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Pentecost Sunday Worship on May 31, 2020

5/31/2020

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Seventh Sunday of Easter Worship, May 24, 2020

5/24/2020

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May 24, 2020
Heart of the Matter

Prelude / Thayer French

We continue with our Easter Season because Easter isn’t just one day. This week we are invited to keep Jesus’ commandments–to love one another is to keep each other in our hearts. Every week we remind ourselves why we gather. We are forming a habit of spending time together, breaking bread together, praising God together and having goodwill for all the people. In the account of the early church, they did just that:

“Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people.” (Acts 2: 46-47a)

We create a “temple” of worship in our hearts that connects us across boundaries, distance and time. But as we share this worship, we will stay connected. At the “heart of the matter,” we are connected through the Spirit that makes us one in love.

Opening Act of Centering Our Hearts as One

We are going to center our hearts as one to begin.
Let’s take a deep breath together [everyone breathes together].

I invite you to place your hand on your heart and
let’s lightly tap together in a slow heartbeat rhythm

Holy Living God,
Heartbeat of Creation,
help us to take this time to center on you,
for you made us,
you gave us life,
and you continue to be with us
every moment…
[wait a couple of beats]
every breath…
[wait a couple of beats]
every step.

Let us pick up our heart stone, sometimes called a “worry stone,”
and let our touch on its surface remind us that God’s touch is
within us, between us, and around us.
As close and real as this object is in our hands right now,
is how close Love is to us always.
Let us imagine letting go of our worries for now into God’s heart of love.

Opening Song / UMH#158 Come, Christians, Join to Sing

Scripture Reading

Today we commemorate the moment when the disciples witnessed Jesus’ leaving this physical world. He had spent some quality time with them, helping them understand more about their faith and the continued mission that they must now carry on in the world. He asked them to encourage people to a change of heart–to believe in hope and life and love that was his message on earth. As we often do when we take our leave from someone we love, Jesus blessed his followers.

Reader:
Jesus said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the Law from Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures. He said to them, “This is what is written: the Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and a change of heart and life for the forgiveness of sins must be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. Look, I’m sending to you what my [Abba, God] promised, but you are to stay in the city until you have been furnished with heavenly power.”

He led them out as far as Bethany, where he lifted his hands and blessed them. As he blessed them, he left them and was taken up to heaven. They worshipped him and returned to Jerusalem overwhelmed with joy. And they were continuously in the temple praising God. - Luke 24: 44-53

Let us Pray:

O God, Holy One, our altar, our cloud
In the resurrection of your Son you have brought us into your temple.
Accept the sacrifices we offer, and draw us into the fire of your spirit;
through Christ our Lord. Amen. Alleluia

As we continue to worship from our homes and on our computers, let us Trust that this crisis will actually bring us closer to each other and Jesus.

Anthem / “Trust in the Lord” by Mark Hayes

Trust in the Lord--Mark Hayes--March 18, 2018 from Common Ground UMC on Vimeo.

To be the “body of Christ” as the church is to see the world through the eyes of Jesus–to see through the eyes of love. As Christ’s body here on earth, we try to create the same conditions of love that he did while he was here on earth. We hope that “the eyes of our hearts” can be continually opened, as the disciples’ were that day of Jesus’ ascension, so that we can be the best representation of his love here on earth. Perhaps we can see “ascension” with Christ as an “elevation” or “heightening” of our gratitude and of our commitment to do good in the world.

Message / Pastor Gil

Closing Song / UMH 454 Open my Eyes That I May See

Benediction

L: Joy to the world!
P: The Lord has come to earth.
L: Joy to the world!
P: Christ has risen from death itself.
L: Joy to the world!
P: Christ’s glory is ours to share.

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Sixth Sunday of Easter Worship, May 17, 2020

5/17/2020

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Sixth Sunday of Easter
May 17, 2020

Prelude / Thayer

Scripture Reading

John 14:15-21 (NRSV)
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.
I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them." ~

Let us Pray:
Merciful God,
We stand in the midst of
   sickness, death, and grief;
we see people
   without jobs, standing in mile-long food lines;
we witness the unjust distribution
   of resources and racial discrimination,
we watch health care providers
   exhausted and overwhelmed
   farmers with no market for their crops
we wonder ...
   have they, have we, been abandoned?

Jesus promised ...
that we would not be orphaned*
that you would send your Spirit
that, because he lives, we shall live
that you are not gone from us
that we have not been deserted
that you abide with us,
and in us.

   O God our Help,
hear our prayer --
to love you
to keep your great commandment to love others
to know you revealed through our loving acts
to see you --
here and now
with us and in us,
forever.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.

Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar.

Although we all miss being together at Hillside, we all know we are safer in our own homes.
This Anthem is upbeat and quick and a sweet reminder that God is Here wherever we are.

Anthem: “God is Here” by Patty Drennan and Jean Anne Shafferman-Lorenz Music

Doing the “right thing” is something we try hard to do. Sometimes doing the right thing is difficult and means that we make sacrifices to make sure we do not harm others. We do it because love is the commandment we live by. In this excerpt from an early church letter, we hear the apostle encourage the people to always be ready to share from their hearts about the source of hope that is in them–Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 3:13-16a
Now who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good? But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear, and do not be intimidated, but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence. -

How do we “sanctify Christ as Lord” in our hearts? To “sanctify” something is to set it apart as holy. Holiness resides within each one of us. It calls us to see holiness in others. It calls us to do the right thing in the name of Love, even when the right thing isn’t easy. Sometimes the right thing, and the hardest thing, is to follow the commandment to love our neighbor as ourselves. We often focus about loving our neighbor, but we also must hear the second part… love ourselves. The Spirit is in us, Jesus says, and to love ourselves is to love God, to love the Jesus in each of us, and to love the Spirit that is our Companion and Helper.

Message Kept in our Hearts by Pastor Gil
- How God Stays With Us -

Closing Hymn UMH #384 Love Divine

Benediction

Renewed by God’s abiding presence,
We are sent to make God’s presence known.
Resurrected by the grace Christ offers us,
We are sent to make grace visible.
Refreshed by the Spirit who breathes deeply within us,
We are sent to companion others on the journey.

Thank you for your continuing thoughts, prayers, and pledges.
Blessings to you all.

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Fifth Sunday of Easter Worship, May 10, 2020

5/10/2020

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Fifth Sunday of Easter
May 10, 2020

Prelude / Thayer

Leader: We continue with our Easter Season because Easter isn’t just one day. We have an abundance of days to celebrate new life. The early church shared the abundance they had in this way:

“Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people.” (Acts 2: 46-47a)

We create a “temple” of worship in our hearts that connects us across boundaries, distance and time. But as we share this worship, we will stay connected. At the “heart of the matter,” we are connected through the Spirit that makes us one in love.

Opening Act of Centering Our Hearts as One

We are going to center our hearts as one to begin.
Let’s take a deep breath together [everyone breathes together].

I invite you to place your hand on your heart and
let’s lightly tap together in a slow heartbeat rhythm

Holy Living God,
Heartbeat of Creation,
help us to take this time to center on you,
for you made us,
you gave us life,
and you continue to be with us
every moment…
[wait a couple of beats]
every breath…
[wait a couple of beats]
every step.
[the heartbeat tapping fades away]

Hear this assurance from God:

Be still, O heart, you’re not alone,
your beat is shared with me.
Come now, and calm, and center here,
you’re mine, secure and free.

Let’s take another deep breath, making sure our shoulders and any tension we feel in our bodies is letting go with the breath. [Pause to do so]
Let’s take another one. [Pause to do so]

Let us pick up our heart stone, sometimes called a “worry stone,”
and let our touch on its surface remind us that God’s touch is
within us, between us, and around us.
As close and real as this object is in our hands right now,
is how close Love is to us always.
Let us imagine letting go of our worries for now into God’s heart of love.
We offer a prayer song of letting go:

Into your care, we offer now,
our worries, fears and strife.
We turn to you and know you’re near–
Your light, our love and life.

Let’s light our candles now and set our heart worry stones next to it.

Opening Hymn UMH #618 Let Us Break Bread Together

Holy Commuion

Anthem: Joyful, Joyful We adore thee

Message / Pastor Gil

Closing Hymn: UMH #328 Surely the Presence of the Lord

Benediction

As we close this time together, remember:
God is always with you. No matter what you face,
no matter what trials or hardships come your way,
God is right beside you, ready to hold you, to be a rock for you,
guiding and directing your path.
So, acknowledge your fear and your worry
and know it is as true and holy as any feeling,
including joy and hope and love.
Take heart! This is the heart of the matter.
Amen.

Announcement

Again a sincere Thank you to all who are sending in their pledges. Please continue to do so.

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Fourth Sunday of Easter Worship on May 3, 2020

5/3/2020

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Fourth Sunday of Easter
"Hearts Overflowing"
May 3, 2020

Prelude by Thayer French

Welcome to the online worship at Hillside United Methodist Church
We continue with our Easter Season because Easter isn’t just one day. We have an abundance of days to celebrate new life. The early church shared the abundance they had in this way:
“Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people.” (Acts 2: 46-47a)
We create a “temple” of worship in our hearts that connects us across boundaries, distance and time. But as we share this worship, we will stay connected. At the “heart of the matter,” we are connected through the Spirit that makes us one in love.

Opening Act of Centering Our Hearts as One
We are going to center our hearts as one to begin.
Let’s take a deep breath together [everyone breathes together].
I invite you to place your hand on your heart and
let’s lightly tap together in a slow heartbeat rhythm
Holy Living God,
Heartbeat of Creation,
help us to take this time to center on you, for you made us,
you gave us life,
and you continue to be with us every moment...
[wait a couple of beats]
every breath...
[wait a couple of beats]
every step.

Let us pick up our heart stone, sometimes called a “worry stone,” and let our touch on its surface remind us that God’s touch is within us, between us, and around us.
As close and real as this object is in our hands right now,
is how close Love is to us always.
Let us imagine letting go of our worries for now into God’s heart of love.

Leader: Jesus used the metaphor of a shepherd several times in his ministry. We will hear a song using the most famous instance from Psalm 23 later in our worship. In this passage from the Gospel of John, the sheep know that the Shepherd really cares about them and offers what they need–good, abundant, green pastures to eat in. They recognize this Shepherd who takes care of them as they hear his voice.

Reader: I assure you that whoever doesn’t enter into the sheep pen through the gate but climbs over the wall is a thief and an outlaw. The one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The guard at the gate opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. Whenever he has gathered all of his sheep, he goes before them and they follow him, because they know his voice. They won’t follow a stranger but will run away because they don’t know the stranger’s voice.” Those who heard Jesus use this analogy didn’t understand what he was saying.

So Jesus spoke again, “I assure you that I am the gate of the sheep. All who came before me were thieves and outlaws, but the sheep didn’t listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief enters only to steal, kill, and destroy. I came so that they could have life—indeed, so that they could live life to the fullest. - John 10: 1-10

Opening Hymn UMH #138 The King of Love My Shepherd Is

Leader: There are so many ways to live life to the fullest right now–or, as another version of the scripture calls it–“living life abundantly.” Being together, either physically or virtually, is one important way for us in this moment. Perhaps we can keep up some of our “connection habits” we have exercised well beyond our time of isolation. This next scripture is an extended version of our theme scripture for our Easter Season series and shows us the value the early Christians, some of whom had to gather in secret and isolation, were supporting one another “abundantly.”

Reader: The believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the community, to their shared meals, and to their prayers. A sense of awe came over everyone. God performed many wonders and signs through the apostles. All the believers were united and shared everything. They would sell pieces of property and possessions and distribute the proceeds to everyone who needed them. Every day, they met together in the temple and ate in their homes. They shared food with gladness and simplicity. They praised God and demonstrated God’s goodness to everyone. The Lord added daily to the community those who were being saved. - Acts 2: 42-47

Leader: In these two scriptures we see the desire of God for us to be taken care of, for us to live to the fullest, and for us to support one another in having abundant life and community, food and gladness. The “thief” in the first passage could be anything that robs us of those things. Sometimes the sacrifices we have endured because of our attempts to slow this virus can feel as if we’ve been “robbed” of our well-being. But we can also turn that around and see that these sacrifices are how we share goodwill and well-being with one another. Our hearts overflow with the grace and guidance we know from the Shepherd and we want that goodness for everyone. Glad and generous hearts overflow with love in so many ways.

Anthem: “My Shepherd will Supply My Need”

Message / Pastor Gil

Benediction / Pastor Gil
(based on Psalm 16)
As we close this time together, remember:
God is always with you. No matter what you face,
no matter what trials or hardships come your way,
God is right beside you, always filling your cup to overflowing, guiding and directing your path.
So, acknowledge your fear and your worry
and know it is as true and holy as any feeling, including joy and hope and love.
Take heart! This is the heart of the matter.
Amen.

Closing Hymn: FWS 2223 “They”ll Know We are Christians by our Love.”

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Worship

Pentecost Sunday Worship on May 31, 2020

Seventh Sunday of Easter Worship, May 24, 2020

May 24, 2020
Heart of the Matter

Sixth Sunday of Easter Worship, May 17, 2020

Sixth Sunday of Easter
May 17, 2020

Fifth Sunday of Easter Worship, May 10, 2020

Fifth Sunday of Easter
May 10, 2020

Fourth Sunday of Easter Worship on May 3, 2020

Fourth Sunday of Easter
"Hearts Overflowing"
May 3, 2020

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Pentecost Sunday Worship on May 31, 2020

Seventh Sunday of Easter Worship, May 24, 2020

May 24, 2020 ​ Heart of the Matter

Sixth Sunday of Easter Worship, May 17, 2020

Sixth Sunday of Easter May 17, 2020

Fifth Sunday of Easter Worship, May 10, 2020

Fifth Sunday of Easter May 10, 2020

Fourth Sunday of Easter Worship on May 3, 2020

Fourth Sunday of Easter "Hearts Overflowing" ​May 3, 2020

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Hillside United Methodist Church

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May 24, 2020
Heart of the Matter

Sixth Sunday of Easter
May 17, 2020

Fifth Sunday of Easter
May 10, 2020

Fourth Sunday of Easter
"Hearts Overflowing"
May 3, 2020