The Celebration of the Gospel

Fifth Sunday after Pentecost
June 28, 2015

Jesus knew that power had gone forth from him.
—Mark 5.30

________ We Gather as The Body of Christ______

GREETING
PRELUDE Lord, Speak To Me – Tune: CANONBURY   arr: Lani Smith

[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: Creator, Mystery, we are in awe.
All:    Our hearts unfold like flowers before you.
Christ, Love, we rejoice.
Our hearts fill like rivers with your presence.
Holy Spirit, truth of life, we come with brokenness and joy, with despair and hope.
Our hearts are wrenched open and we hold them in stillness for you.
Enter, and give us new life.

* SONG  It Is Well With My Soul    Blue hymnal # 375

CHILDREN’S TIME

____________ We Attend to the Word__________

THE WORD IN SONG    Great is Thy Faithfulness   Thomas O. Chisholm (Susan Myszewski)

PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Pastor:   The grace of God be with you.
Congregation: And also with you.
Trusting in God’s tender mercy, let us confess our sin to God with one another.
God of love, we confess our sin and the sin of our world.
We confess our racism and violence as a people.
And we confess that we do not know how to repent;
we do not know how to resist evil, injustice and oppression.
Forgive our sin, heal our souls, heal our nation,
and lead us by the grace of Christ in your Way.
SILENT PRAYER …   THE WORD OF GRACE
RESPONSE      Alleluia   Black hymnal #2014

PRAYER OF THE DAY
God, Spirit of Creation, Spirit of Healing, we open our hearts to you. Your Word is near to us, within us and among us. We listen for your voice, for your healing power. In the silence in our hearts, speak to us. Amen.

OLD TESTAMENT      2 Samuel 1.1, 17-27
[Saul, the king, and his son Jonathan have died in battle. David sings a song to honor them—especially Jonathan, whom he loved.]

After the death of Saul, David sang this lamentation over Saul and his son Jonathan.

Your glory, O Israel, lies slain upon your high places!
How the mighty have fallen!
Do not tell this as the end of the story,
or the enemy will exult.
You mountains, withhold your rain in sorrow;
fields, restrain from bounty in grief.

Facing the risk in the struggle,
the danger at the hands of the mighty,
Jonathan did not turn back,
nor did the work of Saul amount to nothing.

Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely!
in life and in death they were never parted.
They were swifter than eagles,
they were stronger than lions.

O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul
who clothed you with crimson, in luxury,
who put ornaments of gold on your apparel.

How the mighty have fallen
in the midst of the battle!

Jonathan lies slain upon your high places.
I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan;
greatly beloved were you to me;
your love to me was wonderful,
greater than the love of women.

How the mighty have fallen,
and the war machine halted!
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PSALTER   Psalm 130           
[A cry to God from the deep, dark places of our lives, trusting in God’s goodness. God does not judge us according to our shortcomings, but forgives us.]

-R- Sung response: There is a balm in Gilead to heal the sin sick soul.

Out of the deepest places in our hearts we cry to you, O Lord.
Hear the silent cries of our souls.
God, if you kept track our sin, who could survive?
         But you forgive abundantly, and we are deeply grateful.
I wait for you, Lord. My soul waits. In your Word is my only hope.
My soul aches for you, more than one in a long night awaiting morning,
         more than one awaiting morning.
O people, hope in God, for with God there is steadfast love,
and with God there is power to redeem.
         God will redeem us from all our unfaithfulness.       -R-
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NEW TESTAMENT   2 Corinthians 8.7-15
[Paul encourages a church that excels in many things to excel in generosity. He does not intend that “there should be relief for others and pressure on you,” but that there is “a balance between your abundance and their need, so that their abundance may be for your need.” We all have gifts to offer and need others’ gifts.]

Now as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in utmost eagerness, and in our love for you—so we want you to excel also in this generous undertaking.  I do not say this as a command, but I am testing the genuineness of your love against the earnestness of others. This of this: how generous our Lord Jesus Christ was: for though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.

So in this matter I am giving my advice: it is appropriate for you who began last year not only to do something but even to want to do it— now finish doing it, so that your eagerness may be matched by completing it according to your means. For if the eagerness is there, your gift is acceptable according to what you have—not according to what you don’t have. I do not mean that there should be relief for others and pressure on you, but it is a question of a fair balance between your present abundance and their need, so that their abundance may be for your need, in order that there may be a fair balance. As it is written,
“The one who had much did not have too much,
and the one who had little did not have too little.”
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GOSPEL     Mark 5.21-43
[Jesus is on the way to heal a girl near death when a woman with a flow of blood touches the fringe of his prayer shawl, and is healed. Jesus stops to talk with her. He is told that it is now too late: the girl has died. But he goes to her house anyway, and revives her.]

When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered round him; and he was by the lake. Then one of the leaders of the synagogue named Jairus came and, when he saw him, fell at his feet and begged him repeatedly, ‘My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live.’ So he went with him.
And a large crowd followed him and pressed in on him. Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years. She had endured much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather grew worse. She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, for she said, “If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well.” Immediately her hemorrhage stopped; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my clothes?” His disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, ‘Who touched me?’” He looked all round to see who had done it. But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”
While he was still speaking, some people came from the leader’s house to say, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?” But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.” He allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. When they came to the house of the leader of the synagogue, he saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. When he had entered, he said to them, “Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. Then he put them all outside, and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him, and went in where the child was. He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha cum,” which means, “Little girl, get up!” And immediately the girl got up and began to walk about (she was twelve years of age). At this they were overcome with amazement. He strictly ordered them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.
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SERMON

SONG   Jesus’ Hands Were Kind Hands   Blue hymnal #273

* AFFIRMATION OF FAITH
We give our hearts to you, O God, Creator of all that is and all that is to come: you make all people in your image and clam us as your people.
We trust you, O Christ, who walked among us in Jesus: healing, teaching, setting us free. You created a new community of love, reconciliation and justice. You were crucified and died; and you are crucified in all who suffer injustice. Yet you rose again, and all who suffer rise with you. By your living presence among us you lead us in your way of peace.
We follow you, Holy Spirit, for you guide us in the way of love, courage and beauty. In you we live in unity with all living beings and extend your compassion to everyone, especially the marginalized and oppressed. We accept the power you give us to resist evil, injustice and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves. Trusting the power of forgiveness and the mystery of resurrection, we participate in the Empire of Love that Jesus opened to all people, that we may know eternal life now and always. O God, we are your people.   Fashion us in your image. Amen.

SONG Alleluia   Black hymnal #2014

THE PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
[Anyone who wishes may share a prayer concern at the microphone.]
PASSING THE PEACE

______ We Are Sent in Ministry to the World_____

OFFERING OUR GIFTS                    Something Beautiful Gloria & Wm. Gaither, arr: Fred Bock

* OFFERING SONG   Doxology Blue hymnal #94

* 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 into the world not in our own power but in yours, with your grace in our hands and hearts, for the sake of the healing of the world, in the name of Christ. Amen.

THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH IN THE WORLD

* SONG   The Spirit Sends Us Forth to Serve   Black hymnal #2241

* 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   I Love Thy Kingdom Lord – Tune: ST. THOMAS, arr: Robert W. Thygerson

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