A Gathering in Worship Offered by the People of the Church of Christ, Union
January 25, 2026 10:30 am Third Sunday of Epiphany
Meditation
“Do something that reminds you of what you love. Do something that lifts up what is tender and true in this world. Lean into what is still fierce with love.” ~ Carrie Newcomer
From There to Here: We Gather
Welcome
Welcome to this service of worship! 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! During the service, you are invited to rise in body or in spirit, standing or sitting, at points in the service marked “<>.”
¨ The Call Stephanie Ryan, Reader
One: The Lord is my light and my salvation.
All: Whom should I fear?
One: The Lord is the strength of my life.
All: Of whom shall I be afraid?
One: Your face, O God, we seek.
All: Come, our hearts say, let us seek God’s face!
¨ Hymn #408 All My Hope on God Is Founded Michael
- All my hope on God is founded,
who else can my hope renew?
Still through change and chance God guides me,
only good and only true.
God unknown, grace alone,
calls my heart to be his own.
2. Well does the almighty Giver
bounteous gifts on us bestow!
With delight our souls are nourished;
pleasure leads us where we go.
At God’s hand does love stand;
joy waits each new command.
3. In glad hymns to God eternal
sacrifice of praise be done;
high above all praises praising
for the love in Christ made known.
Hear Christ’s call, one and all –
those who follow shall not fall.
¨ Prayer of Approach and Confession
One: God, our Light and Salvation,
All: forgive us for those moments when we have walked in darkness, stumbling in the wilderness of quarrels, division, and bickering. You have called us to follow you and to fish for people, but too often we shun relationship and choose our will, not yours. Forgive us, Lord, for the brokenness that we bring upon ourselves.
[a brief silence is kept]
One: God, the Stronghold of our Life,
All: hear our cry as we come to you for unity. Send your Spirit to gather us as you desire us. Remind us that unity does not mean uniformity. Teach us that the “same mind” you call us to have is not ours, but the mind of your Son, Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.
¨ Words of Assurance
One: Christ continues to lay down his life for us, so that we might have life. Christ continues to show us the way, so that we might live into the truth and the life. Christ continues to love us, so that we might love God and love our neighbors as ourselves. Know that you are forgiven, loved, and given new life.
All: Amen.
¨ Passing the Peace of Christ
All who come to this sanctuary are welcome companions on the journey of faith. Please turn to those nearest you and greet them with words of peace.
Word and Worship
Scripture Reading 1 Corinthians 1:10-18
Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you but that you be knit together in the same mind and the same purpose. For it has been made clear to me by Chloe’s people that there are quarrels among you, my brothers and sisters. What I mean is that each of you says, “I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,” or “I belong to Cephas,” or “I belong to Christ.” Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name. I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else. For Christ did not send me to baptize but to proclaim the gospel–and not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power. For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
~ New Revised Standard Version, updated
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 Matthew 4:12-23
Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
“Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali,
on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the gentiles—
the people who sat in darkness
have seen a great light,
and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death
light has dawned.”
From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishers. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of people.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
Jesus went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people.
~ New Revised Standard Version, updated
Sermon Fishing in the Ice Rev. Kent Gilbert
Video Reflection
Living Prayer
Call to Prayer
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 Next week we pray for Cyprus, Greece, and Türkiye and our siblings at the Berea Friends Meeting in our hearts, and pray for them today and throughout the week.
Ringing 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.
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.
For Reflection
Pray to End Factions… Pray to Unify in Grace
Paul’s letter to the Corinthians speaks of troubles we know well: people divided into teams more concerned with their team winning than the goal of Grace for all.
* Take three deep breaths.
* With each one allow yourself to sink below levels of your identity, your teams, yours allegiences in this world.
* Keep breathing in and out until you can find or feel the unity of a deeper grace, one rooted in the well-being of all.
* Can you get there? Keep praying.
God is isn’t picking a football team. God is loving all of creation into wholeness. You have a place in the love. Breathe that in over and over.
Fishing in the ICE…
Are you trying hard to love enemies but finding it hard? Sometimes we have to chip through the icy exterior of personality or circumstance to connect with the grace and goodness God hopes we will see. Sometimes the ice is in others; sometimes in ourselves. When you rise to walk, try adding a prayer with each step imagining that each step, small but intentional, is getting you closer to seeing what Jesus could see, loving what Jesus would love.
Feel each movement as one seeking the love of even those who you are opposed to. Keep walking the walk all week.
Offertory
A Chance for Generosity: easytithe.com/union
A community of caring relies on support. Your recurring or one-time donation will make a ministry of healing, justice, and teaching available to all in need.
¨ Use your smart phone or computer and go to easytithe.com/union. No registration required, but registering once makes future generosity simply entering an amount and a click.
¨ Baskets for checks or cash are located at the head of each aisle for those who wish to make an in-person donation.
¨ Give by Text. Text an amount to 859-448-3403 (Example: Text “$50.00 Offering”).
¨ Give by Mail to: 200 Prospect St., Berea, KY 40403.
Your contribution is love made visible. Thank you!
¨ Doxology Old Hundredth
To God all glorious heavenly Light, To Christ revealed in earthly night, To God the Spirit now we raise Our joyful songs of thankful praise. Amen.
Silent Prayer and Prayers of the Community Stephanie Ryan, Reader
Caught in webs of intrigue, entangled in plans gone wrong, torn by problems too big or too strong, we are enmeshed in the cares and cruelties of the world. We pray to be caught up in a different net. Capture our imaginations and bind our hearts in the web of your liberation and salvation, Lord. Haul us into the light from whatever murky waters surround us. Bring us to healing of body and mind, and made strong help us cast nets of mercy and love. You have come to the lakeshore of our lives and called us to fish the waters of grace. Bless us and mend us, Lord.
This we pray in the name of our brother Jesus, who taught us to reach to you as…
Our Lord’s Prayer
Our Maker, Our Mother, and Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; Thy kin-dom 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 kin-dom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
¨ Hymn #173 You Have Come Down to the Lakeshore Pescador de Hombres
If desired, you are welcome to sing V.1 & refrain in Spanish, then switch to English for v. 2-4
1. Tú has venido a la orilla, no has buscado ni a sabios, ni a ricos, tan sólo quires que yo te siga.
Estribillo (Refrain): Jesus, me has mirado a los ojos; sonriendo has dicho mi nombre; en la arena he dejado mi barca; junto a ti buscaré otro mar.
You have come down to the lakeshore seeking neither the wise not the wealthy, but only asking for me to follow. O Jesus, you have looked into my eyes; kindly smiling, you’ve called out my name. On the sand I have abandoned my small boat; now with you I will seek other seas.
2. You know full well my possessions, neither treasure nor weapons for conquest; Just these my fishing nets and will for working.
Refrain: O Jesus, you have looked into my eyes; kindly smiling, you’ve called out my name. On the sand I have abandoned my small boat; now with you I will seek other seas.
3. You need my hands, my exhaustion, working love for the rest of the weary –a love that’s willing to go on loving. Refrain.
4. You who have fished other waters, you, the longing of souls that are yearning; as loving Friend you have come to call me. Refrain.
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
Viola Liuzzo (April 11, 1926-March 15,1965) was the only White woman killed in the South during the civil rights movement of the 1960s. Like millions of others, Liuzzo watched the events of Bloody Sunday unfold on TV on March 7, 1965. After the police violence prevented the Bloody Sunday march, Dr. King asked people who believe in justice to come to Selma. 25,000 people responded, including Liuzzo, who was inspired to make the trek.
Activists obtained a court order that permitted a new protest and march March 21-25, 1965. Liuzzo marched the first day. Then she worked at a hospitality desk welcoming and registering volunteers. She spent her last day driving people back and forth between Selma and Montgomery, Alabama. She and a 19-year-old Black man, Leroy Moton, were on their last run back to Montgomery when they were followed by a car full of Klansmen.
The prevailing story was that after a high speed chase Liuzzo, who was the driver, was shot and murdered by one of the Klan members who shot from a car racing alongside. Moton survived but Liuzzo died instantly. Among the four Klansmen in the car was an undercover FBI informant, Gary Tommy Rowe, who reported to the FBI about the events of the evening..
In an effort to deflect attention from the FBI’s negligence, it conducted a vicious smear campaign against Liuzzo. Her death added much impetus to President Johnson’s effort to pass the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Published in the Concord Monitor November 4, 2024
¨ Benediction
Benediction Response We Shall Overcome
Our Prayers for Others
¨ Dave Reilly’s nephew, Herb Post, ill with kidney cancer that has spread to his lung.
¨ JoAnn Russell, Reda Hutton’s aunt, facing several medical challenges.
¨ 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.
¨ That the fragile ceasefire in the Middle East may hold; and those suffering receive the aid they need.
¨ We pray for our country, and those who are directly affected by the actions and inaction of our government to address the needs of its people and the world.
¨ Our neighbors experiencing housing insecurity, homelessness and food insecurity.
¨ Our church family members in nursing homes or who are homebound: Dorie Hubbard, Susan Kramer, Sara Parker, Hattie Parks, Cheryl Payne, Alva Peloquin, Laura Robie, Theresa Scherf.
¨ Casey Poynter, with a possible heart attack, at St. Joseph Hospital in Lexington.
¨ Joy Gritton and Black Bear LaBoueff. Bear is hospitalized with lung issues.
¨ Celebrations with Prayers of Joy!
Birthdays: January 28 – Corey Hester; 29 – Gwen Hensley; 30 – Elwood Donnelly; 31 – Steve Bolster; Feb. 2 – Peggy Coyne
If we haven’t got your important dates, let us know. We’ll help you get connected in FellowshipOne Go!
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