Virtual Worship – May 24, 2020

The Service For The Lord’s Day MEMORIAL DAY / THE 7TH SUNDAY OF EASTER

MAY 24, 2020 WHENEVER “If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don’t have to worry about the answers.”

… Thomas Pynchon

Video Prelude “Oh, the Deep Love of Jesus”

Piano Prelude, Lighting of the Candles Welcome and Announcements

Call to Worship We gather to worship the God who inhabits our world and indwells our lives.

We need not look up to heaven to find God, We only need to look around; within ourselves, beyond ourselves, into the eyes of another.

We need not listen for distant thunder to hear God, We need only listen to the music of life, the words of children, the questions of the curious or the rhythm of our own heartbeats.

We worship the God who inhabits our world and indwells our lives. Amen.

* Hymn # 150 “Come, Christians, Join to Sing”

* Praise Song “Shout To the Lord”

My Jesus, my Savior, Lord, there is none like you; All of my days I want to praise the wonders of your mighty love. My comfort, my shelter, tower of refuge and strength; Let ev’ry breath, all that I am, never cease to worship you. Shout to the Lord, all the earth, let us sing, power and majesty, praise to the king; Mountains bow down and the seas will roar at the sound of your name. I sing for joy at the work of your hands, forever I’ll love you, forever I’ll stand; Nothing compares to the promise I have in you. (Repeat all) Nothing compares to the promise I have in you.

Prayer of Confession (unison prayer) God of compassion, we bow before you with troubled and confused hearts. We have not been as loving as you call us to be. We have been far too critical of others and far too easy on ourselves. We spend far too much time doing things and not enough on building your kingdom. We take both our families and our friends too much for granted. For all our failings, we ask you to forgive us; fill us afresh with your redeeming love. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon

* Response # 579 “Gloria Patri”

* Sharing the Peace of Christ May the Peace of Christ be with you. And also with you.

(If you are worshiping with family this morning, share the peace of Christ with them; If this reminds you of someone you might need to reach out to, make a note to send them an email or text and share Christ’s peace that way.)

A Memorial Day Tribute to Our Honored Dead

Prayers of the People and 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 debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

Offering our Gifts and Ourselves to God During the offertory, please take a moment to be intentional about your financial support. You can make an offering to either church online or by sending a check. The online giving tabs are at the top right of each website.)

Video Offertory “Nearer My God To Thee” * Response # 592 “Doxology” * Prayer of Dedication

Old Testament Reading: Psalm 68: 4 – 10 (last page) New Testament Reading: Acts 1: 6 – 14 (last page)

Sermon: “Asking the Wrong Question Always Misses the Point” Rev. Sellers

* Affirmation of Faith (from A Brief Statement of Faith) We trust in God the Holy Spirit, everywhere the giver and renewer of life. In a broken and fearful world the Spirit gives us courage to pray without ceasing, to witness among all peoples to Christ as Lord and Savior, to unmask idolatries in church and culture, to hear the voices of peoples long silenced, and to work with others for justice, freedom, and peace. Amen.

* Hymn # 142 “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name” * Charge and Benediction * Postlude * Video Postlude “Bring Him Home”

(Italic words are spoken by the leader; Bold words are spoken by everyone.)

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: “If I had an hour to solve a problem and my life depended on that solution, I would spend the first 55 minutes determining the proper questions to ask. Then – and ONLY then – would I know where to look for the answers that matter.”

… Albert Einstein

”Are our churches rowboat churches or sailboat churches? Rowboat churches depend largely on human effort. When church budgets shrink and membership declines, rowboat churches frantically row harder against a current, often frustrated and disappointed at their efforts. Sailboat churches, on the other hand, take up the oars, hoist sails and rely on the Holy Spirit to guide them. Perhaps a time like this is a reminder – an encouragement – to shift our concern from the many daily concerns we’ve always been preoccupied with and focus instead on fresh ideas that can be found using the guidance of the Holy Spirit.”

… Joan S. Gray, Moderator of the 217th General Assembly “Back in the days of the American West, there used to be three classes of tickets on the old stagecoaches. The ride was equally bumpy and dusty no matter which ticket you held; the real value of the ticket emerged when the stagecoach got stuck. If you held a first-class ticket, it was your privilege to remain in the coach, while the crew labored to push it out of the ditch. If you held a second-class ticket, you were expected to step down from the coach and stand off to the side. If it was a third-class ticket you held in your hand, you had to get out, roll up your sleeves and push. Except for those who are young, disabled or needing the community’s special care, there aren’t any tickets in the church but third-class tickets. Everyone is expected to work, and use their talents to advance the mission of Jesus Christ. There’s no standing around, looking up toward heaven.”

… Al Polito, Jr.

Christ and Mulberry Prayer Concerns – May 24th, 2020 (Updated as of Saturday, May 23rd)

Continue to pray for everyone all over the world suffering from COVID-19. For the safety of all who continue to work in jobs that put them at risk. For those who are making bad decisions and ignoring safety measures. Pray for our state leaders as they make decisions about reopening areas of our

lives and society. Pray for wisdom and courage that Governor Cooper and his staff continue to monitor the situation.

Pray for your own doctors and their staffs as they put themselves at risk to help you stay healthy.

Pray that the families who have lost loved ones know the peace and comfort of God.

That all people who have contracted COVID-19 recover fully and quickly. Pray for those who, for whatever reasons, use this crisis to act out in outrageous,

dangerous and immature ways. Pray that deniers, price-gougers, and others taking advantage of the current

situation realize that their unwise choices and assumptions put not only themselves at risk but everyone they come into contact with.

Pray for Linda Carpenter (CPC member) for her eye and the plans being made with a retina specialist.

Pray for a 4-year-old little girl named Sofie (A friend of Judy Seller’s brother-in-law): She has been in the hospital in Bonn, Germany since April 1st and had 3 surgeries for a spinal problem.

Pray for those out of work and struggling to make ends meet financially. Pray for Sylvester Barbee’s God Mother, who has end-stage cancer. Pray for Lewis West, who had a fall and has ruptured a vertebra. Continue praying for those in assisted living or nursing homes who can’t have visitors,

like Maggie Thrower, Lillian Williamson, Louise Carter, Lorraine Smith, Lorenzo Conyers.

Pray for Keith Bigham (Deborah Ray’s husband) with some current health concerns. Bill Thomason (MPC member): Pray for Bill’s eyesight and his back pain. Bill saw a

cornea specialist this past Wednesday. Pray for several couples who have had to indefinitely postpone weddings originally

scheduled for this coming week. Pray for Derek Kildow (Phil Egel’s grand-nephew): In Saudi Arabia with the Air Force Susan Kinley (Linda Sadler’s friend): Under hospice care.

Pray for: All the Churches in our Presbytery as they seek ways to faithfully respond to

the current situation just as we are. Pray for our Presbytery staff as they seek to lead and serve all of us through this ever changing situation.

The SW Charlotte SDA Church and their ministry and partnership with

Mulberry. Pray for them as the Covid-19 pandemic is affecting their congregation as much as it is all others.

The students and staff of the Lorien Academy of the Arts, as they decide if

having their summer camp program at Christ is possible.

The students and staff of the Creative Player Foundation as they work to plan the resumption of their program and negotiate a new contract with Christ.

MULBERRY STAFF CONTACT INFORMATION

Christ Staff Contact Information

Pastor: Rev. Rodger Sellers rpsellers@gmail.com 704-796-3117

Admin: Tina Emmons tinaemmons@ymail.com

Music Dir: Brandon Cook kbrandco@aol.com 704-941-9400

Announcements and Notes FREE FIREWOOD AT MULBERRY: There is still some free oak firewood for the taking

over at Mulberry on the front lawn. Another tree is scheduled to be cut so if you have a wood stove or fireplace, there will be more for the taking soon.

WEEKLY “ZOOM IN” CATCH UP: The Wednesday “Zoom Ins” continue 6 PM every week No agenda other than checking in with one another and making sure everyone is safe, well, and coping with our current separation. If you need assistance setting up Zoom, send us an email. (You can call into a Zoom meeting, but be aware that it is a toll – NOT free – call.)

ONLINE GIVING: Both church websites now have the online giving portals up and running. Click either the “Online Giving” page or the link at the top of the right sidebar to go to the online giving portal. You can open an account for convenience or make a one-time offering without an account. All contributions are given the option of “rounding up” to cover the processing cost of using the online portal.

WEBSITE UPDATES / CHRISTIAN EDUCATION: The weekly “Devotionals to Go” are now on both websites each week. On the MPC website, look for the “Devotionals to Go” sub-menu item under the “News” menu; on CPC’s the “Devotionals to Go” is a main menu item.

THE PC(USA) GENERAL ASSEMBLY: Keep all our denomination’s leader’s in your prayers as they continue to plan and prepare for next month’s General Assembly. For the first time in our history, this meeting

will be held entirely online on June 19th, 26th – 27th. We’ll be posting more news as it approaches.

SERVICE NOTES: Memorial Day Tribute: Today’s video tribute to all our departed members, family and friends who were veterans includes the service hymns from all five branches of the United States military, along with “America the Beautiful.” It lists all the known service members from Mulberry, Christ, Wilmore and Camp Greene Churches superimposed on images of the Mulberry cemetery, the Camp Greene monument on the Christ Church property, the USS Arizona memorial, the Marine Corps memorial and the tomb of the unknown soldier in Arlington National Cemetery. Today’s Video Prelude, Oh, The Deep Love of Jesus”: This 19th century hymn written by Samuel Trevor Francis is sung by the Russian singer / songwriter Simon Khorolskiy, who now lives in Washington State. He is accompanied by the noted violinist Katie Gayduchik in this song that was recorded on the Pacific Northwest Coast.

Today’s Video Offertory, “Nearer My God to Thee”: Is from the men’s chorus at Brigham Young University, known as “BYU Vocal Point.” These young men are the outgrowth of a 25 year legacy from the group formed in 1991 by two students at BYU, Dave Boyce and Bob Ahlander. Like the woman’s group “Noteworthy,” this a cappella group is known all over the U.S. for their distinctive sound and tremendous musical talent.

Today’s Video Postlude, “Bring Him Home”: In the spirit of what every person who has ever served in the military knows and understands, today’s postlude is the iconic song from the musical Les Misérables, “Bring Him Home,” performed by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra featuring the noted tenor Dallyn Bayles.

Psalm 68: 4 – 10: 4 Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him who rides upon

the clouds – his name is the LORD – be exultant before him. 5 Father of orphans and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. 6 God gives the desolate a home to live in; he leads out the prisoners to

prosperity, but the rebellious live in a parched land. 7 O God, when you went out before your people, when you marched through

the wilderness, 8 the earth quaked, the heavens poured down rain at the presence of God, the

God of Sinai, at the presence of God, the God of Israel. 9 Rain in abundance, O God, you showered abroad; you restored your

heritage when it languished; 10 your flock found a dwelling in it; in your goodness, O God, you provided for

the needy. Acts 1: 6 – 14: 6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 9 When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. 11 They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” 12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day’s journey away. 13 When they had entered the city, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying, Peter, and John, and James, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 14 All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers.