A Gathering in Worship Offered by the People of the Church of Christ, Union
July 26, 2026 10:30 am
Ninth Sunday after Pentecost
Meditation
“Each of us has some specific skill we can offer. We give what we can, every time we can. … And if everybody’s doing that, then we are changing the world.” ~ Brian Conroy
From There to Here: We Gather
Prelude
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 “<>.”
Thanksgiving for the Sabbatical Ministry of the Rev. Christina Ryan Perkins and the Homecoming of the Rev. Kent H. Gilbert
For the past four months Rev. Kent Gilbert has been released from pastoral duties to refresh and renew. Rev. Christian Ryan Perkins has served as our sabbatical pastor during this time and today we thank her for her service and welcome Rev. Kent’s return.
¨ Call to Worship Sue Peterson Blyth, Reader
One: Give thanks to the Holy One. Make God’s deeds known among the people.
All: We call upon the name of the One Most High!
One: Give thanks and tell of all God’s wonderful works!
All: We sing praises and remember the wonderful works, miracles, and judgements!
One: Give thanks and glorify God’s holy name!
All: We seek the Holy One, and our hearts rejoice! Praise be to God!
¨ Hymn #35 O Mighty God O Store Gud
1. O mighty God
When I survey in wonder
the world that formed
when once the word you said,
The strands of life,
all woven close together,
The whole creation
At your table fed!
Chorus v. 1-3 My soul cries out
in songs of praise to you,
O mighty God! O mighty God!
My soul cries out
in songs of praise to you,
O mighty God! O mighty God!
2. When your voice speaks
in rolls of thunder pealing,
your lightning power
bursts in bright surprise;
When cooling rain,
your gentle love revealing,
reflects your promise,
arcing through the skies.Chorus
3. The Bible tells
the story of your blessing
so freely shed
upon all human life;
Your constant mercy,
every care addressing,
relieving burdened souls
from sin and strife. Chorus
4. And when, at last,
the clouds of doubt dispersing,
you will reveal
what we but dimly see;
With trumpet call,
our great rebirth
announcing,
we shall rejoin
you for eternity.
Chorus v. 4: Then we will sing
your praise forevermore,
O mighty God! O mighty God!
Then we will sing
your praise forevermore,
O mighty God! O mighty God!
¨ Invocation
One: Gracious God, you have made yourself known among us. When we seek you, we find you. You surround us with love and righteousness. Your presence strengthens and upholds us. While we gather together, let us be mindful that your wisdom speaks, your power fuels, and your heart fills us. Grant us discernment. Let us be faithful. May you be glorified. Amen.
¨ Passing the Peace
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.
¨ Prayer of Approach & Confession Box Breath Prayer (3x)
As we pray, we slow our breathing and our lives in order to attend to God. The leader will guide this meditation three times, and you are invited to pattern your breath with each phrase as indicated below.
Inhale: Gratitude for a season of sabbatical.
Hold: I pause to behold.
Exhale: Release into a new beginning.
Hold: I choose a life enchanted.
¨ Words of Assurance
One: The world may feel suffocating, but the breath of the Almighty gives life. As long as we are breathing, we are not defeated.
All: Our soul breathes and our hearts sing for we have seen the Lord at work! Amen!
Word and Worship
Scripture Reading Psalm 105:1-5, 45b
Give thanks to God. O give thanks to the Lord; call on Ha Shem–the name; make known God’s deeds among the peoples. Sing to the Lord, sing praises to; tell of God’s wonderful works. Glory in is God’s holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Seek the Lord and their strength; seek God’s presence continually. Remember the wonderful works God has done, the miracles and the judgments God has uttered, Praise the Lord!
~ 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 13:31-33, 44-47, 51-52
He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field;it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and reburied; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind. Have you understood all this?” They answered, “Yes.” And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”
~ New Revised Standard Version, updated
Sermon Priceless Pearls Rev. Christina Ryan Perkins, Rev. Kent Gilbert
Video Reflection
Living Prayer
Call to Prayer
One: Generous God, just as you provided for all our needs in your creative acts, you have made us caretakers of your good creation. Let us accept the call to faithful discipleship, the opportunity to trust in your provision, and the generous nature you have embedded in us.
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. Next week, let us hold the people of Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo and Senegal; and our siblings at Galilee Baptist Church 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
Christ Breathes Peace-Do We?
So-called “Box Breathing” is an ancient prayer practice now credited with deep neurological benefits. Slowing your breathing settles nerve responses and increases oxygen uptake. More oxygen feeds and frees the brain. It lowers blood pressure. It resets the vagus nerve stem. With our thoughts clear, our heart settles, and the space opens to receive what God is offering in each moment. Here is prayer meditation to center and ground you for this week:
Breath Prayer for The Week:
Inhale: Gratitude for a season of sabbatical.
Hold: I pause to behold.
Exhale: Release into a new beginning.
Hold: I choose a life enchanted.
Repeat the pattern until you are deeply at peace. Ten times is a good start, but do more if you need or have time. Do this anytime you find your anxieties on the rise, or you need the spiritual support of Christ’s love.
Christ Lifts Our Hearts…
Easter is the sure sign that joy is part of God’s plan. Far from condemnation and guilt, Christ seeks to lift the hearts of everyone he touches. What would lift your heart? What makes it sing? Stopped because what you want or need feels preposterous? Well, is it more preposterous than a risen Christ appearing in a locked room… TWICE? Even if only in this prayer relax your judgement and offer up what would free your heartsong. Hold the vision and allow Christ to breathe peace over it. Pray for what you need to lift your heart.
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 Sue Peterson Blyth, Reader
One: Glorious God, may your face shine upon us. Teach us your ways so that we may live in peace, justice, and righteousness. Keep our way steady and directed toward you. Remove the hold of oppression and evil from among your people. Transform our hearts and minds so that we might reflect your goodness and love in the world.
And hear our prayer, as Jesus taught us…
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.
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
The Seneca Falls Convention was the first women’s rights convention. Its organizers advertised it as “a convention to discuss the social, civil, and religious condition and rights of woman.” Held in the Wesleyan Chapel of the town of Seneca Falls, New York, it spanned two days over July 19–20, 1848. Attracting widespread attention, it was soon followed by other women’s rights conventions and in 1850 the first in a series of annual National Women’s Rights Conventions met in Worcester, Massachusetts.
The Convention launched the organized women’s rights and suffrage movements by producing the Declaration of Sentiments, which demanded comprehensive equality for women, focusing on suffrage, property rights, education, and employment. Modeled on the Declaration of Independence, its key demands aimed to abolish legal, social, and political inequities, asserting that women should have the same rights as men.
¨ Hymn A Priceless Pearl I’ve Found a Pearl
From Here to There
Release of Rev. Christina Ryan Perkins & Homecoming of Rev. Kent Gilbert Rev. Betsy Whaley, Moderator, Dr. Steve Bolster, PRB Chair
One: Holy One, Breath of Life, we gather as a people who have journeyed, learned, stretched, and grown. Today we celebrate the return of our pastor from sabbatical, the faithful leadership of our sabbatical pastor, and the shared ministry of this congregation. With gratitude, we breathe in Your Spirit and sing out Your praise.
All: We breathe deeply of Your presence. We sing boldly of Your grace.
One: During this sabbatical season, You have sustained this congregation. You have stirred new ideas, nurtured new leaders, strengthened our bonds, and deepened our community. You have taught us to trust Your Spirit moving among us.
All: For growth seen and unseen, for courage awakened, for gifts discovered— we give thanks and sing.
One: We honor the ministry of Rev. Christina, who has journey with us, while she developed community, preached Your Word, and tended our spirits with wisdom and compassion.
All: Bless the one who stepped in with steady hands and open heart. May her breath be restored, and her song continue.
One: And now, with joy, we welcome back Rev. Kent, returning with renewed breath, refreshed vision, and rekindled passion for the work ahead.
All: We breathe with him. We sing with him. We journey on together.
One: As the mantle of leadership is returned, we remember that ministry is never held by one alone. It is shared—pastor, people, Spirit—woven together in love.
All: We receive this mantle as a community. We commit ourselves again to the work of justice, compassion, and joy.
One: Rev. Christina and Rev. Kent, we invite you now to join hands in blessing—one releasing, one receiving, both held by the Spirit who breathes through every season.
(Pause for passing the stole and exchanging of gifts.)
All: May the breath of God fill you both. May the song of Christ guide your hearts. May the Spirit’s rhythm lead us all.
Exchange of Blessings and Gifts
Prayer
One: Holy One, as we move into this new chapter, teach us to breathe deeply when the way is uncertain, and to sing boldly when hope rises. Make us a people who trust Your Spirit’s movement.
All: With one breath, we inhale Your peace. With one voice, we sing Your praise. With one heart, we follow Your call.
One: Together, as one Body, one ministry, one beloved community—
All: We breathe. We sing. We go forth in love. Amen.
¨ Benediction
One: As you go, carry the kindom of God with you
Like mustard seeds ready to be planted
May your gifts be shared without limit
Spread widely and deeply.
Go, in peace and hope for the glory of God.
One: Seek the pearls of great price
And relish the myriad blessings God enfolds In your life.
Bring forth in all you do, in all you seek the holy breath of God’s eternal love song.
All: Amen!
¨ Benediction Response I’m Goin’a Sing trad.
2. Sing …
3. Seek …
4. Share …
Our Prayers for Others
¨ 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.
¨ Those in mortal danger in the continuing war in Iran. For the leaders of nations to set aside assassination and warfare in favor of just, diplomatic solutions to conflict.
¨ 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.
¨ JoAnn Russell, Reda Hutton’s aunt, facing several medical challenges.
¨ The children and staff of Samuel’s Kids School and Orphanage in Uganda.
¨ Our church family members in nursing homes or who are homebound: Dorie Hubbard, Susan Kramer, Hattie Parks, Alva Peloquin, Laura Robie, Theresa Scherf.
¨ Patti Smithson, recovering from knee replacement surgery.
¨ Elwood Donnelly, diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, possibly needing a cardiac ablation.
¨ George Johnston, Patti Smithson’s cousin, injured in a terrible car accident, in California.
¨ The Farmer family, at the passing of Jack – beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, uncle and friend to many in the Berea community.
¨ Celebrations with Prayers of Joy!
Birthdays: July 27 – Silas Montgomery ; 29 – Barbara Frederiksen; 31 – Sharona Nelson; Aug. 2 – Erikke Meadows
Anniversaries: July 27 – John & Ramona Culp
If we haven’t got your important dates, let us know. We’ll help you get connected in FellowshipOne Go!
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