A Gathering in Worship Offered by the People of the Church of Christ, Union
Reign of Christ Sunday, 10:30 am
Meditation
“The kingdom is not an exclusive, well-trimmed suburb with snobbish rules about who can live there. No, it is for a larger, homelier, less self-conscious caste of people who understand they are sinners because they have experienced the yaw and pitch of moral struggle.” ~ Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel
From There to Here: We Gather
Prelude
Welcome
¨ The Call Lorilyn Howie-Kipphut, Reader
One: We gather to celebrate and joyfully sing to our God! Together, let us share our praises and thankfulness.
All: Come, let us enter into this sacred space with praise.
One: You O God, are the Holy God always and forever! You are the Eternal One from whom all things come.
All: Come, let us enter into this sacred space with thanks.
One: O God, we are your children, created by and with your love.
All: Come, let us enter into this sacred space with joy and delight. Amen.
© 2011 Joan Stott – “The Timeless Psalms” RCL Psalm Year A, used with permission.
¨ Hymn #73 Enter, Rejoice, and Come In Enter, Rejoice
1 Enter, rejoice, and come in. Enter, rejoice, and come in.
Today will be a joyful day; enter, rejoice, and come in.
2 Open yourself to the song. Open yourself to the song.
Today will be a joyful day; enter, rejoice, and come in.
3 Open your hearts everyone. Open your hearts everyone.
Today will be a joyful day; enter, rejoice, and come in.
4 Don’t be afraid of some change. Don’t be afraid of some
change. Today will be a joyful day; enter, rejoice, and come in.
5 Enter, rejoice, and come in. Enter, rejoice, and come in.
Today will be a joyful day; enter, rejoice, and come in.
¨ 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 Hymn of Promise Natalie Sleeth Union Church Choir
In the bulb there is a flower; in the seed an apple tree; in cocoons, a hidden promise: butterflies will soon be free! In the cold and snow of winter, there’s a spring that waits to be, unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.
There’s a song in every silence, seeking word and melody; there’s a dawn in every darkness, bringing hope to you and me. From the past will come the future; what it holds, a mystery, unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see. Alleluia.
In our end is our beginning; in our time, infinity. In our doubt, there is believing; in our life, eternity. In our death, a resurrection, at the last a victory, unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.
Scripture Lesson Ephesians 1:15-23
I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power.
God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
~ New Revised Standard Version: Updated Edition (Friendship Press, 2021)
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 Lesson Matthew 25:31-46
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’
Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’
Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’
Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
~ New Revised Standard Version: Updated Edition (Friendship Press, 2021)
Sermon Stuck in the Middle with You Rev. Kent Gilbert
Video Reflection
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.
Prayer Reflection Questions
Rejoicing and Thanksgiving: We don’t confine “thanks” to a single meal or gathering. As we conclude our Thanksgiving weekend and turn now towards the hum and bustle of Christmas, imagine how you can hold that “gratitude attitude” in any new turbulence. What can you always rejoice in? What can always ground you in grace, no matter what else happens in the world. In your prayers, center on these things and see if you can begin to weave them through each day this week.
Ins and Outs: Center yourself and take time to breathe in and out. Feel the rush of oxygen to your blood as you take your breaths, and on your exhalations feel the release of heat and CO2 back into the air. Meditate about taking in or taking up all that the Matthew passage for today suggests: service to the least of these. With each out breath, imagine releasing anything that inhibits your highest calling, best service, or faithful love. Practice seeing “outsiders” in your life as “insiders” with God.
Offertory
A Chance for Generosity: www.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 www.easytithe.com/union. No registration required, but registering once makes future generosity an amount and a click.
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¨ 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!
Silent Prayers and Prayers of the Community Lorilyn Howie-Kipphut, Reader
Lord of Sheep and Goats, of seen and unseen grace; God of the middle and the muddle, hold your people with mercy as we pray. We’re stuck between fears and failures. We can’t always see the harm we cause or the good we do. Help us “unstick” and move in ways that bring us closer to your Way. Help us when our bodies are frail and weakness drives the light from our hearts. Help us when vengeance, or arrogance, or greed masquerade as righteousness and when “Empire” masks itself as “your kingdom come.” Your love is the realm of our well-being, Lord. Center us now and always to live and breathe closer and closer to all you care for.
This we pray in the name of the Prince of Peace, our brother Jesus who reigns in this love forever, and who taught us to reach to you as…
Our Lord’s Prayer
All: 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.
¨ Hymn #538 Standing at the Future’s Threshold Lux Eoi
1 Standing at the future’s threshold, grateful for God’s guiding hand, asking no protected stronghold, called to be a pilgrim band, seeking ever for new vision of the gospel for our day, we move forward in God’s mission with our faith to show the way.
2 Midst the teeming cities’ millions, witness to God’s boundless love, reaching for each system’s lost ones, seeking justice with each move; grant us courage, strength and patience to contend with vicious power, lead us forward in the faith that gives us hope in testing’s hour.
3 Openhearted in exchanges with the faithful not our own, trusting God’s way with these strangers not to leave the truth unknown, joining them in shared endeavor where we have Christ’s clear command, we have faith that calls us ever toward this good earth’s promised land.
4 Building justice as the bulwark of the peace that God would give, making sacrifice the hallmark of the life we’re called to live; grant us, God, to bear our witness to this peace in Christ, and move forward with our faith’s own access to the life of hope and love.
5 Jesus Christ, eternal Savior, source of life and truth and grace, we would ask no special favor, with the lowliest seek our place, know the inasmuch of serving, have your cross as our command: lead us in this faith unswerving forward, as your pilgrim band.
From Here to There: We Depart
Community Connections
Announcements
We share opportunities for Beloved Community and ways to serve. Please see the listing of church & community evens, prayers, and notices in the pages following the service.
Lighting the Justice Candle to Lead us Forth
This week the world lost a tireless advocate for Peace, Rosalynn Carter. As co-founder of the Carter Center, Mrs. Carter actively participated in projects embodying the Center”s motto, Waging peace, Fighting Disease, and Building Hope. Here is an excerpt from the statement released by the Carter Center:
“As first lady of Georgia and the United States, Mrs. Carter worked tirelessly to create what she called “a more caring society.” In the White House, serving as a surrogate for her husband, she made a landmark trip to foster U.S. partnership with Latin America. An activist first lady with her own bold agenda, she created a distinct East Wing office from which she set about helping disadvantaged people. Her efforts challenged age discrimination for older adults, encouraged opportunities for people with developmental disabilities, and advanced women’s equality. She drew world attention to and organized relief for refugees escaping genocide in Cambodia. To protect children from unnecessary illness or possible death, she campaigned vigorously to require vaccinations to register for school.
Above all, she devoted herself to improving treatment and services for those coping with mental health conditions, a cause she adopted when her husband was governor and that remained her priority for the rest of her life.”
cartercenter.org/about/experts/rosalynn_carter.html
Partnership and Purpose
Today presents an opportunity to covenant together! All who would like to are welcome to join the church family – you will be received in joy.
Questions of the Congregation and New Members
¨ Covenant of Welcome
And we, the members and faithful friends of this church, renewing our own covenant to God and to each other, do now heartily welcome you to our fellowship, promising to watch over you in love, and praying that you, and we, may be true witnesses for Christ, a light in the world, and continue to increase in usefulness and joy in his service.
¨ Benediction
Postlude
Our Prayers for Others
¨ 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 (World Council of Churches Ecumenical Prayer cycle: union-church.org/ministries/prayer) Let us hold the people of Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore; and our brothers and sisters at Berea Church of God in our hearts, and pray for them today and throughout the week.
¨ 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.
¨ All those affected by the devastating losses in the current conflict in the Middle East.
¨ Our church family members in nursing homes or who are homebound: Jan Hamilton, Betsy Hoefer, Dorie Hubbard, Lois Morgan, Sara Parker, Cheryl Payne, Alva Peloquin, Laura Robie, Betty Wray, Sally Zimmerman
¨ Rita Barlow, receiving care at home.
¨ All those suffering from mental strain, trauma, and disease: may God soothe and heal all who are troubled.
¨ James Stephens, Charlie Hoffman’s brother-in-law, responding well to cancer treatment.
¨ Members and Friends who need safer housing and income security.
¨ JoAnn Russell, Reda Hutton’s aunt, facing several medical challenges.
¨ Jeannette Davidson, having health problems.
¨ Betty Wray, at Cardinal Hill for rehab.
¨ Rhonda Edwards’ son, Steven Bailey, recovering from surgery.
¨ Celebrations with Prayers of Joy!
Birthdays: Today, Nov. 26 – Diana Hultgren, Amy Schill; 27 – Carrie Jadud; Dec. 3 – NoraRuth Jenkins, Larry Brandenburg, Chris McKenzie
If we haven’t got your important dates, let us know. We’ll help you get connected in FellowshipOne Go!
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