Plymouth Church Shares the Worship of God

May 24, 2020 11:00 AM The Seventh Sunday of Easter plymouthchurch.org/sunday-worship

Learning our story means learning the larger story of revelation, of God and God’s movement in history. Then it means hearing the smaller story of ourselves, of God’s movement in our own personal history. —William Bausch Lift your hearts. We lift them to the Lord.

Introit When Stephen, Full of Power and Grace Irish Melody Nathan Rodriguez, soloist When Stephen, full of power and grace, went forth throughout the land, he bore no shield before his face, no weapon in his hand. But only in his heart a flame and on his lips a sword wherewith he smote and overcame the foemen of the Lord. When Stephen preached against the laws and by those laws was tried, he had no friend to plead his cause, no spokesman at his side. But only in his heart a flame and in his eyes a light wherewith God’s daybreak to proclaim and rend the veils of night.

Call to Worship Julia Rassmann Leader: God is in our midst, forming us to be God’s own people. All: Though the way may be difficult, God will be with us. Leader: We need not fear.

Bold: spoken or sung as a community All: In God we will take refuge. God is our strength. Leader: Come to God, who will surround you with kindness. All: God, open our hearts and spirits so that we may faithfully serve you. Hymn of Praise I Love Your Church, O God Invocation and Lord’s Prayer 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 trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

Reading from the Psalter Psalm 100 Brett Younger Leader: Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. All: Worship the Lord with gladness. Come into God’s presence with singing. Leader: Know that the Lord is God. It is God that made us, and we are God’s. We are God’s people, and the sheep of God’s pasture. All: Enter God’s gates with thanksgiving, and God’s courts with praise. Give thanks to God. Bless God’s name. Leader: For the Lord is good. God’s steadfast love endures forever, and God’s faithfulness to all generations.

Epistle Reading 1 Peter 2:2-10 Erica Cooper Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation—if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in scripture: “See, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” To you then who believe, he is precious; but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the very head of the corner,” and “A stone that makes them stumble, and a rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Congregational Call to Confession Were you there when he rose up from the dead? Were you there when he rose up from the dead? Oh! Sometimes I feel like shouting glory, glory, glory. Were you there when he rose up from the dead? Litany on Confession Leader: God of love and patience, be with us. All: We are anxious and stressed. Leader: We bring our concerns to you, and you offer healing mercies. All: We confess that we have not thought that much about you this week. Leader: We have let demands crowd you out of our thoughts and actions. All: We seek your forgiveness for our blindness and apathy. Leader: Let us confess our sins to God. In these moments, we go to God in prayer, confessing our sins so that we may take hold of the forgiveness God gives.

Prayer of Confession

Words of Assurance Even though we are stubborn people, God loves and forgives us.

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 of the Peace

Life of the Church

Children’s Sermon

Hymn of Hope The Day of Resurrection The day of resurrection! Earth, tell it out abroad the Passover of gladness, the Passover of God. From death to life eternal, from sin’s dominion free, our Christ has brought us over with hymns of victory.

Gospel Reading Matthew 13:31-33 Jesus put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.”

Prayers of the People

Invitation to Offering As resurrected people, let us offer ourselves and our gifts to God. We invite you to give online by clicking below or going to PlymouthChurch.org/GIVE Set up your online gift here >>

Offertory Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen arr. Harry Burleigh Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen. Nobody knows but Jesus. Glory, Hallelujah. Sometimes I’m up, sometimes I’m down, oh, yes Lord. Sometimes I’m almost to the ground, oh yes, Lord. If you get there before I do, oh yes Lord. Tell all my friends, I’m coming too, oh yes Lord.

Easter Doxology Old Hundredth Your name we bless, O risen Lord, and sing today with one accord. The life laid down, the life restored, Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.

Offertory Prayer

New Testament Lesson Acts 6:8-7:3, 7:51-60 Stephen, full of grace and power, did great wonders and signs among the people. Then some of those who belonged to the Freed (as it was called), Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and others of those from Cilicia and Asia, stood up and argued with Stephen. But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke. Then they secretly instigated some men to say, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” They stirred up the people as well as the elders and the scribes. Then they suddenly confronted Stephen, seized him, and brought him before the council. They set up false witnesses who said, “This man never stops saying things against this holy place and the law. For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses handed on to us.” And all who sat in the council looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel. Then the high priest asked him, “Are these things so?” And Stephen replied: “Friends, listen to me. The God of glory appeared to our ancestor Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, and said to him, ‘Leave your country and your relatives and go to the land that I will show you.’ . . . . “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you are forever opposing the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors used to do. Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute? They killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, and now you have become his betrayers and murderers. You are the ones that received the law as ordained by angels, and yet you have not kept it.” When they heard these things, they became enraged and ground their teeth at Stephen. But filled with the Holy Spirit, he gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. “Look,” he said, “I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” But they covered their ears, and with a loud shout all rushed together against him. Then they dragged him out of the city and began to stone him; and the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. While they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he died. For the Word of God in scripture, For the Word of God within us, For the Word of God around us, Thanks be to God. Hymn on the Church God of Life

Sermon “God’s Story, Our Story”

Hymn of Response Rise Up, O Saints of God! Benediction

Postlude Toccata in F Dietrich Buxtehude What a long memory we acquire, what panoramas open, what a knowing hope presides over our lives! What deep water we wade in! What a great and rambling house we live in, with our father, ancient Abraham; with Christ, the first-born brother; with mothers and sisters of every faithless, faithful age. —Mary Luti *** Stay connected to Plymouth Church by subscribing to our eNews. To learn more about Plymouth’s Community Care Ministry, book club, youth group Zoom gatherings, children and family resources, and ways to give, please visit: plymouthchurch.org. Our annual meeting will be held online on Sunday, June 14, at 1:00.