“I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” June 20, 2021 9:30 Worship Fourth Sunday of Pentecost Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church “Participating in God’s mission of life” 7104 - 39th Avenue Kenosha, WI 53142 We are a Reconciling in Christ Congregation (All are welcome here) Email: [email protected] Phone 262-694-5050 The mission of God is life. Hope replaces despair. Faith replaces fear. Life replaces death. How are you participating in God’s mission of life? WELCOME AM: Welcome and good morning to you. Trinity is a Reconciling in Christ congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. We welcome and affirm all persons into the life of our faith community and extend a special welcome to those watching who are new to our faith community. We invite you to explore our ministries by visiting our website at trinitykenosha.org, or contacting Pastor Tom by email at [email protected]. For those present in the sanctuary, you are invited to speak the responses, stand as directed, and hum to the music but please refrain from singing. Welcome to worship. GATHERING SONG ♫ Thine The Amen ……………………………………… Hymn 826 Thine the amen thine the praise alleluias angels raise Thine the everlasting head thine the breaking of the bread Thine the glory thine the story thine the harvest then the cup Thine the vineyard then the cup is lifted up, lifted up. Thine the life eternally, thine the promise let there be Thine the vision thine the tree, all the earth on bended knee. Gone the nailing, gone the railing, gone the pleading, goe the cry. Gone the sighing, gone the dying, what was loss lifted high. Thine the truly, thine the yes, thine the table we the guest. Thine the mercy all from thee, thine the glory yet to be Then the ringing and the singing, then the end of all the war Thine the living, thine the loving, evermore, evermore. Thine the kingdom, thine the prize, thine the wonder full surprise Thine the banquet then the praise, then the justice of thy ways. Thine the glory, thine the story, then the welcome to the least Then the wonder all increasing, at thy feast, at thy feast. Thine the glory in the night, no more dying only light. Thine the river thine the tree, then the Lamb eternally, Then the holy, holy, holy, celebration jubilee. Thine the splendor, thine the brightness, only thee, only thee. A Confessional Litany and Lament Commemorating Nine Who Were Slain at Mother Emanuel AME Church They were doing what we are called to as they engaged in bible study. It was Wednesday night— a stranger walked in, and these people welcomed him and prayed together: the Rev. Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, Cynthia Marie Graham Hurd, Susie Jackson, Ethel Lee Lance, the Rev. DePayne Middleton-Doctor, Tywanza Kibwe Diop Sanders, the Rev. Daniel Lee Simmons, the Rev. Myra Singleton Quarles Thompson, and the honorable state senator and pastor of the church, the Rev. Clementa C. Pinckney. This stranger wanted to ignite a “race war,” he said, after he shot and killed them, denying them the very humanity he claimed for himself, claiming rights and privileges associated with “whiteness.” Now we are grieved, once again in pain, burning and anguished, lamenting the horror of evil unleashed. And so we cry out, All: Have mercy, O God, have mercy on us. Sorrow and heartache have come to us. Death and mourning have visited us. We feel far from you, O God, and distant from one another. And so we cry out, All: Have mercy, O God, have mercy on us. Evil besets us in our land. We acknowledge that our nation is socialized in ways that promote and normalize colonialization. We cry out against the horrors and agonies of racism. And so we cry out, All: Have mercy, O God, have mercy on us. The privileged of our nation have benefited from practices that dehumanize indigenous peoples. We have claimed as “discovery” lands that were not ours. These lands have been stolen and the nations, that were the original occupants of these lands, slain. And so we cry out, All: Have mercy, O God, have mercy on us. Tribalism has led to the denial of your presence, O God. Present generations, the children whose ancestors were kidnapped and sold into slavery, those forced to labor not on their own behalf, still suffer and struggle to live in freedom while the children of colonizers, live out of “white privilege,” denying the fullness of your presence in all people. And so we cry out, All: Have mercy, O God, have mercy on us. Assaults born of greed and murder continue propping up white privilege that is institutionalized in our church and nation, preventing us from recognizing the twin evils of racism and nationalism still perpetuated among us. And so we cry out, All: Have mercy, O God, have mercy on us. Open our eyes, O God, open our hearts. Open our ears, O God, open our minds. Help us to behold one another as you behold us. Help us to be more firmly rooted in the practices of the gospel—so that, when we pray, the way we live will make real the dream of your beloved community within and among us. And so we cry out, All: Have mercy, O God, have mercy on us. With the help of your mercy and grace, lead us to think, believe, and change. May your gospel’s transforming power by the working of the Holy Spirit be present in us, in our churches, in our nation and all the nations of the earth. May it be so. And the people said, “Amen.” All: Amen. PRAYER OF THE DAY AM: Let us pray together the Prayer of the Day. Loving Shepherd, C: ...We rely on you for everything we need. It is a gift that we cannot have it all or do it alone. For that, we offer thanks. Amen. WORD AM: Let us pray... Gracious God, we do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from you. Bless Linda Dubaniewicz, who will read to us the scripture. Make us hunger for the Word of life, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. L: Through the proclaimed word of God, the Holy Spirit moves to instill and deepen faith. A reading from 2 Corinthians. (2 Corinthians 3:1-12) 3 Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Surely we do not need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you or from you, do we? 2 You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all; 3 and you show that you are a letter of Christ, prepared by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. 4 Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are competent of ourselves to claim anything as coming from us; our competence is from God, 6 who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of letter but of spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 7 Now if the ministry of death, chiseled in letters on stone tablets, came in glory so that the people of Israel could not gaze at Moses’ face because of the glory of his face, a glory now set aside, 8 how much more will the ministry of the Spirit come in glory? 9 For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, much more does the ministry of justification abound in glory! 10 Indeed, what once had glory has lost its glory because of the greater glory; 11 for if what was set aside came through glory, much more has the permanent come in glory! 12 Since, then, we have such a hope, we act with great boldness. L: Word of God, word of life. C: Thanks be to God. GOSPEL ACCLAMATION L: The Gospel Acclamation welcomes the gospel and prepares our hearts to hear the good news of Jesus Christ. ♫ (Setting 10 Gospel Acclamation) Alleluia! Lord and Savior: open now your saving word. Let it burn like fire within us; speak until our hearts are stirred. Alleluia! Lord, we sing for the good news that you bring. A reading from the gospel of John (John 11:21-37) 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.” 28 When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, and told her privately, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” 29 And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him.