Festival of Homiletics San Antonio 2017 Imathiu Worship Service Thursday, May 18, 2017 11:00 AM Travis Park UMC Prelude Welcome Gathering Song 1. Guide me, O thou great Jehovah, pilgrim through this barren land. I am weak, but thou art mighty; hold me with thy powerful hand. Bread of heaven, bread of heaven, feed me till I want no more; feed me till I want no more. Joshua Sommerville Words from Dawn M. Hand Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah UMH #127 2. Open now the crystal fountain, whence the healing stream doth flow; let the fire and cloudy pillar lead me all my journey through. Strong deliverer, strong deliverer, be thou still my strength and shield; be thou still my strength and shield. 3. When I tread the verge of Jordan, bid my anxious fears subside; death of death and hell's destruction, land me safe on Canaan's side. Songs of praises, songs of praises, I will ever give to thee; I will ever give to thee. Psalter Response #2 - Psalm 16:5-11 UMH #748 The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; I have a glorious heritage.
I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; even at night my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me; The Lord is at my right hand; I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body also rests secure. For you do not give me up to Sheol, or let your faithful one see the Pit. You show me the path of life. in your presence, there is fullness of joy, in your right hand are pleasures forevermore. The Lord s Prayer Holy God 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, for ever and ever. Gospel Reading Sermon John 4 (selected verses) Border Scandal
The Immigrants Creed by Jose Luis Casal, General Missioner I believe in Almighty God, who guided the people in exile and in exodus, the God of Joseph in Egypt and Daniel in Babylon, the god of foreigners and immigrants. I believe in Jesus Christ, a displaced Galilean, who was born away from his people and his home, who fled his country with his parents when his life was in danger, and returning to his own country suffered the oppression of the tyrant Pontius Pilate, the servant of a foreign power, who then was persecuted, beaten, and finally tortured, accused and condemned to death unjustly. But on the third day, this scorned Jesus rose from the dead, not as a foreigner but to offer us citizenship in heaven. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the eternal immigrant from God's kingdom among us, who speaks all languages, lives in all countries, and reunites all races. I believe that the church is the secure home for the foreigner and for all believers who constitute it, who speak the same language and have the same purpose. I believe that the Communion of the Saints begins when we accept the diversity of the saints. I believe in the forgiveness, which makes us all equal, and in the reconciliation, which identifies us more than does race, language or nationality. I believe that in the Resurrection God will unite us as one people in which all are distinct and all are alike at the same time. Beyond this world, I believe in Life Eternal in which no one will be an immigrant but all will be citizens of God's kingdom, which will never end. Amen. Prayer One Voice: Many Voices: Let us pray together. Gracious and compassionate God, source of love and light, we humbly come to you knowing that at times
we have damaged our sisters and brothers. We have spoken untruths that cut deep to the core of the soul. We have intentionally or unintentionally joined in mocking our neighbors customs and traditions. Forgive us we pray. Make us to know that your love and light shines in and around every border allowing this global world to be connected. Fill us afresh and anew with an abundance of your love and light that we may embrace the richness of all humanity. Holy God, help us to draw strength and love from each other. Seal our heart in yours and make us one. Through the grace of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen. Sending Song 1. Help us accept each other as Christ accepted us; teach us as sister, brother, each person to embrace. Be present, Lord, among us and bring us to believe we are ourselves accepted and meant to love and live. Help Us Accept Each Other UMH #560 2. Teach us, O Lord, your lessons, as in our daily life we struggle to be human and search for hope and faith. Teach us to care for people, for all not just for some, to love them as we find them or as they may become. 3. Let your acceptance change us, so that we may be moved in living situations to do the truth in love; to practice your acceptance until we know by heart the table of forgiveness and laughter's healing art. 4. Lord, for today's encounters with all who are in need, who hunger for acceptance, for righteousness and bread, we need new eyes for seeing, new hands for holding on: renew us with your Spirit; Lord, free us, make us one! Blessing/Thanksgiving of the Word Benediction/Closing Prayer Dawn M. Hand Dismissal Postlude Joshua Sommerville
Liturgist: Dawn M. Hand Preacher: Musicians: Joshua Sommerville Music: All rights reserved. Reprinted under OneLicense: New license # E - 803626