May 14, 2023
Prelude: Hymn Medley
Ruth Seignemartin, piano
Introit: Dearest Jesus, We Are Here
Ahle, arr. Ore
Welcome & Call to Worship
[Psalm 66]
Bless our God, O peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard.
God has kept us among the living, and has not let our feet slip.
For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried.
We went through fire and through water; yet you have brought us out to a spacious place.
Let us worship the LORD!
Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise (Hymn 263)
Welsh Folk Melody/Smith
Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
In light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
Almighty, victorious, Thy great name we praise.
Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,
Nor wanting, nor wasting, Thou rulest in might;
Thy justice like mountains high soaring above,
Thy clouds, which are fountains of goodness and love.
To all, life Thou givest, to both great and small;
In all life Thou livest, the true life of all;
We blossom and flourish like leaves on the tree,
Then wither and perish; but naught changeth Thee.
Thou reignest in glory, Thou rulest in light,
Thine angels adore Thee, all veiling their sight;
All praise we would render; O help us to see
‘Tis only the splendor of light hideth Thee!
Confession
O God, in whom we live and move and have our being, forgive us when we try to separate the spiritual from the secular. You are present in our homes, schools, workplaces, and the wider world just as much as you are present with us here in church. Forgive us when we discount people who do not worship on Sunday mornings but may very well participate in your work in other ways. Open our eyes to the expansiveness of your Spirit, and guide all our desires towards you. Amen.
Silence
I Will Change Your Name
Butler
I will change your name, you shall no longer be called
Wounded, outcast, lonely or afraid.
I will change your name, your new name shall be
Confidence, joyfulness, overcoming one,
Faithfulness, friend of God, one who seeks my face.
[Isaiah 62:2-4]
Forgiveness in Jesus Christ
Peace
The peace of Christ be with you.
And also with you.
Gloria Patri (Hymn 579)
Greatorex
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be,
Word without end. Amen, Amen.
Children’s Message
God, Who Stretched the Spangled Heavens (Hymn 268)
Moore/Cameron
God who stretched the spangled heavens, infinite in time and place,
Flung the suns in burning radiance through the silent fields of space:
We, your children in your likeness, share inventive powers with you;
Great Creator, still creating, show us what we yet may do.
We have ventured worlds undreamed of since the childhood of our race;
Known the ecstasy of winging through untraveled realms of space;
Probed the secrets of the atom, yielding unimagined power,
Facing us with life’s destruction or our most triumphant hour.
As each far horizon beckons, may it challenge us anew;
Children of creative purpose, serving others, honoring you.
May our dreams prove rich with promise, each endeavor well begun;
Great Creator, give us guidance till our goals and yours are one.
Prayer for Illumination
Scripture Readings
Steve Blewett
Old Testament: Psalm 66:8-20
New Testament: Acts 17:22-31
Sermon: Building Upon Unknown Gods
Focus: A life is either all spiritual or not spiritual at all. No man can serve two masters. Your life is shaped by the end you live for. You are made in the image of what you desire. –Thomas Merton
Response: In a Deep, Unbounded Darkness
Anon. Chinese/Plainsong, Mode V
Lisa Phillips
Pastoral Prayer & The Lord's Prayer
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.
Call to Stewardship
Ruth Seignemartin
Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common.
-Acts 4:32
Offering Our Gifts: Allegro
Kittel
Doxology
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise God, all creatures here below;
Praise God above, ye heavenly host,
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
Charge & Benediction
Postlude: Trumpet Tune
Callahan
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