A Gathering in Worship Offered by the People of the Church of Christ, Union
November 23, 2025 10:30 am
Proper 29 of the Season after Pentecost
Meditation
“Living life in touch with divine spirit lets us see the light of love in all living beings. That light is a resurrecting life force.” ~ bell hooks
From There to Here: We Gather
Welcome
Welcome to this service of worship! 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! During the service, you are invited to rise in body or in spirit, standing or sitting, at points in the service marked “<>.”
¨ The Call Dr. Pam Chabora, Reader
One: Holy God, our refuge and strength, you have redeemed your scattered children, gathering us from all the corners of the earth.
All: Make of us a just and righteous people, worthy by grace to inherit the kin-dom of light and peace.
One: Holy God, you rescue us from our enemies, that we may serve you without fear.
All: Strengthen us, that we may share in the inheritance of the saints in your kin-dom of light.
One: Holy God, we rejoice in seeing the light of love in all living beings.
All: Instill in us the resurrecting life force that honors and proclaims that God has made of one blood all peoples of the earth.
¨ Hymn #422 Come, O Thankful People, Come St. George’s Windsor
- Come, O thankful people, come, raise the song of harvest home; all is safely gathered in as the winter storms begin; God our Maker does provide for our wants to be supplied; come to God’s own temple come, raise the song of harvest home.
- All the blessings of the field, all the stores the gardens yield, all the fruits in full supply, ripened ‘neath the summer sky, All that spring with bounteous hand scatters o’er the smiling land, all that liberal autumn pours from its rich o’erflowing stores.
- These to you, our God, we owe, source from whom all blessings flow; and for these our songs we raise, grateful vows and solemn praise. Come, then, thankful people come, raise the song of harvest home. Come to God’s own temple, come, raise the song of harvest home.
¨ Prayer of Approach & Confession
Almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all things in your well-beloved Son, the King of kings and Lord of lords: Mercifully grant that the peoples of the earth, divided and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought together under his most gracious rule; hear our sorrow for all that is broken in us and because of us.
Grant your transforming power to forgive us and make us worthy again of Christ’s beloved community. In the name of Jesus, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
¨ Words of Assurance
One: God’s love is broad and deep and shows no partiality: none are beyond reproach, AND none of us is beyond redemption. By love and with love God forgives and sets our feet to trace new, better paths to realm of grace here on earth.
All: Thanks be to God!
¨ Passing the Peace of Christ
All who come to this sanctuary are welcome companions on the journey of faith. Please turn to those nearest you and greet them with words of peace.
Word and Worship
Anthem God Has Work for Us To Do Miller, Daw
Union Church Choir & Berea College Homecoming Choir Dr. Stephen Bolster, conductor
‘Til all the jails are empty and all the bellies filled; till no one hurts or steals or lies, and no more blood is spilled: God has work for us to do, ‘til God’s will is done and all things are made new, God has work for us to do.
‘Til age and race and gender no longer separate; politics are free of greed and hate: God has work for us to do.
In tenement and mansion, in factory, farm and mill, in board room and I billiard hall, in wards where time stands still; in classroom, church and office, in shops, or on the street, in every place where people thrive, or strive, or hide, or meet.
By sitting at a bedside to hold pale, trembling hands, by speaking for the powerless against unjust demands. By praying through our doing, and singing though we fear, by trusting that the seed we sow will bring God’s harvest near: God has work for us to do.
Scripture Reading Psalm 46
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. Selah. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved; God will help it when the morning dawns. The nations are in an uproar; the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice; the earth melts. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah. Come, behold the works of the Lord; see what desolations he has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire. “Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations; I am exalted in the earth.” The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah
~ New Revised Standard Version, updated
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.
Scripture Reading Colossians 1:11-20
May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, so that you may have all endurance and patience, joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation, for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers–all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.
~ New Revised Standard Version, updated
Sermon Reconciled or Resigned? Rev. Kent Gilbert
Video Reflection
A chance to take in what we have heard and reflect together.
Living Prayer
Call to Prayer
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 East Timor (Timor Leste), Indonesia, and the Philippines; and our siblings at Bethel Baptist Church our hearts, and pray for them today and throughout the week.
Ringing 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.
Embodied Prayer
You are invited to reflect and pray at the candle table. You may also choose to source the essential ingredient of solitude and private prayer, remaining with your own thoughts in your pew. Resigned or Reconciled?
In prayer today, or in some quiet moment later, allow your heart to meditate on the virtues–and differences–in these two concepts. To be resigned is to drop resistance. To be reconciled is to be healed and engaged. Both have their place in the walk of faith. Here are some questions to ponder:
* Is there something you’ve resigned yourself to, but shouldn’t? What is it? If you flipped the script and sought “reconciliation” what would that look like?
* Are there things that are neither reconciled nor resigned in your life? Gently probe what’s going on in your spirit: is there something you need to stop resisting in order to find reconciliation? Or is there some outside factor that needs attention before you know?
* What negative or unhelpful vexations to your spirit could you resign from? Having trouble? Try writing a resignation letter as you might to an employer. After all, who do you really want to work for?
* What unresolved relationships are troubling you? Take time to very gently explore what might be needed to reconcile the situation.
Offertory For the Beauty of the Earth John Rutter
Union Church Choir & Berea College Homecoming Choir Dr. XT Hong, conductor
1. For the beauty of the earth, for the beauty of the skies, for the love which from our birth over and around us lies: Lord of all, to thee we raise this our joyful hymn of praise.
2. For the beauty of each hour of the day and of the night, hill and vale and tree and flower, sun and moon and stars of light: Lord of all, to thee we raise this our joyful hymn of praise.
3. For the joy of human love, brother, sister, parent, child, friends on earth and friends above, for all gentle thoughts and mild: Lord of all, to thee we raise this our joyful hymn of praise.
4. For each perfect gift of thine to our race so freely given, graces human and divine, flowers of earth and buds of heaven: Lord of all, to thee we raise this our joyful hymn of praise.
A Chance for Generosity: 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 easytithe.com/union. No registration required, but registering once makes future generosity simply entering 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!
¨ Doxology Old Hundredth
Praise God from whom all blessings flow, Praise God all creatures here below. Praise God above ye heavenly host: Creator, Christ and Holy Ghost! Amen.
Silent Prayer and Prayers of the Community Dr. Pam Chabora, Reader
God of past glories and present grace, we praise you for your presence and your power in our lives. You live and move through your creation planting love like seeds, and rooting hope deep into all the earth. On the many paths that will take us from this place, go before us and prepare the road. In the many relationships we will engage this week, show us how we can be swift to show love, and hasten the mercy in our power to grant. Heal our hearts of sorrow and our bodies of pain: not for our sake, but so we might become better healers in your service.
By what you teach and what we have learned; by all that you have given, and helped us to create for the living of these days, may your holy vision and sacred work flow through us for the blessing of all creation. Let us go forth rejoicing in all you are doing, and help us make you proud to call us your own. In the name of Christ, our brother and teacher, we pray: Amen.
Our Lord’s Prayer
Our Maker, Our Mother, and Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; Thy kin-dom 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 kin-dom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
¨ Hymn #303 Rejoice, Give Thanks and Sing Darwall’s 148th
1. Rejoice, give thanks and sing!
Your Sovereign God adore!
for Christ has robbed death’s sting
And triumph evermore;
Refrain: Lift up your heart,
Lift up your voice; rejoice,
Again I say, rejoice!
2. Our Savior Jesus reigns,
The God of truth and love;
The Lamb who purged our stains
is crowned with power above;(Refrain)
3. Christ Jesus cannot fail,
to rule both earth and heaven;
The keys of death and hell
Are to the Savior given;(Refrain)
4. Rejoice in glorious hope,
for Christ the Judge shall come,
And take the faithful
Up to their eternal home.
We soon shall hear a heavenly voice above the trumpet’s sound, “Rejoice!”
From Here to There
Community Connections
Announcements
We share opportunities for Beloved Community and ways to serve. Please see the listing of church & community events, prayers, and notices in the pages following the service.
Lighting the Justice Candle to Lead us Forth
We light this candle today to remember Pauli Murray, (1910-1985), a trailblazer in many a thorny wilderness. History has tried to forget her. Some say Pauli was too many things that made people uncomfortable and too far ahead of the civil rights and women’s movements that would eventually catch up. Pauli was the first Black woman Episcopal priest. She was arrested for refusing to move to the back of the bus in 1940. She wrote the legal theory that ended segregation and every sex discrimination case argued under the 14th Amendment uses Pauli’s framework. Every intersectional analysis of race and gender traces back to Pauli’s “Jane Crow” theory. She did it all while being told she was too Black, too female, too queer, too much.
Now as the foundations Pauli built are in danger of crumbling, we need to revisit her story. May her legacy of moral courage inspire us to be brave enough to act against hatred in any form.
¨ Benediction
¨ Choral Postlude You Do Not Walk Alone Elaine Hagenberg
Union Church Choir & Berea College Homecoming Choir Dr. XT Hong, conductor
May you see God’s light on the path ahead when the road you walk is dark. May you always hear even in your hour of sorrow, the gentle singing of the lark. When times are hard may hardness never turn your heart to stone, may you always remember when the shadows fall you do not walk alone.
Our Prayers for Others
¨ Dave Reilly’s nephew, Herb Post, ill with kidney cancer that has spread to his lung.
¨ Sally Hindman, recovering from knee replacement surgery.
¨ Rev. Christina Perkins’ sister, Veronica, her brother-in-law Jamie Agurri and their young children. Jamie is now on hospice care after complications of metastatic colon cancer that spread quickly and has not responded to treatment.
¨ Marvin Jenkins, at the death of his sister, Wilma Pointer, on November 8.
¨ The family, many friends, and countless students and colleagues of Dr. Eef Ji Fontanez, who grieve his sudden passing on November 8.
¨ JoAnn Russell, Reda Hutton’s aunt, facing several medical challenges.
¨ All the people of Ukraine for their safety and sovereignty. Prayers also that the government of Russia will turn to reason & respect for their own peoples’ lives as well as for Ukrainian families.
¨ That the fragile ceasefire in the Middle East may hold; and those suffering receive the aid they need.
¨ We pray for our country, and those who are directly affected by the actions and inaction of our government to address the needs of its people and the world.
¨ Our neighbors experiencing housing insecurity, homelessness and food insecurity.
¨ Our church family members in nursing homes or who are homebound: Betsy Hoefer, Dorie Hubbard, Susan Kramer, Lois Morgan, Sara Parker, Hattie Parks, Cheryl Payne, Alva Peloquin, Laura Robie, Theresa Scherf.
¨ Celebrations with Prayers of Joy!
Birthdays: Nov. 25 – Ally Nurre, Ben Groth, Rina Tanaka; 26 – Diana Hultgren, Amy Schill; 27 – Carrie Jadud; 28 – Danielle Cornett; 29 – Barb Taylor, Bodhi Hammond; 30 – JoAn Gaines
Anniversaries: Nov. 24 – Pete Campbell & Mary McConnell; 25 – Chip & Diane Bailey
If we haven’t got your important dates, let us know. We’ll help you get connected in FellowshipOne Go!
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