Bulletin

Welcome to United Christian Parish! Use the bulletin as guidance as you worship.
(download the bulletin as a PDF)

NOVEMBER 3 ORDER OF WORSHIP

PRELUDE

WELCOME

CALL TO WORSHIP *
One: In worship we tell a story:
All: A story of an unfettered love that changed the world.
One: In worship we tell a story:
All: A story of how we live and how we long to live.
One: In worship we tell a story:
All: Because we are forgetful people.
One: So may we remember who we are.
All: May we release the narratives that trap us.
One: May we reimagine this world to see what God sees.
All: And may we work toward restoration.
One: It’s all that easy, and it’s all that hard.
All: Let us worship holy God.

OPENING SONG *
“God, Whose Giving Knows No Ending”
God, whose giving knows no ending, from your rich and endless store,
Nature’s wonder, Jesus’ wisdom, costly cross, grave’s shattered door:
Gifted by you, we turn to you offering up ourselves in praise;
Thankful song shall rise forever, gracious donor of our days.

Skills and time are ours for serving, that your will on earth be done:
All at peace in health and freedom, races joined, the Church made one.
Now direct your daily labor, lest we strive for self alone;
born with talents, make us servants fit to answer at your throne.

Treasure, too, you have entrusted, gain through powers your grace conferred;
Ours to use for home and kindred, and to spread the gospel Word.
Open wide our hands in sharing as we heed Christ’s ageless call,
Healing, teaching, and reclaiming, honoring you by loving all.

Lend your joy to all our giving, let it light our pilgrim way;
From the night of anxious keeping, loose us into generous day.
Then when years on earth are over, and we’ve lived our human span,
God, fulfill beyond our dreaming, all our stewardship began.

CALL TO CONFESSION *
One: We cannot do the work of restoration until we too are restored. We cannot do the work of remembering, releasing, or reimagining without God’s love and forgiveness.
All: As we offer our prayers of confession, may God breathe new life into us. Restoring us to God’s Spirit. Restoring us to God’s Word. Restoring us to one another.
One: Let us pray, first together and then in a moment of silence. 

PRAYER OF CONFESSION *
All: Holy God, to restore is to bring back; so today we bring our hearts back to you, our thoughts back to love, and our prayers back to peace. We try to stay in this place, but we confess, it’s never been that easy for us. We flirt with reconciliation and then back away. We come face-to-face with an opportunity for justice, but get scared. We are offered an opportunity to re-write our story, but we lose our way. Bring us back to this moment. Bring us back to your story where brothers (and sisters) extend grace to one another and even the one who denied it was forgiven. Bring us back. Restore us. Forgive us. Gratefully we pray..

ASSURANCE OF PARDON *
One: Family of faith, hear the good news: we believe in a restoring God, who restores our bodies through the gift of Sabbath, who restores our souls through the gift of grace and second chances, who restores this hurting world through the gift of mercy and God’s son Jesus Christ. And we believe in a restoring God who invites us to join in this restoration work.
All: As people of faith, we seek to restore creation to God by feeding the hungry, loving our neighbors, forgiving seventy times seven, welcoming the children, seeing all, loving all, and living like we belong to all.
One: Friends believe the Good News of the Gospel. In Jesus Christ we are all forgiven!

GLORIA *
Glory to God, whose goodness shines on me
and to the Son, whose grace has pardoned me,
and to the Spirit, whose love has set me free.
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be. Amen.
World without end, without end. Amen.
World without end, without end. Amen.
World without end, without end. Amen.
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be. Amen.  

PASSING THE PEACE *

OFFERING

STEWARSHIP MOMENT

DOXOLOGY
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
praise Christ, all people here below;
praise Holy Spirit evermore;
praise Triune God, whom we adore.
Amen.

CHILDREN’S TIME

BELLS
“Give Thanks”
Henry Smith, arr. Susan E. Geschke

SCRIPTURE (Genesis 33:1-17; John 21:1-19)

SERMON

COMMUNION

LORD’S PRAYER
All: 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 debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.  For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
One: Creator of all, the earth is yours, the world and all who live in it. We are not sure what restoration for this world will look like, but we’re pretty sure it’ll feel like this—a meal where all are fed, a place where all are welcomed, and a table with a seat saved for each and every one of us. Remind us of this truth in the coming day, and continue to restore all of us to you.
All: You have entrusted us with gifts—time, talent, energy, money—and asked us to use them to build your kingdom. With thanks and praise we respond to your call.
One: We bring these gifts you have given, returning your generosity, paying it forward.
All: We offer ourselves, our lives, our hopes and fears, our dollars and our hours. We commit ourselves to work for your world, to love and serve wherever you call.
One: We ask your blessing on this, your church, as we seek to follow you with heart, mind, and soul.
All: Bless also these gifts, our investment in your future, that they may multiply in faith, hope, and love.
One: Gratefully we pray.
All: Amen.

CLOSING SONG *
“Take My Gifts”
Take my gifts and let me love you,
God who first of all loved me,
gave me light and food and shelter,
gave me life and set me free,
now because your love has touched me,
I have love to give away,
now the bread of love is rising,
loaves of love to multiply!

Take the fruit that I have gathered
from the tree your Spirit sowed,
harvest of your own compassion,
juice that makes the wine of God,
spiced with humor, laced with laughter -
flavor of the Jesus life,
tang of risk and new adventure,
taste and zest beyond belief.

Take whatever I can offer -
gifts that I have yet to find,
skills that I am slow to sharpen,
talents of the hand and mind,
things made beautiful for others
in the place where I must be:
take my gifts and let me love you,
God who first of all loved me.

CLOSING MESSAGE *

POSTLUDE

*Rise in body or spirit