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

Sixth Sunday of Easter

May 17, 2020  10:30 am

 
Meditation
 
“I think there is no suffering greater than what is caused by the doubts of those who want to believe. I know what torment this is, but I can only see it, in myself anyway, as the process by which faith is deepened. What people don’t realize is how much religion costs. They think faith is a big electric blanket, when of course it is the cross. It is much harder to believe than not to believe.” ―Flannery O’Connor

From there to here: we Gather

Welcome
Welcome to this service of worship!  As the Berea community responds to the governor’s suggestion to avoid gathering in large groups, we worship online to limit the risk of exposure to Covid-19. We’re delighted to welcome you into this virtual circle of God’s healing love and light.
The Call Covenant (excerpt) Diana Butler Bass Robert Rorrer
i thought it would be easier
march, call, convince, prod,
to make america grateful again,
for people to wake,
for the spirit to wash away the stains,
things done and things left undone
to persevere in resisting evil
erecting towers is not hard
building walls child’s play
marking boundaries,
piercing the sky and breaking the heart of the Earth, any fool can do these things,
destruction is easy
deliver us, good lord
resurrections take time
and, even longer, cleansing,
repentance, redemption, reconciliation
i thought it would be easier
this waking people: dreams haunt;
fewer tears, perhaps,
less profanity certainly
even more marching
Salty cheek and tongue,
worn shoe leather
Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?
We have only just begun to save our world
and We will, with God’s help
Passing the Peace at Home
Building the Community: News that Connects Us

The Living Word among us

Special Music Shall We Gather at the River arr. B. Childers Pearl Marshall, Handbells
Lesson from Acts of the Apostles Acts 17:22-31 Amy Williams, Reader
Then Paul stood in front of the Areopagus and said, ‘Athenians, I see how extremely religious you are in every way. For as I went through the city and looked carefully at the objects of your worship, I found among them an altar with the inscription, “To an unknown god.” What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it, he who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by human hands, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mortals life and breath and all things. From one ancestor he made all nations to inhabit the whole earth, and he allotted the times of their existence and the boundaries of the places where they would live, so that they would search for God and perhaps grope for him and find him—though indeed he is not far from each one of us. For “In him we live and move and have our being”; as even some of your own poets have said,
“For we too are his offspring.”
Since we are God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the deity is like gold, or silver, or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of mortals. While God has overlooked the times of human ignorance, now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will have the world judged in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.’
Children’s Moment
Epistle Lesson  1 Peter 3:13-22 Ellen Mink, Reader
Now who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good? But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear, and do not be intimidated, but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence. Keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if suffering should be God’s will, than to suffer for doing evil.
For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water.
And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you—not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him.
Sermon One Blood, One Life, One River of Love 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.
A Chance for Generosity: www.easytithe.com/union
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 portion of our contributions flows out to aid 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!
Offering Music
Silent Reflection and Prayer
Center yourself, either now or sometime today, and breathe deeply and peacefully.

• Today, just today, let us sink into the awareness of oneness. This may take a few breaths, or it may take a long walk later. In this prayer, try to imagine blurring the lines between you and the other physical objects around you. Feel the matter of your heart, the matter of the stone, and the matter of the air to be variations of the same substance. Immerse in this feeling: you are part of all that is, all that God created. One substance, united and beloved. One in pain and promise. Focus your prayers with the feeling and insight this lends you.

Our Prayers for Others
You are very welcome to email or phone prayer requests to the office for the bulletin. Please do so by 10 am Thursdays, and be sure you have permission to share the information.
¨ 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 Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal and our brothers and sisters at Gethsemane Baptist Church in our hearts, and pray for them. Please hold these concerns in your prayers, today and throughout the week.
¨ Families and Friends in Crises…may God be present to every need and heal every rift and wound and those who care for them.
¨ Marie, Dorie Hubbard’s kindergarten aged great grand-niece, who has had a recurrence of cancer and is back in treatment.
¨ Edith Hansen, whose health is declining.
¨ Cheryl Stone, recovering from back surgery.
¨ John Wylie, recovering from open heart surgery.
¨ Tom Warth, who has broken his hip in a fall.
¨ Lorilyn Howie-Kipphut, for family members dealing with illness and turmoil.
¨ Emily Hoskins, who is pregnant and has gestational diabetes.
¨ Amanda Chao Benbasset and Corey Chao, both of whose families are expecting babies this summer.
¨ Our graduates! Congratulations to you all!
¨ Our church family members in nursing homes, or who are homebound: Alva Peloquin, Nancy Hindman, Loyal Jones, Jennie Kiteck, Mary Miller, Lois Morgan, Barb Smith, Tom Warth.
¨ Children in detention centers, that they may be reunited with their families soon.
¨ George Mountjoy, living with cancer.
¨ Those affected by the Covid-19 virus, their families and friends living with fear, anxiety, and feelings of isolation, may God bring peace to all who love them; and our wider community as we cope with the new realities of living.
Prayers of the People
When We Are Too Busy       Bob Shaffer from his book Heartfelt Prayers
We thank you for the sense of sight, sound, touch, and smell with which we greet the coming of spring.
We also thank you for the delicate signals that try to tell us when we are too busy , too distracted, or too engrossed in our work to pay attention to the unhurried opening of buds; the increasing bird songs; and the warmth of the sun on our faces; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
We pray today for those for whom the coming of spring brings little delight: those who feel ensnared in careers or relationships; those who feel rejected or lonely in school, family, or neighborhood; those whose strength is sapped by persistent illness; those who lack their normal zest for living; those who feel they have nothing to look forward to.
Help them to throw open the winter-closed windows of their lives so the freshening breezes of your spirit may blow through, removing all that is stale, dusty, and dead, bringing new life and hope; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
We pray now for one another and all the persons bound to us by fine, invisible threads: for grown children who need to forgive parents for their real or perceived failures; for parents who watch as negative influences beyond their control undermine the values they want their children to share; for grandparents who have stopped trying to bridge the gap between the world as they knew it and the one in which their grandchildren must live and grow.
Let all who face these and similar challengers find people whose hard-won wisdom can help them live creatively with new realities.
Let those known to us who are sick or hurting sense your healing presence; the lonely, your companionship; the exhausted, your restorative strength; the bereaved, your comfort.
This we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord,
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 In the Bulb There Is a Flower Promise Steve Bolster, singer
The Sending & Blessing Rev. Kent Gilbert
Postlude I Surrender trad. Pam Perry
Announcements
For the latest information regarding COVID-19 visit Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services’ website:   https://chfs.ky.gov/agencies/dph/pages/covid19.aspx (updated daily)  COVID-19 Hotline (800) 722-5725. The City of Berea has information at its website as well: https://bereaky.gov/covid19/
Poor Peoples’ Campaign Facebook Watch Party Monday, May 18, 2 pm, hosted by Sean Mack. There is a very special opportunity for you to put your prayers into action and help strive for social justice! The Kentucky Poor People’s Campaign has reached out to the Mission and Service Board and requested we organize an online presence for their “Digital Speak Out” event at 2 pm on Monday May 18^th. For those of you who don’t know, The Kentucky Poor People’s Campaign is part of a national movement called Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival. This movement, which is named after the movement Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. organized in the months leading up to his assassination, is picking up where Reverend King and his team left off. The movement aims to combat the evils of systemic racism, poverty, ecological destruction, militarism and the war economy, and the distorted moral narrative of religious nationalism.
There are a few different ways you can get involved with this upcoming event at 2 pm on Monday, May 18^th.

• Join the Zoom meeting in which the protest is occurring. You can register here.
• Join a Facebook Watch Party Hosted by the Union Church Facebook Page. If you don’t have Facebook, you can still watch the protest, simply click on the link that will be provided the day of the protest.

If you are interested in getting involved, please reach out to me at macks@berea.edu
Sincerely,
Your Social Justice Intern
Sean Mack
Links:
Zoom Registration: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdsKjhuNZtTTLxcLjga3qnzUDKGFjDwmZMfisWjFtRCBkzkYA/viewform
Union Church Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/UnionChurchBerea/
Blood Drive May 19! Appointment only. Call 800-775-2522 or online: https://my.kybloodcenter.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/71784
Help Needed Prepping Lunches for Berea Kids! A group of hard-working volunteers prepare and hand out bagged lunches from 12 – 2 every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at Berea Community School. They need help on those days between 11 and 12 to prepare the bags. It’s a labor-intensive job, so any volunteers need to be able to stay physically busy for an hour, and must not fall into any high-risk COVID-19 categories. (Over age 60, compromised immunity, etc). Can you help? If so, contact Laura at joyfulsunflower @gmail.com or 859-358-0106 (text or call).
Be a part of the Union Church “Share Force!” We are hoping to be a source of light and community to more and more people. You can help by simply reposting worship announcements, sharing that you are watching (or about to watch), or posting clips from Union Church services that were meaningful to you. Post on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! Thank you!
Thank you to all who have written and commented! We have received so much support and comments on the church work of recent weeks. Union Church viewership is growing substantially, and so are the wonderful comments and notes people are sending. Rev. Kent is trying to get back to everyone just as soon as possible with many apologies for any delay. If you have an urgent need, don’t hesitate to call the church office or put “Urgent” in your email subject line! We want to connect!
Spring is Springing! New Life Abounds! If you would like to visit Debbonnaire Kovacs’ new baby goat and baby chicks, call her at 859-779-0793 to set a time to visit the barn.
More Inclusion of More Union Church Family! To build and support our sense of community with each other we would like to invite you and any other members of your household to be a part of leading worship through video. We would like to showcase as many as 3 households per service. You record a video in your house of a scripture or prayer provided by Rev. Kent, then we will use it in our broadcast! All instructions provided! Use the comment form on the website to indicate your interest and someone from worship board will be in touch! Musicians this can include offerings from you, too! We are all in this together.
Tune in! Union Church is sponsoring the ringing of 10 am bells for Kentucky on 100.7fm the Coyote and 106.7fm the Pinnacle! #teamkentucky!
Thanks for those who are making facemasks! We now have a supply we can make available by mail to anyone who needs them. Please contact the office if you would like to have one or more sent to you, and if you would like to join in making some. We’d love to have pictures of our makers. Please send us a photo to share with and inspire others!
Nightly Live Story! Join Rev. Kent and Rev. Diana on Facebook for a story and song every night. In these hard times, and maybe stuck at home, here’s a chance to gather around a story. They are good for any of us, young or old. So grab your blanket, favorite stuffed animal, and snuggle in!
Use this link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/UCstorytime/
Digital Deacons and Tech Operators needed:  Can you help on Sunday mornings? We need folks to help with our online ministry — audio, video, and to serve as “social media host” – to respond online during the service to people who check in. Also needed – a person with video editing skills. Let Rev. Kent know! kgilbert@union-church.org. Also, with fewer announcements the service begins promptly at 10:30. Tune in early so you don’t miss anything!!!
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter: https://www.facebook.com/UnionChurchBerea/ , unionchurchbereaky on Instagram, and on twitter: @UnionChurchKY This is a great way to get the latest news and inspiration as we care for one another.
Betty Sarafin is looking for an apartment to rent in Berea by mid-May. Please call her if you have a lead! 412-498-7598.