Lee Vining Presbyterian Zoom Worship February 23, 2025

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Welcome

Helpers to read 1) responses in Call to Worship, 2) Prayer of Confession

Call to Worship 

Christy and an unmuted person on Zoom will alternate reading.

Christy: Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”

Person: We come to walk in that light, to listen, and to testify to the truth.

Christy: When challenged, Jesus did not argue or attack. He spoke with confidence, knowing where He came from and where He was going.

Person: We, too, will speak with grace, bearing witness to God’s love in our lives.

Christy: The testimony of Christ is light for the world, and we are called to share that light.

Person: Let us worship with hearts open to truth, voices ready to testify, and lives shining with God’s love. Amen.

 SONG  God So Love

Prayer of Confession:

Person – Holy and Merciful God, You have called us into Your light, yet we confess that we often forget where we come from and where we are going. We lose sight of Your grace, living as if we are alone, as if we must find our own way. Instead of helping others out of darkness, we turn inward, focused on our own concerns.

 Rather than bearing witness to Your truth, we judge by human standards—measuring others by our own fears and expectations, choosing argument over testimony, and self-righteousness over love. Too often, we see enemies instead of neighbors, division instead of possibility, seeking revenge rather than restoration, and proving ourselves right instead of bringing others to You.

 Forgive us, Lord. Remind us that we belong to You, that our story begins in Your mercy and ends in Your eternal embrace.  In Christ’s name we pray, Amen.

Assurance of Pardon:

Beloved in Christ, hear the good news: God has opened our eyes to grace, our hearts to mercy, and our lives to new beginnings. In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven, restored, and made whole. We are not left to walk alone—God’s Spirit empowers us to see those who are struggling, to embrace those who are hurting, and to live as witnesses to the light of Christ. So let us rise in faith, walk in hope, and love with the fullness of God’s redeeming power. In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven! Thanks be to God! Amen.

Sharing Joys and Concerns with Prayer and The Lord’s Prayer (together while on mute)

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 debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

Offering – Doxology  For phone giving, use the QR code.

or go to https://77da2f07.churchtrac.com/give

 A Reading From The Greek Scriptures:  John 8:12-19

¹² Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.’ ¹³Then the Pharisees said to him, ‘You are testifying on your own behalf; your testimony is not valid.’ ¹⁴Jesus answered, ‘Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid because I know where I have come from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. ¹⁵You judge by human standards;^* I judge no one. ¹⁶Yet even if I do judge, my judgement is valid; for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father^* who sent me. ¹⁷In your law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is valid. ¹⁸I testify on my own behalf, and the Father who sent me testifies on my behalf.’ ¹⁹Then they said to him, ‘Where is your Father?’ Jesus answered, ‘You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.’

Message: Testimony

SONG  This is My Song

Charge
Go now as children of the light, knowing where you have come from and where you are going. Do not be led by fear or by the need to prove yourself, but by the grace that has claimed you. Speak with kindness, listen with love, and bear witness to the truth of Christ in a world hungry for hope. Let your life shine—not to condemn, but to guide; not to argue, but to invite; not to divide, but to restore.

Benediction
And now, may the God who formed you in love, the Christ who walks with you in mercy, and the Spirit who fills you with power send you forth in peace and courage. May you see with God’s eyes, love with Christ’s heart, and shine with the Spirit’s light, today and always. Amen.

 

- Liturgy made with the aid of ChatGPT