Mountain Movers: Cultivating Beloved Community
Call to Worship:
L: What is Your Mountain to move?
P: Our mountain has foothills that shift underneath us. Our community is changing: we have new neighbors, a culture of consumption, social media influence, community businesses and schools are struggling.
L: What is Your Mountain to move?
P: Our mountain has boulders too big for us to bear alone: Systemic issues of homelessness, economic inequality, addiction, and incarceration are blocking our path.
L: What is Your Mountain to move?
P: Our mountain has sharp rocks that are hurting our community: judgement, prejudice, racism, tolerance of hate, and so many more.
L: What is Your Mountain to move?
P: Our mountain has a precipice that offers a great vision, but is it not too dangerous? We might fall, but we might soar.
L: What is your Mountain to move?
P: But, can we move the mountain?
Prayer: Silent Prayer/ Lord’s Prayer
Parable: The Obstacle Is The Path
There was once a king who believed his kingdom was declining because his people had lost inspiration. The King decided to place a giant boulder on the only road leading to his city. He then hid and waited to see what would happen. First, some merchants came upon the rock and said, “This boulder is blocking our path. Let’s turn around and go home.” Next a group of soldiers came upon the boulder. “This rock is blocking our path,” they said. “I guess no one will need our services today.” The king watched person after person come upon the rock, see it as an impasse, turn and go home. Then, an old man came upon the rock. Instead of becoming discouraged, he got excited by the presence of a challenge. First, he tried to push it with all his might. When the boulder did not move, he began to think of other solutions. A quote from ancient mathematician Archimedes popped into his head, “If you give me a large enough lever and a fulcrum… I shall move the world.” The old man was inspired. He found a long wooden pole, he placed the pole under the boulder and, using leverage, moved the boulder slightly. He repeated this until the boulder was completely off the road. As he started off toward the city, he noticed a bag lying where the boulder once stood. He picked up the bag and found inside a large amount of gold and a note. Carefully opening the note he read, “This gold is for you, since you know that great obstacles can lead to bigger(greater?) opportunities.”
Small Group Discussion: What Mountains are in your community?
- What are the mountains that keep us from cultivating beloved community?
- Does beloved community feel too big to achieve? Why?
- How can circuits work together to move mountains?
(The congregation is asked to break into small groups (which are their circuits) to discuss the above questions. When discussion is done a person from each circuit is invited to come to the front and write on the mountains what their “mountains” are? A certain amount of time will be allotted for the discussion and writing. During this time the thought was to have mountain showing on the screen.)
Hymn: Gather Us In TFWS 2236
Scripture: Matthew 17:20 (CEB) 20 “Because you have little faith,” he said. “I assure you that if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Go from here to there,’ and it will go. There will be nothing that you can’t do.”
Message: Bishop Karen Oliveto
Song: Aint’ No Mountain High Enough
Holy Communion
Invitation
Christ our Lord invites to his table all who love him, who seek to be honest about who they are, the mistakes they have made, and how they have cared for God’s beloved. Therefore, let us confess our failings and renew our commitment to God.
Confession and Call of Commitment
God of mustard seed faith, we know we have not put our faith into action. We have walked past the heartbroken, the lonely, the hurting. We have been silent when the message of hope, love, and mercy needed to be spoken. We have forgotten that we are your beloved and what it means to be in Beloved Community. We have traded the God-sized visions that call us to be Mountain Movers for security, the known, and comfortability. We are scared to face the Mountains, they bring change, some painful, some confusing. Oh we know they can bring healing, hope, equality, and justice to our communities. But what great mountains they are!
Lord, we are committed to be the Mountain Movers that you have called us to be. We will take our mustard seed faith and move the mountains that keep us from cultivating your Beloved Community. We will no longer be our own, but we are yours. We will go into the our communities proclaiming love to all, being justice and truth bearers, growing into the greatest of trees. AMEN
Great Thanksgiving:
The Lord Be with You
And also with You
Lift up your hearts
We lift them up to the Lord
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God
It is right to give our thanks and praise
The Creator looked upon the beloved world that was created. God saw the high mountain tops, the deep valleys, the wide rivers and knew that nothing could separate Godself from the beloved community. God saw the beloved community that was filled with justice, equality, dreams, freedom, helping hands, hearts filled with love, and it was good.
The winds blew, the rain poured, the cold seeped into the beloved community. The wind blew until they forgot that beloved community meant justice and goodness for all God’s people and separation could be seen. Rain flooded the land and they forgot that everyone needs shelter, food, and friendship. Coldness entered hearts and they forgot that faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains. The people cried out while living with injustice, they cried out in addiction, they cried out in refugee camps, they cried out in broken homes, they cried out in suffrage. God heard the cries from the mountains that were too high, the valleys that were too deep, the rivers that were too wide. Then the people heard God’s message that the prophets proclaimed, the mountain movers demonstrated, the faithful remembered; God will be there if they need a helping hand, if they are in trouble, no matter how far, how big the separation is, somehow someway God will be there in a hurry.
And so, we praise God’s name and join the unending hymn:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might. Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest
God looked at the beloved community and God knew that it was time to make things new again. So God planted the seed of faith in the highest mountain tops, lowest valleys, and deepest rivers. This faith was cultivated by Jesus in the lives he encountered from Jews to Gentiles, young and old, wealthy and destitute, lost and found. Jesus equipped them with the love that all are worthy of our love and generosity. Jesus planted into their hearts that the rich should share with the poor and the strong with the weak, and the well-loved with the lonely. Jesus cracked open the seeds of faith and brought forth new life into God’s beloved community.
We remember how Jesus cultivated Mountain Movers. On the evening before he died he had dinner with his friends, during the meal He took the loaf of bread, gave thanks for it, broke it and then passed it around with these words: This is my body broken for you. Eat this and remember Me.
And, after the meal He took the cup of wine, gave thanks for it and then passed it around with these words: This is my blood of the new covenant. Drink this and remember Me.
Everytime we gather as beloved community around this common table we proclaim the mystery of faith.
Christ has come among us. Christ has died. Christ has risen. Christ abides with us. Christ will come again.
Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here,
and on these gifts of bread and wine.
Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ,
that we may be for the world the body of Christ,
redeemed by his blood
By your Spirit make us one with Christ,
one with each other,
and one in ministry to all the world,
Cultivate our mustard seed faith, turning us into Mountain Movers.
Through your Son Jesus Christ,
with the Holy Spirit in your holy Church,
all honor and glory is yours, almighty Father,
now and forever. Amen.
(Give instructions for communion and the planting of the mustard seed.)
Hymns During Communion:
Let Us Break Bread Together UMH 618
As We Gather at Your Table TFWS 2268
Bind us Together TFWS 2226
(The congregation will come forward to receive Communion, afterwards they will go to a station for planting their mustard seed, then go back to their seats)
Hymn: Walk with Me TFWS 2242
Sending Forth( Response will be right side and left side)
Right: Our mustard seed faith has cracked open our hearts to the mountains surrounding us.
Left: Ain’t no mountain high enough.
Right: For you and I, We are Mountain Movers
Left: Ain’t no mountain high enough.
Right: We will go and cultivate Beloved Community
Left: Ain’t no mountain high enough.