1000 Days in Sanctuary

Prelude

Peace Candle | Edith and family

As we worship in place today, we light a Peace Candle in our home,

inviting you to light a Peace Candle in your home.

The flame joins us in spirit across distance,

along with our sister church in Armenia, Colombia.    

Welcome and Call to Worship | Joel Call

Sanctuary Prayer

God our Sanctuary, grant us and our neighbors, near and far, courage in our hearts, peace in our homes, and justice in our streets. Amen.

Dios nuestro Santuario, concédenos y nuestros vecinos, cercana y lejana, coraje en nuestros corazones, paz en nuestros hogares, y justicia en nuestras calles. Amen.

HWB 358 | Oyenos, mi Dios (Hear us, my God) | Tom Blosser (piano/vocal), Quinn Blosser (violin)
     (Words: Oyenos, mi Dios, repeat, Listen to your people, Oyenos, mi Dios)

Children’s Time | Elisa Leahy

Song | Anita’s Song     

Pastoral Prayer and Offering Dedication | Joel Call

Scripture | Joshua 2:1-21 | Carrie Vereide

Sermon | Rahab’s walls | Joel Miller (text below)

STJ 115 | Yonder come day | Tom Blosser, Zoe Blosser

Invitation to Visit | Edith Espinal

Benediction | Joel Call

———————-

Sermon Text:

For the first time in quite a while, I’m speaking a sermon from inside our church building.  It feels like the right place to be right now. 
This past week Gwen sent me an email saying she’s been counting the days she’s been working from home rather than here, noting that Sunday, June 28, is the 100th day.  She also noted the co-incidence of Edith’s 10-fold marking of time on this same day, 1000 days in sanctuary. 

We’ve called this space our sanctuary for many years.  That word has gained new meaning over this stretch of time.  This building, and, importantly, this community of people, have become a sanctuary for Edith.  For Edith this has been an experience of refuge and vulnerability, of publicity and isolation, of staying united with her family and separated from the full life she hopes to live.  For us this has been an experience of hospitality, of partnerships,…

Worship in Place | Central District Conference Sunday | June 21, 2020

Welcome and Call to Worship | Chaska Yoder

Peace Candle | Erin Leatherman

As we worship in place today, we light a Peace Candle in our home, inviting you to light a Peace Candle in your home. The flame joins us in spirit across distance, along with our sister church in Armenia, Colombia.    

HWB 295 | Christ is Coming! Let creation | Phil Yoder

Children’s Time | Martha Ruggles

Pastoral Prayer | Chaska Yoder

Special Music | Creation Groans | By Phil Yoder 

Mission Moment | Central District Conference | Barbra Gant

Scripture | Romans 8:18-27 | Eliza Graber

Sermon | Spirit bless our souls with yearning | Joel Miller

Hymn | Holy Spirit Bless | Katie Graber

Benediction | Chaska Yoder

Sermon Text

Every two years the leadership of Central District Conference chooses a theme.  Our current theme is worded as a prayer:  Spirit, bless our souls with yearning.

The language comes from a liturgy in one of our hymnals, Sing the Journey, otherwise known as the green one, #124.  It says, “I will light a light in the name of the Spirit, who encompasses the world and blesses my soul with yearning.”

It seems to me that this is a prayer for adults – we adults who have forgotten how to yearn, how to long for something good.     

Children are so, so good at transparent longing.  A baby cries for milk, for comfort.  Their yearning is for the most basic of human needs, and they communicate it very effectively, at high volume, regardless of the hour.

A bit older, children are clear when they want something.  A purchase denied, or a playdate delayed, or a treat deferred can result in what feels to us mellowed adults like a disproportionate response of inconsolable outrage.  All the while, inwardly, we may be wishing that we too could be so open about how…

CMC Worship in Place for June 14 | Pride Sunday

As we forgo Sunday worship gatherings, we are offering a video service each week. The link to the video is sent out on Sunday morning along with prayer requests.

Welcome and Call to Worship | Jen Cartmel

Peace Candle | Stried Family

As we worship in place today, we light a Peace Candle in our home, 

inviting you to light a Peace Candle in your home. 

The flame joins us in spirit across distance, along with our sister church in Armenia, Colombia.    

STJ 4 | You’ve got a place | Phil Hart

Children’s Time | Tim Stried

Pastoral Prayer | Jen Cartmel

Special Music | By Way of Sorrow* | Phil Hart

Scripture | Acts 8:26-36 | Jen Cartmel

Sermon | What Can Stop Us? | Mark Rupp

Hymn | There is a Time for Silence** | Phil Hart 

Benediction | Mark Rupp

* Permission granted for use by artist.

** Words by Carolyn Gillette (used with permission); Music by Phil Hart

Sermon: What Can Stop Us?

Even though the pandemic has forced the Columbus Pride Parade and Festival to be postponed until October, we wanted to make sure we still recognize Pride month by remembering that Pride was never meant to be about parades and festivals.  The initial spark that led to what we now know as Pride was, indeed, a protest against police brutality, and many people say the first brick was thrown by a Black Trans woman named Marsha P. Johnson. 

We cannot celebrate Pride without also insisting that Black Lives Matter, without recognizing the way that the experiences of oppressed groups overlap and intersect.  While our focus this morning will be on queer lives, we must never forget that none of us are truly free until all of us are free.  I was inspired by a protest sign I…

Prelude

Peace Candle | Gretchen Geyer and Thomas Leonard

As we worship in place today, we light a Peace Candle in our home, inviting you to light a Peace Candle in your home. The flame joins us in spirit across distance, along with our sister church in Armenia, Colombia.    

Welcome and Opening | Joel Call 

Call to Worship | Joel Call

Hymn | Holy Spirit, come with power | Tom Blosser, Debra and Galen Martin

Children’s Time | Kelsey and Mike Ryan-Simkins

Mission Moment | Comforter Blessing | Joyce Wyse

Pastoral Prayer and Offering Dedication | Robin Walton

Special Music | O healing river | Tom Blosser

Scripture | Acts 2

v. 1 – 2 | Japanese | Charlie Shenk

v. 3 – 4 | Spanish | Edith Espinal

v. 5 – 6 | German | Roberta Gerlach

v. 7 – 8 | French | Isaac Ruggles

v. 14 – 16 | Mandarin | Ruth Leonard

v. 17 – 18 | Turkish | Wilbur Miller

Sermon | Holy Spirit everywhere | Joel Miller

STJ 33 | Come, Holy Spirit, descend | Tom Blosser

Benediction | Joel Call

—————————-

Sermon Text

There’s a story in the Torah, the book of Numbers chapter 11.  It takes place just after the Israelites depart from Mt Sinai where Moses received the teachings of the law.  They are again on the move and they are again complaining about the lack of dining options in the desert.  Nothing but this bland manna to eat.  The people are upset, and this makes Moses, their leader, upset.  Moses has it out with the Lord, Yahweh, saying that this is an impossible task, too heavy a burden to bear, and that if the Lord is indeed merciful, the Lord should end his life at once.

The Lord’s response is to have Moses gather 70 of the elders.  Yahweh says, “I will take some of…