Our vision is to show people the hope and love in Jesus.  Our mission is to make

   disciples by:  Growing & Learning, Worshiping & Praying, Serving, and Connecting

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Wesley United Methodist Church

Trinity Sunday!

June 7, 2020

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​“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.  And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age”

(Matthew 28:19-20).

​Entering Into Worship

We enter with a spirit of reverence and praise,

as we prepare our hearts and minds for

worship of Almighty God.

Today's scriptures are from The New Revised Common Lectionary:​

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Genesis 1:1-2:4a; Psalm 8; 2 Corinthians 13:11-13; Matthew 28:16-20

The Music to Prepare for Worship

"Holy Spirit" ~ Francesca Battistelli

The Call to Worship

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In the name of the Creator, the Christ and the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. 

In the beginning the Spirit of God swept over the face of the waters.
In the beginning God said, “Let us make humankind in our image.”

And so we came into being, created by God who exists in community.
We are here as God’s community to worship the Source of our being.

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The Opening Hymn

"All Creatures of Our God and King" ~ Prayers of the Saints

"All Creatures of Our God and King" ~ Fernando Ortega

A Prayer of Invocation

God is good!  All the time!
All the time!  God is good!
The Lord be with you. 

And also with you.
Let us pray together.

Lord God, Creator of all; you created us to be your People; a people free to love and to serve
you with all our minds, with all our hearts and with all our strength.

So we come to worship our God, leaving behind all that binds us:
our doubts and our fears; our darkness and our hopelessness.

 Lord Jesus Christ, Savior of all: you came as a child, gathered into the loving embrace of a family.
As an adult, you shared love, laughter and tears with those whom you knew as friends
and the love of the Father with all who would receive it.

So we come to love and to honor you, celebrating the companionship
of those you have called to be your disciples.

Gracious Spirit, Inspirer of all; brooding over us gathered here; eternally breathing Life

into all of creation; endlessly giving, endlessly comforting.

So we come to be still in your presence; to hear in the silence
the whisper of God breathing life into our souls;
deepening our unity in the very life of God.

The Hymn

"Glory Be to the Father" 

"Glory Be to the Father"

The Prayer for Illumination​

Let us pray:  Grant that we may hear your voice speaking our names and claiming us as your own,

O God of our salvation.  Open our ears to hear the law and the prophets, and the good news of

their fulfillment in Jesus Christ.  Satisfy our hunger and quench our thirst, that we may bear

witness to your truth.  AMEN.

The Reading from the Books of the Law

Genesis 1:1-2:4a (NRSV)

In the reading from the Books of the Law, God creates the heavens and the earth.

The Six Days of Creation and the Sabbath

In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

And God said, “Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” So God made the dome and separated the waters that were under the dome from the waters that were above the dome. And it was so. God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.

And God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.” And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.

And God said, “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years, and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.

And God said, “Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky.” So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm, and every winged bird of every kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.

And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind.” And it was so. God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind, and the cattle of every kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good.

Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.”

   So God created humankind in his image,
    in the image of God he created them;
    male and female he created them.

God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” God said, “See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude. And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.

These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created.

This is the Word of God for the people of God.  Thanks be to God.

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The Song

"Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart" ~ Sue Nixon with Walt Wagner

"Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart" ~ Best Loved Hymns

The Reading from the Epistles

2 Corinthians 13:11-13 (NRSV)

In the reading from the epistles, Paul bids farewell to the Church at Corinth.

Final Greetings and Benediction

Finally, brothers and sisters, farewell. Put things in order, listen to my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.

This is the Word of God for the people of God.  Thanks be to God!

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The Song:
Spirit of God ~ The Faith We Sing #2117

"Spirit of God" ~ Phil Wickham

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The Reading from the Gospel

Matthew 28:16-20 (NRSV)

In the Gospel reading, Jesus gives his disciples authority and marching orders.

The Commissioning of the Disciples

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

This is the Gospel of the Lord.  Praise be to You, O Christ! 

A Time of Confession and Assurance of Pardon

Call to Confession

Beloved of God,
We celebrate in faith the sacrifice of Jesus Christ once and for all
For the sins of the whole world.
God has reconciled us to himself and to one another;
God has covenanted with us by the presence of the Holy Spirit,
Who gathers us together and transforms us to new life.
Let us repent from our sins,
And may the mercies of the Lord inspire us to wholeness and grace.

~  Silent moments of reflection of our need for repentance and pardon ~

Song: "He's Always Been Faithful"

Prayer of Confession

Adapted from the Belhar Confession, sections 1 and 2

Triune God,
You gather, protect, and care for us, your beloved, through Word and Spirit.
This you have done from the beginning of the world and will do to the end.
Have mercy upon us and forgive us for sinning against you.
We have not loved one another as we should,
We have not sown the seeds of gospel hope,
We have not been present for worship.
Restore us, Lord.
May we give ourselves willingly and joyfully
To be of benefit and blessing to one another,
That we may truly share one faith, have one calling,
And be of one soul and one mind
For the sake of your son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

~  Silent moments of reflection of our need for repentance and pardon ~

Song:  "Great is Thy Faithfulness"

Assurance of Pardon

from Matthew 28:18–20

And Jesus has come to you and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the

Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything

that I have commanded you.  And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age." 

~  Silent moments of reflection of our need for repentance and pardon ~

Song:  "It Is Well With My Soul"

The Apostles' Creed, Traditional Version​
We believe in one God,
I believe in God the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth;

And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord:
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried;
the third day he rose from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic* church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen

*meaning the universal Christian church (all believers in Jesus Christ)

The Song:
"Love Divine, All Love’s Excelling" ~ Grace Community Church

"Love Divine All Loves Excelling"/"Falling in Love" Medley

 The Lord's Prayer

Our Father, which 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.
Lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.

For thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory forever.
AMEN.

A Prayer for Our Tithes and Offerings

Gracious God, we hear the words of Jesus saying that anyone who has faith in him will do his works. 

We who have faith in the risen Christ stand her today, and we offer to you not only these tithes and

offerings, but ourselves, as well.  Bless us and the gifts we offer, that your saving and healing power may be

evident to all and so that your name may be glorified, for ever and ever.  Amen.

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The Closing Song​

"Rescue the Perishing" ~ Sweeter Rain

"Rescue the Perishing" ~ Altar of Praise Chorale

The Benediction​

God sends us out to do greater works than we have yet accomplished.
We follow in faith where Christ leads, knowing the water of life will be available to us.

The promises of God go with us every day, and the love of God dwells among us.
God wipes away the tears from our eyes and grants us rest when we are weary.

God offers us eternal life, beginning now, inviting us daily to accept God's goodness and mercy.

Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God.

Let us go forth in peace, to love and to serve the Lord.  Thanks be to God!  

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Parting Song
"King of Kings" ~ Hillsong Worship

​​"Praise the Father, Praise the Son,

Praise the Spirit three in One.

God of Glory, Majesty,

Praise forever to the King of Kings."

​Click here to return to the homepage and see other messages from Wesley UMC.

God be with you 'til we meet again!

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Past Sermons...

           ~  March 1, 2020:   Gospel Reading and Sermon - "Temptation."  Rev. Amy Sarah Lewis-Rill​

​​           ~  February 23, 2020:  Gospel Reading and Sermon - "Faith."  Rev. Amy Sarah Lewis-Rill

           ~  February 16, 2020:  Gospel Reading and Sermon.  Rev. Amy Sarah Lewis-Rill

           ~  February 9, 2020:  Gospel Reading and Sermon.  Rev. Amy Sarah Lewis-Rill

           ~  February 2, 2020:  Sermon.  Linda S. Yost, United Methodist Women

           ~  January 26, 2020:  Gospel Reading and Sermon.  Rev. Amy Sarah Lewis-Rill

           ~  January 19, 2020:  Gospel Reading and Sermon.  Rev. Amy Sarah Lewis-Rill

           ~  January 12, 2020:  Gospel Reading and Sermon.  Rev. Amy Sarah Lewis-Rill

           ~  January 5, 2020:  About the UMC and the Wesley Covenant Service and

                                          the Essential Wesley Covenant.  Rev. Amy Sarah Lewis-Rill