September 8, 2024
WORDS OF GREETING AND GATHERING
Alexis Ward Owens
WELCOMING STATEMENT
RISE believes that God has open arms, and so should we. Our Creator wants us to love, accept and affirm every human being, including persons of every age, race, ethnic background, nationality, gender identity, sexual orientation, family or socioeconomic status, educational background, religion or creed, and physical or mental ability. We celebrate our diversity and recognize the sacred worth and dignity of all. Everyone is invited and encouraged to join us as we seek to follow Jesus with mutual respect, understanding, and love.
*Read more about “Why Pronouns Matter” HERE.
OPENING AFFIRMATION
~Homiletics, adapted
Opening Music
Laura Douglass
“All the Music Sung and Played Here”
(NETTLETON 8.7.8.7 D - “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing”)
~Carolyn Winfrey Gillette
All the music sung and played here is a gift, O God, from you.
For as long as we have prayed here, we’ve been blessed by music, too.
By your Spirit, each musician finds new depths of faith to share.
Music is a gift you’ve given and becomes our thankful prayer.
All creation sings your glory; in the Psalms are pain and praise.
Mary sang your saving story in her long, expectant days.
Through the years, with great emotion, some have reached to you in song.
May we sing with such devotion; music helps your church grow strong!
You give hymns and songs for singing, toes for tapping your good news,
Organ sounding, handbells ringing, faithful hearers in the pews.
With the trumpet and the cymbal, with guitar and violin,
Faith is found here and rekindled; hearts are lifted, once again.
Bless the talents we are bringing, for we offer you our best.
If our gifts are not in singing, may our joyful noise be blest.
If our world is ever silent, may we sign to you above.
Touched by grace, may each one present offer back your song of love.
Text: Copyright © 2000 by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission.
Included in Songs of Grace: New Hymns for God and Neighbor (Upper Room Books, 2009).
“The Fruit of the Spirit”
(ASH GROVE 6.6.11.6.6.11 D - “Let All Things Now Living”)
~Carolyn Winfrey Gillette
The fruit of the Spirit is love for our sharing,
It’s joy in the gospel that we have from you.
It’s peace that we live out with courage and daring;
It’s patience, for we know that we have sinned, too.
It’s kindness in all things and generous giving;
It’s faithfulness seeking to follow your way.
It’s gentleness, Lord, and it’s self-controlled living;
Now make us more fruitful in these things, we pray.
Text: Copyright © 2006 by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission.
Included in Songs of Grace: New Hymns for God and Neighbor (Upper Room Books, 2009).
SCRIPTURE READINGs
Romans 13:8-10 (The Message)
8-10 Don’t run up debts, except for the huge debt of love you owe each other. When you love others, you complete what the law has been after all along. The law code—don’t sleep with another person’s spouse, don’t take someone’s life, don’t take what isn’t yours, don’t always be wanting what you don’t have, and any other “don’t” you can think of—finally adds up to this: Love other people as well as you do yourself. You can’t go wrong when you love others. When you add up everything in the law code, the sum total is love.
Luke 10:25-37 (CEB)
25 A legal expert stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to gain eternal life?”
26 Jesus replied, “What is written in the Law? How do you interpret it?”
27 He responded, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.”
28 Jesus said to him, “You have answered correctly. Do this and you will live.”
29 But the legal expert wanted to prove that he was right, so he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
30 Jesus replied, “A man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. He encountered thieves, who stripped him naked, beat him up, and left him near death. 31 Now it just so happened that a priest was also going down the same road. When he saw the injured man, he crossed over to the other side of the road and went on his way. 32 Likewise, a Levite came by that spot, saw the injured man, and crossed over to the other side of the road and went on his way. 33 A Samaritan, who was on a journey, came to where the man was. But when he saw him, he was moved with compassion. 34 The Samaritan went to him and bandaged his wounds, tending them with oil and wine. Then he placed the wounded man on his own donkey, took him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 The next day, he took two full days’ worth of wages and gave them to the innkeeper. He said, ‘Take care of him, and when I return, I will pay you back for any additional costs.’ 36 What do you think? Which one of these three was a neighbor to the man who encountered thieves?”
37 Then the legal expert said, “The one who demonstrated mercy toward him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
Song
“Who Is My Neighbor?”
(LOBE DEN HERREN 14.14.4.7.8 - “Praise Ye the Lord, the Almighty”)
~Carolyn Winfrey Gillette
“Who is my neighbor?” A lawyer asked Jesus, to test him.
So Jesus told him a story to answer his question:
Lonely the way ...
Lonely the traveler one day ...
Robbers attacked him and left him.
First down the road came a priest who just chose to ignore him.
Next came a Levite who wouldn’t do anything for him.
Then one despised,
Hated in everyone’s eyes,
Knelt down to heal and restore him.
Tending the wounds of the man, the Samaritan labored.
He was the one with compassion, the one in God’s favor.
Not by a creed
But by responding to need,
He proved to be the good neighbor.
Biblical Reference: Luke 10:25-37 Text: Copyright © 2009 by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission. Included in Songs of Grace: New Hymns for God and Neighbor (Upper Room Books, 2009).
THEOLOGICAL Reflection
Chris Zepp
“Love you, neighbor!”
(Give Love)
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
How do YOU give love to neighbors? Tell a story of a notable time when you were able to give God’s love to another / others.
To whom do you struggle or hesitate to give love? Who do you have a hard time accepting or engaging as a “neighbor.”
Is it ever ok to withhold love? Are there any boundaries to giving love?
In what ways is RISE is giving God’s love and empowering individuals to do the same? How can we do better?
prayer
~Lauren Seganos, adapted
SONG
“Prayers of the People: For All Who Labor Without End”
~Ruth Duck & Mark A. Miller
ALL sing on cue:
"Hear our prayer, O God," & "Send your Spirit, hear our prayer."
Offering and NOMOFOMO
One of our core values is, "God gives to us, so we give back." We're called to give as a joy-filled response to what we've been given. Your financial gifts make a tremendous difference in the lives of God's beloved in Harrisonburg and beyond. Whether it's helping to make sure children in our community have enough to eat, helping to respond to the mental health crisis in our community, or providing much needed backing for the operating costs of our spaces and staff — your gift is a part of God's dream and we are grateful for everyone who partners with us on this journey!
Crafts ‘n’ Chat
6-8 pm Tuesday Evenings
James Madison University
Gabbin Hall, Room 0204
Join RISE on campus for evenings of crafting together and conversation about life and maintaining balance in a chaotic world. Feel free to bring any projects you’re already working on, but craft supplies will also be provided!
Contact Alexis or Sheridan for more info and/or directions.
Summer “Sittings”
6-8 pm Every Wednesday Night
Pale Fire Brewery, Lower Patio (inside if rain)
Through September 11
We have been LOVING hanging out with you all each week. If you have not made it to one of the Sittings yet we highly encourage you to join us! This is an awesome time of connection, contemplation, and getting to know each other a little bit better! There is no “agenda” - just openness, availability, and community :-)
Feel free to bring dinner with you, eat before you come, OR purchase dinner at Pale Fire!
You DO NOT have to come the entire time, feel free to come late or only stay for a portion of time!
Don’t already know about The Sitting? You know how some people have “standing” appointments or office hours? Well, since we always need to do things just a little bit differently, we took that idea and decided to try having some “sitting” hours this summer. Everyone is invited to join Alexis and/or Chris at Pale Fire on Wednesday nights throughout the summer. We meet outside on the lower patio (or inside in the event of rain) so we can enjoy the music of the Harrisonburg Summer Concerts next door at Turner Pavilion (Information about the concert series can be found HERE.) Whether you have some burning theological questions or you just want to hang out and enjoy some music with friends, we’ll be there and happy to chat!
Shenandoah Valley
Pride Festival
Saturday, September 21, 1-5 pm
Harrisonburg Court Square
The Shenandoah Valley Pride festival will be held on Saturday, September 21, 2024 at Court Square in downtown Harrisonburg, 1-5 pm. Enjoy performances from talented local artists and music groups. Come out, have a great time, and show your love! Plus, RISE will be hosting a table and is looking for volunteers to help staff our table with a friendly and welcoming presence. We will have some RISE swag and a rainbow temporary tattoo station. We encourage volunteers to wear a RISE t-shirt and/or your favorite rainbow gear! Please sign up below to volunteer for an hour shift (or two!).
Your source of information for all things RISE! Check out the latest edition if you haven’t already! Its packed with info on all our events this summer, staffing updates, etc.
closing SONG
“They'll Know We Are Christians By Our Love”
~Peter Scholtes
Parting Blessing
~Jim Chinworth, adapted
REMEMBER - YOU ARE A GIFT!
If you would like to connect more deeply with RISE, you can start by submitting this short form to Get Connected!
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Requests for care and/or prayer can be sent via e-mail to cares@riseharrisonburg.org, texted to 833-803-0868, or submitted online via our RISE Cares form.