WELCOME, LOGISTICS AND EXPLANATION OF THE EVENING
Welcome to Dinner Church and Prayers around the Cross at Treehouse! We are thrilled you are here. If it is new to you, not to worry! We will guide you through everything.
Things to know about your time with Treehouse…
You are welcome here and we are blessed by your presence!
Come and go as you need.
Restrooms are all-Gender and located in the hall to the right.
Communion: bread is gluten-free, wine (red) & white grape juice (clear) are available.
WELCOME TO THE TABLE
L: As we gather at this dinner table, we welcome one another to the community we share.
L: We celebrate that each person is of sacred worth.
All: We honor the divine image in every human life.
L: We embrace all people, affirming the gifts of race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and faith.
All: We affirm and welcome all people.
L: We are committed to working for racial equality and equality for all.
All: We commit ourselves to justice and equality.
L: No matter where you are on your journey, and regardless of who you are or who you love,
All: You are welcome here.
PRAYER:
Let us Pray…
Opening Song – Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing
Come, thou Fount of ev’ry blessing,
tune my heart to sing thy grace;
streams of mercy, never ceasing,
call for songs of loudest praise.
While the hope of endless glory
fills my heart with joy and love,
teach me ever to adore thee;
may I still thy goodness prove.
Oh, to grace how great a debtor
daily I’m constrained to be;
let that grace now like a fetter
bind my wand’ring heart to thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it;
prone to leave the God I love.
Here’s my heart, oh, take and seal it;
seal it for thy courts above.
Text: Robert Robinson, 1735-1790, alt.
Confession & Forgiveness
L: Let us confess our sin in the presence of God and of one another.
Silence is kept for reflection.
L: Gracious God,
All: we confess that we have turned from your Word and trusted in ourselves.
We have resisted your Spirit, ignored those in need, and remained in places of sin, doubt, and fear.
Have mercy on us.
Forgive us, renew us, and lead us,
that we may walk in your ways and live in the life you give; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
L: God’s steadfast love, grace, and forgiveness abound. Through faith, the free gift of God, you have been clothed in the righteousness of Christ.
In the name of ☩ Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven. The Spirit of the One who raised Christ from the dead dwells in you, pours God’s love into your hearts, and gives you life and peace.
Amen.
Sharing of the Bread
L: In this meal is found the greatest promise we have of God’s mercy and forgiveness. Here God feeds us with the presence of Jesus Christ.
In the night in which he was betrayed,
our Lord Jesus took bread, gave thanks,
broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying:
“Take and eat; this is my body, given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.”
And so tonight, we do the same. We take bread, broken for us, and share it with one another with those sacred words, “The body of Christ given for you.”
All are welcome to taste the mercy of God.
Bread is passed to your neighbor, saying: “The body of Christ given for you.”
Communion Song – Let Us Break Bread Together
Let us break bread together on our knees;
let us break bread together on our knees.
When I fall on my knees,
with my face to the rising sun,
O Lord, have mercy on me.
Post-Bread Blessing
Be strengthened this night by the presence of Christ made known to you in the bread and in one another.
Amen.
L: Let us Pray,
God of our salvation, We thank You for this holy meal that restores us, reconciles us to You, and strengthens us for the journey.
Through the body and blood of Christ, make us one in Him and send us into the world as witnesses to Your redeeming love. Through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
All: Amen.
We’ll spend the first part of our meal in conversation hearing about our week. You are invited to share stories from your highs and lows from the week as well as where you saw Jesus at work in our world.
6:45 PM – The Word
The Lord be with you
and also with you
John 11: 17-44
17When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away, 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.”
28 When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary and told her privately, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” 29 And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come to the village but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31 The Jews who were with her in the house consoling her saw Mary get up quickly and go out. They followed her because they thought that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32 When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. 34 He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus began to weep. 36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” 38 Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” 41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you for having heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
Reflection & Discussion
1. What in this passage stands out to you or makes you wonder?
2. If you were in the crowd that day, what do you think you would have been thinking or feeling?
3. Where do you see grace at work in this story—especially for those who doubt or struggle?
4. When have you ever felt like God was silent or late in a situation in your life? What was that like? who showed
you grace or hope?
5. Jesus says, “I am the resurrection and the life.” What do you think that means for us today? What might it look like for Jesus to bring “new life” into someone’s life today?
Song: Beneath the Cross of Jesus
Beneath the cross of Jesus
I long to take my stand;
the shadow of a mighty rock
within a weary land,
a home within a wilderness,
a rest upon the way,
from the burning of the noontide heat
and burdens of the day.
Upon the cross of Jesus,
my eye at times can see
the very dying form of one
who suffered there for me.
And from my contrite heart, with tears,
two wonders I confess:
the wonder of his glorious love
and my unworthiness.
Text: Elizabeth C. Clephane, 1830-1869
Prayers
As we reflect on what we long for and need, you’re invited to share—aloud or in your heart—a word or name after each question, so that together we may hold one another before God in prayer as a community.
Let us Pray…
L: Reconciling & MercifulGod, You are our hope in times of turmoil, our justice when oppression prevails, our peace amid conflict and unrest. Bring comfort to those who suffer, courage to those who work for justice,
wisdom to leaders and decision-makers, and compassion to us all.
+ Where in our community, country or world do you wish to see a sign of hope justice, and Peace
Lord in your Mercy,
All: Receive our Prayers
L: Loving & Compassionate God, you are the source of life and the giver of wholeness and you know our needs before we speak them. We come before you in need of your healing grace. Lay your gentle hand upon those who suffer. Ease their burdens, calm their anxieties, and surround them with your loving presence.
+ Who do you know that needs a touch of care, hope and healing from God?
Lord in your Mercy,
All: Receive our Prayers
L: Gracious & Generous God, For the gift of life and breath, for the beauty of creation that surrounds us, for the love of family and friends, and for the quiet mercies that meet us each day, we give you thanks. Receive our gratitude not only in words, but in lives that reflect your love. Make us mindful of your blessings, generous in spirit, and eager to share the gifts we have received.
+What do we have to give thanks for and celebrate this evening?
Lord in your Mercy,
All: Receive our Prayers
Lord’s Prayer
L: Now Gathered into one by the Holy Spirit we pray now the prayer Jesus taught us.
All: 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 trespasses,
as we forgive those
who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
forever and ever. Amen.
Sharing the Cup
As we gather at this table, joining in the meal our Lord Jesus shared with His disciples, let us give thanks and praise to God, who brings us salvation and restores us through this holy feast.
L: Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it for all to drink, saying:
“This cup is the new covenant in my blood,
shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin.
Do this for the remembrance of me.”
Here again Christ meets us with mercy, nourishes us with grace, and gathers us into one Body through His love.
And so together, we take the cup of wine, sharing those sacred words with one another, “The blood of Christ shed for you.”
Wine/Juice is passed to your neighbor, saying: “The blood of Christ shed for you.”
Communion Song
Let us drink wine together on our knees;
let us drink wine together on our knees.
When I fall on my knees,
with my face to the rising sun,
O Lord, have mercy on me.
Text: African American spiritual
Post-Wine Prayer/Blessing
L: Now that you have tasted the goodness of God in bread and wine, let us be the body of Christ, blessed and broken for the whole world. Amen.
L: Let us Pray, God of our salvation,
All: we give you thanks for this meal that restores our souls, reconciles us to you, and strengthens us for the journey. Through the body and blood of your Son, may we become Christ’s body in the world, bearing witness to your love for all creation, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
Blessing & Sending
L: Receive this Blessing
May you be marked with the sign of repentance and walk steadfastly in the way of the Cross toward the joy of Your Resurrection.
All: Amen.
Song – Just As I Am, without One Plea
Just as I am, without one plea,
but that thy blood was shed for me,
and that thou bidd’st me come to thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, and waiting not
to rid my soul of one dark blot,
to thee, whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
L: Go In Peace, Love ands Serve the Lord
All: Thanks be to God and Weeee Will!