Sunday, May 15, 2022
Fifth Sunday of Easter
Discipleship Ministries
Online Worship Service, 10am

Dear Church family,

We will have In-person and Online Worship at 10am on Sunday, May 15, 2022.

The information for Online Worship is:

Website: www.littlefallsumc.org

YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCOzxLc7UQjeMNprjm9u8gtQ

You can join Online Worship using your home phone or cell phone.

Call 646-876-9923, enter Meeting ID, 917 9067 6301, enter Passcode 139139.

Sunday Scriptures

Acts 11:1-18, John 13:31-35

I will deliver the message titled, ‘Love & Discipleship’.

If you have any concerns and joys and share with the congregation and ask the church to pray on Sunday,

please let me know! You can email, call, or text me. Or you can submit your prayer concerns and joys here: www.littlefallsumc.org/prayer 

Your generous financial support is significant and appreciated very much.

We have continued our ministries with your support.

Thank you for your financial support with your service for the church and the congregation.

Please mail your offerings and tithes to the church office (139 Main St.

Little Falls, NJ 07424). You can give us your offerings before or after worship

on Sunday or during the church office hours, (Tuesday – Friday, 10 am –1 pm)

or online at www.littlefallsumc.org/donation.

Again, we appreciate your generosity very much.

Please see the bulletin for other announcements!

Have a good day! & See you on Sunday!

Pastor Jin

Called to Praise 

⭻Prepare your heart and body for Worship

Welcome & Greeting

⭻Call to Worship

Leader: Let praise to God resound in the heavens!
All: Let praise to God fill the earth!
Leader: Let all God’s angels offer praise and rejoicing!
All: Let all God’s creatures sing praise and joy!
Leader: Open your hearts and spirits today.
All: Let us praise the Lord today and always! AMEN.

⭻Praise Song                      How Great Is Our God                          W&S 3003

Verse 1

The splendor of the King

Clothed in majesty

Let all the earth rejoice

All the earth rejoice

He wraps Himself in light

And darkness tries to hide

And trembles at His voice

And trembles at His voice

Chorus

How great is our God

Sing with me

How great is our God

And all will see how great

How great is our God

Verse 2

And age to age He stands

And time is in His hands

Beginning and the End

Beginning and the End

The Godhead three in one

Father Spirit Son

The Lion and the Lamb

The Lion and the Lamb

Bridge

Name above all names

Worthy of all praise

My heart will sing

How great is our God

​

Children’s Time                           Joseph Saves His Family                    Genesis 42-46

For the first seven years, Joseph was in charge of gathering extra food for the people of Egypt. That way, when hardly any crops grew, there would still be plenty to eat. The seven bad years began, and people in other countries had no food at all. Even Joseph’s family did not have enough to eat. So Joseph’s father sent his sons to Egypt to buy some food. When the brothers arrived in Egypt, they went to Joseph and bowed down to him. They did not know he was their brother. But Joseph knew. Joseph sold them some food. Then the brothers left to go home. Sometime later, they returned to buy more food. Just as Joseph had dreamed, they browed down to him – again. Finally, Joseph told them, “I am your brother!” His brothers were afraid! But Joseph told them not to be afraid. “God meant it for good. He had a special plan for me,” he said. They all hugged. Joseph’s brothers rushed home. They told their father what had happened. Jacob was so happy to hear that Joseph was alive. The whole family moved to Egypt. 

Announcements

• We have ‘In-Person’ Worship in the Sanctuary and ‘Online Worship’ at 10 am on Sunday, May 15, 2022. You can choose In-person worship or Online worship to worship with us. 
   

• The Worship Bulletin will be sent to you by email (most people) or post mail (those who cannot access email). You can see the bulletin on the church website, www.littlefallsumc.org/onlineworship

​

• You can join our online worship via YouTube or Facebook for Online Worship. Type “Little Falls United Methodist Church” in the search window on Youtube or Facebook. You can use the link below to join in Online Worship.

YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCOzxLc7UQjeMNprjm9u8gtQ/

​

• You can join the Online Worship by your phone. Call (646)-876-9923 and enter the Meeting ID, 917 9067 6301 and # Key and then press # key again! Passcode 139139.
   

• Prayer Concerns & Joys - Please email Pastor Jin (jkim@littlefallsumc.org) or use the online form, www.littlefallsumc.org/prayer. If you would like to share your concerns and joys with the congregation. Pastor Jin will lift up the names in the order of prayer in our worship.
   

• Altar Flowers –If you would like to offer the altar flowers, please contact Janet (973) 896-8936 or ladyteddy@aol.com. 
   

• Fellowship Time after Worship – Thank you Bethany Hope Circle for providing the coffee hour refreshments. Let us enjoy good fellowship time every Sunday after Worship. We need your help to continue the coffee hour. Please contact Ken Griffin (201) 458-4638 or Ken.Griffin89@yahoo.com for details.
   

• Let’s Help Ukraine – Janet delivered the collected items to the Ukraine Church in Clifton. The minister expressed gratitude to our congregation. We continue to collect Medical/baby Items. Contact Janet (973) 896-8936 or ladyteddy@aol.com. if you have any questions. Thank you all for participating in the collection.
   

• Church Wide Spring Yard Sale! – Thank you to all who helped with this event!
   

• Church Forum – We will have the Church forum in Fellowship Hall on June 18th at 10:30am. Please join us in the meeting! Let’s work for God’s ministry together!
   

• Kids For Christ – Join us for KFC! All Children (K – 5th grade) are welcome. The next meeting will be on Thursday, May 19th at 5pm to 6:30pm. K.F.C. is a program for children. We have KFC every first and third Thursday of the month. 
   

• Treasured Memories – “Treasured Memories” is a grief group for those who have lost their loved ones. The ongoing meeting gathers every 2nd Wednesday of the month in Lee Lounge at 7pm. Contact Allison for details (973) 800-4152.
   

• Online Donation – Online donation is available now. Please visit the church website and click ‘Donation.’ The link is www.LittleFallsUMC.org/donation. 
   

• Shoprite Gift Card - If you want to buy a Shoprite gift card, please contact Pete (973) 595-5765 or detroit50@aol.com.
   

• Kohl’s Gift Card - If you want to buy a Kohl’s gift card, please contact Allison (973) 800-4152.
   

• AmazonSmile Program - Please choose Little Falls UMC as your charity organization at www.smile.amazon.com. All services and prices will be the same and Amazon will donate 0.5% of your purchase to the church.
   

• Your financial support and generosity are greatly appreciated and essential for our church ministry and mission. Please consider sending your tithes and offerings to Little Falls UMC (139 Main St. Little Falls, NJ 07424). You can send your offerings and tithes to the church every week. Or you can send offerings and tithes for a month with a check. Thanks again for your generosity! 
   

• LFUMC FOOD PANTRY ITEMS NEEDED - Many families depend on the Food Pantry on a regular basis. The Pantry needs the following non-perishable items; canned vegetables, peanut butter, jelly, adult/children’s cereal, pasta & sauce, instant potatoes/rice, tuna, chicken, sardines, fruit, apple sauce, juice, and granola bars.
   

• SOCKS FOR SOULS - Do your feet get cold? Please help Unity Circle to provide new or gently used socks to the homeless. There is a constant need. Please drop off your socks in the large white sock in the Narthex. 
   

• Ongoing Collection - UMW also collects postmarked stamps, can pull tabs, Box Tops for Education, and the front of greeting cards. Items are donated to different charities and organizations.

⭻Hymn of Prayer             Precious Lord, Take My Hand                      UMH 474

Precious Lord, take my hand, lead me on, let me stand,

I am tired, I am weak, I am worn;

through the storm, through the night, lead me on to the light:

take my hand, precious Lord, lead me home.

When my way grows drear, precious Lord, linger near,

when my life is almost gone,

hear my cry, hear my call, hold my hand lest I fall:

take my hand, precious Lord, lead me home.

When the darkness appears and the night draws near,

and the day is past and gone,

at the river I stand, guide my feet, hold my hand:

take my hand, precious Lord, lead me home.

Pausing for Silent Prayer and Confession

Prayers of the People (Response: God, in Your Mercy, hear our prayers.)

​

When the news is loudly proclaiming anger, hostility, hatred, we are called by Christ to love one another. How hard that is, O Lord! Prejudice abounds in our land, and it is our shame, as we proclaim our faith in you. You call us to love one another, but we put conditions on that love: some of these conditions regard race, economic status, gender, age, nationality. It is easy to love people with whom we feel comfortable. It is more difficult to love those who are different from us. Teach us how to love and accept the diversity in our land. Help us to treasure each other for the wondrous gifts and talents each person has. Sharpen our ears to hear words of love when whispered and shouted. Tune our hearts to your healing message of acceptance and compassion for all. Help us to be the people of the Resurrection - who have been freed from the bonds of death. We place our lives in your care, merciful Lord. AMEN.

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 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. Amen.

Called to the Word

Prayer for Illumination   

Leader: Lord, open our hearts and minds by the power of your Holy Spirit, that, as the Scriptures are read and your Word proclaimed, we may hear with joy what you say to us today. 

All: Amen

NT Lesson                                                   Acts 11:1-18

Peter Explains His Actions

11 The apostles and the believers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him 3 and said, “You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them.”

4 Starting from the beginning, Peter told them the whole story: 5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. I saw something like a large sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to where I was. 6 I looked into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles and birds. 7 Then I heard a voice telling me, ‘Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.’

8 “I replied, ‘Surely not, Lord! Nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’

9 “The voice spoke from heaven a second time, ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.’ 10 This happened three times, and then it was all pulled up to heaven again.

11 “Right then three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea stopped at the house where I was staying. 12 The Spirit told me to have no hesitation about going with them. These six brothers also went with me, and we entered the man’s house. 13 He told us how he had seen an angel appear in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. 14 He will bring you a message through which you and all your household will be saved.’

15 “As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. 16 Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17 So if God gave them the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way?”

18 When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, “So then, even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life.”

This ends the NT Lessons. 
Let us turn to the Gospel Lesson. Please stand, if able.

Gospel Lesson                                      John 13:31-35

Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial

​

31 When he was gone, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in him. 32 If God is glorified in him,[a] God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.

33 “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.

34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

This is the word of God for the people of God. 

All: Thanks be to God.

Message                               Love & Discipleship                   Rev. Jin Kook Kim

Good morning, Church Family! I hope you had a blessed week in the risen Jesus last week. Last Sunday, we considered that resurrection is ours because God has promised. We are in God’s hand, and resurrection is in God’s hand. No one and nothing can snatch us or resurrection from God’s hands. Jesus’ resurrection and Tabitha’s resurrection show us that God will resurrect us someday. Let us live out our lives in the assurance of resurrection promised by God. Let us remind ourselves that resurrection is ours. Did you pick up Easter eggs for yourself and your family, friends, or neighbors? Did you eat the candy from the egg and remind yourselves of the joy of resurrection? Did you have a chance to give your loved ones an Easter egg to remind them of God’s love and care? If not, please pick up Easter eggs for you and your loved ones. The eggs are in the basket on the table in the narthex.

Kids resemble their parents. They look like their parents in appearance, and their habits, characteristics, attitudes, words, and appetites are like their parents’. DNA would not be the only reason for that. The time being together would be one of the main reasons to resemble their parents. Kids follow what they see from their parents, so the best education for children is to live out the life that you want them to live. We are not surprised for kids are like their parents. Rather, we are surprised when kids are different from their parents. We also can see the air of their family or the personality of the parents from the kids of the family. 

In today’s scripture, Jesus said, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this, everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Jesus ordered disciples to love one another and said, “By loving one another, everyone will know that you are my disciples.” What does this mean? How will people know that they are Jesus’ disciples when they love one another? Because Jesus loved everyone, and people knew that he loved them. Love was the feature of Jesus, so people would recognize disciples as Jesus’ disciples when they loved one another.

Jesus was a Rabbi. Do you know how to be a rabbi in Jesus’ time? All Jewish kids began to have an education when they were six years old. By becoming ten years old, they memorized the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, the Old Testament. When they became ten years old, the only best students of them continued to receive another level of education, and they began to memorize the whole Hebrew Bible, all books of the Old Testament, by becoming 14-15 years old. And the only best students of them continued to the next level. They came to a Rabbi and asked them to be his disciples. When a Rabbi interviewed them, he usually tested the knowledge that they had learned till that time. However, that was not all. A Rabbi tried to see if the kid could be like him. A Rabbi had his own interpretation and perspective of the Bible. He had his own practices of religion for his faith. When he interviewed a student, he saw if the student could follow his all interpretation, perspective, and practice. A Rabbi’s goal is to make the student be like him and continue his interpretation, perspectives, and practices. For that, a Rabbit taught the student, being with them. Through the student’s interpretation, perspectives, and practices, people could see who the Rabbi of the student was because the student’s interpretation, perspectives, and practices were the teachers.

Jesus loved people. Jesus helped people with compassion and grace. He fed people. He taught people the truth of the kingdom of God so people could have hope and joy from God’s word and kingdom. He healed people. He gave people a new life. He helped people with his love. His love changed people’s lives, and his love was his feature. Now he ordered his disciples, “Love one another. By doing that, people will know that you are my disciples.” People will know that they are Jesus’ disciples when they love one another because love is Jesus’ feature. 

When Jesus ordered them to love one another, he said, “Love one another just as I have loved you.” How did Jesus love them? He chose them as his disciples, although they were not the best students. They were fishing when Jesus came to them. Jesus called them and made them his disciples, although they were not qualified in accordance with the education process. That was Jesus’ love. Jesus was patient with them. They sometimes didn’t understand Jesus’ teaching and ministry, but Jesus helped to let them understand with patience. That was Jesus’ love. Jesus saved them when they were in trouble with people such as religious leaders or situations such as storms on the sea. That was Jesus’ love. Jesus washed their feet. Jesus was crucified to save them. Those were Jesus’ love. Now, Jesus ordered disciples to love one another as Jesus loved them. The love was what disciples should follow and practice.    

We are Jesus’ disciples. Jesus called us as his disciples as he called his first twelve disciples. And as disciples, our goal for our lives is to be like Jesus. We are called to love one another as Jesus has loved us. The love is not what the world says but what Jesus showed us. Jesus has loved us so much as he sacrificed himself, as he cares for us always, as he encourages us to live out our life as his disciples.

Little Falls Church Family,

Love is Jesus’ feature, and love is our feather because we have experienced Jesus’ love because we have Jesus’ love in our hearts, minds, and lives. When we love one another, when we love all people in the world as Jesus has loved us, people will know we are Jesus’ disciples. We are called Christians. The word Christians mean those who follow Jesus Christ, his life, and his love. Let us love one another as Jesus has loved us. Let us love people in our community as Jesus has loved us. Let us love people in the world, as Jesus has loved us. People will know we are Jesus’ disciples by loving one another with Jesus’ love.

It would be best that we love one another as Jesus has loved and showed us. However, we sometimes need to discipline ourselves to love one another as Jesus has loved us. Parents usually discipline their children because kids sometimes do not follow what they see from their parents. Likewise, we don’t sometimes follow Jesus’ love in our lives, although Jesus has loved us. We don’t sometimes know how to love, although Jesus showed us how to love. I share 1 Cor. 13 with a couple whenever I officiate a wedding because it shows how to love. Would you read this scripture loudly with me?

“Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious, boastful, arrogant, or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable; it keeps no record of wrongs; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

Let us love one another as Jesus has loved us and as the Bible teaches us. Let people know we are Jesus’ disciples by loving one another, by loving all people in the world. Amen!

Called to Share

Response to Our Generous God 

 ⭻Doxology      Praise God, From Whom All Blessings Flow        UMH 95

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;

Praise Him, all creatures here below;

Praise Him above, ye heav’nly host;

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!

⭻Prayer of Dedication

All: Loving God, you have given us the task to love one another. May the gifts we offer bring love and life to others. May the love we share bring hope to a world that has forgotten how to love. Amen.

Called to the World

⭻Closing Hymn     They’ll Know We Are Christians by Our Love               TFWS 2223

Verse 1

We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord

We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord

And we pray that all unity may one day be restored

Refrain

And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love

Yes they’ll know we are Christians by our love

Verse 2

We will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand

We will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand

And together we’ll spread the news that God is in our land

Refrain

Verse 3

We will work with each other, we will work side by side

We will work with each other, we will work side by side

And we’ll guard human dignity and save human pride

Refrain

Verse 4

All praise to the Father from whom all things come,

And all praise to Christ Jesus, his only Son,

And all praise to the Spirit who makes us one

Refrain

⭻Benediction                                                                                             Rev. Jin Kook Kim

“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.” “The grace of the Lord, Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you.” Amen.