Fellowship of the Spirit

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;

Praise Him, all creatures here below;

Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

Holy God, all lives are yours, and you do not seek the death of any sinner. Renew our hearts, refresh our spirits, and help us walk in your holy way, that we may welcome the impartiality of your judgment and accept your all-embracing goodness; through Jesus Christ. Amen.

Through God’s steadfast compassion for us, God has filled us with

concern for our world. Therefore, we pray for what we need, saying,

God of compassion, hear our prayer. God, you have placed a desire for truth and righteousness in the

hearts of all people. Uplift those who seek to live faithfully and

lovingly by the promptings of your Spirit, even those who do not know

your name; save them from despair, and lead them to the fullness of

salvation. For seekers of truth,

God of compassion, hear our prayer.

God, you call the children of Israel to make known your

righteousness, and you call disciples of Jesus to take the good news

of your salvation to all the nations. Help those who know your name

to be faithful to their calling, to live according to your commandments,

and to testify to your abounding love. For all who believe in you,

God of compassion, hear our prayer.

God, you have formed your people into communities of prayer and

service. Strengthen us and give us humble and obedient hearts after

the example of Christ, who humbled himself in obedience to you. For

ministers of the gospel,

God of compassion, hear our prayer.

God, you have placed in human hearts a hunger to understand the

structures and rhythms of creation. Grant wisdom to those who seek

to comprehend the inner workings of the world, save them from

arrogance, and enable them to work for the flourishing of humankind.

For scientists,

God of compassion, hear our prayer.

God, you fill the world with forms that delight the ear and eye. Give

artists and musicians a vision of your transcendent beauty, and grant

them skill to render their vision in tangible works that manifest the

sublime glory of your creation. For artists,

God of compassion, hear our prayer.

God, you established the nations of the world to order human

community. Kindle love for peace among the nations and their

leaders, save them from pride of wealth or power, and enable them to

serve the common good. For those who govern,

God of compassion, hear our prayer. God, you provided the earth as a garden, and you commanded the

human community to till the land that it may be fruitful. Bless those

called to the work of agriculture. Give those who benefit from farming

thankful hearts for this good work. Help farmers to respect our

common resources and to resist careless exploitation of nature for

temporary gain. For those who farm the land,

God of compassion, hear our prayer.

God, you hear the cry of all who are in distress. Heal those who are

sick in body, mind, or spirit. Comfort them in their need and help

those who care for them. Teach us to bear the burdens of our siblings

with humility. For the sick and those in distress,

God of compassion, hear our prayer.

These prayers we offer through Christ by the power of your Holy

Spirit.

Amen.

Lord, by the power of your Holy Spirit give us the words of life, that we may understand your way and follow your truth, in Jesus Christ. Amen.

Philippians 2:1-13 1 If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, ² any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. ³ Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. ⁴ Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. ⁵ Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, ⁷ but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, 8he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross. ⁹ Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. ¹² Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; ¹³ for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Matthew 21:23-32 23When he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” ²⁴ Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. 25Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?” And they argued with one another, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ ²⁶ But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet.” ²⁷ So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 28"\W/hat do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ ²⁹ He answered, ‘I will not’; but later he changed his mind and went. ³⁰ The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, ‘I go, sir’; but he did not go. ³¹ Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. ³² For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.

Questions for Reflection: Rev. Johan Dodge

Paul, in his letter to the Christians in Philippi writes to them

encouraging them to regard others as better than themselves. Such

a world is the opposite of our own where we are encouraged to place

ourselves first, to consider ourselves always right and to always find fault with what others are doing. To place others before you is the

way of Jesus and it can change the world around us moment by

moment into the kindom that is to come. Where do you find it most

challenging to place others before yourself? Where do you draw the

strength to place others before yourself in a world that is upside-down

and focused on individuality? Where might you find additional

strength?

DESCIPLESHIP MOMEMT:

Pastor: Siblings in Christ: Through the Sacrament of Baptism we are

initiated into Christ's holy Church. We are incorporated into God's

mighty acts of salvation and given new birth through water and the

Spirit. All this is God's gift, offered to us without price. Through the

reaffirmation of our faith, we renew the covenant declared at our

baptism, acknowledge what God is doing for us, and affirm our

commitment to Christ's holy Church.

Liturgist: Marylee Thomsen

I present Cindy Pierskalla who comes seeking professing

membership in Leisure World Community Church and the United

Methodist Church.

Pastor: On behalf of the whole Church, I ask you: Do you renounce

the spiritual forces of wickedness, reject the evil powers of this world,

and repent of your sin?

New Member: I do.

Pastor: Do you accept the freedom and power God gives you to

resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present

themselves?

New Member: I do.

Pastor: Do you confess Jesus Christ as your Savior, put your whole

trust in his grace, and promise to serve him as your Lord, in union

with the Church which Christ has opened to people of all ages,

nations, and races?

New Member: I do. Pastor: According to the grace given to you, will you remain a

faithful member of Christ's holy Church and serve as Christ's

representative in the world?

New Member: I will.

Pastor— to the congregation: Do you, as Christ's body, the Church,

reaffirm both your rejection of sin and your commitment to Christ?

Congregation: We do.

Pastor: Will you nurture one another in the Christian faith and life and

include this person now before you in your care?

Congregation: With God's help we will proclaim the good news

and live according to the example of Christ. We will surround

this new sibling with a community of love and forgiveness, that

she may grow in her trust of God, and be found faithful in her

service to others. We will pray for her, that she may a be a true

disciple who walks in the way that leads to life.

Pastor: Let us join together in professing the Christian faith as

contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments.

Pastor: Do you believe in God the Father?

Congregation: I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of

heaven and earth.

Pastor: Do you believe in Jesus Christ?

Congregation: I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was

buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose

again; he ascended into heaven, is seated at the right hand of

the Father, and will come again to judge the living and the dead.

Pastor: Do you believe in the Holy Spirit?

Congregation: I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic

church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Pastor to Cindy Pierskalla:

As a member of Christ's universal Church, will you be loyal to Christ

through The United Methodist Church, and do all in your power to

strengthen its ministries?

I will.

As a member of this congregation, will you faithfully participate in its

ministries by your prayers, your presence, your gifts, your service

and your witness?

1 will.

Pastor to Congregation:

Members of the household of God, I commend Cindy Pierskalla to

your love and care. Do all in your power to increase her faith, confirm

her hope, and perfect her in love.

Congregation: We give thanks for all that God has already given

you and we welcome you in Christian love. As members

together with you in the body of Christ and in this congregation

of The United Methodist Church, we renew our covenant

faithfully to participate in the ministries of the Church by our

prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service, and our witness,

that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.

Pastor: May we give God our Worship and show our pleasure.

Certificate and applause.

Pastor: The God of all grace, who has called us to eternal glory in

Christ, establish you and strengthen you that you may live in grace

and peace.

atraid of spilling red grape juice, a limited number of cups with white

grape juice are provided.

Invitation to Communion (Pastor Johan Dodge)

Here at Community Church we celebrate “Open Communion’. Anyone who wishes to commune may come to our Lord’s Table. You

do not have to be sinless; God forgives you. You do not have to be

perfect; but God is encouraging you to grow. You need not belong to

this or any church; God Invites all people to this meal. It is enough to

love the Lord and follow Him with all your heart. This is what God

asks us to do. Come to our Lord’s Table in faith this day. Go from

this place to live, and never be the same again. Let us commune as

brothers and sisters in Christ.

Pastor: The Lord be with you.

People: And also with you.

Pastor: Lift up your hearts.

People: We lift them up to 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, Almighty God, creator of heaven

and earth. You created for yourself a world filled with diversity

and blessed by your breath of life. Rainbow colors bloom in spring,

summer breezes bring garden delight, and now as Autumn comes

our way we see the work of your paintbrush upon every face and

tree.

In mercy, while we still held to the chains of our winter, of pride, self-

righteousness, and historic egos you loved us steadfastly and

delivered us as babes to reflect the beauty and diversity of your

grace, to bring us into a community of love, hope, and peace.

And so, with your people on earth in every place where two or more

are gathered in your name and all the company of heaven who have

gone before us we praise your name and join their unending hymn:

People: Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven

and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed

is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the

highest. 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.

He prayed that we might be one as he is one with you, Father and he

asked that we might be known by the love we have for one another.

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."

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."

And so, in remembrance of these Your mighty acts in 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.

People: Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again.

Pastor: Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here,

and on these gifts of bread and fruit of the vine. Make them be for us

the body and blood of Christ that we, together as a new creation and

a new community around the globe may be for the world the body of

Christ, redeemed by his blood.

By your Spirit help the body of Christ be one. Help the left hand and

the right hand work as one in ministry to all the world. Help the eyes

and the ears sense your present and coming kingdom. Bring the blessing of the diversity of the body to bear fruit 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, all honor and glory is yours, Almighty God, now and forever.

People: Amen.

Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we

all partake of the one loaf.

The bread which we have eaten is a sharing in the bread of Christ.

The cup over which we give thanks is the sharing in the cup of Christ.

Eternal God, we give you thanks for this holy mystery in which you have given yourself to us. Grant that we may go into the world in the strength of your Spirit, to give ourselves for others, in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. INVITATION TO THE OFFERING — Marylee Thomsen With grateful hearts, let us offer our gifts, trusting in God’s goodness.

Almighty God, we give you thanks and praise for your love shown to us in Jesus Christ our Lord. Accept the offering of our lives in union with Christ’s offering for us, and make us humble and obedient servants who will work for your good pleasure; through Christ, with the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, almighty God, now and forever. Amen.

The blessing of God be with you, the love of Jesus fill you, and the power of the Holy Spirit sustain you, focusing your mind into the mind of Christ and your hands into the hands of Jesus. Blessed Be the Tie that Binds Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love. The fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above. Amen.