With Ruth: Loss and Journey

Sunday, August 2, 2026
10:30 AM 11:30 AM 10:30 11:30

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

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Today we begin a two-week series on the book of Ruth, often considered a short novella or a work of historical fiction. Ruth is a foreigner, a Moabite (A much maligned group in the Old Testament), and she marries a man of Hebrew extraction. After his death, and her father-in-law’s death, she remains faithful to her mother-in-law—so much so, she forfeits everything: family of birth, homeland, even her religious background—in order to remain faithful. Where does this commitment take her, geographically and spiritually? How do two women survive in a world that intended them to be cared for by men?

You are invited to join us for worship this Sunday, including the Lord’s Supper, in our beautiful sanctuary at 200 East Main Street in Endicott. Or. if you wish, you can join our livestream from home or travel by clicking on the Youtube video below. You are always welcome!

With Ruth: Loss and Journey

Ruth 1:8-18; 2:1-16

August 2, 2026 

Union Presbyterian Church 

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

Liturgist: Cathie Makowka 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          Cathie Makowka

Prelude Robin Lostetter

“Praise to the Lord, the Almighty,” Bernadine Johnson

Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.     

* Call to Worship from Ruth 1:1-5

In the days when the judges judged
it happened that there was a famine in the land…

We are on a journey of plenty and want.
Elimelech, a man of Bethlehem, went to sojourn in the country of Moab,

he and his wife Naomi, and their two sons, Mahlon and Chilion.

We are on a journey, and we can feel like strangers in a strange land.

Then Elimelech died, and Naomi was left, she and her two sons.

They took Moabite women for themselves. Orpah and Ruth.
Her sons also died, and Naomi was left with no one, or so she thought.

She was left with Orpah and Ruth, foreign women of her dead sons.
We are on a journey of joy and sorrow, of gain and loss.
We are on a journey as individuals and as a community.

We are not alone on this journey; God walks alongside us.

Let us worship our faithful God!

* Hymn # 20

“All Things Bright and Beautiful”

Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.     

All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.

Each little flower that opens,
Each little bird that sings,
God made their glowing colors;
God made their tiny wings.

All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.

The purple-headed mountain,
The river running by,
The sunset, and the morning
That brightens up the sky:

All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.

The cold wind in the winter,
The pleasant summer sun,
The ripe fruits in the garden,
God made them every one.

All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.

God gave us eyes to see them,
And lips that we might tell
How great is God Almighty,
Who has made all things well.

All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.

* Call to New Life

Every life is a journey, and our paths include times of pain and suffering. Let us open our hearts to God for the healing we long for.

* Prayer for Wholeness and Peace (unison)

God, at times we don’t understand our world. We don’t understand how we got here, now. We don’t understand why terrible things happen. We don’t understand how to surface from painful grief and loss. In the midst of it all, we wonder: Where are you? Are you there? Help us, God, to remember your faithful people throughout the ages who have walked such paths. Help us remember that you are with us. Help us to remember and to give thanks for your endless love and presence. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

* Words of Assurance from Isaiah 53 and Matthew 28

But now thus says the Lord,
he who created you, O people of God:
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name; you are mine.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned.
And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.
Give thanks to God, for we are always in God’s hands.
Thanks be to God! May we know God’s peace.

* Sharing of the Peace

I will be with you, says the God who created us.
In my arms, you will be at 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 Ruth 1:8-18, 22

Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return, each to your mother’s house. May the Holy One deal kindly with you, as you have done with the dead and with me. The Saving God grant that you may find security, each in the house of your own husband.” Then she kissed them, and they wept aloud. They said to her, “We will return with you to your people.” Then Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters, why will you go with me? Are there yet sons in my belly that may become your husbands? Turn back, my daughters, go your way, for I am too old to be with a man. Let me say I have hope and even was with a man tonight and give birth to sons. Would you then wait and hope until they were grown? Would you then refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, it has been far more bitter for me than for you, because the hand of the Saving God has turned against me.” Then they wept aloud again. Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.

Naomi said, “Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; go back after your sister-in-law.” But Ruth said, “Do not press me to forsake you or to turn back from following you.

Where you go, I will go,

where you abide, I will abide;

your people shall be my people,

and your God my God.

Where you die, I will die,

there will I be buried.

May the Holy One of Old

do thus and more to me,

if even death parts me from you.”

When Naomi saw that Ruth had strengthened herself to go with her, she ceased speaking to her… So Naomi returned with Ruth the Moabite woman, her daughter-in-law, with her; she was the one who came back from the country of Moab. They came to Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.

Time for Young Disciples Rev. Pat Raube

Music: “We Are Climbing Jacob’s Ladder,” Cindy Berry

Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.     

Anthem Summer Choir

“Wherever You May Go”

Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.     

Wherever you may go, I will follow,

And your people shall be my people, too,

Wherever you may go, I will follow,

For I would be faithful, loyal, and true.

Say the word and I will stay,

I will never go away,

We will travel side by side

And God’s love will be our guide.

Wherever you may go, I will follow,

And your people shall be my people, too,

Wherever you may go, I will follow,

For I would be faithful, loyal, and true.

From beginning to the end

I will always be your friend,

When you need me, I’ll be there,

You can trust my faithful care.

Wherever you may go, I will follow,

And your people shall be my people, too,

Wherever you may go, I will follow,

For I would be faithful, loyal, and true.

Scripture Ruth 2:1-16

Now Naomi had a relative through her husband, a warrior-hearted man of worth, from the family of Elimelech, and his name was Boaz. And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain, behind someone in whose eyes I may find favor.” Naomi said to her, “Go, my daughter.” And she went, and came and gleaned in the field behind the reapers. As it happened, she happened upon the part of the field that belonged to Boaz, who was from Elimelech’s family. Then suddenly, Boaz came from Bethlehem. He said to the reapers, “God be with you.” They answered, “God bless you.” Then Boaz said to his boy stationed over the reapers, “To whom does this girl belong?” The boy stationed over the reapers answered, “She is the Moabite, the one who returned with Naomi from the country of Moab. She said, ‘Please, let me glean and gather among the sheaves behind the reapers.’ So, she came, and she has been standing from the morning until now, only resting in the shelter a little.” Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Have you not heard, my daughter? Go not to glean in another field, neither leave this one, thus you will cling to my girls. Keep your eyes on the field that is being reaped, and follow after them [the girls]. Have I not commanded the boys not to touch you? When you thirst, go to the vessels and drink from what the boys have drawn.” Then she fell on her face and bowed down to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your sight, that you would distinguish me, as I am a foreigner?” And Boaz answered and said to her, “It has been told to me, all that you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband, that you have forsaken your mother and father and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before yesterday. May the Holy One of Old reward your works, and may you have a full recompense from the Holy One, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.” Then Ruth said, “May I continue to find favor in your eyes, my lord, for you have comforted me and have spoken to the heart to your slave woman, and I, I am not one of your slave women.” Boaz said to her when it was time to eat, “Draw near, and eat from this bread, and dip your piece in the vinegar.” And she sat beside the reapers, and he handed her some roasted grain; and she ate and was satisfied, and she had some left over. When Ruth got up to glean, Boaz commanded his boys saying, “She may even glean between the sheaves, and do not humiliate her. You must also pull out some for her from the bundles, and leave them for her to glean, and do not rebuke her.”

Response Holy Wisdom, Holy Word.

Thanks be to God.

Sermon “With Ruth: Loss and Journey” Rev. Pat Raube

Affirmation of Faith from the Immigrant’s Creed by José Luis Casal

I believe that the Church is the secure home for foreigners and for all believers. I believe that the communion of saints is revealed when we embrace all God’s people in all their diversity. I believe in forgiveness, which makes us all equal before God, and in reconciliation, which heals our brokenness. I believe that the Resurrection God will unite us as one people in which all are distinct, and all are alike at the same time. I believe in life eternal, in which no one will be foreigner, but all will be citizens of the kingdom where God reigns forever and ever. Amen.

* Hymn # 523

“Gift of Finest Wheat,” Omer Westendorf, Robert E. Kreutz

Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.     

You satisfy the hungry heart with gift of finest wheat;

Come give to us, O saving Lord, the bread of life to eat.

As when the shepherd calls his sheep,

They know and heed his voice,

So when you call your family, Lord,

We follow and rejoice.

You satisfy the hungry heart with gift of finest wheat;

Come give to us, O saving Lord, the bread of life to eat.

With joyful lips we sing to you

Our praise and gratitude

That you should count us worthy, Lord,

To share this heavenly food.

You satisfy the hungry heart with gift of finest wheat;

Come give to us, O saving Lord, the bread of life to eat.

Is not the cup we bless and share

The blood of Christ outpoured?

Do not one cup, one loaf, declare

Our oneness in the Lord?

You satisfy the hungry heart with gift of finest wheat;

Come give to us, O saving Lord, the bread of life to eat.

The mystery of your presence, Lord,

No mortal tongue can tell:

Whom all the world cannot contain

Comes in our hearts to dwell.

You satisfy the hungry heart with gift of finest wheat;

Come give to us, O saving Lord, the bread of life to eat.

You give yourself to us, O Lord;

Then selfless let us be,

To serve each other in you name

In truth and charity.

You satisfy the hungry heart with gift of finest wheat;

Come give to us, O saving Lord, the bread of life to eat.

Prayers of the People 

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.

Prayer Response # 414

“Be Still and Know That I Am God,” John L. Bell

Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.     

(Sing twice:)

Be still and know that I am God.

Call for Offering     

* Doxology # 675 (verse 4)

“All Praise to Thee, My God, This Night”

(Public Domain)

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow,

Praise God, all creatures here below:

Praise God above, ye heavenly host;

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

* Dedication of Offering 

Reconciliation: Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper

The Invitation

The psalmist sang,
“You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies.”

This is not a taunting meal with Usses and Thems.
It's a place, a time when even enemies can feast together.

Come, then, you who have harsh words between you.

Stand side by side in silence.

Come, you who have fought good fights and bad fights and everything in between.
Find peace, if only for a moment.

Come, you who can't yet face each other fully.
Find the face of God in every sibling.

God abhors abuse,
and never asks us to submit to the domineering strength of another.
But true reconciliation among people on equal footing
sets us free and transforms conflict into amazing grace.

So lay aside argument, distance, alienation,
confusion, power over, and even principles.
Come to this feast empty, hungry, and ready.

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!

Prayer of Consecration

Holy one, you inhabit these elements of bread and cup.
As each has already been transformed
from what it was into something more nourishing,
ready to give energy to the body,
so transform us into those who can nourish the world.
As we pull from a common loaf, unite us.
As we drink from a common cup, a symbol of shared fate, send us down the same road, with strength in numbers.
Make us truly one in Christ, as we sing to the glory of God.

Sanctus

“Holy, Holy, Holy Lord,” Marty Haugen

Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.

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.

Bread and Cup

We remember that on the night before he died,
Jesus sat at table with all of them: friend and foe.
He didn't ask how they had voted,

where they stood on church doctrines,
or whether they would remain true, even to him.

He took bread, and giving thanks to God, he said to all,
“Take, eat, this is my body, given for you. Do this and Remember Me.”

He took wine and said,
“This is not just a cup, it's a covenant, to bind us together,
to help us forget the sins of the past.”

Communion of the People

Ministering to you in the name of Jesus, the Great Uniter,
we partake of this feast.

Music during Communion:

“Let Us Break Bread Together,” Brenda Dillon

Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.     

Prayer of Thanksgiving

God, let the unity we have at this table endure
long after we have digested these elements.
Feed our minds the manna of gentleness
and the ability to take another's perspective.
Juice us with the joy that comes when we can set aside our differences
and come together as your children.
Thank you that every time we eat this meal together,
you give us an opportunity to lay down arms, stop taking sides,
and find again our common humanity and divinity. Amen.

* Hymn (Sung to the tune of Hymn #436)

“One Day, Naomi and Ruth Crossed the Border”

Used by permission.

One day, Naomi and Ruth crossed the border,

Leaving a life filled with sorrow and pain.

Cautious yet hopeful, they journeyed together.

Bravely, they sought to start over again.

What would we do if our loved ones had perished?

What if we found we were hungry and poor?

What would we do if the things we had cherished —

Family and safety and hope — were no more?

Would we remain in the land we had loved there?

Would we stay home simply waiting to die?

Or would we dare to cross over the border?

Would we in faith give the journey a try?

Would there be folks in the land to receive us —

Even if some said, "You're not from this place"?

Would we cross freely? Would others believe us?

Would people greet us with kindness and grace?

One day, Naomi and Ruth crossed the border,

This day, we see streams of new refugees.

God, you have called us to welcome the stranger;

May we in love welcome people like these.

* Benediction 

Postlude Robin Lostetter

“God, Who Stretched the Spangled Heavens,” Cindy Berry

Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.     

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

All scripture translated by the Rev. Dr. Wilda Gafney, unless otherwise indicated. A Women's Lectionary for the Whole Church Year A. Kindle Edition.

Liturgy by the Rev. Pat Raube.

“Reconciliation,” our Communion prayers, by Molly Phinney Baskette, from Do This: Communion for Just and Courageous Living, ed. Mary Luti.

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With Ruth: Loss and Journey