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Like a River of Tears

MVU 98

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Like a river of tears, your love pours upon us, like a sunshine of blessing your grace will sustain us: like a star studded sky your spirit shines o’er us, renewing our spirits with courage and faith.

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Like a pillar of cloud, you promise to guide us; like a bright fiery bush you come to speak to us, like a calm cooling breeze your spirit breathes in us, renewing our spirits with loving embrace.

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Like a lover’s caress your spirit revives us, like a song of the soul you come to be with us, like a prayer of the heart you heal and restore us, renewing our spirits, the future to face.

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How wondrous! A new heaven and a new earth! The old, bruised and angered, fearful and alienated, will pass away.

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In its place God will offer new hope and peace.God will dwell with God’s people forevermore.

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Worship the Lord who is about to do a new thing. Praise God who establishes God’s reign in the heart of God’s people!

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We Praise You, O GodVU 218

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We praise you, O God our Redeemer, Creator; in grateful devotion our tribute we bring. We lay it before you; we kneel and adore you; we bless your holy name, glad praises we sing.

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We worship you, God of our mothers and fathers, through trial and tempest, companion and guide. When perils o’ertakeus, you will not foresake us, but faithful to your promise, you walk by our side.

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With voices united our praises we offer and gladly our songs of thanksgiving we raise. Our sins now confessing, we pray for your blessing, to you, our great Redeemer, forever be praise!

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O God, we thank you for your promise to be with us. We’re thankful that you meet us in this community. We come to get back in touch with who we are as your people.

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We come to ask for your continued presence with us. We come to renew our promises to love one another as you love us. Amen.

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When Judas had gone Jesus said:

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'Now has the Promised One been glorified, and in this One, God has been glorified. 'If God has been found glorified in me, I will in turn be glorified in God's own glory and very soon.

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'My friends, I shall not be with you much longer. You will look for me, and, as I told the Jews, where I am going, you cannot come.

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‘I give you a new commandment: love one another; just as I have loved you, you also must love one another. 'By this love you have for one another, everyone will know that you are my disciples.’

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God of love, you love us with an unshakable love, and you send us to love each other with that same love. Let your love flow through us to others, and help us to receive the love that comes to us from them.

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Let your love flow through to all who are in need of healing. Let your love flow through to all who feel alone. Let your love flow through to all who are afraid.

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Let your love flow through to all who weep. Let your love flow through to all who despair. God of love, let your love flow through us. Amen.

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Now let the heavens be joyful, let earth its song begin, the round world keep high triumph, and all that is therein; let all things seen and unseen their notes of gladness blend, for Christ indeed is risen, our Joy that has no end.

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O God, you teach us to love you with all our heart and to love our neighbour as we love ourselves. With this offering, help us to begin to show our love for you in lives of dedication and service. Amen.

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When a Poor OneVU 702

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When a poor one who has nothing shares with strangers, when the thirsty water give unto us all, when the wounded in their weakness strengthen others,

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then we know that God still goes that road with us, then we know that God still goes that road with us.

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When at last all those who suffer find their comfort, when they hope though even hope seems hopelessness, when we love though hate at times seems all around us,

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then we know that God still goes that road with us, then we know that God still goes that road with us.

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When our joy fills up our cut to overflowing, when our lips can speak no words other than true, when we know that love for simple things is better,

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then we know that God still goes that road with us, then we know that God still goes that road with us.

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When our homes are filled with goodness in abundance, when we learn how to make peace instead of war, when each stranger that we meet is called a neighbour,

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then we know that God still goes that road with us, then we know that God still goes that road with us.

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Jesus gave a new commandment: to love one another. Because Jesus loves us, we should love one another. Go forth to serve. Go forth to love. We go with God’s love and blessing.

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