Preparing for Sunday..

“Who is my neighbor?”  One of the most familiar, and perhaps most misunderstood, questions in the Gospels, and one we will discuss together in worship this Sunday morning.  What does the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) mean to you?  Whom do you identify with in the story of the fallen stranger on the Jericho Road?  We’d all like to imagine ourselves as the Samaritan, but Jesus sets a pretty high bar!

We’ll experiment tomorrow with a shadier spot for outdoor worship (weather permitting), and the choir has a secret to share, so make sure to join us!   

Derek van Bever

We are invited on this holiday weekend each year to think about the idea of freedom.  So, looking again at the passage from the fifth chapter of Galatians and also from a passage in the Gospel of John, we will consider what is meant by freedom as people of faith.  Is it that we are free from things that bind us or, and perhaps we may say “and/or” that we are free for a different kind of life as followers of Christ.  The latter is motivation and affirmation of a different kind and we may celebrate that even more heartily this weekend.  

You are invited to celebrate this evening, as well, when we host our first Dolly’s Coffee House since the start of the pandemic!  Bring your instruments, voices, performances of all kinds or just yourselves to enjoy the evening together!  We begin at 7:00, but come early to get a seat!

Blessings and peace, Lisa

Our community was shaken this week to hear of a fatal shooting in East Blue Hill and we pray for the family and for the officers involved.  That our local reminder of the potential for violence fell coincident with a Supreme Court ruling on gun control legislation makes clear the connection between our nation’s laws and policies and our everyday life. I am sure that there is none among us who does not also have a strong response to yesterday’s ruling to overturn the 50-year federal rights settled in the landmark Roe v. Wade.  For many women, this ruling has a direct effect on a sense of safety and of freedom, no matter how one understands the biological determination of life’s beginning. These are challenges that affect the poor, Black and Latinx disproportionately, and so we grieve the shift in power that this ruling represents.  

The national staff of the UCC prepared a web program that aired last night live, called “Hope Beyond Roe: A Service of Gathering and Lament,” which can now be viewed at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnDr5gzs-5U. I would like to invite anyone who is interested to screen this together Sunday evening at 7:00 in Fisher Hall, followed by discussion.  Please know that our goal in Christian fellowship is to foster love and compassion, which task is highlighted in the scripture for tomorrow morning’s worship service, as well.  Ours is a faith that is passed from generation to generation, nourished by the gifts of the Spirit.  Come celebrate the hope that sustains us through every difficulty.

Peace, Lisa

We will worship in the sanctuary and on Zoom today rather than gather outside where we can sing more freely.  On our newest federal holiday, Juneteenth, we will remember together that while we have made strides toward greater equality for all persons in our nation, the injustice of slavery is still evident in inequalities that persist to this day.  Our scripture invites us to look closely at members of our community that live at the margins, whether by choice or by accident of birth.  We also are invited to hope for the possibility of change in even the most despondent times. 

Peace, Lisa

Below you will find materials to accompany this week’s Sunday Morning
Worship via Zoom.  An order of service with scripture readings, along with
music recordings to accompany the service, are available by clicking the
following links.

A Reading from The Hebrew Bible, The Old Testament:     Psalm 1    

The New Testament Readings:    Romans 13:1-6
                                                     Philippians 3:17-21

Sermon:   The Bible, The Flag, and The Citizen

Helpful Hint:  If you are planning to join the Sunday morning worship Zoom call, you might wish to print the following documents prior to joining the call, if you have that capability. 

*A link to the sermon will be shared on our website during the week
following the service.

Continue reading Sunday Worship June 12, 2022 →

Worship at Home Materials:

Below you will find materials to accompany this week’s Sunday Morning Worship via Zoom.  An order of service with scripture readings, along with music recordings to accompany the service, are available by clicking the following links.

A Reading from The Hebrew Bible Genesis 11:1 – 9; The Tower of Babel        
 
A Reading from The New Testament Acts 2:1-21 Pentecost
                     
Sermon:   The Electric Company  

Helpful Hint:  If you are planning to join the Sunday morning worship Zoom call, you might wish to print the following documents prior to joining the call, if you have that capability. 

*A link to the sermon will be shared on our website during the week following the service.