A Gathering in Worship Offered by the People of the Church of Christ, Union
October 6, 2024 10:30 am
World Communion Sunday
Meditation
Food, faith, health, the natural environment and hope for youth; these are worth doing our best for.
~ Paul Rusch
From There to Here: We Gather
Prelude
Welcome
¨ Call To Worship Whitney McKnight, Reader
One: The Holy One dwells within and beyond the congregation and makes a home among us.
All: Prove us, and try us; Holy One, test our hearts and minds.
One: The glory of the Sovereign One abides with us, illuminating our journey, energizing our gathering, and warming our spirits.
All : Prove us, and try us; Holy One, test our hearts and minds.
One: Bless the Name of Names, the God of Truth, and the Giver of Life with songs of praise, prayers of hope, and moments of connection.
All: Prove us, and try us; Holy One, test our hearts and minds. Send us your word that we may walk your way. ~ Inspired by Psalm 26
¨ Opening Hymn #317 Make a Gift of Your Holy Word Mikotoba
1 Mikotoba o kudasai, furi sosogu Ame no yō ni, megumi no Shu you. Ue to Kawaki ni, kurushimi umeki, yamiji samayōInochi no tame ni.
1 Make a gift of your holy Word, let it pour on my head and heart like your rain, sovereign and loving God. Let it fill my life each day, touch my hunger and my thirst, The deep suffering that I know on life’s lonely, wandering way.
2 Let your Word come into our lives, as your winds blow o’er all the earth, we pray. God of salvation, come, that we may be fully free from the sins that keep us bound, made pure by your Spirit’s gift of resounding victory.
3 Grant all your people your holy Word. Quench the thirsty earth as the first morning dew, O gracious God of life. Let it teach love’s healing way, in our wartorn suffering world. Let it bind us one to one toward a just and peaceful day.
¨ Prayer of Approach and Confession
One: Holy One, we come to this gathering, the table, and your presence mindful that this day particularly celebrates our interrelationship in you across all artificial boundaries and borders.
You call us to remember the poor, the marginalized, the immigrant, the isolated and abandoned. You command us to love our neighbor and have blessed us to live in an era in which we may know our neighbors from across the world to amazing degrees.
All: Yet, the current reality lies far from the idea and your vision of beloved community. We cling to our echo chambers and isolationist tendencies. We place our desires and comforts over the good of the world. We demonize difference rather than dignify diversity.
Forgive us and have mercy on us while propelling us to new life. Extend your grace to transform our attitude and actions and infuse us with openness, curiosity, and love. We humbly ask for your help: Amen.
¨ Words of Assurance
Beloved, God’s grace and power reside in you in mutual support of a transformed life. As 1 Corinthians 10:13 assures, “No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and [God] will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing [God] will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.”
Allow the testing to strengthen you, to build your endurance, and to do a new thing in you and through you for the glory of God. We are forgiven and sent to be agents of such love. Thanks be to God for a love like that.
¨ Passing the Peace of 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.
Word and Worship
Anthem Praise to the Lord! Neal W. Kent Union Church Choir
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation! O my soul, praise Him, for he is thy health and salvation! All ye who hear, now to His temple draw near, join me in glad adoration. Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper thy work and defend thee; surely His goodness and mercy here daily attend thee: ponder anew what the Almighty can do if with His love He befriend thee!
Praise to the Lord! O let all that is in me adore Him! All that hath life and breath, come now wit praises before Him! Lent the Amen sound from His people again; gladly for aye we adore Him.
Scripture Reading Psalm 8
O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. Out of the mouths of babes and infants you have founded a bulwark because of your foes, to silence the enemy and the avenger. When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are humans that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them? Yet you have made them a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor. You have given them dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under their feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas. O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
Children’s Moment
as the children return to their seats we sing:
May God’s blessings 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.
Scripture Reading Mark 10:2-16
Some testing him, asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” He answered them, “What did Moses command you?” They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her.” But Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote this commandment for you. But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’
‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” Then in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her, and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”
People were bringing children to him in order that he might touch them, and the disciples spoke sternly to them. But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not stop them, for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.
Sermon Nations of Relations, An Earth of Worth Rev. Kent Gilbert
Video Reflection
A chance to take in what we have heard.
Responding to God’s Love in Communion
Invitation to Communion
Faith communities around the Earth gather to observe World Communion Sunday. Some call it Holy Communion, others refer to it as the Great Thanksgiving (Eucharist) or Lord’s Supper. Some place elements on an altar. In the Protestant tradition, we approach the Table. Every language and tongue, every tribe and nation, every continent and hemisphere represented as the Body of Christ accepts the invitation to unity around a meal prepared by the One who entered a body, the human condition, and the brokenness of the world. Let us join together in the name of Jesus the Christ to commune as one.
One: The Lord be with you!
All: And also with you.
One: Lift up your hearts!
All: May all hardened hearts be softened.
One: Let us give thanks to the Lord, maker of all.
All: With hope and thanksgiving, we give praise to God.
One: Today we celebrate World Communion Sunday, remembering our Christian brothers and sisters around the world who also celebrate this feast. We remember that this is our Lord’s Table, and all who seek Jesus are welcome. You need not be a member of this church or any church to partake. This is the table of common need and common strength.
One: As we prepare, let us open ourselves with prayer and remember the healing hope we take from this time together. We ring the peace bell in the hope of peace to come from all we do. This bell has a twin that hangs in our sister city, Hokuto, Japan. Both were made to commemorate the friendship between our communities, so far apart yet united in the work of hope. We are honored that members of the official delegation from Hokuto city are hear with us this morning and will ring our bell as we begin our prayers.
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.
Communion Prayer
One: Matzoh is unleavened bread reminds us of all who eat their bread in haste. It symbolizes for us all the refugees who, like the ancient Israelites, leave their homes and flee from danger. May it remind us, too, of the homeless in our own city and country.
All: We pray, O God, for your church among those with no place to call home. May we learn from their searching faith, and may we be a place of welcome for all who seek safety.
One: Frybread reminds us of Africa, the birthplace of humankind where Christianity continues to flourish. It also reminds us of a legacy of slavery, and of a people who endured.
All: We pray, O God, for your church in places where it flourishes, and we confess the times and places when we have enslaved our brothers and sisters. May we learn from the vibrant faith of our African brothers and sisters, and may we build a more just and peaceable world.
One: Nom Chakie is a Cambodian bread that reminds us of Asia, where Christians are a minority among Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, and others. It represents for us the ways our faith calls us beyond our culture and reminds us of our brothers and sisters who are persecuted for their beliefs.
All: We pray, O God, for your church in places where Christianity is dangerous, politically or socially. May we learn from the steadfast faith of our Asian brothers and sisters and walk with Jesus through every trial.
One: Tortillas remind us of Central and South America, where faith and culture have colored one another beautifully; but also a place where Christians live with violence, drugs, and conflict as a daily reality.
All: We pray, O God, for your church in all places beset by violence and still colored by hope. May we learn from the persistent faith of our Latino brothers and Latina sisters, and may we look upon them with compassion as our neighbors.
One: The baguette reminds us of Europe, with its vast cathedrals that are often empty. It represents those who keep the faith alive in lean times and reminds us that the church is not a building, but a community of people.
All: We pray, O God, for your church in places where its power is diminished and its followers are few. May we learn from the age-old faith of our European brothers and sisters, and may we live our faith so that our faith might live.
One: Cornbread reminds us of Native Americans who first recognized God in the rhythms of nature. It reminds us that the land we call home once belonged to others, and that we are now and always have been indebted to our elders.
All: We pray, O God, for your church as it exists in every land. May we learn from the earthy faith of our Native American brothers and sisters, and may we care for the land and all those who call it home. We are all related. In every place may we sing to you and be made whole:
Communion Sanctus
Reprinted with permission using OneLicense #A-723786
Words of Institution
One: Today, God of every land, Christ-followers meet in public worship and secret gatherings to break bread together. Today, in wealthy churches and hovels of poverty, wine is shared.
One: In many different languages, by ordained clergy and volunteer pastors, these words of institution are given and the story is remembered: On the night he was betrayed, our Lord, Jesus, gathered for supper with twelve of his closest friends, his disciples. He took the unleavened bread of the Passover feast, and when he had given thanks to God for it, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying,
All: “This is my body, broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
One: In the same way after supper Jesus took the cup and gave it to His disciples, saying,
All: “This cup is the new covenant – a new relationship with God, marked by the forgiveness of your sins. Drink of it, all of you.”
One: And so today, every time we eat this bread and drink this cup, we remember our Lord’s death, and we hope for the day when he shall come again. These are the gifts of God for all the people of God.
All: Come, Holy Spirit, dwell in these breads and in this cup that they might be for us the body and blood of Christ. Come, dwell in your people of every land and language that we might be united with one another to be the body of Christ in every corner of the world today. Amen.
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. If it is not your tradition to receive, you are invited to join in prayers for the unity of the Spirit and all people, within your tradition.
Embodied Prayer
You are invited to reflect and pray at the candle table. You may also choose to source the essential ingredient of solitude and private prayer, remaining with your own thoughts in your pew.
Offertory Wade in the Water arr. Calvin Taylor
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¨ Doxology Old Hundredth
Praise God from whom all blessings flow, Praise God all creatures here below. Praise God above ye heavenly host: Creator, Christ and Holy Ghost! Amen.
Prayer of Thanksgiving Whitney McKnight, Reader
You have met us at the table, Lord Jesus, to unite us with you and with brothers and sisters around the world. Go with us now into that world, that we might be a living sign of welcome among refugees, of freedom among the oppressed, of hope amid persecution, of peace amid violence, of living faith amid a culture of skepticism, and of loving kindness toward the earth and all her inhabitants. May a place be set for your peace at every table, and may all find the bread of life at every meal. This we pray in the name of Jesus, who taught us to reach to you in prayer saying…
Our Lord’s Prayer
Our Maker, Our Mother, and 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 sins as we forgive those who sin 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.
¨ Hymn #547 Amazing Grace, How Sweet the Sound Amazing Grace
1. Amazing grace! How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found; was blind, but now I see.
2. ’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved; how precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed!
3. Through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come; ’tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.
4. My God has promised good to me, whose word my hope secures; God will my shield and portion be, as long as life endures.
5. When we’ve been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun, we’ve no less days to sing God’s praise than when we’d first begun.
From Here to There
Community Connections
Announcements
We share opportunities for Beloved Community and ways to serve. Please see the listing of church & community events, prayers, and notices in the pages following the service.
Lighting the Justice Candle to Lead us Forth
This week encompasses Child Health Day, National Family Week and World Humanitarian Action Day, as well as World Mental Health Day. It is a good time to recognize the efforts of the World Health Organization, founded in 1948 as the arm of the United Nations that works to “coordinate the world’s response to health emergencies, promote well-being, prevent disease and expand access to health care.”
Recently the WHO has raised awareness about the overwhelming humanitarian need in Gaza, where most hospitals are either operating with minimal capacity, or are completely closed (such as the largest facility, Al Shifa Hospital). Health conditions there are being worsened by poor sanitation and lack of access to water, food, and fuel, but also by attacks on health care providers (the WHO has documented 443 attacks on health facilities and 885 health care workers that have been killed (with many more injured). They have facilitated the administration of over 550,000 polio vaccines in Gaza (in conjunction with Palestinian health workers) and the evacuation of critically ill children from Gaza (collaborating with multiple partners, including the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund) for treatment in the Middle East and Europe. The WHO has persisted in the face of danger, tragedy, and hopelessness and are working in similar ways for the health of other peoples caught in the devastation of war, such as Ukraine and Sudan.
¨ Benediction The God of Second Chances David Haas
Those who are able & willing are invited to fill the aisles as we sing the Benediction Response together. If you’re at home or in the balcony, you are part of the embrace too. The embrace is as wide as God’s love!
Reprinted with permission using OneLicense #A-723786
Our Prayers for Others
¨ 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 (World Council of Churches Ecumenical Prayer cycle: union-church.org/ministries/prayer. Let us hold the people of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Panama; and our brothers and sisters at Silver Creek Baptist Church in our hearts, and pray for them today and throughout the week.
¨ Mary Ellen Sarafin, Betty’s sister, suffering from cirrhosis.
¨ Nick Lockwood, 21-year-old nephew of the Lockwood and Methler family.
¨ Darlene Lowe, seriously ill with Covid complications and C.Diff, and for her wife, Lauri McVicker , as she cares for her.
¨ The family of Christopher Gerritt Levey, son of Molly Levey (for whom our choir room is named), who passed away September 24.
”We’ve heard from church family and friends who live in, or have family in, the areas affected by the devastation of Hurrican Helene that they are safe. If you want to help, donations of money are best; and Church World Service and the Red Cross are “on the ground” now. Giving directly to them is the best way to help. Please don’t try to travel to affected areas.
”Susie Ritchie and Patty Tarter’s cousin, Linda Farrell, has passed away in Roanoke, VA.
”Cheryl Stone has welcomed a new grandbaby! Garrett Edison Wardlow was born Sept. 24, weighing 8 lb 6 oz.
”Debbonnaire Kovacs has a new grandchild on the way!
¨ John Mansfield, suffering from brain damage and being treated at University of Kentucky Hospital, and for John’s family.
¨ All the people of Ukraine for their safety and sovereignty. Prayers also that the government of Russia will turn to reason & respect for their own peoples’ lives as well as for Ukrainian families.
¨ All those affected by the devastating losses in the current conflict in the Middle East.
¨ Our church family members in nursing homes or who are homebound: Jan Hamilton, Betsy Hoefer, Dorie Hubbard, Susan Kramer, Lois Morgan, Sara Parker, Cheryl Payne, Alva Peloquin, Laura Robie.
¨ All those suffering from mental strain, trauma, and disease: may God soothe and heal all who are troubled.
¨ Members and Friends who need safer housing and income security.
¨ JoAnn Russell, Reda Hutton’s aunt, facing several medical challenges.
¨ For all those caring for others in their illnesses and needs: may God give them both strength and encouragement in this work of costly love.
¨ Erikke Meadows’ mom, Prudy Meadows, with COPD.
¨ The Guild family as Will continues his struggle with brain cancer and stroke.
¨ Prayer for a restored and renewed sense of integrity in all public officials and work: that justice may be louder than greed; fair and good governance a blessing to all people, not the favored few.
¨ Celebrations with Prayers of Joy!
Birthdays: Today, Oct. 6 – Scott Smith, Paige Garrett; 7 – Laurinda Pool, John McWilliams; 8 – Eric Dodson, Landon Connelly; 11 – Matt Jadud, Katie Basham; 12 – Gene Daniels
If we haven’t got your important dates, let us know. We’ll help you get connected in FellowshipOne Go!
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