Sunday Pastoral Prayer (April 26/Music Sunday) Athens First UMC

[Our church is delighted to announce that Dr. Bradley Naylor will be our Director of Music during Dr. Peter Jarjisian’s sabbatical year which begins this summer. Bradley has served since 2017 as Director of Choral Activities at Ohio University, a position previously held by Peter. There, Bradley teaches courses on choral music and conducts the OHIO University Singers and The Singing Men of Ohio. A native of Houston, Texas, he lives in The Plains with his wife, Elizabeth and their children Abby and Luke, who attend Morrison Gordon Elementary School. Bradley is excited to join Pastor Robert, Jeff Daubenmire, and the music ministry team at Athens First in building and supporting the church’s mission through music. Welcome to Athens First, Bradley! Speaking of music, for Sunday’s online Music Sunday worship service which includes a recognition of our graduates, click here.]

O God, even though our church buildings continue to be closed, our singing continues. On this Music Sunday, we are singing many different songs; songs of praise, songs of lament, songs for justice, songs of hope. From Italian balconies to recorded online worship service music, people all around the world are finding music to be a way that you are uniting us and reminding us that we’re all in this together.

O God, we may be finding it difficult to know what day of the week it is, but this day is different. This day reminds us to sing our faith. Thank you for the music ministry of our church, and as the Apostle Paul tells us in our scripture reading this morning, for psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. 

As these weeks get longer and as patience begins to wear thin, give us songs to sing, O God. When we feel overwhelmed by the daily death toll of this virus, give us songs to sing, O God. When we become anxious with what the new normal might look like, give us songs to sing, O God. When we become frustrated with people’s responses to the crisis, give us songs to sing, O God. And as our high school and college graduates contemplate their future plans during this time of uncertainty, give them songs to sing, O God.

And give us songs to sing as we meet a new neighbor during a walk, as we spend more time planting flowers, as we call on friends and family to see how they are doing, and as we discover new ways of being the church away from the building. O God, thank you for giving us songs to sing in this new way of living out our faith.

O God, this is why we can sing that it is well with our soul. It is well with our soul because you have given us psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. We offer our songs to you in the name of the Lord Jesus who taught us to pray saying…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Online Worship (April 26/Music Sunday) Athens First UMC

Welcome to our (April 26/Music Sunday) online worship @ Athens First UMC!

2 S. College St., Athens, OH 45701

Greeting from Dr. Peter Jarjisian, Director of Music

Opening Music Sing Me to Heaven - Daniel Gawthrop (Music) Jane Grindr (Lyrics)

Susquehanna Chorale - Linda L. Redford, Artistic Director, Founder, Conductor

In my heart’s sequestered chambers lie truths stripped of poet’s gloss.

Words alone are vain and vacant and my heart is mute.

In response to aching silence memory summons half-heard voices,

And my soul finds primal eloquence and wraps me in song.

If you would comfort me, sing me a lullaby.

If you would win my heart, sing me a love song.

If you would mourn me and sing me to God,

Sing me a requiem, sing me to heaven.

Touch in me all love and passion, pain and pleasure,

Touch in me grief and comfort, love and passion, pain and pleasure.

Sing me a lullaby, a love song, a requiem.

Love me, comfort me, bring me to God:

Sing me a love song, sing me to heaven.

Call to Worship

L: O Lord, open our lips,

P: and our mouth will proclaim your praise.

L: It is god to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O most high,

P: to proclaim your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night.

L: Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.

P: Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.

Hymn                Sing Praise to God Who Reigns Above

Welcome & Passing the Peace

[Mary Rizzardi and Kat Hammond’s dog, Penny welcomes you to our online worship service today. Mary sings in our Chancel Choir and will be offering a solo in one of our anthems today. Penny invites you to greet one another, not by rubbing noses, but by simply barking out, “Praise the Lord!”]

Prayer

L: Creator God, because you make all that draws forth our praise and the forms in which to express it,
P: we praise you.

L: Because you make artists of us all, awakening courage to look again at what is taken for granted, grace to share these insights with others, vision to reveal the future already in being,
P: we praise you.

L: Because you form your Word among us, and in your great work embrace all human experience, even death itself, inspiring our resurrection song,
P: we praise you. Yours is the glory. Amen.

Children’s Moments     Kathy Mangen

Graduate Recognition     

Presenters: Kathy Mangen, Pastor Robert, & Peter Jarjisian

Scripture Lesson - Colossians 3:12-17   

           Peter Jarjisian, Director of Music

[The Apostle Paul writes that we are to “clothe ourselves” with love. He then tells us that one of the ways we can express our gratitude to God is through offering hymns and spiritual songs to God.]

Special Music        It Is Well With My Soul

Kevin & Eryn Dael (June 23, 2019)                                    

Pastoral Prayer & The Lord’s Prayer

Special Music   Meet Me Here - Craig Hella Johnson

Mary Rizzardi, Soloist

[Peter Jarjisian’s Introduction of Song]

Church News

[The following announcement slides below are to help us stay connected as a church especially since we are unable to gather in our church building for weekly worship. Please scroll down through the announcements, and our online service will continue with another video.]

Special Music  Hymn for Our Time - John Ness Beck

Athens First UMC Chancel Choir, Ohio Brass, Jeff Daubenmire (Nov., 2018)

[Peter Jarjisian introduces this closing anthem.]

Offering Our Gifts

Thank you for your gifts!!!

“Riches and honor come from You, and You are the ruler of everything. Power and might are in Your hand, and it is in Your hand to make great and to give strength to all.” – 1 Chronicles 29:12

Closing Hymn            Sing With All the Saints of Glory

Benediction

Blooper from the Graduate Recognition Presentation

Join us back here next week (May 3/Holy Communion) for our online worship!

[For previous online worship services, click here]

Sunday Pastoral Prayer (April 19/Growing Tree Pre-school Sunday) Athens First UMC

[Sunday’s online worship service featured our Growing Tree Preschool and included a fun puppet skit about Easter surprises. Our church is so grateful for our Growing Tree Preschool children and families as well as our very dedicated teachers! Our preschool director and teachers have as much fun as the children! The online service also includes other fun videos along with the concluding sermon of “The Twelve Disciples of Jesus” featuring the disciple, Thomas. Click here to watch the online worship service.

God of the resurrection, we join the disciple, Thomas in naming our doubts. We know that doubts are what help us to grow deeper in our faith. In addition to Thomas, we think of the many Psalmists who shared there doubts with you. Thank you for giving us permission to share our doubts with you.

We pray for each other during this challenging time of distance learning, online worship services, wondering if we have washed our hands enough, adapting to a new way of using our time, getting used to wearing masks, living with the unknown of when life will get back to normal and what the new normal will look like. O God, we name our doubts that are on our hearts and minds as we worship this day.

God of the resurrection, during this unsettling time, we continue to lift up those who are feeling lonely and disconnected, those who are ill, those who have lost loved ones, those who are doing many different kinds of essential work on our behalf like medical personnel, nursing home staff, grocery workers, truck drivers, and researchers and scientists. We lift these persons to you for strength and protection.

As we conclude our eight-week series on the twelve disciples of Jesus, help us to hear you call each of our names to follow you and be your disciples. Teach us what it means to be in a growing relationship with you by having a loving faith, a learning faith, and a living faith.

And on this Growing Tree Preschool Sunday, we especially lift up to you all our preschool children, their parents, and our teachers. Thank you for this ministry, which has been blessing our church and community for over twenty years. Like a growing tree, help all of us to grow in our faith, to grow in our love of you and one another, and grow in being the people you have called us to be. May we all be a growing tree with deep roots of faith, hope, and love. We pray this in the name of Jesus who taught us to pray together saying…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

[Our Growing Tree preschool children are always learning and growing!]

Online Worship Service (April 19/Growing Tree Preschool Sunday) Athens First UMC

Welcome to our (April 19/Growing Tree Preschool Sunday) online worship @ Athens First UMC!

2 S. College St., Athens, OH 45701

Greeting From Kathy Mangen, Director of Growing Tree Preschool

Growing Tree Preschool Highlights

Call to Worship

L: Bartholomew, Simon, James the Lesser, Thaddeus, Andrew, Phillip, James the Greater, Judas, Peter, John, Matthew, and Thomas, these are the first disciples of Jesus.

P: Lord, we want to be your disciples, too!

L: Like those first disciples, we struggle with doubts and questions about our faith.

P: Lord, we want to be your disciples, too!

L: Take heart! The Risen Christ is with us!

P: The Risen Christ is with us, indeed! 

Hymn          Easter People Raise Your Voices

Welcome & Passing the Peace

[On this Growing Tree Preschool Sunday, Rooney who belongs to Mrs. Strycker and Daisy, Roxy, & Sassy who belong to Mrs. Drake offer a special welcome to our preschool families who are joining our online worship service today. They invite you to greet one another in your homes, not by rubbing noses, but by simply barking out, “The peace of Christ be with you!”]

 

                           Rooney                Daisy, Roxy, Lucy, & Sassy

Prayer of Confession & Words of Assurance

Our Lord and our God, like the disciple Thomas so long ago, it is sometimes difficult for us to believe in new life and resurrection. Even though we were not present at the empty tomb on that first Easter morning, help us to believe. Turn our doubts into vibrant faith and empower us to be your faithful disciples. In the name of the Risen Christ, we pray. Amen.

L: In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven.

P: In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven.

All: Thanks be to God!

New Testament Lesson - Acts 2:14a, 22-32

Kaitlyn Drake, Growing Tree Pre-school Teacher

[After Jesus’ resurrection and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples, the disciples wasted no time in proclaiming the good news of Christ’s resurrection.]

Gospel Lesson - John 20:19-31

 Angela Stryker, Growing Tree Preschool Teacher

[This scripture is usually read on this 2nd Sunday of Easter because it was on this day that the disciple, Thomas was able to see Jesus’ in his resurrected body for the first time. Upon seeing Jesus, Thomas offers one of the most profound statements of faith in all of the Bible by exclaiming, “My Lord and my God!”]

Skit   Easter Surprises   Holy Hands Puppeteers 

Special Music       O SONS AND DAUGHTERS, LET US SING

 Arranged by Robert Shaw & Alice Parker

O sons and daughters, let us sing!

The King of Heav’n, the glorious King

O’er death today rose triumphing.

Alleluia! Alleluia!

When Thomas first the tidings heard,

How they had seen the risen Lord,

He doubted the disciples’ word.

Alleluia! Alleluia!

“My pierced side, O Thomas, see:

My hands, my feet, I show to Thee;

Not faithless, but believing be.”

Alleluia! Alleluia!

No longer Thomas then denied,

He saw the feet, the hands, the side:

“Thou art my Lord and God,” he cried.

Alleluia! Alleluia!

Sermon  The Twelve Disciples: Thomas

                Rev. Robert McDowell

Sermon Discussion Questions

When has a time of doubt led you to a deeper faith? What are some doubts that you have about your faith now?

Share where you have seen God’s kingdom being built in our community and world?

We concluded our series on the twelve disciples of Jesus by focusing on four things that the disciples teach us about being followers of Jesus today: These include 1) Jesus calls each of us by name. 2) We need each other as we live out our discipleship. 3) We are never done growing in our faith. 4) We are each called to share the good news of Jesus in our own unique ways.

Which of these four aspects of being a disciple of Jesus stands out for you? 

Hymn                Spirit Song

Pastoral Prayer & The Lord’s Prayer

Church News

Offering Our Gifts

Thank you for your gifts!!!

“Riches and honor come from You, and You are the ruler of everything. Power and might are in Your hand, and it is in Your hand to make great and to give strength to all.” – 1 Chronicles 29:12

Closing Hymn                     I Sing a Song of the Saints of God

Benediction

[We appreciate the Lee family for serving as puppeteers for our puppet skit today! They also wrote the script. Alex and MacKenzie are Growing Tree Preschool alum. Thank you, Lee family!]

Join us back here next week (April 26/Music Sunday) for our online worship!

[For previous online worship services, click here]

Sunday Pastoral Prayer (April 12/Easter) Athens First UMC

[Even though our church building is not accessible during the pandemic, our church’s toys still manage to find their way to our sanctuary every time we record our children’s moments. They have been learning about the twelve disciples of Jesus just like we have over these past several weeks. Based on the feedback we’ve been receiving, they have been a big hit for our online viewers. For our Easter Sunday online service, click here.]

God of new life, it is so weird that our sanctuaries are empty on this Easter Sunday morning. I can even hear the emptiness of my own voice as I speak this prayer. This sanctuary seats six hundred people and yet nobody is here. No greeters. No ushers. No organist. No smell of coffee. 

Just these Easter lilies and this note that says, “He is not here. He is risen!” You have somehow turned this empty sanctuary into an occasion for rejoicing. Only you could pull something like this off. You took that shameful instrument of death, the cross and turned it into a symbol of victory, a symbol of Nikos! What at first seemed empty, like this sanctuary has become the occasion for rejoicing and singing, Alleluia! 

On this Easter morning, take the emptiness of our hearts and fill them with your praises! Take the emptiness of our souls and replace them with new life and hope. Take the emptiness of our bodies so vulnerable to sickness and disease and fill them with a renewed trust in your goodness. Take the emptiness of our hands and fill them with a willingness to serve you and others. And take the emptiness of our lips and fill them with a message of salvation for the world.

O God who rose Jesus from the dead, just as you were able to take an empty tomb and change the world, take this empty sanctuary and any emptiness that we may be feeling today and fill us with the joy of Easter. Fill every house, every living room, every assisted living facility, every hospital, every food pantry, every health department, every homeless shelter, every AA group, every rehab center, every jail, every prison, every overcrowded ER, and every single person watching this online service with the good news of your resurrection. 

For we pray this in the name of Jesus who died for our sins, who rose for our sake, and who taught us to pray together saying…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Online Worship (April 12/Easter) Athens First UMC

Welcome to our April 12 (Easter Sunday) online worship @ Athens First UMC!

2 S. College St., Athens, OH 45701

Greeting From Pastor Robert

Choral Introit   Joy in the Morning, Natalie Sleeth

by First UMC Chancel Choir, Richardson, Texas

Call to Worship

L: Christ is risen!

P: Christ is risen, indeed!

L: Like the disciples, Matthew and John, we are called to proclaim the good news of Easter!

All: He is not here. He is risen! Thanks be to God!

Hymn                Christ the Lord Is Risen Today

1. Christ the Lord is ris’n today, Alleluia!
   Sons of men and angels say, Alleluia!
   Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia!
   Sing, ye heav’ns, and earth, reply, Alleluia!
2. Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia!
   Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia!
   Once He died our souls to save, Alleluia!
   Where thy victory, O grave? Alleluia!
3. Love’s redeeming work is done, Alleluia!
   Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia!
   Death in vain forbids His rise, Alleluia!
   Christ hath opened paradise, Alleluia!
4. Soar we now where Christ hath led, Alleluia!
   Foll’wing our exalted Head, Alleluia!
   Made like Him, like Him we rise, Alleluia!
   Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia!

Welcome & Passing the Peace

[David and Bonita Maze’s dog, Taffy celebrates with us on this Easter Sunday. Taffy invites you to greet one another, not by rubbing noses, but by simply barking out, “Alleluia! Christ is risen!”]

Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank you for calling the twelve disciples to follow you. On this Easter Sunday, you also call each one of us to follow you and share the good news of your resurrection. Teach us what it means to be your Easter people. May all that we do and say point people to the hope and promise that we have in you. We offer this prayer to you, our risen Lord and Savior, to whom be glory, majesty, power and authority before all time and now and forevermore. Amen.

Children’s Moments        Martha Sloan

Scripture Lessons - I Corinthians 15:19-26 & John 20:1-10

                                                       Dave Bayless

[Our I Corinthians lesson is the Apostle Paul’s famous chapter on the meaning of Christ’s resurrection and the future hope of resurrection for all of God’s people. In this portion of the chapter, Paul shares the good news that Christ’s resurrection will lead to a final victory over death itself. For our next scripture lesson, John, who is one of the two disciples we are focusing on today in the sermon offers this account of that first Easter Sunday. Each gospel account tells the story a little differently. One of John’s distinctions is that there was a lot of running happening on that glorious morning. Mary runs to tell the disciples and the disciples then run to the tomb to see for themselves. Celebrating Easter can be very tiring!]

Special Music   “Hallelujah” (from Messiah) – G. F. Handel

Performed by the Chicago-based ensemble, Music of the Baroque

Sermon        The Twelve Disciples of Jesus: Matthew & John          
                                                           Rev. Robert McDowell

Sermon Discussion Questions

Why do you think that we have four gospels instead of just one account? What does this say about our unique faith perspectives?

If you could choose a symbol that would best represent your faith, what would it be and why?

Why do you think this message of loving one another was something that John encouraged people to remember again and again? What helps you to remember to love others?

What are some ways that we can share the good news of Easter with the people we encounter?

Hymn                       Christ Is Alive

Pastoral Prayer & The Lord’s Prayer

Church News

Offering Our Gifts

Thank you for your gifts!!!

“Riches and honor come from You, and You are the ruler of everything. Power and might are in Your hand, and it is in Your hand to make great and to give strength to all.” – 1 Chronicles 29:12

Closing Hymn                Up from the Grave He Arose

1. Low in the grave he lay, Jesus my Savior,

waiting the coming day, Jesus my Lord!

Refrain:

Up from the grave he arose;

with a mighty triumph o’er his foes;

he arose a victor from the dark domain,

and he lives forever, with his saints to reign.

He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!

2. Vainly they watch his bed, Jesus my Savior,

vainly they seal the dead, Jesus my Lord!

(Refrain)

3. Death cannot keep its prey, Jesus my Savior;

he tore the bars away, Jesus my Lord!

(Refrain)

Benediction

FUN OUT-TAKE EASTER SERVICE VIDEO 

[Sometimes, online worship service recordings don’t go as planned. Evidently, Storm Trooper either stayed up too late on Saturday night or ate too much Easter candy because he kept falling down during the children’s moments. LOL!]

Join us back here next Sunday (April 19) for our online worship featuring our Growing Tree Preschool!

[For previous online worship services, click here]

Online Worship Service (April 10/Good Friday) Athens First UMC

Welcome to our April 10 (Good Friday) online worship @ Athens First UMC!

2 S. College St., Athens, OH 45701

Call to Worship

L: Blessed be the name of the Lord our God,

P: Who redeems us from sin and death.

L: For us and for our salvation, Christ became obedient unto death, even death on the cross.

P: Blessed be the name of the Lord.

Hymn                          In the Cross of Christ I Glory

Prayer of Confession & Words of Assurance

We confess to you, our Lord and Savior, that we have betrayed and denied you, forgotten and doubted you. When our faith is tested, we wonder where you are. When we see injustice in the world, we often stand by, we turn our backs, we ignore the cries of others. We confess that we deny you and betray you with our silence when we fail to proclaim your good news, when we fail to live out your teachings and love our neighbor as ourselves. Help us to remember your sacrifice, your love, and to know your forgiveness. In the name of the one who lived, who was crucified, and who lives again, Jesus the Messiah, we pray. Amen.

L: In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven.

P: In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!

All: Thanks be to God!

Old Testament Lesson - Psalm 22:1-22

[This is the psalm that Jesus quoted when he hung on the cross. Even though this psalm begins with a statement of feeling forsaken by God, notice that it also concludes with a statement of praise and trust in God.]

Gospel Lesson - John 19:16b-37

[In John’s telling of Jesus’ crucifixion, we are given many details of this gruesome scene. Notice that Jesus’ last words before he died were, “It is finished.” Where have we heard those words before? Way back in the Genesis creation story where after all that God had created, we are told that it was finished. It’s a little hint that John gives us that even after Jesus breathed his last, new life for God’s creation is about to begin.]

A Reading       Sunflower   A Short Story by Trevor Dennis 

Rev. Robert McDowell

Special Music   O, my Father, why has Thou forsaken me? -- Theodore Dubois

    (from The Seven Last Words of Christ) Tyler Thress, baritone

                                                           

Benediction

L:  May Jesus Christ, who for our sake became obedient unto death, even death on a cross, keep you and strengthen you, now and forever. 

P:  Amen.

Join us here this Sunday (April 12/Easter Sunday) for our online worship!

For previous online worship services, click here.