• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

United Church of Christ Eighth Sunday After Pentecost July 26, 2020 Zoom Worship Pharaoh by A Sanctified Art WE GATHER TO WORSHIP GOD PRELUDE Go Down, Moses arr. Anthony Giamanco WELCOME & ANNOUCEMENTS Rev. Todd Atkins-Whitley 1 CALL TO WORSHIP Jack Stickler Listen. I have a story to tell— A story of a God who longed for justice. A story of a God who pushed back the waters to make dry land. A story of a God who would not take “no” for an answer when it came to the safety of God’s own. For God’s people were suffering. God’s people were crying out. God’s people were shackled and bound by oppression. So God said to Moses, “Speak.” “Let my people Go.” And Moses spoke— Over and over again. Moses stood up for justice, But over and over again, Pharaoh said no. Power said no. The path to justice is never easy, is it? The path to change is never a straight line, is it? So like Rosa, who sat on the bus, and Martin who had a dream, Moses kept trying. God kept speaking. Moses kept listening. Hope kept breathing. And when power tried to unravel justice, the people kept dreaming. God longed for justice. God still longs for justice. So let us worship God— For human injustice will never be strong enough to unravel God’s dream that all might be free, And all might know love. Let us worship holy God. PRAYER OF CONFESSION Rev. Mariah Callison One: God, you have asked us to be like Moses— Standing up for your people, standing up for justice. All: But too often we are like Pharaoh— Holding onto power, or holding onto privilege. One: God, you ask us to be like Aaron— Who stood by his brother to unravel systems of oppression. All: But too often we align with Pharaoh— Saying “no” to change and unraveling your vision for justice and peace. One: Forgive us for all the ways we stand on the wrong side of history. All: Forgive us for the harm we do to your planet, and for the harm we do to your children. One: Help us to be like Moses. All: Forgive us when we’re like Pharaoh. Amen. PASSING OF THE PEACE One: Peace be with you. All: And also with you. One: Let us greet one another with waves and smiles and pass the peace of Christ using the chat feature. 2 OPENING HYMN TIME WITH CHILDREN Kim Michaud & Karen Kawaguchi SCRIPTURE LESSON Exodus 5:1–2; 7:8–23 Piper Stickler SERMON When Humans Unravel God’s Plan for Justice Pastor Todd 3 ANTHEM Go Down, Moses Michael Tippett Genesis Sixteen; Harry Christophers, director See Worship Notes, page 5. Go down, Moses, way down in Egypt land; Tell old Pharaoh, to let my people go. When Israel was in Egypt's land, (Let my people go) Oppressed so hard they could not stand. (Let my people go) "Thus spake the Lord," bold Moses said, (Let my people go) "If not, I'll smite your first-born dead.” (Let my people go) Go down, Moses, way down in Egypt land; Tell old Pharaoh, to let my people go. TIME OF PRAYER Rev. Mariah Sharing our Joys and Concerns (Email your requests to Pastor Eric or type them in the chat window.) All: Hear our prayer Pastoral Prayer The Lord’s Prayer (using these words or the words most familiar to you) Our Loving God, who is in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your 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 yours is the kingdom, and the power and the glory, forever. Amen. TIME OF GIVING Jim & Shii Stickler Invitation to Giving During this time of virtual worship, we invite you to give online via our web site and clicking “Donate” in the upper right of the screen. Offertory Go Down, Moses African-American Spiritual Gospel for Teens (director unlisted) Doxology Praise God from whom all blessings flow; Praise God, all creatures here below; Praise God above, ye heavenly host; Creator, Christ and Holy Ghost. Amen Offertory Prayer CLOSING HYMN Woyaya See Worship Notes, page 5. We are going, heaven knows where we are going, But we’ll know we’re there And we will get there, heaven knows how we will get there, But know we will. It will be hard we know And the road will be muddy and rough, But we’ll get there, heaven knows how we will get there, But We know we will. Woyaya, woyaya, woyaya, woyaya, woyaya, woyaya, woyaya, woyaya BENEDICTION Pastor Todd POSTLUDE Go Down, Moses Bradley Sowash 4 Worship Notes This summer, we will dive deep into this topic Unraveled: Seeking God When Our Plans Fall Apart. We will explore nine different stories found in scripture about unraveled shame, identity, fear, grief, dreams, and expectations. These are stories where God meets us in the unraveling—the loss of control—and creates something new. We hope you will join us this summer. The African American spiritual Go Down, Moses dates from before the Civil War and is said to have been sung by abolitionists to signal escape or rebellion. Like many other spirituals, “Go Down, Moses” includes a forceful indictment of the entire system of slavery. It was originally published as O! Let My People Go.” Though it is generally thought of as a spiritual, it was first recorded as sheet music after having been heard as a rallying cry for the ex-slaves at Fort Monroe in Virginia. The original sheet music, available at the Library of Congress website, has the year 1861 handwritten on the front, and on the fifth page informs that “This Song has been sung for about nine years by the Slaves of Virginia.”It was published in the Jubilee Songs (1872), made popular by the Jubilee Singers of Fisk University in their concert tours. Known by its refrain line, "Go down, Moses," the spiritual was also published in J. B. T. Marsh’s The Story of the Jubilee Singers with their Songs (1876). “When Israel Was in Egypt's Land” originally had twenty-four stanzas of which the Psalter Hymnal (as well as other modern hymnals) include four narrative stanzas and one stanza of application. Commenting on the spiritual’s message, John Lovell, Jr., writes: “Go Down, Moses does not employ the undercurrent symbolism of Steal Away to Jesus and other such poems. Only a very obtuse listener can miss its point. It says flatly that Moses freed these Egyptian slaves boldly and justly because slavery is wrong. It clearly projects the principles of this experience to all the world: wherever men are held in bondage, they must and shall be freed. The “Let my people go!” refrain is thunderous. It does not argue economic, sociological, historical, and racial points….It wastes no words and moves relentlessly toward its goal of filling every listener with a pervasive contempt for oppression and a resounding enthusiasm for freedom.” (from Black Song, 1972, pp. 326-327). [This hymn] is a prayer to God for freedom for all who are oppressed, a petition for liberation in Christ. The version by the UK’s Genesis Sixteen, a group of 18–23 year olds participating in a program designed to nuture the next generation of talented ensemble singers, was performed live in 2013, conducted by Harry Christophers and Eamonn Dougan. The version by Gospel for Teens, a two-time Emmy award winning Gospel youth ensemble and arts education program in Harlem featuring youth between ages 13 and 19, was performed at their spring concert and aired on 60 Minutes in 2011 as a part of Lesley Stahl’s segment titled How ‘Gospel for Teens’ is Saving the Music. Frequently heard in work camps throughout central West Africa in the 1970s and 1980s, Woyaya—which means “we keep going” in a Ghanaian language called Ga—was written by Annie Masembe from Uganda and composed by seven musicians from the Afro-pop band Osibisa. The original line-up consisted of Teddy Osei, Mac Tontoh, and Sol Amarfio (all three from Ghana), plus Loughty Lassisi Amao from Nigeria, Robert Bailey from Trinidad, Spartacus R from Grenada, and Wendell Richardson from Antigua. Together they were also known as “the beautiful seven.” Woyaya was recorded by Sweet Honey in the Rock and was also covered by Art Garfunkel on his debut solo album. 5 Announcements If you would like to submit a prayer concern or joy for next Sunday’s Zoom Worship, please email it to Pastor Eric at [email protected]. To keep up-to-date on news and announcements during this time of social distancing, please read your email from DCC thoroughly! All communication related to church news and events will be communicated via email! Visitor Info Session: Thursday, July 30 On Thursday, July 30, at 7:00 p.m. DCC will host a virtual “Visitor Information Session” via Zoom for anyone who is new to the church and interested in learning more about the DCC community and membership at DCC. Within the DCC community, we have three groups of people that make up our community • visitors • friends of DCC (regular attendees) • members The difference between those who are friends of DCC and members can be summed up in one word: commitment. In our individual lives, we commit ourselves to a lease or mortgage; we commit to complete a training program; we commit to a lifelong partner; we commit to a contract.

Load more

  9

Copy Link