Welcome to Dinner Church at Treehouse! We are thrilled you are here. Tonight’s worship mirrors a form of worship known by the earliest Christians. If it is new to you, not to worry! We will guide you through everything. Take a moment in prayer to settle yourself and recognize the presence of God already at your table. Then relax and enjoy this night!
6:15 PM – Welcome, Logistics and Explanation of the Evening
Welcoming Litany…
To long-time Lutherans, Christians from every tradition, and people new to the faith.
We welcome you
To all who have no church home, want to follow Christ, have doubts or do not believe.
We welcome you
To people of every age and size, color and culture, gender identity, sexual orientation, and marital status, ability, disability, and challenge.
We welcome you
To believers, non-believers, questioners, and questioning believers.
This is a place where you are welcome to: celebrate and struggle, rejoice and recover.
AMEN
Gathering
The Peace of Christ be with you
And Also With you
Christ the Light
Gathering Prayer
The Lord be with you!
And also with you.
Let us pray…
Opening Song – All are Welcome (vv1&3)
Let us build a house where love can dwell
and all can safely live,
a place where saints and children tell
how hearts learn to forgive.
Built of hopes and dreams and visions,
rock of faith and vault of grace;
here the love of Christ shall end divisions:
All are welcome, all are welcome,
all are welcome in this place.
Let us build a house where hands will reach
beyond the wood and stone
to heal and strengthen, serve and teach,
and live the Word they’ve known.
Here the outcast and the stranger
bear the image of God’s face;
let us bring an end to fear and danger:
All are welcome, all are welcome,
all are welcome in this place.
Text: Marty Haugen, b. 1950
Text © 1994 GIA Publications, Inc., 7404 S. Mason Ave., Chicago, IL 60638. www.giamusic.com. 800.442.3358. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Sharing of the Bread
The greatest promise we have of God’s mercy and forgiveness is found in this meal. Here God feeds us with the presence of Jesus Christ.
Know that EVERYONE is welcome at this table.
In the night in which Jesus was betrayed, he gathered together with his friends for dinner. And on that night, he took the bread, broke it, and gave it to his friends saying, “Take and eat, this is my body, which is given for you. Do this in 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.”
Taste and see that the Lord is good.
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.
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
Prayer
Let us Pray
Gracious God,
Reading – Luke 9:10-17
When the apostles returned, they told Jesus all the things they had done on their trip. Then Jesus took them away to a town called Bethsaida. There, Jesus and his apostles could be alone together. But the people learned where Jesus went and followed him. Jesus welcomed them and talked with them about God’s kingdom. He healed those who needed to be healed.
Late in the afternoon, the 12 apostles came to Jesus and said, “No one lives in this place. Send the people away. They need to find food and places to sleep in the towns and countryside around here.”
But Jesus said to them, “You give them something to eat.”
They said, “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish. Do you want us to go buy food for all these people?” (There were about 5,000 men there.)
Jesus said to his followers, “Tell the people to sit in groups of about 50 people.”
So the followers did this, and all the people sat down. Then Jesus took the five loaves of bread and two fish. He looked up to heaven and thanked God for the food. Then Jesus divided the food and gave it to the followers to give to the people. All the people ate and were satisfied. And there was much food left. Twelve baskets were filled with pieces of food that were not eaten.
Reflection
The disciples see only scarcity and suggest sending the crowd away, but Jesus invites them to participate in what He’s doing. He blesses the little they have, multiplies it, and everyone eats until they are satisfied—with leftovers to spare.
The story reveals a central truth of the gospel: with Jesus, there is enough for all. God’s provision doesn’t depend on our resources, worthiness, or ability—it flows from Christ’s abundance and grace.
7:00 PM – Table Discussion
- When you hear “five loaves and two fish for thousands of people,” what’s your first reaction—practical skepticism, curiosity, hope?
- In this story, who’s actually taking the lead—Jesus or the disciples? What does that say about how God works?
- Where does a scarcity mindset most show up in—resources, time, energy, money, faith?
- Have you ever experienced a time when God provided more than you anticipated—resources, support, strength? Where in your life, family, workplace, or classes could a belief in God’s abundance change how you respond?
- What fears or assumptions keep you from trusting that God can work through what you already have? If you took one step this week to live like there is abundance instead of scarcity, what would it be?
Lord’s Prayer
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
When the dinner had ended t
hat night, Jesus took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to all saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, shed for you and all people for the forgiveness of sin. Do this as often as you drink in remembrance of me.”
And so tonight, we take the cup of wine, and we drink together, “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.
Post-Wine Blessing
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.
Sending Song – We Are Called
Sing, sing a new song
Sing of that great day when all will be one
God will reign and we’ll walk with each other
As sisters and brothers united in love
We are called to act with justice
We are called to love tenderly
We are called to serve one another
To walk humbly with God
We are called to act with justice
We are called to love tenderly
We are called to serve one another
To walk humbly with God
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