Prelude - “Savior, Like a Shepherd, Lead Us ” Todd Kendall [by Bradbury] - Jan Green
Welcome to Mantua Center Christian Church -- a community seeking to have open minds, open hearts, and open arms.
Ministry Leaders and congregants are welcome to come forward to the mic, to give a mission update or share ways for people to get involved in missions and ministries.
Scripture - Psalm 68:32-35 Steve Hurd
32 Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth;
sing praises to the Lord,
33 O rider in the heavens, the ancient heavens;
listen, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice.
34 Ascribe power to God,
whose majesty is over Israel;
and whose power is in the skies.
35 Awesome is God in his sanctuary,
the God of Israel;
he gives power and strength to his people.
*Response - Weave #495
Weave, weave, weave us together, Weave us together, in unity and love.
Weave, weave, weave us together, weave us together, together in love.
*Call to Worship - Steve Hurd
One: Thy word is a lamp unto our feet
All: And a light unto our path.
One: We’ve promised it once, and we’ll promise it again:
All: We will obey your commandments.
One: Your laws are our treasure and our hearts’ delight.
All: Teach us your laws.
One: Write them on our hearts today.
*Opening Hymn - “This is the Day” #286
This is the day, this is the day
that the Lord has made, that the Lord has made.
I will rejoice, I will rejoice
and be glad in it, and be glad in it.
This is the day that the Lord has made
I will rejoice and be glad in it;
this is the day, this is the day
that the Lord has made.
Invitation to Generosity
Invitation - Steve Hurd
Offertory
Music “Andante Grazioso” W.A. Mozart [arr. Ellen Jane Lorenz] - Jan Green
*Response - “Give Thanks” #528
Give thanks with a grateful heart, give thanks to the Holy One,
give thanks because he’s given Jesus Christ his Son. Give Thanks!
Offering Prayer - Steve Hurd
Children’s Moment - Pam Baynes
Pastoral Prayer & The Lord’s Prayer - Aspen Baynes
Pastoral Prayer
Dear God,
In a world that seems to have gone crazy and lost its way, we come to you
this morning, not just seeking answers, but seeking strength and courage for the days
ahead. We pray for courage to be the people who you have called us to be –people
who seek justice and peace through Your love for all of Your people. We struggle with
questions that seem to have no answers and problems that have insurmountable
solutions. We seem to be a deeply divided people. But as we look and listen to people
around the world, so many seem divided and at war with one another either through
words or worse, through guns and killing. Surely we humans must test your patience,
but we know that your love is all-encompassing, never-ending, and always forgiving. This
is our hope – that you love us unconditionally. For we know and struggle with our
imperfections and our shortcomings, know all the while that in the end, it is you who
loves us the most and is always there waiting for us. You are our hope for the world and
it is in this hope that we live and move and have our being.
God, this morning we lift up the people of your world, the families and friends who have
lost loved ones, and those who are struggling with personal battles. Give them strength and courage for the days ahead. Help us to find ways to not alienate people, to welcome all of your people. Surely we know that you love us all and consider each one of us important and a part of your creation. Help us to be more like your son who you sent to show us how to live and respect others.
This morning we lift those in our congregation who are sick or hurting in any way.
Give them peace and comfort to face their situations. Give strength to the addicted,
comfort those who are victims of violence, and help us find ways to feed the hungry. But
God, we also lift up those who are bullies, people who are perpetrators of harm, and those
who feel the need to put others down through name-calling and jokes. For those who are angry, the kids who need guidance. For these too need your love, God. We all need your love. Use people in their lives to show them a different path, a path of goodness and hope for a brighter future.
God, we ask you to help us be the change in this world. Give us the courage to speak out about our faith, to teach those around us about our love for all people, and to lead by example showing and speaking with respect to others. All these things we ask in the name of the name of Jesus who taught his disciples to pray saying “Our Father who art in heaven….”
Holy Communion
Meditation - Sandi Kossick
*Hymn - “An Upper Room Did Our Lord Prepare” #385, v. 1-4
1 An upper room did our Lord prepare
for those he loved until the end:
and his disciples still gather there.
to celebrate their risen friend.
2 A lasting gift Jesus gave his own:
to share his bread, his loving cup.
Whatever burdens may bow us down,
he by his Cross shall lift us up.
3 And after supper he washed their feet,
for service, too, is sacrament.
In him our joy shall be made complete:
sent out to serve, as he was sent.
4 No end there is! We depart in peace,
he loves beyond our uttermost:
in every room in our Father's house
Christ will be there as Lord and Host.
Prayer - Beth Schabel
Words of Institution - Beth Schabel
Music - “I Do Believe” [by James Southbridge] - Jan Green
Special Music History - “It Is Well With My Soul” - Rick Painley
Special Music - 561, v. 1-4 - The Congregation
1 When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll,
Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.
(Refrain)
It is well, (it is well) with my soul, (with my soul) It is well, it is well with my soul.
2 Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
let this blest assurance control,
that Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed his own blood for my soul (Refrain)
3 My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part, but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul! (Refrain)
4 May God haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll:
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul. (Refrain)
Scripture - John 13:1-17 NLT
13 Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father. He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth, and now he loved them to the very end.[a] 2 It was time for supper, and the devil had already prompted Judas,[b] son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. 4 So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, 5 and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him.
6 When Jesus came to Simon Peter, Peter said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
7 Jesus replied, “You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will.”
8 “No,” Peter protested, “you will never ever wash my feet!”
Jesus replied, “Unless I wash you, you won’t belong to me.”
9 Simon Peter exclaimed, “Then wash my hands and head as well, Lord, not just my feet!”
10 Jesus replied, “A person who has bathed all over does not need to wash, except for the feet,[c] to be entirely clean. And you disciples are clean, but not all of you.” 11 For Jesus knew who would betray him. That is what he meant when he said, “Not all of you are clean.”
12 After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing? 13 You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. 14 And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. 15 I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. 16 I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message. 17 Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.
Sermon - “For the Good of the Future” - Aspen Baynes
Good morning! I think I may have broken a record for youngest pastor at Mantua Center. But as many know, when Miss Katie calls us to help serve we go. I’ve been nervous about this all week, watching some of Chad's old sermons for reference and to kind of get a feel for how these things are supposed to go. But as I was doing that I realized my relationship with Christ and god is totally different from others' relationship with god. So this may be a little different from what is normal but cut me some slack. It's my first day on the job.
In Jesus’ final hours, he knew that one of his trusted disciples was going to betray him and that he would soon be returned to his Father in heaven. Instead of leaving, hiding from what suffering he would later endure as I’m sure most of us would do, he stayed and had a final meal with his closest friends. In the midst of their dinner, Jesus rose from the table, took off his robe, and tied a towel around his waist in order to wash the feet of his disciples.
Now I want you all to close your eyes and imagine that you just found out that you were going to be arrested, tortured, mocked, beaten, nailed to a splintering wooden cross, and killed while everyone is watching but not doing anything to help you. What do you do with that knowledge? I certainly would not be hosting a dinner party and having my friends line up to get their feet washed that's for sure.
Every week when we have communion I often wonder how Jesus felt. We often tend to think of Jesus as the son of God, which he is, but in reality, he was also a human being.
What did he laugh at, how did talk, was he outgoing, what did he do in his free time? Did he cry, did he ever feel scared, did he ever consider running away? What were his worries, did he ever begin to lose faith as his worldly body went into shock from the beatings he received for never denying God as his creator? Did he confide in his mother Mary as he would have done as a child? The Bible covers so much about his life, but yet so little.
We cannot begin to imagine what Jesus felt in his last days here on earth. But he sacrificed his life for the debt of our sins. There is no way that we can ever repay him for his sacrifice however we can do the things that he has asked of us. To be kind and honest to one another and to follow his ways.
John 13: 12-15
12 After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down, and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing?
13 You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right because that’s what I am.
14 And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet.
15 I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.
The golden rule. Jesus gave his life for the good of our future. He prepaid for the sins that we have not yet committed so that we may live an eternal life with him. It’s crazy to imagine anyone dedicating their entire life to one thing let alone so that one thing being that others may be taken care of in the future.
Jesus' example suggests that loving as he has loved means taking the role of a servant, caring for the needs of others without expecting anything in return. His example suggests that it is to do this not only for those who treat us well but even for those who disappoint and hurt and betray us. Remember Jesus knew that it was Judas who would betray him yet he was still welcome to the table and Jesus washed his feet along with his other disciples.
Loving people that have wronged us or others is extremely hard. It took me 18 years to even realize why I need to love everyone. And it will probably take me the rest of my life to forgive and learn to love the individuals who have treated me poorly. This is something that I am sure all Christians struggle with. And if you don’t struggle with loving those who betray you please share your secrets!
So A few weeks ago our school put on a leadership retreat. It’s a two day long retreat filled with all sorts of team bonding like activities. We had over 60 students from the high school sign up this year. On this retreat we do all kinds of crazy activities related to being a better leader in our community. At first this may sound silly or boring however it is so much more than that. For one of the activities group members got points for eating gross food. Some of the pickiest eaters I know were throwing back nasty looking sardines from a can like it was nothing so that the whole group would benefit. Some would consider that a sacrifice for others but it is nothing in comparison to the sacrifice Jesus made. We had kids from freshman to seniors and from all sorts of different groups of people from drama kids, to more shy kids, even our starting quarterback came and had an amazing time.
The class that hosts this event works hard all school year to plan this two day long retreat. It is located at camp Carl and we always do a starting activity at the stadium before we get on the busses and head ti camp. In this first activity the students are divided into one of six groups. The groups are randomly picked so at first it seems scary to be in a group with a bunch of strangers but by the last night everyone always becomes close in friendship and stays in touch. What better way to live in the likeness of Jesus than by learning to love and appreciate strangers.
Reflecting on retreat while trying to write my sermon at the same time made me realize how grateful I am for the opportunities that I have been given especially through school. The people I have met throughout high school are amazing. Even the people that I don’t hangout with as much I know I can count on to give me hand or just have friendly conversation.
Of all of the people I have met in my school career my best friend and favorite person who I adore so much is Roxxy. My best friend Roxxy and I started to be friends in middle school and have been close ever since the first covid quarantine in spring of 2020. Roxxy and I always make these deals with each other randomly. In the fall we made a deal we were going to stop eating out so much and just eat at home to be healthier and save money.
Another deal we made was to start focusing on self care and working more often so we would have money saved up to do fun stuff for the summer. We usually never follow through with our deals but we like to think that it’s the thought that counts. However, the most recent deal we made was that for our upcoming senior year we needed to make sure everyone was friends and happy since we aren’t going to see a lot of these people again after high school and plus it’s senior year why not make new friends?
As of now we have followed through with our devious plan and are encouraging people in our grade to all hangout over the summer to go swimming, see movies at the drive in, have bonfires, go out to eat, and join random clubs just for the fun of it.
While we all have good days and bad we should all try to be more like Jesus and to try our hardest to find the good in people while being empathetic. I truly don’t believe that there is such a thing as a bad person, just bad circumstances. I think the easiest way to do this is by living in the moment and letting things go as they come. An old friend of mine once told me that the past is depressing and the future is stressful so you need to live in the now. For whatever reason I’ve learned a lot about myself this year and in turn I’ve learned a lot about others. I learned that you are only as good as the top five people you spend the most time with and that the most simple acts of kindness make the world brighter.
With that being said we are all living life for the first time. And need to try our hardest to live and forgive as much as Jesus did.
*Closing Hymn - “O For a World” #683, v.1-2, 4
1 O for a world where everyone
respects each other's ways,
where love is lived and all is done
with justice and with praise.
2 O for a world where goods are shared
and misery relieved,
where truth is spoken, children spared,
equality achieved.
4 The poor are rich, the weak are strong,
the foolish ones are wise.
Tell all who mourn, outcasts belong,
who perishes will rise.
Benediction - Aspen Baynes
Dear God,
I ask that you give us the patience to be kind to those who do us wrong and to have sympathy for those who are seeking guidance. Please be with those who are struggling and allow those who feel that hateful words and anger is their option to feel peace. Give comfort to those are hurting and peace of mind to those who are anxious. God I am grateful for every waking moment I have and every opportunity that you have given me. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.
Postlude - “The Lord is on My Side ” [by Tom Birchwood] - Jan Green