8:00 am and 10:45 am Easter Sunday April 21, 2019 *You are welcome to stand as you are able. Congregational parts in bold. PRELUDE Todd A., Organist WELCOME Liturgists:8:00 am-jessie G., Pastoral Intern /10:45 am-allan L. Please take a moment to register your presence on the Fellowship Pad. You are asked to list each individual attending with you separately and all contact information. If you are visiting us this morning, WELCOME! We encourage you to let us know by raising your hand, when invited by the liturgist at the beginning of the service. We will bring you a visitor gift bag. In that bag, you will find a heart pin representing God's LOVE and information about the life and ministries of. Please come again soon! Everyone is welcome to check out our Events Pillar in the room just outside this sanctuary. Prayer cards are in the chair racks in the Sanctuary. If you have a specific prayer, joy or concern, you are invited to write it out and place the cards in the offering plate later in the service. INTROIT Resurrection Praise Altar Choir *CALL TO WORSHIP L: Sing the glad songs of victory; God is creating a day of newness and joy. P: God is our strength and our song; this is the day of our salvation. L: Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. P: The one who was rejected assures us: we are accepted and beloved by God. L: We are chosen by God as witnesses to good news. We will live and recount the deeds of our God. P: God reigns; let all nations and peoples rejoice. In Christ, all shall be made alive. Amen! Jessie G., Pastoral Intern *OPENING SONG Christ the Lord is Risen Today Red Hymnal pg. 302 *OPENING PRAYER Jessie G, Pastoral Intern With thanksgiving, praise, and joy, we worship you, marvelous God. How amazing is all your creation! How glorious is the day of new life! Come among us now, we pray, to raise us up from our fears and doubts and perplexity. We want to believe. We want to trust. We want to dare. We want to live. Touch us today with a spirit of hope, that our discipleship may honor Christ, in whose name we pray. A MESSAGE FOR EVERY AGE 10:45 am L: And Jesus Said... All: Let the Children come! Pastor Wendee Nitz SONG FROM THE PSALMS Psalm 118:14-29 Red Hymnal pg. 839-840 ANTHEM Darkness Into Light Altar Choir CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURE 1 Corinthians 15:19-26 Pew Bible pg. 176 New Testament GOSPEL READING Luke 24:1-12 Pew Bible pg. 90 L: A word for God s people New Testament P: Thanks be to God MESSAGE Risen Pastor Wendee Nitz SONG OF PRAYER Thine Be the Glory Red Hymnal pg. 308 SILENT PRAYER and PRAYERS FOR ONE VOICE Jessie George, Pastoral Intern THE LORD S PRAYER 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 sins*, as we forgive those who sin 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. (*may also say trespasses or debts)
SHARING OUR GIFTS Sunrise Resurrection Altar Choir *SONG OF PRAISE (sung) Red Hymnal pg. 94 Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; praise God, all creatures here below: Alleluia! Alleluia! Praise God, the source of all our gifts! Praise Jesus Christ, whose power uplifts! Praise the Spirit, Holy Spirit! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! April 21, 2019 *WE SAY THANK YOU TOGETHER Jessie G., Pastoral Intern Thank you, God, for resurrection. We rejoice in Christ as the first fruits of all that you make available to us. As you offered Christ to the world, so we would offer ourselves. May we, along with our gifts, testify to the good news of your forgiving love and empowering acceptance. *CLOSING SONG Christ is Alive Red Hymnal pg. 318 *A GOOD WORD AS WE GO OUT Pastor Wendee Nitz *POSTLUDE Todd A., Organist Resources: Gathered By Love, by Lavon Baylor, Windows into the Heart of God, Preston Parrish Phone: (414) 762-4600 / Email: office@occum.org or pastor@occumc.org Website: http://www.occumc.org / Newsletter Editor: office@occumc.org Find us on Facebook! facebook.com/occumc No matter where you are on your journey, ALL are welcome here. Mission Statement: is a Christian fellowship whose mission is to: worship God, love and serve all people, grow in faith and invite others to become disciples of Jesus Christ.
7:00 pm Good Friday April 19, 2019 *You are welcome to stand as you are able. Congregational parts in bold. PRELUDE Organist, Todd A. THE MEANING OF GOOD FRIDAY Pastor Wendee Nitz *CALL TO WORSHIP Liturgist: Robert L. L: We huddle together on this night of gloom and fear. Who can understand such a perversion of justice? P: Why does God seem so far away from our groaning? We cry out, but God does not hear or answer us. L: Why do people despise and reject Jesus of Nazareth? He announced and demonstrated God s inclusive love. P: Surely God could have prevented Jesus suffering. Why does God fail to intervene when we pray? L: Some say that Jesus was made perfect through suffering. They see the cross as a sign of obedience and true worship. P: How can we see any light in this anguish? What can it mean that Jesus was wounded for us? *OPENING SONG What Wondrous Love Is This Red Hymnal pg. 292 *OPENING PRAYER Puzzling God, how can we deal with a day that denies the love Jesus lived and proclaimed? We see the evil of Good Friday repeated again and again in the suffering of innocent people. How can you let this happen? How can we find your will amid all this pain and loss? Ho can we know you care when everything goes wrong? We need you now, but you seem to have forsaken us. You seem so far away, so silent. Do you feel our anguish? Do you suffer with us? Is it your tears that we feel welling up inside us? O God, let us know you are here. SONG FROM THE PSALMS Psalm 22:1-18, 25-31 Red Hymnal pg. 752-753 ANTHEM Jesus Obeyed Altar Choir CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURE Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9 Pew Bible pg. 220 New Testament SONG OF PRAYER Beneath the Cross of Jesus Red Hymnal pg. 297 CALL TO CONFESSION Isaiah wrote: All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned to our own way, and God has laid on him the iniquity of us all. The early church saw in Jesus one who was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities, as the prophet had proclaimed. We come now, seeking to turn away from the deeds and attitudes and omissions that keep us from the wholeness God intends for us. PRAYER OF CONFESSION O God, we see ourselves in the stories of this day. We see ourselves undisciplined in prayer, unable to stay awake to commune with you. We see ourselves reacting violently, as did Peter. We betray your trust in us and deny our commitment to you. We participate in the evil of Good Friday and the evil of our own day. This is not our intent, God. Save us from ourselves, we pray. SILENT MEDITATION WORD OF ASSURANCE AND FORGIVENESS God says to us: I will remember your sins no more. I will put my laws in your hearts and write them on your minds. Your consciences will be cleansed and your bodies washed with pure water. Hold fast to hope without wavering. God is faithful and opens up to us a new and living way through Christ. THE LORD S PRAYER 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 sins*, as we forgive those who sin 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. (*may also say trespasses or debts) ANTHEM What Man Is This? Altar Choir
DRAMATIC READING Gospel of John 18:1-19:42 Readers: Oliver C., Mike A., Ken E., Tim L., Doug C., Steve J-E., Liz I., Bonnie C., Michelle P., Jean B., Shelly S., Kathy B., Patti W., Jillian I., Lillian B., Judie P. April 19, 2019 *CLOSING SONG Were You There Red Hymnal pg. 288 Please leave the Sanctuary in silence. Resources: Gathered By Love, by Lavon Baylor, Windows into the Heart of God, Preston Parrish Phone: (414) 762-4600 / Email: office@occum.org or pastor@occumc.org Website: http://www.occumc.org / Newsletter Editor: office@occumc.org Find us on Facebook! facebook.com/occumc No matter where you are on your journey, ALL are welcome here. Mission Statement: is a Christian fellowship whose mission is to: worship God, love and serve all people, grow in faith and invite others to become disciples of Jesus Christ.
7:00 p.m. Holy Thursday April 18, 2019 *You are welcome to stand as you are able. Congregational parts in bold. CENTERING MUSIC Pianist, Shelly S. THE MEANING OF HOLY THURSDAY Pastor Wendee Nitz *CALL TO WORSHIP Liturgist: Robert L. L: This shall be a day of remembrance for you. P: We will pay our vows to God before all the people. L: This is a time for remembering the Last Supper. P: We have gathered to break bread and lift the cup of salvation together. L: We have been given the command, You shall love one another, as I have loved you. P: Tonight, we recommit with each other to seek to serve. *OPENING SONG Come, Sinners, to the Gospel Feast Red Hymnal pg. 339 *OPENING PRAYER On this night, O God, you link us with sisters and brothers who celebrate the Passover, even as we remember an upper-room gathering that began a new observance. We thank you that on the night of his betrayal, Jesus took a loaf of bread and when he had given thanks, broke it and said, This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me. Similarly, he declared a new covenant in the gift of the cup of the Spirit and directed us to drink, remembering his death. Take us back to that room that we may know Christ s presence and be transformed in this hour. SONG FROM THE PSALMS Psalm 116: 1-10 Red Hymnal pg. 837-838 CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURE 1 Corinthians 13 Pew Bible pg. 175 New Testament GOSPEL READING John 13:1-17, 31b-35 Pew Bible pg. 107 L: A word for God s people New Testament P: Thanks be to God MESSAGE The Love of the Servant Pastor Wendee Nitz SONG OF PRAYER Come and Find the Quiet Center Black Hymnal pg. 2128 CALL TO CONFESSION Come, all who have resisted help from another out of pride or desire for independence. We cannot be Christian alone. We are dependent on God. We are in debt to Christ, who humbly washed the disciples feet, then broke bread with them to announce his impending death. PRAYER OF CONFESSION We cannot deserve the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, made on our behalf. We have resisted the servant role as beneath our dignity. We do not care to wash feet. Why should we stoop down before people who may deny and betray us? O God, we confess under the shadow of the cross that our faith wavers before threat, and our love is limited by self interest. We want to serve without sacrifice or inconvenience. We need forgiveness and the courage to love by those higher values that Jesus represents. SILENT MEDITATION ASSURANCE OF FORGIVENESS God hears our voices and listens to our supplications. Our spiritual ancestors found relief from the plagues in Egypt and freedom from bondage when they cried out to the living God. So, too, those who seek to know and serve God today are offered the cup of salvation. It overflows with love that enables us to love one another. THE LORD S PRAYER 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 sins*, as we forgive those who sin 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. (*may also say trespasses or debts) SERVICE OF COMMUNION +The Invitation + The Instructions + The Blessing+
SHARING OF THE BREAD AND CUP All who love the Lord and desire to be in relationship with their neighbors are welcome at the Lord s table. If you brought an offering/tithe to share with God through the ministries of this congregation, please place your gift in the basket on your table. Communion tonight will be offered at the front table in settings of twelve people. Please return to your chair following being served to be in prayer. April 18, 2019 COMMUNION SONG *SONG OF PRAISE (sung) Red Hymnal pg. 94 Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; praise God, all creatures here below: Alleluia! Alleluia! Praise God, the source of all our gifts! Praise Jesus Christ, whose power uplifts! Praise the Spirit, Holy Spirit! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! *WE SAY THANK YOU TOGETHER We celebrate the love we only dimly comprehend your love for us, O God, in Jesus Christ. We have vowed to serve you, to minister to one another in Christ s name, and to pass on the love we have received. Remembering the upper room, we consecrate this offering and rededicate ourselves to the ministries you set before your servant people *CLOSING SONG How Firm a Foundation Red Hymnal pg. 529 *A GOOD WORD AS WE GO OUT Pastor Wendee Nitz *CLOSING MUSIC Resources: Gathered By Love, by Lavon Baylor, Windows into the Heart of God, Preston Parrish Phone: (414) 762-4600 / Email: office@occum.org or pastor@occumc.org Website: http://www.occumc.org / Newsletter Editor: office@occumc.org Find us on Facebook! facebook.com/occumc No matter where you are on your journey, ALL are welcome here. Mission Statement: is a Christian fellowship whose mission is to: worship God, love and serve all people, grow in faith and invite others to become disciples of Jesus Christ.