Livestream: May 10, 2026

Hinzugefügt: 2026-05-11

[00:00:06]Let me see you.

[00:00:30]I see.

[00:01:12]Yes.

[00:01:35]Oh my god.

[00:01:54]Okay.

[00:02:09]One minute to relax.

[00:02:12]Amen.

[00:02:34]Hallelujah.

[00:02:48]Heat up here.

[00:03:25]Heat. Heat.

[00:04:05]Thank you.

[00:04:42]Good morning, friends.

[00:04:45]>> Grace and peace to all of you and welcome to Sunday morning worship here at Christ Church, New York City. Uh we're a United Methodist congregation and I always like to call that to mind just so that those of you who might be first-time guests with us might wonder where we are in this thing that we call the church, the body of Christ. We're a United Methodist congregation whose people build their lives. And I don't think that's too exaggerated a way of saying it, but we build our lives around what we consider to be a life-giving purpose. And that purpose is to love God above all things and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. And we certainly hope that you find evidence of that kind of love during your time here today. A multidirectional love for God and for neighbor. My name is Eric Park and I serve as the senior minister here at Christ Church. It is always such a pleasure for me to be able to welcome those of you who are here in person and those of you who are joining us virtually. Now, you hear me make reference to our virtual congregation.

[00:05:40]Let me say just a word about that that I think will be meaningful for you. I came into the office this week and I found this small copper bowl that was in a box in my mailbox and I'm showing it to you today because this was mailed to us by Ricardo Pulgar who is a member of Christ Church living in Chile and I share this with you because it was accompanied by this note that concerns all of you and so I'll share this with you. He writes, Ricardo writes,"I offer this gift, dear siblings at Christ Church, New York City, made of copper and crafted by Chilean hands to symbolize the way you have made me feel part of this congregation in spite of the geographical distance between us. Please accept the gift as a token of my gratitude. Blessings from Chile, Ricardo Pulgar." And so today I simply say thanks be to God for Ricardo and thanks be to God for technology right that enables us to connect with people all over the world. So once again welcome to those of you who are here in person.

[00:06:42]Welcome to those of you who are joining us virtually. Uh my name is Eric Park.

[00:06:47]I've already told you that haven't I?

[00:06:48]But uh if if um if you haven't located the connection card that too is an important resource for us and you hear me reference that a lot. Please don't please don't ignore that because that connection card is an important resource for us that helps us to get to know you better. So, if you're a first-time guest, welcome. And I ask you to fill out that requested information. It's also a great way to pass along any prayer concerns that you might have for our church's intercessory prayer team.

[00:07:14]So, uh use those cards meaningfully and you may drop those into the offering baskets or offer, uh place them at the connection table that's in the back of the sanctuary as well. I would be remiss if I didn't make mention of the fact that today is Mother's Day in our culture and that inspires me to offer prayers of gratitude to those uh women of our congregation who are mothers and uh we do thank God for you and for what you bring to your families and for what you bring to Christ Church and to uh our culture. And um but it's also a great opportunity for us to acknowledge together that while Mother's Day is a joyful occasion for so many, it's also a painful occasion for those who are dealing with grief or loss or maybe painful memories of difficult relationships. And so that inspires me to say this. If Mother's Day is something joyful for you today, then my prayer is that in the context of worship, your joy will expand and flourish. And if Mother's Day brings some pain for you, then my prayer is that today's worship will be a context for your healing. May it be so. However it is that you're here, friends, we're grateful that you're here. I invite you to stand as you were able. And let us join together in the call to worship which today is based on 1 Peter 3-22.

[00:08:40]In your hearts, sanctify Christ as Lord.

[00:08:44]Always be ready to explain your faith to anyone who demands from you and accounting for the hope that is in you.

[00:08:59]>> Christ >> Christ died for all the righteous and the unrighteous in order to bring all creation to the heart of God. Through his resurrection, Christ is made alive in spirit. We will offer songs of praise to the risen Christ.

[00:09:30]For the beauty of the earth, for the glory of the Forever is our name of great praise for the star of The day and all the night here and tree and sun and moon and stars of light of all to him praise for the joy of life.

[00:10:44]For the heart and mind, for the mystic we to all to Praise his son of grful praise for the joy of love brother earth and friend of All to be a great holy hands.

[00:12:01]King of every toe is our king of grful Heat. Heat. Heat.

[00:12:39]Heat. Heat.

[00:13:05]You may be seated at this time, siblings in Christ, God calls us to repent, not to generate shame, but that we might become fully available to God's healing forgiveness.

[00:13:33]Let us then confess our sin, trusting in God's unfailing love and mercy.

[00:13:41]God of grace, we do not always follow the way of Jesus. We fail to love you and others, permitting our hearts to become hardened. Our consciences are not clear. Wash us again in the waters of your mercy that we may live in a restored communion with our resurrected Savior.

[00:14:10]People of faith, God forgives, restores, and strengthens us through the risen Christ.

[00:14:25]Know that you are forgiven and be at peace. Thanks be to God.

[00:14:47]God is so good.

[00:14:52]God is so good.

[00:14:58]God is so good.

[00:15:02]God is good.

[00:15:12]Moving on to me.

[00:15:34]Something is good all the time.

[00:16:00]All the time.

[00:16:02]Glory for God is here.

[00:16:10]God is so good to me.

[00:16:28]Oh, happy Mother's Day to one and all. We're so thankful for our children's choir and as they go forth to Sunday school, we invite you to share peace, signs of peace with one another and share it like the Lord gives us that peace so that above all things you you can share while I'm talking. So above all things, you know that it's a peace that surpasses all understanding.

[00:17:22]Peace of the Lord be with you.

[00:17:28]What?

[00:17:51]Friends, we have a wonderful opportunity before us and this is one of the great strengths of the United Methodist Church that we can enact different types of things across the world. And so I'm want to share with you that next Sunday, May the 17th, is the miracle day offering. This is new and it's a one-time event.

[00:18:21]The good news about all of this is that United Methodist Methodism is growing in leaps and bounds in the Philippines, in Africa, and throughout Europe. But the one greatest disparity is the education of the clergy in the United States of America versus the rest of the world. And so here 71% of the clergy have at least a master's degree and usually beyond that.

[00:18:55]But due to educational access and resources, our counterparts across the world only have 5% only 5% of those persons have those educational opportunities. So this one time offering which is a worldwide offering which will set an endowment for the United Methodist clergy throughout the world not in the United States at this time.

[00:19:22]It will be a part of a special offering next Sunday. And so we know the deep generosity and heart that the people of Christ Church have. And our prayer is that you give generously next week. You can do you can do it today if you like.

[00:19:38]Just notate that whether you're doing it online or via a chat.

[00:19:46]One other point I'd like to raise about next week is that the care ministry is hosting lovely coffee and the invitation is for each one of us to bake our favorite sweet treat.

[00:20:03]it could be a health or healthier option, but we want it to be delicious, whatever it is, and that you would share that next Sunday as well downstairs in the Philips Hall. So, friends, as we continue to worship together, attune our hearts and our minds to the world.

[00:20:28]Please join me in a prayer for illumination.

[00:20:32]Come Holy Spirit, our helper and advocate.

[00:20:37]>> Open our lives this day to your gospel that we may share with others as we seek to live Christ's love in the world.

[00:20:46]Amen.

[00:20:48]A reading from Acts 17:22-31.

[00:20:53]Then Paul stood in front of the Aropagus and said, "Athenians, I see how extremely spiritual 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."

[00:21:15]What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it, he who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by human hands. Nor is he served by human hands as though he needed anything since he himself gives to all mortals life and breath and all things. From one ancestor he made all peoples to inhabit the whole earth. And he 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 fumble about for him and find him. Though indeed he is not far from each one of us. For in him we live and move and have our being as even some of your own poets have said. For we too are his offspring.

[00:22:10]Since we are God's offspring, 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.

[00:22:23]While God has overlooked the times of human ignorance, now he commands all people everywhere to repent because he has fixed a day on which he will have the world judged in righteousness.

[00:22:37]by a man whom he has appointed. And of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.

[00:22:46]Hear what the spirit says to the church through scripture.

[00:23:23]Christ the Lord is risen again.

[00:23:28]Christ the angels shout for joy.

[00:23:44]Halleluah.

[00:23:45]Halleluah.

[00:23:47]Hallelujah. Hallelujah.

[00:23:56]Who gave for us his life, who for us the sky is our love today.

[00:24:13]We sing for joy and sing hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah.

[00:24:32]Hallelujah.

[00:24:38]>> Hallelujah. Hallelujah.

[00:24:41]Sing glory now.

[00:24:44]>> Hallelujah. Hallelujah.

[00:24:47]>> For us and our cry. Hallelujah.

[00:24:51]Halleluah.

[00:24:53]Hallelujah. Hallelujah.

[00:24:59]He us.

[00:25:02]>> Hallelujah. Hallelujah.

[00:25:05]>> Lord.

[00:25:07]>> Hallelujah. Hallelujah.

[00:25:13]Hallelujah. Hallelujah.

[00:25:20]Hallelujah.

[00:25:21]Hallelujah.

[00:25:23]Hallelujah. Hallelujah.

[00:25:35]Christ are me.

[00:25:40]Take our sins and give it away.

[00:25:47]We all may sing.

[00:25:50]Hallelujah.

[00:25:56]Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.

[00:26:04]Hallelujah.

[00:26:21]>> Today's gospel lesson comes from the book of John chapter 14 15- 21.

[00:26:31]Jesus said, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments, and I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to be with you forever."

[00:26:44]This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him.

[00:26:54]You know him because he abides with you, and he will be in you.

[00:27:00]I will not leave you orphaned. I am coming to you.

[00:27:05]In a little while, the world will no longer see me, but you will see me.

[00:27:11]Because I live, you also will live.

[00:27:16]On that day, you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.

[00:27:25]They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me. And those who love me will be loved by my father.

[00:27:35]And I will love them and reveal myself to them.

[00:27:41]Hear what the spirit says to the church through scripture. Thanks be to God.

[00:28:10]Oh my heart and with all for King might give me all my praise.

[00:28:54]If we are to build on our great should be We can praise and adore the mind of father.

[00:29:39]We all share Heat. Heat.

[00:29:53]Heat.

[00:30:01]Heat.

[00:30:12]Oh A gracious and welcoming United Methodist Church in western North Carolina hosted our church's mission team for dinner and conversation one evening about two weeks ago during our team's mission trip to North Carolina.

[00:31:08]Our team was present for that gathering after a hard day's work. We were joined by a mission team from a United Methodist Church in Virginia and there were also people present at that gathering from the host congregation.

[00:31:24]I happened to be sitting at a round table at which I was the only person from Christ Church New York City. And I will say to you that the conversation that we had around the table that night was rich in its content and multi-layered in the way that we all experienced it.

[00:31:44]And at one point in the conversation as we were talking about our individual churches and talking about the situation in the world, one of the members from the mission team from Virginia spoke up.

[00:32:00]I don't think the church should ever preach politics, she said, because politics can divide a congregation.

[00:32:08]To which a member of uh the host church immediately responded, I certainly see your point, but on the other hand, how can the church avoid being in conversations about politics?

[00:32:22]Because conversations about politics are always moral conversations.

[00:32:27]And so, how can the church not bring its voice? Isn't the church expected to bring its voice into those kinds of conversations for the sake of the gospel? To which a third person around the table responded, "You know, the Christian church in Germany is still reckoning with the sin of remaining silent in the face of the politics that led to the Nazi party." To which the first person responded, "I get all of that. I truly do.

[00:32:56]I guess I'm just making the point that Jesus gospel always seemed to have more to do with love than it did with politics.

[00:33:04]To which I responded, and this is exactly what I said. I hear you. I truly do. And you know that I respect that perspective. It's just I find it so difficult to believe that Jesus was put to death on the cross for preaching love.

[00:33:28]My conviction is that Jesus was put to death on the cross because he was perceived as a political threat both by the empire and the temple.

[00:33:41]And back and forth this conversation went over dinner.

[00:33:46]We were different people from different churches from different parts of the country with differing perspectives and yet we shared our convictions around that table that night without ranker which was really what was so astonishing to me without ranker and I sense that we were listening attentively to one another and valuing one another's personhood instead of losing ourselves in a narcissistic desire to have the last word.

[00:34:20]It was a spontaneous moment of interface if I can describe it that way. And why would I use a concept like interface in this context? Because that is most often utilized in the realm of technology, right? But this is all I mean by interface and you probably already know this. I simply mean a point a point of connection that enables independent beings to step out of what? isolation to step out of entrenchment and into meaningful engagement.

[00:34:51]Ben Schneiderman, who's a computer scientist at the University of Maryland, once wrote these words, "A picture is worth a thousand words, but an interface is worth a thousand pictures."

[00:35:06]I don't think that I have to tell you how painfully, dare I say it, excruciatingly difficult it is for people in this social world of ours, this fragmented world of ours to step out of entrenchment and into meaningful engagement. that has become maybe it's always been difficult but I sense at least from my perspective that the difficulty has intensified. You tell me for example where is it in our current culture? Where is it in our current environment in which Republicans where is the place where Republicans and Democrats and independents and socialists are meaningfully interfacing for the purpose of cultivating some shared vision for making this country into a better place.

[00:35:58]It's difficult, painfully difficult to interface across our political differences. I know it. I feel it. I experience it.

[00:36:07]It's also difficult to interface, I have found, and maybe you have as well, very difficult to interface in truthful conversations about racial justice without people becoming either accusatory or defensive and interfacing between the genders.

[00:36:31]that has always been accompanied by challenges.

[00:36:34]But I sense that those challenges also have become more intense given the contemporary conversations about gender justice and gender identity. It's as though this is just my way of framing it, but it is as though the spiritual disciplines, and I think that's exactly what they are, the spiritual disciplines of engagement and interfacing too quickly give way to bluster.

[00:37:01]which is a stepping stone to demagoguery in which the goal is no longer connection but power, no longer a common table but a compartmentalized hierarchy.

[00:37:16]That I believe is the situation in which we so frequently find ourselves and we would do well to name it.

[00:37:24]It certainly is of no advantage to us to walk away from that reality.

[00:37:31]All of which brings me to this morning's scripture from the book of Acts. And in that scripture that we heard just a few moments ago, I'm convinced that we find among other things an example of what I would describe as this really interesting first century interface, a moment of someone stepping out of entrenchment and into engagement.

[00:37:59]A first century evangelist by the name of Paul from the city of Tarsus located in what is now Turkey travels to the Greek city of Athens, a different culture altogether for him in order to hear the stories of the people there and hopefully to gain an opportunity to share his.

[00:38:18]And we're told that when Paul arrives in the Greek city of Athens, he begins to make his way to the Aropagus, which is a prominent rock upon which had been built a great hall that had become an important communal gathering place and was often utilized as a courtroom.

[00:38:37]And scripture tells us in describing the scenario, scripture tells us that on his way to the Aropagus, Paul makes it a point to study the religious statues that these Athenian people had built in honor or in worship of these various deities in which they believed.

[00:38:58]And it's always intriguing to me that when scripture makes it a point to give us a detail like that, I'm always wondering what it is that scripture wants us to see. Why is it that scripture wants us to imagine this specifically Christian evangelist studying these statues that were built to other deities?

[00:39:18]And I'm speculating here, but I I wonder if part of that is that maybe at this point in his journey, Paul realizes, at least in this moment, maybe not always, but maybe Paul realizes in this moment that because these statues matter so much, because they are so spiritually important to the Athenian people, they must also be important to him irrespective of what he believes about them.

[00:39:43]simply for the sake of respect, simply for the sake of engagement and interfacing. And so Paul spends his trip to the Aropagus looking at these statues and studying them. And then he sees one statue in particular that captures his attention. On this statue are engraved these words, to an unknown god. And I love this detail because think about what it communicates about the Athenian people and their theological attentiveness. I like to call this a just in case statue because it was built specifically to honor any deity that might exist but about whom they do not yet know. And isn't that an amazing thing that these Athenian people are so spiritually attentive that they want to build the kind of statue that would prevent any deity from slipping through the cracks of their doxology, their honoring.

[00:40:40]Paul makes note of it.

[00:40:42]And then he makes his way to the Aropagus and he begins this time of interfacing with the Athenian people.

[00:40:48]And my paraphrase for how it goes, and I'll acknowledge at the outset that I'm incorporating a few details here. It's sort of like my personal midash, but I think you'll find in the scripture the foundation for this conversation.

[00:41:01]But I wonder if it went something like this. Athenian people, it has become very clear to me that you are extremely spiritual in every way.

[00:41:11]And if I had any doubt about that, the doubt was completely obliterated on my trip over here because I spent some time studying these intricate statues that you have built with such detail to honor the gods in which you believe.

[00:41:27]And I came to the conclusion that statues like that could only be built by people who have theological creativity and vision and availability.

[00:41:36]And I'll tell you what else I noticed. I noticed one statue in particular on which I saw the words to an unknown God.

[00:41:43]And that warmed my heart toward you even more because that helped me to understand just how committed you are in your life of worship to honor all the gods in which we believe.

[00:41:57]And I was just wondering I was wondering if we might be able to have some conversation about this God whom you do not know because it might be the case. It might be the case that I know a God that you don't yet know.

[00:42:12]And my personal conviction is that this God has become flesh in a way that has changed everything. So I was wondering might we talk a little bit about the story of that God and might that story generate in all of us some good thinking about an unknown God who desperately wants to be known?

[00:42:32]Would you be willing to talk with me about that?

[00:42:38]Now what is Paul doing in this moment of scripture?

[00:42:43]Well, I would say among other things, Paul is doing something that he doesn't always do so graciously in other moments of scripture.

[00:42:54]I would suggest that Paul is stepping out of theological entrenchment and into theological engagement.

[00:43:02]He's interfacing with people whose theology is very different than his, whose life experience very different than his. He's naming the things that are important to them. He's recognizing the things that are sacred to them. He's listening to their story in the hope that maybe that will earn him the right to share a portion of his story. And if you know anything at all about Paul's letters, the story of Paul was always the story of Jesus. Which is to say that Paul is not agreeing theologically with any of these deities in which the Athenians believe. He's not embracing their theological perspective.

[00:43:37]This, however, is the point that I'm asking you to see today.

[00:43:41]Paul stubbornly refused in this moment, refuses in this moment to weaponize his perspective against the people. Instead, creatively and attentively and rather sensitively, he engages.

[00:43:58]He interfaces all for the purpose of creating a space in which meaningful connection can happen.

[00:44:07]And I stand here today holding the conviction that there really isn't a priority that's more important for the contemporary church.

[00:44:20]There isn't a priority that's more important for the contemporary church in this world, this fragmented world where so many people are absolutely entrenched in their own echo chambers.

[00:44:32]But I don't think that there is a more important priority in the contemporary church than for the church's people to commit themselves to this work of stepping out of various places of entrenchment in order to engage.

[00:44:48]And I know firsthand how difficult that is because it will require at times listening to understand instead of listening simply to reload, which is so often the listening that we practice. And if I can be brutally confessional, it's so often the kind of listening that I practice.

[00:45:09]But it might also require something a bit more mystical than that. It might require allowing the Holy Spirit to cultivate within us an authentic curiosity about the people whose lives intersect with ours. The kind of curiosity that might just inspire us to pay attention to a few metaphorical statues in order to honor and respect the sacred worth of another person's story, another person's faith, another person's perspective.

[00:45:43]from entrenchment to engagement.

[00:45:49]So, it was last October that I had the opportunity to spend some time at the New York Comic-Con.

[00:46:02]So, the New York Comic-Con is an expansive comic book convention that gathers artists and writers and celebrities from around the world to celebrate comic books and the creative narratives that they generate. And I was standing in line for meet and greet with Sigourney Weaver, the versatile actress who first appeared on my radar back in 1979 when she played the heroic Lieutenant Ellen Ripley in Ridley Scott's epic film Alien.

[00:46:41]Now, because this is important to the story, I will let you know that when I was standing in said line, I was not in any kind of costume.

[00:46:53]Because the truth of the matter is I'm far too boring and far too introverted to wear any kind of a costume like so many people do at a comic book convention. I envy their boldness. Quite honestly, I don't have that. That's not part of how I'm wired up. So, I was standing there in my ordinary clothes.

[00:47:10]The three people who were standing immediately in front of me were of a very different temperament.

[00:47:16]two women and a man. And one of the women or the one of the women was dressed in a a lizard-like costume that was modeled on the uh alien in the 1979 film. And the woman standing next to her was wearing a green military jumpsuit that looked exactly like the military jumpsuit that Lieutenant Ellen Ripley was wearing in the 1979 film, which was Sigourney Weaver's character. And the man who was standing beside them was dressed like a Ghostbuster.

[00:47:48]Why? Well, because Sigourney Weaver was in the 1984 film Ghostbusters.

[00:47:54]And I will say to you about these three individuals that uh they were excited and loud and by my standard obnoxious and in perpetual motion. And so in my mind, I immediately categorized them.

[00:48:15]And more specifically, I put them into the category of people with whom I was not going to have any interaction that day.

[00:48:23]And so um because after all, how can one interface with an alien or a Ghostbuster? I I don't know how that works. So I did what I often do in those situations, quite frankly, based upon my temperament. I withdrew into a more introverted position and I pulled out my telephone and I began to read my emails, having successfully objectified and and essentially dismissed these costumed people who were standing in front of me and making so much noise.

[00:48:53]So, you can imagine my surprise when the alien turned to me and began speaking to me through a small opening in her giant alien head.

[00:49:02]and her question was, "Are you a fan of the Alien franchise?"

[00:49:08]To which I said, "Well, yeah, as a matter of fact, I am. I'm a pretty big fan of the Alien franchise. I'm a science fiction fan. I'm kind of a horror fan." And she said, "Oh, so am I." In fact, she said, "I wasn't thinking about this until today, but Alien was the last movie that I watched with my mother two years ago before she died." She loved the Alien movies and Sigourney Weaver was one of her favorite actresses. I'm I can't wait to meet her.

[00:49:35]I can't wait to meet her.

[00:49:38]And what she was sharing with me inspired me to think about something that I haven't really thought about since 1979. And I shared this with her said, "You know, you're making me remember the wonderful time that I had with my dad when we went to see Alien in the movie theater back in 1979. We were blown away by this film."

[00:49:58]And then at some point the Ghostbuster came into the conversation and he said, 'I guess that's what movies do because I'll tell you something. I haven't spoken with my sister in over seven years because of a really ugly family conflict that I won't go into in detail, but I have these vivid memories of laughing so hard with my sister over Ghostbusters back in 1984. We loved that movie. We loved it.

[00:50:25]Those are the best memories that I have of my sister and I'm so grateful that I have them. And what followed was this really interesting lengthy conversation about families and movies and comic books and memories as we slowly moved forward toward Sigourney Weaver.

[00:50:46]And I mention that this morning because as I reflect upon that in light of this morning's scripture, it occurs to me that my three new costumed friends were playing the role of the Apostle Paul in my life as they walk past the statues of my introversion and the statue of my eagerness to dismiss in order to usher me into an engagement, an interface that they were able to envision even when I was not.

[00:51:22]And it brings me to this.

[00:51:27]One never knows when there are going to be opportunities to step out of entrenchment and into engagement. Sometimes the opportunities surprise us. One never knows when they will happen. One never knows where they will happen. For Paul in this morning's scripture, it was the Aropagus.

[00:51:43]But for us, it might be a work conversation or a restaurant booth or a concert or a church conversation or a comic book convention.

[00:51:55]But when the moments come, my sincere hope is that you will pay attention to them and that you will embrace them because the truth of the situation is that we stand in the grace of Jesus who is among other things the very incarnation of God's mystical interface.

[00:52:14]with a broken world.

[00:52:17]And my sincere prayer is that this Jesus will become increasingly known in our lives, in our families, in our communities, even in our workplaces. That he will become increasingly known by his followers willingness to step out of entrenchment and into engagement. All for the sake of the gospel. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

[00:53:04]We respond to God's word now through the offering of our gifts and lives. Whether we give online or through the offering baskets that are now passed, may God bless the gifts and deepen our generosity. As we prepare to see receive this morning's offering, let us pray together. Almighty God, we give you thanks. You have placed in the hearts of your people a spirit of generosity.

[00:53:31]We ask you to bless the gifts we have offered and the lives from which they come up. Use them to reveal to community, the world with great love in Jesus Christ. Amen.

[00:54:25]I want to lay down my heavy River down by the river down by the river.

[00:54:42]My heaven down by the river.

[00:54:58]My name is I I'm going to lay down my sword and shield down by the river side down by the river down by the river.

[00:55:52]lay down my storm and shield down by the river.

[00:56:00]I ain't the star no more.

[00:56:07]I ain't the sunny I ain't the sun.

[00:56:15]I ain't the study for I study.

[00:56:27]I ain't study.

[00:56:30]I ain't the study for Sing that heavy down by the river down by the river.

[00:57:03]Down by the river side I sing with that heavenly man.

[00:57:11]Down by the river side, my sun.

[00:57:25]I ain't stud.

[00:57:36]I ain't stud.

[00:57:40]I ain't going to study no more. I ain't going to study.

[00:58:48]With boldness and gratitude, let us offer our prayers to the one who created us and who holds us in a gracious love.

[00:58:56]We pray together this day saying, "God of goodness and mercy, >> hear the cries of the people."

[00:59:04]>> We pray for the nations of our world, for the protection and restoration of nations under attack. for strength and comfort among those who live in the continuing anguish of warfare and displacement. And for the transformed hearts and wills of those leaders that seem enslaved by the rhythms of tyranny.

[00:59:25]God of goodness and mercy, >> hear the cries of people.

[00:59:30]>> We pray for friends, family members, and acquaintances who walk through the valley of the shadow of death. For those who are sick and hospitalized. For those who are grieving and heartbroken.

[00:59:42]For those who are addicted, afflicted, and abused. And for those who are nearing the ends of their lives. Hold them tenderly in your heart with lifegiving grace. God of goodness and mercy.

[00:59:56]>> Hear the cries of your people.

[00:59:59]On this Mother's Day, we pray for those who experience this day joyfully, holding thoughts or memories of faithful souls whose motherhood was a blessing and whose love was a nurturing gift.

[01:00:11]Increase their joy and deepen their celebration.

[01:00:15]>> God of goodness and mercy, hear the cry.

[01:00:20]We pray for those who experience this Mother's Day painfully, holding thoughts or memories of broken relationships, lasting wounds, or heartbreaking grief.

[01:00:30]Heal their pain and embrace them aresh in your love.

[01:00:34]>> God of goodness and mercy, >> hear the cries of your people.

[01:00:40]>> We pray for families, biological families, chosen families, old families, new families, all families. Where there is brokenness, bring healing. Where there is weakness, bring strength. Where there is love, cause it to expand and flourish. So that the goodness of your heart will find ever deepening expression in your world. God of goodness and mercy, >> hear the cries of your people.

[01:01:07]>> These and all our prayers we offer in the name of Jesus, our savior and companion, who taught us to pray using these words. Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread.

[01:01:27]Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil.

[01:01:36]For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen.

[01:02:01]Hallelujah.

[01:02:13]Oh ses.

[01:02:27]You are Bless us to praise God.

[01:03:03]He us joyful and peace to J and give us Praise and guide us and bring us Heat. Heat.

[01:03:58]Yeah.

[01:04:02]Heat.

[01:04:12]Hey, I offer friends one more expression of gratitude for your presence here today either in person or virtually. Uh I offer again a heartfelt wish for a blessed Mother's Day. Remember that immediately following worship downstairs we have something that we call our coffee hour and that is a great space not only to enjoy some uh refreshments but to continue in our conversations and our relationship building with one another. So very important and we hope that many of you will be a part of that.

[01:05:18]Before I offer the uh benediction, just a word. Some of you will know this already if you are already a part of Christ Church, but on Thursday we had our uh yearly mission gayla, which in our current way of doing things is our primary way of resourcing financially all of our church's outreach ministries and our church's missional partnership with Neither the Espironza, which began out of Christ Church and continues to have such a significant impact on the cycle of poverty in Washington Heights.

[01:05:47]So, we hold this uh gathering and we set an amount that we put before the people as a goal. And that amount this year was $300,000 that we believed in looking at our budget would enable us to resource our uh outreach ministries and our commitment to Neido. And I wanted to report to you today that we did not meet our uh goal for 300,000.

[01:06:12]we blew past it and uh we raised $357,000 uh in our mission gayla. So, absolutely.

[01:06:22]So, I I simply wanted to celebrate that with you so that I might be able to say thank you to all of you for your faithfulness and your generosity. And because of your generosity and faithfulness, we're able to resource ministry for this next year that I know, and this is not an exaggeration, will impact thousands of lives with the love of Jesus through the ministry of our church. Way to go, Christ Church. And I'm so honored to be alongside you in our continuing ministry. And now I invite you to go forth from this time of worship as disciples of the living Christ. And I'll add this to it. Go forth from whatever entrenchment you might be nurturing so that you might engage wherever you go with the love of Jesus and or in order that you might live that life of engagement. May the grace of our Lord and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all now and forever more. And the people of God said together, "Amen.

[01:07:22]Heat.

[01:07:33]Heat.

[01:07:44]Heat.

[01:07:55]Heat.

[01:08:04]Heat.

[01:08:12]Heat.

[01:08:26]Heat.

[01:08:29]Heat.

[01:08:39]Yeah.

[01:08:45]Heat.

[01:08:59]Heat.

[01:09:12]Heat.

[01:09:20]Heat.

[01:09:32]Heat.

[01:09:41]Heat.

[01:09:56]Heat.

[01:10:03]Heat.

[01:10:14]Heat.

[01:10:33]Heat up here.

[01:10:49]Heat up here.

[01:11:28]Heat up here.

[01:11:38]Heat.

[01:12:00]Heat.