ORDER OF WORSHIP | AUGUST 4, 2024 | 10:00 AM HYBRID SERVICE
We are committed to being an antiracist, anti-oppressive congregation. We celebrate people of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, genders, and sexual orientations. We honor our spiritual connection to the earth and all living things.
Before the service: You may light a candle for the joys and sorrows in your heart. Please respect those seeking silence.
Opening Words
by William Blake
Liz Wiley, Worship Committee Chair
Opening Welcome
Susan Marcinkus, Worship Associate
Announcements
Prelude
Clair de Lune, by Claude Debussy
Heidi Souza, piano
Opening Greeting
Susan Marcinkus
Come, come, whoever you are,
Whomever you love,
Whatever your image of the Holy,
Your presence here is a gift.
All are worthy, all are welcome.
Lighting the Chalice
“Chalice Lighting on Thresholds,” by Florence Caplow
Susan Marcinkus
We kindle this flame,
Honoring the doorways in our souls:
The windows through which we gaze at one another
The balconies where we catch glimpses of sky
The thresholds we stand on this morning
Wondering, hoping, fearing, dreaming.
Opening Chant
STJ #1003 “Where Do We Come From?”
Wisdom Story
Life Doesn’t Frighten Me At All, story by Maya Angelou, pictures by Jean-Michel Basquiat
Austen Petersen, Director of Religious Education, and Hannah Thomas
Blessing the Children
“Go Your Way in Peace”
Go your way in peace,
Wander as you may,
Blessed is the path you take,
May love guide you on your way.
Meditation & Prayer
Susan Marcinkus and Liz Wiley
Music for Meditation
“Light on Water,” by Phexioenesystems
Reading
“Liminality” from Until Now: New Poems, by Carrie Newcomer
Liz Wiley
Reflection
“Exploring Liminal Space”
Liz Wiley
Sharing Our Gifts
Online Giving
Text-to-Give: 757-500-0688
In-Person Giving: Place offerings in the collection plates as they’re passed during the service.
The collection this week goes to our general operating fund to help cover all of those essential things like staff salaries and building maintenance, as well as the activities that are so important to all of us, from programming to crayons for our RE children. A recorded contribution to the general operating fund also fulfills the annual financial contribution requirement for WUU membership (WUU Bylaws). Thank you for your support!
Offertory Music
Nocturne in C major, by Edvard Grieg
Heidi Souza, piano
Closing Hymn
SLT #398 “To See the World”
Extinguishing the Chalice
Susan Marcinkus
We extinguish this flame,
Trusting that its light
Shows our way across thresholds
Glimmers into the dark passages
And glows in often unexpected ways.
Closing Words
by Sara Moores Campbell
Liz Wiley
SLT=Gray Hymnal | STJ=Teal Hymnal
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