We held virtual worship on Sunday, February 21, 2021 at 10:00AM! You can watch a recording on Facebook by clicking here, or you may watch below.
WELCOME Sarah & Adam Adorisio
CALL TO WORSHIP
God meets us in the night—
Before the sun rises,
Before the wound heals,
Before there are answers,
Before there is closure.
God meets us in the light—
Where joy is effervescent,
Where laughter is contagious,
Where flowers bloom from cracks in the sidewalk,
And where people gather around the table.
God meets us at the threshold—
At the edge of the water,
At the beginning of the wilderness,
At the start of something new,
On the edge of faith.
And if God meets us in all those places,
Then surely God meets us in between—
Staying with us through the wilderness.
One: We are not alone. God is all around.
Let us worship the God of the here and now.
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
God who meets us where we are—
There is nowhere we can go that you are not.
You were with Jesus at his baptism.
You were with him in the wilderness,
And even in between, you were there,
Saying aloud, “This is my beloved.”
We know that you are with us too—
In the good, the bad, and everything in between—
But so often we act like we are alone.
Instead of coming to you with our hurt,
We hold it in or cast it onto others.
Instead of coming to you with our joy,
We credit ourselves and offer you nothing.
How can we long for a deeper relationship with you
While living like you are nowhere to be found?
Forgive our self-centered ways.
Remind us that in every breath, in every step, you are there.
You are the God who meets us where we are.
Before and behind, above and below,
within and around. Amen.
ASSURANCE OF FORGIVENESS
Family of faith, if you hear nothing else today, hear this:
God is here. God sees you. God knows you. God meets you at the edge of every new beginning,
And God calls you beloved.
We are washed by the water.
We are called beloved.
Thanks be to God for a love like that.
YOUNG PEOPLE’S MESSAGE Danielle Sturgeon & family
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
GOSPEL Mark 1:9-13
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.
REFLECTION Three Foot Wilderness Barb & Mitchell
AGAIN & AGAIN: WE’RE INVITED IN Heidi & Craig Evans
MUSIC Via Dolorosa Music & photos by Kathryn Parker
PRAYER FOR THE WEEK Desert Prayer Jan L. Richardson
I am not asking you to take this wilderness from me,
to remove this place of starkness
where I come to know the wildness within me,
where I learn to call the names
of the ravenous beasts that pace inside me,
to finger the brambles that snake through my veins,
to taste the thirst that tugs at my tongue.
But send me tough angels, sweet wine,
strong bread:
just enough.
SHARING PRAYERS & LORD’S PRAYER
ANNOUNCEMENTS
LENT BENEDICTION
As you leave this space,
May your mouth speak of God’s goodness.
May your arms hold those in need.
May your feet walk toward justice.
May your heart trust its worth.
May your soul dance in God’s grace.
And may this be your rhythm—
Again and again and again,
Until God’s promised day.
In the name of the Lover, the Beloved, and Love itself,
Go with courage, go with heart, go in peace.
Amen.
POSTLUDE Lord of the Dance music & photos
by Kathryn Parker
Liturgy (except Desert Prayer) by Sarah Are | A Sanctified Art LLC | sanctifiedart.org
