Friday, April 30, 2021

Sunday, May 2nd worship!

All are welcomed! You can join Sunday, May 2nd, Worship in the Sanctuary or on Zoom (link below)! The Scriptures and bulletin for Sunday are in the comments.

Topic: Sunday Worship Time: This is a recurring meeting 10:45 to 12:15 Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86016159653?pwd=UzVTdmZmS0ZUaDNEa0lXVVFRZGJLdz09

Bulletin for Sunday, May 2nd

Marshall Presbyterian Church

May 2, 2021 5^th Sunday of Easter

Carol Ann West, Pianist Carol and Alex Brown, Liturgists

Rev. Melissa Upchurch, Pastor

ASSEMBLING IN GOD’S NAME

Prelude

wELCOME

* CALL TO WORSHIP

One: In the wilderness, water brings life.

All: Seek us out, O God, and take us to the water.

One: In the Word of God, the good news gives light.

All: Seek us out, O God, and fill us with understanding.

One: In the bread and the wine, the body of our savior

nourishes everyone.

All: Here is the water of life, the word that feeds,

and the food of eternity. Come and praise the

Vine that gives all goodness!

* Opening Prayer

* HYMN Purple Hymnal #630 Fairest Lord Jesus

CALL TO CONFESSION

UNISON PRAYER OF CONFESSION

Merciful God, in Jesus our risen Lord, we have seen your glory. Yet our sinfulness often blocks out the light of Christ. We are quick to accuse and slow to confess. We find faults easily in others, while ignoring our own shortcomings. We have squandered your gifts; we have turned from your ways, and we have ignored your Word. …Silent prayers of confession…Have mercy on us, God of Compassion. Pour out your Holy Spirit on our sinful lives. Wash us with your love and cleanse us with your grace, that day by day we move closer to the people you made us be. Amen.

* ASSURANCE OF PARDON

One: The resurrection of Jesus shows us the grace of God is stronger than death and the love of God has no boundary. This is good news! In Jesus Christ we are forgiven!

All: Thanks be to God!

* GLORIA PATRI

Glory be to the Father, and to the son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Amen.

* PASSING THE PEACE

SPECIAL MUSIC: Purple Hymnal #611 Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee

HEARING AND RESPONDING TO GOD’S WORD

PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION

THE SCRIPTURES

New Testament: Acts 8:26-40 See Bulletin

Epistle 1 John 4:7-21 “

Gospel: John 15:1-8 “

One: The Word of God for the People of God!

All: Thanks be to God!

TIME WITH YOUNG DISCIPLES

MESSAGE Rev. Melissa Upchurch

* AFFIRMATION OF FAITH (from 1 Cor. 15:1-11)

This is the good news which we received, in which we stand, and by which we are saved: that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day, and that he appeared to Peter, then to the twelve, and to many faithful witnesses. We believe he is the Christ, the Son of the living God. He is the first and the last, the beginning and the end. He is our Lord and our God. Amen.

* HYMN Purple Hymnal #700 I’m Gonna Live So God Can Use Me

SHARING JOYS AND CONCERNS (See bulletin insert)

Prayers of the People

Sharing the Gifts of God

Offertory

*Doxology (ca. 1500s)

Praise God from whom all blessings flow;

Praise him all creatures here below;

Praise him above, ye heavenly host;

Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

* Prayer of dedication And thanksgiving

O God, with faith and hope, we offer these gifts. Use them, even as you use us, to accomplish your purposes in Jesus Christ, the Head of the church and the Lord of our lives. Amen

THE EUCHARIST

INVITATION TO THE LORD’S TABLE

THE GREAT THANKSGIVING AND LORDS PRAYER

One: May our Shepherd be with you.

All: And also with you.

One: Come to the Table prepared for all of God’s

children.

All: We bring our hearts to be anointed with grace

and hope.

One: Join in singing praise to the One who leads us

through the kingdom.

All: We hold hands with goodness and mercy in

giving thanks to God.

The minister continues…The warmth of creation was breathed…we offer thanksgiving and praise:

All: Holy, holy, holy are you, God of eunuchs and evangelists.

All creation bears fruit in glorifying you.

Hosanna in the highest!

Blessed is the One who comes to abide in us.

Hosanna in the highest!

The minister continues…Holy are you, God of wisdom and thanksgiving…we speak of that faith which is a mystery:

All: Christ died, that we might live through him;

Christ was raised, that he might live through you;

Christ will come, that all might live through eternity

with you.

The minister continues…Gracious God, you have prepared this Table for us…As our Savior Christ has taught us, we are bold to pray:

All: 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 debts, as we forgive our debtors; and

lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.

BREAKING THE BREAD

COMMUNION OF THE PEOPLE (with special music)

God Sends Us Out

One: Go now, in the love of our God.

All: We will live for others through our God.

One: Go now, in the grace of Jesus.

All: We will forgive others, just as we have been forgiven.

One: Go now, in the community of the Spirit.

All: We will serve others in every need, in every place, in

every heart.

GOING FORTH IN GOD’S NAME

* HYMN Purple Hymnal #136 Go, Tell It on the Mountain

* INVITATION

* CHARGE

* BENEDICTION

POSTLUDE

Scriptures for Sunday, May 2

Acts 8:26-40

Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch

²⁶An angel from the Lord spoke to Philip, “At noon, take the road that leads from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a desert road.) ²⁷So he did. Meanwhile, an Ethiopian man was on his way home from Jerusalem, where he had come to worship. He was a eunuch and an official responsible for the entire treasury of Candace. (Candace is the title

given to the Ethiopian queen.) ²⁸He was reading the prophet Isaiah

while sitting in his carriage. ²⁹The Spirit told Philip, “Approach this carriage and stay with it.”

³⁰Running up to the carriage, Philip heard the man reading the

prophet Isaiah. He asked, “Do you really understand what you

are reading?”

³¹The man replied, “Without someone to guide me, how could I?” Then he invited Philip to climb up and sit with him. ³²This was the passage of scripture he was reading:

Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter
    and like a lamb before its shearer is silent
    so he didn’t open his mouth.
³³In his humiliation justice was taken away from him.
    Who can tell the story of his descendants
        because his life was taken from the earth?

³⁴The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, about whom does the prophet say this? Is he talking about himself or someone else?” ³⁵Starting with that passage, Philip proclaimed the good news about Jesus to him. ³⁶As they went down the road, they came to some water.

The eunuch said, “Look! Water! What would keep me from being baptized?” ³⁸He ordered that the carriage halt. Both Philip and the eunuch went down to the water, where Philip baptized him. ³⁹When they came up out of the water, the Lord’s Spirit suddenly took Philip away. The eunuch never saw him again but went on his way rejoicing. ⁴⁰Philip found himself in Azotus. He traveled through that area, preaching the good news in all the cities until he reached Caesarea.

1 John 4:7-21 – New International Version (NIV)

God’s Love and Ours

⁷Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. ⁹This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. ¹⁰This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. ¹¹Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹²No one has ever seen

God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

¹³This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. ¹⁴And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. ¹⁵If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. ¹⁶And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. ¹⁷This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. ¹⁸There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

¹⁹We love because he first loved us. ²⁰Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. ²¹And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.

John 15:1-8

I am the true vine

15¹“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vineyard keeper. ²He removes any of my branches that don’t produce fruit, and he trims any branch that produces fruit so that it will produce even more fruit. ³You are already trimmed because of the word I have spoken to you. ⁴Remain in me, and I will remain in you. A branch can’t produce fruit by itself, but must remain in the vine. Likewise, you can’t produce fruit unless you remain in me. ⁵I am the vine;

you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, then you will produce much fruit. Without me, you can’t do anything. ⁶If you don’t remain in me, you will be like a branch that is thrown out and dries up. Those branches are gathered up, thrown into a fire, and burned. ⁷If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. ⁸My Father is glorified when you produce much fruit and in this way prove that you are my disciples.

Friday, April 23, 2021

Worship online and in the sanctuary April 25th

Worship this Sunday will be in the Sanctuary or on Zoom (link below)! The Scriptures and bulletin for Sunday are in the comments.