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 friends into our community of love.
You are welcome here…come and worship!
Focus: “We must learn to acknowledge that the creation is full of mystery; we will never entirely understand it. We must abandon arrogance and stand in awe. We must recover the sense of the majesty of creation, and the ability to be worshipful in its presence. For I do not doubt that it is only on the condition of humility and reverence before the world that our species will be able to remain in it.” – Wendell Berry,
The Art of the Commonplace: The Agrarian Essays
Welcome:
Gathering Music: What’s Going On (by Marvin Gaye/Al Cleaveland/Renaldo Benson) -Michelle Currie
Call To Worship:
Leader: Welcome, friends, to this holy day.
All: We come to offer thanks; we come to sing and pray.
Leader: Welcome, friends, to this time set apart,
All: A time to remember those we love, and time to remember the holy promises of God.
Leader: Welcome, friends, to this table of remembrance and joy,
All: The table where we are fed, the feast we share with many.
Leader: Welcome, friends, and let us worship God.
Opening Hymn: For the Beauty of the Earth #14 vs. 1-4
Opening Prayer:
Divine Goodness, Holy One, Pause us for this moment,
bear us up in this time, hold us for eternity.
We open to your warming presence.
We remember we came from you.
We affirm all beings are your beloveds.
And all the people say, “Amen.”
Lord’s Prayer
Scripture: Psalm 135: 1-3; 13-21, A Prayer for our Earth by Pope Francis -Caryn Firebaugh
Reflection: What Then Must We Do? Rev. Paula Norbert
Celebration of the Lord’s Supper
Words of Invitation The Bread and the Cup
Prayer of Thanksgiving
Meditative Music: Meditative Instrumental ~ by 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: We Are An Offering (by Chris Christian) -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 Music: Blest Be the Ties That Bind
Blest be the tie that binds
Our hearts in Christian love;
The fellowship of kindred minds
Is like that to that above.
Benediction:
The world is so varied and beautiful.
Seek wisdom wherever it is to be found.
And may the goodness of the Creator,
the companionship of the Christ,
and the insight of the Spirit,
infuse your life now and always. Amen.
Postlude: Go In Peace
With Thanks to our Music Director and Musician, Michelle Currie and to our Reader today.
Thanks for our cover photo by Thomas Huot, son of Denise Kinney.
Outdoor Service: Please join us on Sunday, September 10th at Mechanics Park in Biddeford (corner of Main and Water Streets) for an Outdoor Service to which all are invited. Invite friends and bring a lawn chair. The doors of the Chamber of Commerce will be open to access a restroom there.
Union Church
Biddeford Pool
…a place of peace and Presence by the sea
Photo by Thomas Huot
September 3, 2023
Compassion for Creation
Covid Updates: As we continue to hear of more cases of Covid in our community, we invite you to be extra careful and to please stay home from church if you are sick or have symptoms. Thank you!
Blessing of the Animals: We will hold our Annual Blessing of the Animals at 11:30 on Sunday, October 1st on the lawn next to Union Church. If you would like to help out, please contact Paula.
Alzheimer’s Association Walk 2023: Denise Kinney Invites your support for her upcoming walk.Thank you for considering a donation. Visit this link below and you will be directed to my personal page for the Alzheimer’s Walk. At the Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s®, we’re fighting for a different future. For families facing the disease today. For more time. For treatments. We’re closer than ever to stopping Alzheimer’s. But to get there, we need you. Join us for the world’s largest fundraiser to fight the disease.
Please consider donating at: http://act.alz.org/goto/brainstorm2023
Resources to Learn More on Caring for Our Earth:
Text of Papal Encyclical: Laudato Si
Nature Conservancy: https://www.nature.org
Friends of the Earth: https://www.foei.org/
Sierra Club: https://act.sierraclub.org
World Wildlife Foundation: https://www.worldwildlife.org
Tree Sisters: https://www.treesisters.org/
A Prayer: Most gracious God, we come before you to pray for the wellbeing of the planet. You alone know the full extent of the destruction we have wrought to your beautiful handiwork, and what needs to be done to remedy it. We pray for the people around the globe who suffer because of environmental damage. We pray for the defenseless creatures harmed or made extinct by our selfishness and ignorance. We pray for the oceans, air, mountains, plants, and soil, that life and health may again pulse in them. We pray that we humans have a change of heart and stop harming the planet. Pour out your Holy Spirit on us that we may have the passion and wisdom to work effectively to restore your creation. Guide us in our personal, church and community efforts. Give us strength to continue on with this work when it is difficult and requires sacrifice. Bless the Earth and all its life in every way. We make this prayer through Christ, our Lord. Amen. (NCR)