Spotlighting our worship attendees
Any Announcements?
We are THRILLED to have the ability to worship in-person in the Theater Room with NEC residents! We will want to observe the following, in keeping with NEC guidelines:
- masking at all times, even when as the primary person speaking/singing
- keep socially distant – this is especially difficult for huggers who haven’t seen one another in quite a while. Hopefully soon enough we’ll be able to do that too!
Perhaps a moment of music as we begin?
MARILYN LEADS READING Psalm 22:25-31
From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will pay before those who fear him.
The poor shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the LORD. May your hearts live forever!
All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD; and all the families of the nations shall worship before him.
For dominion belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations.
To him, indeed, shall all who sleep in the earth bow down; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, and I shall live for him.
Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord,
and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn, saying that he has done it.
STEVE L. – leads us in a Prayer of Adoration
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SHERI READS – John 15:1-8
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower.
He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit.
You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you.
Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me.
I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.
Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.
If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.
LAURA – shares a Prayer of Confession
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STEVE V reads – 1 John 4:7-21
Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.
God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him.
In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another.
No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.
By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.
And we have seen and do testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world.
God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God.
So we have known and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.
Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world.
There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love.
We love because he first loved us.
Those who say, “I love God,” and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen.
The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.
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SHERI LEADS: any reflections we want to share based on these scripture readings, songs and prayers?
STEVE LEADS: Sharing of Joys & Concerns
- Confluence of pandemics (COVID-19, racial injustice, income inequality, climate);
- Continued prayers for Sheri, Kathy and their family as they celebrate Lyda’s life and grieve her passing…
- CONCERNS:
- continued prayers for Betsy and Janet
- JOYS:
Prayer – concluding with The Lord’s Prayer
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