Bulletin

Welcome to United Christian Parish! Use the bulletin as guidance as you worship.
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MARCH 22 ORDER OF WORSHIP

PRELUDE

WELCOME

MINUTE FOR WITNESS

SONG
“What Does the Lord Require of You?”

CALL TO WORSHIP
One: Welcome to the weary and the worn.
All: Welcome to those hungry for justice and those desperate for mercy. 
One: Welcome to the sinners and the saints.
All: This is God’s house.  
One: You can make yourself at home here.
All: Let us worship our just, merciful, and faithful God! 

OPENING SONG *
“Come! Live in the Light! (We Are Called)” (#749)
Come! Live in the light!
Shine with the joy and the love of the Lord! 
We are called to be light for the kingdom,
to live in the freedom of the city of God.

Refrain: We are called to act with justice;
we are called to love tenderly;
we are called to serve one another,
to walk humbly with God.

 Come! Open your heart!
Show your mercy to all those in fear!
We are called to be hope for the hopeless
so hatred and violence will be no more. [Refrain]

Sing! Sing a new song!
Sing of the great day when all will be one!
God will reign, and we’ll walk with each other
as sisters and brother united in love. [Refrain]

CALL TO CONFESSION *

PRAYER OF CONFESSION *
One: Holy God, we love to live our lives by the rules.
All: We love clear answers. We love right and wrong.
One: We love swift justice.
All: We love to pick up stones, but you show us another way.
One: You welcome shades of gray and nuanced conversation. You prioritize mercy over legality. You prioritize people over tradition. You prioritize love over everything.
All: Forgive us for losing sight of what truly matters. Forgive us for clinging tighter to laws than to each other or to you.
One: Forgive us. Soften our hearts. Root us in mercy, justice, and love.
All: With hope for a better tomorrow, we pray. Amen.

WORDS OF FORGIVENESS *
One: Church family, Jesus saw a crowd ready to throw stones and invited them to choose another way. Jesus offered them grace, mercy, and compassion, and the same can be said for us. So hear and believe the good news of the gospel:
All: Our God is a God of mercy. Our God is a God of compassion. Our God is a God of grace. We are forgiven, loved, and invited to choose another way. Thanks be to God for yet another second chance. Amen.

GLORIA *
“Glory Be to the Father”
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,
world without end. Amen.

PASSING THE PEACE

OFFERING

DOXOLOGY
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
praise Christ, all people here below;
praise Holy Spirit evermore:
Praise Triune God, whom we adore. Amen.

CHILDREN’S TIME

SONG
“Lord, I Want To Be A Christian”
Lord, I want to be a Christian
in my heart, in my heart.
Lord, I want to be a Christian in my heart.
In my heart, in my heart,
Lord, I want to be a Christian in my heart.

Lord, I want to be more loving
in my heart, in my heart.
Lord, I want to be more loving in my heart.
In my heart, in my heart,
Lord, I want to be more loving in my heart.

Lord, I want to be more holy
in my heart, in my heart.
Lord, I want to be more holy in my heart.
In my heart, in my heart,
Lord, I want to be more holy in my heart.

Lord, I want to be like Jesus
in my heart, in my heart.
Lord, I want to be like Jesus in my heart.
In my heart, in my heart,
Lord, I want to be like Jesus in my heart.

PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION

SCRIPTURE (John 8:2-11; Matthew 23:23)

SERMON

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
One: Loving God, You know the words that are on our tongue before we can even say them, so today we come to you unfiltered. Today, we bring you our full honesty, trusting that you meet us here with grace and love.
All: Holy God, we admit that mercy, justice, and faithfulness often get tangled up in our minds.  
One: We want to do the right thing, which feels like justice. However, sometimes we go about justice with a blunt sword, failing to practice mercy.
All: We want to be merciful, but our anger and hurt can get in the way. Too often, we find ourselves casting stones. 
One: We want to be righteous, but we often forget that righteousness must impact our relationships, not only our words or our actions.
All: God, we admit that mercy, justice, and faithfulness often get tangled up in our minds.  So like Jesus did with the crowds that day, help us to root ourselves in the best of these practices.  Untangle these threads of our faith and show us how to hold them all.
One: Spark a fire in our hearts for justice— justice for the oppressed, justice for the overlooked, justice for our neighbors, justice for those not given a voice.
All: Spark a fire in our hearts for mercy—mercy for the sinful, which is all of us, mercy for the hurt, mercy for the ones who are doing their best with what they have.  
One: And spark a fire in our hearts for righteousness. Call us up to a higher moral ground. Remind us that our faith invites us to love as you love, and to forgive as you forgive.
All: Show us how to put down our stones. Show us how to forgive ourselves for our own wrong. Show us how to empathize with the other, putting ourselves in their shoes.
One: If we can do that, then maybe there will be a day when there is less stone throwing, less mob building, less violence toward our neighbor. Maybe there will be a day when all can gather at the table. Maybe there will be a day when we can all break bread together. Maybe there will be a day when justice, mercy, and righteousness feel like a mighty flowing stream.
All: Until that day, we will continue to look for your words in the dirt. We will continue to listen for your deep truth. Until that promised day, we will continue to bring you our unfiltered honesty. Until that promised day, we will continue to pray for our neighbor.
One: Loving God, set a fire in our hearts for justice, mercy, and righteousness. And as you do, we will join our voices together to pray the words your son taught us to pray, saying…

LORD’S PRAYER
All: 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.

CLOSING SONG *
“May the God of Hope Go with Us” (#765)
May the God of hope go with us every day,
filling all our lives with love and joy and peace.
May the God of justice speed us on our way,
bringing light and hope to every land and race.
Praying, let us work for peace;
singing, share our joy with all;
working for a world that's new,
faithful when we hear Christ's call. (x2)

CLOSING MESSAGE *
One: As you leave this place, go with open hands and softened hearts. Go having laid down your stones. Go having received mercy you did not earn, and now called to offer that same mercy to others.
All: May we go rooted in what matters most—justice that lifts up the lowly, mercy that refuses to give up on anyone, and faithfulness that shapes the way we live and love.

POSTLUDE

*Rise in body or spirit