Peace Mennonite Home-Based Worship: August 16, 2020

Welcome to worship with Peace Mennonite Church. We are glad you are with us in worship and invite you to join us for our Zoom discussion and prayer time at 11:00 each Sunday morning.  Simply click this link. 

You are also welcome to join us for our Peace Pursuits Bible study and topic discussions on Wednesday nights. More church announcements are here.

Prelude: “Devil in the Strawstack” by Meg Grey; performed by Coreopsis: Lauralyn Bodle, Noah Musser, and Whitney Baker

Welcome from Pastor Joanna and baby Camilla

Passing the Peace: Please take a moment to share a word of greeting in the comments below. We’d love to know who is sharing in this worship experience.

Scripture Reading: Daniel 3:8-18 (Read by Cheryl Harader)

Call to Worship: “Poem for Flora” by Nikki Giovanni

Gathering Hymn: Don’t be afraid (Sing the Journey #105); sung by Perry, Piper, and Sara

Congregational Prayer:
You are invited to offer your prayers to God. For what are you thankful this morning? What would you ask of God for yourself? Who do you know who needs God’s loving presence right now? What are your prayers for our community, our country, and our world?

Feel free to share your prayers with people around you, in the comments below, or on our Zoom call at 11 Sunday morning.

This week, I invite you to learn about–and pray for–our Western District Conference Resource Library:

The Lord’s Prayer: Artwork by Joanna Pinkerton (Feel free to print and color!)

Children’s Time with Pastor Joanna

Videos for kids:
–Some Sesame Street videos about children with parents who are incarcerated (for younger children)
—Audio and video stories about youth encounters with police in Chicago (for older children and teens)
–The VeggieTales version of the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego

Music: “Didn’t my Lord deliver Daniel”

Scripture Reading: Acts 16:16-34 (Read by Cheryl Harader)

Sermon: Those of you paying close attention might have realized that we are actually moving backwards in Acts–from chapter 19 last Sunday to chapter 16 this week. Today’s passage was originally scheduled for August 2, which ended up being the date of our conference-wide worship service. I felt like this passage from Acts 16 was an important one to go back to as we think about the broader themes of Acts and what it means to be church.

Further Considerations:

• Consider what limits your freedom to follow the way of Jesus. How can you move closer to Christ and farther away from what binds you?
• Explore the resources on our Pacifism and Power web page. Join in the discussion about prison abolition on August 26.
• Catch Joanna during her office hours this week (see announcements) to talk more about these issues and share your perspective.

Prayer Hymn: I bind my heart this tide (Hymnal, Worship Book #411)

Offering

You are invited to mail your financial contributions to the church (615 Lincoln St., Lawrence, KS, 66044) or to the home of our treasurer, Roberta Renz (address in the church directory).

See the “How and Where to Give” section of our announcements page for information on giving to other organizations who need funding at this time.

Benediction:

Sending Hymn: I’ll fly away (Sung by Sara and Perry)