A Gathering in Worship Offered by the People of the Church of Christ, Union
June 28, 2026 10:30 am Fifth Sunday after Pentecost
Meditation
“Each of us must please our neighbor for the good purpose of building up the neighbor.” ~Romans 15:2
From There to Here: We Gather
Prelude
¨ Call to Worship Litany of Religious Liberty Charles Hoffman, Reader
One: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof ….” ~The First Amendment
All: For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths. ~2 Timothy
Chorus: Tho’ creeds and laws imposed by pow’r may mock equality, our trust in Christ and Christ alone will keep our spirits free. ~Lester Bork
One: Experience…has informed us that the fondness of magistrates to foster Christianity has done it more harm than all the persecutions ever did.
~John Leland
All: They profess to know God, but they deny him by their actions. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work. ~Titus 1:16
Chorus: Riches I heed not, not man’s empty praise, Thou mine inheritance, now and always.
One: “An enforced uniformity of religion throughout a nation or civil state, confounds the civil and religious, denies the principles of Christianity and civility, and that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh.” ~Roger Williams
All: So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another. ~Ephesians 4:25
Each of us must please our neighbor for the good purpose of building up the neighbor. ~Romans 15:2
Chorus: We are trav’lers on a journey, fellow pilgrims on the road; we are here to help each other walk the mile and bear the load. ~Richard Gillard
One: “The notion of a Christian commonwealth should be exploded forever. … Government should protect every person in thinking and speaking freely, and see that one does not abuse another.” ~John Leland
All: Why do you pass judgement on your sibling? Or you, why do you despise your sibling? For we will all stand before the judgement seat of God. ~Romans 14:10
Chorus: Let others see Jesus in you, let others see Jesus in you; keep telling the story, be faithful and true, let others see Jesus in you.
One: The liberty I contend for is more than toleration. The very idea of toleration is despicable; it supposes that some have a pre-eminence above the rest to grant indulgence, whereas all should be equally free, Jews, Turks, Pagans and Christians. Test oaths and established creeds should be avoided as the worst of evils.” ~John Leland
All: Let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. And by this we will know that we are from the truth.
~1 John 3:18-19a
Chorus: My faith has found a resting place, not in device nor creed.
One: Government has no more to do with the religious opinions of people than it has with the principles of mathematics. Let every one speak freely without fear–maintain the principles that they believes–worship according to their own faith, either one God, three Gods, no God, or twenty Gods; and let government protect them in so doing …. Instead of discouraging them with proscriptions, fines, confiscation or death, let them be encouraged, as a free person, to bring forth arguments and maintain the points with all boldness; then if the doctrine is false it will be confuted, and if it is true (though ever so novel) let others credit it.” ~John Leland
All: It is by your holding fast to the word of life that I can boast on the day of Christ that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. ~Philippians 2:16
Chorus: How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
One: “The Government of the United States is not in any sense founded upon the Christian Religion.”
~1797, The Treaty of Tripoli, initiated by President Washington, signed by President John Adams, and approved by the Senate of the United States
All: As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. ~Colossians 3:12-15)
Chorus: And they will know we are Christians by our love—by our love, yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our love.
¨ Hymn I’m Goin’a Sing
2. Sing …
3. Rise ….
4. March …
¨ Invocation
O God, how easily we forget
that freedom in Christ binds us
to love both the aggressor and neighbor,
and calls us to welcome the stranger and traveler among us.
We too easily fall into the trap of assuming our side is right,
and we have the lock on grace for this world.
And centered in our righteousness, we believe it is our right to cast out the other.
With the angry words we speak, and with the ways we keep silent, we harm others in the name of freedom.
Remind us, O God, that true freedom in Christ binds us to one another.
In the things we have done for the name of independence,
and in the things we have left undone in the name of freedom,
Bind our hearts to our neighbor once again.
For true freedom knows no border or boundary or bias.
So, bind us together into the freedom of Christ once again.
In your Holy Name we pray, 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: Where the spirit of the Lord is
Hold: There is freedom
Exhale: May our voices rise
Hold: In songs of Liberation.
¨ 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 2 Corinthians 3:17, Galatians 5:1, John 4:19-24
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
The woman said to him, “Sir, I see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming and is now here when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
~ 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 Isaiah 56:1-8
Thus says the Lord: Maintain justice, and do what is right, for soon my salvation will come and my deliverance be revealed. Happy is the mortal who does this, the one who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath, not profaning it, and refrains from doing any evil.
Do not let the foreigner joined to the Lord say, “The Lord will surely separate me from God’s people,” and do not let the eunuch say, “I am just a dry tree.” For thus says the Lord: To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose the things that please me and hold fast my covenant, I will give, in my house and within my walls, a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off.
And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, to minister to them, to love the name of the Lord, and to be his servants, all who keep the Sabbath and do not profane it and hold fast my covenant – these I will bring to my holy mountain and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples. Thus says the Lord God, who gathers the outcasts of Israel: I will gather others to them besides those already gathered.
~ New Revised Standard Version, updated
Sermon Liberty and Justice for All Rev. Christina Ryan Perkins
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 Kenya and Tanzania; and our siblings at First Faith Independent 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: Where the spirit of the Lord is
Hold: There is freedom
Exhale: May our voices rise
Hold: In songs of Liberation.
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
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¨ 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
One: O God our Creator, from your provident hand we have received our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. You have called us as your people and given us the right and the duty to worship you, the only true God, and your Son, Jesus Christ. Through the power and working of your Holy Spirit, you call us to live out our faith in the midst of the world, bringing the light and the saving truth of the Gospel to every corner of society. We ask you to bless us in our vigilance for the gift of religious liberty. Give us the strength of mind and heart to readily defend our freedoms when they are threatened; give us courage in making our voices heard on behalf of the rights of your Church and the freedom of conscience of all people of faith. Grant, we pray, O Heavenly One, a clear and united voice to all your children so that, with every trial withstood and every danger overcome— for the sake of our children, our grandchildren, and all who come after us— this great land will always be “one nation, with liberty and justice for all.” We ask this through Christ our Lord, as we pray …
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
Alvaro Enciso is a Colombian-born artist and humanitarian based in Tucson, Arizona, whose work focuses on migration, memory, and human dignity. He is best known for his project Donde Mueren los Sueños (“Where Dreams Die”), which commemorates migrants who have died while crossing the Sonoran Desert. Enciso creates and places handcrafted crosses at locations where human remains have been found, transforming the desert into a space of remembrance. Using discarded objects left by migrants in his artwork, he highlights the personal stories behind migration. Through art and activism, Enciso encourages compassion, awareness, and reflection on the human cost of migration.
For more information, please see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNVLoWemnU8
¨ Hymn This Land Is Your Land Woody Guthrie
From Here to There
¨ Benediction
One: God calls out to the city!
So listen, all of you!
God has told you, O mortal, what is good,
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice and to love kindness
and to walk humbly with your God?
¨ Benediction Response #539 Won’t You Let Me Be Your Servant Servant Song
1. Won’t you let me be your servant, let me be as Christ to you? Pray that I may have the grace to let you be my servant too.
2. We are pilgrims on a journey, we are travelers on the road; We are here to help each other go the mile and bear the load.
3. I will hold the Christ-light for you in the shadow of your fear; I will hold my hand out to you, speak the peace you long to hear.
4. I will weep when you are weeping; when you laugh I’ll laugh with you. I will share your joy and sorrow till we’ve seen this journey through.
5. When we sing to God in heaven we shall find such harmony, Born of all we’ve know together of Christ’s love and agony.
6. Won’t you let me be your servant, let me be as Christ to you? Pray that I may have the grace to let you be my servant too.
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.
¨ Andrea Wescott, struggling with finding peace after the loss of her uncle last year in a motorcycle accident; and for all the household.
¨ Donna Abner, at the death of her mother.
¨ Mary McLaughlin’s granddaughter, Ayden, now at home after a hospitalization.
¨ JoAnn Russell, Reda Hutton’s aunt, facing several medical challenges.
¨ Our church family members in nursing homes or who are homebound: Dorie Hubbard, Susan Kramer, Hattie Parks, Alva Peloquin, Laura Robie, Theresa Scherf.
¨ Celebrations with Prayers of Joy!
Birthdays: June 30 – Patty Boyce, Kerry Jones; July 1 – Laura Robie; 2 – Delores Carpenter, Lauri Eiselt; 3 – Susie Ritchie; 4 – John Coyne; 5 – Sune Frederiksen; 6 – Christina Ryan Perkins, Fable Perkins
Anniversaries: June 30 – Mathew & Courtney Parrish
If we haven’t got your important dates, let us know. We’ll help you get connected in FellowshipOne Go!
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