A Gathering in Worship Offered by the People of the Church of Christ, Union
Transfiguration Sunday March 2, 2014, 10:30 am
Meditation
“But if the life will not be easy, it will be rich and satisfying…sharing in the great common task of bringing…that decent way of life which is the foundation of freedom and a condition of peace.”
—President John F. Kennedy in his announcement
of the establishment of the Peace Corps
From there to here
Welcome & Announcements
Prelude
* Call to Worship
One: Have you come to retreat from the world, to find your rest, and strength?
All: We come to be transformed.
One: Have you come to be inspired, refined, and blessed in your heart’s work?
All: We come seeking the light of God.
One: Are you ready to seek company with God and with each other; seeking peace, will you offer justice? Hungering for action, will you offer Sabbath rest?
All: We come to be challenged and changed; we come to deepen and to be blessed.
One: Then let us with different needs and voices, raise our worship to our one and holy God!
* Hymn #17 Black To You, O God, All Creatures Sing Lasst Uns Erfreun
* Prayer of Approach and Confession
* Words of Assurance
* 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
Anthem Order My Steps Glenn Burleigh
Union Church Choir
Order my steps in your Word, dear Lord, lead me, guide me every day. Send your anointing, Father, I pray. Order my steps in your Word.
Humbly I ask Thee, teach me your will, while You are working, help me keep still. Though Satan is busy, God is real!
I want to walk worthy, my calling to fulfill. Please order my steps Lord and I’ll do your blessed will. The world is ever changing but you are still the same. If you order my steps, I’ll praise Your name.
Order my steps in your Word, order my tongue in our Word; guide my feet in your Word, wash my heart in your Word. Show me how to walk in your Word, show me how to talk in your Word.
When I need a brand new song to sing, show me how to let Your praises ring, in your Word.
Hebrew Scripture Lesson Exodus 24:12-18
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.
Gospel Lesson Matthew 17:1-9
Sermon Working for Chump Change Rev. Kent Gilbert
Hymn of Response Christ, Be Our Light England
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
* Doxology Avery/Marsh
Connecting the dots and praying it forward
* Invitation to Communion
One: God be with you!
All: And also with you!
One: Lift up your hearts.
All: We lift them up to God.
One: Let us give thanks to God.
All: It is right to give God thanks and praise.
One: As we come to this table, we are reminded that this is not the table of this congregation, nor is it the table of any particular denomination. It is the table of Jesus Christ, the family feast of the whole people of God.
One: All who seek to be nourished and sustained in the journey of faith, and long to live justly and in peace with their neighbor, are welcome here. So come, all of you. Come not because you must, but come because you may. Let us eat and drink together for our strengthening in the faith, and for the sake of the world.
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 Kiyosato, Japan and is also rung in the hope of peace for all nations.
Communion Prayer and Words of Institution adapted from United Church of Canada liturgy
One: Creator of light, Giver of all life, Source of love: You guide the sun, cradle the moon, and toss the stars. At your word the earth was made and spun on its course among the planets.
One: You breathe life into us and set us among all your creatures in a covenant of love and service. Even when we turn away from you, you do not forsake us. You send your prophets to proclaim your justice, to remind us of your promises of peace, and to call us back to you.
One: Creator, Christ and Spirit, we praise you for your love revealed to us in Jesus, who walks with us, our Wisdom and our Way, sharing our joy and sorrow, healing the sick, feeding the hungry, and setting the captive free. So it is that we join the song of all creation to proclaim your goodness:
Sanctus #795 Black Please Join in Singing
Communion Prayer, con’t.
One: Mighty and tender God, in Jesus of Nazareth we recognize the fullness of your grace: light, life and love, revealed:
All: in words that confront and comfort us, in teachings that challenge and change us, in compassion that heals and frees us.
One: And now we gather at this table to remember and to be filled with such longing for your realm, that we may rise together to turn our worship into witness and to follow in your way.
One: We remember that when Jesus ate with his friends, he took a loaf of bread and, after blessing it, he broke it and gave it to them, saying,
All: “Take, eat. This is my body, given for you. Each time you do this, remember me.”
One: Then he took a cup and, after giving thanks, passed it to his friends, saying:
All: “Drink. This cup that is poured out for you is the promise of God, made in my blood. Whenever you drink it, remember me.”
One: In this moment we also remember all with whom you would have us share your feast.
[Intercessions are offered. As the worship leaders bid us to remember those who cannot be physically present at our table, please join in the prayer by speaking the names of those you know who are in need, either silently or with voice.]
One: Therefore, Holy God, we beg for your spirit. Enliven this bread, awaken this body, pour us out for each other. Transfigure our minds, ignite your church, nourish the life of the earth.
One: Make us, while many, united. Make us, though broken, whole. Make us, despite death, alive.
One: Gathered in this place of hope and yearning is the bread and cup of promise; the body and blood of covenant; the symbol and action of love. Promise-maker: they are broken and shared for this world and for its people. And so we cry: Come, Holy Spirit!
All: Come, Holy Spirit!
One: Bless this bread and this cup that we may boldly and joyously embody the life and ministry of Jesus, becoming and body of compassion and risk in your service.
Serving One Another
All who seek the love of God are welcome at this table and are invited to freely receive from it. By tradition, unfermented grape juice is used in the cup on Sunday mornings. We will share the elements today by intinction, dipping the bread in the cup. When invited please come to one of the stations by exiting your pew to the left and returning by the right. If it is not convenient to come forward, the elements can be brought to your seat by signaling to the usher. If it is not your tradition to receive, you are invited to join in prayers for the unity of the Spirit within your tradition. You may remain in you seat, or you may come forward for a blessing, as you wish.
Communion Music Praise to the Lord (words # 43 Red)
Union Church Bell Choir
Blessing for Those Who Will Receive at Home
Members who have been designated to carry communion to those who could not be with us this morning are invited forward at this time. The bread and juice from our meal will go with our blessing and prayers for our continued unity in the Spirit. If you would like serve by taking communion to others, you are very welcome to do so and are invited to volunteer
Prayer of Thanksgiving
One: God of the watching ones, the waiting ones, the slow and suffering ones, the angels in heaven, the child in the womb:
All: This is the path of life, among the shadows of the world, finding the moments of hope, amid the rising of the cross. May our hands cup the grain, our lives bear the faith, our souls grip the truth, our hearts trust the promise. May God’s steadfast love be our travelling companion.
From here to there
* Closing Hymn #182 Black We Have Come at Christ’s Own Bidding Hyfrydol
* Benediction
Postlude
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 Austria, Lichtenstein, Switzerland, Andorra, Monaco and San Marino and our brothers and sisters at Grace 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.
* We rejoice and give thanks to God for the gift of love-in-commitment and celebrate Kentucky’s legal recognition of those same-gendered marriages performed out of state.
* AnnaKate McWhorter, having some health problems
* Jerry Cooper, recovering from a broken hip at Cardinal Hill. Cards can be sent to him at Cardinal Hill, 2050 Versailles Rd., Lexington, 40504. Visits welcome after 4:00 pm.
* Beulah Mays, Melissa Neal’s mother, recovering at home from emergency surgery
* Judy Royalty, recovering from surgery
* Harry Piland, hospitalized with pneumonia
* Alice Jeannette Heckman, on hospice care
* 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 has surgery to try to control her back pain
* Dick Drake, recovering from a fall at home
* Ethan Hamblin’s grandmother, Geraldine Sandlin, very ill with COPD
* Judy Rowell , undergoing cancer treatment and doing well
* Greg Bolster, Steve’s brother, gravely ill with cancer
* Michelle Tooley, with recurrence of melanoma
* 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
* Helen Connelly will turn 90 on March 4 – can we send her 90 cards??? Her address is 102 Crescent Dr., Berea.
Interested in joining Union Church? Next week, March 9, is a Second Sunday, when new members are received. If you’d like to join Union Church, you are welcome to come forward at the close of worship. 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.
Pancake brunch for Mardi Gras!!The Third Annual Mardi Gras Pancake Brunch will take place today, March 2, in the Community Room immediately following worship. The past two years the proceeds have helped support the delegations to Jamaica and El Salvador. This year the proceeds will assist the youth going to Passport Camp this summer. Pancakes (including gluten free) and all the toppings, plus sausage, juice and coffee will be on the menu. Suggested donation of $5.00/person with a maximum for families of $15.00. Brought to you by the Youth Groups and Community Life & Growth Board.
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, March 5. We will observe it with a service at 7:00 pm in Cowan Chapel. Its name comes from the ancient practice of placing ashes on worshippers’ heads or foreheads as a sign of humility before God, a symbol of mourning and sorrow at the death that sin brings into the world. It not only prefigures the mourning at the death of Jesus, but also places the worshipper in a position to realize the consequences of sin. Ash Wednesday is a somber day of reflection on what needs to change in our lives if we are to be fully Christian.
Lenten lunches begin next week! Right after worship in the Community Room. As has become a Union Church tradition, lunch following worship will be served during Lent through April 6. The members of the various Boards collaborate to prepare lunch for the five Sundays.
The Berea City Council will hold a work session on Tuesday, March 4 at 4:30pm to discuss the proposed amendments to the city’s non-discrimination ordinance. These amendments include adding sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend this public meeting. It will be held in council chambers in the Berea Police & Municipal Building at 304 Chestnut St. Contact Kate Grigg with Bereans for Fairness for more info: 708) 341-0916.
We are preparing for an art project as a Day of Lament, and we need your old crockery to break! If you can donate an item to the service of breaking and making whole, please bring it to the church office.
Got trains? The preschool Sunday School has a large number of train tracks and a bunch of kids who love trains, but we don’t have enough train cars to go around on Sunday mornings. They are the little train cars that fit on little wooden tracks (like in Thomas the Train sets). If you have any old train cars which your children have outgrown, the preschoolers would be so grateful to play with them.
Clothing Swap, Friday, March 7, 6:00—7:30 , Community Room. Clean out your closet and bring everything you no longer want to the clothing swap. Donate $10 and take what you need from the piles. Fundraiser for Union Church Youth Group.
Union Church’s Annual Meeting will be March 16, after Worship & Lenten Lunch. If you are a chairperson of a Board or Committee, please get your Annual Reports to the office tomorrow, March 3. Copies of last year’s Report are in the hallway outside the church office, and several years’ worth are emailable if you’d like to see what’s been done in the past. Thanks!
50th Anniversary March: The ACLU of Kentucky, along with the other members of the Allied Organizations for Civil Rights, proudly announces the upcoming 50th Anniversary Civil Rights March on Frankfort. The commemorative march will be from 10:00 to 11:00 AM and the rally will be from 11 to 12:15 (Eastern Standard Time), Wednesday, March 5, 2014. Gather at the corner of 2nd Street and Capital Avenue in Frankfort at 9:30 a.m. to line up in order to proceed to the State Capitol, 700 Capital Ave., Frankfort, Ky. Please call the church office if you think you might like to offer or join a carpool.
Living with Alzheimer’s For Caregivers: Late Stages. In the late stage of Alzheimer’s disease, caregiving typically involves new ways of connecting and interacting with the person with the disease. Join us and hear from professionals about resources, monitoring care and providing meaningful connection for the person with late stage Alzheimer’s and their families. This program will take place at the Madison County Cooperative Extension Office located at 230 Duncannon Lane, Richmond from 1pm-4pm on Wednesday, March 12th. To register, call 1-800- 272-3900 or email infoky-in@alz.org. This program was created especially for family caregivers, so please no professionals.
FREE Tax Preparation!!!! Did you know that families and individuals who make under $52,000 are eligible to get to get their taxes done for FREE? There is a location for this service on Berea’s campus open to students, staff and the community. To schedule an appointment call Tracy Featherly at (859) 985-3276 and if you have any questions, ask Grace McKenzie. (P.S. This site can also help you complete your FAFSA if you are interested in going to college.)
Fundraising Concert Sunday, March 16, 3:00 p.m., for the May, 2014 Berea College Concert Choir International Performance Tour to Spain and Portugal Gray Auditorium, Presser Music Building featuring choral music by the Concert Choir and Chamber Singers, and solo vocal music by members of the choirs Stephen Bolster, conductor. Tickets required, and available at the following price levels: Berea Student $5, Supporter $10, Friend $25, and up. Tickets may be purchased beginning Monday, March 10 from choir members, at the College Bookstore, and the Music Office in Presser Hall or by calling the Music Office (859)985-3466 weekdays until March 14.
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