Trinity Sunday
142 N. 4th. Street, Coshocton, OH 43812
Pastor Karen Crawford
Liturgists: Jeff, Janice and Lukas Sycks
Musicians: Alice Hoover and Mark Wagner
Prelude: Near to the Heart of God, Mark Wagner, Piano
Greeting/Announcements: Pastor Karen
Choral Introit: Let There Be Peace On Earth
In 1955, Jill Jackson-Miller wrote the lyrics for “Let There Be Peace on Earth” while her husband, Sy Miller, wrote the melody. The song was introduced at a California retreat to a group of young people who were from a wide variety of religious, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. The young people had come together for a weeklong experience devoted to developing friendship and understanding through education, discussion and working together. The song’s focus on peace and God made it easy to cross many boundaries.
Sy Miller wrote about the effect of the song: “One summer evening in 1955, a group of 180 teenagers of all races and religions, meeting at a workshop high in the California mountains locked arms, formed a circle and sang a song of peace. They felt that singing the song, with its simple basic sentiment—‘Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me’—helped to create a climate for world peace and understanding.
“When they came down from the mountain, these inspired young people brought the song with them and started sharing it. And, as though on wings, ‘Let There Be Peace on Earth’ began an amazing journey around the globe. It traveled first, of course, with the young campers back to their homes and schools, churches and clubs.”
Miller noted that the song was then shared in all 50 states at school graduations, PTA meetings, holiday gatherings, celebrations of Brotherhood Week, Veterans Day, Human Rights Day and United Nations Day. Kiwanis clubs sang it, as well as 4-H clubs, United Auto Workers, the American Legion, the B’nai B’rith and the Congress of Racial Equality “
Opening Sentences/Gathering Prayer
Mighty Wind, who danced over the deep and surveyed the shapeless void,
dance over us now and ready us for your creative purpose.
Divine Word, who commanded unruly chaos and called forth light and life,
call to us now and open us to new expressions of grace.
Eternal Artist, who formed us in your likeness and claimed us as kin,
Re-form and refine us to be bearers of your blessing.
Holy Trinity—Creator, Christ, Spirit—who gathered the primeval waters,
gather us in, then send us out, our voices echoing creation’s song:
How majestic is your name in all the earth!
Hymn: Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty
Call to Confession/Prayer of Confession and Assurance of Pardon
Lord Jesus, you send us to make disciples of all nations, but we focus our energies inward and shy away from sharing the good news in word and deed. You charge us to teach your commandments, but we struggle to obey them and neglect to model them for others. You assure us of your abiding presence, but we doubt this promise and disregard your Spirit, denying the power you give us to do your work. Forgive us, Lord, and renew us to be the church you created us to be. Wash us with your grace and commission us for service in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Hymn 132 Come, Great God of All the Ages by Mary Jackson Cathey, Alice Hoover, Organ
Come, great God of all the ages,
Make Your earthly mission known;
Speak through every deed and person,
Let Your way and will be shown.
Guide the church to true commitment,
Give direction now, we ask;
Fit us for the work of building,
Dedicate us to the task.
Come, Christ Jesus, flesh and spirit,
Sure foundation, cornerstone,
Help us form the church eternal,
May Your vision be our own.
Send a message to each follower,
Lead all people to Your way;
Urge us to strong faith and action
As we build the church today.
Come, great Spirit, in and with us,
Tune our ears to hear Your call;
Through the moving of Your presence.
Let redeeming love recall
Ministry in dedication,
Love embodied in our deeds;
Challenge us to do Your bidding,
See Your purpose, fill all needs.
Come, O come, in celebration,
Household of the one true God.
In commitment and rejoicing
Let us go where Christ has trod;
As we act in faith and reverence.
Let us, Lord, the future see;
Place us in the church triumphant,
Now and for eternity.
Mary Jackson Cathey (b. 1926) was born in Florence, SC, and educated at Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC. She received an advanced degree from Union Seminary – Presbyterian School of Christian Education in Richmond. As a Christian Educator she finds hymn text writing a profound way to express her faith. She has four hymns in The Presbyterian Hymnal (1990) and others published by Selah Press, Choristers Guild, and Zimbel Press. She is an elder at the National Presbyterian Church in Washington, DC. –www.hopepublishing.com
Time with Children: Who Is My Neighbor?
Praise Song: Children of God by Monica Scott
Prayer for Illumination and 2 Cor. 13:11-13
This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Matthew 28:16-20: Pastor Karen
This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ!
Message Let Us Break Bread Together
Hymn: Let Us Break Bread Together
Affirmation of Faith: Adapted from the Confession of 1967, 9.07
Jesus Christ is God with humankind. He is the eternal Son of the Father, who became human and lived among us to fulfill the work of reconciliation. He is present in the church by the power of the Holy Spirit to continue and complete his mission. This work of God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is the foundation of all confessional statements about God, humanity, and the world. Therefore, the church calls all people to be reconciled to God and to one another.
Invitation to Offering/Pastor Karen
Offertory: Come, Live in the Light
Prayer of Thanksgiving/Dedication
God of unending gifts, we praise you for your abundant goodness. As you are generous, we want to be generous too. May the gifts we bring extend your generosity into the world, so that all people may be made whole by your goodness and grace. Amen.
Invitation to the Table/Great Thanksgiving Prayer/Lord’s Prayer/Communion/Prayer After Communion
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.
Hymn 241 Behold the Goodness of Our Lord by Fred R. Anderson, Alice Hoover, Organ
Behold the goodness of our Lord,
how blest it is to be
a company of God’s beloved,
in holy unity.
Like precious oil upon the head,
a healing for our strife,
it flows throughout our common bond,
refreshing all of life.
As dew on Zion’s mountaintop
brings freshness to its door,
our Lord commands this in our midst
and brings life evermore.
Charge and Blessing
Choral Response: The Lord Bless You and Keep You, arr. by John Rutter
Postlude: Fughetta No. 5 George Frederic Handel, Alice Hoover, Organ
Sharing God's Love and Grace 