Category: Worship Services

Luke 4:21-30; Jeremiah 1:4-10 | We all know the risks of selective hearing. Only listening to what we want to hear distorts what is true. Which, as we meet Jesus in our Gospel this weekend, it seems as though the crowd gathered around him was suffering from this very thing: they didn’t want to heed what Jesus was telling them. Hearing this story, it might be easy to chastise the crowd. But how often do we, too, simply hear what we want to hear so that we can remain comfortable? God’s Word is a word of comfort and life for us. But God’s Word is also a word of comfort and life for all people. So, even as we find ourselves surrounded by so many words and so many promises, we invite you to come and join us for worship as we listen for God’s Word to us today, and as we are sent as prophets to proclaim, enact, and live the good news of God’s Word for all people.

Sunday, February 2, 2025, Fourth Sunday after Epiphany Bulletin

Copyright acknowledgments: Music covered under Augsburg Fortress License #SB135131, CCLI License #1141706, One License #738128-A. Scripture from New Revised Standard Version Bible, © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. Gathering: Dearest Jesus, at Your Word. Text: Tobias Clausnitzer, 1619-1684, sts. 1-3; Gesangbuch, Berlin, 1707, st. 4; tr. Catherine Winkworth, 1827-1878, adapted. Music: Johann R. Ahle, 1625-1673. Text and Music: Public Domain Hymn of the Day: There’s A Wideness In God’s Mercy. Text: Frederick W. Faber, 1814-1863, alt. Music: Calvin Hampton, 1938-1984. Text: Public Domain. Music: © 1977 GIA Publications, Inc. Covered under One License subscription. Offering: Gentle Mary Laid Her Child. Text and Music: Mark Hayes. Text and Music: © 2016 The Lorenz Publishing Corporation. Covered under One License subscription. Communion Song: Lovely Needy People. Text and Music: Lenora Rand, Gary Rand. Original Recording by THE MANY. Text and Music: © 2016 Helical Music. Covered under One License subscription. Sending Song: Go, My Children, with My Blessing. Text: Jaroslav J. Vajda, b. 1919, alt. Music: Welsh traditional; arr. Ralph Vaughan Williams, 1872-1958. Text © 1983 Concordia Publishing House Music © Oxford University Press. Covered under One License subscription.

Nehemiah 8: 1-3, 5-6, 8-10; Luke 4:14-21 | With the Bible being one of the highest published books in the world, it’s likely that many of us have laid hands on this book…and even read portions of it. But what do these old, old words mean for us, today? And what is their place within the life of Christian community, and in the life of the world? Mindful of the myriad of words and voices that surround us, we invite you to join us this weekend for worship as we turn ourselves to God’s Word for us, trusting that – even today – God’s promises will be fulfilled in us, and in our world.

Sunday, January 26, 2025, Third Sunday after Epiphany Bulletin

Copyright acknowledgments: Music covered under Augsburg Fortress License #SB135131, CCLI License #1141706, One License #738128-A. Scripture from New Revised Standard Version Bible, © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. Gathering: O Word of God Incarnate. Text: William W. How, 1823-1897. Music: Neuvermehrtes Gesangbuch, Meiningen, 1693. Text and Music: Public Domain. Hymn of the Day: Ancient Words. Text and Music: Lynn DeShazo. Text and Music: © 2001 Integrity’s Hosanna! Music. Covered under One License subscription. Offering: Open Your Ears, O Faithful People. Text and Music: Willard Jabusch. Text and Music: © 1966, 1982 Oregon Catholic Press. Covered under One License subscription. Sending Song: Send Us Out. Text and Music: James Hersch. Text and Music © 1994 Dakota Road Music. Covered under One License subscription.

1 Corinthians 12:1-11 | Think of how many accounts, or devices, you’ve “activated.” Even before the prompt to activate the account, the account has already been created. But you don’t have access to its full potential until the final activation is complete. The same is true for us as we live into our spiritual gifts. Often, the church has used language of “spiritual gifts” to distinguish between various things we “do” as a part of the body of Christ. But at the core, spiritual gifts are less about what we do and more about who we are as we live into the Spirit, who activates these gifts within us for the sake of the common good. So as we continue into the season of Epiphany, join us for worship as we reaffirm our willingness for the Spirit to activate something within us, and as we are sent forth to live as a part of God’s mission in the world to reveal Christ’s light.

Sunday, January 19, 2025, Second Sunday after Epiphany Bulletin

Copyright acknowledgments: Music covered under Augsburg Fortress License #SB135131, CCLI License #1141706, One License #738128-A. Scripture from New Revised Standard Version Bible, © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. Gathering: What Feast of Love. Text: Delores Dufner, OSB, b. 1939. Music: English ballad, 16th cent. Text: © 1993 Delores Dufner, admin. OCP Publications. Covered under One License subscription. Hymn of the Day: In Christ Called to Baptize. Text: Ruth Duck, b. 1947. Music: Welsh traditional; arr. John Roberts, 1807-1876, alt. Text: © 1995 Pilgrim Press. Covered under One License subscription. Communion Song: The Wedding. Text and Music: Michael Card. Text and Music: © 1985 Birdwing Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing) Mole End Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing). Covered under CCLI subscription. Offering: Here, at Your Table, Lord. Text and Music: Mark Hayes. Music: © 2016 The Lorenz Corporation. Covered under One License subscription. Sending Song: Go Now. Text and Music: Hans Peterson, Larry Olson. Text and Music © 2006 Dakota Road Music. Covered under One License subscription.

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 | When we think of baptismal imagery, it’s likely we think of images like a peaceful dove, or a calm and quiet water merely lapping at the shore. These images of comfort are within Scripture, and they remind us of God’s assurance of comfort and blessing. But as we meet John the Baptist on the shores of the Jordan River, we hear that the baptism which Jesus baptizes will not simply be a calm, quiet baptism with water. Instead, Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire. So then, what does that mean for us, today, as we are baptized and as we live as baptized people of God? Join us for worship as we open ourselves to the work of God’s Spirit within us now, and as we are sent forth as freed people to live as the precious and valuable works of art that we are.

Sunday, January 12, 2025, Baptism of Our Lord Bulletin

Copyright acknowledgments: Music covered under Augsburg Fortress License #SB135131, CCLI License #1141706, One License #738128-A. Scripture from New Revised Standard Version Bible, © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. Gathering: Songs of Thankfulness and Praise. Text:Christopher Wordsworth, 1807-1885, alt. Music: Jakob Hintze, 1622-1702; arr. Johann Sebastian Bach, 1685-1750. Text and Music: Public Domain. Hymn of the Day: Wash, O God, Our Sons and Daughters. Text and Music: Lutheran Book of Worship, Ronald A. Nelson. Music: © 1978 Augsburg Fortress Publishers. Covered under One License subscription. Communion Song: Refiners Fire. Text and Music: Brian Doerksen . Text and Music: © 1990 Mercy / Vineyard Publishing (Admin. by Integrity Music) Vineyard Songs Canada (Admin. by Integrity Music). Covered under CCLI subscription. Offering: Wexford Carol. Text and Music: Mark Hayes. Text and Music: © 2019 Lorenz Corporation (admin. by Music Services). Covered under One License subscription. Sending Song: This Little Light of Mine. Text and Music: Horace Clarence Boyer. Text and Music © 1992 Augsburg Fortress Publishers. Covered under One License subscription.

Matthew 2:1-12; Isaiah 43:16-21 | As we journey into a new year, we also journey with the wise men who come to pay homage to Jesus, the newly born king. We might assume their path to Jesus was a straight one, but their trek was filled with royal encounters and unforeseen detours. In the same way, our lives may not be the most linear. And yet, along the way, God meets us where we are, stirring us to follow the Spirit’s path. So as you venture into 2025, join us for worship as we seek the light of Christ, and as we utilize a prayer practice – using star words – to illuminate our path before us.

Note for online listeners: to engage with the sermon, you’ll need access to the Star Words list linked below. Those attending in-person received a star word randomly. Though this cannot be duplicated online, we encourage you to choose a word as randomly as possible to allow the Spirit to lead you to what it is that you need to hear.

Sunday, January 5, 2025, Epiphany Sunday Bulletin

Copyright acknowledgments: Music covered under Augsburg Fortress License #SB135131, CCLI License #1141706, One License #738128-A. Scripture from New Revised Standard Version Bible, © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission.Prayer by Rev. Sarah (Are) Speed | A Sanctified Art LLC | sanctifiedart.org. Gathering: As With Gladness Men of Old. Text: William C. Dix, 1837-1898, alt. Music: Conrad Kocher, 1786-1872. Text and Music: Public Domain. Hymn of the Day: Home By Another Way. Text: Anna Strickland, A Sanctified Art 2021. Music: John Henry Hopkins (1857). Text and Music: © Anna Strickland, 2021. Commissioned by
A Sanctified Art. Public Domain. Covered under A Sanctified Art LLC. Offering: The First Noel. Text: English traditional Music: English traditional; arr. John Stainer, 1840-1901. Text and Music: © Public Domain. Sending Song: Son of God, Eternal Savior. Text: Somerset C. Lowry, 1855-1932. Music: Oude en Nieuwe Hollantse Boerenlities en Contradansen, 1710; arr. Julius Rontgen, 1855-1932. Text and Music © Public Domain.

Luke 2:1-20 | Tonight, we welcome the birth of the Christ child.  On that first Christmas night, one can only imagine the wonder and awe of Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, and the innkeeper as they gazed upon the holiness of God right in front of them. But even now, Christ comes into our midst, appearing to us wherever we are, all because of a love that transcends understanding. So as you celebrate Christmas, join us for worship, as we are reminded of the promise of Emmanuel – God with us – and as we are given the invitation to be-hold our Lord and King…not just on this oh holy night, but throughout the year.

Tuesday, December 24, 2024, Christmas Eve Bulletin

Copyright acknowledgments: Music covered under Augsburg Fortress License #SB135131, CCLI License #1141706, One License #738128-A. Scripture from New Revised Standard Version Bible, © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission.Prayer by Rev. Sarah (Are) Speed | A Sanctified Art LLC | sanctifiedart.org. Gathering: O Little Town of Bethlehem. Text: Phillips Brooks, 1835-1893. Music: Lewis H. Redner, 1831-1908. Text and Music: © Public Domain. Storytelling: Cloth for the Cradle. Text and Music: Iona Community. Text and Music: © 1987, 1997 Iona Community/WGRG (North America). Covered under One License subscription. Hymn of the Day: Love Broke Forth. Text: Anna Strickland, A Sanctified Art 2022. Music: Henry J. Gauntlett, 1849. Text and Music: © Anna Strickland, 2021. Commissioned by A Sanctified Art. Public Domain. Covered under A Sanctified Art LLC. Offering: The Huron Carol. Text and Music: Mark Hayes. Text and Music: © 2019 The Lorenz Publishing Corporation. Covered under One License subscription. Sending Song: Silent Night. Text: Joseph Mohr, 1792-1849; tr. John F. Young, 1820-1885. Music: Franz Gruber, 1787-1863. Text and Music © Public Domain.

Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:46-55 | Hope. It’s a word often associated with the Advent season as we look in hope for Christ’s coming, and for a new beginning. But hope is vulnerable and can feel like a tremendous risk. Hope isn’t guaranteed, leaving room for disappointment. So, is hope worth the risk? Whether you find yourself full of hope, or struggling to hang onto hope, join us this weekend for our last Sunday in Advent as we – like Mary and Joseph – look to the track record of our God who is faithful, and as we are sent forth to live, move, and act in hope of God’s new beginning.

Sunday, December 22, 2024, Fourth Sunday in Advent Bulletin

Copyright acknowledgments: Music covered under Augsburg Fortress License #SB135131, CCLI License #1141706, One License #738128-A. Scripture from New Revised Standard Version Bible, © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission.Prayer by Rev. Sarah (Are) Speed | A Sanctified Art LLC | sanctifiedart.org. Gathering: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. Text: Psalteriolum Cantionum Catholicarum, Köln, 1710; tr. composite. Music: French processional, 15th cent. Text: © sts, 2, 6, 7 1987
Augsburg Fortress. Covered under One License subscription. Hymn of the Day: A Better Way. Text: Anna Strickland, A Sanctified Art 2022. Music: Traditional English carol (18th cent.). Text and Music: © Anna Strickland, 2021. Commissioned by A Sanctified Art. Public Domain. Covered under A Sanctified Art LLC. Offering: In the Bleak Midwinter. Text and Music: Mark Hayes. Text and Music: © Lorenz Corporation (admin. by Music Services) All Rights Reserved. ASCAP. Covered under One License subscription. Sending Song: Awake! Awake and Greet the New Morn. Text and Music: Marty Haugen, b. 1950. Text and Music © 1983 GIA Publications, Inc. Covered under One License subscription.

Luke 3:1-16 | Regardless of where you live, you likely know that road construction makes a serious mess. But (most of the time) all that mess is for a purpose: to make a clearer, smoother, more direct, and safer way for people to get from point A to point B. As we hear John the Baptist proclaim a message of repentance this weekend, we hear him reference the prophet Isaiah, promising the Israelites that GOD would build a highway so that all people would have a clearer, smoother, more direct, and safer way to see – and experience – the salvation of God. This work has been done! But then, now, what do we do? This is the question posed to John by the crowds, and is the question that we ponder as we consider the good that is ours to do as a part of God’s construction crew today. So as you continue your Advent journey, take a break at a wayside for a moment to be reminded of God’s faithfulness and to be fueled for the work that God has called us to in the kingdom today.

Sunday, December 15, 2024, Third Sunday in Advent Bulletin

Copyright acknowledgments: Music covered under Augsburg Fortress License #SB135131, CCLI License #1141706, One License #738128-A. Scripture from New Revised Standard Version Bible, © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission.Prayer by Rev. Sarah (Are) Speed | A Sanctified Art LLC | sanctifiedart.org. Gathering: Prepare The Royal Highway. Text: Frans Mikael Franzén, 1722-1847; tr, Lutheran Book of Worship. Music: Swedish folk tune, 17th cent. Text and Music: © 1978 Lutheran Book of Worship, admin. Augsburg Fortress. Covered under One License subscription. Hymn of the Day: Do The Good That’s Yours To Do. Text: Anna Strickland, A Sanctified Art 2024. Music: from the Piae Cantiones, 1582. Text and Music: © 2024 A Sanctified Art. Public Domain. Covered under A Sanctified Art LLC. Offering: O Come All Ye Faithful. Text: attr. John Francis Wade, 1711-1786; tr. Frederick Oakeley, 1802-1880, sts. 1, 3-4; tr. unknown, st. 2. Music: attr. John Francis Wade. Text and Music: © Public Domain. Sending Song: All Earth Is Hopeful. Text: Alberto Taulé, b. 1932; tr, Madeleine Forell Marshall, b, 1946. Music: Alberto Taulé, b. 1932. Text and Music © 1993 Centro de Pastoral Litúrgica, admin. OCP Publications. Covered under One License subscription.

Ruth 1:1-5, 8-17; Luke 1:39-45 | As we add figures to our nativity scenes, it may be tempting to think about each individual character in isolation. But throughout the story, there’s an emphasis of being together in community. The angels appear to numerous shepherds in the fields, and Mary – after hearing the news she is to bear God’s Son – goes to her relative Elizabeth’s house. The story of Christ’s incarnation includes so many people, walking together, because they need one another to discover what God is doing in their midst. In the same way, throughout Scripture, and throughout our lives, we need one another for protection, for sanctuary, and to discern what God is up to in our lives and communities. So as you continue through the Advent season, braid yourself together with us in community, as we hear God’s invitation to dwell in us, as Emmanuel, and as we are sent to become Christ’s sanctuary for all God’s people.

Sunday, December 8, 2024, Second Sunday in Advent Bulletin

Copyright acknowledgments: Music covered under Augsburg Fortress License #SB135131, CCLI License #1141706, One License #738128-A. Scripture from New Revised Standard Version Bible, © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission.Prayer by Rev. Sarah (Are) Speed | A Sanctified Art LLC | sanctifiedart.org. Gathering: Light Dawns on a Weary World. Text and Music: Mary Loise Bringle, William P. Rowan. Text and Music: © 2000, 2002 GIA Publications, Inc. Covered under One License
subscription. Hymn of the Day: To Be Known. Text: Anna Strickland, A Sanctified Art 2024. Music: John Baptiste Calkin, 1872. Text and Music: © 2024 A Sanctified Art. Public Domain. Covered under A Sanctified Art LLC. Offering: Lo How a Rose E’er Blooming. Text: German carol, 15th cent.; tr. Theodore Baker, 1851-1934, sts. 1-2; Harriet R. Krauth, 1845-1925, st. 3; John C. Mattes, 1876-1948, st. 4 Music: Alte catholische geistliche Kirchengesänge, Köln, 1599; arr. Michael Practorius, 1571-1621. Text and Music: © Public Domain. Sending Song: He Came Down. Text: Cameroon traditional. Music: Cameroon traditional; arr. John L. Bell, b. 1949. Arr. © 1986 Iona community admin. GIA Publications, Inc. Public Domain.

Isaiah 43:1-7; Luke 1:26-38 | This weekend we begin the season of Advent, preparing for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. As we wait, we hear the story of the angel Gabriel appearing to Mary, calling her blessed. To be called “blessed” may seem to be something reserved just for “special” people like Mary. But, since the beginning, God has created us and formed us to be a blessing because we belong to God. And as such, we – like Mary – are called forth to bear God’s Word into the world. So, as we begin this holy season, join us as we enfold ourselves once again in God’s promises for us, and as we live into our purpose to be God’s blessing to all the world.

Sunday, December 1, 2024, First Sunday in Advent Bulletin

Copyright acknowledgments: Music covered under Augsburg Fortress License #SB135131, CCLI License #1141706, One License #738128-A. Scripture from New Revised Standard Version Bible, © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission.Prayer by Rev. Sarah (Are) Speed | A Sanctified Art LLC | sanctifiedart.org. Gathering: Christ Blessed Be the God of Israel. Text: Carl P. Daw Jr., b. 1944, based on Luke 1:68-79. Music: English folk tune; arr. Ralph Vaughan Williams, 1872-1958. Text and Music: ©
1989 Hop Publishing Company & Oxford University Press. Covered under One License subscription. Hymn of the Day: In Case No One Ever Told You. Text: Anna Strickland, A Sanctified Art 2024. Music: Ernewerten Gesangbuch, Part II, Stralsund, 1665. Text and Music: © 2024 A Sanctified Art. Public Domain. Covered under A Sanctified Art LLC. Offering: On the Wind of Spirit. Text and Music: Mark Hayes. Text and Music: © 2016 The Lorenz Publishing Corporation. Covered under One License subscription. Sending Song: The Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came. Text: Basque carol; para, Sabine Baring-Gould, 1834-1924. Music: Basque carol; arr. E. Edgar Pettman, 1865-1943, and John Wickham. Arr: © 1955, 1983 E. H. Freemen, Ltd, admin. Glenwood Music Corp. Covered under One License subscription.