Come to the Table

Sunday, July 3, 2022
10:30 AM 11:30 AM 10:30 11:30

Union Presbyterian Church 200 E Main St Endicott, NY, 13760 United States (map)

Google Calendar ICS

The crowds follow Jesus and bring him all those in need of healing. What next? A marvelous outdoor meal and miracle.

We share a meal outside today as well (weather permitting). And we continue our engagement with the translations of Dr. Wil Gafney, as found in “A Women’s Lectionary for the Whole Church: Year W.” (More about this can be found on the Home Page of this website.)

Join us for worship on our Liberty Avenue parking lot (weather permitting). Later Sunday afternoon or evening, you can find the worship video here or on our YouTube page. We are glad to have you with us for this adventure—all are welcome!

Come to the Table

Psalm 69:10-21, 30-33, Matthew 15:29-39

Union Presbyterian Church

July 3, 2022

Sharing the Light of Christ, Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

Liturgist: Doug Moore Preacher: Rev. Pat Raube

Prelude Chris Bartlette

“Morning Has Broken,” Lee Dengler

Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.   

Welcome Rev. Pat Raube

Call to Worship Doug Moore

Come, worship the great Author of Life:

You, our God, only you.

Come, worship the One who made us:

You made us in your own image, O God.

Come, worship the one who fashioned us in our mother’s womb:

You, our God, only you. Children of God, give praise!

Hymn #48 W & R

“Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise”

(Public Domain)

Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
In light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
Almighty, victorious, thy great name we praise.

Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,
Nor wanting, nor wasting, thou rulest in might;
Thy justice like mountains high soaring above
Thy clouds, which are fountains of goodness and love.

To all life thou givest, to both great and small;
In all life thou livest, the true life of all;
We blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree,
And wither and perish but naught changeth thee.

Great Father of glory, pure Father of light,
Thine angels adore thee, all veiling their sight;
All praise we would render, O help us to see
'Tis only the splendor of light hideth thee.

Call to New Life

Prayer for Wholeness and Peace

Holy and merciful God, scripture tells us that you are Love. We come before you broken and broken-hearted, longing for the healing that you offer. We have not loved you with our whole heart and soul, mind and strength. We have not loved one another as we love ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. By the compassion of our Lord Jesus Christ, we ask you to heal us, shore us up, and show us the way to walk your path to new life. In his name we pray. Amen.

Words of Assurance

With the whole church:

We affirm that we are made in God’s image,

befriended by Christ, and empowered by the Spirit.

With people everywhere:

We affirm God’s goodness at the heart of humanity,

planted more deeply than all that is wrong.

With all creation:

We celebrate the miracle and wonder of life and the unfolding purposes of God, forever at work in ourselves and the world. Thanks be to God. Amen!

Sharing of the Peace

May the peace of God be with you.

And also with you.

Let us offer one another a sign of God’s peace.

Scripture Psalm 69, 10-21, 30-33 Doug Moore

Now I humbled my soul with fasting,

and they reviled me.

And I wore sackcloth as my clothing,

and I became to them a byword.

They speak against me, they who speak in the city gates,

while the drunkards make songs [about me].

Yet I make my prayer to you, the Wisdom of the Ages.

At a favorable time,

God, in the wealth of your faithful love, answer me

with your certain salvation.

Rescue me from the mire,

and let me not sink;

let me be delivered from my enemies

and from the deep waters.

Let not the flood waters overwhelm me,

let not the Deep swallow me up;

let not the Pit close its mouth over me.

Answer me, Gracious God, for your faithful love is good;

according to the wealth of your maternal love, turn to me.

Do not hide your face from your slave,

for I am in distress; hurry to answer me.

Draw near to my soul and redeem her,

on account of my enemies, deliver me.

Indeed, you know of my reviling,

and my shame and my disgrace;

all my adversaries are before you.

Reviling has broken my heart,

and I am in despair.

I looked for consolation, but there was none;

and for comforters and I found none.

I will praise the name of God with song;

I will magnify her with thanksgiving.

This will please the Creator of All more than an ox

or a bull with horns and hooves.

Let the oppressed see it and be glad;

you who seek God, let your hearts flourish.

For the Faithful God hears the needy,

and those who belong to her and are imprisoned,

she does not despise.

Let the heavens and earth praise her,

the seas and everything that moves in them.

Children’s Message

Music: “O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing” (Public Domain)

Scripture Matthew 15:29-39

After Jesus had left [Tyre and Sidon], he went by the Sea of Galilee, and he went up the mountain, sitting down there. Great crowds came to him, bringing with them disabled, blind, and mute people, and people missing body parts, along with many others. They then put them at his feet, and he healed them so that the crowd was amazed when they saw mute people speaking, people missing body parts made whole, disabled people walking, and blind people seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.

Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for the crowd, because they have stayed with me for three days now and have nothing to eat, and I do not want to send them away hungry, for they might collapse on the road.” The disciples said to him, “Where are we to get so much bread in the desert as to feed so great a crowd?” Jesus asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven, and a few small fish.” Then ordering the crowd to sit down on the ground, he took the seven loaves and the fish, and giving thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples; the disciples gave them to the crowds.” And all of them ate and were filled, and they took up the abundance of fragments, seven baskets full. Those who ate were women and children, besides four thousand men. Then sending away the crowds, he got into the boat and went to the region of Magadan.

Response Holy Wisdom, Holy Word:

Thanks be to God!

Meditation Rev. Pat Raube

Hymn #617 W & R (Verses 1, 2, 3, 5 — use bulletin insert)

“A Place at the Table,” Shirley Erena Murray

Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.   

For everyone born, a place at the table,
For everyone born, clean water and bread,
A shelter, a space, a safe place for growing,
For everyone born, a star overhead,
And God will delight when we are creators
Of justice and joy, compassion and peace:
Yes, God will delight when we are creators
Of justice, justice and joy!

For woman and man, a place at the table,
Revising the roles, deciding the share,
With wisdom and grace, dividing the power,
For woman and man, a system that's fair,

And God will delight when we are creators
Of justice and joy, compassion and peace:
Yes, God will delight when we are creators
Of justice, justice and joy!

For young and for old, a place at the table,
A voice to be heard, a part in the song,
The hands of a child in hands that are wrinkled,
For young and for old, the right to belong,

And God will delight when we are creators
Of justice and joy, compassion and peace:
Yes, God will delight when we are creators
Of justice, justice and joy!

For everyone born, a place at the table,
To live without fear, and simply to be,
To work, to speak out, to witness and worship,
For everyone born, the right to be free,

And God will delight when we are creators
Of justice and joy, compassion and peace:
Yes, God will delight when we are creators
Of justice, justice and joy!

The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper

The Invitation

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

Remembering his love for us

on the way,

at the table,

and to the end,

we proclaim the mystery of faith:

Christ has died.

Christ is risen.

Christ will come again.

Prayers of the People

We pray, on this Independence Day weekend, for our nation:

Lord, keep this land under your care.

Bless the leaders of our land,

that we may be a people at peace among ourselves

and a blessing to the other nations of the earth.

Help us elect trustworthy leaders,

contribute to wise decisions for the general welfare,

and thus serve you faithfully in our generation,

to the honor of your Holy Name.

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

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.

Music during Communion:

“Break Now the Bread of Life” (Public Domain)

Prayer of Thanksgiving 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  (sung to the tune Finlandia)

“This is My Song," Lloyd Stone, Georgia Harkness 

Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.   

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 as 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.

The Spirit is among us, so go in peace.

Thanks be to God. Amen

Postlude Chris Bartlette

“All People That on Earth Do Dwell,” Lloyd Larson

Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.   

Where an * is indicated, please rise in body and/or in spirit.

“W & R” ~ the red Worship and Rejoice hymnal.

Scripture translations by the Rev. Dr. Wilda A. Gafney can be found in “A Women’s Lectionary for the Whole Church: Year W.”