Sunday, Sept 10, 2023 15th Sunday after Pentecost, Communion Sunday
PRELUDE: Gale Maxwell, worship accompanist
WELCOME Rev. Dr. Jill Sanders
ANNOUNCEMENTS: Pastor Jill
POURING THE BAPTISMAL WATER: Pastor Jill
*CALL TO WORSHIP: Lee Becker, reader
Please stand in body or spirit and remain standing in body or spirit until the passing of the peace.
One: Praise the Lord! Sing to God a new song!
Many: We are glad in our Maker and rejoice in our God!
One: We praise our God with melodies and dancing!
Many: May we bring pleasure to our God and seek out God’s most holy way.
One: And when we find ourselves amidst argument and division, conflict and disagreement,
Many: May we return to your presence resolved to find a better way.
One: Praise the Lord!
Many: We will praise God in all that we do.
*OPENING HYMN You Servants of God, Your Sovereign Proclaim, Blk 305
*Opening Prayer: (Unison) Lee
Dear God, help us to listen to those voices that do not sound like our own, to those beliefs that disagree with our own, to the pain we do not know, to the fears we do not have. Help us to listen before we speak, to understand instead of lecture, to appreciate diversity instead of condemning difference, to learn and grow with others not in spite of them. Help us to listen in a society of hurt, in a country of disagreement, in a world of noise. Help us to listen and give us the courage to truly hear. Amen.
*GLORIA TFWS 2023
O Lord, our God, how majestic is your name in all the earth;
O Lord, our God, how majestic is your name in all the earth.
O God, we praise your name.
O God, we magnify your name:
Prince of Peace, mighty God,
O Lord God Almighty. (x2)
*PASSING OF THE PEACE: (responsive) Lee
One: May the Peace of Christ be with you.
All: And also with you.
One: Let us share signs of Christ’s peace with one and another!
Please be seated.
Reading from the Hebrew Bible: Exodus 12:1-14 Lee
MOMENT WITH THE YOUNGER CHURCH
Reading from the Gospel Matthew 18:15-20 Pastor Jill
HYMN FOR PREPARATION “Change My Heart, O God” The Faith We Sing #2152
SERMON “Arguments and Resolutions: What to Do when We Disagree” Rev. Dr. Jill Sanders
MUSICAL REFLECTION
The Sacrament of Holy Communion
INVITATION
THE GREAT THANKSGIVING
One: The Holy One be with you.
Many: And also with you.
One: Open your hearts to the One who is Love.
Many: Our hearts are open to God.
One Let us give thanks and praise to the Holy One.
Many: We give you thanks, O God!
(Pastor) Indeed, we give you thanks, O God, for you keep showing up to meet us at this table. Created in your image, you made us different from one another and yet we are also one. Still, we fight tooth and nail to keep your table from hosting the fullness of your body. Though we long to practice love, evil still has its way in us and our communities. We struggle to confront the unjust powers and prejudices that keep us from being in full relationship with you and one another.
In Jesus, you showed us an alternative way. Jesus, who practiced counter-cultural socializing, was friends with the despised ones of his time: Sex-workers. The ill. Bleeding women. Tax collectors. The poor. Jesus, God enfleshed, found companionship in the ones deemed sinners or unclean by religious leaders. And he modeled for us what it looks like to practice love, not only interpersonally, but by confronting political and religious powers that destroy.
Because of his relentless pursuit of love, he was seized by those in power. On the night he would be arrested, he gathered with his companions for a meal.
He took bread, gave thanks to you, broke the bread and shared it with his disciples saying,
“Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
When the supper was over, he took the cup, gave thanks to you, gave it to his disciples, and said:
“Drink from this, all of you; this is the cup of the new covenant. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
And so, in remembrance of Christ with us, and with the hope that we too might pursue love so relentlessly, we proclaim the mystery of our faith:
Many: Christ has died; Christ has risen; Christ will come again.
One: Pour out your Spirit on these gifts, O God. Make this a meal that nourishes us on this long journey we share together, that by your Spirit we might seize every opportunity before us to advance love, justice, and compassion in the face of evil in all its forms.
For the sake of all that aches in this world, our church, and within every creature and creation, we come to your Table, hungry for a taste of your Kindom. Amen.
SHARING THE BREAD AND CUP (We will be coming forward and note to Gale –please play during this time)
PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING
Eternal God, we give you thanks for this Holy Mystery in which you have given yourself to us. Grant that we may go into the world, in the strength of your Spirit, to give ourselves for others, in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
SHARING OF JOYS AND CONCERNS, Moment of Silence, Prayer of our Savior
PRAYER OF OUR SAVIOR (ecumenical version)
Our Father who art in heaven,
Hallowed be Your Name.
Your Kingdom come, Your Will be Done
On earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
And deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory
are Yours, now and forever. Amen.
INVITATION TO GIVE, GIVING OF TITHES AND OFFERINGS:
*DOXOLOGY TheOld Hundredth
O God, may we who bear your name,
By gentle love your grace proclaim.
Christ’s gift of peace on earth declare,
And your anointing Spirit share.
*PRESENTATION OF TITHES AND OFFERINGS & PRAYER OF DEDICATION
*CLOSING HYMN: “Sent Forth By God’s Blessing” Blk 76 vs 1 &2
*BLESSING AND SENDING FORTH
*POSTLUDE: Gale Maxwell
NEWS IN THE PEWS: SUNDAY September 10, 2023
The weekly Calendar
Sunday Sept 10 Communion Sunday
10:00 Worship in-person & online
11:00 Pictures taken for Picture directory
11:00 Coffee Fellowship
11:30 Enneagram class, Journey Toward Wholeness
Monday Sept 11
10:00 Caffeinated Christianity
Tuesday Sept 12
9:00 Friendly Service
12-4 Elder Network
11:30 Worship Committee
3:45 Connections Committee
Wednesday Sept 13
6:00 Spirit on Screen, Best of Enemies
Thursday September 14
9:00 Walking group @ Big Ole
4:30 Holy Happy Hour @ Pike & Pint
Saturday Sept 16
12-4 25th Anniversary Celebration for Marc Blakesley and Peter Lee Open House
Sunday Sept 17th FROG Sunday
10:00 Worship in-person & online
11:00 FROG meets
11:00 Pictures taken for Picture directory
11:00 Coffee Fellowship sponsored by FROG
11:30 Enneagram class, Journey Toward Wholeness
Today is Communion Sunday
All are welcome at God’s table. We celebrate open communion (everyone invited), and for today’s Communion, we will invite everyone to come forward to receive the sacrament. Those who wish may be served in their pew.
Pastor Jill’s Office Hours
Pastor Jill is available throughout the week for pastoral care, conversation, or coffee! She is typically in the office on Tuesday mornings—and other times as well. It is always best to schedule a time if you want to talk. She can be reached directly at jill@firstcongregationaluccalex.com or (319) 361-0737. Shetypically takes Fridays off.
Thank you
We wish to thank Andrew Fleming for leading the singing of the hymns this Sunday.
Virtual Giving Options: Online and Text
Check out our updated website: firstcongregationaluccalex.com. Click on the word “Give” at the top of the screen. You can also text (844)987-4483 to give to our general fund. Please contact the office if you need help setting up your giving account online using our new software provider, Churchtrac.
Friendly Service
This will be the first quilting meeting for the fall. Everyone is welcome to help or just come and visit with us. Coffee and treats are enjoyed at around 10 a.m. Hope to see you.
Tuesday Meetings
Please submit any agenda items to the chairs of the Connections committee or worship committee or the office.
Spirit on Screen
Sept 13 6 pm. Join us for the viewing of The Best of Enemies. Civil rights activist Ann Atwater faces off against C.P. Ellis, Exalted Cyclops of the Ku Klux Klan, in 1971 Durham, North Carolina over the issue of school integration. We will have popcorn and a beverage. Bring your meal or light snack. Run time is 2 hour 13 minutes.
FROG power next Sunday
We meet monthly on the 3rd Sundays from 11-2 pm. During this time, we will leap into Bible stories, go on adventures, have lunch, find ways to serve others, and form bonds with each other while we discover the power of our God. Our rally Sunday will be September 17. The whole congregation is invited to join us after the worship service for fellowship.
Cookies/Baked Goods Wanted
Do you have extra cookies or baked goods? Love to bake but don’t want a lot of extras at home. We would love to have a supply of frozen cookies to serve on Sundays. This would relieve the burden on those who choose to serve on Sunday. Please put them in the freezer in the Plymouth Room.
Harvest Table
Stop and check out the Harvest table across from the elevator near the east entrance. Please bring garden produce to buy, sell and share. Money from the table will go to purchase gas cards for the students at Alexandria Technical and Community College.
Bountiful Basket
The bountiful basket is back in its place near the elevator. We welcome early bird donations for Alexandria Technical College. These donations can include non-perishable groceries and hygiene supplies.
Help out with Worship
There are sign ups at the back of the church for September. If you are able to greet, usher, or read, help serve coffee or clean up after Fellowship, please sign up there.
Angel Express and Angel Care Team
Volunteers are needed to cover additional months. Please contact the church office or Daisy 763-9461. Daisy and Neva Nickel will be angels for September.
Upcoming Birthdays and Anniversaries
Judy Kuhlmann 09/17
Jonathan Carlson 09/19
Blakesley/Lee anniversary 09/19/1998
Helen Etnier 09/21
Jolene Speirs 09/21
If the office has missed your birthday or anniversary, please contact us.
Directory Update
Please stop to have your photo taken on Sunday if you haven’t done so already. Connections will help schedule any additional photos after September 24, including committee pictures. If your contact information has recently changed, please let the office know. We expect the new picture directory will come out in October.
The Journey Toward Wholeness
3rd enneagram book group
if you studied one or both of suzanne stabile’s books on the enneagram or if you have studied the enneagram on your own, please join Marcie Watson for six consecutive Sundays following worship and coffee time from 11:30 to 12:30 p.m. starts today.
Join us in Celebration
On Saturday Sept 17 at noon to celebrate Marc Blakesley and Peter’s Lee’s 25 Anniversary. There will be a lunch served at the Open House.
Save the Date
Kathryn LeBrasseur’s celebration of life will be on Sept 23 at 10 am. Visitation begins at 9 am. Lunch will follow the service. No words are sufficient for her many contributions to our congregation and community at large.
We are having a public celebration of our Open and Affirming Covenant on September 24 at 4 pm. Please join for us for communion, worship, praise and fellowship following the service.
About First Congregational United Church of Christ
We are an inclusive community that welcomes extravagantly, seeks God and follows Jesus into the world.
We are also a member of the Open and Affirming Coalition of the United Church of Christ and honor the dignity of each person created in God’s image. All are welcome here.
