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!”
March 12, 2023 • 10:30 a.m.
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10:20 Gathering and Prelude
Wayne Shull, Music Director
Charlie Salt, AV
Joe McSwain, Usher and AV
Jerry Brines, Usher
Marsilius Flumo, Scripture Reader
Sue Ferrozzo, Candle Lighter
Scotty Patton, Zoom Monitor
Rev. Gen Heywood, Pastor
10:30am Worship begins
God renews us …all the time!
All the time...God renews us!
Welcome
Call to Confession
One: Seek God; call upon God; God is here. Trusting in the compassion and mercy of God, we pray:
Prayer of Confession
From the Presbyterian Church USA
Forgive us, God, for the many ways that we fail to trust your promise.
Too often we count the trespasses of others, as though we were the ones to judge. Too often we fail to believe that your gifts are freely given. Too often we spend our money for that which is not bread, and our labor for that which does not satisfy. Help us, loving God. Forgive us when we operate out of scarcity and fear rather than out of your abundant, good gifts. Help us to live as your trusting, sharing, reconciling people.
Silent Confessions with God
Assurance of Pardon
(from 2 Corinthians 5)
One: Beloved in Christ: God was in Christ reconciling the world, not counting our wrongs against us, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, anyone in Christ is a new creation! The past is gone; everything has become fresh and new. Hear and believe the
good news of the Gospel:
All: In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven! Thanks be to God! Amen.
Welcoming the light of Christ
Placing rocks that symbolize the burdens we carry.
Hymn: “Glory, Glory, Halleujah” 2(NCH)
Glory, glory, hallelujah! since I laid my burdens down. Glory, glory, hallelujah! since I laid my burdens down.
I feel better, so much better, since I laid my burdens down! I feel better, so much better, since I laid my burdens down!
Feel like shoutin' hallelujah! since I laid my burdens down! Feel like shoutin' hallelujah! since I laid my burdens down!
I am dancing Miriam’s dance now, since I laid my burdens down. I am dancing Miriam’s dance now, since I laid my burdens down.
I am climbing Jacob’s ladder, since I laid my burdens down!I climbing Jacob’s ladder, since I laid my burdens down!
Every round goes higher, higher, since I laid my burdens down!Every round goes higher, higher, since I laid my burdens down!
Community Prayer
Spoken Prayers of gratitude
Spoken Prayers of concern
Silent Prayer
Lord’s Prayer
A version of The Lord’s Prayer from The New Zealand Prayer Book Eternal Spirit, Earth-maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver, Source of all that is and that shall be, Father and Mother of us all, Loving God, in whom is heaven: The hallowing of your name echo through the universe! The way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the world! Your heavenly will be done by all created beings! Your commonwealth of peace and freedom sustain our hope and come on earth. With the bread we need for today, feed us. In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us. In times of temptation and testing, strengthen us. From trials too great to endure, spare us. From the grip of all that is evil, free us. For you reign in the glory of the power that is love, now and for ever. Amen.
Response “Grace Alone” v1
CCLI license #11038266
Every promise we can make, every prayer and step of faith, every difference we can make is only by God’s grace. Every mountain we will climb, every ray of hope we shine, every blessing left behind is only by God’s grace. Grace alone which God supplies strength unknown God will provide; Christ in us, our Cornerstone, we will go forth in grace alone.
A Time of Offering
An Invitation to Share
Sharing Stories about the experiences of Bigotry
Scotty Patton
Sue Ferrozzo
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
Beloved Creator, bless these offerings of our time, talent, and treasure. Draw us closer to you and one another through this season of transformation. May we love one another as you continue to love us. Amen
Listening for God
Time with Young Hearts
How did you get good at that?
Romans 5:1-11(NRSVUE)
Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 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. 3 And not only that, but we also boast in our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 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.
6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. 8 But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. 9 Much more surely, therefore, since we have now been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life. 11 But more than that, we even boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
John 4:5-42 (NRSVUE)
5 So he came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon.
7 A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” 8 (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” 11 The woman said to him, “Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 12 Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?” 13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.”
16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come back.” 17 The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband,’ 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!” 19 The woman said to him, “Sir, I see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming and is now here when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I am he, the one who is speaking to you.”
27 Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you want?” or, “Why are you speaking with her?” 28 Then the woman left her water jar and went back to the city. She said to the people, 29 “Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?” 30 They left the city and were on their way to him.
31 Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, “Rabbi, eat something.” 32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” 33 So the disciples said to one another, “Surely no one has brought him something to eat?” 34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work. 35 Do you not say, ‘Four months more, then comes the harvest’? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting. 36 The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. 37 For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”
39 Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I have ever done.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of his word. 42 They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world.”
Message: “Powerful Reconciliation”
Silent Reflection
Announcements
Bible Study at Kelly and Tom’s, 7pm Monday
Choir 6:30pm Wednesday
Book: Caste the Origin of our Discontent Reports
*Hymn: In the Midst of New Dimensions 391 (NCH)
In the midst of new dimensions, in the face of changing ways. Who will lead the pilgrim peoples wandering in their separate ways?
[Refrain] God of rainbow, fiery pillar, leading where the eagles soar, We your people, ours the journey now and ever, now and ever, now and ever more.
Through the flood of starving people, warring factions and despair, Who will lift the olive branches? Who will light the flame of care?
As we stand a world divided by our own self-seeking schemes, Grant that we, your global village might envision wider dreams
We are man and we are woman, all persuasions, old and young, Each a gift in your creation, each a love song to be sung.
Should the threats of dire predictions cause us to withdraw in pain, May your blazing phoenix spirit, resurrect the church again.
Benediction
Postlude and Silent Reflection