A Gathering in Worship Offered by the People of the Church of Christ, Union
10:30 am Fourth Sunday of Lent Pretzel Sunday
Meditation
If you pay attention, You will catch a glimpse of the circle that love was meant to be.
~ Rev. Sarah Are (excerpt from “Flipping Tables”
From There to Here: We Gather
Prelude
Welcome
¨ Call to Worship Rhonda Edwards, Reader
One: Before we were born,
All: Before we took our first breath,
One: Before the week started,
All: Before the year started,
One: Before we said, “I love you,”
All: Before we said, “I’m sorry,”
One: Before we figured out who we really are,
All: Before we figured out who we want to be,
One: Before it all—
All: God loved us.
One: Unconditionally and freely,
All: Fully and honestly—
One: God loved us.
All: Again and again, this is where our story begins.
One: Let us worship God!
¨ Hymn I Want Jesus to Walk with Me Walk with Me
Reprinted with permission using OneLicense #A-723786
¨ Prayer of Approach and Confession
One: God of love, In a season of reflection we seek to know where we are rooted, but not all answers are easy to bear.
All: Our narrative, begun in blessing from you and in the goodness refrain of creation, has many tangled branches. We cross you and one another; we bring forth buds of division, and not of peace. Our souls leaf out in self-recrimination that is fruitless and in vengeful retribution that does nothing to stem the suffering. Not of ourselves, not of our neighbors.
One: So we pause to remember that first there is you, and that you are love.
We stop, and remember, that out of that love you created us.
We come humbly hoping to recover that very first day in our souls when you loved first.
All: Forgive our forgetting.
Forgive our resistance to love, for self and for all.
Forgive our hesitation to trust that even we could be made good.
Forgive us and help us write new beginnings that root our very being in your unrelenting love.
With hope we pray, again and again. Amen.
¨ Words of Assurance
One: Family of faith, no matter what we do, where we go, or what we tell ourselves— God is love, and God is loving us into a loving shape for such a time as this.
All: Again and again, we are claimed, held, forgiven and transformed by God’s grace.
One: Thanks be to God for a love like that! All: Amen!
¨ 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.
Word and Worship
Anthem Ave Verum Corpus Mozart Union Church Choir and Cello
Ave verum corpus, natum de Maria Virgine, vere passum, immolatum in cruce pro homine. Cujus latus performatum unda fluzit et sanguine; esto nobis praegustatum in mortis examine.
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.
Sung Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22, p. 693
The psalms were originally musical compositions. During Lent we will pray the psalms in musical form. You are invited to sing the response when invited, at the “R” if using the hymnal.
Scripture Reading John 3:14-21
And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.
For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.”
Sermon Seeking the Virtuous Circle Rev. Kent Gilbert
Video Reflection
Living Prayer
Call to 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.
Offertory Talk About Traditional Union Church Orchestra
A Chance for Generosity: www.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 www.easytithe.com/union. No registration required, but registering once makes future generosity 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!
Prayer and Reflection Questions
Take a moment in prayer, and after centering in the sure and certain love of God, risk a look at virtuous circles and negative spirals in your life. Knowing that blessings beget blessings, center in gratitude for those that are holding you up. Can you pass them forward? Can you lift up something or someone to create an upward trend? Ask for what you need to make first steps. Be specific. Expect a sign. Where do you think you should look first? And then?
¨ Kyrie
In this season of Lent, we come together in prayer with the beautiful chant of “Kyrie Eleison,” meaning “God, have mercy on us,” and “Christe Eleison,” meaning “Christ have mercy.” You are invited to sing back the phrase after the cantor, prayerfully remembering that God’s mercy is a gift of love, freely given to us.
¨ Community Prayer Rhonda Edwards, Reader
God of the here and now— We have heard the words, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only son,” time and time again. We have read them on billboards, heard them in worship, and seen them on signs.
But there is a difference between hearing those words In passing and truly knowing they were meant for us, and for blessing. We long to listen to your love, God, and we long to hear your truth, and be part of the circle of blessing you build. We pray this day to open our hearts and minds, heal our bodies and spirits.
Lift us with the mending and tending that only your love can make possible. We pray for our friends, and we pray for community, and yes, we pray for ourselves: set us all on spirals of grace, working ever nearer to you. We are listening, Lord, for all that love demands. Give us yet all we need to serve such love well.
¨ 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.
From Here to There
¨ Hymn #223 What Wondrous Love Is This Wondrous Love
What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul
What wondrous love is this, O my soul
What wondrous love is this that caused the Lord of bliss
To bear the heavy cross for my soul, for my soul
To bear the heavy cross for my soul!
To God and to the Lamb, I will sing, I will sing
To God and to the Lamb, I will sing
To God and to the Lamb, who is the great I Am
While millions join the theme, I will sing, I will sing
While millions join the theme, I will sing
And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on
And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing on
And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing and joyful be
And through eternity, I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on
And through eternity, I’ll sing on
Community Connections
Announcements
We share opportunities for Beloved Community and ways to serve. Please see the listing of church & community evens, prayers, and notices in the pages following the service.
Lighting the Justice Candle to Lead us Forth
Berta Cáceres: Honduran Environmental Activist Who Inspired a Movement. Berta Cáceres, a woman of unwavering courage, unyielding determination, and fierce advocacy for environmental justice, left an indelible mark on the landscape of activism. She emerged as a beacon of hope for indigenous communities fighting against the encroachment of multinational corporations on their land and resources.
Berta belonged to the indigenous Lenca people. One of her most prominent battles was against the Agua Zarca Dam project, which threatened to displace indigenous communities and irreversibly damage the Gualcarque River, a vital water source for the Lenca people. Despite facing threats and intimidation, Cáceres fearlessly led protests, legal campaigns, and grassroots organizing efforts to oppose the dam. Her leadership was instrumental in garnering international attention and support for the cause.
In 2015, Cáceres was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize for her relentless activism and successful efforts to halt the Agua Zarca Dam project. The prestigious award brought global recognition to her work and amplified the voices of indigenous communities fighting against environmental degradation and social injustice.
A target of money and power, Berta was assassinated in her home by unknown assailants in March of 2016. Eight years after her death, her legacy remains as potent as ever. Her memory serves as a reminder of the ongoing struggle for environmental justice and the need to protect those who defend the earth and its inhabitants. As the fight against climate change and environmental degradation intensifies, Berta Cáceres’ spirit lives on in the hearts of activists who continue to champion her vision of a more just and sustainable world.
¨ Benediction The God of Second Chances David Haas
Those who are able & willing are invited to fill the aisles as we sing the Benediction Response together. If you’re at home or in the balcony, you are part of the embrace too. The embrace is as wide as God’s love!
Leave a Reply