Beacon Online Worship 3/29/20

We hope you'll join us for online worship this coming Sunday 3/29 at 5pm! Click here view the service on Youtube.

Gathering Time (unmuted)

Feel free to say hi and check in with others before the service begins!

Zoom/Announcements

Facing God/Call to Worship (from Psalm 130)

(Remain muted and read liturgy aloud at home)

Leader: Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice! 

Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications!

All: I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in God’s word I hope. 

My soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning.

Leader: O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, 

and with God is great power to redeem.

All: Let us worship God!

What Joy (everyone muted)

You made the heavens and the earth

The sea and all that is in them

Your promises remain

You give justice to the weak

You care for the widow and orphan

Forever Lord You reign

Chorus (2x):

What joy, what joy

For those whose hope is in

The name of the Lord

What peace, what peace

For those whose confidence

Is God alone

You make the blinded eye to see

And cherish those who seek Your face

Your faithful love endures

You came to let the slave go free

You cause the sinner to sing praise

In You we are secure

Chorus 2x

Hallelujah (x4)

Hallelujah forever we will sing

Hallelujah praises to the King

Hallelujah forever we will sing

Hallelujah praises to the King

Chorus 2x

Prayer of Confession & Assurance

(Remain muted and read liturgy aloud at home)

All: Merciful God, we have not loved you with our whole heart. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. Forgive what we have been, help us amend what we are, and direct what we shall be. Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy, on us. Amen. 

Leader: The Good News is that Christ has come and Christ will come again. 

All: In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven. Thanks be to God. 

Children's Bible Story

John 11:17, 20-22, 29-44

When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days.

When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.”

And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. The Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary get up quickly and go out. They followed her because they thought that she was going to the tomb to weep there. When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.”

Jesus began to weep. So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”

Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone.

And Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you for having heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

Lectio Questions

What stands out to you about this text? (character/word/sentence)

Who do you identify with the most?

Homily

Take, O Take Me As I Am (everyone muted)

Take, O take me as I am

Summon Out what I shall be

Set your seal upon my heart

And live in me

Prayers of the People

Now is the time when we share the prayers on our hearts and minds. If you have a private prayer, you can email them to us throughout the week and the pastoral team will pray over them. 

If you have a prayer, please unmute your mic to share.

After each prayer, I will lead our response on mute:

Lord in your mercy // hear our prayers

Now I will offer a prayer for the greater community and world. We will end by saying the Lord’s Prayer together in whatever language you prefer. Let us pray.

...ending in the Lord's Prayer (everyone on mute)

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 debts, as we forgive our debtors. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever, Amen.

A Remembrance of Communion

Amidst great uncertainty and fear, Jesus gathered his friends together for a meal that would become for countless saints of the faith a way to experience and remember his eternal grace and love. Jesus said, come to me, all you that are weary and carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 

Jesus said, whenever you eat or drink, do this in remembrance of me. That means in churches or around kitchen tables, we have the opportunity to remember the generous grace of Christ that is extended to all people. 

**We encourage you to read this story (Mark 14:17-25 or Luke 22:14-23) during the week and designate a meal together to eat around a table, break bread or whatever meal you’ve made, and be in fellowship with your household. If you are by yourself, perhaps FaceTime someone else and share a meal with them virtually.

Offering

To give online, click here: https://www.thewordatbeacon.org/donate

To give your prayers, email us at info@thewordatbeacon.org

God of provision, we thank you for the opportunities we have to participate in your work in the world. We offer up to you the gifts of our prayers, our presence in gatherings like this one, our financial resources, our time and energy in service to you and to others. Bless these efforts, multiply them, so that all our neighbors would know the depths of your love for them. Amen. 

10,000 Reasons (everyone UNmuted)

Chorus:

Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul

Worship God’s holy name

Sing like never before, O my soul

I’ll worship God’s holy name

The sun comes up, it’s a new day dawning

It’s time to sing Your song again

Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me

Let me be singing when the evening comes

Chorus

You’re rich in love and You’re slow to anger

Your name is great and Your heart is kind

For all Your goodness I will keep on singing

Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find

Chorus

And on that day when my strength is failing

The end draws near and my time has come

Still my soul will sing Your praise unending

Ten thousand years and then forevermore

Chorus

Sending/Blessing (from Romans 8)

(Remain muted and read liturgy aloud at home)

All: Though we are physically apart, the apostle Paul reminds us that “neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Leader: The steadfast love of God goes with you, the deep and abiding peace of Christ goes with you, and the comfort and guidance of the Holy Spirit goes with you, now and always. Amen. 

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Feel free to hang out a little longer and catch up with others! Please also leave us feedback in the chat so we know what's working well and what to tweak for the future.