November 24, 2024

Cycles of Grace and Gratitude

Words of greeting and Gathering

Alexis Ward Owens

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.

SONGS

Brent Holl

This is God’s Perfect World

This is God’s perfect world

And to my listening ears

All nature sings, and round me rings

The music of the spheres

This is God’s perfect world

I rest me in the thought

Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas

His hand the wonders wrought

This is God’s perfect world

The birds their carols raise The morning light, the lily white Declare their maker's praise

This is God’s perfect world

He shines in all that's fair
In the rustling grass, I hear him pass He speaks to me everywhere

This is God’s perfect world

Why should my heart be sad?
The Lord is king, let the heavens ring God reigns, let the earth be glad

The Lord is king, let the heavens ring
God reigns, let the earth be glad

GLORY

by Mike Stern ©1988

(refrain)

Glory in the highest, glory in each lowly one,

Glory in the morn-ing, glory in the setting sun,

Glory in the morning, glory in the setting sun.

Glory in the children and when the day has begun,

glory in the lines of old faces and when the day is done, (refrain)

There’s no glory in the battle nor the barrel of a gun,
There’s no glory in killing, no war victory to be won, but there’s

(refrain)

Glory to the creator, glory to the One,
glory to the spirit, glory to the Three in One,

(refrain)

The earth and all it’s fullness and all it’s daughters and sons,

be-long to the glory and the glory still to come.

(refrain)

The Story -
Earning glory on the battlefield is a theme that recurs throughout history and in many cultures. Today there are many ‘battlefields’ on which humans compete for glory: politics, sports, entertainment awards, spelling bees. Jesus suggests that there is another type of glory. This glory is not something that is earned or won or bought. It is glory simply in the nature of the thing itself. “Consider the lilies of the field,” he says. “Even Solomon with all his wealth and power, all his ‘glory,’ was not clothed as fine as one of these simple flowers.” It is this glory in the nature of things that is sung about by the great host of spiritual beings who fill the night sky above humble shepherds to proclaim “Glory in the highest” to the One who comes to us as a simple babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.

Jonathan Hunter

SCRIPTURE READINGs

Matthew 21:33-46 (CEB)

33 “Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a fence around it, dug a winepress in it, and built a tower. Then he rented it to tenant farmers and took a trip. 34 When it was time for harvest, he sent his servants to the tenant farmers to collect his fruit. 35 But the tenant farmers grabbed his servants. They beat some of them, and some of them they killed. Some of them they stoned to death.

36 “Again he sent other servants, more than the first group. They treated them in the same way. 37 Finally he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.

38 “But when the tenant farmers saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come on, let’s kill him and we’ll have his inheritance.’ 39 They grabbed him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.

40 “When the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenant farmers?”

41 They said, “He will totally destroy those wicked farmers and rent the vineyard to other tenant farmers who will give him the fruit when it’s ready.”

42 Jesus said to them, “Haven’t you ever read in the scriptures, The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. The Lord has done this, and it’s amazing in our eyes? 43 Therefore, I tell you that God’s kingdom will be taken away from you and will be given to a people who produce its fruit. 44 Whoever falls on this stone will be crushed. And the stone will crush the person it falls on.”

45 Now when the chief priests and the Pharisees heard the parable, they knew Jesus was talking about them. 46 They were trying to arrest him, but they feared the crowds, who thought he was a prophet.

THEOLOGICAL Reflection

Alexis Ward Owens

“Cycles of Grace and Gratitude”

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. Share one thing that has brought you joy recently, or one thing that you are very thankful for. This can be big or small, ranging from “my cancer is in remission!” To “I had a really good conversation with a human. I hadn’t seen in a long time at the grocery store that fueled my soul.” ALL Thanksgiving is worthy and important. ALL Thanksgiving helps lead to a cycle of gratitude and grace. 

2. Brainstorm some ways you might begin to try and integrate Thanksgiving into your daily life. Does this look like journaling? Naming a few things each morning to start your day? Do you tend to be pessimistic and need an accountability partner to remember to be thankful?

3. I encourage everyone to hit up our bracelet making station today and create a bracelet with a word that might encourage you to remember to be thankful!

Communion

Laura Douglass

Merciful God,

we confess that we have not loved you with our whole heart.

We have failed to be an obedient church.

We have not done your will,

we have broken your law,

we have rebelled against your love,

we have not loved our neighbors,

and we have not heard the cry of the needy.

Forgive us, we pray.

Free us for joyful obedience,

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

All pray in silence.

In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!

THE GREAT THANKSGIVING*

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts.

We lift them up to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right to give our thanks and praise.

It is right, and a good and joyful thing,

always and everywhere to give thanks to you,

Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

You formed us in your image

and breathed into us the breath of life.

When we turned away, and our love failed,

your love remained steadfast.

You delivered us from captivity,

made covenant to be our sovereign God,

and spoke to us through the prophets.

And so,

with your people on earth

and all the company of heaven

we praise your name and join their unending hymn:

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,

heaven and earth are full of your glory.

Hosanna in the highest.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

Hosanna in the highest.

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.

When the Lord Jesus ascended,

he promised to be with us always,

in the power of your Word and Holy Spirit.

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.

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

Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here,

and on these gifts of bread and wine.

Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ,

that we may be for the world the body of Christ,

redeemed by his blood.

By your Spirit make us one with Christ,

one with each other,

and one in ministry to all the world,

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 Father,

now and forever. Amen.

THE LORDS PRAYER

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins

as we forgive those who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial,

and deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours

now and forever. Amen.

Song

Brent Holl

“Offering Song”

We give the thanks
We give the thanks
We give the thanks, for all we have!
Praise and Thanksgiving
Praise God above!
Sharing, counting our blessings, caring one for another

All we have to give to you.

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!

Advent study

7-8 pm Thursday Nights - 12/5, 12, & 19
Meeting at the Douglass Home (reach out for the address!)

We will be journeying through Simpson’s book Fully Human. Fully Divine. as a group. There is a SMALL amount of reading to be done throughout the week, but if you skip some that is ok too! This is an awesome read for anyone looking to stay rooted and grounded throughout this crazy holiday season and beyond.

We encourage everyone to take a peek at this read even if you cannot commit to attending the group function!

On Thursday’s we will debrief on the weekly readings and dive a little deeper on how it is impacting us in our daily lives, what we are learning, and generally support one another throughout the season.

Here is the link to buy the book:

https://amzn.to/3AL5URd

*If you cannot commit to paying for the book right now but would like to participate please reach out to Alexis.

joining forces this Advent Season

For the next four weeks (12/1, 8, 15, & 22) we will be a part of some new traditions and share some of our traditions with the JWUMC community! We will worship upstairs together these weeks and make some new friends!

We hope to offer a kidzone option downstairs for those who are interested, but we need 2 adult volunteers weekly to make this a safe viable option! Please reach out if you are willing to be a part of the rotation. If we have many folks willing no one has to fill every week!

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.

Cookies & Coffee with New Friends!

December 1st

Since December 1st will be our first week with our new friends from JWUMC we thought it might be fun to have some time to share cookies, coffee and stories! We invite you to bring a plate of some of your favorite cookies to share!

Deck the cookies with rise

December 5th 12-1pm

Finals are just around the weekend, the holiday spirit is in the air, and we would like to bid our JMU friends a Merry Christmas! We will be setting up a cookie decoration station on campus to spread a little joy on what is often a very stressful week on campus.

If you are interested in helping us bake the blank sugar cookies please reach out to Sheridan or Alexis!

Sheridan’s Senior Research Project

12/3/24 on campus at jmu

Sheridan has been hard at work on her senior capstone research project for her degree all semester, and On Tuesday December 3rd she will be presenting her research findings with her group! We are all invited to attend to hear about the exciting project she has been working on and to support her in her studies. If you are interested in attending please talk to me (Alexis) and we will get a group together, there ARE parking options for the event. We will plan to meet up together at JMU around 5:15ish

CLOSING SONG

“EACH ONE’S DIFFERENT”

by Michael Stern

One whole has many parts
A single ending from different starts
The same longings fill a host of hearts
But each one’s different like a work of art

Every color of the rainbow
Every crystal of falling snow
Burning embers from a fire glow
And music playing high & low

Every creature of sea & sky & land
Every star, every grain of sand
For reasons I’ll never understand
Every finger of each & every hand

(Repeat first verse)

“I wrote this song while reflecting on the beauty and diversity found in nature, art, music, and so importantly, in humanity.” - Mike Stern

Parting Blessing

~Psalm 100 (NIV - adapted by Alexis Owens)

A psalm. For giving grateful praise.

1 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.

2 Worship the Lord with gladness;
    come before them with joyful songs.

3 Know that the Lord is God.
    It is they who made us, and we are theirs;
    we are their people, the sheep of their pasture.

4 Enter their gates with thanksgiving
    and their courts with praise;
    give thanks to them and praise their name.

5 For the Lord is good and their love endures forever;
    their faithfulness continues through all generations.

REMEMBER - YOU ARE A GIFT!

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