sunday june 21, 2026

Fruitland United Methodist Church
June 21, 2026

*(Please stand if you are comfortably able.)

Prelude
Welcoming the Light of Christ and inviting the neighborhood to worship.

Welcome and Announcements Pastor Jorge and Roxie

Call to Worship
Leader: God hears the cries of the weary and the brokenhearted.
People: We come trusting in God’s mercy and love.
Leader: God hears those who feel forgotten and alone.
People: We come seeking God’s presence and hope.
Leader: God opens our eyes to see His provision and grace.
People: We come to worship the God who hears.
*Sharing the Peace of Christ

*Opening Hymn “Song of Hope” TFWS 2186

Opening Prayer: Loving God, you hear the prayers of your people
and the cries of those who suffer. Open our hearts to your
presence today. Open our ears to hear your Word and open our
eyes to see your grace at work among us. Through Jesus Christ,
our Lord. Amen.

Scripture Reading: Psalm 86:1-10, 16-17 Liturgist Pew Bible 924

Time With Young Christians: Pastor Jorge
(Please write prayer concerns and celebrations on yellow notepads, to be collected.)

Community Expressions Pastor Jorge and Roxie
      Hymn: “Holy, Holy, Holy/ Santo, Santo, Santo” TFWS 2007
      Thanksgiving and Celebration. Prayers for healing and wholeness.
      Prayers for our community and the world.
      Let us Pray
      The Lord’s Prayer: “Our Faither, who art in heaven . . .”

Invitation to Generosity Pastor Jorge
      Offertory: “Under His Wings” by Ira D. Sankey
      *Doxology: Praise God, from whom all blessings flow . . . UMH 95
      Prayer of Dedication: Generous God, receive these gifts and use
them for the work of your kingdom. Help us to be people who
listen, serve, and share your love with the world. In Christ’s name
we pray. Amen.

Scripture Reading: Genesis 21: 8-21 Liturgist Pew Bible 29

Hymn: “Great is Thy Faithfulness” UMH 140

Sermon: “A God Who Hears” Rev. Jorge Rodriguez
Genesis 21: 8-21

There are moments in life when we feel that no one is listening to us. We
speak, we cry, we pray, and it seems as if our words disappear into the air.

Perhaps all of us have experienced moments like that: moments of illness,
moments of concern for our children, moments of financial uncertainty, or
moments when we carry such a heavy burden that we do not know with whom
to share it.

And so we pray: “Lord, hear our prayer.”

But when we say those words, what do we really mean? Do we think that God
is distracted and needs our attention? Do we think that God will act only if we
pray enough? Do we think that God needs to be persuaded to have compassion?

Today’s story reminds us of something different. It reminds us that God already
hears.

The story in Genesis 21 is not an easy story. It is not a story where everyone
behaves well. It is a story filled with pain. Sarah wants to protect Isaac’s future.
Abraham finds himself caught between two loves. And those who end up
paying the price are Hagar and Ishmael—a woman and a young boy cast out
into the wilderness without a home, without protection, and without hope.

The Bible does not hide human failures. It shows us real people with real fears,
real mistakes, and real sins. Perhaps that is why it remains so relevant. Our
world is also full of similar stories: people who suffer because of decisions
others have made, people who are marginalized, people who are discarded,
and people who feel they no longer have a place.

Hagar and Ishmael knew that feeling. They wandered through the wilderness
until their water was gone. When there was nothing left, Hagar sat down at a
distance because she did not want to watch her son die. She wept, and the boy
wept as well.

Then we hear one of the most beautiful statements in the entire story:

“And God heard the voice of the boy.”

God heard. God listened. God was there.

Even when they thought they were alone. Even when they had been
abandoned by others. Even when they seemed forgotten. God heard them.

That is the good news of the Gospel. We are not alone.

God hears the prayers spoken with words, and God also hears the tears that
cannot find words. God hears the cry of the sick. God hears the grief of those
who have lost a loved one. God hears the anguish of the immigrant. God hears
the concerns of parents for their children. God hears the weariness of those
who struggle every day just to keep going.

God hears.

And when we discover that God hears, our eyes begin to open. That is exactly
what happened to Hagar. The text tells us that God opened her eyes, and then
she saw a well of water.

The resource was already there. Hope was already there. Provision was already
there. But fear and despair had prevented her from seeing it.

How often does the same thing happen to us? Worry blinds us. Fear paralyzes
us. Sorrow keeps us from seeing that God is still at work.

Then God opens our eyes through a word, through a person, through a
community of faith, or through a door that unexpectedly opens. We discover
that we have not been alone.

But the story does not end there.

If God listens, then those who follow God must also listen. We are called to
listen to others, to the voices that are usually ignored, to those who live
on the margins, to those who are afraid, to those who are suffering, and to
those who feel that no one notices them.

As a church, we are called to be a community that listens—not only a
community that speaks, gives advice, or teaches, but also a community that
listens. Because we ourselves have been heard by God.

When we say, “Lord, hear our prayer,” we are not trying to wake God up or
convince God to act. We are reminding ourselves of a fundamental truth:

God hears. God heard Hagar. God heard Ishmael. God heard Israel. God heard
the disciples. God hears the church. And God hears our voices today.

Therefore, we can live with hope, because the God who hears continues to
walk with us. And because the God who hears calls us to listen as well.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Prayer of Confession
Merciful God, Too often we have failed to listen. We have been
quick to speak and slow to hear. We Have overlooked those
who suffer. We have ignored voices that cry out for justice and
compassion. Forgive us when we have been concerned only with ourselves.
Open our ears to hear as you hear. Open our hearts to love as
you love. Open our eyes to see those around us who need care
and hope. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Words of Assurance: Hear the Good News: The God who heard
Hagar and Ishmael hears us today. In Jesus Christ we are forgiven,
loved, and restored. Thanks be to God. Amen.

Closing Hymn: “Freely, Freely” UMH 389

*Benediction: Go now in the peace of Christ. Remember that God
hears your prayers, knows your struggles, and walks beside you
every day. As God has listened to you, go and listen to others. As
God has shown mercy to you, go and show mercy to others. And
may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the
fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you always. Amen.

*Song of Blessing: “ Marching in the Light of God” TFWS 2235

Postlude: “This is My Father’s World,” traditional English melody

Pastor Jorge Rodriguez [email protected]

QR Code for online giving is on the small table in back of the last pew.