LOVELY LANE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
TRINITY SUNDAY, YEAR A
MAY 31, 2026
† Stand as you are able
Organ Prelude
Welcome and Announcements
Choral Introit “Holy Father, Holy Son” 18th Century German
Holy Father, holy Son,
Holy Spirit, Three we name Thee,
Though in essence only one,
Undivided God we claim Thee;
And adoring bend the knee,
While we own the mystery.
†Call to Worship Rev. Sherwyn Benjamin
Come, let us worship the God whose glory fills the heavens and whose care reaches the earth.
We gather in wonder before the Creator of all things.
Come, let us worship the Christ who meets us on the mountain, even when faith and doubt stand side by side.
We gather with open hearts, trusting the One who promises to be with us always.
Come, let us worship the Spirit who breathes life into the church and sends us into the world.
We gather as one body, joined across congregations, called into one mission.
In creation, in Christ, and in community, the Triune God is present among us.
So let our worship rise with praise, humility, and hope.
Come, let us worship the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: one God, holy and majestic forever.
†Opening Hymn “Come Thou Almighty King” UMH 61
Prayer of Illumination Rev. Michael Carrington
Gracious and Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, open our hearts to the mystery of your presence and the power of your Word. As the Scriptures are read and proclaimed, help us to hear more than familiar words. Let us hear your call. Let us receive your truth. Let us be strengthened for your mission. Speak to us through the beauty of creation, through the witness of the psalmist, and through the command of Christ, who sends us into the world with the promise that he is with us always. May your Word humble us, heal us, teach us, and send us forth in love. Amen.
A Reading from the Psalms Psalms 8 Dan Bailey
O LORD, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. Out of the mouths of babes and infants you have founded a bulwark because of your foes, to silence the enemy and the avenger. When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are humans that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them? Yet you have made them a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor. You have given them dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under their feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas. O LORD, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
The word of God, for the people of God. Thanks be to God!
Call to Confession
Before the God whose name is majestic in all the earth, we are invited to come with honesty. We confess not because God is eager to condemn, but because God is faithful to forgive. Before Christ, who meets both our worship and our doubt, let us confess our sin together.
Prayer of Confession
Holy and Triune God, we confess that we have not always lived as people created in your image and called into your mission. You have crowned humanity with glory and honor, yet we have often failed to honor one another. You have entrusted us with the care of creation, yet we have treated your world as if it belonged only to us. You have sent us to make disciples, yet we have sometimes preferred comfort over courage, familiarity
over faithfulness, and division over communion. Like the disciples on the mountain, we come with worship and with doubt. We believe, and yet we hesitate. We hear your command, and yet we resist your sending. Forgive us, O God. Renew us by your grace. Restore us to right relationship with you, with one another, and with the world you so love. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, we pray. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon
Hear the good news: Christ does not abandon his disciples in their doubt. He comes near, speaks peace, gives authority, and promises, “I am with you always, to the end of the age.” In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, we are forgiven, restored, and sent forth by grace. In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
Passing of the Peace “Sweet, Sweet Spirit” UMH 334
Sharing Joys and Concerns
Pastoral Prayer
The Lord’s Prayer
Choral Response “Alleluia” UMH 186
†A Reading from the Gospel Matthew 28:16-20 John Strawbridge
Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshiped him, but they doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
The Gospel of our Lord. Praise be to you, O Christ.
Introduction of the Preacher Rev. Levon Sutton
Meditational Selection “Trust God” Baltimore Eastern Hub
Combined Choir
Sermon Pastor Niki Ellis
Responsive Selection “Revelations 19” Baltimore Eastern Hub Combined Choir
Invitation to Offering
Offertory “O Day of Rest and Gladness” Ritter
Offering Prayer
Generous and Triune God, all that we have and all that we are come from you. You have crowned us with dignity, entrusted us with gifts, and called us to serve the world you love. Receive these offerings as signs of our gratitude and as instruments of your mission. Bless the gifts, the givers, and the work they will support. Use them to strengthen your church, deepen our witness, and extend your love beyond these walls. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, we pray. Amen.
†Closing Hymn “Awesome God” TFWS 2040
†Benediction
†Benediction Response “Alleluia! Alleluia!” Williams
Ringing the Bicentennial Bell
Organ Postlude