Welcome and Announcements
Introit: “My Eyes for Beauty Pine,” Herbert Howells
My eyes for beauty pine, My soul for Goddes grace,
No other care nor hope is mine, To heaven I turn my face.
One splendour thence is shed from all the stars above:
‘Tis named when God’s name is said, ‘Tis Love, ’tis heavenly Love.
And every gentle heart that burns with true desire,
Is lit from eyes that mirror part of that celestial fire.
Robert Bridges
Call to Worship: Psalm 116
I love the Lord, because God has heard my voice and my supplications.
Because God has inclined God’s ear to us, we will call on God as long as we live.
What shall we render to the Lord for all of God’s bounty to us?
We will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord.
LET US WORSHIP GOD.
Hymn: “Let Us Build a House,” 301, vs. 1-2, 5
Prayer of the Day
Prayer of Confession
Holy God, You send us to proclaim the good news of Your kingdom to all who are lost, all who are afflicted, all who are captive, and all who have been cast out. But we are content to proclaim the in-breaking of Your kingdom within familiar communities where we know others will receive the news with nods of agreement. Uncertain and filled with foreboding for our safety in public, we keep the ministry of comfort to ourselves. Push us beyond what is comfortable and safe, and strengthen us for lives of compassionate service, even when virtual connection remains our safest outlet, that we might be the laborers You call us to be. AMEN.
Assurance of Pardon and Commitment to Pass the Peace
Moment for the Poor People’s Campaign, Pam Howe
Prayer for Illumination
God of redemption, summon us to joy, wonder, and hope through the word and work of the good Shepherd, Jesus. AMEN.
Time for Children, Jenny Newman
Psalm Reading: Psalm 13
1 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I bear pain[a] in my soul,
and have sorrow in my heart all day long?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?
3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God!
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death,
4 and my enemy will say, “I have prevailed”;
my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.
5 But I trusted in your steadfast love;
my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
6 I will sing to the Lord,
because he has dealt bountifully with me.
Sermon: “How Long?” Rev. Vincent Kolb
Hymn: “My Soul Cries Out,” 100
Affirmation of Faith: Confession of 1967, 9.32-33
The life, death, resurrection, and promised coming of Jesus Christ has set the pattern for the church’s mission. His human life involves the church in the common life of all people. His service to human beings commits the church to work for every form of human well-being. His suffering makes the church sensitive to all human suffering so that it sees the face of Jesus Christ in the faces of persons in every kind of need. His crucifixion discloses to the church God’s judgment on the inhumanity that marks human relations, and the awful consequences of the church’s own complicity in injustice. In the power of the risen Christ and the hope of his coming, the church sees the promise of God’s renewal of human life in society and of God’s victory over all wrong. The church follows this pattern in the form of its own life, and in the method of its action. So to live and serve is to confess Jesus as Lord.
Pastoral Prayer, Rev. Ken White
The Lord’s Prayer, 2019 Vatican Update
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;
do not let us fall into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power
and the glory forever. Amen.
Anthem: “Prayer of Jean Racine,” Gabriel Faure
O divine Word above, our hope and consolation,
Eternal light of the heavens and the earth;
Our voices greet the morning,
Look down, O Lord, and hear thy people’s prayer.
Inspire us, Lord, we pray, With the power of thy Spirit,
That hell may flee before thy mighty word.
From slumber waken us, our weary souls reviving,
That we may never forget all thy laws!
Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on thy congregation
Now gathered here in the sight of thy throne;
Receive the hymns they offer to thy eternal glory;
Renewed by thy gifts may they go forth in peace.
translation by John Rutter
Benediction
Announcements
We are an open and affirming community of faith in Jesus Christ. At home in an urban neighborhood of many faiths, we acknowledge that we are not alone on the path to understanding God. In worship, study, and fellowship, we celebrate our Presbyterian roots and find joy in our diversity. We strive for the grace to love one another as we seek deeper understanding of life in the Spirit, working for justice and serving as stewards of God’s wondrous creation.
We are a More Light congregation: “Following the risen Christ, and seeking to make the Church a true community of hospitality, the mission of More Light Presbyterians is the full participation of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people of faith in the life, ministry, and witness of the Presbyterian Church (USA).”
Inclusive Language: Words matter. Jesus Christ, the living Word, reached out to all people to bring all people into God’s fold. The kingdom of God includes all types of people; therefore our language should reflect the inclusivity and equality among the people of God. To the end, when possible, we seek to eliminate the inherent bias of the English language towards the masculine gender without altering passages that reflect the historical situation of ancient patriarchal culture, out of which the Bible originated.
* The Session has closed the building until further notice to observe the governmental restrictions of social distancing.
* Many thanks to Bill Moore, Pam Howe, Jenny Newman, and Rev. Ken White for being part of the service this week!
* PA Poor People’s Campaign Jubilee Caravans: June 14 at 2 pm at the old Shop & Save parking lot at 1860 Centre Ave on the Hill. There will be signs already printed, so need to bring your own. The caravan will drive to four different spots Downtown where there will be speakers that will be live-streamed. We will end at Freedom Corner where all drivers are encouraged to join us at a safe six feet social distancing to hear our MC close us out about the upcoming connection to Juneteenth. For more information, click here; register here.
*Poor People’s Assembly and Moral March on Washington: On June 20, we cry power to the nation! The Poor People’s Campaign will host an historic, generationally transformative digital event. Across the internet and the airwaves we will drive the vision and agenda of our communities into the heart of the national narrative.
We must tell the truth about the dire failures of our political leaders. We must also demonstrate that it is the leadership emerging from poor and dispossessed people that is paving a different way forward.
History teaches us that it is exactly in moments like these that a movement of the many is necessary to force the nation into action. In the midst of pandemic, economic collapse, climate change, and more, the key to real and lasting change lies within our communities—within our ability to come together in new and bold ways. Register here!
* Want to join Pastor Vincent’s Wednesday morning Bible study on the lectionary texts? Contact the office to get on the email list for connection to the Zoom meeting.
* Zoom confused? Set up a call with Amy, and we’ll work through it together.
* It’s not the same as the thrill of putting the envelope in the plate, but you can still pay on your pledges either through eGive (click here!) or by mailing your check to the church. We continue to need your support in this challenging time!
* Weekly Sunday school lessons and other resources are on Jenny’s Children and Youth blog (click here!)
* The Sixth Church Mouse Returns! For congregants who would like to participate in an email form of prayers of the people, please contact sixthchurchmouse@gmail.com to be added to the list. You can submit prayer requests to the same email address by Thursdays at 5 pm to be included in an email sent each Friday. Please remember that confidentiality still applies; we want this to be a safe place for both participants and those we love.
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