The history of Christianity includes a strong focus on sinfulness and penitence, often forgetting to mention the narrator’s summary of the whole of God’s creation (including human beings): “God saw everything that God had made, and indeed, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31). In this passage from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells the people of their goodness, their salt and their light. The key is, to make use of these gifts.
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World Communion Sunday
Salt and Light
Psalm 108; Matthew 5:13-16
October 4, 2026
Union Presbyterian Church
Sharing the Light of Christ, Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow
Liturgist: Rev. Jeff Kellam Preacher: Rev. Pat Raube
Welcome
This is the day that the Lord has made!
Let us rejoice and be glad in it! ~Psalm 118:24
Announcements Rev. Jeff Kellam
Prelude Chris Bartlette
“As We Gather at Your Table,” Faye López
©2026, Hope Publishing Company, All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.
License #A-728112. All rights reserved.
* Call to Worship
Who is our Creator, our beloved Parent, our Protector and Guide?
The God of all Creation, the Holy One.
What does the Holy One require of us?
To do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with God.
Let us worship God!
* Hymn # 853
“We Are Marching in the Light of God”
©1984, Walton Music Corp., All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.
License #A-728112. All rights reserved.
We are marching in the light of God. (4x)
We are marching, we are marching, oh!
We are marching in the light of God.
We are marching, we are marching, oh!
We are marching in the light of God.
We are dancing in the light of God. (4x)
We are dancing, we are dancing, oh!
We are dancing in the light of God.
We are dancing, we are dancing, oh!
We are dancing in the light of God.
We are praying in the light of God. (4x)
We are praying, we are praying, oh!
We are praying in the light of God.
We are praying, we are praying, oh!
We are praying in the light of God.
We are singing in the light of God. (4x)
We are singing, we are singing, oh!
We are singing in the light of God.
We are singing, we are singing, oh!
We are singing in the light of God.
* Call to New Life
The grace of God overflows for us, and for our siblings around the world. Jesus Christ, came into the world in search of the lost, that we might be found. Let us open our hearts and minds, that God might heal us, and make us whole.
* Prayer for Wholeness and Peace (unison)
Gracious God, our sins are too heavy to carry, too real to hide, and too deep to undo. We look at a world undone by strife, torn by violence, separated by hatred. Yet you call us to walk the way of peace. Forgive us, O Lord, for refusing to follow you on this path because the cost is too high, the direction too confusing, the conditions too harsh. Forgive us our complacency. Grant us clarity of vision to see the light, And the strength to walk behind you. In the power of your Spirit we pray, Amen.
* Words of Assurance
Anyone who is in Christ is a new creation.
The old life has gone; a new life has begun.
The love of God is from everlasting to everlasting.
Know that you are forgiven, and be at peace.
Thanks be to God!
* Sharing of the Peace
May the peace of God be with you.
And also with you.
Let us share a sign of God’s peace with one another.
Scripture Micah 6:6-8 NRSVUE
“With what shall I come before the Lord
and bow myself before God on high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
with ten thousands of rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”
He has told you, O mortal, what is good,
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice and to love kindness
and to walk humbly with your God?
Psalter Psalm 108
“My Heart is Firmly Fixed”
©1987, Faith Alive Christian Resources, All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.
License #A-728112. All rights reserved.
My heart is firmly fixed;
To God my song I raise.
Awake, O harp, in joyful strains;
Awake, my soul, to praise.
Among the nations, Lord,
To you my song will rise.
Your faithfulness outshines the heavens,
Your mercies reach the skies.
How great your love, O Lord:
We praise your matchless worth.
Your glory be exalted high
And cover all the earth.
Stretch forth your mighty hand
In answer to our prayer,
And let your own beloved ones
Your great salvation share.
God speaks: “All lands are mine,
To serve me and obey;
My people and their foes will serve
My glory day by day.”
O who will lead us on
In triumph on this day?
Lord, why do you reject your own
And turn your face away?
An army’s help is vain;
To God for help we plead.
With God we shall do valiantly;
With God we shall succeed.
Time for Young Disciples Rev. Pat Raube
Music: “Together We Serve” (Hymn #767)
©1998, Hope Publishing Company, All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.
License #A-728112. All rights reserved.
Anthem Chancel Choir
“One World, One Communion,” Pepper Choplin
©2017, Hope Publishing Company, All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.
License #A-728112. All rights reserved.
One world, one communion,
One faith in Christ, the Son.
One world, one communion,
And there is room for everyone.
One world, one communion,
One faith in Christ, the Son.
One world, one communion,
And there is room for everyone.
Wherever people gather
To share the bread and cup,
Though we are many,
We are one in love.
So much we have in common,
Though we are miles apart,
Through the Holy Spirit,
We are one in heart.
And so we are
One world, one communion,
One faith in Christ, the Son.
One world, one communion,
And there is room for everyone.
Wherever bread is broken
And where the cup is poured,
Brothers and sisters,
We are one in the Lord.
Though many things divide us,
With great diversity,
Through the power of love
We will find unity.
So help us see there’s
One world, one communion,
One faith in Christ, the Son.
One world, one communion,
And there is room for everyone.
There is room for everyone.
There is room for all,
For all who come.
Scripture Matthew 5:13-16 NRSVUE
“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything but is thrown out and trampled under foot.
“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. People do not light a lamp and put it under the bushel basket; rather, they put it on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”
Response Holy Wisdom, Holy Word.
Thanks be to God.
Sermon “Salt and Light” Rev. Pat Raube
Affirmation of Faith From the Confession of 1967, Section 9:52
The Lord’s Supper is a celebration of the reconciliation of humanity with God and with one another, in which we joyfully eat and drink together at the table of our Savior. Jesus Christ gave his church this remembrance of his dying for sinful humanity so that by participation in it we have communion with him and with all who shall be gathered to him. Partaking in him as we eat the bread and drink the wine in accordance with Christ’s appointment, we receive from the risen and living Lord the benefits of his death and resurrection. We rejoice in the foretaste of the kingdom which he will bring to consummation at his promised coming, and we go out from the Lord’s Table with courage and hope for the service to which he has called us.
* Hymn # 768
“Somos el Cuerpo de Cristo / We Are the Body of Christ”
©1994, GIA Publications, All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.
License #A-728112. All rights reserved.
Somos el cuerpo de Cristo.
We are the body of Christ.
Hemos oído el llamado;
We’ve answered “yes” to the call of the Lord.
Somos el cuerpo de Cristo.
We are the body of Christ.
Traemos su santo mensaje.
We come to bring the Good News to the world.
Dios viene al mundo a través de nosotros.
Somos el cuerpo de Cristo.
God is revealed when we love one another.
We are the body of Christ.
Al mundo a cumplir la misión de la Iglesia,
Somos el cuerpo de Cristo.
Bringing the light of God’s mercy to others;
We are the body of Christ.
Somos el cuerpo de Cristo.
We are the body of Christ.
Hemos oído el llamado;
We’ve answered “yes” to the call of the Lord.
Somos el cuerpo de Cristo.
We are the body of Christ.
Traemos su santo mensaje.
We come to bring the Good News to the world.
Cada persona es parte del reino;
Somos el cuerpo de Cristo.
Putting a stop to all discrimination;
We are the body of Christ.
Todas las razas que habitan la tierra,
Somos el cuerpo de Cristo.
All are invited to feast in the banquet.
We are the body of Christ.
Somos el cuerpo de Cristo.
We are the body of Christ.
Hemos oído el llamado;
We’ve answered “yes” to the call of the Lord.
Somos el cuerpo de Cristo.
We are the body of Christ.
Traemos su santo mensaje.
We come to bring the Good News to the world.
Que nuestras acciones reflejen justicia;
Somos el cuerpo de Cristo.
Stopping abuse and relieving the hungry,
We are the body of Christ.
Vamos al mundo a cuidar su rebaño.
Somos el cuerpo de Cristo.
Serving each other we build up the kingdom;
We are the body of Christ.
Somos el cuerpo de Cristo.
We are the body of Christ.
Hemos oído el llamado;
We’ve answered “yes” to the call of the Lord.
Somos el cuerpo de Cristo.
We are the body of Christ.
Traemos su santo mensaje.
We come to bring the Good News to the world.
Minute for Mission Kevin Kelley
Prayers of the People
Merciful God,
we bring before you the joys and concerns of your people and of your world.
We give thanks for signs of life and hope that persist around us:
for children growing and learning, and for teachers who nurture their curiosity;
for friendships that sustain us and communities that make room for belonging;
for meals shared, delight that surprises, art and music that awakens;
for healing experienced, prayers answered, and new beginnings we did not expect;
for neighbors who show up for one another, strangers who become friends, and people who choose courage, generosity and compassion when fear would be easier.
And, God of mercy, we hold before you the pain of our world.
We pray for the people of countries scarred by war.
Protect those who live in fear, comfort those who mourn, free those held captive, sustain those who hunger, and strengthen all who work for a just and lasting peace.
We pray for refugees, immigrants and asylum seekers;
for families separated by borders, conflict or circumstance;
and for those who wonder whether safety is a privilege they will ever enjoy.
We pray for those entrusted with leadership in our nation and throughout the world. Give them humility greater than ambition, compassion stronger than ideology, and courage to seek the common good.
Where power is abused, strengthen those who speak truth.
Where neighbors have become enemies, help us remember one another’s humanity.
We pray for a creation groaning under the weight of our carelessness:
for communities facing fire, flood, drought and devastating storms;
for creatures and habitats under threat;
and for all whose livelihoods depend upon the health of the earth.
Teach us again to live as grateful stewards of creation rather than masters of it.
And we pray for the needs closest to us:
for those living with illness, addiction, loneliness or grief;
for caregivers who are weary;
for people worried about work, money or what tomorrow may bring;
for relationships strained or broken;
and for those carrying burdens too private or painful to name aloud.
In the silence, receive the prayers of our hearts.
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.
Call for Offering
* Doxology # 605 "Praise to God the Father"
©2011, Alfred V. Fedak, All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE. License #A-728112. All rights reserved.
Praise to God the Father; praise to God the Son;
Praise to God the Spirit: praise to the Three-in-One.
Sing praise, sing praise to the Lord on high.
Praise to God Almighty; praise to the Holy One.
* Dedication of Offering
Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper
The Invitation
The Table of Communion is a holy table,
But it is not a fancy table:
Gilded in gold, decorated with fine china,
And set apart behind a heavy door.
This holy Table stands in every messy corner of this world,
Where gather the hungry, and lost, and small.
It is rough hewn, and well-loved, and scratched.
It is littered with bread crumbs and stained with wine and juice.
This holy Table is, in fact, the kids’ table.
And we can never outgrow it,
Because no passage of time or matter of circumstance
Can ever make us any less than beloved children of God.
So come, come like children.
Eager and innocent, timid and rascally,
Hopeful and vulnerable.
Come exactly as you are, beautiful child of God.
You who have much faith, and you who would like to have more.
You who have been here often, and you who haven’t been in a long time.
Come, and know that it is Jesus Christ who calls you to this family meal,
And Jesus Christ who welcomes you home.
May the Lord be with you:
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise!
The Great Thanksgiving
Holy and gracious God, you spoke creation into being and called it good.
You scattered stars across the heavens, gathered seas into their places,
raised mountains from the earth and filled field and forest with life.
You formed us from the dust and breathed your own breath into us,
creating us in your image
and calling us to tend what you have made and care for one another.
When we have forgotten that we belong to you and to one another,
you have not forgotten us.
You have met your people in wilderness places,
spoken through prophets and poets,
and called us again and again from fear toward faith,
from captivity toward freedom,
from violence toward your way of peace.
Your mercy has been more persistent than our wandering;
your love, more enduring than our failures.
Therefore, we praise you,
joining our voices with choirs of angels
and with all the faithful of every time and place,
who forever sing to the glory of your name:
Sanctus
“Holy, Holy, Holy Lord,” Marty Haugen
©1984, GIA Publications, All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.
License #A-728112. All rights reserved.
Holy, holy, holy Lord,
God of power, God of might,
Heaven and earth are filled with Your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is He who comes
In the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest,
Hosanna in the highest.
Holy God, blessed is Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord.
In Jesus you came among us, sharing the fullness and vulnerability of human life.
He welcomed children, touched those others would not touch,
ate with those pushed to the margins,
challenged those who hoarded power,
and proclaimed good news to people longing to be free.
He fed the hungry, healed the suffering,
forgave sinners and gathered around tables those the world had divided.
When confronted by hatred and violence,
Jesus remained faithful to your way of love.
Even death could not silence the life you had given him.
You raised him from the grave,
revealing that cruelty does not have the final word,
that no tomb can contain your love,
and that new life is possible even when hope seems lost.
Words of Jesus
On the night of his betrayal, Jesus gathered with his friends in an house in Jerusalem.
While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread,
and after blessing it, he broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said,
Take, eat; this is my body that is broken for you.
Do this in remembrance of me.
Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying,
Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the new covenant,
which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
Do this in remembrance of me.
The Hovering Spirit
Gracious God, pour out your Holy Spirit upon us
and upon these gifts of bread and the fruit of the vine.
Make this bread we break and this cup we share
the communion of the body and blood of Christ.
By your Spirit, gather us into one body —
not because we are alike,
but because we belong to Christ and therefore belong to one another.
Breathe courage into us when we are afraid,
wisdom into us when the way is unclear,
compassion into us when we are tempted to turn away,
and holy imagination into us when we cannot yet see
how your new creation might come to be.
As this bread is Christ’s body for us,
send us to be Christ’s body in the world:
hands that heal, voices that speak truth,
hearts that make room,
feet willing to walk the hard road toward justice and peace.
For it is through Christ, and with Christ, and in Christ that all glory and honor are yours, almighty God, now and forever. Amen.
Communion of the People
Music during Communion: “Sheaves of Wheat” (Hymn #532)
©1987, OCP, All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.
License #A-728112. All rights reserved.
Prayer of Thanksgiving
Eternal God, we give you thanks for meeting us at this table and feeding us with your grace. Having received the bread of life and the cup of salvation, strengthen us to become what we have received: the body of Christ for the world. Send us out with grateful hearts, courageous spirits, and lives shaped by your love, until all creation is gathered into the flourishing and fullness of your peace. Amen.
* Hymn # 549
“May the Love of the Lord”
©2000, Maria Ling and Swee Hong Lim
Used by Permission. CCLI License #CSPL068847
May the love of the Lord rest upon your soul.
May God’s love dwell in you, throughout every day.
May God’s countenance shine upon you and be gracious to you.
May God’s Spirit be upon you as you leave this place.
* Benediction
Postlude Chris Bartlette
“Let Us Talents and Tongues Employ,” John A. Behnke
©1999, Hope Publishing Company, All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.
License #A-728112. All rights reserved.
Where an * is indicated, please rise in body and/or in spirit.
The prayers of the service are taken and adapted from the PC (USA) Book of Common Worship.
The Invitation to the Table was written by the Rev. Layton Williams Berkes, a Communications Strategist for the Presbyterian Church (USA). Layton lives in Charleston, South Carolina.
The Communion Prayers were adapted from the Book of Common Worship by the Rev. Teri Mc Dowell Ott, the editor and publisher of Presbyterian Outlook.