Alive Week 3 Worship Leading

Pastoral Welcome

Call to Worship

When the world is dark and full of hate and fear, when we cannot see God,

We will turn on the light.

When we cannot find our way back to love and peace,

We will turn on the light.

When our vision dims due to the darkness within,

We will turn on the light.

Christ opens our eyes with the gift of sight.

The light of the world is Jesus Christ.

Come and worship the one who brings light to the world!

Hallelujah! Praise God, the light of the world!

Pastoral Prayer

Introduce “Lord in Your Mercy...” “hear our prayer”

You call us into a life that others have told us is easy, but it is not.

You challenge us to forgive, to love our enemies,

to bless those who curse us.

We want the easy way,

but You have given us the hard path.

Grant us the patience and endurance to journey with You,

to allow ourselves at times to stumble,

to live into the hard way

so that we might fully experience

Your love, and grace anew,

by becoming a people full of love and grace

and forgiveness

Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.

We pray for schools and centers of learning throughout the world,

for those who lack access to basic education,

and for the light of knowledge to blossom and shine in the lives of all God’s people.

Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.

We pray for all churches which are experiencing change –

growth or struggle, reconciliation or conflict.

Inspire and strengthen them in works of witness and service.

Build us together in Christ, Make us your dwelling place.

Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.

We pray for an end to the divisions and inequalities

that scar God’s creation,

particularly the barriers to freedom

faced by God’s children throughout the world;

that all who have been formed in God’s image

might have equality in pursuit of the blessings of creation.

Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.

We pray for an end to the waste and desecration of God’s creation,

for access to the fruits of creation

to be shared equally among all people,

and for communities and nations to find sustenance

in the fruits of the earth and the water God has given us.

Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.

We pray for all nations and people

who already enjoy the abundance of creation

and the blessings of prosperity,

that their hearts may be lifted up to the needs of the poor and afflicted,

and partnerships between rich and poor for the reconciliation of the world

may flourish and grow.

Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.

Come, Holy Spirit,

fill our lives with your presence—

so that more and more every day,

all that we do and say and hope

will be an act of worship to you and an expression of love to others,

to the glory of your name. In this moment of worship, through our silence, we pray to you.

Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.

Through your son who taught us to pray:

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 and ever.

Amen.

Celebration

WCR Announcements

Offertory Announcement

As we enter this new month as with every month we adopt a new mission of the month

United Methodist Core on Relief which is a long standing mission of the United Methodist Church, but right now they are supporting thousands of Ukranian refugee that are trying to find safe transitional housing as they are fleeing from war, and our church a number of our church members have supported UMCOR, and sponsoring UMCOR as our May Mission of the Month is a way that we can respond not just locally, not just nationally, but accross the world. To make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of not just our community, not just our country, but for the transformation of the world.

Communion

Lewis: Great Thanksgiving

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts.

We lift them up to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right to give our thanks and praise.

It is a right, good, and a joyful thing always and everywhere to give thanks to you, almighty God. In ancient days, you created us in your image, to be reflections of your glory. When we fell short and dimmed the brilliance of your light within us, you held our hand and walked with us. You called us to be people of light, and to walk no longer in darkness. Even now, when we walk in the shadows, you shine your light and offer your grace, awaiting our return. In the fullness of time, you sent your Son, Jesus Christ to reveal your glory and your grace. And so, with your people on earth, and all the company of heaven, we praise your name and join their unending hymn:

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,

heaven and earth are full of your glory.

Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he

who comes in the name of the Lord.

Hosanna in the highest.

Angie: Holy are you and blessed is the light of the world, Jesus Christ. From a humble beginning to death on the cross, Jesus shone with the light of your love and grace. His ministry and teachings stand even today as beacons of justice and righteousness in a world too often darkened by violence and oppression. Through Christ’s patient love and unfailing grace, You shine on us with forgiveness and deliverance, beckoning us to let our light shine in the world as signs of your hope and love.

Bread

Lewis: Cup

And so, in remembrance of these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ, we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving 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.

Angie: Shine your Holy Spirit on us, that when we stumble in the dark, the light of Christ might illumine our path. Shine your Holy Spirit through these gifts of bread and cup, that they might be for us the very presence of Christ. As we receive these gifts, help us shine forth as your people, that the glory of Christ might be revealed for all to see until Christ comes in final victory and we feast at your heavenly banquet. Through your Son, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit in your holy church, all honor and glory is yours, Almighty God, now and forever.

Amen.

Closing Song

My announcement

Before we transition to our final hymn today I wanted to pause to just to share a bit about what God has been doing through my life and through my ministry.

As many of you know I am a seminarian, that allows me to

Learn in this ministry setting

discover my calling

and follow boldly in where the spirit is leading.

Because of that, I am excited to share through much prayer three specific avenues of ministry that I am exploring

The first is the Chaplain Candidate program in the Army Reserves

Second is a Clinical Pastoral Education Unit in a Hospital Setting here in Des Moines

Third is ministry with and to those that are living on the margins in Des Moines through a ministry that is located in the Riverbend neighborhood of Des Moines called the Catholic Worker House

I am really excited to be leaning into these opportunities, and as many of you are probably calculating already.

In order to step faithfully into this next season of my life I have decided to step down from ministry here at Ankeny First.

I will be stepping down at the end of our conferences Church Appointment cycle which is at the end of June of this year.

I have a couple of asks for you as my church community:

1 - I hope that would lift me up in prayer I face this transition into a new season of ministry

2 - I hope that you would join me as I celebrate what God has done through our church over the last couple of years that we have been together.

When I think about that second piece remembering what God has done through our community I am reminded of a hymn that we sing each week.

It ends our service each week, and often I admit that I can find myself just going through the motions of our last song, but I would invite you to a different type of benediction today.

May you go forth from this place with the love and peace of God.

May the God’s light shine through you wherever you go and whatever you do.

Faith Chapel Benediction Song