Gathering Our Spirit with God's Spirit

Focus of room is a big table covered with potted plants. The rest of the room is not as dark as it has been; the light is coming up as we exhale God’s spirit…

• “Adding to the Noise” by Switchfoot plays
• A Journeyer steps up to light the lamp and another rings the bell
• Cory (E) and Leslie (L) make announcements

Worshiping with Our Children

• A Journeyer leads our children in talking about how our breath feeds a plant’s breathing and plants’ breath feeds our breathing. Jesus said that his followers – that’s us – would make the world better just by being in it. When we’re filled with God’s love, it breathes.

Welcome and Breathe

• Late worship only: Rick guides prayer over Austyn C., who’s leaving for the Air Force
• Rick welcomes, has us breathe…
• A minute or two of the “RUSH” dvd plays
• Renee (E) and Leslie (L) discuss/ask – I had centered myself, felt God, then I go out into a world as chaotic as the one in that video – how can I remember that I have a gift to give, to exhale, into that chaos? Any suggestions?

God’s Spirit and Our Spirit

• Renee leads song
• A Journeyer reads “The Wind, One Brilliant Day” by 20th century Spanish poet Antonio Machado

The wind, one brilliant day, called to my soul with an odor of jasmine.

"In return for the odor of my jasmine,” the wind said,  “I'd like all the odor of your roses."

"I have no roses,” I answered; “all the flowers in my garden are dead."

"Well then,” the wind said, “I'll take the withered petals and the yellow leaves and the waters of the fountain."

The wind left. And I wept. And I said to myself: "What have you done with the garden that was entrusted to you?"

• Reader 1 also reads an excerpt from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mountain, in the Jesus story called Matthew

Here’s how to know if someone or something is life-giving. You can tell what kind of plant something is by the fruit it bears. Grapes don’t come from thornbushes. People don’t pick figs in bunches of thistles. A good, healthy tree is going to produce good, healthy fruit. An unhealthy tree is going to produce bad fruit. And there’s no way that a sick tree is going to bear healthy, life-giving fruit.

You are a city on a hill, whose lights can be seen from all around. You are like salt, added to a meal to give it flavor.

Giving -- To Help God Do God's Work in This World

• Reader 1 leads an offertory prayer
• Renee sings as the ushers pass the baskets and set them at the foot of the cross

Telling The Story and Our Story

• A Journeyer reads another scripture passage

According to the Jesus story known as the Gospel of John, Jesus appeared to his followers after he transcended death:

On that Sunday afternoon, Jesus’ students and followers were gathered together. They had locked all the doors in the house, afraid of the religious leaders. But Jesus came in anyway. He stood among them, and said, “I give you peace.” He showed them his hands, and his side.

His followers were thrilled. Jesus repeated his greeting: “I give you peace. And, just as God sent me, I am going to send you.” He took a deep breath, and breathed into them. “Inhale God’s Spirit,” he said. “I am giving you the power to make wrongs and brokenness disappear.”

And Journey added, “and that’s going to happen when we exhale God into the world...”

• Rick talks [photos of Green Lantern run at one point as visual aid]
• Community does a prayer exercise in which people get pictures, etc. from magazines and newspapers, cut them out, write notes or whatever on paper, and then place them on the center tables, amidst or even in the live plants. The pics and words represent the world we’re being called to exhale God’s love into.
• Darden Smith plays music during the exercise.

Go Out to Serve with Courage and Grace

• A Journeyer leads the community in reading our guiding principle

Jesus said, the most important commandment is this: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. Amen.

• Go exhale!
• “Adding to the Noise” by Switchfoot plays again as folks depart