Welcome and Call to Worship
Let’s welcome one another. I invite you to light your candle if you have one, take a deep breath of the Holy Spirit and exhale slowly. As you continue to breathe slowly, engage your senses. Listen. What do you hear? Do you smell anything? How are you feeling? I now invite you one by one to introduce yourself and one thing you noticed.
Opening Song:
Khumbaya:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oz2PtcU6SxM
Opening Prayer:
Our response today is: Holy One, you are our shelter and strength when we are in distress.
ALL: Holy One, you are our shelter and strength when we are in distress.
When loved ones experience pain and suffering…
When illness, aging, or chronic pain diminish our joy…
When doubts arise and confusion fills our minds…
When others fail us or refuse to forgive us for our failings…
When we stumble and stray from the path of goodness…
When death separates us from those we love dearly…
When financial problems threaten our security…
When things do not go the way we planned…
When depression or loneliness return again and again…
When broken relationships have not been mended…
We praise you for when our faith strengthens, you give us courage…
We praise you for the precious gift of life which we pause to recognize and appreciate…
We praise you for the unexpected kindness and caring that comes our way…
We praise you for the optimism that stirs in our heart and for the return of springtime…
We praise you for the peace of Christ that calms our anxiety and softens our sadness…
We praise you for the realization that our loving presence can make a difference…
We praise you for the joy and hope of Easter that quietly permeates our heart…*
We thank you oh Holy One for you are our shelter and strength when we are in distress.
You are the Holy One who welcomes us home, over and over, no matter how many times and ways we have strayed from your loving path. Thank you for your endless love, compassion and mercy.
And the people said:
ALL: AMEN
Our reading is from Cardinal Joseph Bernardin – and is included in Joyce Rupp’s book: Jesus, Companion in My Suffering: Reflections for the Lenten Journey
As Christians, if we are to love as Jesus loved, we must first come to terms with suffering. Like Jesus, we simply cannot be cool and detached from our fellow human beings. Our years as living as Christians will be years of suffering for and with other people. Like Jesus, we will love others only if we walk with them in the valley of darkness - the dark valley of sickness, the dark valley of moral dilemmas, and the dark valley of oppressive structures and diminished rights.
These are the inspired words of Cardinal Bernardin and we affirm them by saying:
ALL: Amen.
For our intercession, we invite you to speak aloud what is on your heart with the preface:
We bring to Jesus’ banquet table…
For these and all the concerns on our hearts, we trust in you, oh God of Compassion and Love.
ALL: AMEN
Blessing
Please touch the different parts of your body as we bless them..…
Forehead: May the Gospel teachings about non-judgment resound in our thoughts of others.
Ears: May we listen closely to how God invites us to grow spiritually during this Lenten season.
Eyes: May we slow down and look more intently in order to find God's movement in our lives.
Shoulders: May we carry our cross of difficulties with courage, trusting God's strength to uphold us.
Hands: May our service be so intertwined with God that this love overflows from our hearts.
Heart: May we keep turning our hearts toward God and allow this love to be reflected in the way we live our lives.
Feet: May we welcome God's companionship and guidance as we travel the path of life.
May we Return with all our heart. May we Remember the Holy Spirit dwells in us. May we be at peace.
—Adapted from Joyce Rupp in Prayer Seeds
Closing Song: How We Love – Beth Nielsen Chapman https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DE3wjscQ3xU
Life has taught me this
Every day is new
And if anything is true
All that matters
When we're through
Is how we love
Faced with what we lack
Some things fall apart
But from the ashes new dreams start
All that matters to the heart
Is how we love
How we love
How we love
From the smallest act of kindness
In a word, a smile, a touch
In spite of our mistakes
Chances come again
If we lose or if we win
All that matters in the end
Is how we love
How we love
How we love
I will not forget your kindness
When I needed it so much
Sometimes we forget
Trying to be so strong
In this world of right and wrong
All that matters when we're gone
All that mattered all along
All we have that carries on
Is how we love
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