Today's Order of Worship

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You Are a Living Human Signpost!

Order of Worship

27 October 2024

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WELCOME TO SHADOW ROCK UCC!

Prelude ~

Shared by Travis Meyers

WELCOME! Thanks for making Shadow Rock your chosen

spiritual family.

GATHERING IN THE SPIRIT’S PRESENCE

Centering Affirmation: If you are a signpost, what are you pointing to?

Welcome and Announcements

Led by Pastor Ken

Opening Words

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 and Singing Our Faith

Led by Linda Johnston

One: God of all time, God of eternity

All: our years belong to you.

One: Our endings are often your beginnings.

All: Our dreamings are often your realities.

One: You affirm our past

All: and give life to our future.

One: Marvel at life and strive to know its ways!

All: We seek wisdom and truth as they are the

gateways to life’s mysteries!

One: Wondrous indeed is life! Let us sing!

Singing Our Faith

~ Morning Has Broken

Music: Traditional Gaelic Tune

Words by Eleanor Farjeon

1. Morning has broken like the first morning,

Blackbird has spoken like the first bird.

Praise for the singing! Praise for the morning!

Praise for them springing fresh from the Word!

2. Sweet the rain’s new fall, sunlit from heaven,

Like the first dew fall on the first grass.

Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden,

Sprung in completeness where our feet pass.

3. Mine is the sunlight! Mine is the morning

Born of the one light Eden saw play!

Praise with elation, praise every morning,

God’s re-creation of the new day!

Centering Prayer

Shared by Pastor Ken

Celebrations

Led by Pastor Ken

This is our time to share the celebrations of our lives:

birthdays, anniversaries, words of kindness and works of

peace and justice.

We celebrate joys, sorrows, and grief as part of our

comprehensive view of life.

This is our time to give voice to goodness!

Special Music for Thinking of You Cards

Shared by Travis Meyers

In the pew racks are cards with the title “Thinking Of You”. Please use these cards to write a note to someone so they know they are remembered and cared for. Put the card in the offering plate when it comes by and the church office will forward the cards to the person you addressed in the card. This was one of the elements of our time together you lifted up as important for all of us. Thank you!

In response to our celebrations and the deep goodness of life, our offerings for the

celebration of life, in this place and beyond, shall now be

received.

Give Online

Invitation to Rededicate Ourselves to The More of Life Shared by Linda Johnston

We prepare ourselves for experiencing the act of giving of ourselves and our offerings with the reading of this reflection.

Reflection ~ "When Life Is Messy" by Richard S Gilbert

Shared by Linda Johnston

It is easy to pray when the sun shines

and we are grateful for another glorious day of being.

It is hard to pray when wind and rain and thunder

plague our every step and spoil our every plan.

It is easy to be virtuous when life goes well

and our existence is a journey from bliss to beauty and back.

It is hard to be virtuous when life assaults us

and our very being is a pilgrimage from bad to worse to

worst.

It is easy to be cheerful when health bursts in us

so that we can feel the very pulse of life.

It is hard to be happy when pain and fatigue beset us

and we wonder if we can go on...

God of order and neatness, we give thanks for all that is

good.

We are grateful for manifold blessings bestowed upon us.

God of chaos and disorder, be with us also when life is

messy.

Bless our coming in and our going out from this day forth.

Offering and Offertory

Shared by Travis Meyers

Dedication of Our Offerings

Led by Peter Johnston

One: By our smallest actions such as writing cards of care and putting money in the plate we become part of a bigger world. The smallest gift can be an expression of the good spirit of generosity and caring.

All: May we and these gifts be used to build a foundation of inclusion, justice and spirituality. Amen.

Word About Life ~ Quote From Vincent Harding

Shared by Pastor Ken

A child sounds the chime to help us enter into space with the Spirit to help us focus on the present moment.

What caught my imagination in this interview was their conversation around “signposts.” Theologian, Dr. Vincent Harding, talked about what young people need in their lives are some signposts...

Dr. Harding: ...he, like many other young people, were

operating in a situation where they felt it was just very,

very dark all around them. And what they needed were, as he put it, some signposts, some lights that would, in other peoples’ lives, help them ...

Ms. Tippett: “Live human signposts,” you wrote.

Dr. Harding: Yes, yes. That would help them to see the

possibilities for themselves. I’ve always felt that one of the things that we do badly in our educational process, ...is that we educate them to figure out how quickly they can get out of the darkness and get into some much more pleasant situation when what is needed, again and again, are more and more people who will stand in that darkness, who will not run away from those deeply hurt communities and will open up possibilities that other people can‘t see in any other way except seeing it through human beings who care about them. And if we teach young people to run away from the darkness rather than to open up the light in the darkness, to be the candles, the signposts, then we are doing great harm to them and the communities that they have come out of.

Words For Mission

Led by Linda Johnston

One: Time has now come for us to leave this sacred

place. As we do, may we embrace the

challenges of our lives and our world...

All: Flame-dancing spirit, come sweep us off our feet

and dance us through our days.

One: Surprise us with your rhythms,

All: dare us to try new steps, explore new patterns

and new adventures.

One: And in the intervals, give us rest in your still

center. 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.

EMPOWERING AND SENDING

Sending Forth Song ~ Go Make a Difference

Chorus:

Go make a difference

We can make a difference.

Go make a difference in the world.

Go make a difference

We can make a difference.

Go make a difference in the world.

We are the salt of the earth called to let the people see the

love of God for you and me.

We are the light of the world not to be hidden but be seen

Go make a difference in the world.

Chorus

We are the hands of Christ

reaching out to those in need

The face of God for all to see.

We are the spirit of hope.

We are the voice of peace.

Go make a difference in the world.

Chorus

Thank you for being with us!

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.