Gathering in Worship Offered by the People of the Church of Christ, Union
First Sunday of Lent
March 10, 2019 10:30 am
Meditation
No Christian escapes a taste of the wilderness on the way to the Promised Land.
—Evelyn Underhill, The Fruit of the Spirit
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 Call
Whether we gaze with longing into the garden or with fear and trembling into the desert, of this we can be sure–God walked there first!
And when we who have sinned and despoiled the garden are challenged now to face the desert, we do not face it alone. Jesus has gone there before us to struggle with every demon that has ever plagued a human heart.
Face the desert we must if we would reach the garden, but Jesus has gone there before us. —James Healy, Starting Point
¨ Hymn #205 Black Forty Days and Forty Nights Heinlein
¨ 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 You Who Understand Oomen, Oosterhuis
Union Church Choir
You who understand the voiceless cry from all the mortal beings that we are, we call to You the name of a man, Jesus, the son of people, your beloved.
Never spoke a man as he, in him we understand your being and our own being. He is your word, he has fulfilled for us the ways of righteousness, a man for all.
For his sake see us, together here. See all the mortal beings of the world. Where our dead may be, their ashes flown, we ask You, would You know where they have gone?
Why the poor and needy of the world, your dear ones, are destroyed without mercy; why we, the few possessing what belongs to everyone, should fail to do your word; why we should fail to build a world in peace and to create a place where justice reigns—You who have told us what it means to live: do what is good and just, and free each other;
You who have inspired us with this word, a source of strength and courage and of knowing; You who brought forth in each of us the light, let not the darkness come to over power us, let not the final word belong to death—You who have kept us safe till now, You who have tuned us finely to your voice, You who created us to turn to You,
You who have sought us out before we called You, You who have said to us that You will find us— we call to You the name of a man, Jesus, the son of people, your beloved.
Hebrew Scripture Lesson Deuteronomy 26:1-11 (p. 228)
Poised on the brink of the promised land, the Israelites are commanded to offer thanks to God in remembrance of God’s salvation and blessings.
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.
Sung Psalm 91 Kent Gilbert, cantor p. 681
The Psalms were originally musical compositions. During Lent we will pray the psalms in musical form with congregational responses. Please sing the response when invited.
Gospel Lesson Luke 4:1-13 (p. 1231)
Jesus begins his lifework in a confrontation with the devil in the wilderness. There, the devil offers Jesus a number of tempting alternatives to Jesus’ divine mission. Jesus refuses.
Sermon The Beauty You Love, The Wilderness You Taste 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.
During Lent, one of the many ways you can kneel and kiss the ground is through your contributions at the Community Sharing Table. We are considering how our contributions can walk along with our scriptures each week.
Week 1: Prayers and items for travelers (through the wilderness of life)
Week 2: Items for children and babies (the chicks we gather under our wings)
Week 3: Bottled water or other drinks for those who thirst
Week 4: Non-perishable meat items (fatted calf)
Week 5: Emergency kits for disaster relief (the poor are always with us)
Week 6 (Palm Sunday): One Great Hour of Sharing
During the season of Lent, you will have three ways of walking a labyrinth here in the sanctuary.
- Your bulletin cover will feature a different finger labyrinth each week, which you can travel prayerfully without leaving your seat.
- For this season, the entire sanctuary is our labyrinth. As you walk, whether to a prayer station or for another reason, walk mindfully, pondering the paths your life is taking right now. Consider taking the long route sometimes, around a set of pews.
- One of your destinations could be the labyrinth station in the front corner by the Peace Bell.
We are enlarging our prayer corner for you to kneel for your unique prayer journey. Each week the articles for contemplation will reflect the lectionary readings for that week.
In the children’s corner is a large family star chart for recording and celebrating the actions we have taken in our “Kneel and kiss the ground” focus. If you have participated in one of the suggested actions or in any other way of letting the beauty you love be what you do, put a star or sticker on the chart.
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!
Gather in a Circle
As we end our time of prayer, you are invited to form a large circle around the sanctuary. Those who have not left their seats to pray are encouraged to join the circle. Feel free to create “arms” of our “amoeba of love” which include those who cannot leave their seats. We will pray the Lord’s Prayer together and then sing our parting blessing responsively, repeating each line after the minister.
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
Introduction and Invitation to Membership
Union Church is a vital and growing family of faith, a home to those committed to the way of Christ’s sacrificial love and service. All who feel led to join will be received in joy, and are welcome to come forward when invited. Thanks be to God for these ministers among us.
¨ Questions of the Congregation and New Members
¨ Covenant of Welcome
And we, the members of this church, renewing our own covenant to God and to each other, do now heartily welcome you to our fellowship, promising to watch over you in love, and praying that you, and we, may be true witnesses for Christ, a light in the world, and continue to increase in usefulness and joy in his service.
The Sending and Blessing
Postlude (please be seated)
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 Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden and our brothers and sisters at The Holy Pentecostal Sanctuary 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.
¨ Those who are without homes and safe places.
¨ Shirley Carlberg’s sister in her treatment for cancer.
¨ Judy Rowell, recovering at home from heart valve replacement surgery.
¨ For Michelle Hayden’s sister-in-law in her treatment for cancer.
¨ The family, friends and colleagues of Janice Blythe, at her sudden death.
¨ Prayers for a speedy recovery for Toby Wilcher.
¨ Delores Carpenter and all the family, at the death of her mother, Bernice Allen Parsons.
Starting today: Join Rev Kent in the chapel at 4:00 on Sunday afternoons or 8:30 on Wednesday mornings during Lent for Lectio Divina, a brief Benedictine practice of reading scripture as Living Word.
March 12, 4:00 pm. Psalm Study. Meet on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month in the Classroom to read and reflect upon the Psalms.
March 14, 6:00 pm in the Community Room: Come on out to the Annual (Pi)e Auction hosted by your local Madison County Kentuckians for the Commonwealth (KFTC) Chapter! There will be great pies to bid on for Pi Day!
We are anticipating an exciting auction filled with laughter, love, and pie! We look forward to seeing our beloved KFTC members and soon-to-be members. Rev. Kent will be the auctioneer for this annual fund and friend-raiser.
March 15: Everyone is invited to the SongFarmer Gathering in the Community Room and Cowan Chapel. A community supper will begin at 5:30 in in the Community Room. Sign up to perform by 6:00 pm, music in Cowan Chapel. A “SongFarmer” is any musician, songwriter and fan who uses their music to make their families, hometown and lives better. Everyone is welcome—no charge.
Want to keep your hands busy during service? There’s a basket in the back of the church with knitting projects started by the knitters among us. You can knit a few rows and pray for the person who will receive the finished item, and then return it to the basket after service for someone else to add their stitches and prayers.
Bread for the World 2019 Offering of Letters to Congress “Better Nutrition, Better Tomorrow” Wednesday Night Live – March 20.
Union Church is a Covenanted Member of Bread for the World and each year we participate in the Offering of Letters, along with churches and organizations throughout the United States, to lobby Congress on behalf of the world’s malnourished children and adults. Please plan now to come to WNL on March 20 and write to your Senators and Representative. All materials will be provided, along with information on this year’s campaign.
According to a United Nations report, for the third year in a row, global hunger has increased. Drought, conflict, and poverty have brought about near-famine conditions in the Middle East, Africa and Central America. We must urge Congress to pass a resolution to make maternal and child nutrition a priority by boosting funding for programs that have been proven effective.
In 2018 our Offering of Letters helped win bi-partisan passage of the Global Food Security Reauthorization Act and the Farm Bill.
Also, on March 20 we will have locally-made and donated pottery bowls for sale as part of the campus “Empty Bowls” event that same evening. The proceeds from the annual sale of the bowls support local Food Banks.
You can read more about Bread for the World and the 2019 Offering of Letters by visiting the website: bread.org.
Glasses delivered! Thank you for your generosity: dozens and dozens of pair of eyeglasses are on their way to the Lions Club, and to those who need them!
The Census Bureau is hiring now and up to the 2020 Census. You must be 18 years old or older, a US citizen, have transportation, an email address, internet access to apply (you can use a computer here). Pay is $14 an hour + 58 cents a mile driven for the job. Part time, flexible hours. Paid training for 3-5 days. 2020census.gov/jobs
Kentucky Council of Churches Prayer in Action
This Tuesday: Environmental Concerns
The Final Prayer in Action for this session – 9:30 a.m. in the Capital Annex. The Kentucky Council of Churches will host a 9:30 a.m. gathering at the Capitol Annex in Room 171 to pray for legislators and hear about an issue of concern. Afterwards, participants may attend committee meetings and visit legislators.
You can watch live prayer 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.
Lent Opportunities
Beginning today – Settle Into Scripture! Sundays at 4:00p; Wednesdays at 8:30a. (beginning 3/13) in Cowan Chapel. For thirty minutes, Rev. Kent will lead the traditional Benedictine practice of Lectio Divina, a four-step process that treats scripture as a living word, rather than just a text to be studied. (Note: Sunday and Wednesday of each week will use the same scripture passage.) Also, watch Facebook for a virtual version of the weekly Lectio Divina.
Community Joy at Wednesday Nite Live! March 13—Game Night! Bring your favorite game to play after Wednesday Nite Live supper. All ages welcome.
Run Together! Couch to 5K: Thursdays 6-6:30p; Stephenson Trail. Ever wanted to train for a 5K? Let’s do it together. Bring the kids & the dog! Contact Laura with questions: joyfulsunflower@gmail.com / 859.358.0106 (text or call) or just show up!
Explore a Labyrinth! Sunday 3/17 and Sunday 3/31 at 1:30 in the Classroom. Carla Gilbert will lead this two-part series. The first session will focus on learning and conversation about the topic; during the second session, you will visit the new labyrinth at the Campus Christian Center. No registration necessary—just show up!
Love Our Young Neighbors With Cookies! Sunday 3/24 meet at 2:00 in the Community Room: We want to fill boxes with cookies and deliver them to the nearby dorms to remind them that they are loved by their Union Church neighbors. Bring cookies and help pack / deliver the care packages.
Reflect Through Photography! Use Facebook to share images representing the Lenten Word of the Day. Follow Union Church on Facebook and post your images.
Make Stuff Together! In the back of the sanctuary, you will find kits with simple knitting projects, started by the knitters among us. Pick one up during service,
follow the pattern, pray for the person who will receive the item, and sign the card when you leave it in the basket for the next person to continue.
Connect With Each Other! Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living. Virtual Book Group We will use a private Facebook group to read & discuss this book of essays by Shauna Niequest. Contact Laura to be added to the group: joyfulsunflower@gmail.com / 859.358.0106 (text or call).
Every Week—you’re invited!
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.
Wednesday Nite Live: The Union Church community gathers for a simple supper at 5:45 pm, September through May, in the Community Room (basement level, handicap accessible by ramp near the playground). 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. After supper:
· 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 announcements 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!
Fridays – Bridge Club, 1:30 pm in the Classroom. Call Doug Hindman, 582-5806 if interested.
Around Town and Notes & Notices
Sustainable Berea’s Victory Garden Blitz April 5 and 6! Can you help? Each year, the Victory Garden Blitz seeks to boost local food security by installing raised garden beds at discounted cost to low-income families, or beds for families who don’t have the ability to build their own. It also offers education to new gardeners.
We need 5-gallon buckets to transport soil for the Victory Garden Beds. Drop them at the Berea Urban Farm or at Union Church where Sustainable Berea can collect them. Scribble your name on the bucket if you want the bucket back!
We need volunteers to help install beds and we need trucks and trailers. All work will be done Friday from noon til 6 pm and Saturday 8 am to 2 pm. A REAL BLITZ this year!
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