Sunday Worship Bulletin, June 25, 2023

Veradale United Church of Christ

An Open & Affirming Congregation

Worshiping God in Christ – Welcoming All – Working for Justice & Peace

“No matter who you are, or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here!”

June 25, 2023

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

10:20 Gathering and Prelude

Wayne Shull, Music Director

Charlie Salt, Acolyte and AV

Joe McSwain, AV and Usher

Jerry Brines, Usher

Scotty Patton, Zoom Monitor

Diane Smith, Scripture Reader

Rev. Gen Heywood, Pastor

10:30am Worship begins:

God is our peace ...all the time! All the time...God is our peace!

Welcoming the Light of Christ

*Hymn: Seek Ye First

Seek ye first the kingdom of GodAnd God’s righteousness;And all these things shall be added unto you.Hallelu, Hallelujah!

Ask, and it shall be given unto you;Seek, and you shall find.Knock, and it shall be opened unto you.Hallelu, Hallelujah!

We shall not live by bread alone,But by every wordThat proceeds out from the mouth of God.Hallelu, Hallelujah!

Community Prayer

(“In Our Prayers” Sing #125)

In our prayers, in our hearts, in our prayers, in our hearts, God in your grace, hear our prayers. God in your grace, O God, hear our prayers.

Prayers of Gratitude

In our prayers, in our hearts, in our prayers, in our hearts, God in your grace, hear our prayers. God in your grace, O God, hear our prayers.

Prayers of Concern

In our prayers, in our hearts, in our prayers, in our hearts, God in your grace, hear our prayers. God in your grace, O God, hear our prayers.

Silent prayer

In our prayers, in our hearts, in our prayers, in our hearts, God in your grace, hear our prayers. God in your grace, O God, hear our prayers.

Lord’s Prayer

Response: Sing Amen

(Sing Amen) Amen, we praise your name, O, God

(Sing Amen) Amen, we praise your name, O, God

(Sing Amen) Amen, amen, amen, amen, amen,

we praise your name, O, God

A Time of Offering

An Invitation to Share

Dedication Hymn: They will Know We Are Christians by our Love” verse 4

All praise to Creator from whom all things come and all praise to Christ Jesus the only Son; and all praise to the Spirit who makes us one. And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love, they will know we are Christians by our love.

Dedication Prayer

Holy One, through this month of June we have shared our time, talent, and treasure. We have offered treasure to other UCC churches through the Strengthen the Church offering. Today, we also bless the Birthday kits we have offered that they may bring dignity and joy. Bless and multiply our giving. Amen

Message With Young Hearts

Look around. Name something that you have chosen.

Rite of Membership

About Veradale UCC

*You don’t have to be a member to participate in the life of the church

*Membership - belonging. It is a covenantal relationship where we stand with the community gathered in this time and place.

*Our members determine the direction of our church, care for the ministries we do together, the rules we live by are ones we choose through the determination of our congregation.

*As an autonomous church, we are free to determine what God calls us to be in this time and place. Our covenantal relationships with the Conference and National Church gives us guidance and offers us possibilities.

Invitation I invite Laila Buse, Kelly Cuilla, Tom Cuilla, Sue Ferrozzo, and Stephany Wallis to come forward, affirm their baptism, and unite with us in this household of faith.

Sentences: Friends in Christ, we were all received into the global church through the sacrament of baptism. Today, the journey of these, our siblings in Christ, has brought to claim us as their community where they will grow in their relationship with God and all God’s creation. Also, we claim them as our companions in this practice of the way of Jesus.

Having prayerfully considered the commitment they are about to make, they will affirm their baptismal pledges. May we listen with love and support and may we be reminded of our promises made in baptism and membership.

(to the Candidate/s): You are no longer strangers or sojourners. You are equal citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus being the cornerstone. You are part of that holy temple, the body of Christ. You are built as a dwelling place of the Holy Spirit.

Questions of the Candidate:

Pastor: Do you desire to affirm your baptized into the faith and family of Jesus Christ?

Response: I do.

Pastor: Do you profess Jesus Christ as the one who governs your life, and the one who sets you free?

Response: I do.

Pastor: Do you promise, by the grace of God, to be Christ’s disciple, to follow in the way of Jesus, to resist oppression and evil, to show love and justice, and to witness to the work and word of Jesus Christ as best you are able?

Response: I promise, with the help of God.

Pastor: Do you promise, according to the grace given you, to grow in the Christian faith and to be a faithful participant in the community of Jesus Christ, celebrating Christ’s presence and furthering Christ’s vision of compassion and justice in all the world?

Response: I promise, with the help of God.

Address:

Pastor: By your baptism, you were made one with us in the body of Christ, the church. Today, we rejoice that your journey of faith has brought you to be with us in this time and place. We give thanks for every community of faith that has been your spiritual home and we celebrate your presence in this household of faith.

Question about Participation:

Pastor: Do you promise to participate in the life and mission of this family of God’s people, sharing regularly in the worship of God and enlisting in the work of this local church as it serves this community and the world.

Candidate/s: I promise, with the help of God.

Welcome and Reception:

Moderator: Let us, the members of the Veradale United Church of Christ, express our welcome and affirm our mutual ministry in Christ.

All: We welcome you with joy in the common life of this church. We promise you our friendship and prayers as we share the hopes and labors of this church of Jesus Christ. By the power of the Holy Spirit may we continue to grow together in God’s knowledge and love and be witnesses of our risen Savior.

Greeting of Christian Love:

Moderator: In the name of Jesus Christ, and on behalf of the Veradale United Church of Christ, we extend our hearts in Christian love, welcoming you into the company of this local church.

Prayer:

All: O God, we praise you for calling us to faith and for gathering us into this church, the body of Christ. We thank you for your people gathered in this Veradale United Church of Christ and rejoice that you have increased our community of faith. Together may we live in the Spirit, building one another up in love, sharing in the life and worship of the church, and serving the world for the sake of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Listening for God

Joshua 24: 14-15, 14 “Now, therefore, revere the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt and serve the Lord. 15 Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living, but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

Proverbs 3:13-18

13 Happy are those who find wisdom and those who get understanding, 14 for her income is better than silver and her revenue better than gold. 15 She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her. 16 Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. 17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. 18 She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called happy.

Luke 10:38-42

38 Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him. 39 She had a sister named Mary, who sat at Jesus’s feet and listened to what he was saying. 40 But Martha was distracted by her many tasks, so she came to him and asked, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her, then, to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things, 42 but few things are needed—indeed only one. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”

Message: When Free Will Exists

Silence

Announcements

The Light Goes Out to the World

Hymn: “Bless Be the Tie that Binds” 393 (NCH)

Bless be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love. The sharing of a common life is like to that above.

Before our God we come and pour our ardent prayers. Our Fears our hopes, our aims are one, our comforts and our cares.

We share each other’s woes, each other’s burdens bear, and often for each other flows a sympathizing tear.

When we are called to part it gives us inward pain, but we shall still be joined in heart, and hope to meet again.

Benediction and Silent Meditation with Postlude

Be Yourself.

Grow in Christ.

Live with Compassion.

Sunday Worship Bulletin, June 18 2023

Veradale United Church of Christ

An Open & Affirming Congregation

Worshiping God in Christ – Welcoming All – Working for Justice & Peace

“No matter who you are, or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here!”

June 18, 2023• 10:30 a.m.

________________________________________________________

10:20 Gathering and Prelude

Wayne Shull, Music Director

Charlie Salt, AV

Joe McSwain, Usher and AV

Jerry Brines, Usher

Teresa Brown, Candle Lighter

Kelly Cuilla, Scripture Reader

Scotty Patton, Zoom Monitor

Rev. Gen Heywood, Pastor

10:30am Worship begins

God hopes in us. . . all the time!

All the time . . . God hopes in us!

*Welcoming the Light

Hymn: “Let it be Said of Us” 217 Green Book

Let it be said of us that the Lord is our passion, that with gladness we bare every cross we are given; that we fight the good fight, and we finish the course; knowing within us the power of the risen Lord.

Chorus: Let the cross be our glory and the Lord be our song!

By mercy made holy, by the Spirit made strong.

Let the cross be our glory and the Lord be our song!

Till the likeness of Jesus be through us made known.

Let the cross be our glory and the Lord be our song.

Let it be said of us, we are marked by forgiveness; we are known by our love and delighted in weakness; We are ruled by His peace, heeding unity’s call, joined as one body that Christ will be seen by all. Chorus

Community Prayer

ALL: I cast all my cares upon you. I lay all my burdens down at your feet; and anytime that I don’t know what to do, I will cast my cares upon you.

Prayers of Gratitude

ALL: I cast all my cares upon you. I lay all my burdens down at your feet; and anytime that I don’t know what to do, I will cast my cares upon you.

Prayers of Concern

ALL: I cast all my cares upon you. I lay all my burdens down at your feet; and anytime that I don’t know what to do, I will cast my cares upon you.

Silent Prayer

ALL: I cast all my cares upon you. I lay all my burdens down at your feet; and anytime that I don’t know what to do, I will cast my cares upon you.

The Lord’s Prayer use the translation which is meaningful to you or

Our Father (Creator) 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 trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass 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.

Response 812 (NCH)

Amen, amen, amen.

A Time of Offering

An Invitation to Share

Dedication Hymn: “Holy Ground”

CCLI license #11038266

We are standing on holy ground, and I know that there are angels all around. Let us praise Jesus now. We are standing in his presence on holy ground.

Dedication Prayer

Holy One, bless these offerings of our hearts. Multiply our time, talent, and treasure that your vision of a just, compassionate world may be fulfilled. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen

Listening for God

Time with Young Hearts

Getting Good at What is Hard.

Scripture

Romans 5:1-8 Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. And not only that, but we also boast in our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.

Matthew 9:35-10:8 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus and Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananaean and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.

These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not take a road leading to gentiles, and do not enter a Samaritan town, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Cure the sick; raise the dead; cleanse those with a skin disease; cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment.

Message: Character Produces Hope

Silent Reflection

Announcements

Our Light moves into the World God Loves

* Closing Hymn: “They will Know We are Christians”

We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord. We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord. and we pray that all unity may one day be restored. And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love, they will know we are Christians by our love

We will work with each other, we will work side by side. We will work with each other, we will work side by side and we'll guard each one's dignity and save each one's pride. And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love, they will know we are Christians by our love by our love, by our love We will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand. We will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand and together we'll spread the news that God is in our land. And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love, they will know we are Christians by our love by our love, by our love.

All praise to Creator from whom all things come and all praise to Christ Jesus the only Son; and all praise to the Spirit who makes us one. And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love, they will know we are Christians by our love by our love, by our love.

We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord. We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord. and we pray that all unity may one day be restored. And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love, they will know we are Christians by our love.

Benediction and Silent Reflection with Postlude

Be yourself.

Grow in Christ.

Live with Compassion

Sunday Worship Bulletin, June 11, 2023

Veradale United Church of Christ

An Open & Affirming Congregation

Worshiping God in Christ – Welcoming All – Working for Justice & Peace

“No matter who you are, or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here!”

June 11, 2023• 10:30 a.m.

_____________________________________________________

10:20 Gathering and Prelude

Wayne Shull, Music Director

Charlie Salt, AV

Joe McSwain, Usher and AV

Jerry Brines, Usher

Laila Buse, Candle Lighter

Marvin Wilson, Scripture Reader

Scotty Patton, Zoom Monitor

Rev. Gen Heywood, Pastor

10:30am Worship begins

God inspires us. . . all the time!

All the time . . . God inspires us!

*Welcoming the Light

Hymn: “You are the Salt for the Earth” 181 (NCH)

You are salt for the earth, O people: salt for the reign of God; Share the flavor of life, O people: life in the City of God!

Refrain: Bring forth the reign of mercy, bring forth the reign of peace. Bring forth the reign of justice, bring forth the City of God.

You are light on a hill, O people: light for the city of God! Shine so holy and bright, O people: shine for the City of God! (Refrain)

You are a seed of the Word, O people: bring forth the reign of God! Seeds of mercy and seeds of justice, grow in the City of God! (Refrain)

We are a blessed and a pilgrim people: bound for the City of God! Love our journey and love our homeland: love is the City of God. (Refrain)

Community Prayer

ALL: I cast all my cares upon you. I lay all my burdens down at your feet; and anytime that I don’t know what to do, I will cast my cares upon you.

Prayers of Gratitude

ALL: I cast all my cares upon you. I lay all my burdens down at your feet; and anytime that I don’t know what to do, I will cast my cares upon you.

Prayers of Concern

ALL: I cast all my cares upon you. I lay all my burdens down at your feet; and anytime that I don’t know what to do, I will cast my cares upon you.

Silent Prayer

ALL: I cast all my cares upon you. I lay all my burdens down at your feet; and anytime that I don’t know what to do, I will cast my cares upon you.

The Lord’s Prayer use the translation which is meaningful to you or

Our Father (Creator) 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 trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass 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.

Response 812 (NCH)

Amen, amen, amen.

A Time of Offering

An Invitation to Share

Dedication Hymn: “Holy Ground”

CCLI license #11038266

We are standing on holy ground, and I know that there are angels all around. Let us praise Jesus now. We are standing in his presence on holy ground.

Dedication Prayer

Giver of light and love, pour out your Spirit on these offerings of our time, talent, and treasure. Multiply our giving that this little church may be an embassy of your realm of compassion and justice. We ask as we serve the way of Jesus. Amen

Special Music: Marvin Wilson

Rite of Baptism

Pastor: Dear friends, we now join together in a very ancient practice of our faith. Let us remember how this rite has come down to us over the centuries, that even Jesus himself was baptized. Let us recall that through our baptism we are made one with the body of Christ, individual members of the whole body that spans across all nations and all time.

All: We remember that there is one body and one Spirit. In Christ we are neither Gentile nor Jew, slave nor free, male nor female. We are one.

Pastor: The sacrament of baptism is an outward and visible sign of the inward and spiritual grace. It is a celebration of what we believe -- each of us is fully made in the image of God who loves us as we have been, as we are and as we will be. Baptism with water and the Holy Spirit marks, as a sign and a seal, our recognition of God’s love, our promise to grow in faith, our commitment to turn around when we turn away from God.

Laila Rose Buse, you have made it known that you seek to join with our ancestors of faith in this ancient experience.

I invite you and your friends and family to come forward.

Questions

Pastor: Laila Rose Buse, do you desire to be baptized into the faith and family of Jesus Christ?

Laila: I do.

Pastor: Laila, As you stand here with your family and God parents, you stand in the loving presence of God. Surrounded in that love, do you renounce the powers of evil and desire the freedom of new life in Christ?

Laila: I do.

Pastor: Do you profess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, accepting his teachings, example, and loving path to God as the practice for your life?

Laila: I do.

Pastor: Do you promise, by the grace of God, to be Christ’s disciple, to follow in the way of our Savior, to resist oppression and evil, to show love and justice, and to witness to the work and word of Jesus Christ as best you are able?

Laila: I promise, with the help of God.

Pastor: Do you promise, according to the grace given you, to grow in the Christian faith and to be a faithful member of the church of Jesus Christ, celebrating Christ’s presence and furthering Christ’s mission in all the world?

Laila: I promise, with the help of God.

Congregational Assent

All may be invited to stand as the congregation is asked to make promises.

Pastor: Jesus Christ calls us to make disciples of all nations and to offer them the gift of grace in baptism.

Do you, who witness and celebrate this sacrament, promise your love, support, and care to the one about to be baptized, as she lives and grows in Christ?

People of VUCC: We promise our love, support, and care.

Pastor: Let us unite with the church in all times and places in confessing our faith in the triune God.

Pastor: Do you believe in God?

People: I believe in God.

Pastor: Do you believe in Jesus Christ?

People: I believe in Jesus Christ.

Pastor: Do you believe in the Holy Spirit?

People: I believe in the Holy Spirit.

Prayer of Baptism

The congregation may be seated.

Pastor: Christ be with you.

People: And also with you.

Pastor Let us pray.

Pastor: We thank you, God, for the gift of creation called forth by your saving Word. Before the world had shape and form, your Spirit moved over the waters. Out of the waters of the deep, you formed the firmament and brought forth the earth to sustain all life.

In the time of Noah, you washed the earth with the waters of the flood, and your ark of salvation bore a new beginning.

In the time of Moses, your People Israel passed through the Red Sea waters from slavery to freedom and crossed the flowing Jordan to enter the promised land.

In the fullness of time, you sent Jesus Christ, who was nurtured in the water of Mary’s womb.

Jesus was baptized by John in the water of the Jordan, became living water to a woman at the Samaritan well, washed the feet of the disciples, and sent them forth to baptize all the nations by water and the Holy Spirit.

Pastor: Bless by your Holy Spirit, gracious God, this water. By your Holy Spirit save those who confess the name of Jesus Christ that sin may have no power over them. Create new life in the one baptized this day that she may rise in Christ. Glory to you, eternal God, the one who was, and is, and shall always be, world without end. Amen.

Act of Baptism

Prayer for the Baptized

Pastor: We give you thanks, O Holy One, for Laila and for the grace acknowledged here today in water and the Holy Spirit. Embrace us all as your children in the one household of your love. Grant us grace to receive, nurture, and befriend our new sister in Christ.

ALL: Give to Laila; strength for life’s journey, courage in time of suffering, the joy of faith, the freedom of love, and the hope of new life; through Jesus Christ, who makes us one. Amen.

Listening for God

Time with Young Hearts

Last Sunday’s Drawing of Creation. What made the sky blue?

Scripture

Rom 4:13-25 (NRSVUE): For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law, neither is there transgression.

For this reason the promise depends on faith, in order that it may rest on grace, so that it may be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (who is the father of all of us, as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”), in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become “the father of many nations,” according to what was said, “So shall your descendants be.” He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was already as good as dead (for he was about a hundred years old), and the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. 22 Therefore “it was reckoned to him as righteousness.” Now the words, “it was reckoned to him,” were written not for his sake alone but for ours also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was handed over for our trespasses and was raised for our justification.

Matt 9:9-13, 18-26 (NRSVUE) As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax-collection station, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him.

And as he sat at dinner in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came and were sitting with Jesus and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But when he heard this, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous but sinners.”

(and)

While he was saying these things to them, suddenly a leader came in and knelt before him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.” And Jesus got up and followed him, with his disciples. Then suddenly a woman who had been suffering from a flow of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his cloak, for she was saying to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be made well.” Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And the woman was made well from that moment. When Jesus came to the leader’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, he said, “Go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up. And the report of this spread through all of that district.

Message: God’s Faith in Us

Silent Reflection

Our Light moves into the World God Loves

* Closing Hymn: “I was There to Hear Your Borning Cry” 315 (NCH)

John Ylvisaker, 1985

I was there to hear your borning cry,I'll be there when you are old.I rejoiced the day you were baptized,to see your life unfold.I was there when you were but a child,with a faith to suit you well;I’ll be there in case you wandered offto find where demons dwell.

When you found the wonder of the WordI was there to cheer you on;You were raised to praise the living God, I was there to cheer you on;You were raised to praise the living God, to whom you now belong. Should you find someone to share your time, and you join your hearts as one, I’ll be there to make your verse rhyme from dusk till rising sun.

In the middle ages of your life, not too old, no longer young,I'll be there to guide you through the night, complete what I've begun. When the evening gently closes in,and you shut your weary eyes,I'll be there as I have always been, with just one more surprise.

I was there to hear your borning cry,I'll be there when you are old.I rejoiced the day you were baptized,to see your life unfold.

Benediction and Silent Reflection with Postlude

Be yourself.

Grow in Christ.

Live with Compassion