Worship Online June 28

Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

Welcome to worship at St. John’s United Methodist Church and our new worship format. Please move through the service at your own pace, clicking on the links as you are ready, repeating segments if you are so moved.

Prelude Gaudeamus Pariter by David Lasky
C. Scott Hagler, organist

Greeting Rev. Kathryn Boren

Call to Worship All Are Welcome by Marty Haugen
St. John’s UMC Virtual Choir

Let us build a house
Where love can dwell
And all can safely live,
A place where
Saints and children tell
How hearts learn to forgive.
Built of hopes and dreams and visions,
Rock of faith and vault of grace;
Here the love of Christ shall end divisions:
All are welcome, all are welcome,
All are welcome in this place.

Let us build a house where hands will reach
beyond the wood and stone,
To heal and strengthen, serve and teach,
and live the word they’ve known.
Here the outcast and the stranger
bear the image of God’s face,
Let us bring an end to fear and danger:
All are welcome, all are welcome,
All are welcome in this place.

Let us build a house where all are named,
their songs and visions heard
And loved and treasured, taught and claimed
as words within the Word.
Build of tears and cries and laughter,
prayers of faith and songs of grace.
Let this house proclaim from floor to rafter:
All are welcome, all are welcome,
All are welcome in this place.

Children’s Time Rev. Kathryn Boren

Email Kathryn

Scripture Psalm 13 Andrea Cassutt and Fred Graham

Refrain: Be Still and Know That I Am God (TFWS 2057)

How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?

How long must I bear pain in my soul, and have sorrow in my heart all day long?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

Refrain

Consider and answer me, O LORD my God!
Lighten my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death;
my enemy will say, “I have prevailed;”
my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.

Refrain

But I trusted in your steadfast love:
my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
I will sing to the LORD,
because God has dealt bountifully with me.

Refrain

Sermon Rev. Kathryn Boren

Prayers of the People Rev. Dick Smith

O Lord of all of life, we come to you this day in humility, in hope, in expectation and in faith. As our tradition and life experience have taught us, in you we live and move and have our very being. And through faith you are in us and we in you.

Once again we come to you as we find our world that we have so often taken for granted, now in uncertain times and crises. The Covid-19 virus has created the worst world-wide pandemic that any of us has known in our life time. Hundreds of thousands have died and there is no certain future in sight. We commit into your loving grace those who have lost their lives. We lift up those who have lost loved ones, those who have suffered debilitating illness, those whose economic future is devastated.

And then in the midst of this pandemic crisis, an old social demon that has plagued our land for over 200 years has re-emerged — injustice and slavery, oppression, and racism. Over the years we in the church have fought against this injustice. But it still lingers in our land. And although we who call ourselves Christians and followers of Jesus Christ, we still have much to learn and much to do.

And then in this mix of our cultural and health crises, we find ourselves torn apart by political intolerance. We retreat into our comfort zones of friends who think like us. We are loyal to political parties that promise to take care of us. And too often we are blinded from the truth because of our own desires and egos and fears. We are told that “seeing is believing.” But too often what we want to believe effects our seeing. It’s like we’re fans in an evenly divided football stadium. And the game is being fiercely played on the field by the players. And then a referee makes a call that we adamantly disagree with. “Get glasses, ref.” But in the replay we see the ref got it right. Too often we see what we want to believe.

The church is a community that calls us to believe. But we’re not called to believe what we want to believe. You, O Lord, with grace and love, you have shown us what is true belief. As you taught us through Jesus, we are to believe in the power of love. We are called to live that power of love. We are healed in that love and called to offer healing to others in that love. We are called to work for justice in that love. We are called to unite all your children in that love.

As we face the many challenges our time brings us, our church, St. John’s United Methodist Church, is stepping into a new future. Today we welcome our new pastor, Rev. Kathryn Boren. Pastor Kathryn comes to us with gifts and graces that we dearly need in these times. Her years of service in the United Methodist Church have been a blessing to the many. Her reputation as a gifted leader and a compassionate pastor has followed her throughout her career.

O Lord, we receive Pastor Kathryn with gratitude and hope. In receiving her we know that we are all also called to work together for the kingdom. We are all called to deepen our faith and our relationship with you, O God. We are all called to live the great commandment to love one another as you have loved us. In loving God we are all called to deepen our faith in you, O Lord. And in loving one another we all call together, to work for justice and healing the world that we are now living in.

God of grace and God of love, we receive Pastor Kathryn Boren with thanksgiving. As she arrives, she, like every pastor in the United Methodist Church that is moving to a new pastoral appointment during this pandemic, will be faced with unprecedented challenges Lead us. Inspire us. And guide us all in the new world order that is now emerging. This is our prayer.

The Lord’s Prayer

Offering Moment and Prayer Pastor Russ Hall

As you listen to the offertory song, we invite you to give toward the ministries of the church.
Thank you for your generosity and all you do to make sure SJUMC continues to change lives.
Online: Give through our secure site HERE, either a one-time or recurring donation.
Make a check out to the church and mail it to St. John’s UMC, 1200 Old Pecos Trail, Santa Fe, NM 87505
Set-up recurring giving through your bank to mail checks directly to the church.

Offering Music This Little Light of Mine

This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine. (3x)
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Everywhere I go, I’m gonna let it shine. (3x)
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Blessing Rev. Kathryn Boren

Postlude Trumpet Tune in C by Michael McCabe

Permission to podcast/stream and reprint the music in this service
obtained from One License with license #A-731886