We trust and affirm that each of us is created in the image of God.
We believe God’s Grace to be immeasurable, and God’s will for us always Goodwill.
We believe that Jesus, the beloved Son of God, lived to forgive,
to heal the broken hearted, and proclaim God’s love to the world.
Jesus took our shame and regret, and bearing them upon his own back, he carried them to the cross, where he surrendered his own precious life.
We believe he did this to set our spirits free.
We believe that Jesus did not die in vain and his death was not the end of anything.
God is better than that!
True to his promise, on this the FIRST day of the Week, God raised Jesus from the dead! YES! We believe it!
We believe in the Holy Spirit, God’s gift of presence. We trust the Holy Spirit to guide us as we endeavor to live the commandment to love each other as Christ loved us.
We believe the Holy Spirit moves us ever onward toward Christian perfection.
Thanks be to God! Amen!
CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER
Wondrous and Loving God, in this season of Eastertide we are called to revel in the great good news of Jesus’ resurrection as if it was as fresh today as two thousand years ago. Help us fully comprehend what you were trying to communicate to us and to the mourning followers of Jesus. Were you shouting out to us from the empty tomb, urging us to trust you in all things? We confess to lives governed by alarm clocks and timetables. We want to be prepared for anything, most especially what is to come. When we are tied up in knots over what may happen tomorrow, help us to recognize the blessings of this moment, this day, and this company. In the name of the Christ we pray. Amen.
OFFERING INVITATION
You’ve heard the expression: “If I had a nickel for every time, I heard that, I’d be rich.” The use of a nickel suggests that the idiom was born at a time when a nickel was actually worth something. With inflation the nickel became a dime, a quarter, fifty cents and a dollar. Pronounced in a sarcastic tone accompanied by the rolling of the eyes; it is fatalistic, often referring to the frequency of promises made, but rarely kept. The idiom is a complaint, and can be about the dog next door that never stops barking, the bad habits of a spouses, siblings, bosses and friends, or even the mispronunciation of one’s last name. Now, if the church had a dollar for every time you spoke the name of God, in praise or in vain we would meet our budget and then some.
UNISON OFFERTORY PRAYER
Wondrous and Eternal God, pour out your blessing upon the gifts we bring. We offer them with full and grateful hearts, trusting that you will guide us in our use of them. Proclaiming our belief that all things are possible with you, we offer ourselves in service, seeking always, in the name of the Christ, to do your work and will. Amen.
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