The Holy Spirit of Justice

The Celebration of the Gospel

May 22, 2016 —Trinity Sunday
Peace with Justice Sunday

Today is Trinity Sunday:  following last week’s story of Pentecost and the disciple’s experience of the Holy Spirit, we celebrate the mystery of God as expressed in the image of the Holy Trinity: God as Creator (or “Father”) Son, and Holy Spirit, and celebrate the work of the Spirit among us.

 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me
to let the oppressed go free.

 — Luke  4.18

    ________We Gather as the Body of Christ______

GREETING
PRELUDE   All Creatures Of Our God And King  arr: Ken Medena

[As we listen to the music we quiet our minds and bodies,
listen for our hearts’ deepest desires,
and become present to the Holy One who is lovingly present for us.
]

* CALL TO WORSHIP
Leader:  Eternal Creator, you create us in the image of your love.
All:    In awe and humility, we praise you.
Living Christ, you bear God’s love to us.
In gratitude and love, we thank you, and we follow you.
Holy Spirit, you breathe your love into our hearts.
By your grace, we bear your love to all people,
in the name of Christ, for the sake of the healing of the world.  Alleluia!

* SONG   What a Mighty God We Serve  Black hymnal # 2021

(10:30) CHILDREN’S TIME

___________We Attend to the Word___________

(10:30) THE WORD IN SONG             Festa
Arnold Sherman (Bells of St Matthew’s)

PRAYER OF THE DAY
Eternal God, Living Christ and Holy Spirit, Holy Three and Holy One, we praise you. We are in awe of your mystery, and grateful for your love, and we open our hearts to your grace, that we may be changed, so that we may bear your love into the world in the name of your Christ and the power of your Spirit.  Amen.

OLD TESTAMENT   Isaiah 58.6-9
[People have cried out to God: “Why do we fast and it does no good?”  God responds, “I don’t want you to fast from food while you perpetuate injustice.  A real fast is to do justice: to feed the poor, welcome the homeless and change the systems that cause oppression.”]

Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of injustice,
to undo the thongs of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover them,
and not to hide yourself from your own kin?
Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
and your healing shall spring up quickly;
Your vindicator shall go before you,
the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
you shall cry for help, and God will say, Here I am.
+

GOSPEL   Luke 4.16-21
[Jesus announces his “platform” by quoting Isaiah’s description of the work of God’s Spirit: to do justice and set free the oppressed. ]

Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone. When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:
“The Spirit of God is upon me,
because God has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.
God has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
to proclaim the year of God’s favor.”

And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
+

SERMON

SONG  Bring Forth the Kingdom
Black hymnal # 2190

* AFFIRMATION OF FAITH      The World Methodist Social Affirmation   Blue hymnal # 886

THE PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
[Anyone who wishes may share a prayer concern at the microphone.]
THE 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, and the power, and the glory, forever.  Amen.
THE PRAYER OF JESUS

______We Are Sent in Ministry to the World_____

OFFERING OUR GIFTS
8:30: Holy God, We Praise Thy Name  arr: Larry Shackle
10:30:  Just As I AM   arr. Sandra Eithun   (Bells of St. Matthew’s)

*  OFFERING SONG      I Will Walk in Love   Steve G-H

I will walk in love, come what may.  (3x) I give you my hand.  I give you my hand.
I will walk for justice, come what may…
God will walk with us, come what may…
We will walk a new loving way…

*  PRAYER
Gracious God, we give you these gifts as symbols of our lives.  Receive them with love, bless them with grace and use them according to your will.  Send us to love mercy, to do justice, ad to walk humbly with you, for the sake of the healing of the world, in the name of Christ and the power of your Spirit. Amen.

THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH IN THE WORLD

*  SONG   Lead on, O God of Justice   Steve G-H

Lead on, O God of justice.  Your vision calls us forth:
a world where all are cherished, and know their sacred worth,
where all have what they need to be who they can be,
and all know their belonging and live in peace and free.

Lead on, O God of justice, as Jesus shows the way,
and gives to us your Spirit, and guides us day by day.
Your courage and compassion, your love flow through our veins
for those we cast aside, who bear oppression’s chains.

Lead on, O God of justice.  Your fiery pillar burn
in us to heal the world, to make injustice turn.
to change our evil systems. Your Spirit sets us free.
Though long the road and tiring, you bear us faithfully.

*  THE BLESSING AND SENDING FORTH
RESPONSE    We stand and sing to our neighbors:
May the grace and peace of Christ be with you my friends.
Go and share the love of God, love that never ends.

POSTLUDE    Immortal, Invisible  Welsh Hymn, arr: Don Wyrtzen

[During the postlude there are people ready to pray with you at the candles in the corners.

Skip to content