Worship for June 1, 2025

Thank you for joining us for this live stream (or recording, as the case may be) of Sunday worship. May it bless you! You may need to click “Play” to launch the stream, which will be live around 9:50 AM.

This service includes the celebration of Holy Communion. If you will be worshiping from home, please prepare and have ready some bread or other staple food and grape juice or another beverage for that portion of the service.

Welcome to the live stream of worship from Church of the Holy Cross for Sunday, June 1, 2025. You will find the service outline below, and you may download and print the PDF to follow more easily. 

Service of Worship June 1, 2025
Seventh Sunday of Easter

Rev. Eric S. Anderson, Pastor

WE GATHER TO WORSHIP GOD

Please note that audio and video of this service are being live streamed on the Internet and will be recorded. The right rear section of the sanctuary will not be captured by any cameras. Please be aware that in other sections you may be visible at times.

Lighting of the Candles

Ringing of the Bell

Welcome                            Rev. Eric S. Anderson

*Call to Worship (based on Psalm 97)       Nalyn Ang

Leader: The LORD rules the world! Let the planet rejoice, let the coastlines be glad!
People: Righteousness and justice are the foundation of God’s seat of mercy.

Leader: The mountains flow like wax before the LORD of earth.
People: The heavens shine with God’s reflected glory.

Leader: If you love the LORD, turn away from evil,
People: For light dawns for the righteous. Joy springs forth from the upright heart.

All: Let us worship God!

* Hymn #546: Jesus, Lover of My Soul (v. 1-3)

*Invocation (based on John 17:20-26)       Nalyn Ang

Jesus prayed for us, O God, and we echo his prayer: May we be one as you, our Maker and Savior, are one. Let your love be manifest in us. Let your glory shine through us. As we worship, fill our souls to overflowing, so that when worship ends, your grace may flow forth to everyone around. In Jesus name, Amen.

WE SHARE THE WORD OF GOD  

Anthem: Upwe Chok Mwareituk       IYAA 

Time with the Children

Scripture: Acts 16:16-34         Nalyn Ang
One day, as we were going to the place of prayer, we met a slave-girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners a great deal of money by fortune-telling. While she followed Paul and us, she would cry out, ‘These men are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of salvation.’ She kept doing this for many days. But Paul, very much annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, ‘I order you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.’ And it came out that very hour.

 But when her owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the market-place before the authorities. When they had brought them before the magistrates, they said, ‘These men are disturbing our city; they are Jews and are advocating customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to adopt or observe.’ The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates had them stripped of their clothing and ordered them to be beaten with rods. After they had given them a severe flogging, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to keep them securely. Following these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was an earthquake, so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, since he supposed that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted in a loud voice, ‘Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.’ The jailer called for lights, and rushing in, he fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them outside and said, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ They answered, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.’ They spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. At the same hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and his entire family were baptized without delay. He brought them up into the house and set food before them; and he and his entire household rejoiced that he had become a believer in God.

Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21
 ‘See, I am coming soon; my reward is with me, to repay according to everyone’s work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.’

Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they will have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates.

 ‘It is I, Jesus, who sent my angel to you with this testimony for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.’

 The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’
And let everyone who hears say, ‘Come.’
And let everyone who is thirsty come.
Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift.

 The one who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.’
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen.

Sermon: They Were Noticed   Rev. Eric S. Anderson

WE RESPOND IN WORD AND DEED

Pastoral Prayer              Rev. Eric S. Anderson

Please join in the 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 debts, as we forgive our debtors. 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

Call to Offering                Nalyn Ang

Our worth is not determined by how much others can exploit us. Our worth comes from God, who made us to love us. Let us see the worth of our neighbors, and share with them what we can so that they, too, may know the love of God. Whether you share your gift here in the church today, through a gift online, or via an envelope in the mail, let the offering now be received.

Offertory: Berceuse       Kayleen Yuda

* Doxology
Praise God from whom all blessings flow,
Praise Him all creatures here below
Praise Him above ye heavenly host
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost – Amen

*Offertory Prayer          Nalyn Ang

Holy One, you sent Jesus to show us the heights and the depths of love. May our gifts today reflect that love and extend that love to neighbors, friends, and strangers near and far. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

* Hymn #552: From the Crush of Wealth and Power (v. 1-4)

SACRAMENT OF HOLY COMMUNION

Invitation
Consecrating the Bread and Cup
Sharing the Bread and Cup
Prayer of Thanksgiving

* Hymn #347: Let Us Talents and Tongues Employ (v. 1-3)

Announcements             Rev. Eric S. Anderson     

Benediction                      Rev. Eric S. Anderson

Postlude: Postlude in D Kayleen Yuda

* Please stand if you are able.

Permissions

Berceuse
Iljinsky
Belwin, Inc. © 1955
Public Domain
Streamed by permission ONELICENSE A-735890

Postlude in D
C. Armstrong Gibbs
Oxford Univ. Press
Streamed by permission ONELICENSE A-735890

Important Dates

Monday, June 3, 2025 – Replacement of Sanctuary carpet edging

Other Faith Groups that meet at Church of the Holy Cross
The United Church of Christ, Pohnpei – Sanctuary, 12 noon
            Rev. Bensis Henry
Congregational Christian Church of American Samoa – Sanctuary, 2:00 p.m.
            Rev. Sitau Ofoia, Jr.
The Bedesta Church – Sanctuary, 4 p.m.   
Rev.  Edmes Edwin

Pastor          Rev. Eric S. Anderson
Moderator             Stefan Tanouye
Lay Reader            Nalyn Ang
Chapel Decorations      Bob and Sue Smith
Organist      Kayleen Yuda        
Hand Bell Director        Anna Kennedy   
IYAA Music Director Stuart Mori
Projected Imagery        Sue Smith
Web Master          Ruth Niino-DuPonte  
Videographers    Eric Tanouye, Bob Smith, Eli Yamaki,
            Mace Peng
Sunday School Teacher          Gloria Kobayashi
Sunday School Aide      Johanna Narruhn
Church Office Manager Pearl Momi Lyman

We welcome you to worship this day. Church of the Holy Cross seeks to help its members, friends, and visitors follow the guidance of God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit, encouraging all people to love one another according to the teachings of Jesus. We live and teach the faith, speak good news, minister to people near and far, and work with other households of faith and helping agencies to improve our community and our world. To support our ministries, please visit our Donate Page.