Eyes that Don't See May 2, 2021 - Second City Church
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Eyes that Don’t See
May 2, 2021
The Fifth Sunday of EasterMEDITATION
“Isn’t it strange that Christians worship a God figure, Jesus, who appears to be
clearly losing by every criterion imaginable? Then we spend so much time trying to
win, succeed, and perform.”
-Richard Rohr
"Our trust in Jesus grows as we shift from making self-conscious efforts to be good
to allowing ourselves to be loved as we are (not as we should be). The Holy Spirit
moves us from the head to the heart, from intellectual cognition to experiential
awareness. An inward stillness pervades our being, and the time of prayer
is characterized by less rational reflection and speaking and more contemplative
quiet and listening. “
-Brennan Manning in Ruthless Trust
Readings for the coming week
These readings are provided as a personal, family, or group worship resource. Use them along with your worship guide
as resources for readings, prayers and hymns. Set in the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL), a schedule of daily Bible
readings in accord with the Church year, these scripture readings are designed around a three-year cycle that will take
you through the Old Testament once, the New Testament twice, and the Psalms frequently.
Psalm Old Testament New Testament
Monday the 3rd Psalm 80 Isaiah 5:1-7 Galatians 5:16-26
Tuesday the 4th Psalm 80 Isaiah 32:9-20 James 3:17-18
Wednesday the 5th Psalm 80 Isaiah 65:17-25 John 14:18-31
Thursday the 6th Psalm 98 Isaiah 49:5-6 Acts 10:1-34
Friday the 7th Psalm 98 Isaiah 42:5-9 Acts 10:34-43
Saturday, May Psalm 98 Deuteronomy Mark 10:42-45
8th Lectionary selections are reprinted from Revised
32:44-47
Common Lectionary Daily Readings copyright © 2005.
Consultation on Common Texts, Augsburg Fortress Publishers. Reproduced by permission.
1WELCOME
Second City Church is a community that exists
to worship the Triune God
and to celebrate, in word and deed,
the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Harrisburg.
WHO we are? Second City Church is a community that exists to worship
the Triune God and to celebrate, in word and deed, the Gospel of Jesus Christ
in Harrisburg.
WHAT is the Gospel? It is the announcement (literally “good news”) that
Jesus’ cross and resurrection were the beginning of salvation for the entire
cosmos and will be completed when he returns. God is restoring the peace
(shalom) of his creation through the work of Christ and is renewing people,
families, neighborhoods, cities and nations, as people trust and follow him.
HOW do we celebrate the Gospel? Through faithful proclamation and
obedient demonstration. Weekly worship services are the core opportunity for
everyone to know how God is setting things right and to thank him publicly for
it. This public celebration spills over to the rest of our lives where we serve
our neighbors as Christ has served us.
Thank you for joining us in worship today. We hope this guide will help you
participate in our service. If you have any questions about our worship, faith, or
how you can be a part of our mission to serve God and neighbor in
Harrisburg, be sure to talk to our pastor. If you would like to indicate your
presence to us or include a prayer request, please fill out the form on the back
page of this bulletin and place it in the slotted box in the sanctuary entrance.
2LITURGY OF PREPARATION
Words of Welcome
Call to Worship
Praise the Lord, all nations!
Extol him, all peoples!
For great is his steadfast love toward us,
and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.
Praise the Lord!
Psalm 117
3Gathering Hymn - Be Thou My Vision
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.
Be Thou my wisdom, and Thou my true Word
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, and I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.
Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine inheritance, now and always
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart
High king of heaven, my treasure Thou art
High king of heaven, my victory won,
May I reach heaven’s joys, O bright heaven’s sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my vision, O ruler of all.
4Greeting
Alleluia! Christ is risen.
He is risen indeed. Alleluia!
Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He has given us new life and hope.
He has raised Jesus from the dead.
God has claimed us as his own.
He has brought us out of darkness.
He has made us light to the world.
Alleluia! Christ is risen.
He is risen indeed. Alleluia!
based on 1 Peter 1:3-5
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Confession Hymn - Kyrie
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God
Have mercy on me, a sinner
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God
Have mercy on me a sinner
Kyrie Eleison
Lord Jesus Christ
Kyrie Eleison
Have mercy on me, a sinner
Have mercy on me, a sinner
5Confession of Sin
Risen Lord, we have seen the empty tomb, and yet we sometimes act as
if we have seen nothing. Why must we continue in fear? Why must we
be afraid of death even after its defeat? This is a glorious day of joy and
song, but forgive us when we are quick to forget its Good News. Help us
be a people of resurrection not just on Easter day but all days. Fill our
hearts with your resurrection promise of life that we might turn from
sin and be renewed. Eliminate from us the fear of sin that we might tell
this glad story -
that Christ is risen, he is risen, indeed!
This we pray in the name of your Risen Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Words of Forgiveness & Peace
5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in
him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness,
we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we
have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
1 John 1:5-7
In Jesus Christ our sins are forgiven!
Thanks be to God!
Passing of the Peace
[Invitation for congregation to share a sign of peace with one another]
6Hymns of Praise and Adoration -
Bless The Lord, My Soul
Bless the Lord, my soul
And bless God's Holy Name
Bless the Lord, my soul
Who leads me into life
Bless the Lord, my soul
And bless God's Holy Name
Bless the Lord, my soul
Who leads me into life
Who leads me into life
Who leads me into life
7What A Beautiful Name It Is
You were the Word at the beginning
One with God the Lord Most High
Your hidden glory in creation
Now revealed in You Our Christ
What a beautiful Name it is
What a beautiful Name it is
The Name of Jesus Christ my King
What a beautiful Name it is
Nothing compares to this
What a beautiful Name it is, the Name of Jesus
You didn’t want heaven without us
So Jesus You brought heaven down
My sin was great,Your love was greater
What could separate us now
What a beautiful Name it is
What a beautiful Name it is
The Name of Jesus Christ my King
What a beautiful Name it is
Nothing compares to this
What a beautiful Name it is, the Name of Jesus
Death could not hold You, the veil tore before You
You silenced the boast of sin and grave
The heavens are roaring, the praise of Your glory
For You are raised to life again
You have no rival,You have no equal
Now and forever God You reign
Yours is the Kingdom,Yours is the glory
Yours is the Name above all names
What a beautiful Name it is
What a beautiful Name it is
The Name of Jesus Christ my King
What a beautiful Name it is
Nothing compares to this
What a beautiful Name it is, the Name of Jesus
8LITURGY OF THE WORD
Living Our Faith
Psalm Reading
Psalm 27:1-6
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When evildoers assail me
to eat up my flesh,
my adversaries and foes,
it is they who stumble and fall.
3 Though an army encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear;
though war arise against me,
yet I will be confident.
4 One thing have I asked of the Lord,
that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
and to inquire in his temple.
5 For he will hide me in his shelter
in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
he will lift me high upon a rock.
6 And now my head shall be lifted up
above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent
sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the Lord.
9Gloria Patri
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen. Amen.
Old Testament Reading
Ecclesiastes 1:12-18
12 I
the Preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 And I applied my heart to seek
and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy business that
God has given to the children of man to be busy with. 14 I have seen everything that is done
under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.
15 What is crooked cannot be made straight,
and what is lacking cannot be counted.
16I said in my heart, “I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over
Jerusalem before me, and my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.”
17 And I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that
this also is but a striving after wind.
18 For in much wisdom is much vexation,
and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.
The Word of the Lord:
Thanks be to God.
10New Testament Reading
1 Corinthians 13:8-13
8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as
for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when
the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I
thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.
12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall
know fully, even as I have been fully known.
13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
The Word of the Lord:
Thanks be to God.
Gospel Reading
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark:
Glory to you, O Lord!
Mark 8:14-26
14 Now they had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the
boat. 15 And he cautioned them, saying, “Watch out; beware of the leaven of the Pharisees
and the leaven of Herod.” 16 And they began discussing with one another the fact that they
had no bread. 17 And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that
you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened?
18 Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember?
19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken
pieces did you take up?” They said to him, “Twelve.” 20 “And the seven for the four thousand,
how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.”
21 And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?”
1122 And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged
him to touch him. 23 And he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village,
and when he had spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see
anything?” 24 And he looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.”
25 Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored,
and he saw everything clearly. 26 And he sent him to his home, saying, “Do not even enter
the village.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ!
Sermon - Pastor Andy Phillips - Eyes that Don’t See
Creed
Let us affirm the faith of the Church:
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ,
his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended into hell;
on the third day he rose again from the dead;
he ascended to heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty;
from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.
The Apostles’ Creed
12Offering of Prayers of the People
God of life, we rejoice in the resurrection of your Son, his defeat over death, and his gift of
new life. We praise you for the reflections of that new life in creation, in the world about
us here in Harrisburg and beyond, in the life of your church both here and abroad, in the
community of Second City Church. In the new life that is brought about in the resurrected
Christ, we bring to you our praises ….
To you, as the giver of new life and the renewer of our hope, we bring before you our
prayer for creation and its care, for the needs of the nations of the world, for our own
leaders in our land, for the community of Harrisburg and the the community of Second
City Church and the church of our city. We bring to you our prayers believing that you are
the God who is there and loves when your people come before you in faith ….
We pray all this in the name of the Lord and giver of life, Jesus. Amen.
Offering of Gifts
Friends and members of Second City Church support the extension of God’s Kingdom with gifts of bread, wine, talents
and resources. Guests are not expected to contribute.Tithes and offerings may be placed in the offering plates, boxes
on the wall as you leave, or can be made electronically. Instructions for setting up online giving are available at the
donation boxes.
Doxology
Praise God from whom all blessings flow
Praise him all creatures here below
Praise him above ye heavenly host
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
Amen.
13LITURGY OF THE TABLE
The Prayer of Great Thanksgiving
Invitation
Alleluia! Christ is risen.
He is risen indeed. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Alleluia! Christ is risen.
He is risen indeed. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Alleluia! Christ is risen.
He is risen indeed. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
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 for us to give thanks and praise.
Praise God for His Mighty Acts
We lift our hearts in praise to you, God of glory, because in every time and place, you have
shown yourself to your people and revealed you purpose to dwell with them always. In the
wilderness you made your place of dwelling in a tabernacle. In Jerusalem the temple
became a theater of encounter with you. In Jesus your son you came among us, making
your home in human flesh. In his death he faced the consequences of our sin, and in his
resurrection he made possible an everlasting home for us at your right hand.You have
prepared for us a holy city of heavenly lights where we will dwell with you forever. So with
angels and archangels we join the praises sung forevermore in that eternal city.
14Sanctus
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.
Praise for Christ’s Sacrifice
Let us proclaim the mystery of our faith.`
Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again.
Calling on the Holy Spirit
We pray in the name of Jesus, who taught us:
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 debts as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
Invitation to the Table
Jesus said: I am the bread of life.
Whoever comes to me will never be hungry,
and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
15Sharing Holy Communion
Second City Church welcomes all baptized Christians who have made a public profession of faith in Jesus
Christ in a Christian church to join us in this sacrament. Non-communicants can come forward and ask
for a blessing. If you need to receive communion in your seat, ask a fellow worshiper to let the communion
servers know. If you are unable to receive wine, you will find a chalice containing non-alcoholic grape juice
at the station the pastor is serving.The communion bread is gluten-free.
Closing Prayer
Benediction
Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great
shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything
good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through
Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
- Hebrews 13:20-21
Closing Hymn - Bonhoeffer's Prayer
Lord, early in the morning, we cry unto You Lord, early in the morning, we cry unto You
In You, there is light, when I cannot see In You, there is light, when I cannot see
In you, there is love, patience, and peace In you, there is love, patience, and peace
Lord, i do not understand Your ways Lord, i do not understand Your ways
But You know the way for me But You know the way for me
Dismissal
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
Amen.
16ANNOUNCEMENTS
New Members Class
If you are interested in membership at Second City Church please plan to join Pastor
Peter Rowan Saturday, May 15th, from 8:30 AM to 12 PM at the church. Coffee,
donuts, fruit, etc. will be provided. Questions, contact Pastor Peter at
peter@secondcitychurch.org
Men’s Bible Study
The men’s Bible study that was meeting on Tuesday afternoons at the home of David
Kemper will be resuming in the coming weeks. If you would like more information or
would like to join this study, please contact Pastor Peter at peter@secondcitychurch.org
PRAYER CONCERNS
Please continue to pray for the following people:
• Anna and Ed Camp
• Ginny Anderson
• Nevin White
• Bill Orner
• Elaine and Gordon Zubrod
• Cynthia Vander Ark
17ATTRIBUTIONS
Be Thou My Vision Gloria Patri
Mary E. Byrne & Eleanor H. Hull Lesser Doxology
Public Domain Public Domain
Kyrie Doxology
Words and Music by Leigh Nash Thomas Ken (1674)
© 1994 Public Domain
Bless the Lord My Soul Bonhoeffer’s Prayer
Words from Psalm 103 Bifrost Arts Music
Music by J. Berthier, 1994 © 2021 Bifrost Arts
© 1991 Les presses de Taize
Used by permission of G.I. A. Publications, Inc. Little Things With Great Love
by Audrey Assad & Isaac Wardell &
What Beautiful Name It Is Madison Cunningham
Words and Music by Ben Fielding and Brooke © 2017 Porter’s Gate Publishing (BMI) and
Ligertwood Hymns from the Porter’s Gate (ASCAP)
© 2016 Hillsong Music Publishing All rights reserved and administered by Fair Trade
Music Publishing ℅
Sanctus
Evan Mazunik
© 2005 Evan Mazunik (BMI)
SCC CCLI License #: 11245570
Altar Flowers
Today’s altar flowers are given in appreciation for the Staff, Elders and all the volunteers
who work diligently for the good of the Church.
Bulletin Cover Art
My Peace I Give You by Gwen Meharg, website at drawneartogod.com
Licensed under CC BY-NC 2.5
18Phone:
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