[LITURGY] Lent Week 3: Whispers of Care

Intro: Hey South Bend City Church – Mariah here, the Director of Art and Worship. In today’s episode of the podcast, we join in with the rest of our community in our third week of our Lent liturgy series. In this week’s liturgy, we focus ourselves on the small whispers of care that we hear in the midst of all the world’s noise: “come and rest.”

So let’s join in with the rest of our community now as we enter into practices to center ourselves and to take moments of rest.

Mariah: Good morning South Bend City Church, how are we today? Great. The few, the brave, the mighty to come to the 9am on Daylight Savings. Let’s go! Really proud of you guys, don’t tell the 11am, but congrats.

We’ve got a beautiful morning planned, we’re gunna start by singing together. So if you’re able would you stand and join us?

Beautiful Things by Gungor
Verse 1
All this pain, I wonder if I’ll ever find my way
I wonder if my life could really change at all
All this earth, could all that is lost ever be found
Could a garden come up from this ground at all

Chorus
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us

Verse 2
All around, hope is springing up from this old ground
Out of chaos life is being found in You

Chorus x2
Instrumental

Bridge x8
You make me new, You are making me new

Chorus
Bridge x2

The Wonderful Cross by Chris Tomlin
Verse 1
When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died
My richest gain I count but loss
And pour contempt on all my pride

Chorus x2
O, the wonderful cross, O, the wonderful cross
Bids me come and die, to find that I may truly live
O, the wonderful cross, O, the wonderful cross
All who gather here by grace draw near and bless your name

Tag (x4)
O, the wonderful cross

Mariah: And as we continue in this Lent season, we’ve been taking some readings from a source called “enfleshed” and today’s is kind of a prayer of receiving and of rest, so I’m going to ask you to grab a seat. As you do, and as Zach reads, if you feel comfortable I ask that you close your eyes and sit in this moment. And when we get to the song you can choose to either stay in that moment or sing with us.

Lent Reading #2 by Rev. M Jade Kaiser at enfleshed
Gentle One,
in the midst of all the world’s noise,
we struggle to hear your whispers of care.

“Come and rest,”
You beckon.

Our never-ending lists,
days too short,
pressures so high,
they make us weary.

Whether our labor is paid,
or the search for work is our toil.
Whether we tend with care to the needs of our loved ones at home
or gift time to the collective cries for justice,
there are so many ways we grow tired.

Reaching out,
patient and inviting.

“Come and rest,”
you beckon,
again and again.

To trust in You
is to remember limitations,
release control,
and let our earnest offerings be enough.

You do not ask any one person to lift the burdens from the world.
The Sacred labors of life
belong to all of us and none of us.

For everything that doesn’t get done..
For all that we desire to protect but cannot…
For every hurt we cannot tend…
Fill us with a deep assurance,

of your presence that abides in all things,
Through all things.
You abandon no one in their struggle.

Let your Sabbath be our renewal
of body, of mind, of spirit.

Be Thou My Vision by Audrey Assad
Verse 1
Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart
Naught be all else to me save that thou art
Thou my best thought by day or by night
Waking or sleeping, thy presence my light

Verse 2
Be thou my wisdom, and thou my true word
I ever with thee and thou with me, Lord
Thou my great Father, I thy true one
Thou in me dwelling, and I with thee one

Verse 3
Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise
Thou my inheritance, now and always
Thou and thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my treasure thou art

Verse 1

Tag
Waking or sleeping, thy presence my light