Dear Church Family,
Welcome to this week’s online celebration. A big thanks to everyone whose talents and time have gone into creating this. We pray that it may inspire, comfort, and uplift your spirits during this season of Easter, when we look for signs of new life in a suffering world. Please join us for coffee hour at 11, as well, if you’re able. It’s good to be able to see one another!
You can also submit comments and prayer requests via our Comments Form at mpcfamily.org/comments . We’d love to hear from you!
If you are visiting today, we hope you’ll fill out our online Visitor Card at mpcfamily.org/hello .
View April 26th Celebration online
- Marcia’s prelude will be God, Who Stretched the Spangled Heavens (arr. Wilbur Held)
- Ben will welcome us, and Martha Smith will lead us in the Call to Celebration.
- The opening hymn, an MPC favorite, is “Morning has Broken.” The lyrics are included at the bottom of this email.
- The prayer for peace, a Rumi poem, will be read by Deborah Brooks
- Dolores has another Godly Play story, as we continue hearing the stories of resurrection.
- Cynthia Blumgart will read the scripture, which is John 21: 1-14
- Talitha will preach
- A special musical treat from Steve and Hannah McKiernan will be “The Book of Love,” written by Stephen Merritt (and made even more popular by Peter Gabriel)
- Ben will lead us in prayer
- Kim will sing with us an African-American spiritual, “Lord, make us more holy until we meet again.” The lyrics are included at the bottom.
- Talitha will send us out with a charge and benediction!
Morning Has Broken (by Cat Stevens)
Morning has broken like the first morning
Blackbird has spoken like the first bird
Praise for the singing
Praise for the morning
Praise for them springing fresh from the Word
Sweet the rain’s new fall, sunlit from heaven
Like the first dew fall on the first grass
Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden
Sprung in completeness where His feet pass
Mine is the sunlight
Mine is the morning
Born of the One Light Eden saw play
Praise with elation, praise every morning…
Lord, Make Us More Holy
Lord, make us more holy
Lord, make us more holy
Lord, make us more holy until we meet again
Holy, holy, holy, until we meet again.
Lord, make us more loving… (etc)
Lord, make us more patient… (etc)
Lord, make us more faithful… (etc)
The Charge (say together) Go out into the world in peace. Have courage; hold on to what is good. Return no one evil for evil. Strengthen the faint-hearted, support the weak, and help the suffering. Honor all people. Love and serve God, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Looking forward, at 11 AM on Sunday please join us for family hour on Zoom (please email Rev. Ben or email Rev. Talitha for the password) and on Wednesday at noon, please feel free to join the pastor’s Bible study on Zoom.