Call to Worship
L: Praise the Lord! God shows compassion by putting things right.
All: We are blessed by God to be Jesus’ hands and feet – feeding, giving, visiting, clothing, sheltering.
L: When did we feed Jesus, give Jesus a drink, clothe Jesus, and give him a place to stay?
All: Feeding the hungry, caring for the suffering, clothing the naked, visiting those in prison – whatever we did for one of the least of these, we did for Jesus.
L: God holds compassion and justice together! Our love for God is shown by how we love and treat the stranger.
All: Praise the Lord! Jesus has freed us from sin to love and serve.
Song – Great Is Thy Faithfulness – UMH 140
Thomas O. Chisholm and William M. Runyan CCLI#
Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
there is no shadow of turning with thee;
thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not;
as thou hast been, thou forever wilt be.
Refrain:
Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
all I have needed thy hand hath provided;
great is they faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
sun, moon, and stars in their courses above
join with all nature in manifold witness
to thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.
Refrain
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
Refrain
Prayer:
(All) Righteous and compassionate God, thank you for the gift of forgiveness. May we reflect Jesus’ righteousness in our lives by acting fairly and justly to everyone with whom we interact. May we be living vessels of honor and evidence that Christ lives in us. Amen
Scripture – Matthew 25:31-46
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33 and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. 34 Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38 And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39 And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ 40 And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ 41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
L: The word of God for the people of God.
All: Thanks be to God.
Sermon – The Cup of Compassion – Pastor Gayle
Pastoral Prayer
To confess your sins to God is not to tell God anything God does not already know. Until you confess them, however, they are an abyss between you. When you confess them, they become the bridge.
Frederick Buchner.
Prayer of Confession:
(in unison) Compassionate God, True justice is right relationship. Help us see the forces that get in the way of our having truly caring, respectful, healing relationships with other people. Help us own our vulnerability to prejudice, judgment, and self-righteousness. We seek your righteousness, which we see in Jesus, the Word made flesh, who reconciles and renews, who rebuilds and redeems, who brings us into restored relationship with God, and who points the way to restored relationship with our neighbor. Forgive us, quench us, make us whole, all in the name of Jesus. Amen
The Great Thanksgiving – UMH 9
Pastor: The Lord be with you.
All: And also with you.
P: Lift up your hearts.
All: We lift them up to the Lord.
P: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
All: It is right to give our thanks and praise.
P: And so, in rembrance of these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ, we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving as a holy and living sacrifice, in union with Christ’s offering for us, as we proclaim the mystery of faith
All: Christ has died; Chris is risen; Christ will come again.
P: All honor and glory is yours, almighty God, now and forever.
All: Amen
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your 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. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.
The Bread and the Cup
Song – Bind Us Together – TFWS 2226
Bob Gillman CCLI# 1228
Bind us together, Lord, bind us together with cords that cannot be broken.
Bind us together, Lord, bind us together, Lord, bind us together in love.
There is only one God, there is only one King. There is only one body, that is why we sing.
Bind us together, Lord, bind us together with cords that cannot be broken.
Bind us together, Lord, bind us together, Lord, bind us together in love.
Benediction
Song
Cokesbury CCLI License #2851555
Please keep in prayer:
Donna and Rosier Bailey, Tom Fabricus, Mary Jane Fizer, Deirdre and John, Louise and Mark Young, Marian Benson, Ellen Kuvasko, Margaret Franklin, Benny Willis, 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.
Learn
Bible Study Wednesday at 7pm on Zoom and in-person. “Holy Spirit: Here and Now” by Trevor Hudson.
Contact Pastor Gayle for Zoom link.
Virginia Roots, Race and Reconciliation– a video and discussion series designed to engage clergy and laity in authentic conversations about race and reconciliation, will begin in-person and Zoom following worship today, 11:30am. A brown bag lunch will be provided.
Devotion
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)
Prayer for Discernment following worship First Sundays of month.
Serve
Welcome Table (Messy Church) April 10th at 11:30am. See sign-up for food.
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.
Easter Meal – For ACTS Food Pantry. Take a bag and purchase items on list. Return by Sunday April 10th.
Griefshare is a biblical, Christ-centered grief support group ministry. Griefshare helps group members apply biblical principles to the healing process after the death of a loved one. Through videos and workbooks participants see how the gospel brings hope and restoration. Plans are being made to form a group here at Cokesbury. If you are interested in participating or facilitating a group, please contact Pastor Gayle at cokesburyumc@gmail.com.
Mission Report:
– 213 lbs. of food and household products donated in February to ACTS.
– Teachers and Staff at Featherstone Elementary School received hand written notes and several bags of hard candy. Principal Groover shares their appreciation and thanks to Cokesbury.
– Beef stew meal for 16 persons at Hilda Barg Shelter.
Ushers for Sunday worship. Please call Gordon Freeman at 703-680-4629 for information and to volunteer.
Feb Income $7354.55
Feb Expenses $8354.15
Shortfall $999.60
You shop, AmazonSmile donates. Shop at smile.amazon.com to generate donations for Cokesbury UMC at no extra cost.