Bulletin

Welcome to United Christian Parish! Use the bulletin as guidance as you worship.
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SEPTEMBER 20 ORDER OF WORSHIP

PRELUDE

WELCOME

MINUTE FOR MISSIONS

CALL TO WORSHIP
One: God called Abram to leave the familiar and go toward an unknown future.
All: We come trusting that God is still calling us forward.
One: God promised, “I will bless you, so that you will be a blessing.”
All: We come ready to receive God’s blessing and share it with others.
One: God went with Abram on every step of the journey.
All: Let us worship the God who calls, accompanies, and blesses us.

OPENING SONG *
“The God of Abraham Praise” (#24)
The God of Abraham praise.
All praised be the Name,
who was and is and is to be,
is still the same;
the one eternal God,
ere all that now appears;
the First, the Last, beyond all thought
through timeless years!

God's Spirit flowing free,
high surging where it will--
in prophet's word it spoke of old--
is speaking still.
Established is God's law,
and changeless it shall stand,
deep writ upon the human heart,
on sea, or land.

God has eternal life
implanted in the soul.
God's love shall be our strength and stay,
while ages roll.
Praise to the living God!
All praised be the Name,
who was, and is, and is to be,
is still the same!

CALL TO CONFESSION *
One: God calls us to go—to step beyond what is familiar, to trust what we cannot yet see, and to become a blessing to others.
All: But too often we cling tightly to what we know. We resist the new thing God may be doing. We become so focused on our own journey that we fail to notice those traveling alongside us.
One: Let us bring our fears, our resistance, and our failures before God, trusting in the One whose grace meets us wherever we are, confessing our sins first together and then in a moment of silence.  Let us pray…

PRAYER OF CONFESSION *
One: Gracious and faithful God, You call us to journey with you, but we confess that we often prefer to stay where we are comfortable.
All: We hold tightly to the past when you are inviting us toward the future. We want to know the destination before we are willing to take the first step.
One: Forgive us when fear keeps us from following your call.
All: Forgive us when we make our blessings about ourselves rather than allowing them to flow outward to others.
One: Open our eyes to those who journey beside us.
All: Help us notice whose voices and whose labor are overlooked. 
One: Make us people of welcome, compassion, and generous hospitality.
All: Give us courage to go where love leads, faith to trust you along the way, and willing hearts ready to become a blessing.

MOMENT OF SILENCE

ASSURANCE OF PARDON *
One: Hear the good news: God’s love for us does not depend upon our having everything figured out or earning our place through what we accomplish.
All: God calls us, loves us, and blesses us by grace.
One: So receive God’s forgiveness. Receive God’s love. And trust that God’s grace is still at work in you.
All: We are forgiven. We are loved. We are blessed. Thanks be to God. Amen.

GLORIA *
“Glory to God”
Glory to God, whose goodness shines on me,
and to the Son, whose grace has pardoned me,
and to the Spirit, whose love has set me free.
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be. Amen.
World without end, without end. Amen.
World without end, without end. Amen.
World without end, without end. Amen.
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be. 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
“God of the Promised”

SCRIPTURE (Genesis 12:1–9)

SERMON

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
One: God who calls us to go, we pray for those beginning new journeys.
All: For children and young people beginning a new school year; for teachers and parents; for those beginning new jobs, new relationships, or new chapters of life. Give us courage to take the next step.
One: We pray for those entering new stages of life as they age—
All: for those retiring or changing their daily routines, for those adjusting to new abilities or limitations, for those moving to new homes or receiving new kinds of care, and for those learning that life can be meaningful and full in ways they had not expected. Walk with us through every stage of life.
One: We pray for those facing health concerns, for those awaiting a diagnosis or beginning treatment, for those living with uncertainty, pain, or difficult decisions, and for their families, friends, caregivers, and medical teams.
All: Bring healing where healing is possible, strength when the road is difficult, wisdom for those who must make decisions, and peace when the future is uncertain.
One: Be near to all who need your presence and care.
All: We pray for those who have left familiar places—immigrants and refugees, those displaced by war or disaster,  and all who are searching for a place to belong. Make us a people of welcome and hospitality.
One: We pray for those whose work and sacrifices go unseen—for caregivers, parents, volunteers, workers, and all whose contributions are too easily overlooked. Help us see one another and honor one another.
All: We pray for our church. When we are tempted to cling too tightly to what has been, give us courage to listen for where you are calling us next.  Help us remember that no one is too old to be called, no season of life is without purpose, and no journey is beyond your presence.
One: Bless us so that we may be a blessing. God of Abraham and Sarah, walk with us as we journey by stages, trusting that you are present even when we cannot see the destination.
All: Hold us in every beginning and every ending, in every season of uncertainty and change, and in every step along the way.
One: We place our trust in you and prayer together the prayer that Jesus 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 *
“We Are Walking” (#442)

CLOSING MESSAGE *
One: Go now into the world God is still creating. Go with courage when the road is unfamiliar. Go with faith when you cannot see what lies ahead. Go with compassion for those who journey beside you.
All: We have been blessed—not simply for ourselves, but so that we may be a blessing.
One: And wherever you go, trust that God goes with you.
All: Amen.

POSTLUDE


*Rise in body or spirit