Have you ever noticed that there are things we think are in the Bible, but which might not actually be there? Take this saying, that seems to support the Presbyterian/ Reformed doctrine of God’s Sovereignty. Is that what this is about? And don’t some passages of scripture seem to support this saying as well?
There are all sorts of sayings that we like to quote, in all sorts of situations. Some of these can be found in scripture—but some of them have other origin stories. Join us for the next three weeks as we continue to explore things we may think are in the Bible— and seek to find the Good News, and a deeper connection with God’s Word. And join us today as we celebrate the Lord’s Supper together, outdoors. Worship with us in person or watch the video, available after 1:00 PM. You are invited!
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Online Bulletin July 4, 2021
Sermon Series: Is THAT in the Bible?
3. Everything Happens for a Reason
Union Presbyterian Church
Sharing the Light of Christ, Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow
Liturgist: Kevin Kelley Preacher: Rev. Pat Raube
Before Recording
Prelude Chris Bartlette, Keyboard
“Hymn of Promise,” John Carter
Announcements Kevin Kelley
Video Begins
Prelude Chris Bartlette, Keyboard
“Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee,” John Carter
©1997, Hope Publishing Company, All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.
License #A-728112. All rights reserved.
Welcome Rev. Pat Raube
Introit “Dona Nobis Pacem” Tower Ringers
Call to Worship Kevin Kelley
Sing praise to God, who dwells among us still;
proclaim to the peoples the things God has done.
Whatever path we walk, God is our witness.
Whatever way we travel, God is near.
God is so gracious, so good, so loving:
God is revealed in acts of justice. Thanks be to God!
Hymn # 726 W & R “We Praise You O God” (Public Domain)
We praise you, O God, our Redeemer, Creator;
In grateful devotion our tribute we bring;
We lay it before you; we kneel and adore you;
We bless your holy name: glad praises we sing.
We worship you, God of our fathers and mothers;
Through life’s storm and tempest our guide you have been;
When perils o’ertake us, you never forsake us,
And with your help, O Lord, our battles we win.
With voices united our praises we offer,
Our songs of thanksgiving to you we now raise;
Your strong arm will guide us, our God is beside us,
To you, our great Redeemer, forever be praise!
Call to New Life
Prayer for Wholeness and Peace
God of dreams, God of visions, we do not know the way from here… is it far? In these days we experience the joys of reunions and returns, but life is still strange, out of kilter, not quite normal. How do we travel, if we do not know the way, or the destination, or the length of the trip? Can we get there from here?
~silent prayer~
You speak to us gently, and you say, “Wherever you go, I will go. Wherever you live, I will live.” You whisper in our ear, and remind us: I will make my home among you, and I will dwell with you. You will be my people, and I will be your God. And then we remember: You are the way, and the truth, and the life. Thanks be to you! Amen.
Assurance of God’s Grace
Those who know your name, O God, put their trust in you.
The steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting.
Nothing can separate us from the love of God.
Thanks be to God! Amen.
Sharing of the Peace
May God’s peace be with you.
And also with you.
Let us offer one another a sign of God’s peace.
Scripture Psalm 9:9-20
You, Lord, will be a refuge for the oppressed,
a refuge in time of trouble.
Those who know your name will put their trust in you,
for you never forsake those you seek you, O Lord.
Sing praise to the Lord who dwells in Zion;
proclaim to the peoples the things God has done.
The avenger of blood will remember them
and will not forget the cry of the afflicted.
Be gracious to me, O Lord;
see the misery I suffer from those who hate me,
you that lift me up from the gates of death;
so that I may tell of all your praises and rejoice in your salvation
in the gates of the city of Zion.
The nations have fallen into the pit they dug;
in the snare they set, their own foot is caught.
The Lord is revealed in acts of justice;
the wicked are trapped in the works of their own hands.
The nations go down to the grave,
all the peoples that forget God.
For the needy shall not always be forgotten,
nor shall the hope of the poor be taken away.
Rise up, O Lord, let not mortals have the upper hand;
let the nations be judged before you.
Put them in fear, O Lord;
let the nations know they are but mortal.
Children’s Message Rev. Pat Raube
I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. ~John 13:34
Dear God,
We hear you.
We know this commandment is the most important one,
because that’s how we learn to love you:
by loving one another.
We learn to heal the world.
Thank you for your great love.
We pray in Jesus’ name.
Amen.
Scripture Genesis 45:1-15
Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, “Send everyone away from me.” So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it. Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, so dismayed were they at his presence.
Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come closer to me.” And they came closer. He said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years; and there are five more years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God; he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay. You shall settle in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children’s children, as well as your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. I will provide for you there—since there are five more years of famine to come—so that you and your household, and all that you have, will not come to poverty.’ And now your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see that it is my own mouth that speaks to you. You must tell my father how greatly I am honored in Egypt, and all that you have seen. Hurry and bring my father down here.” Then he fell upon his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, while Benjamin wept upon his neck. And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them; and after that his brothers talked with him.
Response Holy Wisdom, Holy Word:
Thanks be to God!
Meditation Rev. Pat Raube
Anthem Judy Marsh and Pat Raube
"All Are Welcome,” Marty Haugen
©1994, GIA Publications, All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.
License #A-728112. All rights reserved.
Let us build a house where love can dwell and all can safely live,
A place where saints and children tell how hearts learn to forgive.
Built of hopes and dreams and visions, rock of faith and vault of grace;
Here the love of Christ shall end divisions:
All are welcome, all are welcome, all are welcome in this place.
Let us build a house where prophets speak, and words are strong and true,
Where all God’s children dare to seek to dream God’s reign anew.
Here the cross shall stand as witness and as symbol of God’s grace;
Here as one we claim the faith of Jesus:
All are welcome, all are welcome, all are welcome in this place.
Let us build a house where love is found in water, wine and wheat:
A banquet hall on holy ground, where peace and justice meet.
Here the love of God, through Jesus, is revealed in time and space;
As we share in Christ the feast that frees us:
All are welcome, all are welcome, all are welcome in this place.
Let us build a house where hands will reach beyond the wood and stone
To heal and strengthen, serve and teach, and live the Word they’ve known.
Here the outcast and the stranger bear the image of God’s face;
Let us bring an end to fear and danger:
All are welcome, all are welcome, all are welcome in this place.
Let us build a house where all are named, their songs and visions heard
And loved and treasured, taught and claimed as words within the Word.
Built of tears and cries and laughter, prayers of faith and songs of grace,
Let this house proclaim from floor to rafter:
All are welcome, all are welcome, all are welcome in this place.
Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper/ Prayers of the People
The Invitation
Jesus said, I am the Bread of Life.
Whoever comes to me will never be hungry;
and whoever believes in me will never thirst.
The Great Thanksgiving
The Lord be with you. And also with you.
Lift up your hearts. We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give our thanks and praise.
Holy God, you alone are holy;
you alone are God.
The universe declares your praise;
beyond the stars;
beneath the sea;
within each cell;
with every breath,
We praise you, O God.
Generations bless your faithfulness:
through the water;
by night and day;
across the wilderness;
out of exile;
into the future.
We bless you, O God.
We give you thanks for your dear son:
at the heart of human life;
near to those who suffer;
beside the sinner;
among the poor;
with us now:
We thank you O God.
The Words of Institution
… we proclaim the mystery of faith:
Christ has died.
Christ is risen.
Christ will come again.
Prayers of the People
Invocation of the Spirit
The Lord’s Prayer
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.
The Communion
“Let Us Break Bread Together,” Joel Raney
©2005, Hope Publishing Company, All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.
License #A-728112. All rights reserved.
Jesus said, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
This is the Lord’s table, and all are invited.
Prayer After Communion
Holy God, we thank you for this feast of grace and life.
As we have been served, help us to serve our neighbors.
As we have been fed, help us to feed all who are hungry.
As we have been loved, help us to love the world, in your holy name. Amen.
Hymn “This is My Song” (Finlandia)
“This is My Song," Lloyd Stone, Georgia Harkness
©1964, The Lorenz Corporation,All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.
License #A-728112. All rights reserved.
This is my song, O God of all the nations,
A song of peace for lands afar and mine.
This is my home, the country where my heart is;
Here are my hopes, my dreams, my holy shrine;
But other hearts in other lands are beating
With hopes and dreams as true and high as mine.
My country’s skies are bluer than the ocean,
And sunlight beams on cloverleaf and pine.
But other lands have sunlight too, and clover,
And skies are everywhere as blue a mine.
So hear my song, O God of all the nations,
A song of peace for their land and for mine.
This is my prayer, O Lord of all earth’s kingdoms:
Thy kingdom come; on earth thy will be done.
Let Christ be lifted up till all shall serve him,
And hearts united learn to live as one.
So hear my prayer, O God of all the nations:
Myself I give thee; let thy will be done.
Benediction
Go into the world in peace.
Have courage!
Hold fast to what is good.
Return no one evil for evil.
Strengthen the faint-hearted,
support the weak,
help the suffering.
Honor all people.
Love and serve the Lord your God,
rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit.
And may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God,
and the sweet communion of the Holy Spirit,
be with each and all of us,
This day and forevermore.
God is with us, so go in peace.
Thanks be to God.
Postlude
“Foundation,” Roger Summers
©2007, Lorenz Publishing Company, All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.
License #A-728112. All rights reserved.