Celebrating Triumph from Tragedy!
Seventh Sunday of Easter
Ascension Sunday
June 1st, 2014
The United Methodist Church of Shawano/the Church on the Hill
Proclaiming the Gospel Constantly, Using Words when Necessary
Making disciples of Jesus the Christ for the Transformation o f the World
Pastor Allen M. Christensen
Let us come before the Wonder and Mystery of God in worship.
Today, we celebrate the Ascension of Jesus. Here at the beginning of Acts, as at the end of Luke's narrative, we establish the dominant tradition within the church of Jesus not only bodily rising from the dead but ascending into heaven in the same fashion. Although the two who address the disciples are popularly conceived of as angels, Luke pointedly refers to them as "two men". These men ask questions which suggest that, if the disciples had properly understood the Law (Moses) and the prophets (Elijah), then they should not have been confused by Jesus' resurrection and his ascension. Yet confused is precisely what these disciples are.
As we worship it is important to know:
- This is a celebration. Be joyful. Sing “lustily”. God loves you and there ain’t nothin’ you can do about it!
- Asterisk (*) indicate that the congregation is asked to stand if able. If you cannot stand due to health or emotional reason, that is alright. Both God and we understand.
- In unison and responsive readings the congregation’s part is in bold print.
- Please sign-in on the Red Registry as it is sent through the rows during worship.
Gathering Music
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Pastor -Welcome and Greetings/Announcements
Pastor - Food For Thought
One Mercedes Benz TV commercial shows their car colliding with a cement wall during a safety test.
Someone then asks the company spokesman why they do not enforce their patent on the Mercedes Benz’s energy-absorbing car body, a design evidently copied by other companies because of its success. He replies matter-of-factly, “Because some things in life are too important not to share.”
Prelude – “Canzonet”CG Neefe
Dennis Brei, pianist
Liturgist–Scripture Reading - Luke 24:36-53
36While the disciples were talking about the risen Christ, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them,“Peace be with you.”37They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost.38He said to them,“Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?39Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”40And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.41While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them,“Have you anything here to eat?”42They gave him a piece of broiled fish,43and he took it and ate in their presence.
44Then he said to them,“These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.”45Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures,46and he said to them,“Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day,47and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.48You are witnesses of these things.49And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
50Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them.51While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven.52And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy;53and they were continually in the temple blessing God.
*Song of Praise - “Lift Every Voice and Sing”#519/UMH
Liturgist - Opening Prayer (In one voice)
God our Loving Parent, Mother, Father, Friend, you give us your Word to teach us, to encourage us, to allow us to know you more. May the words we hear, read and speak today change us from the inside out. Let us not be only hearers of the Word but doers also. Clear our minds of distraction as we prepare to hear from you. We love you and thank you for giving us a message of hope, truth and life. Let us not keep it to ourselves, but help us go from this place eager to share it with others. In your holy name. Amen.
Pastor - Children’s Time, “Up, Up, and Away”
* Song of Praise– “I’ll Fly Away”#2282/FWS
Liturgist -Gospel Lesson –Acts 1:6-14(NIV)
6Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restorethe kingdom to Israel?”
7He said to them:“It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you;and you will be my witnessesin Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria,and to the ends of the earth.”
9After he said this, he was taken upbefore their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
10They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in whitestood beside them.11“Men of Galilee,”they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come backin the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
12Then the apostles returned to Jerusalemfrom the hill called the Mount of Olives,a Sabbath day’s walk[a]from the city.13When they arrived, they went upstairs to the roomwhere they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James.14They all joined together constantly in prayer,along with the womenand Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.
Pastor’s Reflection – “Not Your Average Pie in the Sky Faith”
“Preach the gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words.”
The Great Thanksgiving
Song of Response –“You Satisfy the Hungry Heart”#629/UMH
Pastor -Sharing of our Joys / Sharing our Concerns
O God, with joy, We offer You thanksgiving.
O God, with compassion, We ask for Your help.
- Vern Ainsworth, Toni Slater, Jill, Cancer Treatments
- Dennis in his recover from surgery
Silent Prayer
The Prayers of Jesus (Unison)
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 trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
Liturgist - Invitation to Communion
In worship, we come as adults and children to obey the gospel and to learn the good to which God points us.
Moved by the Holy Spirit, we come to the table, to present ourselves, our gifts and our offerings, so that we may share in the work of Jesus with the world.
We come to this table to affirm our faith and partnership with Jesus
Let us receive the gifts of God for the people of God as we present our offerings for the work of the Church.
Sharing in the Gift of Holy Communion
Presenting our gifts and tithes to God
Receiving the Bread and Cup
Communion Anthem - “Lord Have Mercy”Video #3
Liturgist * Prayer of Dedication & Thanksgiving (Unison)
Clothe us with power, O God that our offerings and our lives may make a compelling witness to your love for all the saints. Enlighten our hearts that we may share with all the hope to which we have been called. Keep us faithful to the tasks you set before your church. Amen.
Pastor - * Sending Forth
As we leave this place,
Let us depart in the assurance that God does not remain hidden in a cloud, concealed from us. God is still among us!
Let us not gaze longingly at heaven for a sign. God is revealed!
Let us glimpse the face of Christ in one another.
Let us celebrate the Holy Spirit, who works in our community.
Let us give glory to God our Creator, today and every day. Amen.
* Song of Commitment – “You Are Mine”#2218/FWS
Passing of the Peace
Postlude – “Pass It On”Kurt Kaifer
Dennis Brei, pianist
Entering into Fellowship and Service
Food for Thought!
In 1982, the World Alliance of Reformed Churches held its General Council meeting in Ottawa, Canada. As ecumenical meetings often do, that one began with a communion service. It was held in a Presbyterian church in downtown Ottawa.
As the time for the Lord’s supper drew near, the black and colored South African church leaders rose to their feet in the balcony, and stood in silence. They remained standing throughout the communion service, in silent protest.
They refused to come to the table. They did so not to be disruptive, nor to make of worship a political soapbox. To them, the Christian unity celebrated in that communion service was a sham. It was a sham because in that same sanctuary sat white South African Christians, who in their own country would never think of sitting at table with blacks: not even at the Lord’s table. In white South African churches at the time, you had to have skin of a particular color in order to partake of the Lord’s supper.
That small action of protest electrified the conference. The World Alliance was at the time the only ecumenical organization that still included the Afrikaaner churches in its membership. By week’s end, the major Dutch Reformed churches of South Africa had been suspended from membership, apartheid had been officially labeled a sin, and Allan Boesak, a South African black theologian, had been elected president of the organization.
Actions like that had been proposed to the World Alliance before, but always they had failed. Yet, when the walls of racism were exposed as coming right up to the Lord’s table, racism became no longer just a political issue. It was a spiritual issue.
It happened around a table.
21Jesus said,“Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 23But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth . . ." John 4:21, 23
The United Methodist Church of Shawano/The Church on the Hill
1000 Engel Drive, Shawano WI 54166
715-526-5380
What’s in a Name, Part II
"What's in a name?
That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."
Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet (IIii1-2)
On May 14th and 18th we conducted our first ballot on renaming the United Methodist Church of Shawano. The goal of this ballot was to narrow the field of 11 choices down to four. Each person was asked to write down the number of their top three choices of names for the church.
Several ballots were invalid or incomplete because individuals voted only for one or voted for the same one repeatedly. Also, we did have several write-in suggestion.
On June 8th, we will have our second vote on renaming the United Methodist Church of Shawano. With this ballot we will be narrowing down the field of possible names to two.
Our choices are:
- The United Methodist Church of Shawano
- Church on the Hill United Methodist Church
- Shawano Community United Methodist Church
- God’s House on the Hill United Methodist Church
Write in suggestions include from May 14th and 18th:
- New Life United Methodist Church
- Wesley United Methodist Church
- Hilltop United Methodist Church
(2 persons suggested)
- Shawano United Methodist Church on the Hill
- Spirit on the Hill United Methodist Church
10.Flaming Cross United Methodist Church *
11. The Cross and Flame United Methodist Church
*Due to the negative imagine and association with white supremacist groups, number 10 is not considered as an acceptable name. Number 11 is offered as an alternative to Flaming Cross UMC, recognizing the accepted and copyrighted image of the Cross and Flame as used by the United Methodist Denomination.
Sample Ballot
Wednesday, June 4th/Sunday, June 8th
Please vote for two (2)
Or vote for one and write in a suggestion,
Then place your ballot in the offering plate.
- The United Methodist Church of Shawano
- Church on the Hill United Methodist Church
- Shawano Community United Methodist Church
- God’s House on the Hill United Methodist Church
Cast Your Vote Here
by writing the number in the space provided
or using the write in option for your second choice.
First Choice ______
Second Choice______
Or
Write in: ______
The results of this ballot will be reported on June 15th.
Then on June 29th we will vote on the top two choices to select the name for our church. There will not be a write in options on the 29th, and you will be asked to only vote for one of the two suggestions.
Up, Up and Away
Theme: / The Ascension of Christ (Ascension Sunday)
Object: / A helium-filled balloon
Scripture: / When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God. Luke 24:50-53 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." After he said this, he was tken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. Acts 6:8-9
I love balloons. There are so many things you can do with balloons. Some people can make balloons into various shapes. That is fun to watch! There are also a lot of different games you can play with balloons. You can tie them around your ankle and play "Stomp the Balloon" or you can fill them with water and have a water balloon fight.
One of the most enjoyable things one can do with a balloon is to fill it with helium. I am sure you know that when filled with helium, a balloon floats in the air. If you don't want it to get away from you, it is a good idea to hold on tight or tie it around your wrist. But it is also quite enjoyable when it does float away from you. It is fun to stand and watch as the balloon floats higher and higher into the heavens until it totally disappears. The only way to experience that is to be willing to let it go.
When Jesus was ready to return to heaven, he took his disciples aside to make sure that they understood everything that had happened to him. He explained why it was important for him to be crucified and to be raised from the dead to fulfill what the Scriptures had said about him. He also told them that he was going to return to his Father in heaven, and that the Holy Spirit would come to be with them.
At first, the disciples were sad that Jesus would be leaving them, but then the Bible tells us that Jesus opened their minds so they would understand. Then, an amazing thing happened. The Bible tells us that Jesus lifted his hands and blessed his disciples. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. (Release your balloon and watch it float to the ceiling.)
I don't know how all of this looked, but in my imagination I can see the disciples standing and watching as Jesus ascended higher and higher until he disappeared from view. Were the disciples sad? No way! The Bible tells us that when Jesus had ascended into heaven, the disciples worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. There they stayed continually in the temple, praising God.
We are here today for the very same purpose. We have come into the temple to worship him with great joy!
Dear Father, we thank you for sending Jesus, your only Son, to die for our sin. We know that he has risen from the dead and has returned to heaven. Bless us today as we worship him with great joy! Amen.