Not long after Jesus talks about “who is the greatest,” he doubles down on the preciousness of those he calls "my little ones.” We are responsible, he says. Yes, us. We are responsible for the welfare of the most vulnerable among us. It is the will of our Abba.

This Sunday, September 13, we invite you to join us for worship at Glendale Park in Endicott, and stay afterwards for our picnic! Join us as we worship and celebrate outdoors, sharing, first, the Lord’s Supper, and then a delicious lunch. (Unless you’ve already signed up to do so, you don’t need to bring a thing.) If you are unable to join us in person, a video of the service will be available at our YouTube page later that afternoon. You are invited! And you are always welcome.

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time

What is the Will of Your Abba?

Psalm 13; Matthew 18:10-14

September 13, 2026 

Union Presbyterian Church at Glendale Park

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

Liturgist: Laura Keibel 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          Laura Keibel

Prelude Chris Bartlette

“As We Gather,” Teresa Wilhelmi

Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.

* Call to Worship

Gather us in, the lost and the lonely, the broken and breaking,

the tired and the aching who long for the nourishment found at your feast.

Gather us in,

the done and the doubting, the wishing and wondering,

the puzzled and pondering, who long for the company found at your feast.

Gather us in,

the bright and the bustling, the movers, the shakers,

the kind laughter-makers, who long for the deeper joys found at your feast.

Gather us in,

from corner or limelight, from mansion or campsite,

from fears and obsession, from tears and depression,

from untold excesses, from treasured successes,

to meet, to eat, be given a seat,

be joined to the vine, be offered new wine,

become like the least, be found at the feast:

Gather us in!

* Hymn # 17

“Sing Praise to God, You Heavens!” Herman G. Stuempfle, Jr.

Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.

Sing praise to God, you heavens! Sing praise, each shining light!

Sing, planets in your orbits; sing, stars all burning bright!

Sing praise, you winds and tempests, you driving rain and snow!

Sing, clouds that race and billow and shadow earth below.

Sing praise, O earth, sing praises! Sing praises, hill and plain,

You mountains thrusting skyward, you valleys ripe with grain!

Sing praise, each fragrant flower; your fairest hues display.

Sing praise, you trees of autumn in glowing, glad array!

Sing praises, all you creatures in whom God takes delight:

You whales that roam the oceans, you eagles in your flight!

Sing praise, you sheep on hillsides, you cattle in the stall!

Though wordless, sing your praises to God who made you all!

Sing praises now, God’s people; your gift of speech employ

To praise the Lord, your Maker, with thankfulness and joy!

Sing with the whole creation; a cosmic chorus raise:

“To God alone be glory and everlasting praise!”

* Call to New Life

O God of life, eternity cannot hold you, nor can our little words catch the magnificence of your kindness. Yet in the space of our small hearts and in silence you can come close and repair us.

* Prayer for Wholeness and Peace (unison)

O God of Life, grant us your forgiveness for our careless thoughts, for our thoughtless deeds, for our empty speech, and the words with which we have wounded; for our false desires, for our hateful actions, for our wastefulness, and for all we have left untended. O loving Christ, hanged on a tree, yet risen in the morning, scatter the sin from our souls as the mist from the hills; begin what we do, inform what we say, redeem who we are. In you we place our hope, our great hope, our living hope, this day and evermore. Amen.

* Words of Assurance

To all and to each, where regret is real,

God pronounces pardon and grants us the right to begin again.
For all and for each, the Lord is kind and merciful,

slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

Let us give thanks to God, whose love is from everlasting to everlasting.

Thanks be to you, O God! Thanks be to you.

* Sharing of the Peace

God, you bring new life,

And give us the peace of your love and care.

May the peace of God be with you.

And also with you.

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

Psalter Psalm 13

Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.     

O Lord, hear my prayer, O Lord, hear my prayer;

when I call answer me.

O Lord, hear my prayer, O Lord, hear my prayer;

come and listen to me.

O Lord, hear my prayer, O Lord, hear my prayer;

when I call answer me.

O Lord, hear my prayer, O Lord, hear my prayer;

come and listen to me.

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?

How long will you hide your face from me?

How long shall I have perplexity in my mind,

and grief in my heart, day after day?

How long shall my enemy triumph over me?

O Lord, hear my prayer, O Lord, hear my prayer;

when I call answer me.

O Lord, hear my prayer, O Lord, hear my prayer;

come and listen to me.

Look upon me and answer me, O Lord my God;

give light to my eyes, lest I sleep in death;

Lest my enemy say, “I have defeated you,”

and my foes rejoice that I have fallen.

O Lord, hear my prayer, O Lord, hear my prayer;

when I call answer me.

O Lord, hear my prayer, O Lord, hear my prayer;

come and listen to me.

The Lord is my song, the Lord is my praise.

All my hope comes from God.

The Lord is my song, the Lord is my praise.

God, the wellspring of life.

But I trust in your unfailing love;

my heart is joyful because of your saving help.

I will sing to the Lord,

who has dealt with me richly.

The Lord is my song, the Lord is my praise.

All my hope comes from God.

The Lord is my song, the Lord is my praise.

God, the wellspring of life.

Time for Young Disciples Rev. Pat Raube

Music: “God of the Sparrow” (Hymn #22)

Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.     

[Possibly 12 singers btw Chris and front of house]

Anthem Chancel Choir

“The Lord Is My Shepherd,” Julanne Willis

Used by permission.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures.

He leadeth me beside the still waters;

He restoreth my soul.

He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness

For His name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk thru the valley

Of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil, for thou art with me;

Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me

In the presence of mine enemies.

Thou anointest my head with oil;

My cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

All the days of my life

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Scripture Matthew 18:10-14

[Jesus said,] “See to it that you do not treat one of these little ones with contempt. I say to you all that their angels in the heavens see the face of my Abba who is in the heavens all day [every day]. What do you all think? If a person had one hundred sheep and one of them wandered off, would they not leave the ninety-nine on the mountain and go in search for the one that wandered off? If they find it, truly I tell you all that they rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine who did not wander off. In the same way, it is not the will of your Abba who is in the heavens that one of these little ones should be lost.”

Response Holy Wisdom, Holy Word.

Thanks be to God.

Sermon “What is the Will of Your Abba?” Rev. Pat Raube

Affirmation of Faith From the Iona Community, Scotland

We believe in God,

whose love is the source of all life

and the desire of our lives,

whose love was given a human face

in Jesus of Nazareth,

whose love was crucified by the evil

that waits to enslave us all

and whose love, defeating even death,

is our glorious promise of freedom.

Therefore, though we are sometimes fearful

and full of doubt,

in God we trust;

and in the name of Jesus Christ,

we commit ourselves in the service of others,

to seek justice and to live in peace,

to care for the earth

and to share the Commonwealth

of God's goodness,

to live in the freedom of forgiveness

and the power of the Spirit of love,

and in the company of the faithful:

to be the church, for the glory of God. Amen

* Hymn # 757

“Today We All Are Called to Be Disciples"

Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.     

Today we all are called to be

Disciples of the Lord,

To help to set the captive free,

Make plowshare out of sword,

To feed the hungry, quench their thirst,

Make love and peace our fast,

To serve the poor and homeless first,

Our ease and comfort last.

God made the world and at its birth

Ordained our human race

To live as stewards of the earth,

Responding to God’s grace.

But we are vain and sadly proud;

We sow not peace but strife.

Our discord spreads a deadly cloud

That threatens all of life.

Pray justice may come rolling down

As in a mighty stream,

With righteousness in field and town

To cleanse us and redeem.

For God is longing to restore

An earth where conflicts cease,

A world that was created for

A harmony of peace.

May we in service to our God

Act out the living word,

And walk the road the saints have trod

Till all have seen and heard.

As stewards of the earth may we

Give thanks in one accord

To God who calls us all to be

Disciples of the Lord.

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 # 466 "Come and Fill Our Hearts,” Jacques Berthier

Come and fill our hearts with your peace.

You alone, O Lord, are holy.

Come and fill our hearts with your peace.

Alleluia!

Call for Offering     

* Doxology # 605 "Praise to God the Father"

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

He was always the guest.

In the homes of Peter and Jairus,

Martha and Mary, Joanna and Susanna,

he was always the guest.

At the meal tables of the wealthy

where he pled the case of the poor,

he was always the guest.

Upsetting polite company,

befriending isolated people,

welcoming the stranger,

he was always the guest.

But here, at this table, he is the host.

Those who wish to serve him

must first be served by him,

those who want to follow him

must first be fed by him,

those who would wash his feet

must first let him make them clean.

For this is the table

where God intends us to be nourished;

this is the time when Christ can make us new.

So come, you who hunger and thirst

for a deeper faith,

for a better life,

for a fairer world.

Jesus Christ,

who has sat at our tables,

now invites us to be guests at his.

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

It is indeed right,

for you made us,

and before us, you made the world we inhabit,

and before the world, you made the eternal home

in which, through Christ, we have a place.

All that is spectacular,

all that is plain

have their origin in you;

all that is lovely,

all who are loving

point to you as their fulfillment.

And grateful as we are

for the world we know

and the universe beyond our ken,

we particularly praise you,

whom eternity cannot contain,

for coming to earth and entering time

in Jesus.

For his life which informs our living,

for his compassion which changes our hearts,

for his clear speaking

which contradicts our harmless generalities,

for his disturbing presence,

his innocent suffering,

his fearless dying,

his rising to life breathing forgiveness,

we worship you and praise him.

Here too our gratitude rises

for the promise of the Holy Spirit,

who even yet, even now,

confronts us with your claims

and attracts us to your goodness.

Therefore we gladly join our voices

to the song of the church on earth and in heaven:

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.

Words of Jesus

What we do here, we do in imitation

of what Christ first did.

To his followers in every age,

Jesus gave an example and command

rooted in the experience he shared with his disciples

in an upstairs room in Jerusalem.

On the night on which he was betrayed,

and as they were sitting at a meal,

Jesus took a piece of bread and broke it.

He gave it to the disciples saying,

‘This is my body. It is broken for you.

Do this to remember me.’

Later, after they had eaten,

he took a cup of the fruit of the vine, and said,

‘This cup is the new relationship with God

made possible because of my death.

Drink this all of you, to remember me.

So now we do as Jesus did.

We take this bread and this fruit of the vine,

the produce of the earth and fruit of human labor.

In these, Jesus has promised to be present;

through these, Christ can make us whole.

The Hovering Spirit

Lord Jesus Christ,

present with us now,

for all that you have done and all that you have promised,

what have we to offer?

Our hands are empty,

our hearts are sometimes full of wrong things.

We are not fit to gather up the crumbs from under your table.

But with you is mercy and the power to change us.

So as we do in this place

what you did in an upstairs room,

send down your Holy Spirit on us

and on these gifts of bread and the fruit of the vine,

that they may become for us your body,

healing, forgiving, and making us whole;

and that we may become, for you, your body,

loving and caring in the world until your kingdom comes.

For it is through Christ, and with Christ, and in Christ that all glory and honor are yours, almighty God, now and forever. Amen.

Amen.

Communion of the People

He who the universe could not contain

is present to us in this bread.

He who redeemed us and called us by name

now meets us in this cup.

Music during Communion: “In Remembrance of Me” (Hymn #521)

Used by Permission. CCLI License #CSPL068847

Prayer of Thanksgiving

Lord Jesus Christ,

you have put your life into our hands;

now we put our lives into yours.

Take us, renew and remake us.

What we have been is past;

what we shall be through you,

still awaits us.

Lead us on.

Take us with you.

Amen.

* Hymn # 700

“I’m Gonna Live So God Can Use Me”

Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.

I'm gonna live so God can use me anywhere, Lord, anytime!
I'm gonna live so God can use me anywhere, Lord, anytime!

I'm gonna work so God can use me anywhere, Lord, anytime!
I'm gonna work so God can use me anywhere, Lord, anytime!

I'm gonna pray so God can use me anywhere, Lord, anytime!
I'm gonna pray so God can use me anywhere, Lord, anytime!

I'm gonna sing so God can use me anywhere, Lord, anytime!
I'm gonna sing so God can use me anywhere, Lord, anytime!

* Benediction 

Postlude Chris Bartlette

“Sunshine in My Soul,” Mark Hayes

Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.

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

Liturgy and Communion Prayers from “A Wee Worship Book,” from the Wild Goose Worship Group at the Iona Community, Scotland.

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

Worship With Us

Worship and Picnic at Glendale Park: What is the Will of Your Abba?