VIRTUAL WORSHIP

The Seventh Sunday of Eastertide

May 24, 2020 | 10:00a

Inspired by the bold and boundless hospitality of Jesus, we are “open to all,” which means we welcome and accept
all people into the life of our Church without regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, age, economic status,
political affiliation, physical or mental capacity, or religious belief. We believe that God’s call is given
to all people, and we embrace the Spirit that continues to cross boundaries in order to unite the world.

Prelude
“Let the Mystery Be” Iris DeMent (b. 1961)
Ray Owens and Sally Higgins

Call to Worship Rev. Dr. W. Benjamin Boswell

Opening Hymn
“Amazing Grace! How Sweet the Sound” AMAZING GRACE
Jazz Ensemble

Welcome of Our Guests Rev. Carrie Veal

If you are our guest today, please text “guest” to 474747
so we may offer you our gratitude for joining us today.

New Testament Reading - Acts 17:16-34 (NRSV adapted) Ashley Hardy

While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply distressed to see that the city was
full of idols. So he argued in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and also
in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there. Also some Epicurean
and Stoic philosophers debated with him. Some said, “What does this babbler want to say?”
Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign divinities.” (This was because he was
telling the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.) So they took him and brought him
to the Areopagus and asked him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are
presenting? It sounds rather strange to us, so we would like to know what it means.” Now all
the Athenians and the foreigners living there would spend their time in nothing but telling or
hearing something new.

Then Paul stood in front of the Areopagus and said, “Athenians, I see how extremely
religious you are in every way. For as I went through the city and looked carefully at the
objects of your worship, I found among them an altar with the inscription, ‘To an unknown
god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God who made
the world and everything in it, is Lord of heaven and earth, and does not live in shrines made
by human hands, nor is this God served by human hands, as though God needed anything;
God gives to all mortals life and breath and all things. From one ancestor God made all
nations to inhabit the whole earth, and allotted the times of their existence and the
boundaries of the places where they would live, so that they would search for God and
perhaps grope for and find the divine—though indeed God is never far from each one of us.
For ‘In God we live and move and have our being;’ as even some of your own poets have
said, ‘For we too are God's offspring.’ Since we are God’s children, we ought not to think
that the deity is like gold, or silver, or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of
mortals. While God has overlooked the times of human ignorance, now God commands all
 people everywhere to repent, because a day has been fixed on which God will have the
world judged in righteousness by one who has been appointed, and of this God has given
assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

When they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some scoffed; but others said, “We will
hear you again about this.” At that point Paul left them. But some of them joined him and
became believers, including Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris, and
others with them.

Leader: For the Word of God in scripture,

for the Word of God among us,
for the Word of God within us.
People: Thanks be to God.

Sermon
“Back to the Future Divinity” Rev. Dr. W. Benjamin Boswell

Anthem
“Bridge Over Troubled Water” Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel
Jazz Ensemble

Sharing Our Gifts Abby Smith

Church at Prayer Ben Wilson

Benediction Rev. Dr. W. Benjamin Boswell

Postlude
“No Love Dying Here” Gregory Porter (b. 1971)
Jazz Ensemble

Leading worship today with Rev. Dr. W. Benjamin Boswell, Senior Minister,
are Carrie Veal, Minister of Children and Community Life,
and Rev. Mia M. McClain, Associate Minister.

Leading worship through music are

Dr. Matt Caine, Minister of Worship and Music,
Charlotte C. Judge, Associate Director of Music,
and John Richardson, Organist.

The Jazz Ensemble leads worship through music:

Sean Higgins, piano
Greg Jarrell, saxophone
Mike Gudbaur, bass
Ocie Davis, drums
Dawn Anthony, vocals

We give God thanks for the ministry of Rev. Carrie Veal,

Minister of Children and Community Life, who joined our staff on May 23, 2014.

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 THEOLOGY OF WORSHIP

Why do we worship?
Worship at Myers Park Baptist is the gathering of a diverse, intergenerational, ecumenical community of
faith, celebrating God’s active and timeless presence in the world. In worship, God re-forms our hearts,
minds and bodies, and ignites our imaginations with sacred stories—stories that invite us to question,
explore mystery, express joy and grief, and deepen our faith. We worship to learn how to develop caring,
empowering relationships with each other, and to stay centered in God as the world swirls around us. We
worship to be inspired and prepared to exemplify the compassion and justice of Jesus in our church family
and in the world. Through worship, God frees and transforms us in heart, mind and body, so we can make a
difference within ourselves, in our relationships and in our community.

How do we worship?
Focusing on God, worship at Myers Park Baptist unfolds consistently with the Isaiah 6 scriptural model:
praise, confession, pardon, calling to respond, commitment and sending out. All our worship services are
built on this ancient structural form, regardless of worship style, venue or theme. Communal practices
within worship — radical hospitality, confession and assurance of pardon, passing the peace, silence and
listening, spirited hymn singing, presentations of gifts, and active participation in Communion—transform
worshipers into newness with God and one another. Themes for services, based on lectionary scriptures,
annually portray the narrative arc of God’s redeeming love for humankind.

HOW TO JOIN MYERS PARK BAPTIST CHURCH

Becoming a member of Myers Park Baptist is as easy as filling out a Joining Card.
To receive a card or learn more, stop by the Welcome Table in Heaton Hall Foyer.

MOBILE GIVING

You can now text your contributions and offerings to MPBC! It is secure, simple, and efficient:
CStart a new text message to phone number 77977.
CIn the message of the text, enter giveMPBC (not case-sensitive).
CThe system will return a message to you; click on the link provided and follow the instructions.
CYou will then receive a receipt to confirm your gift was received. It is that simple!

Questions? Contact Rev. Leigh Anne Hagerman, Church Administrator,

at 704.334.7232 x116 or lhagerman@myersparkbaptist.org

CCLI License #1864926