Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost, September 22, 2024
*Indicates please stand in body or in spirit
WE BECOME AWARE OF GOD’S PRESENCE
PRELUDE Diane Alveshere
WELCOME & ANNOUNCEMENTS Pastor Jill
Pouring of the Baptismal Water Rev. Dr. Jill Sanders
CHORAL INTROIT This is the Day, D. Moore
*CALL TO WORSHIP Ian Heseltine
One: Come! Come into the place where God listens! Where you need no money, status, or fine clothes!
Many: Come as you are—broken, whole, sick, well, satisfied or with deep needs.
One: Come to sing! Come to cry. Come to hear. Come to see. Come and be ready or come to be made ready.
Many: We are here. God is here, too.
Opening Hymn “God is Here” Black # 70
Opening Prayer (Unison) Ian
Dear Jesus, we live in a culture where family is right up there with God. You affirm this saying: “Yes, family is it. But family isn’t blood. It’s love.” Help us to expand our focus so that we no longer think of family as tiny. Remove the little fences we build around who we care for and to whom we are responsible. You have given us this infinite family, Jesus. All those who follow you differently than we do, we belong to them. We are one. Help us to care for strangers as our own sisters, respect opponents no less than our own brothers, and honor those so unlike us as our own mothers. Though it may seem hard to love them all as if they are ours, when we do, we come home. May we experience this miracle. Amen.
*THE GLORIA Blk 8, vs 4
Praise to the Living God, around, within, above,
Beyond the grasp of humankind but whom we know as Love.
In these tumultuous days, so full of hope and strife,
May we bear witness to the Way, O Source and Goal of life.
*THE PASSING OF THE PEACE Ian
GOD SPEAKS TO US
CHOIR ANTHEM Song of Fellowship, Besig and Price
READING FROM THE Hebrew Bible Psalm 23, a paraphrase from Enfleshed Ian
“A Queering of Psalm 23”
Queer Love is my Divine Companion.
In Their company, I unfurl with delight.
They teach me to question the assumed and the rigid.
They lure me with eros, creative and promiscuous.
They fill me with the spirit of Stonewall
and lead me in the ways of “no pride for some of us
without liberation for all of us.”*
Even as systems threaten and forces oppress,
I will forever Act Up; For Silence is Death
and in our holy provocation you are always with us.
You embrace us as chosen family – a comfort in our grief.
You celebrate all that nurtures our aliveness
in the presence of doctrines and policies that deaden.
You bless every trans body.
You declare sacred every sexuality.
Life overflows with possibilities for becoming.
Surely, the glory of the peculiar, the outcast, the righteous freaks and the weirdos
will inspire me all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell among the thresholds
where the Sacred Strange subverts every normalized terror
and the queers of all ilks fight for the right to grow old.
MOMENT WITH THE YOUNGER CHURCH Pastor Jill
READING FROM THE GOSPEL Mark 3:20-35 Ian Heseltine
20 and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat. 21 When Jesus’s family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, “He has gone out of his mind.”
22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons Jesus casts out demons.” 23 And Jesus called them to him, and spoke to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan?
24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26 And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come.
27 But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered.
28 “Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter; 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— 30 for they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.”
31 Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to Jesus and called him. 32 A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to Jesus, “Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you.”
33 And Jesus replied, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34 And looking at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”
HYMN OF PREPARATION Creator God, Creating Still Black #278
SERMON “Chosen Family” Ian Heseltine
MUSIC FOR REFLECTION: Diane Alveshere
WE RESPOND TO GOD
SHARING OF JOYS AND CONCERNS, PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE, AND THE PRAYER OF OUR SAVIOR Pastor Jill
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: Pastor Jill
*DOXOLOGY Black 780
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise God all creatures here below;
Praise God above you heavenly host;
Praise Creator,Christ, and Holy Ghost.
*PRESENTATION OF TITHES AND OFFERINGS & PRAYER OF DEDICATION
*CLOSING Hymn Family, S Garnaas-Holmes tune: Children of the Heavenly Father
Children of one loving Mother,
we are each a sister, brother.
In your image, God, you mold us;
in one family, Love, you hold us.
Though we strive with one another,
hurt our sister or our brother,
in our struggles and our wronging
still is blessing and belonging.
We are not alone, but rather,
God, you grant us grace together.
May we learn to love the Other
as our sister-self or brother.
As one family, God, you gather
all your children here together.
Help us shed all walls and labels:
bring us home, Love, to your table.
CHORAL BENEDICTION As You Go On Your Way, J. Engel
*BLESSING AND SENDING FORTH Ian Heseltine
May the God who forms us in love bless you and keep you. May you be filled with the grace that unites us as one family, chosen not by blood but by the Spirit. May you know the boundless love of Christ, who calls us siblings and invites us to build a community of belonging, compassion, and peace. Sending Forth: As you go forth from this place, may you go with the confidence that you are part of God’s chosen family, a family that knows no bounds. Go out to welcome, love, and include, creating spaces of belonging and grace. Go in peace, to love and serve, knowing that God goes with you, now and always. Amen.
POSTLUDE Diane Alveshere
| The paraphrase of the Psalm 23 comes from Enfleshed https://enfleshed.com/ The hymn Family was written by Steve Garnaas Holmes and can be found at unfoldinglight.net and is used with permission. All rights reserved. |
| We welcome all who are joining us for worship virtually, on YouTube, https://tinyurl.com/firstcongalex or Cable Channel #181 (each weekday). Our service is broadcast on KXRA 1490 AM at 11 am the second Sunday of the month. |
NEWS IN THE PEWS: SUNDAY September 22, 2024
Sunday September 22 FROG Sunday Rally Day
9:15 Choir rehearsal
10:00 Worship in person and online
11:00 Coffee Fellowship
Monday Sept 23
10:00 Caffeinated Christianity at Dunn Bros this week.
Tuesday Sept 24
10:00 Visitation, 11:00 am Celebration of Life for Mike Mosleth
12-4 Elder Care Network
Wednesday Sept 25
5:15 Choir rehearsal
6:15 Fifth Sunday rehearsal
Thursday Sept 26
9:00 Walking group@Big Ole
4:30 Holy Happy Hour
Saturday Sept 28
9:30 Group Spiritual Direction Orientation
Sunday September 29
10:00 Worship in person and online
11:00 Coffee Fellowship
11:30 Voices of Inspiration
Ian Heseltine Biography
Candidate for Word & Service in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), Ian is passionate about our calling to Church outside the four walls of a building, bridging the gap between young adults and the church. Ian finds joy in travel, relationship building, communication, organizational change, and local beer. Ian currently attends Wartburg Theological Seminary and currently serves as the Assistant Director for Leadership Gifts at Augsburg University.
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.
Voices of Inspiration Discussion Group
No discussion group this week.
Celebration of Life
Visitation will begin at 10 am, Service begins at 11:00 for Mike Mosleth.
Choir Rehearsal
Choir rehearsal at 5:15 on Wednesday Sept 25, Fifth Sunday rehearsal at 6:15.
Group Spiritual Direction Orientation
Sept 28 9:30-11:30 The Board of Spiritual Life is offering a listening process called Group Spiritual Direction. It’s a place to gather with other people in this hectic noisy world, to slow down for an hour and a half once a month, October through May, and try to see God in whatever has been occupying your mind. At each meeting, we sit in silence for a few minutes to quiet ourselves and then take turns listening as a group member shares.
Email Marcie at marciewatson2027@gmail.com or call her at 319-310-0565. Attending the orientation is necessary to participate in this year’s group if you haven’t participated in a previous year. If you decide it isn’t for you, there is no obligation to continue after the orientation.
Fifth Sunday Bluegrass and Folk Worship service
Join us for a special music worship service led by UCC Praise Band. Invite friends and family. The prelude will have some of the songs we will sing in worship so come early for the 10 am service to practice the songs.
Oct 6 World Communion Sunday and Blessing of the Animals
Join us at 2 pm on World Communion Sunday in our south lawn for a blessing of the animals. Pets should be leashed or in a crate, or otherwise under control.
Volunteers needed
We need volunteers to help coordinate the Spaghetti dinner. Sign up at the back of the sanctuary.
Christmas dinner chair or area coordinators needed to make this important event possible. We always have enough volunteers but we need the coordinator/chairs to help make this the success it always is. You can take on a certain area of the event—takeout, PR, volunteer coordination, food buying etc or if you wish sign up for the whole event.
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 a giving account online using our provider, Churchtrac.
Harvest Table
The church mission committee is once again making extra produce available to members and friends. If you have extra produce from your garden, you may bring it in to the church on Sunday for others to enjoy. There will be a basket for donations. All the money collected will go towards covering food costs to provide lunch for 30 plus HFH volunteers on September 19th. Thank you to all. As of Sunday Sept 15 we had collected $165. Any additional funds beyond this week’s expenses will be used as starter money for next year’s lunch or other item that the Mission committee designates.
Bountiful Basket
We will be filling the Bountiful Basket for ATCC students during the months of September and October. A list of items needed will be on the basket. You can also write a check or give cash as long as you designate on the check memo line ATCC or on the envelope. Money can also be brought to the church office.
Jennie’s Cupboard needs:
- Chapstick
- Toothpaste
- Toothbrushes
- Men’s & Women’s Deodorant
- Shaving Cream
- Shampoo
- Conditioner
- Lotion
- Hairbrushes
- Combs
- Disinfecting Wipes
Also needed local restaurant, Target, Walmart, grocery and gas gift cards.
Upcoming Birthdays and Anniversaries
Mike Hemann 09/29
Adrian Thompson 09/29
Cathy Grove Barker 10/01
Betty Anderson 10/02
Susan Keehn 10/05
If the office has missed your birthday or anniversary, please contact us.
Pies and Lefse available
Women’s Fellowship has a few pies and some lefse available for purchase. The pies are $15 apiece. Contact the office or pick up on Sunday.
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.
