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

Reign of Christ Sunday

November 24, 2019         10:30 am

Meditation
Believe in love that is being stored up for you like an inheritance, and have faith that in this love there is a strength and a blessing so large that you can travel as far as you wish without having to step outside it.
—Rainer Maria Rilke

From there to here: we Gather

Welcome & Announcements     
Welcome to this service of worship!  During the service, you are invited to rise in body or in spirit, standing or sitting, at points in the service marked “ ” .”
 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!
Prelude      Für Alina        Arvo Pärt
The Call   Be Still and Know
¨  Hymn      We Cannot Own the Sunlit Sky (opposite)      Rejoice, Rejoice
¨  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 and hospitality.

The Living Word among us

Anthem    All Things Bright and Beautiful          John Rutter
Union Church Choir
All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small, all things wise and wonderful, the Lord God made them all.
Each little flower that opens, each little bird that sings, He made their glowing colors, He made their tiny wings. The purple-headed mountain, the river running by, the sunset and the morning, that brightens up the sky. The cold wind in the winter, the pleasant summer sun, the ripe fruits in the garden, He made them every one. He gave us eyes to see them, and lips that we might tell how great is God Almighty who has made all things well.
Hebrew Scripture Lesson                       Psalm 46 (p. 678)
God is our mighty fortress.
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 the Children’s Moment, children kindergarten through 5th grade are invited to Children’s Church in Cowan Chapel. They are also welcome to stay in the service if they prefer. The Children’s Worship Center in the back of the sanctuary has toys, books, and drawing materials for children (or parents) who would like help staying present in the service. For children preschool age & under, care is available in the Nursery, downstairs in Room 104 off the playground.
Epistle Lesson                 Colossians 1:11-20(p. 1434)
Of Jesus, the letter to the church at Colossae says, “In him the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.”
Sermon     Keys to the Realm, but Which Ruler?   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.
Acts of Reflection and Prayer
Some resources for reflection and prayer are provided. You are free to use  – or ignore –  these prompts as you find helpful. In whatever prayer manner you adopt, please hold the concerns of those listed, and those you know about, in God’s peace-giving light.
Center yourself and meditate on each line of the poem derived from Psalm 46. What does each line evoke in you? What is calling to you in each one?Be Still And Know That I Am
Be Still And Know That I
Be Still And Know
Be Still
Be       ~from Psalm 46

Keys to the Realm:Holding your keys in your hand, think of all the doors, boxes, passages, powers and responsibilities they represent.  As you examine each one, what blessings are made possible by each one? Do you have the keys you need to unlock the kin-dom Jesus speaks of? If not, what is it you need? In what ways do your keys unlock the way for someone else? Hold your keys until the end of prayer time.  We will bless them in our prayers, hoping to remember that they may be the keys to a realm greater than any earthly kingdom.
Offering Money is portable form of empowerment and makes possible love in action. The Realm of God, the work of God’s compassion is empowered when you give here. Thank you for your generous gift!
At The Altar The Keys to the Kingdom. Our keys, the keys in your pocket represent the responsibilities and powers in your possession. Cars, houses, tool boxes, machinery… all of these, can you lay at Christ’s feet to be used for good? Bring your keys here and leave them on the altar for the rest of the service. We will bless them in our prayers and upon taking them up again after the postlude, let us remember they are keys to a realm greater than any earthly kingdom.
Prayer Corner  (Front Left) Here a chance to “Be Still and Know.” In the quiet of this space allow your deep needs, joys, and being to be refreshed in the presence of the great “I Am”.
Bell Corner (Front Right) In a week of Thanksgiving, you are invited to name and bless those things for which you are grateful. Place written items on the board, and if you wish, receive an anointing as a reminder of your welcome and place in God’s realm.
Our Prayers Embodied (Rear Corner, Bell ide)  As the cold weather returns, it is time to think about Room In The Inn. We can always use new socks, underwear, and small toiletry items such as soap in a baggie, shampoo, lotion, disposable razors, etc. Bring them to the table.
Children’s Fire (Rear Corner Piano Side) Everyone is welcome in God’s realm! Imagine what friends, family, pets, animals, you would like to include! Tell someone you love how thankful you are for them. Gratitude is a “Great Attitude.” What does your gratitude face look like?
A Chance for Generosity: Offering Baskets in the Aisles
Offering baskets are placed in the aisle, and can also be brought to your seat. 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 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!
Please sing when invited: Now Thank We All Our God
Now thank we all our God with heart and hands and voices, Who wondrous things has done, in whom this world rejoices. Who, from our parents’ arms, has blessed us on our way With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.
Pastoral Prayer and 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

¨  Hymn #425 Black           For the Fruit of All Creation  Ar hyd y Nos
¨  The Sending and Blessing        
 Postlude (please be seated)           Giga from Sonata in D           Bach
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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  Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore and our brothers and sisters at Wayside Christian Church, in our hearts, and pray for them. Please hold these concerns in your prayers, today and throughout the week.
Prayer requests to be printed may be sent to the office anytime before 10:00 am Fridays.
¨ Families and Friends in Crises…may God be present to every need and heal every rift and wound.
¨ For Children in detention centers, that they may be reunited with their families soon. 15,000 are now detained in the US.
¨ In thanksgiving for those students, teachers, parents, lawmakers, and citizens who are witnessing and working to end gun violence in our society. May laws that help be passed; may hearts that are broken be healed; may all who are in danger be kept safe.
¨ Our church family members in nursing homes, or who are homebound: Alva Peloquin, Edith Hansen, Joyce Henderson, Nancy Hindman, Jennie Kiteck, Mary Miller.
¨ For those who are without homes and safe places, that we may work together for solutions.
¨ Dean Jacobs, Mary Lou Wiese’s brother, approaching the end of life.
¨ Patty and Steve Boyce, as Steve continues healing.
¨ Toby Wilcher, recovering from surgery on her fibula and ankle, injured in a fall.
¨ Joanne Moore, friend of Hazel Morris, with health concerns.
¨ Shirley Carlberg, Hattie Parks and all the family, at the unexpected death of Shirley’s brother, Bill Parks.  He is survived by his wife, Cathy Carlson, and their child, Mika.
¨ Kelly Mehler, recovering from liver surgery.
¨ Travel mercies for the Sunflower County Freedom Project, here on a college visit.
The Justice Candle is lit today in honor of The “Hollywood 10” cited for contempt on November 24, 1947. A group of writers, producers and directors that became known as the “Hollywood 10” was cited for contempt of Congress when they refused to cooperate at hearings about alleged Communist influence in the movie industry. Following their appearance in front of the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) under Representative John Parnell Thomas (R-New Jersey), the House of Representatives voted 346-17 for the citations. All were convicted and sentenced to 6-12 months in prison. The charges were upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court. Invoking their 5th Amendment right not to be witnesses against themselves, and their 1st Amendment right to freely associate with whom they choose, the Hollywood 10 refused to answer the question, “Are you a member of the Communist Party or have you ever been a member of the Communist Party?”
Offering Hospitality: A warm welcome to the students and leaders of the Sunflower County Freedom Project, who stayed overnight in the Community Room last night and will again tonight. They are an educational non-profit that works with deserving students in the Mississippi Delta, serving middle school and high school students with programming that enhances their education, exposes them to arts and culture, and helps them prepare for college. They are here on a visit to Berea College. We are so glad to have a building we can share with other groups that share Union Church’s mission to uplift others! They’re off on a day trip to Louisville today and will return this evening.
Learn more about Union Church today. Come One, Come All! Each fourth Sunday of the month anyone wanting to know more about Union Church or wanting to explore church membership, are invited to come to the Classroom, past the office at the end of the hall, and join in conversation with the Community Life and Growth Board after worship.
Deliver Thanksgiving Meals, 10:00 am, Nov. 28! Put your gratitude and good fortune in to action! Meet at First Christian Church Parking Lot, 206 Chestnut Street, on Thanksgiving Day! Hot meals have been prepared with addresses and driving directions for delivery. You provide the delivery!
Year End Giving Can Save the Day! Your funds make love visible! Help the church end the year in the black with a year-end gift.
Hanging of the Greens: Please help decorate the sanctuary on Sunday December 1 from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm. We could use some cookies for our hard working elves, too. Might you have some greenery in  your yard  you can bring?  Your boughs from evergreens, holly, magnolia or a whole evergreen to cut up will beautify the sanctuary!
Can you help out by offering rides? Drivers are badly needed to help Nurture & Care get church family members to appointments.  If you can help—often or occasionally— please call Mary Lou Wiese at 260-571-4959.
The 6th Annual “Little Quilt Show and Silent Auction”  sponsored by the Friends of the Madison County Public Library is now hanging at Berea and Richmond Libraries.  The 42 small quilts and one doll are available for viewing and bidding on the Madison County Public Library website.  Friends of the Library support library programs and staff who in turn provide services to the community.

Coming Up – Mark Your Calendars

Sunday, December 1 26th Danish American Yule Fest,  5:30 – 7:45 pm, Dec. 1. at the Russel Acton Folk Center, 212 Jefferson Street. Santa’s workshop, live music, food, candy, drinks, Santa Lucia, story-telling, community. Free admission, donations accepted. Sponsored by the Folk Circle Association.
Sunday, December 8 Annual Budget Meeting after Worship. Why Come to a Budget Meeting? Our budget is a theological document that tells you where our values are and how we’ve decided to act those out.  As the gospel of Matthew reminds us, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Please attend this yearly meeting to help decide where our hearts will be for 2020.
Sunday, December 15 Christmas Play during worship! Berea Classic Chorale Concert, 2:30 pm, sanctuary.
Sunday, December 22 Christmas Caroling right after worship – Watch for details.