Tuesday, May 29, 2018

A SERVICE OF WORSHIP IN OBSERVANCE OF THE NATIONAL WOMEN’S MONTH 2017

A SERVICE OF WORSHIP IN OBSERVANCE OF THE NATIONAL WOMEN’S MONTH 2017[1]
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.
2.       www.gcsr.org
3.       http://pcw.gov.ph






[1] Prepared by Rev. Jeric C. Cortado, March 8, 2017.

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