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Opening Prayer
Gracious and ever-present God, you meet us in our wondering, in our uncertainty, and in those quiet places where our hearts feel unsettled. You do not leave us to navigate life on our own. In Christ, you draw near — making yourself known, preparing a place for us, and inviting us into a life of belonging and grace. As we enter this time of worship, open our hearts to your presence. Give us the courage to trust beyond what we can see, to follow even when the way is not clear, and to rest in the assurance that we are never alone. Form us into a community shaped by your love—a place where grace is practiced, where lives are embraced, and where others may come to know that they, too, belong. We pray all this in the name of Christ, who is our way, our truth, and our life. Amen.
Opening Hymn
“Standing on the Promises”
UMH #374
based on Ephesians 6:14-17
Message in Music
“Meditation”
arr. Cathy Moklebust
Bell Choir
Holy Communion
Invitation to the Table
Christ our Lord invites to his table all who love him, who earnestly repent of their sin, and seek to live in peace with one another. On this Fifth Sunday of Easter, we come not as those who have arrived, but as those still on the way— seeking a place, seeking direction, seeking life.
And Christ meets us here, saying: “Do not let your hearts be troubled… I am the way, and the truth, and the life.”
So come.
Not because you are strong,
but because Christ is faithful.
Not because you are certain,
but because Christ is present.
Not because you belong already,
but because in Christ—you are being brought home.
Confession and Pardon
Let us confess our sin before God and one another.
Merciful God,
we confess that our hearts are often troubled.
We seek security in what cannot hold us.
We doubt your presence when the way is unclear.
We forget that in Christ, you have already prepared a place for us.
Forgive us.
Heal what is restless within us.
Re-center our lives in your grace,
so that we may trust your way, your truth, and your life.
In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven.
In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven. Glory to God. Amen.
THE GREAT THANKSGIVING
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
It is right, and a good and joyful thing…
always and everywhere to give thanks to you,
God of Abraham and Sarah,
God of the way forward when the path is unclear,
God who prepares a place for us in Christ.
In Jesus Christ you have shown us the way—
not a map to follow from a distance,
but a life to be lived in communion with you.
Through Christ, you draw us near,
you prepare a place for us,
and you call us into a future filled with hope.
And so, with your people on earth and all the company of heaven,
we praise your name and join their unending hymn:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest. (UM Hymnal p. 17, Musical Setting A)
Words of Institution
On the night in which he gave himself up for us,
Jesus took bread, gave thanks to you, broke the bread,
gave it to his disciples, and said:
“Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you.
Do this in remembrance of me.”
When the supper was over, he took the cup,
gave thanks to you, gave it to his disciples, and said:
“Drink from this, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant,
poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.
Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
And so, in remembrance of these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ,
we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving
as a holy and living sacrifice, in union with Christ’s offering for us.
Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again. (UM Hymnal 18)
Prayer of Consecration
Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here, and on these gifts of bread and cup. Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ, so that we may be for the world the body of Christ, redeemed by his love. By your Spirit, make us one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world— until Christ comes in final victory,
and we feast at his heavenly banquet. Through your Son Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit in your holy Church, all honor and glory is yours, almighty Father, now and forever.
Amen. (UM Hymnal 18)
The Lord’s Prayer
And now, with the confidence of children of God, let us pray:
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.
Breaking the Bread
Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. The bread which we break is a sharing in the body of Christ.The cup over which we give thanks is a sharing in the blood of Christ.
Invitation to Communion
The table of Christ is prepared.
Come, for where Christ is—there you belong.
Prayer after Communion
Gracious God, we thank you for this holy mystery in which you have given yourself to us. You have fed us with grace, you have reminded us of our belonging, and you have strengthened us for the journey. Now send us into the world as those who know the way, trust the truth, and live the life of Christ. May our lives become signs of your hospitality – open doors for the stranger, gentle words for the weary, and hope for those who feel lost. For where Christ is, there we belong. And where we go, Christ goes with us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
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