January 29, 2017 "BEING AMONG THE BLESSED"

AFFIRMATION OF FAITH FOR EPIPHANY
We believe in God, the creator of all things, the giver of life and breath.
We believe in Jesus Christ, born Emmanuel, “God with us.”
He was baptized by John, and anointed the most beloved Son of God.
Jesus sought to heal humanity by taking our brokenness upon himself.
Suffering for us, he was crucified, died and was buried.
God raised him from the dead for our sake and for the sake of the whole world.
We believe he will come again, one day.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, who is poured out upon us, refreshing our lives.
We believe in the church, the Body of Christ in the world.
The Spirit leads us ever onward, into a new day, and always toward the kingdom of God.
This Spirit is our soul companion, and counselor of truth, speaking to us of the power of faith,
the ever presence of God and the promise of eternal life.
Thanks be to God! Amen.
CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER
O most loving and eternal God, we offer this prayer of thanks and praise, uniting our many voices as one, for we are one body in Christ, Jesus. Through the sanctuary window, we behold the glory of all your seasons. We are calmed by the sway of the palm trees, as the fluttering fronds wave their greeting to the snow covered mountains beyond. The air is crisp, the skies are clear and the sun is shining. We are blessed to be here. May our spirits be refreshed in worship, enlivened for ministry, and energized for mission. Let us be life-long learners, stepping out in faith like Jesus’ first followers. Help us discover all the ways we can invest the gifts you have given us in the work of the gospel. We ask as servants of your Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.

January 22, 2017 "CARRY ON JESUS"

AFFIRMATION OF FAITH FOR EPIPHANY
We believe in God, the creator of all things, the giver of life and breath.
We believe in Jesus Christ, born Emmanuel, “God with us.”
He was baptized by John, and anointed the most beloved Son of God.
Jesus sought to heal humanity by taking our brokenness upon himself.
Suffering for us, he was crucified, died and was buried.
God raised him from the dead for our sake and for the sake of the whole world.
We believe he will come again, one day.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, who is poured out upon us, refreshing our lives.
We believe in the church, the Body of Christ in the world.
The Spirit leads us ever onward, into a new day, and always toward the kingdom of God.
This Spirit is our soul companion, and counselor of truth, speaking to us of the power of faith,
the ever presence of God and the promise of eternal life.
Thanks be to God! Amen.
CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER
Glorious God, may we always be encouraged in and by your presence. Help us to understand that your hope for humankind is to live joyfully, not desperately. You are ever at work, seeking to raise us up when we are downcast, helping us to find courage when we are afraid, and holding us close in times of grief. We trust in your steadfast loyalty and love, believing it will never flag. When we are assailed by harsh judgements or the criticism of overlords, restore our dignity. When our own missteps trip us up and threaten to undo us, hold out your hand to steady and guide us, as we seek to walk the path that your Christ walked. All this we pray in his name. Amen.

January 15, 2017 "GATHERING STRENGTH"

AFFIRMATION OF FAITH FOR EPIPHANY
We believe in God, the creator of all things, the giver of life and breath.
We believe in Jesus Christ, born Emmanuel, “God with us.”
He was baptized by John, and anointed the most beloved Son of God.
Jesus sought to heal humanity by taking our brokenness upon himself.
Suffering for us, he was crucified, died and was buried.
God raised him from the dead for our sake and for the sake of the whole world.
We believe he will come again, one day.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, who is poured out upon us, refreshing our lives.
We believe in the church, the Body of Christ in the world.
The Spirit leads us ever onward, into a new day, and always toward the kingdom of God.
This Spirit is our soul companion, and counselor of truth, speaking to us of the power of faith,
the ever presence of God and the promise of eternal life.
Thanks be to God! Amen.
CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER
Gracious God, for millennia all of Israel focused their attention upon you, calling out to you for rescue, praising your name when you intervened to save them, from enemies, oppressors and even themselves. When they wailed, crying out, emitting great groans of despair, you heard the sounds of their mourning. You responded with strength and goodwill. And yet, the cries of the frightened, despairing, mournful people have not abated in our nation, or the world. Do they call upon you to intervene, to offer counsel, comfort, or soul repair? Do they even know you? If not, how can they ask you for what they need? On this Human Relations Sunday, dearest Lord,give us the audacity to claim you, and proclaim you as the savior of the world, who promises to intervene on behalf of all who call upon your name. In the name of the Christ we pray. Amen.

January 8, 2017 "THE VOICE OF THE LORD"

AFFIRMATION OF FAITH FOR EPIPHANY
We believe in God, the creator of all things, the giver of life and breath.
We believe in Jesus Christ, born Emmanuel, “God with us.”
He was baptized by John, and anointed the most beloved Son of God.
Jesus sought to heal humanity by taking our brokenness upon himself.
Suffering for us, he was crucified, died and was buried.
God raised him from the dead for our sake and for the sake of the whole world.
We believe he will come again, one day.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, who is poured out upon us refreshing our lives.
We believe in the church, the Body of Christ in the world.
The Spirit leads us ever onward, into a new day, and always toward the kingdom of God.
This Spirit is our soul companion, and counselor of truth, speaking to us of the power of faith,
the ever presence of God and the promise of eternal life.
Thanks be to God! Amen.
CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER
Wondrous and Loving LORD, we enter this sanctuary filled with reverence and longing. We wonder if this isn’t the very same feeling Jesus had as he walked to the edge of the river Jordan to be baptized by John? Like us was he searching for direction, or perhaps a renewal of his own faith path, hoping to find it in a moment of repentance? We confess to crowding our life moments with many things, O LORD. Even, before the New Year is in full swing, we have loaded up our schedules, calendaring our lives all the way through June. Let us hear your voice, O LORD. Pour into us wisdom and truth, patience and perseverance. Teach us the pondering ways of Jesus, that we may learn your will for us. In the name of the Christ we pray. Amen
INVITATION TO THE OFFERING AND THE OPENING OF THE ANNUAL PLEDGE CAMPAIGN
WHAT COLOR IS HOPE
H is for healing,
H is for home
H is for hospitality
H is for Hope

Colors have meaning. When we think about the color red, we associate it with love, passion, and desire, as well as, courage and the color blue, with freedom, loyalty and trust. The color purple, is associated with Royalty, and was Queen Victoria’s favorite color. Before designing the brochure for this year’s HOPE campaign, I looked up what color is associated with the word HOPE. As you can probably tell by the brochure, Green, is the color that is associated with the word Hope. Now, I confess, I don’t think this has anything to do with the color of our paper money, although having greenbacks in one’s pocket is usually considered a good thing and a for most of us, a hopeful sign. But, green is the color of spring, and rebirth, the color of new growth, as trees are budding after their months of dormancy during the winter. Because Green is the color of Hope it is also the color of of possibility. We believe that all things are possible with God and for this reason, we have named our annual pledge campaign the Hope Campaign.
UNISON OFFERTORY PRAYER
Wondrous and Eternal God, pour out your blessing upon these gifts and promises. We offer them with full and grateful hearts. We trust that you will always guide us to use them wisely, and always for the greater good. Proclaiming our belief that all things are possible with you, we offer ourselves in service, seeking always, in the name of the Christ, to do your work and will. Amen.

January 1, 2017 NEW YEAR'S DAY "THE MYTHICAL THREE"

AFFIRMATION FOR EPIPHANY
We believe in God, the creator of all things, the giver of life and breath.
We believe in Jesus Christ, born Emmanuel, “God with us.”
He was baptized by John, and anointed the most beloved Son of God.
Jesus sought to heal humanity by taking our brokenness upon himself.
Suffering for us, he was crucified, died and was buried.
God raised him from the dead for our sake and for the sake of the whole world.
We believe he will come again, one day.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, who is poured out upon us refreshing our lives.
We believe in the church, the Body of Christ in the world.
The Spirit leads us ever onward, into a new day, and always toward the kingdom of God.
This Spirit is our soul companion, and counselor of truth,
speaking to us of the power of faith, the ever presence of God and the promise of eternal life.
Thanks be to God! Amen.
CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER
Loving and ever-encouraging Lord, we call upon you to guide us as the new year begins and its 365 days unfold. With new leadership in our nation we are anticipating radical change in the new year to systems and ways we have come to depend on even though we may not fully understand them. We confess we are afraid we won’t be able to navigate the changes, weather them or afford them. Remind us daily, Gracious Lord, that we posses a resilient faith, able to move mountains. Let us not be quick to panic, but let us ponder the journey ahead with hopeful hearts. Like the wise men who saw the star and followed it, may we see your star leading us to something wonderful, new and hopeful. We are resolved to be able disciples of the Christ, marching to his drumbeat, choosing life over death and love over hate. All this we pray in his name. Amen.
INVITATION TO THE OFFERING
Epiphany, from the late Greek epiphaneia, means “manifestation, striking appearance.” The etymology dictionary also says that in Ancient Greece it was a festival held in commemoration of the appearance of a god at some particular place." When referring to Jesus the Christ the word refers to his being made manifest, displayed, shown off, as it were, in a particular place attested to by the visit of the star-following wise men. It was the day of his display, his appearance in a particular place, when foreign visitors, from a distant land made very public their belief that Jesus was the newborn king of the Jews. Certainly the gifts they brought were fit for a king. How could they have know that their gifts, in fact, saved the life of the child.
UNISON OFFERTORY PRAYER
Wondrous and Eternal God, pour out your blessing upon these gifts and promises. We offer them with full and grateful hearts. We trust that you will always guide us to use them wisely, and always for the greater good. Proclaiming our belief that all things are possible with you, we offer ourselves in service, seeking always, in the name of the Christ, to do your work and will. Amen.

December 25, 2016 CHRISTMAS DAY "BE BORN IN US TODAY"

AN AFFIRMATION OF FAITH FOR CHRISTMASTIDE
We believe in GOD, the divine beginner and imaginative creator of all things good and precious.
The earth and all the creatures who dwell upon it, are GOD’S labor of love,
and we are the appointed stewards.
We believe GOD so loved us that in time GOD came to us in human form;
birthed like us, an infant boy tiny and helpless, our Emmanuel.
We believe in the healing and redeeming power of JESUS’ name and claim him as our savior.
We believe he claimed us when he gave his life for us on a cross.
We believe the GOD of would not abandon JESUS, the beloved.
GOD raised JESUS from the dead, inviting us all to embrace the promise of eternal life in Christ.
We believe in the gift of the HOLY SPIRIT, who is always with us,
helping us to walk the path of righteousness and genuineness.
As Christ’s body in the world, we believe, no matter what happens in the world,
we are to love one another as GOD has loved us, in Christ JESUS our LORD. Amen.
CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER
Our Loving ABBA Father, when Christmas falls on Sunday, we become even more aware that this day was meant to be a day of gratitude and pondering the meaning of your most precious gift. We all have traditions that we follow on Christmas day. Some of us spend the whole day in our PJs. Some of us open our stockings before breakfast and the-under-the-tree-presents after breakfast. Some of us stay home and some of us travel over the river and through the woods to see children and grandchildren, singing our favorite carols on the journey. However, as we spend hours celebrating with loved ones and friends, we will also take that most important moment celebrate the birth of the Christ Child. We will think about why the babe has come to us, to abide with us. And, in the midst of the gleeful cheers and excitement , going on all around us, we will ponder how this Christmas Day is meant to change our lives for the better. Thank you. Amen.
INVITATION TO THE OFFERING
It’s Christmas morning. How do you go about opening your gifts? Do you open them in any certain order? Do you open them according to the name of the giver? When I was growing up there were always gifts under the tree from our pets— my father called them our 4-legged brothers and sisters— a sweater from our goldens, Exit and Minnie, or mittens from the 3 legged black lab, Joshua. We received fun and funny gifts and always one, seriously, special gift from Mom and Dad. It was something we had longed for, and often something that took my breath away. The gift of the Christ child is that longed for gift, so exquisite, so precious that it takes our breath for a moment, until we catch it once again and breathe him in.
UNISON OFFERTORY PRAYER
Wondrous and Eternal God, the arrival of the Christ child is always in the nick of time and reminds us that life is more than the sum of our possessions. What you have given us in person of Jesus, is beyond measure. Accept the gifts we set before you today as a gesture of our love and reverence. We offer them with full and grateful hearts proclaiming our belief that all things are possible with you. Pour out your blessing upon us and this offering. We offer ourselves in service, seeking always, to do your work and will, in the name of the Christ. Amen.

PROUD AUNT SHOWING HER NEPHEW'S VIDEO!!!