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

Second Sunday of Lent March 16, 2014, 10:30 am

Meditation
For everything that lives is holy, life delights in life.

—William Blake

From there to here 

Welcome & Announcements
Prelude     Fugue in G Major       J.S. Bach
*  Call to Worship               written by Katherine Hawker
One:     For God so loved the world;
All:      The sparrows, the mountain lions, the fish and the people.
One:     For God so loved the world;
All:      In success and failure, in sickness and health, in mediocrity and extraordinary.
One:   For God so loved the world;
All:      Enough to become one of us, enough to suffer along with us, enough to offer new life for us.
One:     For God so loved the world;
All:      Let us worship God!
*  Hymn #24 Black             The God of Abraham Praise   Leoni
*  Prayer of Approach and Confession 
* Words of Assurance                    from Psalm 121
One:     We lift up our eyes to the hills — from where does our help come?
All:      Our help comes from the Lord, maker of heaven and earth!
One:     God is our keeper, and we are kept close to God’s heart, now and forever more.
All:      Thanks be to God!  Amen.
*  Passing the Peace of Jesus Christ
All who come to this sanctuary are welcome companions on this day. Please turn to those nearest you and greet them with words of peace.

the Word In our Midst

Anthems   Jesus Loves Me           Bradbury/Warner/McGuire  Joyful Noise Choir

[Japanese] Waga Shu esu, Waga Shu esu, Waga Shu esu, Ware o aisu.
Jesus loves me! This I know, for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to him belong; they are weak but he is strong.
Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me! The Bible tells me so. Jesus loves me! This I know, as he loved so long ago, taking children on his knee, saying, “Let them come to me.”

 I See You, God             Mark Burrows  Jubilee Choir

Who says you’re invisible? I see you all around. I see you in the starry sky and on the snowy ground. I see you in each tiny flower and in the tallest tree. I see you, God. You’re visible to me.
Who says you’re invisible? I see you everywhere. I see you in the gentle lamb and in the mighty bear. I see you in each drop of rain and in the deep blue sea. I see you, God. You’re visible to me.
I see you in a hand reached out in friendship. I see you in a baby’s smiling face. I see you when your people work together to make this world a better place.
Who says you’re invisible? I see you more and more. I see you in the miracles that stretch from shore to shore. I see you in the loving eyes of friends and family. I see you, God. You’re visible to me.
Hebrew Scripture Lesson                       Genesis 12:1-4a
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 Children’s Moment, Little Church for children Preschool & under is available in the Nursery, downstairs off the Fellowship Hall, and Children’s Church, for grades K-3, takes place in the chapel.  If this is your child’s first time attending Little Church or Children’s Church, please accompany them to fill out a registration form.  Otherwise, children are welcome to follow volunteers to their worship spaces.
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 you 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.
Psalm Reflection  “Saint Francis and the Sow”  Galway Kinnell
Gospel Lesson                              John 3:1-21
Sermon                         Justice and Joy: the Gospel of the Sow   Rev. Rachel Small Stokes

Gifts Given for love to flow

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. Your contribution is love made visible. Thank you.
Offertory  Canon J. Pachelbel
*  Doxology  Holy Ground   Christopher Beatty
These are holy hands
God’s given us holy hands
God works through these hands
And so these hands are holy
These are holy hands
God’s given us holy hands
God works through these hands
And so these hands are holy

Connecting the dots and praying it forward

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.
Silent Prayer and Prayers of the Community
Our Lord’s Prayer
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 

*  Closing Hymn #57 Black            O Holy Spirit, Root of Life      Puer Nobis Nascitur
*  Benediction         
*  Benediction Response     We Will Walk with God           Sizohamba naye
 
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 Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam and our brothers and sisters at Blue Lick Missionary Baptist Church in your hearts, and pray for them.  Please also hold these concerns in your prayers, today and throughout the week:
 
* Those in harm’s way in the service of our country and all those who wait and worry for them.
* Judy Royalty,  recovering from surgery
* The family of Harry Piland, at his death. Arrangements pending
* Charles Sisson, at Myrna’s death
* Ashley Cochrane’s mom, Mary Ellen Cochrane, recovering from double knee replacement
* Sandra Bastinelli, friend of Joan English
* Peggy Coyne’s daughter’s future mother-in-law, Jan Dailey-Hosp, awaiting a lung transplant
* Teri VanPelt and Christine Ward. Teri had surgery to try to control her back pain
* Dick Drake, recovering from a fall at home
* Judy Rowell , undergoing cancer treatment and doing well
* Greg Bolster, Steve’s brother, gravely ill with cancer
* Michelle Tooley, with recurrence of melanoma
* Nancy Jones
* Naomi Brandenburg, Larry’s mother,      recovering at home after hip replacement
* Our church family members in nursing homes: Rose Brandenburg, Edith Hansen, Klara Welsh, Bernice Robertson
* Naomi Schulz, in seminary in Berkeley, CA.
* Joy Frazier, at the death of her brother, in Florida
* Lark and Evan, friends of Willie Dodson, for Evan’s health issues
* Mark Pettis and Elena Larssen, expecting a baby in July
* Melissa Zook and family, at the sudden death of her cousin, Terry
* Rhonda Owens, in the loss of her mother
* Marlene Payne’s niece, Sarah, her daughter, Reldy, and grand daughter, Lola

Interested in exploring membership with Union Church? Next week, the 23rd, and each Fourth Sunday of the Month anyone wanting to know more about Union Church or wanting to explore church membership, as well as new members who have not been able to participate in a previous meeting, are invited to come to the classroom two doors past the church office immediately following worship for conversation with the Pastors and the Community Life and Growth Board.  Bring your plate from the Lenten Lunch and visit! New members are received on the Second Sundays of the month.

Have you seen the new Mission & Service bulletin board? Check our Jessica Holly’s work, showing some of the projects our Mission & Service Board has undertaken! It’s on the Prospect St. side of the building, inside the door closer to the parking lot.

Sign up now on the Union Church website for these great Lenten Opportunities: www.union-church.org/lent2014

Healthy Aging: Living Well and Blue Zones, Wednesday, March 26th, 12-2pm, Fellowship Hall. Explore the lifestyle characteristics that contribute to longevity and abundant living with nurse coach Carla Baumann.  We’ll have a lunch of locally-sourced chicken chili and vegetarian options, and a great presentation with resources on how to live well and live long.  Learn about what the healthiest elders in the world (people in the Blue Zones) are doing right.
Healing Through Art Retreat, March 28-29th, Friday 6:30pm-9pm, Saturday 9am-8pm, Chapel and Fellowship Hall.   There are things that art can speak that no words can.  Join Michelle Hayden and Rev. Rachel on a journey of creating a safe vessel in which to place our pain, and finding a safe place in which to begin to heal it. We will meet Friday night and all day Saturday create and to share our creations.  Bring a box or vessel that you want to use (we also have lots of awesome cigar boxes), as well as food for a potluck Friday night. $20 Materials fee suggested, but no one is turned away for lack of payment.
Sing a Resurrection Song!  Lenten challenge from the choir: If you like to sing but do not want to commit full time to the choir, we are in need of extra voices for Holy Week and Easter. We would love to have you come to practices through Lent and swell our voices during that time of special lament and praise. If you cannot  make Thursday night practices, we are now meeting at 9:15 am on Sunday mornings for a full hour then, and there will also be one Sunday afternoon choir workshop during Lent. Call Gina Chamberlain at 985-9526.
Lenten Communion Each Sunday… Communion is an important practice that symbolizes our bind both with God and the healing presence of Christ. During Lent communion will be offered at the altar following the postlude for any who would like to receive that special reminder for their weekly journey. You need not be a member of this church or any church to participate.

Join Us For Lunches Today and Every Sunday in Lent! — You are invited to the Community Room immediately following worship for Lenten Lunch! Donations go toward our church’s operating budget, but all are welcome with or without the ability to make a contribution. Good food, good fellowship, good cause.

161st Annual Meeting after Church! As ministers of the church, all members help make decisions and guide our way. The Church’s annual meeting is an important gathering to help focus our prayers and energy for the coming year, elect officers, and bring new business before the body. Come for worship, stay for lunch and our meeting. We will install newly elected board members at the end of the meeting. Reports for the meeting are available in the church vestibules today.
Empty Bowls March 19, 5:30 to 7 p.m.  Members of the Berea community will have the opportunity to help address hunger by purchasing a simple meal of soup and a hand-made bowl from the Berea College Ceramic Apprenticeship Program or donated by local potters. The Empty Bowls event will take place in the Woods-Penniman Building. The idea behind the Empty Bowls Dinner is simple: in exchange for $10 you will be served a meal of soup in a ceramic bowl that you keep as a reminder of all the empty bowls in the world.
All of the money collected will go to fight local and regional hunger through donations to the Berea Community Food Bank and other local food banks. The event is co-sponsored by the Berea College Center for Excellence in Learning through Service (CELTS) and the Berea College Ceramic Apprenticeship Program. To learn more about the Empty Bowls Project, please visit www.emptybowls.net.
KFTC Pie Auction!! Mark your calendars for our chapter’s annual Pie Auction and music fundraising event! This year’s event will be held on Friday, March 21, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. in the Community Room. We’ll ask for small donation for admission, but no one will be turned away; a homemade pie for the auction could also serve as admission. The Down Home Divas will provide us with great music and stories, and Rev. Kent will be the lively auctioneer. We will be raising money for KFTC and for an organization working to supply clean water to people in West Virginia who’ve been impacted by recent chemical spills.
The Loyal Jones Appalachian Center is proud to present Barbara Bates Smith in IVY ROWE, a one-woman play based on Lee Smith’s beloved classic, FAIR AND TENDER LADIES.  Free and open to the public on Tuesday, March 25, 6pm, in the gallery of the Loyal Jones Appalachian Center.