September 20, 2026
“You’re familiar with the old written law, ‘Love your friend,’ and its unwritten companion, ‘Hate your enemy.’ I’m challenging that. I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the supple moves of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.
“In a word, what I’m saying is - Grow up. You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.”
~Jesus (Matthew 5:43-48, The Message)
WORDS OF GREETING AND GATHERING
Pastor 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
We are people of God’s amazing love.
We are here to love others as we are loved and to celebrate God’s love for all the world.
We are people of God’s justice and mercy.
We are here to forgive others as we have been forgiven.
We are people of God.
And we are here to become more than we could ever be on our own.
Opening SongS
Songs Will Happen!
“Guide My Feet”
~Bernice Johnson Reagan / Traditional Spiritual
Guide my feet, while I run this race
Guide my feet, while I run this race
Guide my feet, while I run this race
For I don’t want to run this race in vain.
Hold My Hand….
Stand by Me….
I’m your child…
Search my heart…
Guide my feet…
“Lean on Me”
~Bill Withers
Sometimes in our lives
we all have pain, we all have sorrow
But if we are wise, we know that there's
always tomorrow
Lean on me, when you're not strong
And I'll be your friend
I'll help you carry on
For it won't be long, 'til I'm gonna need
Somebody to lean on
Please swallow your pride
If I have things you need to borrow
For no one can fill those of your needs
That you won't let show
Lean on me, when you're not strong
And I'll be your friend
I'll help you carry on
For it won't be long, 'til I'm gonna need
Somebody to lean on
If there is a load you have to bear
That you can't carry
I'm right up the road, I'll share your load
If you just call me
So just call on me brother when you need a hand
We all need somebody to lean on
I just might have a problem that you’d understand
We all need somebody to lean on
Lean on me, when you're not strong
And I'll be your friend
I'll help you carry on
For it won't be long, 'til I'm gonna need
Somebody to lean on
Scripture Readings
Psalm 145:1-8 (NRSV)
1 I will exalt you, my God the King;
I will praise your name for ever and ever.
2 Every day I will praise you
and extol your name for ever and ever.3 Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
his greatness no one can fathom.
4 One generation commends your works to another;
they tell of your mighty acts.
5 They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty—
and I will meditate on your wonderful works.
6 They tell of the power of your awesome works—
and I will proclaim your great deeds.
7 They celebrate your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of your righteousness.8 The Lord is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in love.
Jonah 3:10-4:11 (NRSV)
10 When God saw what they did [in Ninevah], how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them, and he did not do it.
4 But this was very displeasing to Jonah, and he became angry. 2 He prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord! Is not this what I said while I was still in my own country? That is why I fled to Tarshish at the beginning, for I knew that you are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from punishment. 3 And now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” 4 And the Lord said, “Is it right for you to be angry?” 5 Then Jonah went out of the city and sat down east of the city and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, waiting to see what would become of the city.
6 The Lord God appointed a bush and made it come up over Jonah, to give shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort, so Jonah was very happy about the bush. 7 But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the bush, so that it withered. 8 When the sun rose, God prepared a sultry east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint and asked that he might die. He said, “It is better for me to die than to live.”
9 But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the bush?” And he said, “Yes, angry enough to die.” 10 Then the Lord said, “You are concerned about the bush, for which you did not labor and which you did not grow; it came into being in a night and perished in a night. 11 And should I not be concerned about Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who do not know their right hand from their left and also many animals?”
THEOLOGICAL Reflection
Chris Zepp
“Heart Worm”
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
Who are “those people” for you? Those whom it is hard for you to love? Those whom – if you are honest about it – you aren’t even sure you want to love?
Have you ever had a “heart worm” experience – a time when your heart was transformed in how you thought about “those people?” If so, what was the “worm” that was able to change your heart?
The call to love enemies (or “those people”) is one of the highest and hardest of our faith. Is there anything that has made it easier or more likely and/or possible in your faith experience?
PRAYER
“The Prayer before the Prayer”
by South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu and his daughter, Mpho Tutu.
I want to be willing to forgive but I dare not ask for the will to forgive.
In case you give it to me and I'm not yet ready.
I'm not yet ready for my heart to soften.
I'm not yet ready to be vulnerable again.
Not yet ready to see that there is humanity in my tormentor's eyes or that the one who hurt me may also have cried.
I'm not yet ready for the journey.
I'm not yet interested in the path.
I am at the prayer before the prayer of forgiveness.
Grant me the will to want to forgive.
Grant it to me,
Not yet but soon.
Can I even form the words?
Forgive me?
Dare I even look?
Do I dare to see the hurt I have caused?
I can glimpse all the shattered pieces of that fragile thing.
That soul trying to rise on the broken wings of hope but only out of the corner of my eye.
I am afraid of it and if I am afraid to see how can I not be afraid to say forgive me?
Is there a place where we can meet?
You and me.
The place in the middle where we straddle the lines.
Where you are right and I am right too.
And both of us are wrong and wronged.
Can we meet there and look for the place where the path begins?
The path that ends when we forgive.Amen.
Song
“Crowded Table”
~The Highwomen - Brandi Carlile & Natalie Hemby with Lori McKenna
You can hold my hand, when you need to let go
I can be your mountain, when you’re feeling valley low
I can be your streetlight, showing you the way home
If you can hold my hand, when you need to let go
I want a house with a crowded table
And a place by the fire for everyone
Let us take on the world while we’re young and able
And bring us back together when the day is done
If we want a garden, we’re gonna have to sow the seeds
Plant a little happiness, let the roots run deep
If it’s love that we give, then it’s love that we reap
If we want a garden, we’re gonna have to sow the seed
Yeah, I want a house with a crowded table
And a place by the fire for everyone
Let us take on the world while we’re young and able
And bring us back together when the day is done
The door is always open
Your picture’s on my wall
Everyone’s a little broken
And everyone belongs
Yeah, Everyone belongs
I want a house with a crowded table
And a place by the fire for everyone
Let us take on the world while we’re young and able
And bring us back together when the day is done
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!
(see a list of ongoing material needs on our giving page)
Shenandoah Valley Pride Festival
TODAY!
12:30 - 6 pm
Harrisonburg Turner Pavilion
Enjoy performances and products from talented and inclusive local artists, music groups, and vendors. Come out, have a great time, and show your love! Plus, RISE will be present and holding space to remind everyone that they are a gift! We will be hosting a booth and will have RISE swag and other fun stuff. We encourage everyone to wear a RISE t-shirt and/or your favorite rainbow gear!
WTF? Is back!
Thursday’s at exactly dinner-ish! (6pm EST)
Downstairs at John Wesley UMC
September 24 Menu:
Spaghetti and Meatballs
Join us for a midweek check in to fuel your body, mind and soul. RISE will provide the meal and a topic for conversation. All you have to do it show up! (September Menu Below). Please do let us know if you have dietary needs/restrictions and intend to join us.
If you are interested and/or able to help (cooking and prep, giving rides to students, setting up and greeting, washing dishes, etc) let us know using the link below!
RECEIVE LOVE. GIVE LOVE. EAT.
BOOK STUDY
Monday, October 19
7:30 pm
Home of the Harbicks
For our next study, we will be reading “Liturgies for Resisting Empire: Seeking Community, Belonging, and Peace in a Dehumanizing World” by Kat Armas. “Everyone wants to belong. But what does belonging look like in the context of living within an empire and its ideologies? In “Liturgies for Resisting Empire,” Cuban American theologian and writer Kat Armas provides a roadmap for Christians seeking a countercultural way of living that prioritizes community and humanity over dominance and power. Armas combines spiritual practices and biblical theology to help us create authentic belonging to God, ourselves, each other, and creation.”
All you need to do to participate is buy the book, read it (or read what you can), and join us at the Harbicks’ for a conversation inspired by the reading on October 19! DM us or contact Chris if you have questions, need more info, or need the address.
Closing Song
“Don’t be Tough”
~Jason Isbell
Don't be tough until you have to
Take your heartbreak on the chin
Don't forget the shit you went through
But throw your caution to the wind
Tighten up your belt and laces
Feel the pain and feel it pass
Don't be tough until you have to
Let love knock you on your back
Don't be petty to the waiter
He's had a harder day than you
Don't make babies stay up later
Just because they're so darn cute
Don't say love unless you mean it
But don't say sorry 'less you're wrong
Tell a story like you seen it
Tell yourself that you belong
Don't be tough until you have to
Take your heartbreak on the chin
Don't forget the shit you went through
But throw your caution to the wind
Tighten up your belt and laces
Feel the pain and feel it pass
Don't be tough until you have to
Let love knock you on your back
And if you get to feeling lonely
Read out loud if you can read
Take a nap if you get sleepy
If you're hungry, try to eat
And if you want it, go and get it
Don't just pray and wait around
Life will kill you if you let it
So when you're down, then say you're down
Don't be tough until you have to
Take your heartbreak on the chin
Don't forget the shit you went through
But throw your caution to the wind
Tighten up your belt and laces
Feel the pain and feel it pass
Don't be tough until you have to
Let love knock you on your back
Don't be tough until you have to
Let love knock you on your back
Parting Blessing
From the opening lines of Sabbaths 2005 by Wendell Berry (adapted for the plural)
We know that we have life
only insofar as we have love.
We have no love
except it come from Thee.
Help us, please, to carry
this candle against the wind.
Remember friends — you are a gift!
Now go and be a gift with a license to love…even “those people”!
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