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!”
August 8, 2023
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
10:20 Gathering and Prelude
Wayne Shull, Music Director
Naomi Hanvey, Scripture Reader
Sue Ferrozzo, Candle lighter,
Joe McSwain, AV and Usher
Jerry Brines, Usher
Scotty Patton, Zoom Monitor
Rev. Gen Heywood, Pastor
10:30am Land Acknowledgement
We worship on the unceded traditional territory of the Spokane, Cayuse, Umatilla, Walla Walla, Coeur d’Alene, and other tribes. We acknowledge the history of indigenous genocide, removal, and erasure that continues to this day. We recognize the role that Christian communities played in these injustices, and we recommit ourselves to seeking more peaceful, just, and neighborly ways of sharing this land with all who call it home.
Worship begins
God is everywhere...all the time! All the time... God is everywhere!
Welcoming the Light of Christ
Hymn: ”Jesus Calls Us, o’er the Tumult” 172 (NCH)
1 Jesus calls us o'er the tumult of our life's wild, restless sea; day by day that voice still calls us, saying "Christian, follow me."
2 As of old, St. Andrew heard it by the Galilean lake, turned from home and toil and kindred, leaving all for Jesus’ sake.
3 Jesus calls us from the worship of the treasure we adore from each idol that would keep us, saying "Christian, love me more."
4 In our joys and in our sorrows, days of toil and hours of ease, Jesus calls us, in cares and pleasures, "Christian, love me more than these.”
5 Jesus calls us! By your mercies, Savior, may we hear your call, give our hearts to your obedience, serve and love you best of all.
Community Prayer
Hymn: “Amazing Grace” 547 (NCH)
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found, was blind but now I see.
Prayers of Gratitude
T’was grace that taught my heart to fear and grace, my fears relieved. How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed.
Prayers of Concern
Through many dangers, toils and snares I have already come ‘tis grace that brought me safe thus far and grace will lead me home.
Silent prayer
My God has promised good to me, whose word my hope secures; God will my shield and portion be as long as life endures.
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” v. 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, we make these offerings with grateful hearts. Bless all we are, all we have, and all we do that your realm will be made real in our lives. Amen.
Listening for God
Message with Young Hearts
How do you read the Bible?
Judges 5 The Message Translation
That day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song:
2 When they let down their hair in Israel, they let it blow wild in the wind. The people volunteered with abandon, bless God!
3 Hear O kings! Listen O princes! To God, yes to God, I’ll sing, Make music to God, to the God of Israel.
4-5 God, when you left Seir, marched across the fields of Edom, Earth quaked, yes, the skies poured rain, oh, the clouds made rivers. Mountains leapt before God, the Sinai God, before God, the God of Israel.
6-8 In the time of Shamgar son of Anath, and in the time of Jael, Public roads were abandoned, travelers went by backroads. Warriors became fat and sloppy, no fight left in them. Then you, Deborah, rose up; you got up, a mother in Israel. God chose new leaders, who then fought at the gates. And not a shield or spear to be seen among the forty companies of Israel.
9 Lift your hearts high, O Israel, with abandon, volunteering yourselves with the people—bless God!
10-11 You who ride on prize donkeys comfortably mounted on blankets And you who walk down the roads, ponder, attend! Gather at the town well and listen to them sing, Chanting the tale of God’s victories, his victories accomplished in Israel.
Then the people of God went down to the city gates.
12 Wake up, wake up, Deborah! Wake up, wake up, sing a song! On your feet, Barak! Take your prisoners, son of Abinoam!
13-18 Then the remnant went down to greet the brave ones. The people of God joined the mighty ones. The captains from Ephraim came to the valley, behind you, Benjamin, with your troops. Captains marched down from Makir, from Zebulun high-ranking leaders came down. Issachar’s princes rallied to Deborah, Issachar stood fast with Barak, backing him up on the field of battle. But in Reuben’s divisions there was much second-guessing. Why all those campfire discussions? Diverted and distracted, Reuben’s divisions couldn’t make up their minds. Gilead played it safe across the Jordan, and Dan, why did he go off sailing? Asher kept his distance on the seacoast, safe and secure in his harbors. But Zebulun risked life and limb, defied death, as did Naphtali on the battle heights.
19-23 The kings came, they fought, the kings of Canaan fought. At Taanach they fought, at Megiddo’s brook, but they took no silver, no plunder. The stars in the sky joined the fight, from their courses they fought against Sisera. The torrent Kishon swept them away, the torrent attacked them, the torrent Kishon. Oh, you’ll stomp on the necks of the strong! Then the hoofs of the horses pounded, charging, stampeding stallions. “Curse Meroz,” says God’s angel. “Curse, double curse, its people, Because they didn’t come when God needed them, didn’t rally to God’s side with valiant fighters.”
24-27 Most blessed of all women is Jael, wife of Heber the Kenite, most blessed of homemaking women. He asked for water, she brought milk; In a handsome bowl, she offered cream. She grabbed a tent peg in her left hand, with her right hand she seized a hammer. She hammered Sisera, she smashed his head, she drove a hole through his temple. He slumped at her feet. He fell. He sprawled. He slumped at her feet. He fell. Slumped. Fallen. Dead.
28-30 Sisera’s mother waited at the window, a weary, anxious watch. “What’s keeping his chariot? What delays his chariot’s rumble?” The wisest of her ladies-in-waiting answers with calm, reassuring words, “Don’t you think they’re busy at plunder, dividing up the loot? A girl, maybe two girls, for each man, And for Sisera a bright silk shirt, a prize, fancy silk shirt! And a colorful scarf—make it two scarves— to grace the neck of the plunderer.”
31 Thus may all God’s enemies perish, while his lovers be like the unclouded sun.
The land was quiet for forty years.
Message: She did what!
Silence
Sharing Holy Communion
Hand sanitizer passed around.
Pastor: Friends in Christ, we gather at our many tables mindful of the presence of God’s Spirit that is here with us. We seek to honor the request of Jesus given in the scripture. Of all the teachings Jesus gave to our ancestors, this he asked them and us to do for him to remember him.
When Jesus and his friends sat together at a Passover meal, Jesus took bread; giving God thanks and praise, he broke the bread. He gave it to his friends saying, “Take this all of you and eat of it. This is my body that is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
After the meal had ended, Jesus poured out the cup and again he gave God thanks and praise. He gave the cup to his friends and said, “Take this all of you and drink from it. This is the cup of the new covenant. Do this as often as you drink of it in remembrance of me.”
Let us pray.
All: Loving God, you are with us in the easy times and the difficult experiences. We thank you with humble hearts. Let your presence be felt among us. Come, Holy Spirit come. Bless this bread and this cup and all who have gathered in your Spirit. Refresh us and renew us as Christ’s body in the world today. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.
Silence as all who want to receive come forward. We will break bread and share a common cup or you can receive the packaged bread and drink,
Prayer of Thanksgiving
All: We thank you, God, for your presence at all our tables where we remember and experience the presence of Christ. Help us to live more fully the way of Christ. Strengthen our faith, increase our love for one another, and let us show forth your praise in our lives, through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
Announcements
Our light Goes into the World
*Hymn: “We are Often Tossed and Driven” 444(NCH) Public Domain
1 We are often tossed and driv’n on the restless sea of time, somber skies and howling tempest oft succeed a bright sunshine; in that land of perfect day, when the mists have rolled away, we will understand it better by and by.
Refrain:
By and by, when the morning comes, when the saints of God are gathered home, we’ll tell the story, how we’ve overcome, for we’ll understand it better by and by.
2 We are often destitute of the things that life demands, want of food and want of shelter, thirsty hills and barren lands; In our God our trust’s assured, and according to the Word we will understand it better by and by.
[Refrain]
3 Trials harsh on every hand and we cannot understand All the ways that God would lead us to the blessed promised land; We are guided by God’s eye, and we’ll follow till we die for we’ll understand it better by and by. [Refrain]
4. Temptations, hidden snares, often take us unawares, and our hearts are made to bleed for any thoughtless word or deed; and we wonder why the test when we try to do our best, but we’ll understand it better by and by. [Refrain]
Benediction and Silent Meditation with Postlude
Be Yourself.
Grow in Christ.
Live with Compassion.
Comments