WESTPORT PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH WORSHIP SERVICE
ASCENSION SUNDAY
CELEBRATION OF HOLY COMMUNION
June 1, 2025
PRELUDE: Embryons Desséchés: 2. D’edriophthalma Erik Satie
CALL TO WORSHIP:
One: How precious, how fragile, how short is life! Our lives are but a breath.
All: The Divine brings us into being, weaves our lives together, and ushers us into eternal rest.
One: Blessed are the Sacred rhythms of life and holy are these tasks:
All: to be alive, to pay attention, to honor the fleeting with awe and care. (-enfleshed.com)
OPENING HYMN: #12 Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise
UNISON CONFESSION OF OUR NEED OF GOD:
All: God of births and beginnings, in the ordinary life of Jesus you gladly weave yourself into the fabric of our embodied lives. Help us to honor our limits and fragility. Forgive us when we belittle our bodies, and fail to receive them as gifts; Forgive us when we cause harm to our bodies or to the precious bodies of others. Free us into a new life of gracious care for this fleeting gift of finite flesh. Amen.
ASSURANCE OF GOD’S GRACE:
One: You are fearfully and wonderfully made. God delights in your limited life as a creature made from dust. In Jesus Christ, God meets us
as embodied grace and enfleshed forgiveness. All: Thanks be to God!
SUNG RESPONSE: #591 Halle, Halle, Hallelujah! (refrain, sing twice)
SHARING THE PEACE OF CHRIST:
One: The peace of Christ be with you.
All: And also with you.
One: Let’s share the peace of Christ with one another.
SCRIPTURE READING: Psalm 100 John 1:1-4, 14-18
CHORAL ANTHEM: An African Worship Song—based on the Ghanian folksong “Nanuma” arr. Joseph Martin Matthew Kennedy & Joshua Stark, percussion
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION:
One: Holy Mystery: as we listen for your gracious voice, open our hearts to hear what you have to say to us.
All: Fill us with the light of your love that, having heard, we will be ready to go live more faithfully and love more deeply. Amen.
MESSAGE: Welcome To Your Weird, Wonderful Body
SUNG PREPARATION FOR PRAYER: #469 Lord, Listen to Your Children Praying
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE AND THE LORD’S PRAYER:
Our Mother and 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 debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.
CELEBRATION OF HOLY COMMUNION:
THE OFFERING OF OURSELVES/INVITATION TO GIVE:
One: We are called to be light to the world. Let us share our talents and treasures with grateful hearts.
All: May God bless our gifts for the good of the world.
OFFERTORY SOLO: Night Song text, Clarissa Scott Delaney; music, H. Leslie Adams Joshua Stark, Baritone
PRAYER OF DEDICATION:
One: Generous God, all that we are and all that we have comes from you.
All: Take these gifts and make them blessings for your people in this community and beyond. Amen.
INVITATION TO THE TABLE
GREAT THANKSGIVING
BREAKING OF THE BREAD
COMMUNION
PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION:
One: God incarnate, in these ordinary elements you have fed us with the body of the living Christ, that we might become the body of the living Christ. Now fed and filled with courage, we welcome our new lives as your friends, co-creators of a new world.
All: Amen.
WELCOME: News In, Around, and Beyond the Community
HONORING OUR GRADUATES: Ella Hinson
CLOSING HYMN: #526 Let Us Talents and Tongues Employ
CHARGE AND BLESSING
POSTLUDE: Air for Organ John Blow
A WESTPORT WARM WELCOMING!
- WELCOME! MEMBERS! NEWCOMERS! FRIENDS! We are so glad you could join us for worship today! VISITORS, please take a moment to let us know you were here by picking up an attendance card (in the pews) and filling out whatever information you would like to share with us.
- WELCOME FAMILIES! Children’s Sunday School meets in the 2nd floor Children’s Space, Sunday mornings during the 1st half of worship, beginning at 11:00 am. NURSERY care is also available upstairs. Parents are asked to fill out a brief registration form before church begins. (This form only needs to be filled out once).
- HEARING ASSISTANCE DEVICES available upon request. Talk to Deanna up in the front of the sanctuary at the livestream table if you would like to use one.
- WPC’s Session has chosen a CONGREGATIONAL SURVEY provided by HolyCow! Consulting. Members and friends of the congregation received an email with a link to the survey. Please try and complete the survey by June 8. Paper copies are also available. Thanks!
- Next Sunday we will be celebrating Pentecost! Wear Red or Yellow! We will invite the children of the church to start the service with a little parade. After the service, we will have a Pentacost Potluck in the Fellowship hall (make sure to congratulate Ave on graduating!)
- Sunday, June 15 is Father’s Day. If you’d like, bring in momentos (Men-mentos!) of your father(s) to put on display on a table in the back of the sanctuary.
MISSION & OUTREACH OPPORTUNITIES:
- WESTPORT SHOWERS happens on Sunday mornings & Thursday nights. Items Needed for our CLOTHING CLOSET include: Sneakers, T-shirts, Underwear (Men’s Boxer Briefs), Socks, Women’s pants/shorts size 0-8, Men’s pants/shorts size 28-40, Bandaids, Sweatpants, Leggings, Belts, Backpacks, Body wash, Sports bras, & Washcloths.
- WESTPORT SHOWERS is looking for additional volunteers to help with Sunday mornings. With the increase in guests, we would like to have teams of 2 volunteers upstairs working together at the door and 2 downstairs working in the shower/laundry room each Sunday. You would be working with experienced volunteers who can train you in what is needed. If you would like to help, and are willing to volunteer 1 Sunday morning a month, reach out to Drew Irwin or Allison Rozga for more information.
- We are giving out lunches on Wednesdays in the RESOURCE CENTER and Sundays as part of WESTPORT SHOWERS. Food donations of bread, fruit, meat, cheese, peanut butter are always needed.
- BOARD MEMBERS NEEDED: Westport Center for the Arts is seeking board members who are interested in helping us keep community arts alive in Westport. We are a volunteer board who meets monthly (usually on the 4th Saturday of the month at 10 am) to work on planning programming, fundraising, community partnerships, and marketing. With the recent loss of our board president, we need people who are willing to fill some leadership roles within the organization. Our programming includes Monthly Brown Bag Concerts, Independent Professional Theater, The Dancing Word (poetry & dance) and Visual Art Exhibits. If you have an interest in the arts or know anyone who may be interested in serving on the board, please contact us at admin@wcakc.org. Support from our community is needed to keep our organization thriving.
CONNECTION HOUR SMALL GROUPS: Sunday Mornings
- 9:40 a.m. “Overcoming Dumpster Fire Overwhelm” lead by Jennifer White.
Does it feel like everywhere you look the world is on fire? This weekly workshop will give you 1-5 minute tools to help deal with the stresses of our modern way of living. - 10:00 a.m. Book Discussion Group readings related to various topics including faith, art, culture, politics, earth care. Currently reading The Idiot, Novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky.
MISSOURI LEGISLATIVE UPDATE: from Riva and the League of Women Voters
- All the TOWN HALLS that were scheduled for the beginning of June have been canceled, because the governor has called a special session and all the legislators will be back in Jefferson City on June 2.
INREACH & OUTREACH IN THE COMING WEEK: (All Events are at the Church, 201 Westport Rd – unless noted)
- Monday, Jun. 2 6:30 p.m. Men’s AA Meeting (Storefront)
- 7:30 p.m. Boy Scout Troop 60 (Westport Rising Room)
- Tuesday, Jun. 3 4:30 p.m. Centering Prayer and Silence – 20 min (Chapel)
- 6:00 p.m. Irish Dance (Westport Rising Room)
- Wednesday, Jun. 4 10:00 a.m. Resource Center Open (Storefront)
- 11:00 a.m. Sack Lunches Distributed (Storefront)
- Thursday, Jun. 5 5:30 p.m. Westport Showers – For Women, Trans, & Gender Non- conforming people (Basement)
- 5:30 p.m. Westport Center for the Arts: Special Concert Event “You, Me, Us: A Celebration of Queer Music for Saxophone & Piano” Nick May, saxophone & Alex Li, piano (Sanctuary) Artist Talk, Concert & Reception – Presented Free, Donations Welcomed
- Saturday, Jun. 7 7:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. Pride Parade Volunteers use Church Parking Lot
- 8:30 a.m. Living Integrated (Men’s Support Group) (Storefront)
- 11:00 a.m. KC Pride Parade (Westport Rd. & Broadway Blvd.)
- 7:00 p.m. KC English Dance (Westport Rising Room)
- Sunday, Jun. 8 PENTECOST SUNDAY
- 8-9:30 a.m. Westport Showers (Fellowship Room & Basement)
- Connection Hour Small Groups:
9:40 a.m. “Overcoming Dumpster Fire Overwhelm”
10:00 a.m. Book Discussion Group - 11:00 a.m. Service of the Lord’s Day (Sanctuary)
Children’s Sunday School & Nursery Care (Upstairs Children’s Room)
After church Pentecost Potluck Lunch (Fellowship Room) - 12:15 p.m. Choir Rehearsal (Sanctuary)
LOOKING AHEAD:
- Tuesday, Jun. 10 5:30 p.m. Happy Hour Gathering – All Are Welcome (Location To Be Announced)
- 7:00 p.m. Session Meeting (Fellowship Room)
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