Gathering Our Spirit with God's Spirit

Living Room has three areas. One is in the center –God’s glorious love. One is a prayer station with the man holding a beam, from the Men’s Retreat (4x8 panel) lit -- it’s God’s caring strength; another across the room represents God’s goodness. Darkish room. Everyone will be given a large object to carry; Rick will bring these.

• “When Love Comes to Town” by U2 plays
• A Journeyer steps up to light the lamp and another rings the bell
• Rick (E) and Leslie (L) make announcements

Worshiping with Our Children

• A Journeyer leads our children in saying that sometimes we want to hold onto things – a toy, anger – but if we let it go, something better can come to take its place. God’s love is like that too. 

Welcome and Breathe

• Rick welcomes, has us breathe...

God’s Spirit and Our Spirit

• A Journeyer reads a poem by 13th century Persian poet and mystic Jalaladin Muhammad Rumi

Your task is not to seek for love,
but merely to seek and find
all the barriers within yourself
that you have built against it.

• Another Journeyer leads us in Reading from the Hebrew songbook, Psalm 113 – a song of praise to God 

Praise the Lord!
Yes, show honor, servants of the Lord.
Praise the name of the Lord!
Let the name of the Lord be blessed, forever and ever. 
Everywhere--from east to west--honor  the name of the Lord.
For the Lord is high above the nations;
God’s glory is far greater than the skies and planets.
Who can be compared with the Lord our God, who is like a monarch, sitting on a throne on the heights?
Far below God are the heavens and the earth.
God stoops to look, and then lifts the poor from the dirt and the needy from the garbage dump.
He sets the humble in the middle of kings -- even the kings of God’s own chosen people!
God gives the rejected woman a home, so that she becomes happy and life-giving.
Praise the Lord!

•  “Jesus Said” video plays
• A Journeyer reads from the Jesus story called Luke

A wealthy and powerful young man came to see Jesus. “Great teacher,” he asked, “What must I do to enter the life you're talking about?” Jesus said, “What do you mean, ‘Great’? God is the only great thing. How about this: Do you know the Torah? Do you follow its rules about how to treat other people?”

The young man answered, “I have kept the laws of our tradition ever since I was a young boy.” 

And Jesus looked at the young man … and Jesus saw his heart … and Jesus loved him … and Jesus wanted to give him a gift. “You’ve done well,” Jesus said. “All you're missing is one thing. If you let go of your privilege and status, and give everything away to the poor, you will find what you can truly treasure. Then, come and follow me.” 

The young man took in what Jesus had said. And, dejected, he turned and left, for he was a wealthy and powerful young man. 

Jesus sighed. “It is so hard for people with so much, to let it go in order to enter the life God is offering.”

• Another Journeyer reads from the Jesus story called John

Jesus came to the gathering areas of the Temple in Jerusalem. All sorts of people came to hear him, and he brought them together, sat down as a rabbi, and began to instruct them.  

The religious leaders and teachers of the law dragged in a woman who had been caught in an extramarital affair. They made her stand before the group. They said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Torah, Moses commanded us to stone such women to death. Now what do you say?"

Jesus remained seated, and started to write on the ground with his finger. The leaders were irritated, and they kept on questioning him. Finally he straightened up and said to them, “Alright. Let’s do what you want: let’s test the Torah and how to apply it. Has anyone here not violated the regulations of the Torah?" It was quiet. Jesus added, “If there is such a righteous person here, I’d like for that person to step forward and be in charge of executing this woman. Isn’t that what the Torah means for us to do? To uphold the Law of God and make sure everyone is held to this standard?”

And then Jesus bent back down and drew on the ground with his finger.

At this, the teachers and accusers began to go away one at a time. (The older ones left first.) 

Finally, only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. The crowd waited to see what Jesus would say. Jesus straightened up and looked at her, "Woman, where are they? Isn’t anyone left to condemn you?" 

“No one, sir," she said. 

“Well, I don’t condemn you,” he said. “No one is here to tell you that you are a bad person. Including me. You are free. So – why don’t you go and make some different choices about how you are living your life.” 

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

• One of the previous readers says an offering prayer
• Dave Madden sings as the ushers pass the baskets and take them to front

Telling The Story and Our Story

• Rick talks
• Rick sends us to do prayer exercise -- placing symbolic junk in pile and praying for God to help us let go of what we don't need

Go Out to Serve with Courage and Grace

• Dave Madden sings
• A Journeyer dismisses us 
• “When Love Comes to Town” plays again as folks depart