METROPOLITAN INTERDENOMINATIONAL CHURCH. CELEBRATING 35 YEARS OF UNCONDITIONAL LOVE SUNDAY, April 24, 2016 FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

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1 METROPOLITAN INTERDENOMINATIONAL CHURCH CELEBRATING 35 YEARS OF UNCONDITIONAL LOVE SUNDAY, April 24, 2016 FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER PREPARATION The Pastor s entrance and the beginning of the musical prelude are the calls to silent, personal preparation for the worship of God. THE GATHERING We are standing on Holy ground, And I know that there are angels all around. Let us praise Jesus now, We are standing in God s presence on Holy ground. LITANY Leader: Behold, our God is Alpha: People: The Beginning, the Genesis, the End of the Old, the Start of the New: Let our God be praised! Leader: Behold, our God is Birth: People: The Womb, the Labor, the First Breath taken, the Cry of New Lungs: Let our God be glorified! Leader: Behold, our God is Youth: People: The Test, the Growing, the Desire for Freedom, the Need for Restraint: Let our God be praised! Leader: Behold, our God is Age: People: The Walk, the Changing, the Wisdom of the Past, the Hope for the Future: Let our God be glorified! Leader: Behold, our God is Death: People: The Letting Go, the Brilliant Light, the Departure from One World, the Destination of the Next: Let our god be praised! Leader: Behold, our God is Omega: People: The End, the Revelation, the Beginning of the New, the Finish of the Old: Let our God be glorified!

2 OPENING HYMN Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee Joyful, joyful, we adore thee, God of glory, Lord of love; Hearts unfold like flowers before thee, Opening to the sun above. Melt the clouds of sin and sadness, Drive the dark of doubt away; Giver of immortal gladness, Fill us with the light of day. All thy works with joy surround thee, Earth and heaven reflect thy rays, Stars and angels sing around thee, Center of unbroken praise. Field and forest, vale and mountain, Flowery meadow, flashing sea, Chanting bird and flowing fountain, Call us to rejoice in thee. Thou art giving and forgiving, Ever blessing, ever blest, Wellspring of the joy of living, Ocean depth of happy rest! Thou our Father, Christ our Brother, All who live in love are thine; Teach us how to love each other, Lift us to the joy divine. Mortals, join the happy chorus Which the morning stars began; Father love is reigning o er us, Brother love binds man to man. Ever singing, march we onward, Victors in the midst of strife, Joyful music leads us sunward In the triumph song of life. Amen. SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM Joya Lee Burrell WELCOME Visitors standing If you are here for the first time, we are delighted that you came. If you are dropping in for a second or third visit, we are glad you found something you were looking for. We hope you will be challenged by our worship and that you will come back again. If you are looking for a faith community, we would welcome you as a part of our church family. When you are officially welcomed as a visitor, you will receive a Visitor s Information Card. Please fill it out, and return it to the Pastor, or place it in the offering plate. WELCOME! CONCERNS OF CHURCH AND CITY D. Billye Sanders OFFERTORY For all things come from You, and of Your own we have given You. 1 Chronicles 29:14 Your tithes and gifts help us: Pay the mortgage, utilities (heat, air, water, and telephone), maintenance, and security for the Metropolitan Meeting House, Provide free pastoral counseling (spiritual, marital, grief, etc.) services to members of our congregation, Fund the programs of the First Response Center, where we serve more than 700 people living with HIV/AIDS, and other at-risk persons, Pay for the personnel and operating costs of our ministries, Provide educational materials and resources to assist in the spiritual growth and development of our community, Maintain meeting space for our ministries, including Girl Scouts, various recovery/support groups, and many other community events, Fund our annual Anniversary and Homecoming celebrations, and Give emergency assistance to members of the congregation and the community through our benevolence fund. Every gift of your time, talent and treasure makes a vital difference in the life and ministries of Metropolitan Interdenominational Church. Thank you.

3 SONGS OF PRAISE The Voices of Metropolitan Reginald Green, Minister of Music DOXOLOGY Praise God from whom all blessings flow, Praise God all creatures here below Praise God above ye heavenly host: Creator, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen. PROCLAMATION THE WORD John 13:31-35 CHORAL RESPONSE Harry Emerson Fosdick Grant us wisdom, Grant us courage, For the living of these days, For the living of these days. PREPARATORY PERIOD MESSAGE THE SENIOR SERVANT HOW S YOUR LOVE LIFE? 31 When he had gone out, Jesus said, Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. 32 If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. 33 Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, Where I am going, you cannot come. 34 I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. John 13:31-35 SERMON NOTES RESPONSE Please do not leave the sanctuary or in any other manner create a distraction during the invitational period. This is a moment of unparalleled importance. MOMENTS OF REFLECTION Voices of Metropolitan

4 INVITATION TO LIFE IN CHRIST This church will welcome into its membership any persons who love and accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, and who promise to live according to His Laws of Love, recognizing all people as brothers and sisters for whom He gave His life. THE LORD S SUPPER Communion Prayer We do not presume to come to this, Thy table, O merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in Thy manifold and great mercies. We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs from under Thy table. But Thou art the same Lord whose property is always to have mercy. Grant us, therefore, gracious Lord, so to partake of this sacrament of Thy Son, Jesus Christ, that we may walk in newness of life and grow to reflect Thy Spirit in all things forevermore. Amen. (We will eat and drink together after all have been served.) FELLOWSHIP CIRCLE We ve come too far to turn back now; By the grace of God we re gonna make it somehow. Nobody knows the trouble we ve seen; We ve come too far to turn back now. HE PRAYED FOR HIS FRIENDS In the final chapters in the Book of Job there appears a very searching sentence introduced into the drama by the author. The sentence: God turned the captivity of Job when he prayed for his friends. He is suggesting that God was unable to find a resting place in the heart, in the life of Job, until he, Job, altered fundamentally his attitude toward his friends. There seems to be a special rancor reserved for friends when disaffection arises. It seems simple, sometimes, to deal charitably with those who may be regarded as enemies. There is something rather flattering and condescending about extending grace to one who is beyond the pale. To pray for one s enemies can be a very superior role. But to pray for one s friends that is another matter. Always there is the implication that one s friends should know better than to behave as they have done. It is hard to forgive one s friends for error in relationships, because each error is regarded as betrayal. Job s experience is instructive. (From Concerning the Disciplines of the Spirit, For the Inward Journey, pp ) Howard Thurman METROPOLITAN INTERDENOMINATIONAL CHURCH th Avenue North, Nashville, TN Mailing Address: P.O. Box , Nashville, TN Phone: (615) 72METRO ( ) Fax: (615) website: Rev. Edwin C. Sanders, II, The Senior Servant Pastoral Staff: Rev. John Cross, Rev. Marcella Lockhart, Rev. Clifford Smith, Rev. Christopher Davis, Rev. Terry Terrell, Rev. Mary Jo Smiley, Rev. Regina McCrary, Rev. Neely Williams, Rev. Stephanie Thompson, Rev. Cherie Booker, Rev. Christopher Goodwin

5 UPCOMING EVENTS MIDWEEK FELLOWSHIP: Wednesday, April 27, 2016 at 6:00 p.m. Dinner by Circle 6; Bible Study 7:00 8:00, Classes for Adults and Children Financial Freedom/Entrepreneurship Seminar Series meets Saturday mornings, 9:00 11:00, at the First Response Center, th Avenue North, Nashville Call: REACH 2020 Nashville Mobile Market: Fresh Fruit & Vegetables Fridays, 9:00 10:30 a.m. at MetroCenter Teachers Apartments (Teachers Tower) May 7, 2016 Ecclesiastical Council Meeting, 2:30 4:30 p.m. METRO Scholars Recognition, Sunday morning, June 12, 2016 Registration forms are available on the board in the vestibule. Please submit a completed a form for each scholar by June 5 th. Friday evening Dancercise, 7 pm // Voices of Metropolitan Rehearsal, Saturday, 12 2 pm Saturday Evening Worship, 6 7 pm; Second Saturdays: The Voices of Metropolitan Support Metropolitan while you shop. Register your Kroger Plus card with Kroger s Community Rewards program, and shop Amazon through Smile.Amazon.com BIBLE READINGS Read Pray Sacrifice Sixth Sunday of Easter April 25 May 1, 2016 Acts 16:9-15 Psalm 67 Revelation 21:10, 22-22:5 John 14:23-29 ~ Giving Summary ~ Date Offering - Budgeted Offering - Actual Offering (Un)Realized Summary (Un)Realized January, 2016 $ 28, $ 21, ($ 7,182.00) ($ 7,182.00) February, 2016 $ 23, $ 22, ($ ) ($ 7,725.90) March, 2016 $ 23, $ 27, $ 4, ($ 3,278.67) April 3, 2016 $ 5, $ 5, ($ ) April 10, 2016 $ 5, $ 6, $ April 10, 2016 $ 5, $ 7, $ 1, April, 2016 $ 17, $ 18, $ 1, Year to Date $ 92, $ 90, ($ 1,701.34) ($ 1,701.34) SICK, SHUT IN, and RECOVERING MEMBERS Leon McKinley Corder 1902 Elliott Avenue; Nashville, TN Send prayers, not visitors, please. Ella Louise Gant 908 Cannon Street; Nashville, TN Lynda Hodgers P.O. Box 54; Guys, TN Evelyn Martin 3253 Spears Road; Nashville, TN Connie Ryans 1703 Pecan Street; Nashville, TN Rev. Mary Jo Smiley Rm #200, Creekside Rehab. Center, 306 West Due West Ave, Madison TN Ernestine Williams 2712 Vista Lane; Nashville, TN Mary Grace Williams 293 Becklea Drive; Madison, TN Emmilye Wilson-Walton P.O. Box 78795; Nashville, TN MIDWEEK FELLOWSHIP MEAL SCHEDULE May 4 Circle 7 May 25 Circle 3 May 11 Circle 1 June 1 Circle 4 May 18 Circle 2 June 8 Circle 5

6 METROPOLITAN INTERDENOMINATIONAL CHURCH CELEBRATING 35 YEARS OF UNCONDITIONAL LOVE Sunday, April 24, 2016, 2016 FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER Metropolitan Interdenominational Church is a community of believers inclusive of all and alienating to none, leading the way to spiritual growth by sharing God s love with the world. THE LAW I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. John 13:34 THE LAW is generally looked upon with an eye of suspicion by people whose lives have been framed by experiences of systematic oppression. THE LAW becomes synonymous with The Man, which is a common way of referring to those persons who think of themselves as being commissioned to maintain the status quo as it relates to the marginalized. Thus, law enforcers and lawmakers are seen as suspect by those who most desperately need justice. The contradiction is glaring, but when you look at the new commandment, in John 13:34-35, we get some insight into that which perpetuates the world s problem regarding THE LAW. The difference between man-made law and Jesus pronouncement of God s law is that God s law is grounded in personally demonstrated love. He is not giving us a law that he sees himself as being above; Jesus is clearly talking about us doing what he has done. God s laws of love are at the heart of who we see ourselves being at Metropolitan as we profess to be a radically inclusive congregation. When THE LAW is God s law, as Jesus manifested in the flesh, we can celebrate it as the writer does in Psalm 119: 1-16 and move beyond our reservations. We must come to a place in our lives where the love we have for one another is the evidence of THE LAW. (Reprinted from Sunday, April 28, 2013) -Senior Servant