Bulletin

Welcome to United Christian Parish! Use the bulletin as guidance as you worship.
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JUNE 28 ORDER OF WORSHIP

PRELUDE

WELCOME

MINUTE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

CALL TO WORSHIP
One: God calls us not only to worship with our hearts,
All: but to love God with our minds.
One: God invites us to wonder, to question, to study, and to seek.
All: For faith is not the absence of questions, but the courage to ask them.
One: God is sovereign over all creation,
All: and calls us into lives of thoughtful discipleship.
One: Come, let us present ourselves as living sacrifices—
All: holy and acceptable to God.
One: Let us worship God.

OPENING SONG *
“Be Thou My Vision” (#451)
Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that thou art;
Thou my best thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.

Be thou my wisdom, and thou my true word;
I ever with thee and thou with me, Lord;
thou and thou only, first in my heart,
great God of heaven, my treasure thou art.

Great God of heaven, my victory won,
may I reach heaven's joys, O Bright heaven's Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
still be my vision, O Ruler of all.

CALL TO CONFESSION *

PRAYER OF CONFESSION *
One: Sovereign God, you have called us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, yet too often we allow ourselves to be shaped by the patterns of this world.
All: We cling to assumptions instead of truth. We worship comfort instead of courage. We trust our own understanding more than your wisdom.
One: Forgive us when we think too highly of ourselves and fail to recognize our dependence upon you.
All: Forgive us when we neglect study, prayer, and discernment.  
One: Renew our minds, O God, that we may think rightly of you, rightly of ourselves, and rightly of one another.
All: Shape us into a people of humility, wisdom, and faithful service.
One: In Christ we pray. Amen.

MOMENT OF SILENCE

ASSURANCE OF PARDON *
One: Hear the good news: God’s mercy is greater than our confusion. God’s grace is deeper than our failures. God is at work renewing us day by day.
All: In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven, restored, and made new. 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

PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION

SCRIPTURE (Romans 12:1–2)

SERMON
“Faith That Thinks”

AFFIRMATION OF FAITH
adapted from the Presbyterian tradition
One: At UCP, we are shaped by many traditions, but grounded in one faith. The Presbyterian tradition reminds us that theology matters—that how we understand God shapes how we live in the world. Today, as we reflect on the Presbyterian gift of thoughtful faith and theological reflection, let us join our voices in affirming the faith that unites us and renews our minds, saying together…
All: We trust in God, whom Jesus called Abba, Father. In sovereign love God created the world good and makes everyone equally in God’s image. We trust in Jesus Christ, fully human, fully God, who came to show us the fullness of God’s love.  We trust in the Holy Spirit, who renews our minds, guides our discernment, and equips us for faithful service. We believe the church is called to study, to question, to serve, and to seek justice. With humility and hope, we follow Christ. Amen.

INSTALLATION OF NEW OFFICERS

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
One: Sovereign and gracious God, we thank you for the gift of the mind—for curiosity, for learning, for wisdom, for the ability to ask questions and seek truth.
All: We thank you for the Presbyterian tradition, for its witness to thoughtful faith, for its commitment to education, for its belief that scripture belongs to all your people.
One: We thank you for those who teach in the church—pastors, teachers, elders, scholars, and mentors who help shape our understanding of your Word.
All: Renew our minds, O God, that we may not be conformed to this world but transformed by your truth.
One: Give us humility in our thinking, patience in our discernment, and courage in our witness.
All: We pray for your church, that it may be wise in its leadership, faithful in its teaching, and bold in its service.
One: We pray for those burdened by doubt, those wrestling with faith, and those seeking understanding. Remind them that questions are not threats to faith but doors into deeper trust.
All: We pray for the suffering, the grieving, and the weary. Bring healing where there is pain, peace where there is anxiety, and hope where there is despair.
One: Shape us into a people who love you with heart, soul, strength, and mind. Through Christ our Lord who 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 *
“Open My Eyes, That I May See” (#451)
Open my eyes, that I may see
glimpses of truth thou hast for me;
place in my hands the wonderful key
that shall unclasp and set me free.
Silently now I wait for thee,
ready, my God, thy will to see.
Open my eyes, illumine me, Spirit divine!

Open my ears, that I may hear
voices of truth thou sendest clear;
and while the wavenotes fall on my ear,
everything false will disappear.
Silently now I wait for thee,
ready, my God, thy will to see.
Open my ears, illumine me, Spirit divine!

Open my mouth, and let me bear
gladly the warm truth everywhere;
open my heart and let me prepare
love with thy children thus to share.
Silently now I wait for thee,
ready, my God, thy will to see.
Open my heart, illumine me, Spirit divine!

CLOSING MESSAGE *

POSTLUDE

*Rise in body or spirit