but as we look back in this moment,
it feels like a year of shattered dreams and shattered peace.
We are discouraged. Even though so much feels out of our control,
we also see the ways our own faults and failures
to love each other fully, to care for the least, to honor your creation,
to stand for what is right and good, have contributed to the shattering.

And so we come to you in pieces.
Fragments, broken shells of our past selves.
As we walk along the shores of Uncertainty and Pain,
we ask that you meet us here.

Help us, Healer.
Show us our strength.
Forgive our inertia.
Move us to move
one step at a time toward greater care.

In this silence, we sense and acknowledge our yearning for wholeness.

Silence

Vessels, holy and whole
Broken, needing the One
Open, body and soul
Healer, come.

Assurance

Throughout the season of Lent, we will be contemplating the symbol of broken glass–sea (or beach) glass to be specific. An unknown author has said this about the glass fragments that are collected on various shores:

“Ordinary pieces of tableware or beer or soda bottles are flung into the ocean. Years pass, or decades, and then one day, there it is upon the shore: a small shard from one of those long-ago discarded objects. Shifting currents have rounded its edges; abrasion has polished its surface; exposure to the sun has altered its hue. And so, when we happen upon it, here amidst the shells and seaweed, we can’t help but laugh with joy at what seems a miracle: this ordinary fragment of silica that time and adversity have transformed into something beautiful.”

Time and adversity… making something beautiful out of that which, once seen as ordinary and broken, is now considered a transformed and precious piece. This is the journey we undertake.
Jesus attended to those considered ordinary, broken, even those deemed unworthy. No matter what, Jesus is the lover of our souls.

In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven.
In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven.
Glory to God. Amen.

Opening Hymn
“Jesus, Lover of My Soul”                       UMH 479

Peace
In this moment, we begin to “let the healing streams abound.”
The peace of Christ is with you.
And also with you.

A Contemporary Word

What if the deeper you know our own brokenness,
the deeper you can experience your own belovedness?
–– Anne Voskamp
Our life is full of brokenness–broken relationships, broken promises, broken expectations. How can we live with that brokenness without becoming bitter and resentful except by returning again and again to God’s faithful presence in our lives.
–– Henri Nouwen

Musical Proclamation
“God Weeps”       FWS 2048.    Listen HERE (Strathdee tune)

An Ancient Word
Matthew 11: 28-30

Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Sermon

Have you ever walked into a doctor’s office, been greeted by the receptionist who, asking no questions, immediately escorts you to the doctor’s examining room where, after a very brief wait, you are greeted by the doctor with, “Good morning Mr./Mrs./Ms. _______________, so good to see you this morning; this is what is wrong with you and this is how we are going to fix it.”?

If this has ever happened to you, when there have been no questions asked, no tests done, then I want to meet this doctor for she has some special talents.

I’m a veterinarian, when a client enters the room with her/his pet or I go out to a farm to see livestock, I always need to ask questions, usually need to do a physical exam and may need to run some tests in order to diagnose the illness/problem. We have many problems in our lives, many broken places, some that a physician needs to deal with, but many that are deeper rooted than that and need the Great Physician, the Great Healer, Jesus.

Lent is often seen as a time of penitence, a time of turning around and trying to do things differently, of doing things better. We don’t always look at it as a time of healing, yet that is what we need; we need to be healed, our brokenness mended, that we might have our relationship with God healed also.

In today’s reading from Matthew, we are invited to take up Jesus’ yoke, a yoke that is to be easy and whose burden is light.

When two animals are yoked together for heavy work, it is preferable to have animals of similar size and strength, so the load is carried equally between the two. When one is taller/larger or pulls harder than the other, that one takes on more of the load, often tiring more quickly. When a new ox is being trained to pull, it is paired with an older better trained ox that knows that trying to go too fast only tires one out, that holds the younger ox back, teaching it to pull steadily and in tandem, rather than trying to run ahead and do the work on its own.

When we are yoked with Jesus, our load is lightened, for Jesus is stronger than we and takes on a larger part of our burden, lifting the weight from us so we don’t tire so easily.

Our journey through Lent this year is meant to be a journey toward healing. We will focus on different areas where healing may be needed, for as I said earlier, physical healing is only a small part of the story. For those of you who were a part of Pastor Kelly Harvell’s service while I was on vacation, you heard her speak about Helen Keller and the “healing” that took place in her.

Before we can begin to be healed though, we must first assess our illness, our brokenness, answer questions as to what our symptoms are, the places where we hurt, where we think we may be broken. We then must be faithful in carrying our share of the load, of doing our exercises,’ ‘taking our medicine,’ so we can be healed.

This time of pandemic, of social distancing, of quarantine and for many fear, this time of social unrest and political divide, have brought to the surface feelings of poor self-worth, of hopelessness and despair. When we need broken areas in our lives to be healed, just as when the break in a bone needs exposure, so we need to expose those areas to the light, in this case, to the Light that came into the world in a stable long ago, for in allowing Jesus to see our brokenness, in admitting to Jesus we can no longer carry our burdens alone, we begin the path of healing.

In a little bit we will participate in a ritual to start us on our path to healing, but before we do so, let us take a time of silence to reflect upon our brokenness, upon the places where we need to ask Jesus to help carry the load, the places where healing is needed that we might live with hope and integrity.

Song of Preparation
“Make Us Holy, Make Us Whole” (refrain only)

In your love, make us whole.
May we rest in your compassion.
Calm the lost, weary soul
in the warmth of your love.
May your peace fill our hearts.
May we know the love of Jesus.
By your grace, you console.
Make us holy, make us whole.

Prayers of the People

Leader: Lover of our souls,
You who weeps, bleeds, cries, waits…
for us and because of us,
we come before you to make our petitions known.
Hear our cries for healing of body, mind, and spirit.
We know that already you are at work among us,
showing us the way to recovery from the toxicities and grief of our time.

We pray for those who are shattered by the violence of circumstances,
tumbled by the forces of life,
and washed up on shores, distant from all that feels whole.

We pray this day for…

Celebrating God Sightings and Sharing Concerns

Pastoral Prayer (ending with the Lord's Prayer)

Prayer of Jesus

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,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.

[Reprise of the prayer song:]

In your love, make us whole.
May we rest in your compassion.
Calm the lost, weary soul
in the warmth of your love.
May your peace fill our hearts.
May we know the love of Jesus.
By your grace, you console.
Make us holy, make us whole.

Ritual Action

Leader: Ash Wednesday, as the beginning of Lent, developed in the 5th - 6th centuries, and was mandated in the 11th century. Although Protestants did not maintain this ritual for the most part, it has come back during the 20th century liturgical movement as an important time for reflection in which we reclaimed this symbol and ritual of our spiritual ancestors. It plays an important role in helping us make meaning in the brokenness of our lives. This year, indeed, we are aware of the fragility of life. Even though we cannot share ashes in the ways we have become accustomed, let us engage in a ritual that draws us close to the elements of creation–earth, fire, air, and water. Let it remind us that we are a part of creation, in all its beauty and its brokenness.

EARTH - The sand upon which our symbol of beach glass washes is, interestingly, the origins of glass-making. Glass is liquified, heated sand. In a way, the shards of beach glass are the epitome of “dust to dust”… or in this case, “sand to liquified sand.” To take it back even further, sand is created by the erosion of mountains and rocks over thousands or millions of years. So whether what you have on hand today is dirt or sand, we are witnessing the brokenness and erosion and weathering of the earth itself. All things become broken. All things transform. And every form we take is holy, whole, and beautiful. I invite you to touch the sand or dirt you have with you in this moment. Feel its grains, it’s decomposed nature, as we pray:

Holy Creator God… as we feel this elemental part of who we are, we remember that we ourselves were made from the dust of the earth. To experience brokenness is the way of creation, it is not something to be ashamed of… it is the order of things. Transform us, O God. Help us recover the beauty of who we are and see the goodness in transformation.

FIRE - Glass can only be created when the sand is met with the heat of fire. No wonder the scriptures and poets throughout the ages have spoken of a “refining fire.” The heat of fire is always destructive, but with intention and care and tending, what transpires from the destruction of fire can be a new form with purposes that are good, useful, and beautiful. I invite you to light your candle, if it is not already lit. Gaze upon the colors of the flame which may be white or gold or red or blue, as we pray:

Holy Refining Fire of the Spirit… as we feel this elemental part of who we are, we remember that you invite us to fuel the flames of passionate love for you and for each other. Do not allow the flame of our spirits to lie dormant. Offer us your light and life. Transform us, O God. Help us recover the beauty of who we are and see the goodness in transformation.

AIR - The scriptures depict the creation of human beings as having Holy Breath blown to animate our being. Glass vessels gained a new technique around the time of Jesus. In the first century BCE, glass blowing was invented, offering a way for molten glass to be shaped by blowing through a tube, creating an air bubble, a glass vessel, ready to for practical or artistic purposes. Breath is part of the creation of our Holy Vessels. Breath is with us in our very first cry and will be the final song as we exit this realm. I invite you to close your eyes, if this is comfortable for you, and become aware of your breath as we pray:

Holy Giver of Breath and Life… as we feel this elemental part of who we are, we remember that this ongoing, life-giving, usually-automatic, moment-to-moment function can be an act of gratitude for our very origins. And this is the core of our relationship with the creation–sharing and existing within this atmosphere. Just as our breath offers us opportunity to let go of that which we do not need in order to take in the fresh air we need, transform us, O God. Help us recover the beauty of who we are and see the goodness in transformation.

WATER - As the water meets the sand and earth at the shoreline, we also are invited to a journey of meeting the Living Water that Christ offers us. Ancient peoples made wet soil in many forms as healing balms. Skin moistened, blood flow increased to the area, muscles relaxed. This still is practiced today in many places. Our Lent series about healing, then, gives us an opportunity to use this as our Ash Wednesday ritual of anointing. I invite you to mix a little water with the dirt or sand that you have with you and create a wet mixture. Then place some in your palm–the same palm used in greeting other palms, signifying interdependent relationship. Gently rub it, making the sign of the cross, as we pray:

Healing Presence… as we feel this elemental part of who we are, we remember you created us, shaped us from dust in the palm of your hand.
Some day we will return to dust,
return to the palm of your hand once again, held and loved forever.
We lament in this moment the grittiness of life,
the need for healing, the difficult and necessary process of transformation.
Mark us as your own, remold us again and again as your people. Let the recognition of our own need break us open yet again for the sake of others, for the sake of the world.
All all the people say, “Amen.”

Closing Song
“Give to the Winds Thy Fears”            UMH 129

Blessing

Now go with confidence that,
though shattered, we are held.
Begin the journey of recovering your depth of love for all
and your joy of living in this world.

May the words of Jesus ring in your ears:
“I will give you rest.”

And may the Spirit hover, move, and deliver
salve to your soul
and a spring in your step.
Amen.

Threshold Into the World
[reprise of theme song]

Vessels, holy and whole
Broken, needing the One
Open, body and soul
Healer, come.

Postlude

“Worship series design and original music ©Worship Design Studio, used with permission. www.worshipdesignstudio.com/vessels

Food Shelf Items Needed

Easy to prepare foods for kids, Flour & Sugar, Coffee, Toilet Paper & Paper Towels, Laundry Detergent, Shampoo & Hand Soap

Bible Study – the book of Acts – Wednesdays at 2:00 p.m.
Coffee with the pastor Thursdays at 9:00 a.m.
Statistical Report Forms are in, Pastor Ami will be contacting individuals to fill their particular portion. She would like to complete the report as soon as reasonably possible. The final report to the conference is due in mid-February.

Gathering of Our Celebrations and Our Petitions
Because we want to try sharing our worship service on our website while maintaining privacy for those we would lift in prayer, we will gather our spoken joys and concerns at this time in the service, so that when Pastor Ami starts the service, she may also begin recording the service.

Celebrations: L: Alleluia? Petitions: L: Lord, in Your mercy,
                        P: Alleluia!    P: Hear our prayer!

Prayers from last week:
   Joys:


   Concerns:


Prayer for Peace                                        Pastor Kelly Harvell
Eternal God, in whose perfect kingdom no sword is drawn but the sword of righteousness, no strength known but the strength of love: so mightily spread abroad your Spirit, that all people and nations may be gathered under the banner of the Prince of Peace, as children of one God, to whom be dominion and glory, now and forever. Amen.

Let us seek to simplify this moment, slow down for a time. Let us worship, leaning on prayer, reflection and sharing with one another.

Threshold
“God is Holding Your Life”

The Psalm that comes at the end of our series speaks of an active God whose light shines for all time and in all places. God is not silent, but calls the people to remember that they, too, can act on God’s behalf, holding all suffering peoples in hands of prayer and care and transforming the world that will shine bright into the future. May it be so. This last week we will sing all the verses of our theme song.

Lift up your eyes, behold the hills.
From where will help and rescue come?

Lift up your eyes, behold the hills.
From where will help and rescue come?
We call on One who made the earth,
Who bless’d the stars, the moon and sun.

God is holding your life
God is holding your life
God is holding your life, we believe
[repeat refrain]

Turn now your gaze upon the earth
Where is the One who never sleeps?
We call on One who guards you now,
Your spirit safe in holy keep.

God is holding your life
God is holding your life
God is holding your life, we believe
[repeat refrain]

Venturing out or coming home,
‘neath heat of day or cool of night,
we call on One who hears your voice
and comes to heal and keep your life.

God is holding your life
God is holding your life
God is holding your life, we believe
[repeat refrain]

Opening Collect Prayer

Leader: Holy One, Light of the World,
you help us to see and find our way in this time.
Open us this day to a vision of the world made all-right,
so that we might alight our own lives to show forth
your reign on earth as it is in heaven.
People: We praise you for your steadfast presence,
holding our lives together in love.
Amen.

Lift up your eyes, behold the hills.
From where will help and rescue come?
We call the One who made the earth,
Who bless’d the stars, the moon and sun.

God is holding your life
God is holding your life
God is holding your life, we believe
[repeat refrain]

Turn now your gaze upon the earth
Where is the One who never sleeps?
We call the One who guards you now,
Your spirit safe in holy keep.
God is holding your life
God is holding your life
God is holding your life, we believe
[repeat refrain]

Venturing out or coming home,
‘neath heat of day or cool of night,
we call the one who hears your voice
and comes to heal and keep your life.

God is holding your life
God is holding your life
God is holding your life, we believe
[repeat refrain]

Psalm Reading
Psalm 50:1-6

ADONAI our God speaks and summons the earth
from the rising of the sun to its setting.

Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,
God shines forth.

ADONAI comes and won’t be silent:
a devouring fire goes before God,
while storms rage all around.

God summons heaven and earth
to the trial of God’s people:

“Gather to me my faithful ones,
who make their covenant with me
by sacrifice!”

The heavens affirm God’s justice
because it is God who is the judge!

——Selah—--

Psalm Song

Introduction from Richard and Song:
“The One is Shining Forth”

Reflections and Testimonies

The last several weeks, we have been singing God is holding your life, this we believe. So, do we really believe that God is holding not only our lives but the lives of others? Remember we are saying God is holding your life, not our life.

It’s Sunday once more, Transfiguration Sunday, the day we often talk about Jesus taking the inner circle of disciples, Peter, James and John, to the mountain where Jesus encounters another inner circle, Moses and Elijah, we speak of light and brightness and then we move on with our lives.

Our Psalm today reminds us that it is more than a time of talking about light and the transfiguration of Jesus, it is about the transformation of lives, our lives and the lives of those who are suffering.

It is Black History Month, a time we remember how poorly our country has treated people of black and brown skin, a time we celebrate the achievements of those who have, despite the prejudices of many, overcome barriers placed in their way and accomplished major achievements in sports, science, peaceful resistance and many other areas.

For the last several weeks we have sung, “God Is Holding Your Life,” echoing lines from Psalm 121, reminding us that it is upon God, and God alone, that we should trust and depend, that God has us, is holding us and protecting us.

And we are embroiled in multiple pandemics, for not only is the SARS-CoV2 virus still rampant in our country, with new variants rising that are more virulent, but there is an epidemic of unrest in our country and in many places in the world, people struggling for the freedom to speak without fear of retribution, power hungry leaders who would quell the resistance at all costs, people fearful of interactions with police in our own country because their skin is black or brown and so it seems that is all the excuse some need to make false claims against them or for the police to shoot them, while some people of white skin seem to be afraid of a loss of power and status because of those with darker skin making achievement in the world; children are starving in parts of the world, in parts of our own country, while in other areas of the world and our towns, food is regularly thrown into the trash because there is too much to eat before the food spoils.

The few short verses we read from Psalm 50 this morning tell us once more of the power of God, and reminds us that God is the one who will sit in judgement over all, that God’s judgement will be righteous. We are reminded of God’s bright shining power, similar to what was seen on the mountain when Jesus met with Moses and Elijah. Had we gone on with the rest of the Psalm the tone would have changed as God first tells Israel that while there is no complaint about the sacrifices they make, everything they sacrifice already belongs to God, that they should be giving thanks and fulfilling their vows, living out the covenant they have with God. Then God speaks out against those who may claim to follow God, but in reality, speak evil in the world. God speaks of punishment for those whose words bring slander and evil, while promising salvation to those who “go the right way.” (Ps 50:23)

As we reflect on the world around us and our own voices, how might the Psalmist be calling to us? How might we need to change or maybe “up” our game?

While we have sung of “God is holding your life,” how have we lived out our own trust in God’s grace and love? When we think about how God uses the hands of others to hold us in times of trouble and despair, how do we measure up? When we look at the world around us, at the political rhetoric in our own country as well as the leadership role our country plays in the world, how do we stack-up against God’s call to righteousness?

There are so many ways we live out God’s call to right living in the world, whether it is the various missions we support through paying 100% of our Mission Shares, or our giving to UMCOR and others who provide care in many parts of the world, we are putting our money to God’s purposes when, before we give, we are in conversation with God about what we are to do. When we speak with voices of integrity, guided by God’s Spirit in the political arena, rather than listening to voices that speak to our own desires for power and wealth, we speak to guide others into pathways of righteousness. When we pick up the phone and call someone who is isolated and lonely, when we offer to pick up groceries bring a meal to someone unable to get out and about we are putting feet to our words and living out God’s call to right living.

When we truly believe that God is holding our lives, when we understand that such belief comes with a need to walk in the pathways God puts before us, pathways that transform our lives and the lives of others, we actually begin to change, to become transformed. We speak of the Transfiguration, when Jesus appeared to the few present in splendor, in robes whiter than snow, but do we understand that we too will be changed, transformed into something different, something brighter and more conscious of what is going on around us when we step out of places of fear of reprisal and follow in the footsteps of Jesus; when we respond to God’s call on our lives?

When we step out of our places of fear of failure, trusting that God is holding us, is guiding us, then we have the power to be a part of the transformation of the world into a world that reflects the brightness of God into the darkest corners of evil, overcoming the evil and transforming the lives of others. Amen.

Testimonies of Being Held

This is an opportunity to let people share how they have felt the love and support of others, of God, in this time of pandemic. It can be considered as part of the “sermon time,” coming right out of the end of the preacher’s reflection. You may choose to ask one person to speak or you may make a collage of short statements from several people (solicit written or video testimonies to weave throughout the series)

Sung Reprise
“God is Holding Your Life”

God is holding your life
God is holding your life
God is holding your life, we believe
[repeat]

Bringing our Gifts Before God

Offering Prayer
(Sawtelle 2021)

“Selah” Moment

Let us have one more “Selah” moment together to end this series. However, we hope that you will continue to find and create these intentional pauses for yourself in your days, remembering to acknowledge the loving God who is holding your life. We will hear [the sound] and then have some silence. Feel free to close your eyes if you like. Imagine yourself held in safety and love and care. When you hear [the sound] again, open your eyes.

Silence

Prayers of the People

I invite you to write your prayer concerns on small pieces of paper. As we have done all along, we will place these prayers in a container [bowl, box, etc]–a symbolic action of placing them in God’s hands, God’s care.

I invite you to place your hands on your container for a final blessing on these prayers:

Holy and Living God,
Jesus, Friend,
Spirit of Love and Care,
We commend to you these prayers, these cares.
We know already you are working, holding our lives in every way.
Help us all to know your steadfast presence
and be a steadfast presence to others in need.
Amen.

If this practice has become meaningful for you, we encourage you to keep your container in a place in your home where you can continue this practice. If you would rather, consider gifting someone else you know who may be having a hard time with your now-empty container and let them know how it has helped you.

Let the people say, “Selah”
Selah!

Let us continue our prayers. I will offer a category of concern and we will allow a brief pause, then we will respond as indicated. As a prayer posture for this worship series, I invite you to cup your hands, ready to receive God’s love and peace, and in preparation to be God’s love and peace in the world.

Let us pray for the leaders of this world and this church community… [pause]
God of Justice, hear our prayer.
Let us pray for our country, for those whose political beliefs are different from our own…[pause]
God of love, hear our prayer.
Let us pray for those who live in conflict around the world… [pause]
Prince of Peace, hear our prayer.
Let us pray for all who are experiencing loss of any kind in this pandemic… [pause]
Comforting Healer, hear our prayer.
Let us pray for those who are homeless, hungry and alone… [pause]
Emmanuel, God-With-Us, hear our prayer.
Let us pray for those who live in comfort,
for Christ-like hospitality and generosity… [pause]
Transforming Spirit, hear our prayer.

Holy and Living One,
for those we have named and the ones whose names we do not know,
hear our prayer.
Let us pray the Lord’s Prayer together.

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,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.

Sung Prayer Response
“Put Peace Into Each Other’s Hands”

[sung]
Put peace into each other’s hands
and like a treasure hold it,
protect it like a candle flame,
with tenderness enfold it.

Put peace into each other’s hands
with loving expectation;
be gentle in your words and ways,
in touch with God’s creation.

The Peace
The Peace of Christ be with you.
And also with you.

Will you make a gesture of extending your cupped hands toward others who may be with or near you as a sign of offering the peace that Christ gives us. If you are alone, place your cupped hands over your heart, as a sign that you send your heartfelt peace out to the world.

[after a moment, continue with this verse]
Give thanks for strong yet tender hands
held out in trust and blessing.
Where words fall short let hands speak out;
the heights of love expressing.

Benediction

Now go in the knowledge that
God is holding your life
even as we hold each other.
You are not alone.
You are loved.
Amen.

Postlude

Food Shelf Items Needed

Easy to prepare foods for kids, Flour & Sugar, Coffee, Toilet Paper & Paper Towels, Laundry Detergent, Shampoo & Hand Soap

Bible Study – the book of Acts – Wednesdays at 2:00 pm
Coffee with the pastor Thursdays at 9:00 am
Statistical Report Forms are in, Pastor Ami will be contacting individuals to fill their particular portion. She would like to complete the report as soon as reasonably possible. The final report to the conference is due in mid-February.

Praise and gratitude for the support of the community following Rod’s death
Sue – not having to pay own heating bill
Baby K’s surgery has been rescheduled for Feb. 19

Concerns:

Baby K’s surgery on the 19th
Health of Maurice Ball (Patrick’s father)
Sue’s cousins
Those struggling to heat their homes
Andy in Hawaii, heard car go off cliff, girl died, Andy still distressed by event
Annette – fell and broke 3 vertebrae

Prayer for Peace Pastor Kelly Harvell
Eternal God, in whose perfect kingdom no sword is drawn but the sword of righteousness, no strength known but the strength of love: so mightily spread abroad your Spirit, that all people and nations may be gathered under the banner of the Prince of Peace, as children of one God, to whom be dominion and glory, now and forever. Amen.

Let us seek to simplify this moment, slow down for a time. Let us worship, leaning on prayer, reflection and sharing with one another.

Threshold
“God is Holding Your Life” Verse 3 Threshold

Today’s Psalm comes late in the Book and offers a glimpse of a time when the exiled outcasts are gathering back together and seeing their world built back up. We too, yearn for a re-gathering and a Today’s Psalm comes late in the Book and offers a glimpse of a time when the exiled outcasts are gathering back together and seeing their world built back up. We too, yearn for a re-gathering and a day when we sing our praises and play our instruments with abandon together again. We wait, we hope, we stay firm in our faith, knowing as our ancient ancestors did, that God is indeed holding our lives.

Venturing out or coming home,
‘neath heat of day or cool of night,
we call on one who hears your voice
and comes to heal and keep your life.

God is holding your life
God is holding your life
God is holding your life, we believe
[repeat refrain]

Opening Collect Prayer

Leader: Healing God,
You are working to bind up the wounds of the world.
Open us this day to be your hands and feet for a suffering people,
so that we might make a difference right where we are,
contributing to your reign on earth as it is in heaven.
People: We praise you for the strength to persevere,
holding our lives together in love.
Amen.

Psalm Reading
Psalm 147:1-11, 20c
Lukan Psalter translation
[link if NRSV is preferred]

Alleluia! How good it is to praise our God!
How pleasant and how fitting to sing God’s praise!

ADONAI rebuilds Jerusalem,
and gathers Israel’s exiles.
God heals the brokenhearted,
and binds up their wounds.

God knows the number of the stars
and calls each one by name.
Great is ADONAI, and mighty in power;
there is no limit to God’s wisdom.
ADONAI lifts up the oppressed,
and casts the corrupt to the ground.

Sing to our God with thanksgiving;
sing praise with the harp to our God--
who covers the heavens with clouds,
who provides rain for the earth,
who makes grass sprout on the mountains
and herbs for the service of the people,
who gives food to the cattle,
and to the young ravens when they cry.

God does not thrill
to the strength of the horse,
or revel in the fleetness of humans.
ADONAI delights in those
who worship with reverence
and put their hope in divine love.
Alleluia!

Psalm Song

Introduction from Richard and Song:
“We Wait, We Hope, We Stay” [see downloads]

Reflection

Pastor Ami will be on vacation this week.

Remember last week, we learned that the last 40 plus Psalms are part of what scholars call, “the Fifth Book of Psalms.” Most are set at the end of the exile in Babylon or shortly after the return to Jerusalem.

I invite you this week, if you are unable to join on Zoom with Pastor Kelly Harvell and her congregation, to spend a little time reflecting on this Psalm in light of our own season of exile during the pandemic. Spend some time in quiet, read the Psalm once through, listening for the things that catch your attention. Read it aloud slowly, listening again for what the Psalmist is saying that resonates with you, then spend some time in silence reflecting on that, perhaps jotting down a few notes, the read it through one more time. If more than one of you is present, perhaps different people do the readings.

Testimonies of Being Held

This is an opportunity to let people share how they have felt the love and support of others, of God, in this time of pandemic. It can be considered as part of the “sermon time,” coming right out of the end of the preacher’s reflection. You may choose to ask one person to speak or you may make a collage of short statements from several people (solicit written or video testimonies to weave throughout the series)

Sung Reprise
“God is Holding Your Life”

God is holding your life
God is holding your life
God is holding your life, we believe
[repeat]

Bringing our Gifts Before God

Offering Prayer
We give you thanks mighty God, creator and redeemer of all that is and all that will be. Accept these gifts of thanksgiving. Use them for your plans to redeem all of creation, amen.
(Sawtelle 2021)

“Selah” Moment

Let us rest for a moment and let a healing pause settle inside us. We will hear [the sound] and then have some silence. Feel free to close your eyes if you like. Imagine yourself held in safety and love and care. When you hear [the sound] again, open your eyes.

Silence

Prayers of the People

You are invited to write your prayer concerns on small pieces of paper and place these prayers in a container [bowl, box, etc]–a symbolic action of placing them in God’s hands, God’s care.

Let the people say, “Selah”
Selah!

Then continue with prayers in the familiar way your community prays OR
use this intercessory form of prayer:
Let us continue our prayers. I will offer a category of concern and we will allow a brief pause, then we will respond as indicated. As a prayer posture for this worship series, I invite you to cup your hands, ready to receive God’s love and peace, and in preparation to be God’s love and peace in the world.

Let us pray for the leaders of this world and this church community… [pause]
God of Justice, hear our prayer.
Let us pray for our country, for those whose political beliefs are different from our own…[pause]
God of love, hear our prayer.
Let us pray for those who live in conflict around the world… [pause]
Prince of Peace, hear our prayer.
Let us pray for all who are experiencing loss of any kind in this pandemic… [pause]
Comforting Healer, hear our prayer.
Let us pray for those who are homeless, hungry and alone… [pause]
Emmanuel, God-With-Us, hear our prayer.
Let us pray for those who live in comfort,
for Christ-like hospitality and generosity… [pause]
Transforming Spirit, hear our prayer.

Holy and Living One,
for those we have named and the ones whose names we do not know,
hear our prayer.

Let us pray the Lord’s Prayer together.

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,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.

Sung Prayer Response
“Put Peace Into Each Other’s Hands”
https://www.hopepublishing.com/find-hymns-hw/hw2996.aspx
Hear a version of this song HERE
Or use our video download (you must have a OneLicense.net license for this piece)

[sung]
Put peace into each other’s hands
and like a treasure hold it,
protect it like a candle flame,
with tenderness enfold it.

Put peace into each other’s hands
with loving expectation;
be gentle in your words and ways,
in touch with God’s creation.

The Peace
The Peace of Christ be with you.
And also with you.

Will you make a gesture of extending your cupped hands toward others who may be with or near you as a sign of offering the peace that Christ gives us. If you are alone, place your cupped hands over your heart, as a sign that you send your heartfelt peace out to the world.

[after a moment, continue with this verse]
Give thanks for strong yet tender hands
held out in trust and blessing.
Where words fall short let hands speak out;
the heights of love expressing.

Benediction

Now go in the knowledge that
God is holding your life
even as we hold each other.
You are not alone.
You are loved.
Amen.

Postlude

Food Shelf Items Needed

Easy to prepare foods for kids, Flour & Sugar, Coffee, Toilet Paper & Paper Towels, Laundry Detergent, Shampoo & Hand Soap

Bible Study – the book of Acts – Wednesdays at 2:00 p.m.
Coffee with the pastor Thursdays at 9:00 a.m.
Statistical Report Forms are in, Pastor Ami will be contacting individuals to fill their particular portion. She would like to complete the report as soon as reasonably possible. The final report to the conference is due in mid-February.

Deborah(SP), Phyllis’ daughter is here
Rebecca woke hopeful on Wednesday
1st Vaccines for Pat and Cathy’s mom is now signed up for hers
For Phyllis in transitions

Concerns:

Peggy, Elinor, Gwen, John, Bob (Sue’s cousins)
Alfred, ME Fire Station – continued COVID outbreak
Jackson in quarantine in VT, can’t go back right now – is negative for COVID so far
Amy and Noemi have moved
Baby K – surgery postponed due to transfer of staff to cover COVID cases – not rescheduled until COVID numbers go down
Not gaining weight right now, trying new formula
Phyllis in the midst of transitions
AARP Tax Aid Preparers – must do everything virtually right now
Michelle – posted on Facebook – 18th Anniversary of Chrissie’s death – now dead longer than alive

Prayer for Peace                                    Pastor Kelly Harvell
Eternal God, in whose perfect kingdom no sword is drawn but the sword of righteousness, no strength known but the strength of love: so mightily spread abroad your Spirit, that all people and nations may be gathered under the banner of the Prince of Peace, as children of one God, to whom be dominion and glory, now and forever. Amen.

Let us seek to simplify this moment, slow down for a time. Let us worship, leaning on prayer, reflection and sharing with one another.

Threshold
“God is Holding Your Life” Verse 3 Threshold

One mode of poetry in the Psalms is all-out praise and thanksgiving, such as the one for today. We also find praise even in Psalms of lament and complaint because “God is good all the time and all the time God is good!” Life is not always good, but when we engage in gratitude, we remember the evidence of God at work in our lives and we remember that indeed, God is holding our lives, even now.

Venturing out or coming home,
‘neath heat of day or cool of night,
we call on one who hears your voice
and comes to heal and keep your life.

God is holding your life
God is holding your life
God is holding your life, we believe
[repeat refrain]

Opening Collect Prayer

Leader: Amazing God,
You do wonderful things–big and small–every day.
Open us this day to recognize the miracles of life all around us
so that we might stay resilient and ready to create your reign
on earth as it is in heaven.
People: We praise you for your continued good works,
holding our lives together each day.
Amen.

Psalm Reading
Psalm 111
Lukan Psalter translation

Alleluia!
I will thank you, ADONAI, with all my heart
in the meeting of the just and their assembly.
Great are your works,
to be pondered by all who love them.

Majestic and glorious are your works,
and your justice stands firm forever.
You make us remember your wonders--
you are compassion and love.

You give food to those who revere you,
keeping your Covenant ever in mind.
You reveal to your people the power of your actions
by giving them the lands of the nations
as their inheritance.

The works of your hands are truth and justice,
and all your precepts are sure,
standing firm forever and ever,
and carried out uprightly and faithfully.

You have sent deliverance to your people
and established your Covenant forever.
Your Name is holy and awe-inspiring!

Reverence for ADONAI
is the beginning of wisdom--
those who have it prove themselves wise.
Your praise will last forever!

Psalm Song

Introduction from Richard and Song:
“Whole Heart Hallelujah” [see downloads]

Reflection

What brings you joy?
For what are you thankful?

We are fast approaching the one-year mark since the beginning significant restrictions on our lives, restrictions that seek to protect us from getting the COVID-19 virus, yet, for many, have led instead to a crisis of mental health, of depression and despair, as they face economic hardship and isolation. The numbers continue to climb, not only the numbers of victims of the virus causing the pandemic, but victims of domestic violence, of suicide and drug overdose.

Into this time of desolation and darkness, the Psalmist sings a joyful “Alleluia!” How dare she? Thomas Parker in ”Feasting on the Word,” points out that many scholars believe that the fifth book of Psalms (the last 43 or so Psalms) is not set in the time of David or even Solomon, but is instead set in the time of the writings of Isaiah and of the exile and prospect of return to Jerusalem. How dare the psalmist, in the midst of this time of exile and darkness, sing praises to ADONAI? Was there prospect for deliverance on the horizon?

This is the challenge before us, how can anyone in times of challenge and darkness, sing praise to ADONAI when we have not been spared from the dangers of the pandemic, when places of worship are now begin called “Super Spreader” sites?

When we are in a dark place, it is hard to praise God, it is hard to find joy, it is so easy to sink into the pits of despair.

It takes courage and determination to take the first step toward digging ourselves out of this proverbial hole. It takes the strength that comes from ADONAI.

One of the ways we can begin the process of digging ourselves out is to think of one thing each day that gives us joy and to focus on that for a few minutes. Ever stepped out into the yard as the sun begins to rise and see the soft changes of color that brighten the eastern sky? What about a brilliant sunset with the sky turning incredible shades of orange and yellow? Have you ever watched a young child in his mother’s arms as he giggles and chortles? (I have seen some of you on Zoom smiling at Baby K and Miles, so I know you have.)

These are the kinds of things that can bring a smile to our lips and lift our hearts just a bit. Now once a day is not going to cure the world or even, quite frankly, bring us out of the dumps, but as we begin to think of the wonder of the world around us it can become contagious. Take a minute to jot a few things that bring a smile to your lips and post them in a place you will see them every day. As you think of new things, add them to the list. In no time, I suspect you will have a list that will take at least a minute or two to read every day.

You see, this is some of what the Psalmist did, she started listing the thing he knew ADONAI had done, the food available to the people, the prospect of rescue from exile, the Covenant God had made with the people, these things brought joy to the Psalmist and helped the Psalmist to sing praises to ADONAI.

Even Psalms of lament often end in praise of ADONAI, for those who remember the joy ADONAI has given in the past, take time to give thanks even in days of despair.

We still don’t know when the restrictions will be lifted, when we will be able to gather in groups of more than a few, but we trust in ADONAI. We believe that God has a plan to bring us through to the other side of this pandemic. We don’t know what changes will have become more permanent, but we do know that whatever happens, God will be with us through it all. God is holding us up, giving us the strength to continue. “God is holding our lives! WE BELIEVE!”

I invite us to do something very un-New England. I want us to stop a few seconds to think of children skating on the ice, sledding down the nearest slope, of the laughter and shouts that happen during that time and I want us to do more than smile, I want us to share a resounding “ALLELUIA!” of thanksgiving to God who makes all life possible. [pause]

ALLELUIA!!
Testimonies of Being Held

This is an opportunity for us to share how we have felt the love and support of others, of God, in this time of pandemic. If you have something that you are willing to share and are not on the Zoom meetings on Sunday morning, please call Pastor Ami at 802-222-5247 or send an e-mail to BradordUMCPastor@gmail.com.

Sung Reprise
“God is Holding Your Life”

God is holding your life
God is holding your life
God is holding your life, we believe
[repeat]

Bringing our Gifts Before God

Offering Prayer
To you who are the giver of light and of life, we offer gifts of thanksgiving and praise. Use them to your glory, that others may find hope in the midst of despair, light in darkness, and know your love that is greater than their hearts can imagine, amen.
                                           (Sawtelle 2021)

“Selah” Moment
A “Selah” pause can also mean taking a moment to breath a prayer of thanksgiving in a random moment in our day, as we come across a flower or a breeze that reminds us to be grateful. As we have done every week in this series, we pause now for a moment. We will hear [the sound] and then have some silence. Feel free to close your eyes if you like. Imagine yourself held in safety and love and care. When you hear [the sound] again, open your eyes.

Silence

Prayers of the People
Let us take a moment to write prayer concerns on small pieces of paper–perhaps this week be sure to include prayers of thanksgiving, no matter the circumstances. We will then place these prayers in a container – a symbolic action of placing them in God’s hands, God’s care.

Take a moment to do this. Finish with this response:

Let the people say, “Selah”
Selah!

Let us continue our prayers. I will offer a category of concern and we will allow a brief pause, then we will respond as indicated. As a prayer posture for this worship series, I invite you to cup your hands, ready to receive God’s love and peace, and in preparation to be God’s love and peace in the world.

Let us pray for the leaders of this world and this church community… [pause]
God of Justice, hear our prayer.
Let us pray for our country, for those whose political beliefs are different from our own…[pause]
God of love, hear our prayer.
Let us pray for those who live in conflict around the world… [pause]
Prince of Peace, hear our prayer.
Let us pray for all who are experiencing loss of any kind in this pandemic… [pause]
Comforting Healer, hear our prayer.
Let us pray for those who are homeless, hungry and alone… [pause]
Emmanuel, God-With-Us, hear our prayer.
Let us pray for those who live in comfort,
for Christ-like hospitality and generosity… [pause]
Transforming Spirit, hear our prayer.

Holy and Living One,
for those we have named and the ones whose names we do not know,
hear our prayer.

Let us pray the Lord’s Prayer together.

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,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.

Sung Prayer Response
“Put Peace Into Each Other’s Hands”
https://www.hopepublishing.com/find-hymns-hw/hw2996.aspx
Hear a version of this song HERE
Or use our video download (you must have a OneLicense.net license for this piece)

[sung]
Put peace into each other’s hands
and like a treasure hold it,
protect it like a candle flame,
with tenderness enfold it.

Put peace into each other’s hands
with loving expectation;
be gentle in your words and ways,
in touch with God’s creation.

The Peace
The Peace of Christ be with you.
And also with you.

Will you make a gesture of extending your cupped hands toward others who may be with or near you as a sign of offering the peace that Christ gives us. If you are alone, place your cupped hands over your heart, as a sign that you send your heartfelt peace out to the world.

[after a moment, continue with this verse]
Give thanks for strong yet tender hands
held out in trust and blessing.
Where words fall short let hands speak out;
the heights of love expressing.

Benediction

Now go in the knowledge that
God is holding your life
even as we hold each other.
You are not alone.
You are loved.
Amen.

Postlude

Food Shelf Items Needed

Easy to prepare foods for kids, Flour & Sugar, Coffee, Toilet Paper & Paper Towels, Laundry Detergent, Shampoo & Hand Soap

Bible Study – the book of Acts – Wednesdays at 2:00 p.m.
Coffee with the pastor Thursdays at 9:00 a.m.
Statistical Report Forms are in, Pastor Ami will be contacting individuals to fill their particular portion. She would like to complete the report as soon as reasonably possible. The final report to the conference is due in mid-February.

Jackson is negative for COVID-19
A friend willing to allow Jackson to quarantine in house she owns and willing to bring food and necessities to him
Baby K making good progress
First Responders receiving first COVID vaccine
Pam has received COVID vaccine

Concerns:

Safe inauguration
Family and friends of Linda McVicker
Alfred Fire Dept. COVID exposure
Bob B. still not feeling well
Baby K – surgery Friday (1-22)
Maurice Ball (Patrick’s dad) Cancer

Let us seek to simplify this moment, slow down for a time. Let us worship, leaning on prayer, reflection and sharing with one another.

Prayer for Peace                                        Pastor Kelly Harvell
Eternal God, in whose perfect kingdom no sword is drawn but the sword of righteousness, no strength known but the strength of love: so mightily spread abroad your Spirit, that all people and nations may be gathered under the banner of the Prince of Peace, as children of one God, to whom be dominion and glory, now and forever. Amen.

Threshold
“God is Holding Your Life” Verse 2 Threshold

“My one and only!” So many songs have utilized this phrase to express devoted love. This week we see that this tradition goes back all the way to the poets of the psalm tradition. This is a love psalm of trust in the “Holy One and Only” who is the rock and refuge in the midst of life that sometimes feels as fleeting as breath. We put our trust in the One who, indeed, is holding our lives.

Turn now your gaze upon the earth
Where is the One who never sleeps?
We call on One who guards you now,
Your spirit safe in holy keep.

God is holding your life
God is holding your life
God is holding your life, we believe
[repeat refrain]

Opening Collect Prayer
Mike Bonanno - Response

Leader: God of our devotion,
you are the one constant in life.
Open us this day to see the things that hold us in their grip
so that we might shed unnecessary distractions that keep us from seeing
your reign on earth as it is in heaven.
People: We praise you for being our rock,
holding our lives together in the ways that matter most.
Amen.

Psalm
Psalm 62: 5-12
Lukan Psalter translation
[link if NRSV is preferred]

In God alone my soul finds rest,
   for my deliverance comes from God,
who alone is my rock, my salvation,
   my fortress:
   I will never be shaken.

Only in God—my deliverance, my glory--
   my refuge is God.
Trust in God always, my people;
   pour out your hearts before God our refuge.

   Humankind is but a breath,
       mortals are just an illusion.
   Put them on the scales and the balance
       is thrown off:
   they weigh less than a breath.

Do not trust in extortion,
   or put false hopes in stolen goods;
do not set your heart on riches
   even when they increase.

For God has said only one thing,
   Twice have I heard it:
   that power belongs to God:
Steadfast love is yours, ADONAI –
   you repay all people according
   to their deeds.

Psalm Song

Introduction from Richard and Song:
“In God Alone” [see downloads]

Reflection

Have any of you seen Whoopi Goldberg in the movie “Sister Act”? I like some of the music from that show, music that not only helps an aging and dying church find new life, but also music that lifts the spirit. One of the pieces, “I Will Follow Him,” redirects the focus of a love song toward God. {Originally titled “Chariot,” written by Franck March (pseudonym J. W. Stole) and Paul Mauritanian (pseudonym Del Roma) with new English lyrics written by Norman Gimbel and recorded by Little Peggy March}.

Love songs often declare the overwhelming love the singer has for the one to whom the song is directed, love that may be unrequited.

In today’s Psalm, we hear the psalmist speak of God in glowing terms, as the refuge to whom the psalmist turns, as the place in which the psalmist finds rest and, unlike songs of unrequited love proclaims the steadfast love of ADONAI.

A couple of weeks ago we talked of our desire for a super hero and how ADONAI fulfilled that desire. The question arises around what might be competing with that super hero image in our lives.

The psalmist identifies some of those for us, stolen goods, riches, wealth, the lure of the power that comes with having money or things, particularly when they are on the increase. We tend to believe that, when we have lots of money or things, we will be happy.

Others that the psalmist may have had no experience of would be the lure of fame that follows sports or movie personalities. (Maybe a famous charioteer?) We often get caught in a tangle of competing opportunities vying for our attention and our love.

Remember the story of the rich landowner who built a bunch of barns to hold his new harvest, yet he died that same night? Riches on earth are not dependable. It is the building up of riches that will carry us through eternity on which we should focus, the riches that come through loving others and trusting in God.

Look at all of the former sports players, movie stars etc. that have faded into the woodwork once they were no longer able to play, many of them living on much lower incomes, some even in poverty as they age. Fame on earth is short lived as is our attention span.

When our love for God reaches that place where we can truly say that God is the one and only focus for our lives, that all we do, we do to praise and honor God, we are moving in the right direction. When we trust in God above all else, when we can say with the psalmist, “In God alone my soul finds rest…” we have truly begun a relationship that can carry us through thick and thin.

As we learn to trust in God, to pour out our troubles and cares, leaving them in God’s powerful hands, we are beginning to truly believe that “God is holding our lives.”

Testimonies of Being Held

This is an opportunity allowing you to share how you have felt the love and support of others, of God, in this time of pandemic. Please share your experiences with Pastor Ami either by phone, e-mail or a short video she can add to the service.

Sung Reprise
“God is Holding Your Life”

God is holding your life
God is holding your life
God is holding your life, we believe
[repeat]

Bringing our Gifts Before God

Offering Prayer
To you, O God, in whom our souls find rest and refreshment, we offer gifts of thanksgiving and praise. Receive our gifts with love and mercy, using us and the gifts we offer to show your light of love to a world struggling through a dark and difficult time, amen.

“Selah” Moment

Let us center our hearts We will hear [the sound] and then have some silence. Feel free to close your eyes if you like. Imagine yourself held in safety and love and care. When you hear [the sound] again, open your eyes.

Silence

Prayers of the People

Let us take a moment to write prayer concerns on small pieces of paper. Then place your prayers into a container [bowl, box, etc]–a symbolic action of placing them in God’s hands, God’s care.

Take a moment to do this. Finish with this response:

Let the people say, “Selah”
Selah!

Let us continue our prayers. I will offer a category of concern and we will allow a brief pause, then we will respond as indicated. As a prayer posture for this worship series, I invite you to cup your hands, ready to receive God’s love and peace, and in preparation to be God’s love and peace in the world.

Let us pray for the leaders of this world and this church community… [pause]
God of Justice, hear our prayer.
Let us pray for our country, for those whose political beliefs are different from our own…[pause]
God of love, hear our prayer.
Let us pray for those who live in conflict around the world… [pause]
Prince of Peace, hear our prayer.
Let us pray for all who are experiencing loss of any kind in this pandemic… [pause]
Comforting Healer, hear our prayer.
Let us pray for those who are homeless, hungry and alone… [pause]
Emmanuel, God-With-Us, hear our prayer.
Let us pray for those who live in comfort,
for Christ-like hospitality and generosity… [pause]
Transforming Spirit, hear our prayer.

Holy and Living One,
for those we have named and the ones whose names we do not know,
hear our prayer.

Let us pray the Lord’s Prayer together.

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,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.

Sung Prayer Response
“Put Peace Into Each Other’s Hands”
https://www.hopepublishing.com/find-hymns-hw/hw2996.aspx
Hear a version of this song HERE
Or use our video download (you must have a OneLicense.net license for this piece)

[sung]
Put peace into each other’s hands
and like a treasure hold it,
protect it like a candle flame,
with tenderness enfold it.

Put peace into each other’s hands
with loving expectation;
be gentle in your words and ways,
in touch with God’s creation.

The Peace
The Peace of Christ be with you.
And also with you.

Will you make a gesture of extending your cupped hands toward others who may be with or near you as a sign of offering the peace that Christ gives us. If you are alone, place your cupped hands over your heart, as a sign that you send your heartfelt peace out to the world.

[after a moment, continue with this verse]
Give thanks for strong yet tender hands
held out in trust and blessing.
Where words fall short let hands speak out;
the heights of love expressing.

Benediction

Now go in the knowledge that
God is holding your life
even as we hold each other.
You are not alone.
You are loved.
Amen.

Postlude

Food Shelf Items Needed

Easy to prepare foods for kids, Flour & Sugar, Coffee, Toilet Paper & Paper Towels, Laundry Detergent, Shampoo & Hand Soap

Bible Study – the book of Acts – Wednesdays at 2:00 pm
Coffee with the pastor Thursdays at 9:00 am
Statistical Report Forms are in, Pastor Ami will be contacting individuals to fill their particular portion. She would like to complete the report as soon as reasonably possible. The final report to the conference is due in mid-February.
There is a picture of cupped hands at the end of this document. You are invited to use it in a bowl where you can place written prayers as a symbol of offering them up to God. You are also encouraged to use it or other images that symbolize God’s hands holding you, your life and the lives of others throughout this worship series.

Governor has announced return to students in classroom full-time in April

Concerns:

Buzz Churchill – Lyme disease
Family of Rod Perry
Bob Benjamin
Peggy, Elinor, Gwen, John, Bob (Sue’s cousins)
Teachers doing remote and hybrid teaching
Our country
Donna (Don’s former co-worker) Stage IV cancer

Let us seek to simplify this moment, slow down for a time. Let us worship, leaning on prayer, reflection and sharing with one another.

Prayer for Peace                                     Pastor Kelly Harvell
Eternal God, in whose perfect kingdom no sword is drawn but the sword of righteousness, no strength known but the strength of love: so mightily spread abroad your Spirit, that all people and nations may be gathered under the banner of the Prince of Peace, as children of one God, to whom be dominion and glory, now and forever. Amen.

Threshold
“God is Holding Your Life” Week 3 Threshold
This week’s Psalm text brings home this message: we are in an intimate relationship with God. There is nowhere we go that God is not present–no state of our being that results in our being abandoned. God has knit us together, has woven us, knowing us from before our beginning. God, indeed, is holding our lives.

Turn now your gaze upon the earth
Where is the One who never sleeps?
We call the One who guards you now,
Your spirit safe in holy keep.

God is holding your life
God is holding your life
God is holding your life, we believe
[repeat refrain]

Opening Collect Prayer
Leader: Dear and Near God,
you never leave our side.
Open us this day to feeling and knowing your presence deep in our hearts
so that we might show forth love with the same confidence,
offering your reign of right relationship on earth as it is in heaven.
People: We praise you for your close attention,
holding our lives together in care.
Amen.

Psalm Reading
Psalm 139:1-18
Lukan Psalter translation
[link if NRSV is preferred]

ADONAI, you’ve searched me and known me.
You know my sitting down and my rising up,
you discern my thoughts from afar.
You trace my journeys and my resting places;
and are acquainted with all of my ways.

Indeed, there is not a word on my lips;
but you, O God, know it altogether.
You press upon me, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
it is so high I cannot attain it!

Where can I go then from your Spirit,
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I climb up to heaven, you are there;
if I make the grave my bed, you are there also.
If I take the wings of the morning,
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
even there your hand will lead me,
and your right hand hold me fast.

If I say, “Surely the darkness will cover me,
and the light around me turn to night,”
darkness is not dark to you;
the night is as bright as the day,
darkness and light to you are both alike.

You created my inmost being
and stitched me together in my mother’s womb.
For all these mysteries I thank you--
for the wonder of myself,
for the wonder of your works--
my soul knows it well.
My frame was not hidden from you
while I was being made in that secret place,
knitted together in the depths of the earth;
your eyes saw my body even there.

All of my days
were written in your book,
all of them planned
before even the first of them came to be.

How precious your thoughts are to me, ADONAI!
How impossible to number them!
I could no more count them
than I could count the sand.
But suppose I could?
You would still be with me!

Psalm Song
“Where Can I Go?”

Reflection
Last week we talked about how ADONAI fills us with awe, but sometimes, quite frankly, when we are in awe of something or someone, we struggle to have a relationship with them. They seem so far out of our normal daily lives that we struggle to talk with them, our tongues getting twisted up and our abilities to communicate intelligently severely hampered.

In some of the novels I’ve read through the years there is a character, very aloof, very firm, very distant, that seems unapproachable; someone who considers themselves so far above everyone that only the inner circle of advisers can approach. This is often how we see ADONAI, GOD, so far above us that there is no way ADONAI would ever pay attention to us here on earth, so far above us that there is no way GOD will hear our prayers.

Up steps the psalmist once more, to help us better understand GOD, better appreciate how extraordinary ADONAI is.

ADONAI, you’ve searched me and known me.
You know my sitting down and my rising up,
   you discern my thoughts from afar.
You trace my journeys and my resting places;
   and are acquainted with all my ways.

Does this sound like a god that is aloof, far distant above us, a god who, once creation was set upon it’s way, drew back and let happen what would?

The psalmist introduces us to ADONAI, the LORD, who knows us intimately, who knows our thoughts, our words before we speak them. ADONAI knows us so intimately that no matter where we go or what time of day it is, ADONAI can and does find us. We are unable to hide from ADONAI, even in death.

Lest this ‘all knowing’ ADONAI create terror in our hearts, we are told that we have been known by ADONAI since we were being stitched together in our mother’s womb, created in that secret place in the depths of the earth.

The thought of ADONAI’s hand upon us, perhaps upon our shoulder, can be frightening, the police officer walking up behind a would be thief in a store, but it can also be a comfort, a loving parent’s hand upon our shoulder in the midst of a difficult time. For the psalmist, the latter seems to be a more appropriate understanding as the wonder of this intimate action brings about a statement of awe and wonder rather than of fear.

Does any of this sound like a god that doesn’t care, that created and left creation to its own devices?

The psalmist sees ADONAI as one who is always present, as always there when the chips are down, as well as when things are going well, as one that can be trusted.

Sometimes we cry out, “LORD, where are you?” Sometimes we wonder if God really cares for or about us, but the psalmist at this point has no doubts.

When we are in doubt, we need to stop and think of all the ways we know that GOD is present. When we think that GOD “stitched [us] together in [our] mother’s womb” how can we even begin to imagine that GOD doesn’t care about us? As a veterinarian I have seen the wonder of how intricately we are made, whether on a macro or micro level.

The psalmist acknowledges the preciousness of ADONAI’s thoughts and our inability to count them and still the psalmist knows that ADONAI is present in everyday happenings.

We don’t know how GOD thinks. We do know that GOD works through people and events to bring about good for those who believe. What we see as ‘evil,’ GOD can find ways to turn into good. This is one of the most difficult things to comprehend and accept. How can GOD allow evil to exist, allow bad things to happen to good people?

I don’t have a good answer to the question, just an acceptance that in the midst of the evil, GOD is still present, knowing us, supporting us, caring for us, and bringing good from the evil situation. This is the trust the psalmist has. The psalmist knows GOD is holding him in hands of love and compassion. This is what we are challenged to know, GOD is holding us!

Testimonies of Being Held
This is an opportunity for you to share with others how you have felt the love and support of others, of God, in this time of pandemic. Please feel free to send your testimonies to Pastor Ami, whether it is a brief note by mail or by e-mail or, for those who are technologically motivated, you might include a brief video.

Sung Reprise
“God is Holding Your Life”

God is holding your life
God is holding your life
God is holding your life, we believe
[repeat]

Bringing our Gifts Before God

Offering Prayer
Adonai, you who are mighty and glorious, you knit us together in your secret place; made us to be in relationship with one another and with you; to you we offer these small gifts, tokens that are reflections of our love and trust in you; accept them for your use in shining your light of hope for a world stumbling in darkness.

“Selah” Moment
We come to our moment of “Selah”–that mysterious word found in the Psalms that invites us to pause. We will use an instrumental sound to remind us to take a pause, a breath. Settle your heart and know that you are held in the hands of the Divine. We will hear [the sound] and then have some silence. Feel free to close your eyes if you like. Imagine yourself held in safety and love and care. When you hear [the sound] again, open your eyes.

Silence

Prayers of the People
Each week we will have a moment to write prayer concerns on small pieces of paper. We will then place these prayers in a container [bowl, box, etc]–a symbolic action of placing them in God’s hands, God’s care.

Let the people say, “Selah”
Selah!

Let us continue our prayers. I will offer a category of concern and we will allow a brief pause, then we will respond as indicated. As a prayer posture for this worship series, I invite you to cup your hands, ready to receive God’s love and peace, and in preparation to be God’s love and peace in the world.

Let us pray for the leaders of this world and this church community… [pause]
God of Justice, hear our prayer.
Let us pray for those who live in conflict around the world… [pause]
Prince of Peace, hear our prayer.
Let us pray for all who are experiencing loss of any kind in this pandemic… [pause]
Comforting Healer, hear our prayer.
Let us pray for those who are homeless, hungry and alone… [pause]
Emmanuel, God-With-Us, hear our prayer.
Let us pray for those who live in comfort,
for Christ-like hospitality and generosity… [pause]
Transforming Spirit, hear our prayer.

Holy and Living One,
for those we have named and the ones whose names we do not know,
hear our prayer.

Let us pray the Lord’s Prayer together.

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,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.

Sung Prayer Response
“Put Peace Into Each Other’s Hands”
https://www.hopepublishing.com/find-hymns-hw/hw2996.aspx
Hear a version of this song HERE
Or use our video download (you must have a OneLicense.net license for this piece)

[sung]
Put peace into each other’s hands
and like a treasure hold it,
protect it like a candle flame,
with tenderness enfold it.

Put peace into each other’s hands
with loving expectation;
be gentle in your words and ways,
in touch with God’s creation.

The Peace
The Peace of Christ be with you.
And also with you.

Will you make a gesture of extending your cupped hands toward others who may be with or near you as a sign of offering the peace that Christ gives us. If you are alone, place your cupped hands over your heart, as a sign that you send your heartfelt peace out to the world.

[after a moment, continue with this verse]
Give thanks for strong yet tender hands
held out in trust and blessing.
Where words fall short let hands speak out;
the heights of love expressing.

Benediction
Now go in the knowledge that
God is holding your life
even as we hold each other.
You are not alone.
You are loved.
Amen.

Postlude

Liturgy and music for this series is from: Worship Design Studios, © www.worshipdesignstudio.com/life

Food Shelf Items Needed

Easy to prepare foods for kids, Flour & Sugar, Coffee, Toilet Paper & Paper Towels, Laundry Detergent, Shampoo & Hand Soap

Ad Council Meeting Tuesday, January 12, 2021 6:30 p.m.
Bible Study--the book of Acts--Wednesdays at 2:00 p.m.
Coffee with the pastor Thursdays at 9:00 a.m.
Statistical Report Forms are in, Pastor Ami will be contacting individuals to fill their particular portion. She would like to complete the report as soon as reasonably possible. The final report to the conference is due in mid-February.
There is a picture of cupped hands at the end of this document. You are invited to use it in a bowl where you can place written prayers as a symbol of offering them up to God. You are also encouraged to use it or other images that symbolize God’s hands holding you, your life and the lives of others throughout this worship series.

From Patrick: I am blessed to have a wonderful sister that is good to me.

This is an opportunity for you to share with others how you have felt the love and support of others, of God, in this time of pandemic. Please feel free to send your testimonies to Pastor Ami, whether it is a brief note by mail or by e-mail or, for those who are technologically motivated, you might include a brief video.

Sung Reprise
“God is Holding Your Life”

God is holding your life
God is holding your life
God is holding your life, we believe
[repeat]

Bringing our Gifts Before God

Offering Prayer
Adonai, Mighty God, to you we offer gifts of thanksgiving and praise.
Through your might, transform these small gifts, that they may feed the hungry and help in the transformation of the world into your perfect kin-dom, amen.

“Selah” Moment
Pat Benjamin

As we explained last week, the Psalms have a repeated direction throughout–the word “Selah.” While scholars are not sure exactly what it means, we are taking it to mean a “pause in the action.” Pause is something that we need and our faith calls us to this holy pause. We will use an instrumental sound to remind us to take a pause, a breath, and remember that the settling of our hearts can offer the feeling that we are held in the hands of the Divine. We will hear [the sound] and then have some silence. Feel free to close your eyes if you like. Imagine yourself held in safety and love and care. When you hear [the sound] again, open your eyes.

Silence

Prayers of the People
Each week we will have a moment to write prayer concerns on small pieces of paper. We will then place these prayers in a container [bowl, box, etc]–a symbolic action of placing them in God’s hands, God’s care.

Let the people say, “Selah”
Selah!

Let us continue our prayers. I will offer a category of concern and we will allow a brief pause, then we will respond as indicated. As a prayer posture for this worship series, I invite you to cup your hands, ready to receive God’s love and peace, and in preparation to be God’s love and peace in the world.

Let us pray for the leaders of this world and this church community… [pause]
God of Justice, hear our prayer.
Let us pray for those who live in conflict around the world… [pause]
Prince of Peace, hear our prayer.
Let us pray for all who are experiencing loss of any kind in this pandemic… [pause]
Comforting Healer, hear our prayer.
Let us pray for those who are homeless, hungry and alone… [pause]
Emmanuel, God-With-Us, hear our prayer.
Let us pray for those who live in comfort,
for Christ-like hospitality and generosity… [pause]
Transforming Spirit, hear our prayer.

Holy and Living One,
for those we have named and the ones whose names we do not know,
hear our prayer.

Let us pray the Lord’s Prayer together.

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,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.

Sung Prayer Response
“Put Peace Into Each Other’s Hands”
https://www.hopepublishing.com/find-hymns-hw/hw2996.aspx
Hear a version of this song HERE
Or use our video download (you must have a OneLicense.net license for this piece)

[sung]
Put peace into each other’s hands
and like a treasure hold it,
protect it like a candle flame,
with tenderness enfold it.

Put peace into each other’s hands
with loving expectation;
be gentle in your words and ways,
in touch with God’s creation.

The Peace
The Peace of Christ be with you.
And also with you.

Will you make a gesture of extending your cupped hands toward others who may be with or near you as a sign of offering the peace that Christ gives us. If you are alone, place your cupped hands over your heart, as a sign that you send your heartfelt peace out to the world.

[after a moment, continue with this verse]
Give thanks for strong yet tender hands
held out in trust and blessing.
Where words fall short let hands speak out;
the heights of love expressing.

Benediction
Now go in the knowledge that
God is holding your life
even as we hold each other.
You are not alone.
You are loved.
Amen.

Postlude

Liturgy and music for this series is from: Worship Design Studios, © www.worshipdesignstudio.com/life

Food Shelf Items Needed

Easy to prepare foods for kids, Flour & Sugar, Coffee, Toilet Paper & Paper Towels, Laundry Detergent, Shampoo & Hand Soap

Finance Meeting Friday, January 8, 2021
Ad Council Meeting Tuesday, January 12, 2021 6:30 pm
Statistical Report Forms are in, Pastor Ami will be contacting individuals to fill their particular portion. She would like to complete the report as soon as reasonably possible. The final report to the conference is due in mid-February.
There is a picture of cupped hands at the end of this document. You are invited to use it in a bowl where you can place written prayers as a symbol of offering them up to God. You are also encouraged to use it or other images that symbolize God’s hands holding you, your life and the lives of others throughout this worship series.

Connecting with family by phone
Delivering of packages to the great grandchildren as they watched out the window, then using social media to watch them open their gifts
Great week with Baby K, things are better with the foster system
Charlotte is well
VBS will do final recording this week

Concerns:

Theresa (Mona’s niece) was in bad crash
John’s dad’s surgery postponed a week
The family of Peter Leland
Clint (Maddie’s dad) dealing with a homeless situation

We begin a new worship series today that we pray will bring a “breather” and a sense of assurance to us all. Life is a series of exclamations from “O No!” to “Help!” to “Oh Yeah!” We can swing between disappointment, helplessness, and gratitude on a daily basis. The Book of Psalms knows all about this. Written over a span of time from exile and isolation to the rebuilding of the community, the poetry of the Psalms will accompany us in this series, reminding us that through it all, we can trust that God is, indeed, holding our lives.

This worship will allow us to simplify and slow down for a time. We will lean on prayer, reflection and sharing with one another.

Prayer for Peace                                          Pastor Kelly Harvell
Eternal God, in whose perfect kingdom no sword is drawn but the sword of righteousness, no strength known but the strength of love: so mightily spread abroad your Spirit, that all people and nations may be gathered under the banner of the Prince of Peace, as children of one God, to whom be dominion and glory, now and forever. Amen.

Threshold

“God is Holding Your Life”

We do not live in a land ruled by Kings, as the hearers of our first Psalm of this series did. Nevertheless, the petitions of the psalmist for justice, deliverance, defense of the poor and oppressed, and peace for all peoples is an undergirding theme of our faith. We are reminded that a just society is one that proclaims “these lives are precious” and worthy of protection. God, indeed, is holding our lives. Let this be our “epiphany” in this new year.

“God Is Holding Your Life”
Richard Bruxvoort Colligan

Lift up your eyes, behold the hills.
From where will help and rescue come?
We call on One who made the earth,
Who bless’d the stars, the moon and sun.

God is holding your life
God is holding your life
God is holding your life, we believe
[repeat refrain]

Opening Collect Prayer

Leader: Holy and Just God, you have shown us what is right and good. Open us this day to a vision of the world made all-right so that we might follow your ways and know the peace of your reign on earth as it is in heaven.
People: We praise you for your steadfast presence, holding our lives together in love. Amen.

Hymn
“There’s a Song in the Air”       #249 UMH

Gospel Reading
Matthew 2:1-12

Psalm Reading
Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14
Lukan Psalter translation

O God, give your anointed one your judgment--
and your justice.
Teach your chosen one to govern your people rightly
and bring justice to the oppressed.

The mountains will bring the people peace
and the little hills bring justice!
Your anointed will defend the oppressed
among the people,
save the children of the poor,
and crush the oppressor.
The reign of your anointed will endure
as long as the sun and moon--
throughout all generations.

The rule of the chosen one will be
like rain coming down on the meadow,
like showers watering the earth.
Justice will flower through the days,
and abundance of peace ’til the moon
shall be no more.

Tarshish and the Isles will offer gifts;
Arabia and Sheba will bring tribute.
All rulers will pay homage,
and all the nations will serve your anointed.

Your anointed will rescue the poor
when they cry out,
and the oppressed when there is no
one to help them.

Your chosen one will take pity on the lowly
and the poor,
and will save their lives.

Your chosen one
will rescue them all from violence
and oppression,
and will treat their blood as precious.

Psalm Song
“These Lives are Precious”

Reflection
In this time of turmoil and craziness in our country and the world, we need a chance to slow down, to rest, to relax, trusting that God has things; that God has us and will keep us; will protect and guard us.

Today we are celebrating Epiphany, the “Ah-ha” moment when the magi, the wise men, the kings, whatever name you call them by, finally reach their destination, the place where the child, Jesus, is.  We know they traveled from a far land and brought gifts for the child, gifts that some say recognized his royalty, his deity, and his impending death.

It is interesting that coupled with the story of the magi, we have a Psalm that is a prayer for a king.  The opening words:
“O God, give your anointed one your judgment--
   and your justice.
Teach your chosen one to govern your people rightly
   and bring justice to the oppressed.”
show that those who are praying are praying for a just king, a righteous king, that will make things right in the world.

We know a bit more of the story from Matthew, a story that tells why the magi had to leave by a different route, why Joseph had to grab his young son and wife and flee to Egypt, where they lived as refugees for a time, for Herod was not the king that people prayed for, instead he was a collaborator with the Roman rulers and sought his own good rather than the good of the people.

The prayer is appropriate though, as a hope for the people and as a prayer reminding us that the one born in a stable, sought out by kings from the East, would be the kind of king for which they were praying, for which we are praying.

As we reflect on the upcoming year, though we do not have a king, a president elected by the people instead, it seems that perhaps this is a prayer we could offer up for the leaders of our country and the world.

It is a prayer of hope that the ones in-charge will look to the good of others rather than themselves and their cronies.  It is a prayer of hope for a better tomorrow for all people, for when the ruler is just, when justice truly rolls down upon the earth, there will be adequate food for all, and peace will overcome the chaos and upheaval through which we have lived this past year.  People will not be treated differently no matter the numbers in their bank account or the color of their skin or whatever human designed divisions might be used to divide rather than unite us.

The perfect ruler has come into the world.  We must live in ways that highlight the justice and love that was brought into the world in that stable so long ago.  In order to do so, we must also trust, trust that God is present and till take care of everything, for we are precious in God’s sight and God is holding our lives in the palms of hands made to care for others

Testimonies of Being Held

Sung Reprise
“God is Holding Your Life”

God is holding your life
God is holding your life
God is holding your life, we believe
[repeat]

Bringing our Gifts Before God

Offering Prayer
God, you who are almighty and loving,
you are holding our lives and the lives of all the people in your hands,
accept these, our gifts, use them for the good of all,
for to you belongs all wonder, glory and praise. Amen.

“Selah” Moment
Pat Benjamin

The Psalms have a repeated direction throughout–the word “Selah.” Scholars are not sure exactly what it means. Perhaps because the Psalms were to be used in worship, we can surmise that the word indicates a pause, or an invitation for a musical instrument to be played. In this worship series, we will use an instrumental sound to remind us to take a pause, a breath, and remember that the settling of our hearts can offer the feeling that we are held in the hands of the Divine. We will hear [the sound] and then have some silence. Feel free to close your eyes if you like. Imagine yourself held in safety and love and care. When you hear [the sound] again, open your eyes.

Silence

Prayers of the People

Each week we will have a moment to write prayer concerns on small pieces of paper. We will then place these prayers in a container a symbolic action of placing them in God’s hands, God’s care.

Let the people say, “Selah”
Selah!

Let us continue our prayers. I will offer a category of concern and we will allow a brief pause, then we will respond as indicated. As a prayer posture for this worship series, I invite you to cup your hands, ready to receive God’s love and peace, and in preparation to be God’s love and peace in the world.

Let us pray for the leaders of this world and this church community… [pause]
God of Justice, hear our prayer.
Let us pray for those who live in conflict around the world… [pause]
Prince of Peace, hear our prayer.
Let us pray for all who are experiencing loss of any kind in this pandemic… [pause]
Comforting Healer, hear our prayer.
Let us pray for those who are homeless, hungry and alone… [pause]
Emmanuel, God-With-Us, hear our prayer.
Let us pray for those who live in comfort,
for Christ-like hospitality and generosity… [pause]
Transforming Spirit, hear our prayer.

Selah” Communion Ritual
Holy and Living One, as we gather to break bread once again, break us open to your love, to your peace, to your presence, to your transformative power. In the name of the One who invites us time and again, Jesus the Christ.

Let the people say, “Selah”
Selah!

Confession and Assurance

We are all invited to the gift of this table of grace. As a response to the invitation, we are asked to let go of all that separates us from accepting this grace. We confess the ways we have placed hardship in the hands of others, rather than peace.

“Put Peace into Each Other’s Hands”
Fred Kaan

Put peace into each other’s hands
and like a treasure hold it,
protect it like a candle flame,
with tenderness enfold it.

Put peace into each other’s hands
with loving expectation;
be gentle in your words and ways,
in touch with God’s creation.

When we place peace in each other’s hands, we place love in all the hands of the world.

In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!
In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!
Glory to God! Amen!

The Peace
The Peace of Christ be with you.
And also with you.

Will you make a gesture of extending your cupped hands toward others who may be with you as a sign of offering the peace that Christ gives us. If you are alone, place your cupped hands over your heart, as a sign that you send your heartfelt peace out to the world.

[after a moment, continue singing this verse]
Give thanks for strong yet tender hands
held out in trust and blessing.
Where words fall short let hands speak out;
the heights of love expressing.

Great Thanksgiving

The Lord be with you!
And also with you.
Open your hearts, your mouths, your lives to the Holy One.
We long for this communion.
Let us give our greatest thanks in the company of the beloved.
It is a good and joyful thing to give our thanks and praise.

Gift of Life, Creator of All That Is,
You have breathed life into us,
filled our emptiness,
loved us through our resistance.

Time and again you say, Listen!
Time and again you say, Live!
Time and again you say, Love!

And so we gather and give thanks in this moment.
We stop so we may listen,
we breathe so we may live,
we open so we may love.

Holy , holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.

Holy are you God,
And blessed be your work in Jesus,
Peace-Giver, Life-Healer.
Spirit-Anointer, do your work in us, as in him.
May we proclaim release, recovery,
liberty and the end of all oppression.
May we savor the taste of goodness and offer this gift of love to all.

Jesus gathered with his disciples, his friends, his family.
He took bread, said thanks over it, gave it to his companions and said,
“Take, eat, this is my body. My life is given for love of you.
So whenever you gather together, stop... Selah... think of me. Be at peace. I am here.”

And after the supper he lifted his cup, gave thanks over it,
and offered it to his companions, saying,
“Drink from this cup, all of you. This is my life, my love poured out for you.
Whenever you gather together, stop... Selah... think of me. Be at peace.
I am here.”

[sung]
Put peace into each other’s hands
like bread we break for sharing;
look people warmly in the eye;
our life is meant for caring.

And so,
in remembrance of your mighty acts in Jesus Christ,
we offer ourselves as a holy and living sacrifice,
in union with Christ’s offering for us,
as we proclaim the mystery of faith.

Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again.

Holy Spirit, Breath of Wind,
Fill us, transform us.
Holy Spirit, Lover of Justice,
Fill us, transform us.
Holy Spirit, Maker of Unity,
Fill us, transform us.
And all God’s people say, Amen!

[sung]
As at communion shape your hands,
into a waiting cradle;
the gift of Christ receive, revere,
united round the table.

Let us pray the Lord’s Prayer together.

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,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.

We who are many are one body, one loaf, rising in Spirit together.
Even if we cannot be physically in the same space,
we are one in love.
We are one in the grace of Christ broken open for us.

While we have many cups,
God’s love is poured upon us from the one cup of salvation.
It is in this sharing beyond all time and space that we are drawn close,
that we are made whole,
that we are made free.

As you are served by those with you,
or served by your own hand,
know that the hand that serves you is the hand of all Christ’s Body,
through mystical union with the Divine.
You are not alone.

Communion

[sing after receiving]
Put Christ into each other’s hands,
he is love’s deepest measure;
in love make peace, give peace a chance,
and share it like a treasure.

Prayer After Receiving

God of all that is too deep for words,
we give you thanks that, at this table of grace,
you offer your holiness, your steadfast love.
Open us often to your Selah, your pause,
to hear the needs of your people.
We pray this in the name of the Host of this Table,
Jesus the Christ. Amen.

Sung Prayer Response
“Put Peace Into Each Other’s Hands”
https://www.hopepublishing.com/find-hymns-hw/hw2996.aspx
Hear a version of this song HERE
Or use our video download (you must have a OneLicense.net license for this piece)

Benediction

Now go in the knowledge that
God is holding your life
even as we hold each other.
You are not alone.
You are loved.
Amen.

Postlude

Food Shelf Items Needed

Easy to prepare foods for kids, Flour & Sugar, Coffee, Toilet Paper & Paper Towels, Laundry Detergent, Shampoo & Hand Soap

Daily Disciplines available--$13.00—four more left. Contact the church office to reserve your copy.

Joys:

Pat--Paul Rivers retired from Dartmouth
Mallory—Miles now rolling from belly to back

Concerns:

Sue Cole’s cousins—prayers for Peggy, Elinor, Gwen, Bob, and John
Pat—tough for those who live alone
Connie—for those in crisis and depressed and need a way forward
John’s dad recovering from surgery
Bernice—Chuck is near end of life, prayers for him, family and friends
Kathy—the rollercoaster of foster care, sister in law whose father died recently and Baby K’s parents
Pastor Ami’s granddaughter, Charlotte--medical and her great grandmother died
Lillian—a friend died unexpectedly, prayers for Brenda, family & friends

Food Shelf Items Needed

Easy to prepare foods for kids, Flour & Sugar, Coffee, Toilet Paper & Paper Towels, Laundry Detergent, Shampoo & Hand Soap

Easy to prepare foods for kids, Flour & Sugar, Coffee, Toilet Paper & Paper Towels, Laundry Detergent, Shampoo & Hand Soap