Welcome
Call to Worship
L: God has abundantly cast God’s seeds of love and hope upon us.
All: May we be fruitful soil for the planting and growing of hope and peace.
L: Come, let us praise God who is so generous with us.
All: Let us sing songs of joy to God.
L: Hallelujah!
All: Hallelujah!
Song – In the Garden – UMH 314
C. Austin Miles CCLI# 62858
I come to the garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses.
And the voice I hear falling on my ear the Son of God discloses
Refrain:
And he walks with me and he talks with me. And he tells me I am his own;
and the joy we share as we tarry there, none other has ever known.
He speaks and the sound of his voice is so sweet the birds hush their singing,
and the melody that he gave to me within my heart is ringing.
Refrain
I’d stay in the garden with him though the night around me be falling,
but he bids me go; thru the voice of woe his voice to me is calling.
Refrain
Prayer:
(All) Lord, prepare us to receive your healing words. Make our hearts and spirits ready to do your work. May we be the good soil, getting ready for the seeds of God’s love. May we bear the good fruit of salvation to honor God. Amen
Scripture Reading – Matthew 13:1-9
That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Whoever has ears, let them hear.”
Song – Come and Fill Our Hearts – TFWS 2157
Jacques Berthier
Come and fill our hearts with your peace. You alone, O Lord, are holy.
Come and fill our hearts with your peace, Alleluia!
Message
Song – Hymn of Promise – UMH 707
Natalie Sleeth CCLI# 126529
In the bulb there is a flower; in the seed, an apple tree;
in cocoons, a hidden promise: butterflies will soon be free!
In the cold and snow of winter there’s a spring that waits to be,
unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.
There’s a song in every silence, seeking word and melody;
there’s a dawn in every darkness, bringing hope to you and me.
From the past will come the future; what it holds, a mystery,
unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.
Prayer of Intercession
Offering Prayer
L: Great Sower, you sow generously, pouring out your gracious love, wanting to reach everyone.
All: With thankful hearts we come before you.
L: In gratitude we offer ourselves and our gifts to bring about your kingdom of love, justice, mercy and peace.
All: We offer our time, energy, talents, abilities, prayers, presence and resources to you, O Lord.
L: We ask your blessings upon the gifts we bring before you.
All: May your kingdom come and your will be done, Almighty God. Amen.
Announcements
Song – Together We Serve Daniel
Charles Damon CCLI# 3379644
Together we serve, united by love, inviting God’s world to the glorious feast.
We work and we pray through sorrow and joy, extending your love to the last and the least.
We seek to become, a beacon of hope, a lamp for the heart and a light for the feet.
We learn year by year, to let love shine through util we see Christ in each person we meet.
Together by grace, we witness and work, remembering Jesus, in whom we grow strong.
Together we serve in Spirit and truth, remembering love is the strength of our song.
Benediction
God has placed the seed of love and forgiveness in your heart. Go into God’s world with joy, telling of the good news of God’s abundant, lavish love for all creation. Go to be a witness to all the miraculous possibilities for hope and peace.
Please keep in prayer: Blanche Lowery, Millie, Mary Baker, Eunice Bonner, Donna and Roshier Bailey, Tom Fabricus, Mary Jane Fizer, Deirdre and John, Louise and Mark Young, Marian Benson, Ellen Kuvasko, Al Firth, Margaret Franklin, Willis family, Bagby family, Debbie, Lilli, Ollie, Linda, Chrissie, Toye, Wenona, people living with cancer, battling addictions, struggling with life changes, seeking the Lord. The ministry and vision of Cokesbury.
The Cokesbury UMC Prayer Group meets weekly Mondays at 6pm on Zoom – all are invited to join and participate! Please send or share all prayer concerns with Pastor Gayle so we may give each concern prayerful attention.
https://zoom.us/j/98610851248?pwd=MVZkSHlPeGdyLzhZT2o5WVh2NGpuUT09
Meeting ID: 986 1085 1248 Passcode: 940573
One tap mobile: +13017158592,,98610851248#,,,,*940573# US (Washington DC)
Serve
Welcome Table Every Second Sunday 11:30 am
A.C.T.S Food Pantry:
Canned Vegetables, especially peas, 15 oz size, Low sodium canned vegetables, Snack items, individually packed, Pop-top canned prepared meals suitable for our homeless clients, Single serve prepared food suitable for our homeless clients, Laundry Detergent, Dish Detergent, Cleaning Supplies in general, Toiletries and Personal Hygiene Items, Size 4T pull-ups, Size 6 diapers.
Ushers for Sunday worship. Please call Gordon Freeman at 703-680-4629 for information and to volunteer.
You shop, AmazonSmile donates. Shop at smile.amazon.com to generate donations for Cokesbury UMC at no extra cost.
May Offering $8053.78
May Expenditures $9033.85