Order of Worship for September 14, 2025
September 14, 2025
Reunion Sunday
TRADITIONAL Service
Union-Congregational Church
Gathering Music
Welcome and Announcements
Sharing the Peace of Christ
Choral Introit – Welcome Home
Introduction to Theme (Pastor Jacob)
The first thing Jesus did, in every version of the story we have about him, was to go out and find other people to come with him. Twelve disciples, called right from the beginning—not to worship Jesus or to promote his reputation, but to walk right beside him, to learn everything he knew, to do the same things he did. He sent them out, early and often, to practice healing and teaching, just like he was doing. They didn’t always get it right. Sometimes they got busy, or distracted, or afraid. Often, they forgot the instructions. Jesus didn’t do this work alone and you can’t, either. The key thing Jesus did when starting ministry was to gather a group of people, a team of disciples. He didn’t do it alone but in collaboration. Partnerships and joining others are essential parts of changemaking. Like the African proverb: “If you want to go fast, do it alone. If you want to go far, do it together.”
Call to Worship
One: The world needs to change, and that can make us want to go to our room and hide. Because there is so much that needs to be done.
All: Pain needs to be acknowledged.
One: Reparations must be made. Justice must be done. That feels like a lot. And so, we must remember that we are not called to be changemakers on our own.
All: We are called together.
One: We are called in community, and we are called alongside people of faith and goodwill around the world. The world needs to change, but we will not change it alone.
All: We are called together, and vested with the power of the Holy Spirit.
One: We are called to follow the way of Jesus. We are the changemakers, and we are getting ready!
All: May we be changed by this time of worship!
Opening Prayer (unison)
Holy One, help us to hear the Gospel as if for the first time. Free us of our self-centeredness, and help us to see how this Good News is for our wider community and the entire world. May this story show us the way to become a compassion-driven changemaker, like Jesus, in whose name we pray. Amen.
Opening Hymn: #551 As A Fire Is Meant For Burning
Children’s Time (VBS PowerPoint/Blessing of Backpacks)
Choral Anthem – The Potter’s Hand
Reading of Scripture
Luke 10: 1-11 (CEB)
10 After these things, the Lord commissioned seventy-two others and sent them on ahead in pairs to every city and place he was about to go. 2 He said to them, “The harvest is bigger than you can imagine, but there are few workers. Therefore, plead with the Lord of the harvest to send out workers for his harvest. 3 Go! Be warned, though, that I’m sending you out as lambs among wolves. 4 Carry no wallet, no bag, and no sandals. Don’t even greet anyone along the way. 5 Whenever you enter a house, first say, ‘May peace be on this house.’ 6 If anyone there shares God’s peace, then your peace will rest on that person. If not, your blessing will return to you. 7 Remain in this house, eating and drinking whatever they set before you, for workers deserve their pay. Don’t move from house to house. 8 Whenever you enter a city and its people welcome you, eat what they set before you. 9 Heal the sick who are there, and say to them, ‘God’s kingdom has come upon you.’ 10 Whenever you enter a city and the people don’t welcome you, go out into the streets and say, 11 ‘As a complaint against you, we brush off the dust of your city that has collected on our feet. But know this: God’s kingdom has come to you.’
After reading, please say, “Here end the readings for today. May God bless us as we learn from these holy words. Amen.”
Song: “Bend the Curve” by Gabe Dixon (Pastor Jacob)
Message: A Little Help Here, please?
Prayers of the People
Time for Silent Prayer
Joys and Concerns
After each prayer petition, Jacob will say, “God in your mercy”, and the congregation is invited to respond: “Receive our prayer.”
Pastoral Prayer
The Lord’s Prayer (unison)
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. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
We Offer Our Gifts
*Doxology
Prayer of Dedication (unison)
God, you remind us that all our work is better when done together. Help us use the gifts you give us to be the change we want to experience in the world. Amen.
Closing Hymn: #581 Called as Partners in Christ’s Service
Mission and Vision Statements (unison)
We go now to Love God's Creation, Share in Fellowship, and Live Christ's Example, while seeking God's blessing on our lives and on our communities. Living our Core Values, We the family of Union-Congregational Church seek to deepen our own spirituality with acceptance of all through love and a commitment to Christ.
Choral Benediction – Go Ye into the World
Benediction
Now go into the world, risking something big for something good. Know that community is a vital resource for survival, and that by working together, we can do great things. And know that your passion will emerge from the nest when the time is right… and fly!
Sending Music
Order of Worship for August 31, 2025
August 31, 2025
12th Sunday After Pentecost
Union-Congregational Church
Gathering Music
Welcome and Announcements
Sharing the Peace of Christ
Call to Worship
One: Siblings in Christ, let us gather in our full humanity
Many: We remember and honor each other’s humanity
One: We remember and honor our own humanity
Many: Yearning for love and connection
One: Vulnerable, resilient, creative, and carrying pain
Many: Dreaming of rest and ease and belonging
One: Under systems of cruelty and unlivable places
Many: We reach for humanity, within and around us
One: Fully Human, Fully Divine - God incarnate, come and lead us.
Opening Prayer (unison)
At your holy table, O God, the first are last, and the last are first. Teach us how to share our tables with people who are poor and suffering, so that all may have a foretaste of the heavenly banquet to come at the resurrection of the righteous; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Opening Hymn: #411 How Firm a Foundation
Prayer of Confession (led by liturgist)
Leader: Our world overflows with stories, Jesus—so many lives, so many ways of being human.
People: So why are we satisfied with so few?
Leader: Why do we keep telling the same stories over and over—of the wealthy and powerful and beautiful?
People: Why do we so carelessly pass by the rich and unpredictable stories of the unseen, who in a million magical ways, make a life out of nothing?
Leader: God, forgive our narrow interests, and our lazy entertainments.
People: Make us biographers of the least, who listen to the untold stories of the shadow people, and bring them into the light.
Leader: Give us the curiosity and the restlessness to search out the forgotten, the neglected, the unwanted, the discarded, and the worn out.
People: Help us learn their legends, and acknowledge their place in the epic story of humanity.
Words of Grace
Pastor: Beloved of God, we are always given new opportunities to change our perspectives. Our human nature may be to judge, but it doesn’t have to win the day. Be encouraged by the grace of God, who can change our hearts.
All: We are forgiven. Thanks be to God.
Reading of Scripture
Hebrews 13: 1-3, 5–8, 15-16
13 Keep loving each other like family. 2 Don’t neglect to open up your homes to guests, because by doing this some have been hosts to angels without knowing it. 3 Remember prisoners as if you were in prison with them, and people who are mistreated as if you were in their place. 5 Your way of life should be free from the love of money, and you should be content with what you have. After all, he has said, I will never leave you or abandon you. 6 This is why we can confidently say, The Lord is my helper, and I won’t be afraid.
What can people do to me? 7 Remember your leaders who spoke God’s word to you. Imitate their faith as you consider the way their lives turned out. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever! 15 So let’s continually offer up a sacrifice of praise through him, which is the fruit from our lips that confess his name. 16 Don’t forget to do good and to share what you have because God is pleased with these kinds of sacrifices.
After reading, please say, “Here end the readings for today. May God bless us as we learn from these holy words. Amen.”
Song: “Ages and Ages” by Divisionary (Do the Right Thing)
Message: Lessons from a Fish Out of Water
Prayer Song: “We Labor for the Day” by Amanda Udis-Kessler (Jacob leads)
We labor for the day
When everyone has work enough,
When everyone has work they love
That pays a living wage.
We labor for the day
When work brings meaning to our lives
And makes us proud and helps us thrive,
When work is always safe.
We labor for the day
When work enriches, not demeans,
When no one has to choose between
Their morals and their pay.
We labor for the day
When all our work is valued well,
The source of tales we love to tell,
A balance to our play.
We labor for the day
When work will serve the common good
And heal our planet as it should
And help us on our way.
Oh, Maker of our days,
Inspire us as we labor on.
Empower us to strive as one.
In all your names we pray.
Prayers of the People
Time for Silent Prayer
Joys and Concerns
Pastoral Prayer
The Lord’s Prayer (unison)
We Offer Our Gifts
Doxology
Prayer of Dedication (unison)
Holy One - we acknowledge how vulnerable we are. We are shaped and influenced by so many forces, some chosen, many not. At times, we lose ourselves. We choose ego or arrogance over connection and humility. We live out of a fear of scarcity rather than a spirit of generosity. We get distracted by the voices of empire. And still, we long to live in the direction of love. Imperfectly but earnestly, bless these offerings to the flourishing of humanity. Amen.
Closing Hymn: #391 Will You Let Me Be Your Servant?
Benediction
Sending Music
Call to Worship, Prayer of Dedication, Benediction: Written by Rev. Molly Bolton for Liturgy That Matters by Enfleshed
Prayer of Confession: “Biographers of the Least” by Sacredise
Opening Prayer: Connections Worship Companion, Year C, Vol 2. p. 124. ©2022 Westminster John Knox Press
Order of Worship for August 24, 2025
August 24, 2025
11th Sunday After Pentecost
Union-Congregational Church
Gathering Music
Welcome and Announcements
Sharing the Peace of Christ
Call to Worship (inspired by Ps 71)
One: Let us worship the Holy One, our refuge, hope, and trust. Our praise is continually of our God!
Many: God will not put us to shame. God is our rock!
One: Turn to the God who saves and delivers. Our praise is continually of our God!
Many: God’s righteousness redeems. God is our shelter!
One: Find rest and delight in the Holy One. Our praise is continually of our God!
Many: We lean upon the Holy One. God is our sure foundation!
Opening Prayer (unison)
God of the Sabbath, you make this day holy. As we gather in your name, redeem the days when our focus wandered and draw us back to you. Let your wisdom, justice, and compassion guide us. Slow our pace to attend to those things that matter. Open our understanding to the good that needs to be done. Sustain us for the challenges we face, make your name known among us and through us. We glorify and honor you in spirit and in truth, in word and in deed, in season and out of season. Amen.
Opening Hymn: #68 Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
Prayer for Transformation and New Life (led by liturgist)
Holy God, we confess that we have trampled the Sabbath. We claim your name and not your way. We cling to excuses to avoid discomfort or sacrifice in service of our neighbor. We turn from human suffering. We keep silent in the face of wickedness. Transform us, O God, that we might be saved from the vice of evil and the lure of inaction. Rebuild us with righteousness and hope and redeem us for your kindom. Amen.
Words of Grace (Pastor)
Beloved, in Isaiah 58:9, the Voice assures, “Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry for help, and God will say, 'Here I am.” God’s abiding presence never leads us; God’s transforming love will empower you to live the just and righteous life. Receive grace for participation and belonging in the kindom. God’s mercies are renewed for us.
All: We are forgiven. Thanks be to God!
Reading of Scripture
Luke 13: 10-17
10 Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 11 And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Woman, you are set free from your ailment.” 13 When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. 14 But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the Sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, “There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured and not on the Sabbath day.” 15 But the Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it to water? 16 And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the Sabbath day?” 17 When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame, and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things being done by him.
After reading, please say, “Here ends the readings for today. May God bless us as we learn from these holy words. Amen.”
Rat Race: “There Are No Rules” (YouTube)
Message: Holy Work on a Day of Rest
Prayers of the People
Time for Silent Prayer
Joys and Concerns
After each prayer petition, Jacob will say, “God in your mercy”, and the congregation is invited to respond: “Receive our prayer.”
Pastoral Prayer
The Lord’s Prayer (unison)
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. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
We Offer Our Gifts
Doxology
Prayer of Dedication (unison)
Gracious and Generous God, receive these gifts in faith and trust. Help us to be good stewards of the resources you have given to us and bless our generosity for your glory. Amen.
Closing Hymn: #559 Here I Am, Lord (1,2 only)
Benediction
On the Sabbath, make God’s name known. Love our neighbors, spread the good news, do justice, seek righteousness, and live in hope.
Sending Music
Liturgy by Rev. Dr. Cheryl Lindsay for UCC Worship Ways
Order of Worship for August 17, 2025
August 17, 2025
10th Sunday after Pentecost
Union-Congregational Church
Gathering Music
Welcome and Announcements
Sharing the Peace of Christ
Call to Worship
One: Turn again, O God of hosts; look down from heaven and see; have regard for this vine, the stock that your right hand planted.
Many: The world is ablaze around us with pain and suffering, natural disasters and human schemes, injustice and brokenness.
One: Create again, O God of Fire; respond to the needs of your people and shepherd us to be good stewards of your creation.
Many: Let your Holy Fire meet the infernos that seek to consume us with refining and renewing power.
One: Redeem again, O God of hosts; ignite a flame within your kin-dom that will spread as a wildfire of righteousness and love.
Many: Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved.
Opening Prayer (unison)
God of Truth, you are who you are, not who we want you to be. Jesus was who he was, not who others pressured him to be. Your Spirit is in us as it is, not as others wish. You know us as who we are, not what others think of us. Speak to us now your truth; call us to your Word, that coming close to you we may come close to ourselves, and live out our true calling in this world. We pray in the name and the company and the courage of Jesus. Amen.
Opening Hymn: #134 Sweet Sweet Spirit
Prayer for Transformation and New Life (unison) (led by liturgist)
Transforming One, forgive us for dampening your fire, even for our failure to recognize your movement among us. Help us to follow in the path of life abundantly for our neighbors and ourselves. Make us instruments of your kin-dom as we encourage and uplift one another like iron sharpens iron. Surround us as a community of accountability and support to transform us in your image, character, and nature. We receive the gift of new grace, new mercies, and new life that you offer to us each day. Amen.
Words of Grace
Pastor: Beloved, in Jeremiah 23:29, the Voice declares, “Is not my word like fire, says the LORD, and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?” We may be assured of God’s power to break down in order to build back up. The brokenness we experience in life does not have the final word. For the redemptive love of God makes all things new and the healing grace of God restores and repairs. New life in Christ awaits us all this day and every day.
All: We are forgiven. Thanks be to God.
Reading of Scripture
Isaiah 5: 1-7
I will sing for my beloved my love song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. 2 He dug it and cleared it of stones and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it and hewed out a wine vat in it; he expected it to yield grapes, but it yielded rotten grapes. 3 And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. 4 What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have not done in it? When I expected it to yield grapes, why did it yield rotten grapes? 5 And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. 6 I will make it a wasteland; it shall not be pruned or hoed, and it shall be overgrown with briers and thorns; I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. 7 For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are his cherished garden; he expected justice but saw bloodshed; righteousness but heard a cry!
Luke 12: 49-56
49 “I have come to cast fire upon the earth, and how I wish it were already ablaze! 50 I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what constraint I am under until it is completed! 51 Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! 52 From now on a five-in-one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; 53 they will be divided: father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” 54 He also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, ‘It is going to rain,’ and so it happens. 55 And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat,’ and it happens. 56 You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?
After reading, please say, “Here ends the readings for today. May God bless us as we learn from these holy words. Amen.”
“Courage to Grow” by Rebelution (Deanne)
Message: Fire Can Be Good Sometimes
Prayers of the People
Time for Silent Prayer
Joys and Concerns
After each prayer petition, Jacob will say, “God in your mercy”, and the congregation is invited to respond: “Receive our prayer.”
Pastoral Prayer
The Lord’s Prayer (unison)
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. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
We Offer Our Gifts
Doxology
Prayer of Dedication (unison)
Holy, Holy, Holy God, who provides, who gifts, and who refines. We offer these gifts to you in gratitude and hope. May they extend beyond the walls of our sanctuaries so that your name will be known through us. May they spark hope and joy to dispel despair and despondency. May needs be met and lives changed through our giving and our living. Receive these gifts as our tangible prayer that your kindom come and will be done. Amen.
Closing Hymn: #561 Christ for the World! We Sing
Benediction
As you go, cast fire
To burn the acceptance of injustice
To illuminate the way of peace
To warm the bonds of human connection
To clear the path to a new world
We build together
Sending Music
Opening Prayer by Rev. Steve Garnaas-Holmes for Unfolding Light
Other liturgy by Rev. Dr. Cheryl Lindsay for UCC Worship Ways
Order of Worship for August 10, 2025
August 10, 2025
Ninth Sunday After Pentecost
Union-Congregational Church
Gathering Music
Welcome and Announcements
Sharing the Peace of Christ
Call to Worship
One: The mighty one, God the Holy One, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.
Many: Out of the kindom, the perfection of beauty, the splendor of creation, the wonder of ages, God shines forth.
One: The mighty one, God the Holy One, speaks and calls to the heavens above and to the earth in order to judge the people.
Many: Out of justice and righteousness, God shines forth.
One: The mighty one, God the Holy One, speaks and receives our thanksgiving, honor, and praise.
Many: Out of our witness, worship, and testimony, God shines forth.
Opening Prayer (unison)
Wonderful God, set your kin-dom before us anew. Dwell with us as we bring our songs and prayers, our hopes and hesitations, our faith and our disbelief before you. Demonstrate your kin-dom to us and through our time of gathering so that we may be firm and steadfast in love and action to make your way known. Reveal the path you trail before us so that we may follow you clearly without distraction or detour. May your Spirit enliven, challenge, and guide us in all things and for all days. Amen.
Opening Hymn: #16 The God of Abraham Praise
Prayer for Transformation and New Life (unison)
O God, our hands are full and stained with the fruit of devastation and despair. We lament a world filled with genocide and war even as we acknowledge our complicity and inaction with rampant evil in the world. Too often, we benefit from our neighbor’s suffering and remain complacent and compliant when the cost of loving our neighbor seems to address illusions of safety and security. Move us to action. Arm us with hearts bursting with love. Equip us as agents of the kindom’s peace. Assure us that when we seek forgiveness through our actions as well as our words, your grace will meet us. Amen.
Words of Grace
Pastor: Beloved, in Isaiah 50:23, the Voice declares, “Those who bring thanksgiving as their sacrifice honor me; to those who go the right way, I will show the salvation of God.” Though the cost of discipleship may be exacting and sacrificial, the grace of God strengthens, sustains, and encourages. Receive the power of the Sovereign One to act according to God’s will and to advance the kindom on earth, in community, and in life.
All: We are forgiven. Thanks be to God. Amen.
The Baptism of Ada Jaiden Vellema
Pastor: They were bringing children to Jesus that Jesus might touch them; and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, Jesus was indignant, and said to them,
People: "Let the children come to me, do not hinder them; for to such belongs the realm of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the realm of God like a child shall not enter it."
Pastor: And Jesus took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands upon them.' Jesus said: Unless we are born anew, we cannot see the reign of God; unless we are born of water and the Spirit, we cannot enter God's new order.' Paul the apostle said: All of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into Christ's death. We were buried therefore with Christ by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead, to the glory of God, we too might walk in newness of life. The sacrament of baptism is an outward and visible sign of the grace of God. Inasmuch as the promise of the gospel is not only to us but also to our children, baptism with water and the Holy Spirit is the mark of their acceptance into the care of Christ's church, the sign and seal of their participation in God's forgiveness, and the beginning of their growth into full Christian faith and discipleship.'
PEOPLE: This is the water of baptism. Out of this water we rise with new life, forgiven of sin and one in Christ, members of Christ's body.
Questions
PASTOR (addressing the parent(s) Do you desire to have your child baptized into the faith and family of Jesus Christ?
PARENT(S) I/We do.
PASTOR (addressing the parent(s) and sponsor(s), if any, will you encourage this child to renounce the powers of evil and to receive the freedom of new life in Christ?
PARENT(S) AND SPONSOR(S): We will, with the help of God.
PASTOR: Will you teach this child that she may be led to profess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior?
PARENT(S) AND SPONSOR(S): We will, with the help of God.
PASTOR: Do you promise, by the grace of God, to be Christ's disciple(s), to follow in the way of our Savior, to resist oppression and evil, to show love and justice, and to witness to the work and word of Jesus Christ
as best you are able?
PARENT(S) AND SPONSOR(S): We do, with the help of God.
PASTOR: Do you promise, according to the grace given you, to grow with this child in the Christian faith, to help this child to be a faithful member of the church of Jesus Christ, by celebrating Christ's presence, by furthering Christ's mission in all the world, and by offering the nurture of the Christian church so that she may affirm her baptism?
PARENT(S) AND SPONSOR(S): I/ We do, with the help of God.
CONGREGATIONAL ASSENT
PASTOR: Jesus Christ calls us to make disciples of all nations and to offer them the gift of grace in baptism. Do you, who witness and celebrate this sacrament, promise your love, support, and care to the one(s) about to be baptized, as he/ she/ they live(s) and grow(s) in Christ?
PEOPLE: We promise our love, support, and care.
PASTOR: Let us unite with the church in all times and places in confessing our faith in the triune God.
PASTOR: Do you believe in God?
PEOPLE: I believe in God.
PASTOR: Do you believe in Jesus Christ?
PEOPLE: I believe in Jesus Christ.
PASTOR: Do you believe in the Holy Spirit?
PEOPLE: I believe in the Holy Spirit.
PRAYER OF BAPTISM
The congregation may be seated.
PASTOR: Christ be with you.
PEOPLE: And also, with you.
PASTOR: Let us pray.
PASTOR: Bless by your Holy Spirit, gracious God, this water. By your Holy Spirit save those who confess the name of Jesus Christ that sin may have no power over them. Create new life in the one baptized this day that she may rise in Christ. Glory to you, eternal God,
the one who was, and is, and shall always be, world without end. Amen.
NAMING OF A CHILD
PASTOR: By what name will your child be called?
PARENT(S): (say name)
PASTOR: Ada, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
PEOPLE: Amen.
PASTOR: The Holy Spirit be upon you, Ada, child of God, disciple of Christ.
PRAYER FOR THE BAPTIZED
PASTOR: We give you thanks, O Holy One, mother and father of all the faithful, for this your child and for the grace acknowledged here today in water and the Holy Spirit. Embrace us all as sons and daughters in the one household of your love. Grant us grace to receive, nurture, and befriend this new member of the body of Christ.
ALL: Give to the newly baptized: strength for life's journey, courage in times of suffering, the joy of faith, the freedom of love, and the hope of new life; through Jesus Christ, who makes us one. Amen.
Baptism Hymn: #677 Child of Blessing, Child of Promise (all verses)
Reading of Scripture
Genesis 15: 1-6
15 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, “Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” 2 But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “You have given me no offspring, so a slave born in my house is to be my heir.” 4 But the word of the Lord came to him, “This man shall not be your heir; no one but your very own issue shall be your heir.” 5 He brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” 6 And he believed the Lord, and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness.
Luke 12: 32-40
32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 35 “Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; 36 be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. 37 Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. 38 If he comes during the middle of the night or near dawn and finds them so, blessed are those slaves. 39 “But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
After reading, please say, “Here end the readings for today. May God bless us as we learn from these holy words. Amen.”
Media: “Keep Your Lamps Trimmed & Burning” by Hot Tuna
Message: Look at the Bigger Picture
Prayers of the People
Time for Silent Prayer
Joys and Concerns
Pastoral Prayer
The Lord’s Prayer (unison)
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. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
We Offer Our Gifts
Doxology
Prayer of Dedication (unison)
Generous God, as we bring our gifts, we ask for you to receive them and endow us with wisdom and discernment to be good stewards of your abundant blessings. Amen.
Closing Hymn: #458 O Jesus I Have Promised
Benediction
Go, clothed in compassion and attired with joy and covered by peace. And dressed for action. Knowing that the God who knits you together. Goes with you. In strength, gentleness, and power.
Sending Music
Today’s liturgy was written by the Rev. Dr. Cheryl A. Lindsay, Minister for Worship and Theology for the United Church of Christ.