January 12, 2025
Presence
Gathering SONG
Brent Holl
“Hamba nathi”
~South African*
Hamba nathi mkululu wetu (“Hahmba na-tee (m)koo-loo-loo weh-too”)
Hamba nathi mkululu wetu
Hamba nathi mkululu wetu
Hamba nathi mkululu wetu
mkululu, mkululu, mkululu wetu
mkululu, mkululu, mkululu wetu
mkululu, mkululu, mkululu wetu
mkululu, mkululu, mkululu wetu
Come walk with us the journey is long (4x)
The journey, the journey, the journey is long (4x)
Set us all free, give us your love (4x)
Give us, give us, give us your love (4x)
Set us all free, give us your joy…
Set us all free, give us your peace…
____________________
*This powerful South African Freedom song lends itself as a song of welcome, inclusion, or a powerful sending song. The closest translation is “Go with us, our savior” but many poetic translations can be found including, “Come walk with us, the journey is long” (Anders Nyberg), and “God is with us, Lord, and set us all free/give us your (love, joy, peace)” (Paul Vasile).
Words of greeting and GATHERING
Chris Zepp
WELCOMING STATEMENT
RISE believes that God has open arms, and so should we. Our Creator wants us to love, accept and affirm every human being, including persons of every age, race, ethnic background, nationality, gender identity, sexual orientation, family or socioeconomic status, educational background, religion or creed, and physical or mental ability. We celebrate our diversity and recognize the sacred worth and dignity of all. Everyone is invited and encouraged to join us as we seek to follow Jesus with mutual respect, understanding, and love.
*Read more about “Why Pronouns Matter” HERE.
OPENING Prayer
Creator God, we come before You today, longing to experience Your presence in a deeper way.
Lord, we know You are always with us, but sometimes the noise and distractions of this world drown out Your voice.
Help us to create space in our lives to simply be with You. Quiet our racing thoughts and calm our anxious hearts.
Draw us closer to You God, and help us to recognize Your presence in every aspect of our lives – in water, in others, and in the quiet moments of our days.
Amen
Scripture and Song
“MAY YOUR HOPE ARISE”
~Michael Stern
May you be healthy, may you be strong
May you laugh and dance and sing your song
May you drink pure water, may you breathe clean air
May your hope arise from despair
May you seek the truth in the face of lies
May you find a love that never dies
May you have vision and stand your ground
May you hold these precious things you’ve found
May you have children under feet
And may they never lack good things to eat
May you all have shelter overhead
May you taste love’s wine and daily bread
May you count your blessings one by one
May your days be full till your days are done
And may you lay to rest that foolish pride
May you let the Spirit be your guide
May you be healthy, may you be strong
May you laugh and dance and sing your song
May you drink pure water, may you breathe clean air
May your hope arise from despair
Isaiah 43:1-7 (CEB)
1 But now, says the Lord—
the one who created you, Jacob,
the one who formed you, Israel:
Don’t fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name; you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
when through the rivers, they won’t sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire, you won’t be scorched
and flame won’t burn you.
3 I am the Lord your God,
the holy one of Israel, your savior.
I have given Egypt as your ransom,
Cush and Seba in your place.
4 Because you are precious in my eyes,
you are honored, and I love you.
I give people in your place,
and nations in exchange for your life.
5 Don’t fear,
I am with you.
From the east I’ll bring your children;
from the west I’ll gather you.
6 I’ll say to the north, “Give them back!”
and to the south, “Don’t detain them.”
Bring my sons from far away,
and my daughters from the end of the earth,
7 everyone who is called by my name
and whom I created for my glory,
whom I have formed and made.
Luke 3:15-17,21-22 (CEB)
15 The people were filled with expectation, and everyone wondered whether John might be the Christ. 16 John replied to them all, “I baptize you with water, but the one who is more powerful than me is coming. I’m not worthy to loosen the strap of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 The shovel he uses to sift the wheat from the husks is in his hands. He will clean out his threshing area and bring the wheat into his barn. But he will burn the husks with a fire that can’t be put out.”
21 When everyone was being baptized, Jesus also was baptized. While he was praying, heaven was opened 22 and the Holy Spirit came down on him in bodily form like a dove. And there was a voice from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I dearly love; in you I find happiness.”
Acts 8:14-17 (CEB)
14 When word reached the apostles in Jerusalem that Samaria had accepted God’s word, they commissioned Peter and John to go to Samaria. 15 Peter and John went down to Samaria where they prayed that the new believers would receive the Holy Spirit. (16 This was because the Holy Spirit had not yet fallen on any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) 17 So Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
“Beach Spring” (Holy Spirit, come with power)
~Text: B. F. White, arr. Brent M. Holl
Holy Spirit, come with power, breathe into our aching night.
We expect you this glad hour, waiting for your strength and light.
We are fearful, we are ailing, we are weak and selfish too.
Break upon your congregation, give us vigor, life anew.
Holy Spirit, come with fire, burn us with your presence new.
Let us as one mighty choir sing our hymn of praise to you.
Burn away our wasted sadness and enflame us with your love.
Burst upon your congregation, give us gladness from above.
Holy Spirit, bring your message, burn and breathe each word anew
Deep into our tired living till we strive your work to do.
Teach us love and trusting kindness, lend our hands to those who hurt.
Breathe upon your congregation and inspire us with your word.
THEOLOGICAL Reflection
Alexis Ward Owens
“Presence (You are not alone)”
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
Have you been baptized?
If so, do you know when and where? How old were you? What does your baptism mean to you?
If not, is this something you have considered before or thought about? Has your understanding of baptism changed after our conversation?
How do you stay present in times of fear and crisis? What do you do to try and stay calm and centered? Do you seek out God’s presence or the presence of a friend or loved one? Do you tend to isolate? What is one thing you would like to start to practice and make a habit to help you the next time you run into a difficult situation on your journey?
Please feel free to take a moment to come forward and touch the water. Feel it roll over your hands and drip back into the pool and think about God’s presence in your life. If you are at home grab a cup or a bowl and fill it with water!
Prayer
Offering and NOMOFOMO
One of our core values is, "God gives to us, so we give back." We're called to give as a joy-filled response to what we've been given. Your financial gifts make a tremendous difference in the lives of God's beloved in Harrisonburg and beyond. Whether it's helping to make sure children in our community have enough to eat, helping to respond to the mental health crisis in our community, or providing much needed backing for the operating costs of our spaces and staff — your gift is a part of God's dream and we are grateful for everyone who partners with us on this journey!
The Story of Your Life
7-8:30 pm Thursday Nights
January 16 - February 20 (or 27th if necessary)
Location TBD
The very act of story telling, of arranging memory and invention according to the structure of the narrative, is by definition holy….We tell stories because we can’t help it. We tell stories because we love to entertain and hope to edify. We tell stories because they fill the silence death imposes. We tell stories because they save us.
~James Carroll,
”The Communion of Sinners”
How would you like to join together with others to reflect on your personal life journey while writing your “spiritual autobiography”? In these first few months of the New Year, Chris is offering a short course that will lead participants through a process of exploring our most meaningful life experiences, helping us to understand and sort out the factors that help define each of our own spiritual journeys, following the process laid out in Dan Wakefield’s book The Story of Your Life. The course will run for six weeks on Thursday evenings (7-8:30 p.m.) beginning January 16 and concluding on February 20 (or February 27th if weather interrupts the schedule). A small amount of “homework” will be required between some sessions, in addition to the culminating writing of the autobiography. Because of the intense personal nature of this experience and the developmental process that builds from week to week, participants will be asked to make a commitment to confidentiality and to regular attendance for the length of the course, planning to miss no more than 1 session over the duration. If interested, please sign up using the link below no later than Sunday January 12 . If you have any questions or need more information, feel free to reach out to Chris (worship@riseharrisonburg.com)
CLOSING SONG
“Down the Road”
~Bill Staines
I do believe that there will be
Waiting for me somewhere down the road
Another song …. that’s worth the singing,
That's worth the singing, somewhere down the road
Down the road, down the road,
Another song worth singing down the road
If the way seems long and slow, remember when you go,
There's a song worth singing down the road
I do believe that there will be
Waiting for me somewhere down the road
Another friend that's worth the knowing,
That's worth the knowing, somewhere down the road
Down the road, down the road,
Another friend worth knowing down the road
If the way seems long and slow, remember when you go,
There's a friend worth knowing down the road
I do believe that there will be
Waiting for me somewhere down the road
Another day that's worth the living,
That's worth the living, somewhere down the road
Down the road, down the road,
Another day worth living down the road
If the way seems long and slow, remember when you go,
There's a day worth living down the road
If the way seems long and slow, remember when you go,
There's a song worth singing,
A friend worth knowing,
There's a day worth living down the road
Parting Blessing
~Brene Brown, excerpted from “Braving the Wilderness”
“Only holiness will call people to listen now. And the work of holiness is not about perfection or niceness; it is about belonging, that sense of being in the Presence and through the quality of that belonging, the mild magnetic of implicating others in the Presence. This is not about forging a relationship with a distant God but about the realization that we are already within God.”
REMEMBER - YOU ARE A GIFT!
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