Gathering in Worship Offered by the People of the Church of Christ, Union

Fifth Sunday of Lent

April 2, 2017      10:30 am 

Meditation

“Change and decay—in all I see,” we cheerfully sang in my days as a choirboy. Another stanza should have taught us this lesson: it is not only beauty and life that disappear in the cycle of time. Pain too passes, along with heartbreak, fear, and sickness. In a world doomed to fragility, death itself shall someday die. 
—Robert Griffin

From there to Here

Welcome & Announcements
Welcome to this service of worship!  During the service, you are invited to rise in body or in spirit, standing or sitting, at points in the service marked “ ”.”Please sign in using the pew folder, passing it back down the row so all can greet one another by name, and place the sheet in an offering plate. We’re glad you’re here!
Prelude Prelude and Fugue in G Major, BWV 557 J.S. Bach
¨  Call to Worship
One:      The sun beats down, the dry bones bake
All:     But God’s breath breathes on us yet.
One: Thunder clatters, bones rattle
All:    But God’s breath breathes on us yet.
One: Death comes in all its finality
All: But God’s breath breathes on us yet.
One: Come, let us worship the God who breathes life into us,
All: Let our bodies and spirits come alive once more. 
¨   Opening Hymn #292 Breathe on Me, Breath of God Trentham
¨  Prayer of Approach and Confession 
One: You call us to be your voices in this world and we stay silent.
One: You call us to be your hands in this world and we keep them hidden.
One: You call us to be your feet in this world and we go our own way.
One: When we meet those who are doubting and say nothing, forgive us.
One: When we meet those who need your touch and do nothing, forgive us.
One: When we are called to take up your cross and carry nothing, forgive us.
All: Breathe life into these bones bring freedom to these lives   that we might declare with heart and soul and voice that you are our Lord and our God.  Amen.                     —written by John Birch
¨  Words of Assurance
“Kyrie eleison” and “Christe eleison” is Greek for “Lord have mercy” and “Christ have mercy.” Through Lent we will sing these ancient Christian petitions as we immerse ourselves in the mercy of God, working for the healing of all.
¨ Passing the Peace of Jesus Christ
All who come to this sanctuary are welcome companions on this day! You are invited to turn to those nearest you and greet them with words of peace and joy. 

The Word in our Midst

Anthem      Ave Verum Corpus W.A. Mozart
Union Church Choir
Ave, verum corpus, natum de Maria Virgine, vere passum, immolatum in cruce pro homine. Cujus latus perforatum unda fluxit et sanguine; esto praegustatum in mortis examine, in mortis examine.
Hebrew Scripture Lesson Ezekiel 37:1-14
In a vision, Ezekiel sees a valley of dry, dead bones.  God asks him, “Can these bones live?” Then, a wind from God works a miraculous transformation.
Children’s Moment  as the children return to their seats we sing:
May God’s presence guard, protect and guide you. 
God bless you, God bless you.
Our savior’s loving arms be ever ’round you.
God bless you, God bless you.
Sung Psalm 130 Debbonnaire Kovacs, cantor p. 709
The Psalms were originally musical compositions. During Lent we will pray the psalms in musical form with congregational responses. Please sing the response when invited.
Gospel Lesson John 11:1-45
John tells the story of the sickness of Lazarus, brother of Mary and Martha, and Jesus’ raising of Lazarus from the dead.
Sermon What Lies Sleeping Rev. Kent Gilbert

GIfts Given for Love to Flow

Our gifts help sustain this particular community of caring by sustaining the building, pastors and staff, and all the materials that make our ministry of healing, justice, and teaching available to all in need. In addition, a good portion of our contributions flows out to aid to those in need via many external agencies.
This can now be done online or by text to 859-448-3403 (Example: Text “$50.00 Offering” to contribute to the ongoing ministries, or add “youth,” or “missions” or designation of your choice to benefit one in particular.
Your contribution is love made visible. Thank you!
Offertory                    Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart  arr. D. Hustad
¨  Doxology    

Responding to God’s Love in Communion

Invitation to Communion
One:   Jesus calls us to the well, inviting us to drink of the Living Water, and the life eternal.
All: Jesus calls us out of the shadows, out of the graves, to be entirely known, and entirely filled with God’s presence.
One: Jesus calls us all: all who were made in God’s own image, all who breathe the breath of God’s spirit: the Spirit of Life.
All: Jesus calls us to the table, to the meal that nourishes our bodies and binds our dry bones into one Body, living in Christ.
One: Jesus calls us, here and now.  
Come to this table, you who are beloved in Christ no matter what.  
Come to this table, all you who seek to be nourished and sustained.
Come to this table, all you who seek to live justly and in peace with your neighbor.
Come, not because you must, but because you may.  
Ringing of the Peace Bell
The Union Church Peace Bell was created by Jeff Enge in honor of Union Church member Carl Eschbach (1904-1998).  A twin bell hangs in Berea’s sister province in Japan and is also rung in the hope of peace for all nations.
Silent Prayer and Prayers of the Community
Communion Prayer
One:      Holy God, source of all being, you are greater by far than our human thoughts can comprehend.  
With all that you have created, you abide; weeping with us in grief and pain, rejoicing with us in life and love.  You are everywhere in this very moment; holding the entirety of living experience and weaving us together in the great and intricate tapestry of Creation.
All: Creator God, mother and father of us all, in your holy love you took on our limitations.   Born of a body, bound within a body, you know the whole of this human experience.  Learning to communicate with words; teaching us to communicate with presence.   Learning the fears that wring us dry; teaching us of the love that nurtures us back to life.
One: Everlasting God, you are everywhere and right here, as close as the air we breathe, the air which binds us one to another and all to your beautiful creation.  
One: You are as close as the sunlight on our skin, as close as the rain that drips from our hair; the wind and the water that push us and lead us and call us again and again into relationship with one another and with you.  
One: Holy Spirit, divine Advocate, guide and encourage us.  Stir within our hearts, that we may find voices to sing:
Sanctus please join in singing
Communion Prayer
One: Resurrecting God, in Jesus of Nazareth you revealed your grace, your light, your love:
All: in words that confront and comfort us, in teachings that challenge and change us, in compassion that heals and frees us.
One: And now we gather at this table to remember and to be filled with such longing for your realm, that we may rise together to turn our worship into witness and to follow in your way.
Words of Institution
One: We remember that, when Jesus ate with his friends, he took a loaf of bread and, after blessing it, he broke it gave it to them, saying,
All: “Take, eat.  This is my body, given for you.  Each time you do this, remember me.”
One: Then he took a cup and, after giving thanks, passed it to his friends, saying:
All: “Drink. This cup that is poured out for you is the promise of God, made in my blood.  Whenever you drink it, remember me.”
One: And so, in remembrance of these your gifts, we share this meal with one another, and in so doing share your love with one another.
One: Come, for all things are ready.
Serving One Another
All who seek the love of God are welcome at this meal and are invited to freely receive from it.  We will share the elements today by intinction, dipping the bread in the cup. When invited please come to one of the stations by exiting your pew to the left and returning by the right. If it is not convenient to come forward, the elements can be brought to your seat by signaling to the usher. All the bread is gluten-free, and the chalices are filled with non-alcoholic grape juice.
Blessing for Those Who Will Receive at Home
Members who have been designated to carry communion to those who could not be with us this morning are invited forward at this time. The elements from our meal will go with our blessing and prayers for our continued unity in the Spirit. If you would like serve by taking communion to others, you are very welcome to do so and are invited to volunteer.
Prayer of Thanksgiving 

From Here to There

¨  Closing Hymn #417 This Is the Day of New Beginnings Beginnings
¨  Benediction & Sending Forth  
¨  Benediction Response We Are Many Parts  M. Haugen
Those who are able & willing are invited to form a circle outside the pews as we sing the Benediction Response together.
Especially in our prayers
Each week we join millions of Christians who pray for one another through the ecumenical prayer cycle and, locally, the Berea Ministerial Association’s prayer cycle.  Let us hold the people of Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, FYR of Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia and our brothers and sisters at Galilee Baptist Church in your hearts, and pray for them.      
Please also hold these concerns in your prayers, today and throughout the week. Prayer requests to be printed may be sent to the office anytime before 10:00 am Fridays.
¨ Our church family members in nursing homes, or who are homebound:  Ruth Butwell, Edith Hansen, Mary Miller, Alva Peloquin, Gloria VanWinkle.
¨ In thanksgiving and recognition of women and the gift, wisdom, and strength they are and have been to Christ’s ministry throughout history. We celebrate Women’s History Month and pray with our actions in hope that all women may be respected, healthy, safe, educated, equal and empowered.
¨ The family and loved ones of David Napier, who died in his home this week, aged 59. Services are yet to be determined. 
 
¨ Kelia Thomas, with health issues
¨ Jim Barrett, with hip trouble
¨ John McWilliams, recovering from his automobile accident, now at home
¨ Loretta Mountjoy, at Central Baptist Hospital
¨ Dodie Murphy, at home
¨ The many suffering from viruses and illness of all kind. May God speed recovery and prevent the spread.
Announcements
You Matter! Please Sign the Register, Check in on Facebook/Twitter and try a nametag! It’s hard to get to know people elsewhere, but we don’t want it that way at church.  Let’s all try to get to know each other better.
LAST Lenten lunch of the season today! Pastoral Relations and Finance Boards  are our cooks today. $5 donation if able. Right after worship in the Community Room
We’re Starting a Stephen Ministry.  
Union Church has begun participating in the Stephen Series, a program that equips laypeople to do caring ministry. Why the Stephen Series? The Stephen Series trains people in the basic skills necessary for helping others. Through lecture, discussion, and experiential learning, people learn everything they need for this caring ministry—how to be an effective listener, specific techniques for ministering to grieving people, and more. Our congregation will reap many blessings through our involvement in this ministry of care. More news to come!
Today at 2:30 p.m., Union Church Sanctuary. The Berea Classic Chorale will present its spring concert entitled “For the Healing of the Nations:  Songs of Peace and Justice.”
The music for this concert, sacred and secular, reflects the need for understanding, peaceful action and the call for justice among all people. Traditional sacred texts, such as Kyrie Eleison  and Dona Nobis Pacem are set to music by contemporary composers.  “Song for Everyone” and “The Prayer of the Children” are poignant pieces that challenge us to be inclusive in our outlook.  The Berea Classic Chorale is conducted by Larry Brandenburg and accompanied by Terri Bradley.  There will be a reception held in the church parlor immediately following. Everyone is welcome to attend, adults $5.
Dances of Universal Peace this evening at 5 pm, Community Room.  Join a worldwide movement for peace through dance.  Led by Carla Gilbert, the gathered group will be taught sacred steps from around the world, sharing as we do in prayers of peace and harmony. Created by a Sufi teacher and Zen master, the Dances set scriptures and sacred phrases from the world’s spiritual traditions to music and movement. They invoke an embodied sense of unity, presence and compassion, and touch the spiritual essence within ourselves.
Thanks to everyone who purchased bowls for the campus Empty Bowls project at WNL. There are still a few bowls available for a $10 purchase during lunch today. And thanks to all those who participated in our Offering of Letters for Bread for the World. Sixty-six letters are on their way to our Congress folks. You may also find letter-writing materials during lunch today if you would like to add your letters. Or you may send an electronic letter via Bread’s website: www.bread.org/eol (the “eol” standing for “electronic offering of letters). 
Good Friday, April 14, 8 pm, Jesus Christ Superstar FREE CONCERT at Union Church Motherlodge Live Arts Exchange has been programming community-driven performance events in Kentucky and New York City since 2009. Local singers and musicians from the community will join the “Motherlodge House Band” to perform the music to Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s musical Jesus Christ Superstar. The event will be free and open to the public.
     Members of the community of Union Church and Motherlodge are hosting a crowdfunding campaign to cover the costs of this event and make it free to the people of Berea, Kentucky: https://www.fundingworks.com/motherlodge/campaigns/71
     Motherlodge is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions for the charitable purposes of Motherlodge must be made payable to “Fractured Atlas” only and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. 
Scam Alerts Available! Attorney General Andy Beshear met with Rev. Kent (as president of the Kentucky Council of Churches) to enlist the help of churches in fighting phone and computer scams that prey on Kentucky seniors and families. For free text alerts and help if you’ve been the victim of a scam go to: http://ag.ky.gov/scams/ or Text “KYOAG” Scam to GOV311 (468311). 7000 people have signed up for text alerts so far, and our goal is 20,000. We’ll be printing a list of known scams here in the bulletin too!
We Need YOUR PICTURE for a New Church Directory! If you’ve got a photo you’d like to use, please send it to the office. Also — if there’s a chance we don’t have your address, phone, email address, anniversary, or birthday(s)—please send that info on as well: office@union-church.org. There will soon be a draft available in the office for you to check and correct if needed. If we left you out — we don’t mean to!! Please add your info! Also, if you happen to know that someone has moved or attends church elsewhere, let us know that too.