Welcome & Announcements
Call to Worship –
L: What joy we feel when we are called together to celebrate God’s love.
P: God’s love flows through our lives!
L: This is what it means to be the body of Christ!
P: This is what it means to be faithful witnesses to God.
L: Let us rejoice on this day!
P: Lord, we thank you for the blessings you pour on us. AMEN.
Opening Prayer (Unison): God of grace and glory, we thank you that you do not judge us by the perfection of our actions, but by our readiness to live boldly by faith. Help us as your people to trust you and follow where you lead, that in Christ your name may be glorified in all the earth. Amen.
Prayer of Confession (#475 BOW)- Have mercy upon us, O God, according to your loving kindness. According to the multitude of your tender mercies, blot out our transgressions. Wash us thoroughly from our iniquities, and cleanse us from our sins. For we acknowledge our transgressions, and our sin is ever before us. Create in us clean hearts, O God, and renew a right spirit within us; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Hymn #131 UMH – We Gather Together
Blessing of the Backpacks
LITANY –
L: For these backpacks and for the children who will use them,
P: O God pour out your blessing.
L: For the teachers and the administrators who will educate and share their knowledge with so many students,
P: O God pour out your blessing.
L: For the families of students and teachers alike, all of whom are both excited and nervous, hopeful, yet anxious of what lies ahead,
P: We pray that you will calm our nerves, steady our resolve to learn, to grow, to teach, and to share not just knowledge, but our love for learning and for one another.
L: O God we pray for your blessing on another School year, and another class of children who will go on to do great things no matter how big or how small it may seem to the world. For when one learns to share a cup of water with a stranger, that is in and of itself a great thing in the Kingdom of God.
ALL: Teach us all to be humble, to be kind and to seek wisdom as we seek you daily. Amen.
Prayer by Pastor
First Scripture Reading – Psalm 111 NRSV
Hymn #512 UMH (v. 1,2,3) – Stand by Me
Second Scripture Reading – John 16:31-33 NRSV
Message – “Let’s Play Ball (Part 6): Perseverance“ – Rev. Jason Elmore
Offertory / Doxology UMH #95
Pastoral Prayer / Lord’s Prayer
Hymn #396 UMH – O Jesus, I Have Promised
Benediction
Postlude