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

First Sunday of Christmas

December 30, 2018           10:30 am

Meditation
Year’s end is neither a beginning nor an end but rather a going on, with all the wisdom experience can instill in us. —Hal Borland
An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but will never break. —Chinese proverb

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                          Christmas from The Seasons          Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
The Call Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom  bell hooks
¨  Hymn #126 Black  Angels from the Realms of Glory Regent Square
¨  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

Special Music
Contemporary Reading bell hooks
Epistle Lesson Colossians 3:12-17 (p. 1437)  The writer to the church at Colossae refers to us as “God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved,” in urging the church to be faithful to its vocation.
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 are welcome to go back to their seats. 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.
Gospel Lesson   Luke 1:39-52 (p. 1225)  Mary and Joseph are surprised by the actions of the child Jesus who tarries at the temple, “my father’s house.”
Sermon Picking Up the Threads 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.
Prayer in Action and Reflections
You are invited to reflect and pray, either in your pew or at one of the stations. Some suggested prayer direction is printed in the bulletin on page 5 and at the tables you visit. The pieces read in worship today are on page 6. You are also free to choose to rest in private prayer, remaining with our own thoughts and in your pew.
Clothing Ourselves in Love: Paul’s epistle today invites us to clothe ourselves with virtues like compassion, kindness, and forgiveness, and above all to put on love.
At one of the prayer stations today you will find lengths of red yarn. First pray, think, ponder, study what you wish to “put on” in this coming new year. Then take a length to wear like a stole, and envision in your prayer silence, all of these strands weaving a divine tapestry of wholeness made from small parts. If you wish, find a way to incorporate this small reminder string into a piece of clothing you can wear later. All that is old is becoming new.
Incarnation Station: On the piano side, you are invited to continue to ponder what glories and graces are being born in you. This print is a gift from Rev. Rachel Small Stokes.
Talking with Angels: In the bell corner you are invited to visit and spend time with the angels Rejoice and Courage. Are you still hearing their voices?
Our Offering: 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. 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!
Musical Meditation As we draw back to our seats,  you are invited to join in singing a verse of this ancient antiphon:
O Come, O wisdom from on high and order all things far and nigh; to us the path of knowledge show and help is that way to go. Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel.
 Silent Prayers and Prayers of the Community
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 #150 Black Sing a Different Song Different Song
¨  The Sending and Blessing
Postlude (please be seated) Angel Song arr. Greg Howlett
 
Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom
There are times when personal experience keeps us from reaching the mountain top and so we let it go because the weight of it is too heavy.
And sometimes the mountain top is difficult to reach with all our resources, factual and confessional, so we are just there, collectively grasping, feeling the limitations of knowledge, longing together, yearning for a way to reach that highest point.
Even this yearning is a way to know.
—bell hooks
The academy is not paradise. But learning is a place where paradise can be created. The classroom, with all its limitations, remains a location of possibility.
In the field of possibility we have the opportunity to labor for freedom, to demand of ourselves and our comrades, an openness of mind and heart that allows us to face reality even as we collectively imagine ways to move beyond boundaries, to transgress.
This is education as the practice of freedom.
—bell hooks
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 Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon and Palestine and our brothers and sisters at Berea United Methodist Church and Bethlehem Lutheran 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.
¨ Children in detention centers, that they may be reunited with their families soon. 15,000 are now detained in the US.
¨ Our church family members in nursing homes, or who are homebound:  Edith Hansen, Nancy Hindman, Loyal Jones, Mary Miller, Alva Peloquin.
¨ Emily Spires, daughter of Randy Stone, continuing treatment for breast cancer.
¨ Mary Lou Wiese’s brother, Shelton Dean Jacobs, with serious health concerns.
¨ Andrea Wescott, awaiting results of biopsies and tests.
¨ Tonya, Judith Singleton’s daughter-in-law, diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer.
¨ Laura Robie, recovering from her second knee replacement.
¨ The family and many friends of Ruth Butwell, who died on Monday, December 10, at 89. A service in celebration of her life will be held on January 5.
¨ Barbara Frederiksen, recovering from  intestinal surgery.
¨ Those who are without homes and safe places.
¨ Gabe Barlow, undergoing tests for cancer,  and for his family, Dale, Rita and Morgan, who have traveled to South Korea to be with him.
Next week: Office is closed the 1st and 2nd. Children’s Church is taking a break today. The 8:00 am morning meditation is taking a break until January 2. Please join us in the new year! No Wednesday Night Live Supper this week. See you January 9 for a POTLUCK!!
Welcome to visiting Christmas School friends and family!
We will celebrate Ruth Butwell’s life at a Memorial Service on January 5, 2 pm.
Special Epiphany Service Next Week. Also called Three Kings’ Day, Epiphany celebrates the revelation of God incarnate as Jesus Christ. The feast commemorates the visit of the Magi to the Christ Child, and thus Jesus’ physical manifestation to the Gentiles. Epiphany also commemorates the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River, seen as his manifestation to the world as the Son of God. Qasr el Yahud in the West Bank, and Al-Maghtas in Jordan on the East Bank, is considered to be the original site of the baptism of Jesus and the ministry of John the Baptist.
Ordination Service of Leslie Small Stokes, here at her home church! January 6, 4:00 pm. The service will be followed by a reception. Can you help? Call Mary Lou Wiese at 260-571-4959. Thanks!
 4th Annual Union Church Handbell Ensemble Retreat, Saturday, January 18, 9:30am – 3:30pm(-ish) at the home of Laura Nagle, 306 Center St. Each year we get together over MLK weekend to get a good start on the music for the Spring Festival. We also eat, laugh, play games, and just enjoy each other’s company. YOU are very welcome to join the group. You don’t need to know how to read music!  This would be a great time to jump in. Rehearsals begin again on January 2.
Pre-Lent retreat for adults (ages 18+) on March 4-6 led by Donna Eder and Carla Gilbert. The focus will be on Solitude and Sharing in Sacred Space, held at the Loretto Community guest house, located 1 ½ hours west of Berea. We will be offering opportunities for contemplation and spiritual sharing. The cost per day for meals and lodging is $45 for a double room and $65 for a single room. There is space for a few more—if interested, let us know soon as January 15 we will open the registration to the public. Contact Donna (859-868-1142) or Carla (859-985-1144). Our email addresses are: donnajeder@ gmail.com and carla_gilbert@windstream.net.
Looking for Help? If you´re looking for help checking everything off your list this holiday season I am looking to work for you! I can help with cleaning/organizing, errand running present wrapping, decorating, childcare or house sitting between December 19 and January 12! Please contact me at (859)-582-3220 or dellaw98@gmail.com. Thanks – Della Walters.
Online Alternative Giving Market continues. Why not give alternative gifts this year that reach toward your loved ones’ hopes and dreams for a better world? Maybe what your friends and family really want for this year is health care, food and housing for those in need – or maybe disaster relief. Visit www.union-church.org and shop for that alternative gift for your loved ones.
LOOKING AHEAD:
Ampersand Sexual Violence Resource Center is seeking volunteers to support survivors of sexual violence. Volunteers answer a 24-hour hotline, meet survivors at regional hospitals, give out information and referrals, and are trained in crisis intervention and advocacy. Training held at Union Church in January & February. Applications due by Jan. 17. Visit www.ampersand.org/volunteer.
Please Sign up to Read Scripture or to Help Greet and Usher!  Please use our electronic sign up system at union-church.org, and click on “Volunteer.” You can pick a date that works for you!  OR you can also call the office and we’ll get you on the lists.
Have a Heart For Fellowship, Communication and Welcoming New Members? We Need 3! The Community Life and Growth Board of the church helps “outsiders” become “insiders” by helping Rev. Kent welcome new members, get people acquainted with each other for ministry and spiritual support, and oversees our website, social media, and media outreach (advertisements, banners, webcasts, etc). We need three people to help fulfill this vital work with our pastor. Is one of them you? Please contact Carla Gilbert of the Nominating Board: carla_gilbert@ windstream.net or call the church office!