A SERVICE OF WORSHIP IN OBSERVANCE OF THE NATIONAL
WOMEN’S MONTH 2017
SPMCI
Chapel, March 8, 2017, 9:30 a.m.
ENTRANCE
GATHERING
At this moment,
the One Billion Rising dance movement will be introduced.
INTROIT
“COME LET US GATHER”
COME
LET US GATHER NOW TO SING
PRAISES
AND THANKS TO GOD WE BRING
GOD’S
LOVE IS GREATER THAN ANYTHING
CALL TO WORSHIP
Leader: God of all beginnings, you
created humankind in your own image, male and female.
People: O, God our Parent, help us to
be redeemed in that image. Make us a vivid sign of the fullness of life.
Leader: God of all beginnings, you
created humankind “very good” enjoying
the gift of sensory perceptions, physicality, emotions, intellect, and most of
all, human sexuality.
People: O, God our Parent, help us to
be redeemed in that image. Make us a perpetual sign of your love to all your
creations.
Leader: God of all beginnings, you
created male and female with equality and equal dignity. You blessed both male
and female, to be fruitful and to multiply, to fill the earth and to subdue it,
and to become stewards over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and
over every living thing that moves upon the earth (Genesis 2:28).
People: Help us, O God our Parent, to
sustain our relationship as men and women reflecting the image of God.
All: Amen.
Rev. Jeric C.
Cortado
Southern
Philippines Methodist Colleges, Inc., Kidapawan City, Philippines
HYMN “COME
CHRISTIANS JOIN TO SING” UMH # 158
TAYO AY
MAG-AWITAN, ALELUYA AMEN! DIYOS ATING
PAPURIHAN,
ALELUYA! AMEN!
SUMAMBA TAYONG
TUNAY SA HARAP LUKLUKAN; TAYO
AY KANYANG HINIRANG, ALELUYA AMEN!
DAKILAING LUBUSAN,
ALELUYA! AMEN! AT NANG
MAY KATAPATAN ALELUYA! AMEN!
ANG DIYOS
NATING MAGULANG, PATNUBAY WALANG
HANGGAN;
PAG-IBIG NIYA’Y SAKDAL, ALELUYA, AMEN!
PURI AT
LUWALHATI! ALELUYA AMEN! KAY HESUS AY
ITANGI, ALELUYA! AMEN!
AAWIT NA
PALAGI ATING PUSO AT LABI; SA LANGIT
NATING MITHI, ALELUYA! AMEN!
+OPENING PRAYER
Leader: The Lord be with you.
People: And with thy spirit.
Leader: Let us pray.
All: One who hears, even when our
fellow humans turn a deaf ear, listen to our petitions this day. Bless us with
the wisdom to know your peace and justice, your love and mercy. Grant us
confidence to go before our accusers and the strength to stand before those who
judge us. May our efforts, no matter how small, bring about the beautiful world
you desire. We pray this in the name of Jesus, Christ. AMEN. Amen.
CALL
TO CONFESSION
Leader: Jesus said: If you are weary
and heavy laden, come to me. I will give you rest. If you are hungry, come to
me. I am the bread of life. If you are thirsty, believe in me, and you will
never thirst again.
SILENT
MEDITATION
PRAYER
OF CONFESSION, In Unison
Merciful
God, we have gathered in this place for the work of worship. But we know that
in the true light of this day, our negligence and complacency have been
unveiled. O God, have mercy on us! Forgive us for our woeful complicity! Help
us to walk humbly, and do justice according to your will and your ways, through
Jesus Christ, our teacher, our example. Amen.
SILENT
MEDITATION
+WORDS
OF ASSURANCE
Pastor:
Hear this word
of forgiveness and hope. Even as we stand here on holy ground, the Holy Spirit
pleads our case. Not by power, not by might, but by the Spirit, God has heard,
God has answered, you are forgiven!
+GLORIA PATRI
PROCLAMATION
AND RESPONSE
OLD TESTAMENT
LESSON
Reader: A Reading from Genesis (12:1-4a).
This is the Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.
EPISTLE LESSON
Reader: A Reading from letters of Paul
to the Romans (4:1-5,13-17). This is the Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.
+GOSPEL
ACCLAMATION
ALLELUIA, ALLELUIA, ALLELUIA,
ALLELUIA, ALLELUIA, ALLELUIA, ALLELUIA, ALLELUIA
+GOSPEL LESSON
Reader: The Holy Gospel of our Lord
Jesus Christ according to John (3:1-17).
People: Glory to you, Lord Christ.
Reader: (after the Gospel) The Gospel
of the Lord.
People: Praise to you. Lord Christ.
ANTHEM
SERMON
WOMAN AND MAN AFFIRMATION OF
FAITH
We
believe…
in
the oneness of woman and man; that unity is based on the sharing of diverse
characteristics in building a Christian family.
We believe…
in the sharing and enjoyment of
life with man and woman as life itself; that life is sustained through their
shared responsibilities in the toil and struggle for the fullness of life.
We
believe…
in
the essential unity f man and woman in marriage as the fundamental basis of
their relationship.
We believe…
in the essence of love as
giving oneself to the general welfare of each other; that loving is enhancing
and respecting each other as persons.
We
believe…
in
the inherent nature of the woman; that she is not weak; that she is weakened by
the man-dominated society; that men should liberate themselves from their
biases to liberate women.
IRC Staff
Family Enrichment Seminar, April 1993.
THANKSGIVING
AND COMMUNION
OFFERTORY
INVITATION
Leader: Our stewardship of God’s gifts
to us can provide a place at the table for some who are hungry, and shelter for
some who have no place to lay their heads. But most of all, our offerings
express thanks to God for the bounty we enjoy and the loving acceptance we have
known through Christ.
+OFFERING OF
GIFTS
+DOXOLOGY
+OFFERTORY
PRAYER, In Unison
For
all your saints, O God, who have guided our lives, for all the ways you have
saved us from ourselves, for all the times your love has been poured out on us,
we give thanks. You have taught us to offer hospitality and to share what you
have given. This we do, with joy and gratitude. Receive these tokens of our
renewed dedication. Amen.
EUCHARISTIC HYMN “ONE BREAD, ONE BODY”
UMH#
620
Refrain:
One
bread, one body, one Lord of all, one cup of blessing which we bless, and we,
though many throughout the earth, we are one body in this one Lord.
Gentile
or Jew, servant or free, woman or man, no more. R
Many
the gifts, many the works. One in the Lord of all. R
Grain
for the fields, scattered and grown, gathered to one, for all. R
TAKING THE BREAD
AND CUP
The pastor,
standing behind the Lord’s table facing the people from this time, through
Breaking the Bread, takes the bread and cup; and the bread and wine are
prepared for the meal.
THE GREAT
THANKSGIVING
Presider: The Lord be with you.
People: And with thy spirit.
Pastor: Lift up your hearts. The pastor may lift up hands and keep them raised.
People: We lift them up unto the Lord.
Pastor: Let us give thanks to the Lord
our God.
People: It is right to give our thanks
and praise.
Pastor: It is right, and a good and
joyful thing, always and everywhere to give thanks to you, God Almighty. From
the rising of the sun to its setting your name is praised among all peoples.
Therefore, we praise you, joining our voices with your people on earth and all
the company of heaven who forever sing this hymn to the glory of your name:
The pastor may
lower hands. The people sing:
HOLY,
HOLY, HOLY LORD, GOD OF POWER AND MIGHT, HEAVEN AND EARTH ARE FULL OF YOUR
GLORY. HOSANNA IN THE HIGHEST. BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD.
HOSANNA IN THE HIGHEST.
The pastor may
raise hands.
Pastor: Holy are you, and blessed is
your Son Jesus Christ. Your Spirit anointed him to preach good news to the
poor, to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed, and to announce that the time had
come when you would save your people. He healed the sick, fed the hungry, and
ate with sinners. By the baptism of his suffering, death, and resurrection you
gave birth to your church, delivered us from slavery to sin and death, and made
with us a new covenant by water and the Spirit. When the Lord Jesus ascended,
he promised to be with us always, in the power of your Word and Holy Spirit.
The pastor may
hold hands, palms down, over the bread of teach the bread, or lift the bread.
On the night in which he gave
himself up for us, he took bread, gave thanks to you, broke the bread, gave it
to his disciples, and said: “Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you.
Do this in remembrance of me.”
The pastor may
lift or touch the chalice.
When the supper was over, he
took the cup, gave thanks to you, gave it to his disciples, and said: “Drink
from this, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant, poured out for you
and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, as often as you drink it, in
remembrance of me.”
The pastor may
raise hands.
We
remember the women who were partners in Jesus’ ministry: Mary the mother of
Jesus, Mary of Magdala, Martha, the woman at the well, the woman who was
anointed, the women at the cross, and the women at the tomb. We also remember
the women who came before us, their memory is as sweet as honey. We think of
our own mothers and give thanks for all those who birthed and nourished us.
And
so, in remembrance of them, and the mighty acts of God through Jesus Christ, we
offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving as a holy and living sacrifice, in
union with Christ’s offering for us, as we proclaim the mystery of faith.
All: CHRIST HAS DIED; CHRIST IS RISEN; CHRIST WILL COME AGAIN.
The pastor may
hold hands, palms down, over the bread and cup.
Pour
out you Holy Spirit on us gathered here, and on these gifts of bread and wine. May
we and all who share in this bread and wine may receive the seed of life and
embrace the coming of peace. By your Spirit make us one with Christ, one with
each other regardless of our races, sexuality, culture and gender until Christ
comes in final victory and we feast at his heavenly banquet. Through your Son
Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit in your holy Church, and all honor and glory
is yours, almighty God, now and forever.
All: Amen.
+THE LORD’S PRAYER
DIOS
NA MAGULANG, BANAL ANG NGALAN. PAMAMAYANI AY SUMAAMIN. GAWIN NAWA ANG ‘YONG
KALOOBAN. SA LUPA GAYA NG LANGIT.
IPAGKALOOB
NGAYON SA AMIN, PANG-ARAW-ARAW NAMING KAKANIN. KAMI SA SALA AY PATAWARIN,
NAGPAPATAWAD SA KAPWA RIN.
H’WAG
MONG SA TUKSO’Y KAMI’Y TULUTAN. KUNDI ILIGTAS SA KASAMAAN. PAMAMAYANI,
KAPANGYARIHAN, KALUWALHATIAN, SA ‘YONG TANAN. AMEN.
BREAKING THE
BREAD
Pastor: Because there is one loaf, we,
who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf. The bread which
we break is a sharing in the body of Christ. The cup over which we give thanks
is a sharing in the blood of Christ.
GIVING THE BREAD
AND CUP
PRAYER OF
THANKSGIVING
God
of justice, hope and freedom, we give you thanks for your Son, our brother,
Jesus who has made provision for all of your daughters and sons to walk in
liberty. Thank you for the privilege of dining at this, your table of eternal
redemption through the sacrificial body and blood of Christ. We are mindful of
those who have not yet tasted of your grace here. As we turn our faces back to
the east, west, north and south, disturb us, convict us, and afflict us with an
urgency to demonstrate your liberating presence in the world. Prepare us for
the time when all will feast at your table of love through the risen Christ.
AMEN.
SENDING
FORTH
HYMN
“WE ARE ONE IN THE SPIRIT”
We
are one in the Spirit, We are one in the Lord,
We
are one in the Spirit, We are one in the Lord,
And
we pray that all unity may one day be restored.
Chorus:
And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love. Yes
they’ll know we are Christians by our love.
We
will walk with each other, We will walk hand in hand,
We
will walk with each other, We will walk hand in hand,
And
together we’ll spread the news that God is in our land.
We
will work with each other, We will work side by side,
We
will work with each other, We will walk side by side,
And
we’ll guard each one’s dignity and save each one’s pride.
+CLOSING PRAYER
+DISMISSAL WITH
BLESSING
Pastor: You shall receive power when
the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in the North,
the South, the East, and the West.
People: And so, we move out of this
place and join the company of women who have gone before us, Mothers of the
faith both named and unnamed, testifying with ferocity and faith to the Spirit
of wisdom and healing. They are the judges, the prophets, the martyrs, the
warriors, the poets, the lovers, and the saints who are near to us in the
shadows of awareness in the crevices of memory, in the landscape of our dreams.
Pastor: We walk in the company of
Mothers of the faith, learning from them to resist evil with boldness, to lead
with wisdom, and to heal with compassion, to carry the Good News of the Gospel!
All: Thanks be to God!
+THREE-FOLD AMEN
After the
three-fold amen, the One Billion Rising Dance Movement will be performed by the
SPMCI Community, while the Presider, Worship Leaders, and Worship Servants do
their recessional.
GOING FORTH
++++
References:
1.
Martensen,
Jean (ed). (1998). SING OUT NEW VISIONS: Prayers, Poems and Reflections by
Women. USA: Augsburg Fortress.
