Church Family, we want to welcome you here this morning on the Lord’s Day. Thank you so much for joining us and we hope that in the time of worship you will be met warmly by the Spirit of God. This morning we continue our focus on the ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the focus on Mission. Today we will look deeply at our mission of hospitality as we seek to welcome others as the Lord has welcomed us. God’s grace and peace be with you as we share together in worship!
Prelude - “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty” [by Stalsund Gesangbuch] - Sarah Park
Welcome to the Mantua Center Christian Church
We are a community seeking to have open minds, open hearts, and open arms.
DOC Mission & Vision from our General Church
Our Vision
To be a faithful, growing church, that demonstrates true community, deep Christian spirituality and a passion for justice. – Micah 6:8
Our Mission
To be and to share the Good News of Jesus Christ, witnessing, loving and serving from our doorsteps “to the ends of the earth.” – Acts 1:8
“We are Disciples of Christ, a movement for wholeness in a fragmented world. As part of the one body of Christ we welcome all to the Lord’s Table as God has welcomed us.”
Scripture Reading - 1 Corinthians 13:1-7 - Rev. Chad Delaney
If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant 5or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. 7It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Welcoming Song - “Sister, Let me Be Your Servant” #490, v.2
We are pilgrims on a journey, fellow trav'lers on the road.
We are here to help each other, walk the mile and bear the load.
*Call to Worship - Allie Owen
ONE: Creator God, you call us to hospitality; to give as generously to others as you have given to us.
ALL: For there are angels among us.
ONE: Loving God, you call us to give you glory in the compassion we show to one another.
ALL: To love without judgment, of ourselves or others.
One: We gather as one Body, seeking to walk in the way you have set for us.
All: We gather as one Body, to worship the one who is Love.
~ written by Eliza Buchakjian-Tweedy
*Opening Hymn - Gather Us In #284, vs 1-4
Here in this place, the new light is streaming, shadows of doubt are vanished away.
See in this space our fears and our dreamings, brought here to you in the light of this day.
Gather us in, the lost and forsaken, gather us in; our spirits inflame.
Call to us now, and we shall awaken; we shall arise at the sound of our name.
We are the young--our lives are a mystery, we are the old who yearn for your face.
We have been sung throughout all of history, called to be light to the whole human race.
Gather us in--the rich and the haughty; gather us in--the proud and the strong;
Give us a heart so meek and so lowly; give us the courage to enter the song.
Here we receive new life in the waters; here we receive the bread of new birth
Here you shall call your sons and your daughters, call us anew to be salt for the earth
Give us to drink the wine of compassion, give us to eat the bread that is you;
Nourish us well, and teach us to fashion lives that are holy and hearts that are true.
Not just in buildings, small and confining, not in some heaven light years away,
Here in this place the new light is shining; now is God present, and now is the day.
Gather us in and hold us forever; gather us in and make us your own;
Gather us in, all peoples together, fire of love in our flesh and our bone.
Invitation to Generosity
Invitation - Allie Owen
Offertory
Music: “I Come to the Garden Alone” [by C.A.Miles] - Sarah Park
*Response: “Make Me a Blessing”
[Refrain]
Make me a blessing, Make me a blessing.
Out of my life may Jesus shine;
Make me a blessing, O Savior, I pray.
Make me a blessing to someone today.
Offering Prayer - Allie Owen
Children’s Moment - Rev. Chad Delaney
Welcome and Hospitality
Hug or Handshake Sunday…
Special Music
“Voluntary on Ebenezer” [by Lani Smith] - Jan Green
Pastoral Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer - Rev. Chad Delaney
God of Grace and Welcome,
We thank you this day for extending an invitation to all of us to partake in this time of worship and song. Each of us have come from different places in life. We have different beliefs and perspectives. And we come together today to extend and open our arms wide to embrace your presence, to recognize you in the face of a friend, in the face of a stranger, in this gathering of kindred spirits.
Together we have heard your call to love. To be a welcoming place for the abandoned, the outcast, and the downtrodden to join in your celebration. Forgive us for the times our biases have clouded our judgment, causing us to turn away from those who appear different, marginalized, or scorned. Help us to welcome one another as you have welcomed us.
Thank you, God, for creating each and every one of us. For knowing us and loving us. Remind us that each person holds a unique beauty, a reflection of your divine image. Forgive us for our blindness to see your likeness in all those we meet. We are sorry for the moments when we deemed others unworthy of our love, when we remained indifferent to their cries for help. Help us to listen more deeply and compassionately. Help us to remember that there is room at the Table for everyone.
Together we lift up concern for our country. In this election year, the tensions and divisions are heightened. Help us to maintain our unity in the bond of peace. Today we lift up our world with conflicts and hot spots all over. We lift up the people of Ukraine as Russia’s assault continues. We lift up the Israeli and Palestinian people and pray for peace. Be with those who are promoting peace and serving those victimized by war…who provide food, water, shelter, medical supplies, and schools. God, help us to be faithful in this ever changing world and to be the change we want to see.
Each of us have brought our own joys and concerns in this space…we give them to you in silent prayer….
And now we join our voices together in saying the prayer Jesus taught us, Our Father in heaven…
Communion
Meditation - Katie Baird
Communion Hymn - I Come with Joy #420, v.1-3
I come with joy, a child of God, forgiven, loved and free,
the life of Jesus to recall,
in love laid down for me,
in love laid down for me.
I come with Christians far and near to find, as all are fed,
the new community of love
in Christ's communion bread,
in Christ's communion bread.
As Christ breaks bread and bids us share, each proud division ends.
The love that made us, makes us one,
and strangers now are friends,
and strangers now are friends.
Prayer - Rev. Nancy Humes
Words of Institution - Rev. Nancy Humes
Music: “I Know not why God’s Wondrous Grace” [by J. MaGranahan] - Sarah Park
Scripture - Matthew 25:31-46
31 ‘When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. 34Then the king will say to those at his right hand, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” 37Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” 40And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” 41Then he will say to those at his left hand, “You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.” 44Then they also will answer, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?” 45Then he will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.” 46And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.’
Sermon - A Glass-Free Gospel - Rev. Chad Delaney
Several months ago I was in my kitchen making breakfast and lunches before the kids headed off to school. I did fine making the scrambled eggs and bagels. So then onto the lunches! I got the peanut butter spread on perfectly, now I just needed the jelly to finish them off. I got to the fridge and grabbed the jelly by the lid. As I pulled it out and turned to go to the counter, the lid was not on tight and the glass jar slipped right through my fingers. Smashed on the floor was an almost full jar of jelly with that wonderful grape sweetness now on the floor and littered with shards of glass.
It was quite the chore cleaning it up. Napkins, paper towels, wet washcloths to clean up the goopy, sticky, glassy mess. Meanwhile the kids had to head out the door, so they took their PB & __ sandwiches and headed to school. I got everything cleaned up and only found a few stray little shards of glass afterwards.
It stunk having to throw out so much wonderful, tasty grape jam. But obviously nothing was to be done. Extracting the glass from the jelly would nearly be impossible and certainly not worth it when I could just get another jar for relatively cheaply. And furthermore even it APPEARED that I got all the glass out of the jelly or there was some that looked untainted…it wasn’t worth the risk. What if…there was a little shard leftover? It all had to go.
Why am I telling you this story? Well, it occurs to me that for many people, this glass-filled jam-situation is like their relationship with the church. The mission, vision, purpose, and potential of the church like that glorious, sweet grape jam. Taste and See that the Lord is Good and the Gift of Jesus Christ is OH SO sweet. But for so many this potentially beautiful experience of faith has been shattered and ruined by shards of broken glass. Tainted by the sharp edges of judgment, derision, rejection, exclusion, and HIGHLY conditional love. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is life-giving and transformational, but sometimes those who seek to share it…are not.
Perhaps you have been one who has been hurt by the church. If so, you have a taste of what it means to be hesitant about visiting or joining a new church family. Where are the hidden glass shards ready to poke again?
But even if you haven’t been hurt by a church, imagine someone who has AND…how hard would it be to walk through the doors of a church? How could you be reassured that all the shards of glass were cleaned out?
So then…as a church who believes we have something incredibly beautiful to offer, something extraordinary contained in our hearts…this Gospel of freedom, reconciliation, eternal life, grace and hope, life and love….does it not hurt our hearts that SO MANY have been offered the Good News but with a fistful of glass? We especially acknowledge that of the LGBTQ+ community.
As a congregation, we have begun a discernment process to officially become an Open & Affirming congregation in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). An official process and designation to signify to those curious…that this place, between these walls, and in the hearts of these people is a truly safe and welcoming space for the LGBTQ+ community. I love this community and already believe wholeheartedly in our mission to welcome and love and accept people just as they are. AND what I have come to understand is that saying “We welcome everyone and all are welcome” is not enough. Too often for too many people…that comes with the unspoken…..”Well except for _”. So this extra step of doing an official process, acknowledgement, and public affirmation will give so much more reassurance and peace to those curious about where we are.
This process will be both affirming and challenging to us. For some of us it is a no-brainer and for some of us there will be questions and uncertainty. Either way…This will be good and faithful way to do our own work in cleaning out the sharp edges within ourselves and our community. To see how our words, theology, and interpretation of the bible can be helpful or hurtful. To pick out some of our own prejudice and stereotypes. To be more aware and understanding.
And then…hopefully--as a church--we will be able to extend with confidence an authentic invitation of hospitality to those who are looking, waiting, and wondering. To make known that this is a welcoming space for moms and dads whose kids have come out…and their church has turned their backs on them. A welcoming space for teens to know there is a place that loves them after they have been disowned and barred from their own homes. A welcoming space to those who are quietly closeted wondering if they can be accepted and if God loves them as they are.
Honestly, I don’t see a whole lot changing…we just need to keep being who we are and loving people when they walk through those doors.
We want to continue to be a safe and loving place for those who have estranged, left out, or cast out by the church. For those who have felt un-welcomed or unworthy. For those who have felt uncertain about what being religious even means. Those trying to reimagine what it means to be faithful in an ever changing world. We are all different. We have different beliefs. Different understandings…and we come together as One people believing that ALL are welcome at the Lord’s Table.
This process of becoming O&A is just another way we can affirm that tremendous gift we have in this place.
As Rev. Bruce Barkhauer once said, “When I come before God in the world to come, I’d much rather explain why I welcomed someone in, then why I kept someone out.”
In this fragmented world around us, there are those who are hungry and thirsty. There are those who are naked and sick and in prison. And those who have been made strangers over and over and over again…who long to be known and welcomed. So…to feed and offer drink, to clothe and take care of, to visit and to welcome…are all sacred acts of service done unto Christ himself. They share the Gospel of Love, the Gospel of Jesus Christ…glass free, filled with life and wholeness…no strings attached.
37Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” 40And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”
May we fulfill this mission as part of “a movement for wholeness in a fragmented world.” May it be so! Amen
*Closing Hymn - The Gift of Love #526, vs. 1-3
Though I may speak with bravest fire, and have the gift to all inspire,
and have not love, my words are vain; as sounding brass, and hopeless gain.
Though I may give all I possess, and striving so my love profess,
but not be given by love within, the profit soon turns strangely thin.
Come, Spirit, come, our hearts control, our spirits long to be made whole.
Let inward love guide every deed; by this we worship, and are freed.
Benediction - Rev. Chad Delaney
Lord, give us the eyes and heart of Jesus
to see you in our neighbors and the strangers we meet.
Teach us what it means to love the stranger as we love ourselves.
Send us forth to share joy, hospitality, and love with all your children. Amen!
Postlude - “My Hope is Built on Nothing Less” [by W. B. Bradbury] - Sarah Park