Table of Contents
The words in black bold are spoken or sung by the congregation. Please, no food or beverages are allowed in the Sanctuary. * Indicates when to rise in body or spirit.
UMH--United Methodist (Blue), TFWS--The Faith We Sing (Black), W&S--Worship & Song (Green)
Prelude
Welcome
Threshold Moment
Video
Chant
Leader:This is our sacred task!
People:This is our sacred task!
Leader:This is our sacred task!
People:This is our sacred task!
Leader:To hope
People:To hope
Leader:And act
People:And act
Leader:With all
People:With all
All:Creation!
Leader:To hope
People:To hope
Leader:And act
People:And act
Leader:With all
People:With all
All:Creation!
Leader:To hope
People:To hope
Leader:And act
People:And act
Leader:With all
People:With all
All:Creation!
Leader:This is our sacred task!
All:This is our sacred task!
All:This is our sacred task!
All:Amen!
Call to Worship
L:We till the soil.
All:God brings the flourishing.
L:We sow the seeds.
All:God brings the flourishing.
L:We water the ground.
All:God brings the flourishing.
L:We savor the fruit.
All:God is our flourishing. Amen.
Passing the Peace
Pastor:The Peace of Christ be with you.
All:And also with you.
Pastor:You are invited to pass the peace among you, remembering to pass it to those joining us remotely.
Praising
Young & Young at Heart Time
Reception of New Members
Pastor:It is the mission of the United Methodist Church to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Today we have friends who have decided they would like to join us in our mission.
Lay Leader:I present (Names) who desire to enter into the fellowship of this congregation.
Pastor:Will you accept the freedom God gives us to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves.
New Members:I will.
Pastor:Will you follow the Way of Jesus for the transformation of the world?
New Members:I will.
Pastor:As a member of this congregation, will you faithfully participate in its ministries by your prayers, your presence your gifts, your service and your witness?
New Members:I will.
Pastor:Members I commend these siblings to your love and care. Do all in your power to increase their faith, confirm their hope, and perfect them in love.
All:We give thanks for all that God has already given you and we welcome you in love. As members together with you in the Body of Christ and in this congregation of The United Methodist Church, we renew our covenant to faithfully participate in the ministries of the Church by our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service, and our witness, that in everything Divine Love may be glorified through the love of this community.
Pastor:It is our joy to welcome you in a spirit of Love.
Contemporary Reading
"The Summer Day" by Mary Oliver
"Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean—
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down—
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?"
COMMUNITY PRAYER ~ THE LORD'S PRAYER
Sung in Echo
Our Mother, Father, Our Mother, Father
Who art in heaven, Who art in heaven
Hallowed be thy name, Hallowed be thy name
Thy Kingdom come, Thy Kingdom come
Thy will be done, Thy will be done
On earth as it is in heaven, On earth as it is in heaven
Give us this day, Give us this day
Our daily bread, Our daily bread
And forgive us all our sins, And forgive us all our sins
And lead us not, And lead us not
In temptation, In temptation
But deliver us from evil, But deliver us from evil
For yours is the Kingdom and the power and the glory
Forever, Forever
And ever, And ever
Our Mother, Father, Our Mother, Father
Who art in heaven, Who art in heaven
Hallowed be thy name, Hallowed be thy name
ANCIENT READING
Zechariah 3:7-10
"Thus says the Lord of hosts: If you will walk in my ways and keep my requirements, then you shall rule my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you the right of access among those who are standing here. Now listen, Joshua, high priest, you and your colleagues who sit before you! For they are an omen of things to come: I am going to bring my servant the Branch. For on the stone that I have set before Joshua, on a single stone with seven facets, I will engrave its inscription, says the Lord of hosts, and I will remove the guilt of this land in a single day. On that day, says the Lord of hosts, you shall invite each other to come under your vine and fig tree."
Luke 13:6-9
Then he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. So he said to the man working the vineyard, 'See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?' He replied, 'Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good, but if not, you can cut it down.' "
We Sing
“The Lord of Life, A Vine is He”
#3155 W&S
Message
“Flourishing”
Rev. Dr. Michele Robbins
Offertory
“Everything Is Beautiful”
Offerings can be placed in the basket on the table, online at ukiahumc.org, or mailed to PO Box 323, Ukiah
*DOXOLOGY
“Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow”
#94 UMH
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise God, all creatures here below;
Alleluia! Alleluia! Praise God, the source of all our gifts!
Praise Jesus Christ, whose power uplifts!
Praise the Spirit, Holy Spirit!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
*Membership Statement
Members of the Ukiah United Methodist Church accept the freedom God gives us to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves. We welcome opportunities to bring God's love to the world in as many ways as we can. We promise to uphold our beloved church by our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service, and our witness.
Getting Strong
Opportunities for Ministry
Go For It!
South:Do all the good you can,
North:By all the means you can,
South:In all the ways you can,
North:In all the places you can,
South:At all the times you can,
North:To all the people you can,
All:As long as ever you can. Amen.
— John Wesley
Blessing
*Stepping Out
WE ARE A WELCOMING & AFFIRMING CONGREGATION:
We welcome all persons into full participation in the life of the congregation regardless of age, gender identity, racial or ethnic background, sexual orientation, marriage status, or physical or mental condition.
UMH--United Methodist HymnalTFWS--The Faith We Sing HymnalW&S--Worship & Song HymnalCEB--Common English BibleNRSV-New Revised Standard BibleNRSVUE–New Revised Standard Bible Updated EditionMSG-The Message Bible