Rainbow Worship Service
at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
in partnership with Worcester Pride:
Linked By Love
September 1, 2024 † 4pm
Whether this is your first time with us or your one thousand and first, we are glad that the Spirit has drawn you here today!
A brief reception with refreshments will follow the service.
You are invited! Come meet our pastors and members,
and share with us ways the Good Shepherd community can support and encourage you.
Gathering: the Holy Spirit calls us into community
GATHERING SONG God, We Gather as Your People ACS 1038
Verse 1:
God we gather as Your people to raise our song above
And we dare to claim the promise of you love
Though the day may not yet be here, we trust it soon will be
When Your children will be free
Refrain:
Oh, may our hearts and minds be opened; fling the church doors open wide
May there be room enough for everyone inside
For in God there is a welcome, in God we all belong
May that welcome be our song.
Verse 2:
Oh we sing for all the children , that one day they be free
And we sing for generations yet to be
That they never have a reason to doubt that they are blest
May they in Your love find rest
(refrain)
Verse 3:
God we’re working for the future when children far and wide
Can live their lives with dignity and pride
As they grow in strength and stature, may they join us hand in hand
As against all hate we stand
(refrain)
WELCOME
Call to Worship
In the name of the Holy Parent,
And of the + Son,
And of the Holy Spirit, whom we invite into this space. Amen.
We gather to worship, to hear God’s word, and share a meal at Jesus’ table,
to seek the freedom of the Spirit, which calls us to be fully ourselves.
We gather to celebrate, but also to mourn,
to rest and reflect, to repair and seek justice.
We know that to bring our whole and holy selves before God and one another,
we need God’s guidance and healing in a difficult world.
And so we pray:
We implore you, renewing God:
break cycles of disconnection and harm.
Provide the grace and trust that repairs us.
Open our eyes to our neighbors who are near to us, and those who are far away.
Heal our hearts, restore our trust and build our human community.
God created you, knows you, and names you good.
As a called and ordained minister in the church of Christ,
I proclaim that God loves you and calls you out of brokenness to abundant life.
As children of God, created in God’s image,
you are wonderfully made, truly known, and unconditionally loved.
In your forgiveness, you are linked with a community of freed people,
with the power to bring that good news to the world—
to proclaim God’s liberation of the oppressed, and God’s love that knows no ending.
Amen.
CONGREGATION SONG God of Many Faces
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Ever-connecting God, you give us one another as signs of your unfailing love. Help us to rejoice, to grieve, to struggle and to abide with one another, following the example of Jesus. Link us together with the abundant gift of your Holy Spirit. Amen.
FIRST READING Job 2:11-13
Word: God speaks to us through scripture, poetry, preaching + song
A reading from Job.
11Now when Job’s three friends heard of all these troubles that had come upon him, each of them set out from his home—Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They met together to go and console and comfort him. 12When they saw him from a distance, they did not recognize him, and they raised their voices and wept aloud; they tore their robes and threw dust in the air upon their heads. 13They sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great.
Word of God, word of life. Thanks be to God.
SECOND READING 1 John 4:16b-21
A reading from First John.
God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. 17Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as God is, so are we in this world. 18There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. 19We love because God first loved us. 20Those who say, “I love God,” and hate a sibling are liars, for those who do not love a sibling, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21The commandment we have from God is this: those who love God must love their siblings also.
Word of God, word of life. Thanks be to God.
CHILDREN’S MESSAGE Pastor Cassie
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION God Is Love ACS 1041
GOSPEL John 11:1-16, 30-44
The Holy Gospel according to John.
1Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill. 3So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” 4But when Jesus heard it, he said, “This illness does not lead to death; rather, it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” 5Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, 6after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.
7Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” 8The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?” 9Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble because they see the light of this world. 10But those who walk at night stumble because the light is not in them.” 11After saying this, he told them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him.” 12The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right.” 13Jesus, however, had been speaking about his death, but they thought that he was referring merely to sleep. 14Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. 15For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 16Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
30Now Jesus had not yet come to the village but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31The 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. 32When 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.” 33When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. 34He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35Jesus began to weep. 36So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”
38Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. 39Jesus 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.” 40Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” 41So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you for having heard me. 42I 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.” 43When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44The 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.”
The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.
SERMON Pastor Cassie
CONGREGATION SONG Rise Up
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE Piano Solo Randy Gomez
PASSING OF THE PEACE
May the peace of God be with you all. And also with you.
You are invited to share the peace with those around you however you feel comfortable—
a handshake, wave, high five, etc.
OFFERING INVITATION
(Gifts may be made online via debit or credit card using the QR code on the back of the bulletin)
Today’s offering will be shared with ReconcilingWorks, a nonprofit organization that offers resources, trainings and advocacy support for ELCA communities as they welcome and celebrate LGBTQ+ people and deepen their commitment to anti-racism. We will also support the work of Good Shepherd’s Reconciling in Christ committee, to fund their outreach and education through special services, events, and community partnerships.
OFFERING SONG All Belong Here
Meal: we are nourished with the presence of Jesus Christ
THE THANKSGIVING
God is with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to God.
Let us give thanks to God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
Holy One, the beginning and the end, we remember that we are created in Your image – each and every one of us: lesbian, gay, straight, queer and questioning, bi-sexual and pansexual, transgender and cisgender, intersex and asexual. Our breath is the same breath that hovered over the waters at creation’s birth.
We remember that even as we abandoned you, you still remembered us. Resisting closets of the world and of our own creation, you continued to seek us out, even when we forgot who we are.
We remember your son, Jesus, who put on flesh like us and showed a life filled with divine love. He touched the untouchable, healed the incurable, and welcomed those who had given up hope of ever finding their place or their people.
Through him we see a path not just toward our freedom, but toward the liberation of the whole world. That path comes:
through showing kindness to our neighbor,
through standing up against evil and injustice,
through returning hate with love,
through transforming the world one heart at a time.
It comes through the simple and holy task of dining together and learning to see one another as beloved children of God.
On the night that one of his best friends would betray him, Jesus took bread, and gave thanks. He broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take and eat; this is my body, given for you. Every time you do this, remember how much I love you.
Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it for all to drink, saying: This cup is a sign of a new promise in my blood, poured out for you and for all people, so that brokenness may be forgiven. Drink this, and remember how much I love you.
We remember that night Jesus spent with his friends, and we feel their presence with us now, brought into our midst by faith and love, opening our eyes to a new reality.
Holy Spirit, bless these gifts we offer and share, making them to be your presence among us.
Sharing this feast with joy and celebration, shape us to be God’s holy people.
Together with all the church, we give you thanks: Creator, Redeemer, Spirit of love. Bind us together. Open our hearts. Grant us peace.
Amen.
LORD’S PRAYER
Let us pray as Jesus taught us, each in the words or language of our choice.
Our God in heaven, hallowed be your name,
your kin-dom 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 kin-dom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen.
INVITATION TO COMMUNION
Come and claim your place at the table! Come at the Holy One’s invitation and eat the bread of life. Come, you who have known struggle and exclusion. Come, for God does not discriminate. Come, for God invites everyone to the feast of love!
COMMUNION
At this table, Christ is both host and meal, and offers himself to all who hunger and thirst for his presence. We believe that he is truly present in this sacrament.
When you come forward, the pastor will place bread in your hand. Gluten-free wafers are also available. You can receive red wine or white grape juice by taking a cup from the tray.
If you do not wish to commune, you are invited to come forward and receive a blessing.
If you need to receive communion in your seat, simply notify an usher.
No one is too young to receive this sacrament, though some families wish to give their children some instruction before their first communion. If a young child accompanies you, please indicate to the pastor whether they should receive bread or a blessing.
COMMUNION SONG In This Feast of Love ACS 962
PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
Let us pray. May we who have fed at Wisdom’s table take her welcome out
to where tables are reserved and doors are closed;
May the Spirit drive us to break our bread on the altar of the world. Amen.
Sending: God blesses us and sends us out to serve
ANNOUNCEMENTS
BLESSING
As the Spirit sends us back into the world:
We are not alone.
We belong in a family built by grace.
We are linked together in love.
May you find a home in the name of the Creator, the Word and the Spirit,
to live authentically with one another.
Amen
SENDING SONG 10,000 Reasons
Verse 1:
The sun comes up it’s a new day dawning; its time to sing Your song again
Whatever may pass, and whatever lie before me;
let me be singing when the evening comes
Chorus:
Bless the Lord O my soul, O my soul; worship His holy name
Sing like never before O my soul, I’ll worship Your holy name.
Verse 2:
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)
Verse 3:
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 X2)
Worship Your holy name, Lord I’ll worship Your holy name
DISMISSAL
And now go in peace. Love your community. Trust your Creator. Thanks be to God!
Thank you to those who helped with worship today…
Presider Rev Jeffrey Goodrich
Preacher Rev. Cassie Hartnett
Worship Assistant Caryn Francese
Ushers Katrina Lewonczyk & Mary Overholt
Lectors Paula Limberg & Julie Schwingbeck
New Direction Praise Band Randy Gomez, Linda Frederico
Michelle Kati, Lawrence Kati, Ernie Zimmermann
Altar Care Barbara Shumaker & Joan Olson
From Sundays and Seasons.com. © 2024 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #27028. New Revised Standard Version Bible, ©1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Communion liturgy adapted from “A Communion Liturgy for the Celebration of Pride 2019” by Will Ed Green. CCLI#1313879. OneLicense # A-716488. Call to worship adapted from ReconcilingWorks Pride resources, 2022.
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