Order of Worship
Let us be as open vessels that God’s spirit may enter.
The Community Gathers: Experience God’s presence in the
assembly. Please greet one another with joy and welcome new friend
s into our community of love.
You are welcome here…come and worship!
Gathering Music: Into the Mystic by Van Morrison) -Michelle Currie
Welcome: As we continue our worship series and consider what it means to cultivate awe in our lives, we focus on one of the most important elements for curating a life of spiritual depth: curiosity. The ancient poets of our faith and the mystics of old wrote prolifically about “seeking” as a spiritual attribute. Faith is not about certainties; instead, it is about taking the stance of humility that we cannot know everything and that the spiritual quest is what it means to be faithful: to be on a quest to discover more and to experience more of the holy in our lives. In a time when so much emphasis is on what we know, we remember during this journey that it is what we don’t know that is most valuable, for discovery and staying curious is a condition for awe.
The element of curiosity is linked to wellbeing of all kinds–spiritually, mentally, creatively. Awe-filled experiences are curiosity-boosters. Play, imagination, experimentation, and even simply slowing down to “linger longer” as we engage with the sights and sounds and smells of our ordinary surroundings can add to the amount of awe in our lives. Curiosity resists easy labeling and classifying; rather, it invites us to deeper discovery about life, faith, and each other.
Opening Hymn: Holy, Holy, Holy
Gathering Prayer: Let us pray together…
Awe-inspiring God, we come together this day because
we need to be reminded to see through the lens of curiosity.
Too often we focus on being right instead of being curious,
and this closes the door to deeper relationships and
understanding. Open us to perceive anew.
Inspire us to receive our surroundings with awe.
Forgive us when we allow fear to curb our quest for greater
understanding. Be with us on this journey as we seek again
to marvel at your works. “Amen.”
Lord’s Prayer
Awakening: Put Your Hand in the Hand (by Gene MacLellan) -Michelle Currie
CHORUS
Put your hand in the hand of the man
Who stilled the water
Put your hand in the hand of the man
Who calmed the sea
Take a look at yourself
And you can look at others differently
By putting your hand in the hand of the man
From Galilee
Readings: Exodus 3:1-3, Excerpt from Proverbs 2, Matthew 7:1-5, 7
-Ada Goff
After the reading, you may respond, “Thanks be to God.”
Sermon: Divine Rabbit Holes: Following Wonder Where It Leads Beth Baskin
Meditative Instrumental Music: Michelle Currie
Musical call to Prayer: (two times) Hush now in quiet peace, be still your mind at ease. The Spirit brings release, so wait upon the Lord.
Prayers of the People
Silent Prayers Pastoral Prayer
Offertory: My Sweet Lord (by George Harrison) -Michelle Currie
Doxology: Praise God from whom all blessings flow, Praise God all creatures here below. Praise God above ye heavenly hosts, Creator, Christ and Holy Ghost. Amen.
Prayer of Dedication:
Closing Hymn: All Creatures of our God P. 15
Benediction:
And now may you go forth remembering Meister Eckhart’s words:
“Be willing to be a beginner every single morning.”
Inspire others with your insatiable desire to know them beyond the surface. Know that the reward of awe is yours
as you invite curiosity to live and breathe new life in you.
May the Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer of Awe, the Holy One-in-Three, be with you now and throughout these days,
Amen.
Postlude: Go In Peace