Worship at Home for October 18, 2020
Due to the spread of Covid-19, we are taking a sabbatical from our normal Sunday morning gathering, but unity and community are more important than ever before in this season of uncertainty. To help facilitate this, we are providing an online service so that, one in heart, we can worship together even as we maintain distance out of love for our neighbors. This is designed to be used on your own or together as a family or community. We hope this resource is a blessing to you. Remember to check in on friends and neighbors with calls or text, especially the elderly among us and others who are particularly vulnerable. You can also check out the services from 3/15, 3/22, 3/29, 4/5, 4/12, 4/19, 4/26, 5/3, 5/10, 5/17, 5/24, 5/31, 6/7, 6/14, 6/21, 6/28, 7/5, 7/12, 7/19, 7/26, 8/2, 8/9. 8/16, 8/23, 8/31, 9/6, 9/13, 9/20, 9/27, 10/4, and 10/11.
Opening Songs
Centering Song
Call to Worship
Leader: We are God's work of art—each one of us a precious gem, a marvelous melody, a potter's delight.
People: We are God's handiwork--woven together in love, shaped with infinite compassion, painted with incredible beauty.
Leader: We are the church of Jesus Christ--diverse in human qualities, but united in our call to love God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, and our neighbor as ourselves.
People: We are the Body of Christ—living in his truth, sharing his peace, carrying his hope, embodying his love, in the world he loved so much.
Leader: We are here to be reminded once more who we are and what our lives are about.
People: We are here to be lifted, renewed, and empowered to live out the miracle of who we are, by the power of God working among us.
Leader: Together let us worship the living God.
All: Let us open ourselves to God, who makes all things new!
Hymns of Adoration
Seeking the Shalom of the City
ANTIRACIST ADJUSTMENT FOR THE WEEK OF 10/18/2020
“What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God” Micah 6:8
Our “whiteness culture” has its roots in control--the control of indigenous peoples and their land and of the bodies of stolen African peoples. Over time, whiteness has sought to control the right to vote, where money is allocated, the neighborhoods where people can buy houses, what schools can be attended, the criteria for citizenship, and anyone or anything that is perceived to be a threat to its dominance. It seeks to control the feared elements in society so that there is no discomfort or unpredictability.
In her book “White Fragility” Robin DiAngelo explores the feelings of racial discomfort that arise for white people during antiracist education when it requires anything that is inconvenient or uncomfortable. When feelings of discomfort arise, the individual perceives the situation as being unsafe and becomes defensive, withdrawn or flees the encounter. Building the racial stamina required to challenge the status quo is thus a critical part of the work for white people. Racial discomfort is inherent to an authentic examination of whiteness. By avoiding this discomfort the status quo is protected.
So how does one get comfortable with discomfort especially when that discomfort is pushing all our fear buttons? I believe the Bible offers some guidance on fear, and that Jesus many times counseled his followers to “fear not for I am with you”. The reality is that we cannot control everything, and that we can control our intentions, responses and where we are placing our attention. In her book “Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening”, Episcopal priest and theologian Cynthia Bourgeault provides a guide to this contemplative prayer practice which strengthens our surrender muscle. Our intention during this practice is to willingly consent to the presence and action of God within us. In our designated time with the Divine, when thoughts arise you simply release the thought and bring yourself back into alignment with your original intention which was to maintain that bare, formless openness to God. It is meditation based entirely on return, ten thousand times if necessary. Practicing the release of control of our thoughts during this time of silence builds our capacity to release our need to control the world around us.
Daily morning intention:
Open my heart Loving Presence so that I may feel your Divine guidance to greater awareness of racial inequity and to my antiracist role this day.
(submitted by Pat Deeney, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Trenton NJ, pjdeeney@hotmail.com)
Call to Confession and Reconciliation
Merciful God, we offer you our lives, full as they are of shadow and light, of kindness and apathy, of hope and despair. Take what is broken and mend it; take what is wrong and right it; take what is destructive and disable it; take what is useless and make it useful. Heal our sin, we pray. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon
Friends, let us proclaim the Good News: In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven! Let us go out into the world as people made new by God.
All: Amen!
Prayer for Illumination
Scripture Reading by
Princeton Theological Seminary Intern Lexi Aligarbes
Sermon by Pastor Karen
Hymn of Response
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father in heaven
Hallowed be Your name
Your kingdom come
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven
Give us today our daily bread
And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever
Amen.
Offering
Even as we are unable to gather for our Sunday morning worship services, many of the church’s expenses remain the same, and now more than ever we want to have the resources to bless the community around us. Your gracious donation will ensure that Westminster continues to Seek the Shalom of the Capital City of Trenton and beyond.
Westminster can receive donations via a simple text:
Text to 609-438-8828 the word “Give”
Westminster’s online giving number will respond asking how much you’d like to give, and steps to follow
Westminster can receive donations online:
Westminster can receive donations by check:
Westminster Presbyterian Church
PO Box 3719
Trenton, NJ 08629
Prayer of Dedication
Jesus, we hear your voice calling us
To love
To serve
To give
These gifts are our response to your call
Keep our hearts and ears open to continue to listen
Today and every day
Amen
Closing Song
Benediction
The Lord be with you
And also with you
La paz de Dios sea con-ti-go
Y tam-bien con-ti-go
Sa-wa-bona
Si-ko-na
Pyeong-hwa
Pyeong-hwa