A More Light Congregation

Bethany Presbyterian Church

This Week in Worship

Facebook Live Worship - Sunday at 10:00

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Follow the liturgy during worship on this page.

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Centering Prayer

After he was baptized by John, Jesus went by himself to the wilderness where he was tempted.  For forty days in the desert, Jesus was tempted to become relevant, spectacular, and powerful. Today, we begin to journey with Jesus through the season of Lent, which brings us to face some of our own weaknesses and temptations. Let us worship God and walk the journey together,  seeking the spirit as our guide and companion along the way.  Amen.


Call to Worship

ONE: Lent calls us to journey, this and every day, following Jesus wherever he leads us.

ALL: Lent calls us to journey: to the place where God covenants with us, to receive the new names we are given.

ONE: Lent calls us to worship together, to tell future generations the good news.

ALL:  Lent calls us to practice justice, to bring God's hope to all people.

ONE: Lent calls us to faithful living, to trust the One who gives us life.

ALL:  Lent calls each of us to take up our cross, to trust the One who bears it with us.

ONE: Lent calls us to journey with God.

ALL:  Let us worship God, who walks with us, this and every day.


Lenten Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, pierce my soul with your love so that I may always long for you alone, who are the bread of angels and the fulfillment of the soul's deepest desires.  May my heart always hunger and feed on you, so that my soul may be filled with sweetness in your presence. May my soul thirst for you, who are the source of life, wisdom, knowledge, light, and all the riches of God our Creator.  May I always seek and find you, think about you, speak to you and do everything for the honor and glory of your name.  Be always my hope, my peace, my refuge and help, in whom my heart is rooted so that I may never separate from you.


Call and Response




(silence)


Response Hymn #626



Preparation for the Word Hymn #205

February 18, 2018

Sermon by Reverend Kathryn Pyke

"Angels in the Wilderness"

Scripture  

Mark 1:9-15

Lord, have mercy (Lord, have mercy)

Christ, have mercy (Christ, have mercy)

Lord, have mercy  (Lord, have mercy)

As the deer pants for the water, so my soul longs after you;

You alone are my heart's desire and I long to worship you.

Live in charity and steadfast love.

Live in charity; God will dwell with you.

Centering Prayer

Lord of Love and Light, shine through our darkness, bringing us hope. Open our hearts for the journey, our eyes for the light, our spirits for the peace that you bring. Fill our mouths with laughter and speech with shouts of joy that we shall reveal the love with which you surround us. We offer this prayer in the name of the One who is coming into the world bringing your hope, love, peace, and joy, Jesus Christ. Amen.


Call to Worship

For God so loved the world; the sparrows, the mountain lions, the fish and the people.

For God so loved the world; in success and failure, in sickness and health, in mediocrity and extraordinary.  For God so loved the world; enough to become one of us, enough to suffer along with us, enough to offer new life for us. For God so loved the world; let us worship God!


Lenten Prayer

God of Abram and Nicodemus, God of all of us who think we are too old or too poor or too small or too weak or too busy, God of all of us daunted by the sheer wonder of the plan you lay out before us: we come to you now, aware of all you have done for us, and yet still struggling with our doubts.  Birth us all anew, O God; hear us and help us on our journey.  God of Abram and Nicodemus, we pray for your holy Church . . . Give us the courage to leave everything behind and follow you.  Give us the faith to act on what we do not understand.  Bless us to be a blessing to everyone in your Name. Birth us all anew, O God; hear us and help us on our journey. Amen


Call and Response




(silence)


Response Hymn #626



Preparation for the Word Hymn #205

February 25, 2018

Sermon by Reverend Kathryn Pyke

"Light For the Journey"

Lord, have mercy (Lord, have mercy)

Christ, have mercy (Christ, have mercy)

Lord, have mercy  (Lord, have mercy)

As the deer pants for the water, so my soul longs after you;

You alone are my heart's desire and I long to worship you.

Live in charity and steadfast love.

Live in charity; God will dwell with you.

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Centering Prayer

Loving God, we come this morning seeking to be in your presence.  Open our minds to your spirit,

that we may know how to live as your people. Open our hearts to your spirit, that we may love all your people with a love that speaks of justice, kindness, and radical grace.  Amen.


Call to Worship

ONE: Blessed are the poor in spirit, the downtrodden and despairing,

ALL: They will rejoice in God’s reign forever.

ONE: Blessed are those who mourn, who are grieving,  

ALL: They will be comforted in God’s reign forever.

ONE: Blessed are the ones who seek justice and righteousness,

ALL: They will find it in God’s reign forever.

ONE: Blessed are we when we love our neighbors  and seek their needs,

ALL: We will live in God’s reign forever.

ONE: Blessed are we all when we seek to serve others in God’s name.

ALL: Let us worship together, serving one another and serving our Mighty God.


Lenten Prayer

When you say blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God - do your eyes rest on me in the crowd and see how weighed down I am with possessions?  When you say blessed are you who are hungry, for you will be filled - do you place your hand in mine and know the feasts I have eaten?  When you say blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh - do you anoint my head with oil and sense that I have laughed long and hard?  Then bless me again Lord, take my riches, my fullness, my laughter, all that I have in excess, and let it rise up in the poor, the hungry and those who weep. That together we may delight in good things share bread and wine together open our hearts in joy and sorrow knowing that together we seek your kingdom

as one body.  Amen.


Call and Response




(silence)


Response Hymn #626



Preparation for the Word Hymn #205

March 4, 2018

Celebration of Holy Communion

Sermon by Reverend Kathryn Pyke

"A Call to Action"

Lord, have mercy (Lord, have mercy)

Christ, have mercy (Christ, have mercy)

Lord, have mercy  (Lord, have mercy)

As the deer pants for the water, so my soul longs after you;

You alone are my heart's desire and I long to worship you.

Live in charity and steadfast love.

Live in charity; God will dwell with you.

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Centering Prayer

Our Lenten journey continues. Often the road has been stony and hard. Sometimes we have stumbled and even fallen. But God has been our friend and our guide. We have no cause to be alarmed. God is faithful to us, even when we have lost faith. Today we rejoice in God’s love, and together ask for strength and signs of hope and life. Once again we are drawn together to celebrate the life that is ours in Christ Jesus. Thanks be to God!  Amen.


Call to Worship

God calls to the lost, the least, and all who long for home; God calls when we wander from the path chosen for us and waste the gifts we have been given. God calls and welcomes us back to worship this day; let us celebrate and rejoice in God’s presence forever; let us worship God together.


Lenten Prayer

Praise God for the Lord who loves. Praise God for the Lord who cares. In the midst of my weakness, when I am lost, unable to find even myself, there is One who seeks. One who finds me, the lost, and rejoices in the correction of our folly. Rejoices with the angels, rejoices with song, rejoices for us and with us, often before we are aware we were lost.

“Isn’t it strange how things happen?”

“It was just one of those days”

“I’ve decided to make a change”

These are the words we use.  Rejoice and be glad, for that which was lost has been found.   Amen.


Call and Response




(silence)


Response Hymn #626



Preparation for the Word Hymn #205

March 11, 2018

Sermon by Reverend Kathryn Pyke

"Lost and Found"

Scripture  

Luke 15:1-32

Lord, have mercy (Lord, have mercy)

Christ, have mercy (Christ, have mercy)

Lord, have mercy  (Lord, have mercy)

As the deer pants for the water, so my soul longs after you;

You alone are my heart's desire and I long to worship you.

Live in charity and steadfast love.

Live in charity; God will dwell with you.

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Centering Prayer

Holy God, you are deserving of the very best we have to offer: the devotion of our hearts, the place of honor in our priorities and the first fruits of our labors. We enter this place and space of worship, asking you to be in our midst, to speak your message of love and mercy, conviction and challenge to us. We welcome your Spirit, knowing that in so doing, we abandon control and open ourselves in faith and trust to your purposes and plan, rather than our own. Come, Holy Creator. We pray.  Amen.


Call to Worship

ONE: The Lord makes a way through the rough waters of life  

ALL: Behold! God is doing a new thing!

ONE: We will celebrate God’s new creations in our midst!


Lenten Prayer

God of all new things,

God of Spring, and fragrant flowers, and unexpected snow.

God of hope and new life, bless us, we pray, this day.

God of all things passing away,

God of old and yesterday, the One who is with us in our despair and fear.

God who sighs and weeps, God who wipes away our tears.

Hear us when we pray.

Incline your ear to our words, silentshouting cries, mournful whispers.

Be gentle with our hard hearts. Be gentle. Be gentle.

Anoint us with your touch,

The softness of your love breaks into our hardness and opens us anew.

A new thing. A new life. New sight.

Anoint us, Holy One and fill us with you loving touch.

Fill us that we can touch with your love and fill others.

Fill us gently. Fill us.

In your name we pray. Amen.


Call and Response




(silence)


Response Hymn #626



Preparation for the Word Hymn #205

March 18, 2018

Sermon by Reverend Kathryn Pyke

"Losing Ourselves, Finding Ourselves"

Lord, have mercy (Lord, have mercy)

Christ, have mercy (Christ, have mercy)

Lord, have mercy  (Lord, have mercy)

As the deer pants for the water, so my soul longs after you;

You alone are my heart's desire and I long to worship you.

Live in charity and steadfast love.

Live in charity; God will dwell with you.

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Centering Prayer

God of the cross, tottering down the streets of Jerusalem on a donkey,

You are not the savior we expect.

Your power doesn’t look like the power we want our God to have.

Your wisdom makes no sense to us.

We are happy to join the crowd, waving branches,

but not so sure we want to follow you through this Holy Week:

into the temple courts

into the upper room

into the Garden of Gethsemane

to the high priest’s house,

to the assembly of elders,

to Pilate,

to Herod,

to the place of The Skull,

to the foot of the cross.

We need you to go with us on this journey.

Grant us clear vision,

Courageous hearts,  

Persistent steps.

Even though we know what this week will bring, we sing: Hosanna, hosanna.  

Save us, we beseech you!  Amen.


Call to Worship

ONE: Jesus entered into Jerusalem humbly on a donkey, seeking to transform the people.

ALL: People gathered from everywhere to wave palm branches and praise him as royalty.

ONE: Jesus enters into our lives humbly, seeking to transform our hearts and lives.

ALL: Let us worship Jesus Christ together,   and receive him into our presence.  Hosanna in the highest!


Lenten Prayer

Gathering for worship today, we are like the crowd that lined the streets, witnessing your entry into Jerusalem.  Some of us gather here, full of enthusiasm.  Some of us gather wearied by what life has thrown at us.  Some of us come out of curiosity.  Some of us out of habit.  Some of us gather with great expectation.  Some of us with no particular hopes.  It is here, O God, that you meet us and greet us and, if we will allow, it is here that you surprise us with your love and your grace.

So open our eyes and our minds, steal into our closed hearts and surprise us today with joy.  Quell those unrealistic expectations, but open us to the possibility of hope and allow us to glimpse the goodness of your purpose for us.  Even when we cannot name it ourselves you know what ails us.  We submit to your knowledge of us and open ourselves to the need for your forgiveness,

a forgiveness that comes freely and abundantly.  So with cleansed hearts and open minds, we join in the cry HOSANNA!  Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord!


Call and Response




(silence)


Response Hymn #626



Preparation for the Word Hymn #205

March 24, 2018

Palm Sunday

Sermon by Reverend Kathryn Pyke

"Who is This?"

Lord, have mercy (Lord, have mercy)

Christ, have mercy (Christ, have mercy)

Lord, have mercy  (Lord, have mercy)

As the deer pants for the water, so my soul longs after you;

You alone are my heart's desire and I long to worship you.

Live in charity and steadfast love.

Live in charity; God will dwell with you.

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April  14, 2017

Good Friday

Hymn - #219 "They Crucified My Lord

Evening Prayer

Crucified and Sovereign Jesus, we confess that we have been untrue to you. Like Peter, we have denied  you, stood with our neighbors and acted as though we never knew you. You did not leave us, even when we betrayed your love and sacrifice. We break our promises, but your word is never broken. Forgive us for being weak in the face of adversity and conflict, for fleeing when the going gets tough, for forsaking you. You must have the last word – and it is “Father, forgive them.”

     (silence)


"I Remember"

Four followers of Jesus gather the day after the crucifixion. Rebeka, James, Mary Magdalene, and Simon Peter meed the day after Jesus'  crucifixion to share their grief and memories.


Gospel Readings

Mark 5:24-34 (Rebeka healed)

Mark 1:16-20 (The calling of James)

Luke 8:1-3 (Mary Magdalene healed)

Mark 14:66-72 (Jesus' arrest, and Simon Peter's denial)


Response - “Jesus Remember Me”  #227


Affirmation of Faith

Christ Jesus, you hung upon a cross and died for us so that we might live for you.  Your body was broken and your blood shed so that we might be healed and made whole.  You were faithful unto death so that we might be faithful unto life.  Your last command was that we might love one another - one family together from every tribe and nation.  A new creation united through your sacrifice, redeemed by your blood, healed by your love, united by your covenant of peace. In your death, may we find life.


Hymn  “Were You There” #228

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Archive - Lent 2018