Worship at Home for the
Third Sunday of Easter
April 18, 2021
Due to the spread of Covid-19, we are taking a sabbatical from our normal Sunday morning gathering, but unity and community are more important than ever before in this season of uncertainty. To help facilitate this, we are providing an online service so that, one in heart, we can worship together even as we maintain distance out of love for our neighbors. This is designed to be used on your own or together as a family or community. We hope this resource is a blessing to you. Remember to check in on friends and neighbors with calls or text, especially the elderly among us and others who are particularly vulnerable. You can also check out the services from 3/15, 3/22, 3/29, 4/5, 4/12, 4/19, 4/26, 5/3, 5/10, 5/17, 5/24, 5/31, 6/7, 6/14, 6/21, 6/28, 7/5, 7/12, 7/19, 7/26, 8/2, 8/9. 8/16, 8/23, 8/31, 9/6, 9/13, 9/20, 9/27, 10/4, 10/11, 10/18, 10/25, 11/1, 11/8, 11/15, 11/22, 11/29, 12/6, 12/13, 12/20, 12/27, 1/3, 1/10, 1/17, 1/24, 1/31, 2/7, 2/14, 2/21, 2/28, 3/7, 3/14/21, 3/21/21, 3/28/21, 4/4/21, and 4/11/21.
Prayers of the People on Zoom at 10:30am!
To join in the Zoom event by online computer,
THE EASIEST WAY
1. Go to www.zoom.com
2. Click on "Join a Meeting"
3. Enter meeting ID#: 629 486 4957 and Click "Join"
4. Follow prompts, including entering your name.
5. Here is a video tutorial that will take you through the steps, if you want to view this first: https://youtu.be/L5zzE-HGQko
or
NOT AS EASY, UNLESS YOU HAVE EXPERIENCE and A ZOOM ACCOUNT
1. Click on https://princeton.zoom.us/j/6294864957
2. Follow prompts, these can be a bit tricky if you've never used Zoom before.
or
To join in the Zoom event using your Smartphone/Iphone:
1. Download the Zoom Cloud Meeting app
2. Open the app.
2. Enter meeting ID#: 629 486 4957 and Click "Join"
3. Follow prompts, including entering your name
4. Here is a video tutorial that will take you through the steps, if you want to view this first: https://youtu.be/lO206_NezaY
or
To dial in by phone:
+1 (646) 558 8656 (New York--please note this may be a long-distance call if you are using a landline)
Then at the prompt, enter meeting ID#: 629 486 4957
NOTE: You do not need to create a Zoom account to sign into a meeting.
Opening Songs
Centering Song
Call to Worship
When fear and doubts stroll through our doors:
God stands beside us, whispering of peace.
When we toss and turn late at night:
God sits by our beds, singing lullabies of love.
When we stumble through the shadows of sin:
God illuminates the paths of goodness and joy.
Written by Rev. Thom M. Shuman
Hymns of Adoration
Seeking the Shalom of the City
ANTIRACIST ADJUSTMENT FOR THE WEEK OF 4/18/2021
“What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God” Micah 6:8
In her book “Waking Up White”, author Debby Irving explores her socialization as a white American and her personal story of race. In the process, she uncovers the stereotypes and biases that comprised the racial stream in which she was raised. We as well can start to bring greater awareness to the racial images, comments and stories we absorbed in our youth as we develop our own story of race. We can seek to understand how the values and beliefs of our “whiteness” culture benefit some at the expense of others. Dynamic and operating on myriad levels, “whiteness” purportedly provides a common perspective and experience for all but in actuality only reflects advantages afforded to white people.
With time and effort, we can sharpen our antiracist lens to focus on the racial inequity in our institutions and systems of social interaction. We can join Ibram Kendi, the author of “How to be an Antiracist”, in seeing that racist policies are the problem not people. What policies, laws, ideas and processes are contributing to and maintaining such injustices as homelessness, food insecurity, mass incarceration, poverty, environmental degradation, and over policing? How can we restructure our ministry efforts to address these long-term issues while meeting the short-term needs of our neighbors?
A spiritual antiracist journal is a possible option to assist in capturing our reflections and insights. In addition, setting a daily morning intention helps to focus our self-exploration and to open our self to changing perspectives as we integrate more deeply. We are encouraging guidance from our spirit not our heads. Keep the activity simple so that it fosters consistency. It also helps to set aside a specific time and place for your short daily devotion and meditation followed by a sentence or three in your journal. You are not writing your autobiography or memoir in this space. If you choose to explore a life experience in more depth feel free to do so outside this journaling time. Don’t worry about catching up if you miss a day and also don’t take yourself too seriously. Your reflections are for you alone and for your ever-deepening spiritual integration. No grades will be assigned. This is a blessing and a joy not a burden. Know that God is your companion and guide so there is nothing to fear.
Daily morning intention:
Open my heart Loving Presence so that I may feel your Divine guidance to greater awareness of racial inequity and to my antiracist role this day.
Please feel free to forward any thoughts to me at the email listed below or by requesting to join the private Facebook group Antiracist Adjustments with the following link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1819196591561542/?ref=share .
Blessings as you continue your antiracism spiritual practice.(submitted by Pat Deeney, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Trenton NJ, pjdeeney@hotmail.com)
Call to Confession and Reconciliation
If our actions mirrored our words, if our hands were mentored by our hearts, if we walked the talk - we would be God's children. But too often, it is our silence, our doubts, our fears which tell others who we truly are. Let us confess to God how we have not been as faithful as we hope, as we pray, saying,
God of empty tombs: Peter speaks with power and clarity of his faith, while we remain silent. The psalmist speaks of trusting in you, while our doubts overwhelm us. Jesus is read to come and grace us with peace, but our fears keep our hearts shuttered and locked.
God of full hearts: your love can change us from scared people to children of grace. You can weed doubts from our hearts and plant seeds of joy in their place. You can silence the panic of our souls with the peace Jesus offers to each of us. Transform us into Easter people, through the power of Jesus Christ, our risen Lord and Savior.
Written by Rev. Thom M. Shuman
Assurance of Pardon
What marvelous love, what wondrous grace, what abundant mercy God offers - to us! We really are God's people - that is exactly who we are!
We are God's children - those whose lives have been changed by the One who loves us and forgives us. Thanks be to God! Amen.
Written by Rev. Thom M. Shuman
Prayer for Illumination
Scripture: Luke 24:36b-48
Sermon by Pastor Karen
Hymn of Response
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father in heaven
Hallowed be Your name
Your kingdom come
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven
Give us today our daily bread
And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever
Amen.
Offering
Even as we are unable to gather for our Sunday morning worship services, many of the church’s expenses remain the same, and now more than ever we want to have the resources to bless the community around us. Your gracious donation will ensure that Westminster continues to Seek the Shalom of the Capital City of Trenton and beyond.
Westminster can receive donations via a simple text:
Text to 609-438-8828 the word “Give”
Westminster’s online giving number will respond asking how much you’d like to give, and steps to follow
Westminster can receive donations online:
Westminster can receive donations by check:
Westminster Presbyterian Church
PO Box 3719
Trenton, NJ 08629
Prayer of Dedication
Jesus, we hear your voice calling us
To love
To serve
To give
These gifts are our response to your call
Keep our hearts and ears open to continue to listen
Today and every day
Amen
Closing Song
Benediction
The Lord be with you
And also with you
La paz de Dios sea con-ti-go
Y tam-bien con-ti-go
Sa-wa-bona
Si-ko-na
Pyeong-hwa
Pyeong-hwa