Order of Worship

18 February 2024

Today is a unique expression of our celebration of love and life. Today is our “Joke Sunday”. William H. Willimon credited and paraphrased the theologian Reinhold Niebuhr with the idea that the essence of sin is to take ourselves too seriously and the essence of grace is to receive the gift of laughter, especially when the joke is on us. Today is one of the ways we embody grace and use humor to prepare ourselves for lives of study, prayer, reflection, and service.

WELCOME TO SHADOW ROCK UCC!

Prelude ~

Shared by Travis Meyers

Welcome and Announcements

Shared by Pastor Ken

Opening Words

Led by Pastor Ken

One: Who are we and what are we called to do?

All: We are the sensitive and responsive ones called

to create a world where every person is radically

affirmed and barriers between people become

bridges of inclusion, justice, and spirituality.

Call to Worship

Led by Robert Back

One: Laugh, children of God! Let tears of joy baptize your eyes and your cheeks. Give God thanks and celebrate! It’s great to be alive!

All: It’s great to be alive!

One: Dance children of God! Lose yourself in the choreography of the Spirit. Life is a dance and God is the orchestra. It’s great to be alive!

All: It’s great to be alive!

One: Embrace, children of God! Open your arms and feel close to each other. It is in our openness that life takes on meaning. It’s great to be alive!

All: We join together to give God thanks and celebrate! It’s great to be alive!

Singing Our Faith

~ Dance

1. Dance in the moon-light and dance in the sun,

Dance in your sorrow and dance in your fun.

Dance in your discos and dance in your briefs,

Dance in your doubtings and dance your beliefs,

Chorus

And we’ll dance, dance, dance, come dancing with me, A - ha, And we’ll dance, dance, dance, come dancing with me.

2. Dance with your baby, your dog or your boss,

Dance to the manger and dance to the cross.

Dance at the graveside and dance at the feast,

Dance with the midwives and the other high priests ... Chorus

3. Dance with the debs with the sweat on their palms, Dance where it’s hardest: homecomings & proms.

Did somebody say that you’d never be queen,

Send them our way and we’ll paint their nose green ... Chorus

4. Tall people are gorgeous and short ones are neat,

Skinny or bulgy, each body’s a treat …

So dance as you are you were made by the One

Who calls you to be what you’ve only begun …

Chorus

5. Dance with your elbows & dance with your hands,

Dance with your heart and your endocrine glands.

Make funny faces go out of your minds,

Find someone near you and bump your behinds …

Chorus

6. Dance up from childhood and into your teens,

Dance thru your screw-ups and dance in your dreams.

Come join the dancing, you make it complete,

We’ll hug you and kiss you and step on your feet …

Chorus

Centering Prayer

Shared by Pastor Ken

Celebrations, WISE Moment, and Celebration Song

Led by Pastor Ken

At this time, we share moments from our lives: birthdays,

anniversaries, and words of peace and justice. We celebrate

sorrows and grief as part of our comprehensive view of life.

Give voice to goodness!

Here We Are

Led by Travis Meyers

Here we are all together

As we sing our song joyfully.

Here we are joined together

As we pray we will always be.

1. Join we now as friends,

And celebrate the unity we share all as one.

Keep the fire burning, kindle it with care,

And we’ll all join in and sing.

Chorus

2. Freedom we do shout for everybody,

And, unless there is, we should pray that

Soon there will be one true family;

Let us all join in and sing.

Chorus

3. Let us make the world an Alleluia!

Let us make the world a better place.

Keep a smile handy, have a helping hand.

Let us all join in and sing.

Chorus

4. Help us learn to care for one another.

Help us be the ones to see and do,

Keep us ever busy, bridges built anew,

And we’ll all join in and sing.

Chorus

Offerings and Offertory ~

Shared by Travis Meyers

Dedication of Our Offerings

Led by Robert Back

One: Are you a dancer who’s never danced?

Are you a singer who’s never sung?

Are you a laugher who’s holds it in?

Do you have an alleluia deep inside you struggling to be free?

All: We bring our dancing selves, our singing selves, our risking and celebrating selves to this moment of generosity. 

Words For Mission

Led by

One: Though the night is dark, the Light of the world goes before you. God guides your steps and surrounds your life. Go in peace, ready to serve the One who has always loved you. These are the times!

All: We are the people!

One: All of Creation is blessed.

All: May we love all and serve all.

One: May God be with you.

All: And also with you.

One: Amen.

All: Amen.

Singing Our Faith ~

God of Love, and Joy and Laughter

Tune: Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee

1. God of love and joy and laughter,

calling us to fruitful days.

May we be the echoes after

church and people sing your praise.

Your love calls our love to being,

grows, surrounds, up builds, and holds.

Clears our eyes for keenly seeing

all the world your Love enfolds.

2. Now we ask your benediction,

blessing, challenge, all in one.

Calm our stress, but use its friction

that through us your will be done.

Keep our hope as fresh as morning.

Keep our zeal warm as the sun.

Keep our joy, as spring aborning

cheers the hearts of everyone.



Sermon Reboot is ON for today.

This is a time to talk about the message and explore together using the ORID Art Form Conversation methodology. What is ORID? It stands for Observation, Reflection, Interpretation, and Decision. You will get the hang of it.