Unclean Spirit, Revisited

Transcription

1 February 1, :30 am Unclean Spirit, Revisited Lay Lector Judy Lane Acolyte Annika Gabel Greeters & Ushers Middle Schoolers & Kim Finney Offering Stewards Emily Kuttenkuler, Carrie Mershon Nursery Care Sandi Wilson Sound System Mary Wilson, Isaac Grimm Coffee Hour Hosts Tom & Mary Rich Communion Stewards Rose Brockhouse, Rick Happel Karen Kaul, Bob Piening Kirkwood United Church of Christ 1603 Dougherty Ferry Road Kirkwood, MO Website CHURCH STAFF Betsy Happel, Pastor Julie Kies, Student Minister Donna Bay, Administrative Assistant Merry Keller, Director of Music Ministry MINISTERS The Whole Congregation Phone (314) Facebook us OUR WELCOMING STATEMENT Kirkwood United Church of Christ is called by God to be an open, diverse and caring community of Jesus disciples. In following Christ s commandment to love one another, we welcome all who wish to share in the fellowship, membership, leadership, worship, ministry, sacraments, rites, responsibilities and blessings of our faith community. As we affirm that every person is a child of God, no one is excluded, regardless of race, ethnic or socio-economic background, marital status, gender, sexual orientation, age, physical or mental ability, nationality 1 or faith background. We are an Open and Affirming congregation.

2 ORDER OF SERVICE *All who are able, please stand Hearing assistance is available, please see an usher No matter who you are, or where you are on life s journey, you are welcome here! Welcome Those seated on the aisle, please fill out the welcome sheet on the clipboard in the pew rack, and pass it to the next person. Request: the last person to sign, please put the sheet in the offering plate. Thank you. Prelude *Call to Worship Brothers and sisters in Christ, what hopes do you bring to worship? We bring hope for health and wholeness. What afflictions do you bring to worship? Physical pain? From illness and injury. Emotional pain? From sad and scary life situations. Mental pain? From dis-ease of many kinds. With all of these afflictions, it s a miracle that any of us have made it to worship this morning! But where else would we be? We yearn to know God s powerful love and to know that wholeness is possible. In today s gospel, a person with an unclean spirit interrupts Jesus And Jesus frees him. And where does the miracle of his story and our stories begin? When we bring all of who we are --Hopeful, afflicted, bold into relationship with the Divine. So come, let us enter this sanctuary with our whole selves --Hopeful, afflicted and bold-- Come, let us worship! *Opening Hymn Gather Your People Page 6 & 7 *Gathering Prayer O God of love and healing, in the midst of struggle, dis-ease and affliction, reassure us. 2

3 Silence Remind us that we are made in your image and that you see us as whole and good. We celebrate you in our midst, and we do so with hope-filled hearts of gratitude. Amen. Children s Time Barb Harris Prayers of the People/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. Invitation to the Offering When we give of ourselves to meet the needs of others, we are co-creators in the health of God s creation. As we have been given much, let us give in return. Offertory *Doxology For the Fruit of All Creation v. 3 #425 For the harvests of the Spirit, thanks be to God. For the good we all inherit, thanks be to God. For the wonders that astound us, for the truths that still confound us, Most of all that love has found us, thanks be to God. *Prayer of Dedication Transforming God, we dedicate our gifts for the health of your creation. May those who receive these gifts be blessed by your love and inspired to give to others, so that your creation will continue to be transformed. Amen. Scripture reading Mark 1:21-28 (Common English Bible) Jesus and his followers went into Capernaum. Immediately on the Sabbath Jesus entered the synagogue and started teaching. The people were amazed by his teaching, for he was teaching them with authority, not like the legal experts. Suddenly, there in the synagogue, a person with an evil spirit screamed, What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are. You are the holy one from God. Silence! Jesus said, speaking harshly to the demon. Come out of him! The unclean spirit shook him and screamed, then it came out. Everyone was shaken and questioned among themselves, What s this? A new teaching with authority! He even commands unclean spirits and they obey him! Right away the news about him spread throughout the entire region of Galilee. *Song of Response Jesus Shall Reign vv. 1, 2 & 4 #300 Page 8 3

4 Message Unclean Spirits and Unexpected Blessings Choir Anthem When the Poor Ones By David M. Cherwien Sacrament of Holy Communion Invitation to the Table O Divine Healer, we confess that sometimes we yearn for you to wave a magic wand on our wounded lives to remove our pain, illness, and suffering. We hear the gospel story of the one seeking healing from Jesus and assume you will perform a similar miracle for all of us if we just pray hard enough! Communion Prayer And we do pray! Open our eyes to recognize the teachings and tools you have given us with which to seek healing in the midst of our afflictions and dis-eases. You whisper to us that wholeness requires self-care and rest; Silence You nudge us toward caregivers who can support and advise us; Silence You breathe into us energy to move and stretch and reach toward health; Silence You place in us an urgency to seek justice so that all may enjoy adequate health care; Silence Renew our spirits in the midst of our dis-eases and afflicting spirits. Transform us, O Whole-y One, for the health of your creation. Bless the bread before us that the very essence of our lives may be nourished. Bless the cup before us that healing may surround us - our bodies, our minds and our spirits. We come to your table, in many ways broken, in all ways hopeful. Amen. Words of Institution Sharing of Bread and Cup Everyone is welcome to take communion, regardless of church affiliation or no affiliation. Please hold the bread and cup until all have been served so that we may eat and drink together. Gluten-free wafers have been provided in each basket. Music for Reflection 4

5 Prayer of Thanksgiving In the wholeness and the goodness of God, we go forth. In the spirit of our reconciling Christ, may we be healed, that we might serve, that we might transform the world around us. Amen. *Blessing and Commissioning *Hymn of Recession Amazing Grace vv. 1, 3, & 5 #547 Page 9 Postlude Today s liturgy was adapted from the Rev. Dr. Ginny Brown Daniel, pastor of Plymouth United Church, UCC, in Spring, Texas. 5

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8 Copyright Notice - All Music provided in this bulletin is used by permission of CCLI #

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10 EVENTS SPONSORED BY KUCC SUPER BOWL SUB SANDWICHES Please remember to pick-up your Super Bowl Sub Sandwiches TODAY. Thank you for your order and support! Kirkwood United Church of Christ Church Accompanist/Pianist Opening The Accompanist will play piano to support ensembles, soloists, and congregational singing during worship; and provide musical interludes throughout the worship service, as needed. S/he will play for all choir rehearsals, and rehearsals with small ensembles and soloists. This individual will prepare music for musical elements of worship services to include the prelude, postlude, offertory, and distribution of elements during communion. Qualifications: Experience as a church accompanist; College degree in music is desired. Proficient in playing the piano and sight reading music. Proficient in playing choral parts in open score format for rehearsal/teaching purposes. Ability to work effectively on a team. Ability to play the organ, a plus. Ability to transpose or write music, a plus. Experience working with Directors of Music in a church setting. Please send all inquiries to Donna Bay at donna@kirkwooducc.org. Deadline for submitting resumes is February 3 rd. ADULT ED OFFERINGS: THEMES IN LIBERATION THEOLOGY February 1, 8, 15, 22 In the early 50 s and 60 s, Liberation Theology developed as a movement within the Catholic Church in Latin America in light of the hope and suffering of the poor and their struggle for freedom from oppression. Gustavo Gutierrez, a Peruvian priest, wrote A Theology of Liberation in 1971 that located God in the midst of the poor and critiqued the structures of church and society. In the time since then, the movement has become ecumenical and international. It has inspired faithful people in many contexts to develop theologies of liberation suitable to their own settings. In our February Adult Education, we will explore the roots of Liberation Theology, and in subsequent sessions, variations on the theme that fit our context in the U.S.: Black Liberation Theology, Womanist Theology, and Queer Theology. Student Pastor Julie Kies will lead these sessions. FROM JESUS TO US: Understanding Our Christian History - March 1, 8, 15, 22 Join us in March for a four-week discussion about the history of Christianity. How did we get from Jesus and friends hanging out in Galilee to a global religion of 2.8 billion people worshipping in all sorts of different ways? If we are all Christians, why do we have so many different churches? How did we come to affirm some beliefs and reject others? All this and more will be answered! (Ok, probably not completely answered, but we will think a bit about it.) Our instructor will be the Rev. Dr. Adam Ployd, Assistant Professor of Church History and Historical Theology at Eden Theological Seminary. March 1: What Is Christian History?; March 8: Where Did It All Go Wrong? March 15: Tradition vs. Scripture?; March 22: Our Past as a Gift 10

11 OPEN & AFFIRMING: LIVING EXTRAVAGANT WELCOME February 28 On Saturday, February 28 there will be an exciting opportunity for all KUCC folk to celebrate & learn more about living into our Welcoming Statement of being Open & Affirming (ONA) to all. The event is a regional convocation for all interested persons to be in conversation with others, learn what it means to be ONA, & how to fully express extravagant welcome to all God s children. There will be workshops on various topics, including bisexuality, transgender, biblical perspectives, legislative issues, & supporting our youth. The workshop is sponsored by the Gateway ONA Coalition, of which KUCC is an active member. The convocation will be at Eden Theological Seminary in Webster Groves, from 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM. So mark your calendar, plan to attend, sign up on the bulletin board in the Gathering Area, & we ll all pre-register together. The cost for the day including lunch is $15, or $75 for 5 or more. Each year several from KUCC have attended, so the cost per person was less. Any questions? See Barb Biedenstein or Pastor Betsy. SPECIAL REQUEST FOR DEODERANT St. Philips has sent out a special request for deodorant donations for the kits that they give out to clients. Janis received 200 assembled personal care kits, but they still need deodorant in them. If you feel you could help out with this need, please purchase sample-size deodorants and place them in the personal care item box in the gathering area. THANKS! OTHER EVENTS OF INTEREST MUSIC TO FEED YOUR SOUL February 7 5:00-7:00pm Mayor Taylor will be in concert to benefit Epiphany United Church of Churst on Saturday, February 7 at 5:00pm at Epiphany UCC, 2911 McNair, For more information: call or write Isaiah-58@juno.com. CHILDREN S MUSIC CLASSES Enroll in Learning World s Music Together classes for families with children 0-4 at KUCC, 1603 Dougherty Ferry Rd, Classes are every Friday at 10:00 am-10:45 am. For more information call

12 KUCC CALENDAR OF EVENTS *Names in italics with an asterisk are community groups which use our facilities. SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 1 9:30 am Worship/Communion 10:30 am Coffee Hour 10:45 am Adult Ed 5:00 pm Jr. High Super Bowl Party MONDAY, FEBRUARY 2 10:00 am Al-Anon* 7:00 pm SLAA* 7:00 pm COSA* TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3 10:00am Mission & Outreach 11:15 am Al-Anon* 6:00 pm Yoga* 7:00 pm Recovering Couples Anon.* 7:15 pm Adult Ed THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 5 11:15 am Al-Anon 4:30 pm LOGOS/Beach Night 6:00 pm Faith Formation 7:00 pm Choir Rehearsal FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 6 10:00 am Teaching Music Together* 6:35 pm Volleyball* SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 8 9:30 am Worship 10:30 am Coffee Hour 10:30 am Stewardship & Finance 10:45 am Adult Ed 1:00 pm Girl Scouts WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 4 6:30 pm Al-Anon* 12