October 6, 2024
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
~Matt Gaventa, adapted (see source notes at the end of page)
Opening Music
Brent Holl
“Joy to The World”
~Isaac Watts
Joy to the world, the Lord is come
Let Earth receive her King
Let every heart prepare Him room
And Heaven and nature sing
And Heaven and nature sing
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing
Joy to the Earth, the Savior reigns
Let all their songs employ
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy
Repeat the sounding joy
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy
He rules the world with truth and grace
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness
And wonders of His love
And wonders of His love
And wonders, wonders, of His love
Joy to the world, the Lord is come
Let Earth receive her King
Let every heart prepare Him room
And Heaven and nature sing
And Heaven and nature sing
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing
“Stand Up!”
~Michael Stern
First they came for the Communists,
then they came for the Jews,
but I wasn’t a Communist and I wasn’t a Jew.
So I didn’t stand up and I didn’t ask why.
By the time they came for me,
there was no one left to ask why.
Then they came for unionists,
and they came for the priests,
but I wasn’t a unionist and I wasn’t a priest.
So I didn’t stand up and I didn’t ask why.
By the time they came for me,
there was no one left to ask why.
Then they came for the pacifists,
and they came for the gays,
but I wasn’t a pacifist and I wasn’t a gay.
So I didn’t stand up and I didn’t ask why.
By the time they came for me,
there was no one left to ask why.
Still they come for the outcasts,
for the poor and the refugees,
and though I am not an outcast
and I’m not poor or a refugee.
Now I’m gonna stand up and I’m gonna ask why,
and if some time they come for me,
I hope there’s someone standing by my side.
Yes, we’re gonna stand up and were gonna ask why,
and if some time they come for us,
there’ll be lots of people standing side by side,
a whole lot of people standing side by side
SCRIPTURE READINGS
Neal Wong
Leviticus 19:33-34 (CEB)
33 When immigrants live in your land with you, you must not cheat them. 34 Any immigrant who lives with you must be treated as if they were one of your citizens. You must love them as yourself, because you were immigrants in the land of Egypt; I am the Lord your God.
Isaiah 56:1-8 (CEB)
56 The Lord says:
Act justly and do what is righteous,
because my salvation is coming soon,
and my righteousness will be revealed.
2 Happy is the one who does this,
the person who holds it fast,
who keeps the Sabbath, not making it impure,
and avoids doing any evil.3 Don’t let the immigrant who has joined with the Lord say,
“The Lord will exclude me from the people.”
And don’t let the eunuch say,
“I’m just a dry tree.”
4 The Lord says:
To the eunuchs who keep my sabbaths,
choose what I desire,
and remain loyal to my covenant.
5 In my temple and courts, I will give them
a monument and a name better than sons and daughters.
I will give to them an enduring name
that won’t be removed.
6 The immigrants who have joined me,
serving me and loving my name, becoming my servants,
everyone who keeps the Sabbath without making it impure,
and those who hold fast to my covenant:
7 I will bring them to my holy mountain,
and bring them joy in my house of prayer.
I will accept their entirely burned offerings and sacrifices on my altar.
My house will be known as a house of prayer for all peoples,
8 says the Lord God,
who gathers Israel’s outcasts.
I will gather still others to those I have already gathered.
Hebrews 13:1-3 (CEB)
1 Keep loving each other like family. 2 Don’t neglect to open up your homes to guests, because by doing this some have been hosts to angels without knowing it. 3 Remember prisoners as if you were in prison with them, and people who are mistreated as if you were in their place.
Matthew 7:1-5 (CEB)
1 “Don’t judge, so that you won’t be judged. 2 You’ll receive the same judgment you give. Whatever you deal out will be dealt out to you. 3 Why do you see the splinter that’s in your brother’s or sister’s eye, but don’t notice the log in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother or sister, ‘Let me take the splinter out of your eye,’ when there’s a log in your eye? 5 You deceive yourself! First take the log out of your eye, and then you’ll see clearly to take the splinter out of your brother’s or sister’s eye.
THEOLOGICAL Reflection
Chris Zepp
“Othering”
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
Who are YOUR scapegoats? Who do YOU tend to “other”? How can you practice the Golden Rule and be a better neighbor to these?
Take another look at the scriptures that were read today. What do they have to teach us about othering as we consider political issues such as immigration, race relations, policies about gender/sexuality, etc? What is their good news?
Choose one of these related issues that is most close to your heart (Immigration, Race Relations, Gender/Sexualityl, etc). Why are you passionate about this issue? Can we discuss policy, law, etc around this issue in ways that do NOT involve “othering?” If so what does that look like and what is needed for it to happen? If not, how can we engage the public and political process around it in solidarity with those who are “others”?
Where is God in all of this? (It’s a basic, wide-open question, but also the most essential theological question we can ask!)
COMMUNION
Laura Douglass, Deacon
Servers: Neal and Rebecca Wong
One: The Lord be with you.
All: And also with you.
One: Lift up your hearts.|
All: We lift them to the Lord.
One: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
All: It is right to give our thanks and praise.
One: It is truly right and our greatest joy to give you thanks and praise, O Lord our God, creator and ruler of the universe…… Therefore we praise you, joining our voices with choirs of angels,with prophets, apostles, and martyrs, and with all the faithful of every time and place, who forever sing to the glory of your name:
All:
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.
One: Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord……. Great is the mystery of faith:
All:
Christ has died,
Christ is risen,
Christ will come again.
One: Gracious God, pour out your Holy Spirit upon us, and upon these your gifts of bread and wine…… Keep us faithful, and fruitful, and hopeful, and peaceful, until we come at last to the one table of your Kingdom, to feast with all your saints in the joy of your eternal realm, with you and with your Word, through Christ and in Christ, the one who came for us, died for us, and rose for us, the one who prays even for us, the one who first taught us to pray, saying the prayer Jesus taught:
All: Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy kingdom come, thy will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil,
for thine is the kingdom,
and the power and the glory forever.
Amen.
Song
“In CHrist There Is No East Or West”
~Joel and Melissa Littlepage, arr. by Brent Holl
In Christ there is no East or West, in him no North or South
But one great fellowship of love throughout the whole wide earth.
In him shall true hearts everywhere their high communion find.
His service is the golden cord close binding humankind.
Join hands then children of the faith! What er'e your race may be.
Whoever serves God as His child is surely kin to me!
In Christ, we all are called His friends, adding to his Love.
We bear the fruits of Love and Joy, which come from God above
In Christ we all are welcome here, His gracious love to share,
We have a place here with our friends, who come from everywhere
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!
Craft ‘n’ Chat
6-8 pm Tuesday Evenings
James Madison University
Gabbin Hall, Room 0204
Join RISE on campus for evenings of crafting together and conversation about life and maintaining balance in a chaotic world. Feel free to bring any projects you’re already working on, but craft supplies will also be provided!
Contact Alexis or Sheridan for more info and/or directions.
The Sitting
(With an Issue)
6-8 pm Wednesday Nights
Brothers Craft Brewing
October 2 - November 6
It’s been great joining many of you over the past few months at The Sitting for open-ended conversation and company. But we’ve decided to get a bit more intentional about bringing some timely and topical conversation to our Sittings. For the next six weeks, we will take the opportunity on Wednesday nights to continue the conversations we will begin at worship on Sunday mornings by taking an even deeper dive into the issues that concern ourselves, our country, and our world during this election season. How do we live as people of faith in these trying times? And how do we think about the issue and concerns that divide us and our neighbors? Let’s talk about it and try to figure it out together!
During this election season, it is hard to find a safe place to talk about the prevalent issues in our country. We hope RISE can provide a safe place for judgment-free and pressure-free discussion about issues that affect us all. ❤️ Please come with an open heart and open mind!
Movie and Discussion
Sunday, October 20
3-6 pm
Zepp Home
"Bad Faith" is a feature-length documentary that explores the dangerous rise of Christian Nationalism in the United States. Part archival chronicle, part exposé, the film reveals the secretive political machinery that has relentlessly sought to weaken and destroy American democracy in order to promote an authoritarian vision.
Together we’ll watch the movie, then take some time to process and discuss the ideas it raises. Bring a snack & drink or just yourself and join us! DM us or contact Chris Zepp (worship@riseharrisonburg.com) for address, directions, or more info.
RISE GROUP OPTIONS SURVEY
We are actively considering planning some group options for the next several months at RISE and are seeking community input so that we can try to offer programming that best meets your needs & desires at the most accessible time(s). Please take a few moments to complete our short "Group Options Survey" at the link below to let us know what you are looking for!
Your source of information for all things RISE! Check out the latest edition if you haven’t already! Its packed with info on all our events this summer, staffing updates, etc.
closing SONG
“The COmmon Good”
~Chris Zepp
In this world where strife and hatred cause division with our friends
It is hard to find a vision that unites instead of rends
Politicians stoke division, talking heads just make it worse
So-called leaders chase poll numbers, taking care of their own purse
Our attention gets diverted, scapegoats blamed for all our ills
Immigrants and those of color, and the rednecks in the hills
Queer and trans folk, even women - we could all make quite a list!
Irregardless of our passions, everyone must coexist
But the church should be much different — for each other we should live
Looking not to our own interests, but instead to what we give
Can we take our love and caring into public, witness bear?
The Golden Rule we preach on Sunday, our world needs us all to share
We are called to love our neighbors even when we disagree
Work for justice, and for mercy — turn the “me” into a “we”
Then together we shall flourish, treating each as if our own
The common good shall be our calling — faith-filled values be made known
Parting Blessing
~Matt Gaventa, adapted (see source notes below)
PARTING Song
You are a gift to all the world!
Now go and be a gift!
Spread joy and kindness everywhere
Speak peace and justice as you go
Show love to all around
Show love to all around
Show love, Show love to all around!
REMEMBER - YOU ARE A GIFT!
*Opening Prayer, Communion Liturgy, and Parting Blessing adapted from PC(USA) World Communion Sunday Liturgy, October 2, 2016, written by Matt Gaventa, the Pastor of Amherst Presbyterian Church in Amherst, Virginia and the chaplain at Sweet Briar College. His writing has appeared in The Christian Century, Working Preacher, and on the Day 1 Radio Broadcast. He lives in Lovingston, Virginia, with his wife and son, Sarah and Charlie.
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