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

Third Sunday after the Epiphany

January 27, 2019        10:30 am

Meditation
“You will know as much of God, and only as much of God,  as you are willing to put into practice.”— Eric Liddell, Olympic gold medal runner; alt.

From there to Here: We Gather

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 The Heavens Are Telling arr. M.L. Thompson
Union Church Handbell Ensemble
The Call Ted Loder
Thank you for the work which engages me in an internal debate between right and reward and stretches me toward responsibility to those who pay for my work, and those who cannot pay because they have no work;
For justice which repairs the devastation of poverty;
For liberty which extends to the captives of violence;
For healing which binds up the broken bodied and the broken hearted;
For bread broken for all the hungry earth;
For good news of love which is stronger than death;
And for peace for all to sit under fig trees and not be afraid;
For my calling… my life…
¨ Hymn #163 Black  Many Are the Lightbeams Lightbeams
¨  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 and hospitality.

The Living Word among us

Anthem      Holy Is the Lord           Robert J. Powell
Union Church Choir
My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior. So mindful of my life has He been, and so blessed shall I be. Praise His Holy Name for Holy is the Lord. So Holy, so gracious are You, my God. The hungry You shall feed. The humble You exalt.
Epistle Lesson 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a (p. 1396)
Even as one body has many different members, so there are many different members to the church, the body of Christ, Paul writes to the church at Corinth.
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.
Following the Children’s Moment, children kindergarten through 5th grade are invited to Children’s Church in Cowan Chapel. They are also welcome to stay in the service if they prefer. The Children’s Worship Center in the back of the sanctuary has toys, books, and drawing materials for children (or parents) who would like help staying present in the service. For children preschool age & under, care is available in the Nursery, downstairs in Room 104 off the playground.
Gospel Lesson  Luke 4:14-21 (p. 1231)
Jesus preaches his first sermon at his hometown synagogue in Nazareth.
Sermon From Libation to Liberation:A Year of God’s Favor Rev. Kent Gilbert

Living Prayer

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.
Prayer in Action and Reflections
Offering baskets are placed in the aisle, and can also be brought to your seat.
Some suggested prayer direction is printed in the bulletin on page 8 and at the tables you visit. You are also free to choose to rest in private prayer, remaining with your own thoughts and in your pew.
Anointing Station: if you have a hard thing to say or do that is part of your liberation, come be anointed.
Liberation Station:12,000 children are still detained in the US separated. Letters requesting that the Justice Department immediately comply with federal orders to reunite these captives with their parents can be written and left here, or sent with your prayers for a more just treatment, to the address on the sheets.
Recovery of Sight: Lions Club International collects, sorts and distributes used eyeglasses to those in need. Please place your used eyeglasses here to help other recover their sight. Lay your blessing here for those who will receive these lenses, and pray that all of our eyes may be clear to see a new vision of how the world might be.
Prayer in Action Reflections
Space is provided  here for you to write notes, to reflect, or draw responses to questions or ideas that occur to you during the sermon, or holy questions of your own. 
The Heavens are telling…. Read and meditate on Psalm 19, page 659 in the blue pew Bible, as you sit quietly here or later in your day. Which words are calling most to your heart? For what do you need a rock? From what do you most desire redemption? Allow your breath to be your prayer for both things
Jesus’ Mission… Jesus picks a passage from Isaiah 61 as a public declaration of his ministry. What concrete, present-day, tangible actions suggest themselves to you that are needed for this to be a reality. As you pray, breathing in and out, hold space for the Spirit of the Lord to enter in, filling your lungs and heart and blood.
When is the last time you released a captive? We hold ideas, fears, even people captive in our thoughts.  What are you holding that needs to be released? As you pray, take in the spirit of the Lord with every breath. As you exhale, consider how to unlock the cells holding you and any others in captivity. Open the door if you can.
Our Offering
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.
Many friends give online, and you can use your smart phone or computer and go to www.easytithe.com/union. You don’t have to register to make a contribution, but if you do, it can make future generosity that much easier. You can even give by text! Text to 859-448-3403 (Example: Text “$50.00 Offering)
Your contribution is love made visible. Thank you!
As we draw back to our seats, you are invited to join in singing:
Holy Spirit, Come to Us Taize
Silent Prayers and Prayers of the Community
One:      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.
From Here to There
¨  Hymn  God the Creator (opposite) Bunessan
¨  The Sending and Blessing
Postlude (please be seated) Bourée Georg Philipp Telemann
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 Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Western Sahara and Tunisia and our brothers and sisters at Faith Decision Baptist Church in our hearts, and pray for them. Please 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.
¨ Children in detention centers, that they may be reunited with their families soon. 15,000 are now detained in the US.
¨ Our church family members in nursing homes, or who are homebound:  Edith Hansen, Nancy Hindman, Loyal Jones, Mary Miller, Alva Peloquin.
¨ Emily Spires, daughter of Randy Stone, continuing treatment for breast cancer.
¨ Andrea Wescott, due to have surgery for cervical cancer on February 4.
¨ Barbara Frederiksen, recovering from  intestinal surgery.
¨ Those who are without homes and safe places.
¨ Gabe Barlow, awaiting tests and results for cancer in Seoul, South Korea.
¨ Barb Smith, recovering from brain surgery.
¨ George Mountjoy, recovering from knee replacement surgery at the VA Hospital.
¨ Teri VanPelt, recovering from knee replacement surgery at Berea Hospital.
¨ Tonya, Judith Singleton’s daughter-in-law, having surgery the 23rd.
¨ Susie Ritchie, Patty Tarter, Hope Tarter and all the family, in the death of their father & grandfather, Balis Wilmer Ritchie.
¨ Judy Rowell, anticipating surgery.
¨ Prayers of thanks and celebration: Our partner church, Bethlehem Lutheran, an historically black ELCA church in New Orleans, celebrated it’s 135th anniversary this last week!
Announcements
Pew clean-up. Would you please take the stray bulletins and other papers out of the pew & rack near your seat and place in a stack at the end of your pew? We’ll sort and reuse the Advent Art brochures and stewardship cards & brochures and recycle the rest. Thanks.
Learn more about the church today! Come One, Come All! Each fourth Sunday of the month anyone wanting to know more about Union Church or wanting to explore church membership, are invited to come to the Classroom and join in conversation, ask some questions, pick up some info and a book of Union Church history, with the Community Life and Growth Board after worship.
Do you like snacks? Do you like helping your friends enjoy snacks? If so, you’re in luck. We are looking for two more people to join the Sunday Morning Hospitality Team to set up / clean up the coffee and treats in the parlor. There are openings the first and third Sunday of the month. It would be a great opportunity for a family to serve together — snacks are fun! Contact Laura Nagle for more information. (Call or text: 859-358-0106 or joyfulsunflower@gmail.com)
Worship is work we do together! You Can Help! If you can read, or carry, or welcome you are helping! If you have suggestions for names we might light the Justice Candle for, you are a gift! If you can help straighten the pews and hymnals after service, or share the names of those who need prayer, or sing with joy, you are lifting our work together to a new level. Sharing on facebook or twitter might be a good way to bring someone a little inspiration! To volunteer, or submit names for prayer or justice work, please call the office or email Rev. Kent. You can also submit these on the church website, a great place to stay connected.
ABLE: a group for those who self-identify as disabled, will meet Monday, January 28, 11:15 am, at Berea Baptist Church, weather permitting. Speaker will be Robyn Renner, Director of Disaster Relief at Christian Appalachian Project.
Zen Meditation every weekday, 8:00 am. Join us for 20 minutes of unstructured quiet meditation in beautiful Cowan Chapel, on the Scaffold Cane Road side of the church.
Mondays at 6:30 pm, Cowan Chapel. David Parks will offer Zen teaching: Meditation, Koans, Conversation, 6:30 – 8:00 pm, Cowan Chapel. No experience necessary, no need to call ahead, all welcome. Experience the beauty of Zen, hearts opening to life just as it is.
Come to Wednesday Nite Live (WNL)! The Union Church community gathers for a simple supper Wednesdays at 5:45 pm, September through May, in the Commun-ity Room (basement level, handicap accessible by ramp near the playground). Dinner is prepared by church members (potluck first Wednesdays of the month). After a few announcements, recognition of birthdays and prayer, it’s supper time! No need to call ahead – you, your friends, neighbors, college students, visitors to Berea, are welcome to come for food and fellowship – whether once, once in a while, or every week. Supper is followed by:
· Youth Group (grades 6-12), 6:30 pm. Want to know more? Contact Chris McKenzie, Youth Director at mckenziec@berea.edu.
· Handbell Choir rehearsal, 7 pm. Want to know more? Contact Pearl Marshall, Handbell Director at pmarshall@union-church.org.
· Occasional presentations & discussions around mission work and hot topics. Watch bulletins and email announce-ments for info.
Thursday Noon Bible Study. Meet with Rev. Carla in the Classroom at noon to reflect upon the Scripture for the week and issues of the day.
Thursdays — our Music Director, Bernardo Scarambone, will teach a very basic music reading class right before choir (5:45 pm). Everyone is welcome to join them — no pressure to stay for choir – but you’d be welcome!
Kentucky Council of Churches Prayer in Action Days: 9:30 a.m. in the Capital Annex. The KCC will host a 9:30 a.m. gathering at the Capitol Annex in Room 171 on the following Tuesdays during the General Assembly to pray for legislators and hear about an issue of concern. Afterwards, participants may attend committee meetings and visit legislators. Topics are:
· Feb. 5: Tax Reform
· Feb. 12: Criminal Justice
· Feb. 19: Voting Rights
· Feb. 26: Gun Violence
· March 5: Death Penalty
· March 12: Environment
You can watch live prayers in action events at the Kentucky Council of Churches Facebook page, and find out more on the KCC website www.Kycouncil ofchurches.org. To express your concerns to elected representatives, committees or officials call 800-372-7181.
Check out the new water fountain/bottle fillers in the hallways by the office and the Choir Room! If you need a Union Church water bottle you can get one in the office—$10.
Union Church is participating in Room in the Inn! Room in the Inn is:

• an opportunity to directly intervene in homelessness
• a way for churches and community groups to welcome in small groups
• a chance for both guests and hosts to change
• about serving without prejudice or pride and about accepting everyone

Union Church will participate as one of the “Inns” every Sunday night until the end of the season (likely March 10) and we are looking for volunteers who can help with things like

• cooking a meal or cleaning up afterwards;
• moving supplies from one location to another;
• doing laundry;
• spending the night at church with our guests on the nights they are here.

Whether it’s just once, once a month or once a week, we can use your help.  Call Joan Moore 859-302-5582 for laundry and other tasks or Mary Lou Wiese 260-571-4959 for food and meals.