Pilgrim United Church of Christ September 9 th, 2018 Be the Church: Embrace the Future The Rev. Nathaniel Craddock, Interim Pastor David Ralphs,

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1 Pilgrim United Church of Christ September 9 th, 2018 Be the Church: Embrace the Future The Rev. Nathaniel Craddock, Interim Pastor David Ralphs, Choir Director & Organist 4418 Bridgetown Road, Cincinnati, OH Office: pilgrimucc@fuse.net Web:

2 2 MOVEMENT I: WE GATHER & MAKE READY FOR WORSHIP Please stand as you are willing & able at points marked by an asterisk, and join in the congregational responses that are printed in boldface. Pre-Service Music Canon VI: Adagio R. Schumann Greeting & Announcements Introit When in Our Music Stanford * Call to Worship adapted from Rev. Levon Bayler One: We welcome each other with deep joy: All: how good it is to gather in the courts of our God! One: Here we welcome both friend and stranger; All: All peoples of the earth are God s children. One: Open your hearts to receive new strength, and open your lives to renewed understanding. All: Surely God will equip us to embrace our future! We will be ambassadors for God wherever we go! * Gathering Song, no. 284 Gather Us In Prayer of Reconciliation adapted from Rev. Levon Bayler One: God has called us, not to a set of beliefs but a relationship of trust. We are drawn to the Spirit whose will for us is life at its fullest, attuned to all that is good and true. We are embraced by the gospel of peace. In this holy silence, we acknowledge the ways we have sought peace from places that can only give false hope and turn to embrace the living future to which God invites us. A bell is rung and silence is kept. One: Alert us now, eternal Spirit, to your presence among us in this place. All: Together, we confess that we have been busy with so many things that we have often forgotten you. We have made little gods out of buildings and furnishings and programs. Sometimes our pet beliefs and interpretations have been all-consuming as we do battle to correct others and presume to defend you. In our desire to avert death, we choke off the spirit of new life. We have forgotten that your love is stronger than any force on earth. Forgive our mistrust of its power and draw us back into the company of disciples who are learning, growing, and pressing onward towards the goal.

3 3 Pastor: Hear the good news: in Christ, we are made new creations. The old is gone and see, the new has come! In the name of Jesus Christ, I declare to you the entire forgiveness of all your sins and your empowerment by the Holy Spirit to begin anew. Amen. Thanks be to God! Please share a brief sign of God s welcome with those around you. MOVEMENT II: WE ENCOUNTER OUR SACRED STORY Children s Sermon After the Children s Sermon, kids are invited to go to Bible Boulevard. Prayer of Illumination One: Let us pray. Almighty God, in you are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Open our eyes that we may see the wonders of your Word; and give us grace that we may clearly understand and freely choose the way of your wisdom; through Christ our Lord. Amen. First Reading: Deuteronomy (Common English Bible) This commandment that I m giving you right now is definitely not too difficult for you. It isn t unreachable. It isn t up in heaven somewhere so that you have to ask, Who will go up for us to heaven and get it for us that we can hear it and do it? Nor is it across the ocean somewhere so that you have to ask, Who will cross the ocean for us and get it for us that we can hear it and do it? Not at all! The word is very close to you. It s in your mouth and in your heart, waiting for you to do it. Look here! Today I ve set before you life and what s good versus death and what s wrong. If you obey the Lord your God s commandments that I m commanding you right now by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments, his regulations, and his case laws, then you will live and thrive, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. But if your heart turns away and you refuse to listen, and so are misled, worshipping other gods and serving them, I m telling you right now that you will definitely die. You will not prolong your life on the fertile land that you are crossing the Jordan River to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth as my witnesses against you right now: I have set life and death, blessing and curse before you. Now choose life so that you and your descendants will live by loving the Lord your God, by obeying his voice, and by clinging to him.

4 4 That s how you will survive and live long on the fertile land the Lord swore to give to your ancestors: to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Second Reading: Philippians (Common English Bible) The righteousness that I have comes from knowing Christ, the power of his resurrection, and the participation in his sufferings. It includes being conformed to his death so that I may perhaps reach the goal of the resurrection of the dead. It s not that I have already reached this goal or have already been perfected, but I pursue it, so that I may grab hold of it because Christ grabbed hold of me for just this purpose. Brothers and sisters, I myself don t think I ve reached it, but I do this one thing: I forget about the things behind me and reach out for the things ahead of me. The goal I pursue is the prize of God s upward call in Christ Jesus. So all of us who are spiritually mature should think this way, and if anyone thinks differently, God will reveal it to him or her. Only let s live in a way that is consistent with whatever level we have reached. One: All: Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Churches. Thanks be to God. Anthem We Are Singing, for the Lord Is Our Light arr. Hopson Joe Tellmann, guest guitarist Gospel: John (Common English Bible) Jesus said, Don t be troubled. Trust in God. Trust also in me. My Father s house has room to spare. If that weren t the case, would I have told you that I m going to prepare a place for you? When I go to prepare a place for you, I will return and take you to be with me so that where I am you will be too. You know the way to the place I m going. Thomas asked, Lord, we don t know where you are going. How can we know the way? Jesus answered, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you have really known me, you will also know the Father. From now on you know him and have seen him. Philip said, Lord, show us the Father; that will be enough for us. Jesus replied, Don t you know me, Philip, even after I have been with you all this time? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, Show us the Father? Don t you believe that I am in the

5 5 Father and the Father is in me? The words I have spoken to you I don t speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me does his works. Trust me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or at least believe on account of the works themselves. I assure you that whoever believes in me will do the works that I do. They will do even greater works than these because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask for in my name, so that the Father can be glorified in the Son. When you ask me for anything in my name, I will do it. The Gospel of the Lord. * Responding Song, no. 595 Be Thou My Vision Sermon The Rev. Nate Craddock MOVEMENT III: WE RESPOND TO THE GOOD NEWS Offertory Down Ampney Mark Sedio * Great Doxology, no. 46 & Offertory Prayer 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. Silent Prayer, Pastoral Prayer, and 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 trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; for thine is the kingdom, and the power and the glory forever, amen. * Song for the Mission, no. 477 Pass It On * Benediction & Alleluia, no. 106 Postlude God s Spotless Lamb J. S. Bach

6 6 LIFE AT PILGRIM September 9 th, 2018 Leading Our Worship Today The Rev. Nate Craddock, Interim Pastor David Ralphs, Choir Director and Organist Liturgists: Melissa Walters, Shelly Kiefer Ushers: Terry Parsons, Dick Gilbert, Val Brandt, Greta Pfaff Greeters: Carolyn Scheidt, Jean Gilbert Pilgrim United Church of Christ is proud to be an Open and Affirming Congregation, learning and striving to include people of all sexual and gender identities, races, classes, beliefs, and socio-economic status. No matter who you are or where you are on life s journey, you are welcome here! Welcome to all who are here for the first time, and all who are here for the first time in a while! We are truly grateful you chose to be here today. We want to offer you our best welcome! To help us do that, please fill out a welcome card with as much information as you d like to share, and we will reach out to you. If you re a visitor today, Pastor Nate wants to take you to coffee or lunch sometime. Send him an nathaniel.craddock@gmail.com Pastor s Community Office Hours: Pastor Nate has taken on the task of hanging out in the community to connect with people outside the walls of our congregation. You re invited to join him for drinks, conversation, and prayer any time during these community office hours. Pr Nate will be hanging out at The Public House in Cheviot on North Bend on Mondays from 4:00 to 6:30pm.

7 7 The Path Bible Study: Does the story of the Bible leave you scratching your head at times? We ve all been there. With informative trail signs to help you see how each piece of the narrative fits together, The Path is an experience unlike any other: an amazing 360-degree overview of the vast, sweeping story of God's extraordinary love for ordinary people. Join us on this epic adventure, a journey through the Bible to grow closer to God. We meet at 9:15am on Sundays in the conference room, and everyone is invited to join! Bible Boulevard: Today is the last day of Bible Boulevard Summer Session. All children preschool through 8 th grade will meet in the parlor. September 23 will begin our regular sessions! There is new and meet in room #3, 1 st graders through 5 th graders will meet in room #11, and 6 th graders through 10 th graders will meet in the Parlor. Bible Blvd will continue to meet on the 2 nd and 4 th Sundays. Pilgrim Youth Group makes its return on Sunday, October 7 th at 4:00pm! This year s program is called Cinemagogue, and on the first Sunday of every month, we ll be watching a movie together, asking questions and exploring the message of the movie, and working on mission and outreach projects. October s movie is Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and we ll talk about questions of fear, bravery, and the future. Youth are encouraged to bring friends! Please see Pr Nate for more information. Church Picnic: Our annual Church Picnic is next Sunday, September 16 th at Kuliga Park, at 11:00am. We will begin with a worship service, followed by lunch. We will be providing fried chicken and each family is asked to bring a dish to share and a 2-liter soft drink. A sign-up sheet is in the Narthex. There will be a free will offering to defray the cost of the chicken. We are looking for volunteers to meet at church at 10:00am to help transport food and picnic supplies to the park.

8 8 Rummage Sale: Saturday, September 29 th, 9:00am - 2:00pm. Don t forget to bring your items in for the sale. You may leave them on the stage in Fellowship Hall. If you need help getting your items to church, we will have someone pick them up for you. We also need volunteers to help with set up Thursday, September 27 th and Friday, September 28 th. More information on set up to follow. All proceeds go to the Roof Fund. For more information, contact Sue Schmidt at Chili Cook-off: Mark your calendar, Sunday October 14 th! The Chili Cook-off will be in place of the pancake breakfast and there will be 1 st, 2 nd, and 3 rd prizes. Roof Repairs: There are special envelopes in the Narthex marked Roof Repair. You can also add to your weekly offering, be sure to mark your offering envelope as roof repairs. Washington UCC seeks Homework Club Tutors If you can spare a couple of hours a week to help a child succeed in school, Washington United Church of Christ wants to hear from you! Washington s Homework Club starts September 10 th. We are in session from 4:15 to 5:30 p.m. Monday - Thursday at Washington UCC, 2950 Sidney Ave., in Camp Washington, Cincinnati, just off the Hopple Street exit of I-75. Volunteer tutors are asked to commit to one day a week, in order to work with the same child each week. Homework Club students are in kindergarten through 8 th grade. We can match you with the age you prefer! For more information, call Laurel Humes at or at laurelh@zoomtown.com.