Shepherd of the Hills At Home Worship

Holy Trinity Sunday

May 30, 2021

Prayer of the Day

God Before Time, we find you in the heavens above us:

Light beyond light, our beginning before all beginnings.

God With Us, we find you here on earth, all around us:

You make your home in our fellowship and communion,

our daily bread, and in your church, the body of Christ.

God of Spirit, we find you burning in truth, ministering with comfort, 

and interceding with us with sighs too deep for words.

Majestic God, Three-In-One, stretch our imaginations! 

Open our eyes to see you in your majesty above us, 

your mystery around us, and your Spirit always with us. Amen.

Gospel Reading: John 3:1-17

1Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 2He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” 3Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” 4Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” 5Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. 6What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ 8The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” 9Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?  

11“Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. 12If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.  16“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.  17“Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

Gospel Reflection by Assisting Minister John Yarberry

John 3:4, How can someone be born when they are old? Nicodemus asked, “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” What a fantastical, farcical thought! So often Jesus says things that require some deep thought to make any kind of sense, and then we are always left, it seems, with more questions. “The first will be last; even when you did it to least of these you did it to me; love your enemies; I must die so that you may live,” but to go back and be born again?

I have often wondered that maybe the world we live in now is the abnormal, the unreal, the matrix, like a computer-generated world where nothing is real. God did not intend for creation to undergo sin and death. His intent was to create a world where we would have an intimate relationship with him and each other in paradise.

Last week we discussed the advent of the Holy Spirit that would fill the gap of Jesus’s physical absence. Jesus prayed to his Father to protect his own, all of us who love him, and try to follow his teachings. He also prayed for himself, for his Father’s help to endure the coming trial and execution, or to possibly remove this cup of unfathomable pain and suffering.

It is historical fact that Jesus lived and died a horrible death. I also believe it is historical fact that the tomb was empty, and that Jesus was born into a new heavenly body. A body that could appear in a locked room, yet could eat and drink, and one where his disciples could feel and touch him because he was physically born again anew!

Verses 5 and 6: Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water, and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.” We all were born in the flesh surrounded by water in our mother’s womb. We will all die a physical death where the water dries up and all that is left is dry bones. Yet, as described in Ezekiel 37:1-14, the dry bones receive the breath, the wind, of the Holy Spirit and the bones take on sinew, muscle and skin, and the breath of life!

Jesus blazed the trail and all we need do is follow him! Jesus has given us the wonderful gift of knowing now what our future holds!

Hymn of the Day| Your Grace Still Amazes Me https://youtu.be/BHNnKBIxfB4

Prayers of Intercession

Let us come before the triune God who listens in prayer.

A brief silence.

We pray, O God, for your holy church around the world. Revitalize and renew us, that we

may be transformed once again through the waters of baptism and the blowing wind of your Spirit. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We give you thanks for your power revealed to us in creation; for cedar and oak trees,

for rushing waters, for the echoes of thunder. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We pray for the new opportunities that come to those celebrating educational milestones.

We give thanks for Emily Tuck in her graduation from Tuck Academy, Erie, Colorado, and William Tuck, who graduated cum laude from Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction with a degree in Business Administration. Bless each of them in their paths forward.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We pray for the nations and our leaders, that led by your Spirit, they work towards a world where all of your children enjoy peace. We pray especially for our United States of America, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Israel and Palestine, and all those currently experiencing war or turmoil. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We pray for healing for all those who suffer, especially those we lift through our Prayer Chain and all victims and survivors of trauma or violence. Give respite to those living with PTSD or any other mental health concerns. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We pray for this worshiping community and those around us, especially the congregations of the Boulder Broomfield Conference and the Gunbarrel Faith Partnership. Glorify the holiness

of your mystery through our worship and relationships with one another. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Here other intercessions may be offered.

We give you thanks, O God, for those who have died in faith, especially Nancy. We remember also those whose lives have been lost due to acts of violence and the horrors of war. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We lift our prayers to you, O God, trusting in your abiding grace. Amen.

Further Readings:

Here are the lessons for the Day so you can read further:

First Reading: Isaiah 6:1-8Second Reading: Romans 8:12-17Psalm: Psalm 29

Children’s Worship: Click on the items below for children’s activities:

Benediction

May the God of creation breathe on you,May the God of all life sustain you,May the God of all gods grant you forgiveness.

Go into the day, knowing your life has been touched by the Triune God;you are cleansed by the mercy of God;you are surrounded by the love of Christ;you are filled with the power of the Spirit. Amen.

Sending Hymn | A God Who Listens https://youtu.be/m1khJCXGcUI

Shepherd Calendar of Events

May Birthdays:

Helen T.— May 13

Sally E.— May 16

Linda O. —May 21

Terry Scoby — May 27

June Birthdays:

Tim K.—June 8

Wayne O.—June 14

Week of May 30 – June 6, 2021

Sunday, May 30th—Holy Trinity Sunday

9:30 a.m.—Zoom Worship Service w/Holy Communion

Wednesday, June 2nd

11:00 a.m.—Zoom Bible Study: God’s Surprising Presence

Friday, June 4th

7:00 a.m. — Men’s Zoom Breakfast Bible Study

5:00 p.m.—Friday Night Perspectives Zoom Gathering

Sunday, June 6th

9:30 a.m.—Sunday Zoom & In-Person Worship with Holy Communion

Save the date: Sunday, June 13th, Ryssby Service with Fellowship Picnic

Daily Lectionary Readings for the week of May 30, 2021, Year B:

Monday, May 31, 2021

Psalm 20; Numbers 9:15-23; Revelation 4:1-8

Tuesday, June 1, 2021

Psalm 20; Exodus 25:1-22; 1 Corinthians 2:1-10

Wednesday, June 2, 2021

Psalm 20; Numbers 6:22-27; Mark 4:21-25

Thursday, June 3, 2021

Psalm 130; Isaiah 28:9-13; 1 Peter 4:7-19

Friday, June 4, 2021

Psalm 130; Deuteronomy 1:34-40; 2 Corinthians 5:1-5

Saturday, June 5, 2021

Psalm 130; Genesis 2:4b-14; Luke 8:4-15

Sunday, June 6, 2021

Genesis 3:8-15; Psalm 130; 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1; Mark 3:20-35

Ages 7+ May 30, 2021 • John 3:1-17

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Ages 3+ May 30, 2021 • John 3:1-17

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