Welcome to worship with the Mantua Center Christian Church! We are so glad you have joined us today on this Week of Compassion Sunday. Week of Compassion is the refugee, natural disaster, and development arm of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Every year we take up an offering this Sunday to support this general ministry of our church that makes an enormous difference in the world. They have a very small staff and partner with incredible organizations all over the world that are ALREADY on the ground and ready to help people. The money we give to Week of Compassion will help change the lives of so many people who have had disaster strike. Thank you for considering a gift and let’s remain diligent in doing actions of compassion every day. Today we will look at a powerful passage in Lamentations that speaks to the reality of pain in the world and our response to it as people of faith. Let’s open our minds and hearts to hear what God might have to say to us today! Welcome to worship!
Prelude - Take the Name of Jesus with You [by W. H. Doane] - Sarah Park
Welcome to Mantua Center Christian Church!
We are a community seeking to have open minds, open hearts, and open arms.
Scripture - 2 Corinthians 4:7-9
But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us. 8We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies.
*Response - Weave
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 Leighton Baynes
ONE: Come, let us worship God
ALL: All who are weary, all whose hearts feel too heavy to hold.
ONE: Come, let us worship God
ALL: All who feel disconnected, all who’ve lost feeling in their hearts.
ONE: Come, let us worship God
ALL: All whose hearts are fluttering with joy, all who are full to the brim with love
ONE: Weary, weeping, numbing, fluttering, dancing—all are invited, all are welcome here
ALL: Come, let us worship God and rise up anew!
*Opening Hymn - Great is Thy Faithfulness #86, v. 1-3
1 Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father,there is no shadow of turning with thee;
thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not; as thou hast been thou forever wilt be.
Refrain:
Great is thy faithfulness!
Great is thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
all I have needed thy hand hath provided.
Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
2 Summer and winter and springtime and harvest
sun, moon, and stars in their courses above
join with all nature in manifold witness
to thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love. (Refrain)
3 Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide,
strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow
blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside! (Refrain)
Invitation to Generosity
Invitation - Leighton Baynes
Offertory
MCCC Choir: Jesus, What a Friend for Sinners [by Earlene Rentz]
The Doxology #46
Praise God from whom all blessings flow; praise God, all creatures here below;
praise God above, ye heavenly host: Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
Offering Prayer - Leighton Baynes
Children’s Moment - Rev. Chad Delaney
Pastoral Prayer & Lord’s Prayer - Rev. Chad Delaney
Giver of Life, Parent of us all - You created all that is seen and hidden, From the tiniest molecules to vast galaxies, You created and called all of it “good.” You wove human beings into the goodness of creation, Formed us from star dust and soil, Gave us your breath and proclaimed us “very good.” You sent your Word and wisdom to dwell among us, in all of our fleshiness, vulnerability, and beauty. We thank you for the gift of Jesus Christ who showed us the way of compassion and how inexhaustible your love is—and that not even death could extinguish it! Bless the work we do together that we might share your love in the world.
Today we lift up the places of despair and disaster in the world. From Dayton, Oh to Turkey and Syria. From those refugees fleeing Afghanistan to those offering food and water at the US Border. For those caring for children after disaster to those housing the elderly whose homes were washed away. For those assisting indigenous communities and those torn by violence and war. We lift them up to you and give thanks for the Week of Compassion, Church World Service, and all our partners around the globe. Bless their work to your glory.
Today we lift you to the concerns of our hearts we each have. Give us strength, wisdom, and courage to be your eyes, ears, and hearts to reach out. We lift our concerns to you in silence….
God who is ever close to the broken hearted, the anxious and exhausted, the devastated and numb– Awaken us to Your Presence now! Dissolve our exhaustion in Your inexhaustible faithfulness. Meet our worries with Your mercy, So that we can continue the movement for wholeness in our fragmented world as we pray the prayer Jesus taught us saying…
Communion
Meditation - Rev. Nancy Humes
Hymn - “I Come with Joy” #420 v.1, 2, & 5
1 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.
2 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.
5 Together met, together bound
by all that God has done,
we'll go with joy, to give the world,
the love that makes us one,
the love that makes us one.
Prayer - Rev. Nancy Humes
Words of Institution - Rev. Chad Delaney
Music - I Know Not Why God’s Wondrous Grace [By J. McGranahan] - Sarah Park
Scripture - Lamentations 3:17-24
17 my soul is bereft of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is;
18 so I say, ‘Gone is my glory, and all that I had hoped for from the Lord.’
19 The thought of my affliction and my homelessness is wormwood and gall!
20 My soul continually thinks of it and is bowed down within me.
21 But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:
22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end;
23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
24 ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul,‘therefore I will hope in him.’
Sermon - Rise Up Anew - Rev. Chad Delaney
What gets in the way of our compassion? Compassion asks something of us. It is a call on our heart or spirit that reaches out to another. Something we might not feel we are willing to give or can give. What gets in the way of our compassion?
In this age we live in, we are bombarded with the pain of the world around us. What is our response to it? Indifference? Sociological curiosity? Weariness? Frustration? Researchers around the globe are looking into a phenomenon you probably heard of called “Compassion Fatigue.” Compassion fatigue is a condition characterized by emotional and physical exhaustion which leads us to a lowered capacity to empathize or feel compassion for others. You may have noticed this happening within you.
There’s all sorts of reasons it might happen.
- Maybe we’ve lost touch with the human connection...we are de-sensitized.
- Maybe we’ve lost compassion because we just feel overwhelmed
- Maybe because we don't know the whole story
- Maybe we have become numbed to the pain around us
- Maybe there’s a Prejudice at work
- Different politics
- Different background or race
- Different religion
- Different language
- Just can’t relate to them or put ourselves in their shoes
- Maybe too many of my own problems with family, friends, and self
- Maybe we feel Helpless
Week of Compassion’s theme this year is “Rise Up Anew” because so many of us around the country and globe are looking for a sense of renewal and connection to God and one another. So many WANT to care but struggling to find it within them. There is a deep exhaustion, fatigue, and discouragement that we long to leave behind.
Lamentations is a powerful book that gives voice to this dynamic of deep lament, weariness, while looking for hope. Whoever wrote these ancient passages grieved the utter devastation around them. The year was 587 and the Babylonians had destroyed the Temple and City of God’s people. Jerusalem burned and the people dragged off into captivity. We can feel the pain in the words even today.
17 my soul is bereft of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is;
Imagine what the people in Turkey and Syria must be experiencing right now.
18 so I say, ‘Gone is my glory, and all that I had hoped for from the Lord.’
Those who have watched a flood wash away their home and land
19 The thought of my affliction and my homelessness is wormwood and gall!
Those fleeing the political violence in their countries as refugees
20 My soul continually thinks of it and is bowed down within me.
The utter exhaustion in mind, body, and spirit to endure this over and over again.
We know that for many people in the world, every morning still means struggle. Every morning still means worry. Every morning still means disease, and fear, and lament that will not end. WE are exhausted knowing the need is so great. But heres’ the thing…God never is.
The author of Lamentations puts forward…
21 But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: 22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end;
23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
24 ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul,‘therefore I will hope in him.’
We are fatigued. But God’s compassion never fails. We are weary. Yet God’s mercies are new every morning. Everyday God gives us a glimmer of breath, new life, and hope. Calling this to mind…reminding ourselves of this…We can rise anew to be the people God has created us to be.
The Week of Compassion shared this inspirational video speaking to the depths of Lament and God’s call to compassion. It is called “Remember When…” by The Many….
MUSIC VIDEO - The Many - Remember When…
The Apostle Paul wrote: “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.”
When the weight is heavy and discouragement is at hand…might we rise anew and remember
Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
all I have needed thy hand hath provided.
Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
God’s Faithfulness is lived in and through all of us. Shown through our actions of kindness. Shown through the work of our church right here and now. Shown through the work and ministry of the Week of Compassion who is meeting people with water, shelter, and food in dark places. So then can we continue to be grace right now? Can we be love right now? Can we live in Christ’s way of compassion right now? May it be so.
*Closing Hymn - “Fill the World with Love” #467, v. 1-4
1. With the vision in our minds of how the world could be
And the fullness of our heart from the suffering we see
When we make all that we are and have part of God’s destiny
We can fill the world with love. We can fill the world with love.
2. All the people in this world living lives of pain and fear
Crying out into the night, wondering when someone will hear
While there are so many others having so much they can share
Can we fill the world with love? Can we fill the world with love?
3. We whose spirits long to share, long to comfort and to heal
Know that when we act alone, hope is difficult to feel
But together as we labor God’s compassion to reveal
We will fill the world with love. We will fill the world with love.
4. Let us hesitate no longer in our doubt and our dismay
There’s a power at work within us that has promised a new day
And the time will surely come, it will not be long delayed
When God fills the world with love. When God fills the world with love.
Benediction - Rev. Chad Delaney
So Let us Go…In little movements against death & destruction.
In bold moves for life and beauty. In compassion and with compassion, for ourselves and for others. May we rise up anew to continue Working, playing, learning, listening, speaking God’s enduring love and compassion for ALL! May it be so! Amen.
Postlude - We Are Bound for Canaan Land [by P. P. Bilhorn] - Sarah Park