Bulletin – Sunday, September 14, 2025 – Second Sunday of Creation

Sunday, September 14, 2025
Second Sunday of Creation

We Gather as People of Faith

Welcome

Announcements

Minute Person(s)

Lighting the Christ Candle

We light the Christ candle as a reminder that Christ’s light and love in this world transforms how we live our lives and challenges us to seek justice and peace for all. Christ’s light and love is available to all. May the light of Christ guide us in our worship, fill our hearts with light and love and inspire us in our daily walk with Christ.

Call to Worship

One:   Come let us worship!
All:      In this time of worship we put aside our distractions to be fully in God’s presence.

One:   May we open our hearts in love and expectation.
All:      We have come with love in our hearts!

One:   We have come to offer praise and thanksgiving to God most high, to lift our voices in song, to hear the word, to be in community with one another, to seek God’s grace, mercy, and forgiveness and to pray for the world.
All:      Come let us worship and be renewed!

Hymn – “Help Us Accept Each Other”

Help us accept each other as Christ accepted us;
Teach us as sister, brother, each person to embrace.
Be present, God, among us and bring us to believe
We are ourselves accepted and meant to love and live.

Teach Us, O God, your lessons, as in our daily life
We struggle to be human and search for hope and faith.
Teach us to care for people, for all—not just for some,
To love them as we find them or as they may become.

Let your acceptance change us, so that we may be moved
In living situations to do the truth in love;
To practice your acceptance until we know by heart
The table of forgiveness and laughter’s healing art.

Lord, for today’s encounters with all who are in need,
Who hunger for acceptance, for righteousness and bread,
We need new eyes for seeing, new hands for holding one:
Renew us with your Spirit; come, free us, make us one!

Prayer of Approach and Confession

Creator God, may your light shine within us and through us, that we may live as true keepers of creation and bearers of hope. Strengthen us to walk in love, to protect what You have made, and to reflect Your light in the darkest places. God, you are an inexhaustible source of love and light. Be with us in our time of worship as we seek the love it takes to walk in the ways of Christ. Help us love our enemies and bless those who wrong us, for we cannot do so alone. Teach us the joy of treating others with all the same respect and goodness with which we hope to be treated. May our every word and deed make know tat we are your beloved children and vessels of your love.

God of hard truths, it is difficult to let go of our anger and hate toward those who do wrong, to us and to others. It is not easy to forgive and to let go when we feel crushed by others or by unjust systems. We yearn for the day when all people will treat one another as they wish to be treated. Help us live into that day, Holy One, even when it is difficult, that your love might shine like the sun through our lives and our ministries.

In a moment of silence we bring to you all our confessions, where we have failed to treat others as we would wish to be treated…

Words of Assurance

God, create in us a pure heart freed from all that we let go of in our confessions to you. Fill us with a new and steadfast spirit as we strive to live your grace and forgiveness in this world.

We come with gratitude and joy for your unfailing love and forgiveness.

Amen!

Sung Response – “Spirit of the Living God” (Voices United #376 verse 2)

Spirit of the living God, move among us all
Make us one in heart and mind, make us one in love.
Humble, caring, selfless, sharing.
Spirit of the living God, fill our lives with love!

A Story for All

We Hear God’s Word

Scripture Reading:    Genesis 45:3-11

³ Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?” But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence.

⁴ Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! ⁵ And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. ⁶ For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping. ⁷ But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.

⁸ “So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt. ⁹ Now hurry back to my father and say to him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; don’t delay. ¹⁰ You shall live in the region of Goshen and be near me—you, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all you have. ¹¹ I will provide for you there, because five years of famine are still to come. Otherwise you and your household and all who belong to you will become destitute.’

Gospel Reading:        Luke 6:26-38

²⁶ Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.

²⁷ “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, ²⁸ bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. ²⁹ If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. ³⁰ Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. ³¹ Do to others as you would have them do to you.

³² “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. ³³ And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. ³⁴ And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. ³⁵ But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. ³⁶ Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

³⁷ “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. ³⁸ Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

May God speak to us through these readings of scripture.
Thanks be to God!

Hymn “Love is the Touch”

Love is the touch of intangible joy,
Love is the force that no fear can destroy;
Love is the goodness we gladly applaud;
God is where love is, for love is of God.

Love is the lilt in a lingering voice;
Love is the hope that can make us rejoice;
Love is the cure for the frightened and flawed;
God is where love is, for love is of God.

Love is the light in the tunnel of pain;
Love is the will to be whole once again;
Love is the trust of a friend on the road;
God is where love is, for love is of God.

Love is the Maker and Spirit and Son;
Love is the kingdom their will has begun;
Love is the path which the saints all have trod;
God is where love is, for love is of God.

Reflection

Anthem “Love Over Hate”

Love over hate, our sacred song.
Sing in our hearts our voices strong.
All of the earth, each place, faith,
Each one belongs.
You of my heart, You of my soul.
You are the Love that makes us whole.
You of my heart, You of my soul,
You are the Love that makes us whole.

Love over fear, our common dream.
Justice that flows, a mighty stream.
Kindness and mercy calling,
For you and for me.
You of my heart, You of my soul.
You are the Love that makes us whole.
You of my heart, You of my soul,
You are the Love that makes us whole.

Love over lies, our promise true.
Healing and hope held high anew.
Strengthen our lives with courage
To carry us through.
You of my heart, You of my soul.
You are the Love that makes us whole.
You of my heart, You of my soul,
You are the Love that makes us whole.

Song of Faith

One:   God is creative and self-giving, generously moving in all the near and distant corners of the universe.
All:      Nothing exists that does not find its source in God. Our first response to God’s providence is gratitude. We sing thanksgiving.

One:   Each part of creation reveals unique aspects of God the Creator, who is both in creation and beyond it. All parts of creation, animate and inanimate, are related. All creation is good.
All:      We sing of the Creator, who made humans to live and move and have their being in God. Amen

Sung Response (Voices United #969)

Amen, Amen, Amen.

We Respond to God’s Word

Invitation to Share

We are grateful for the many gifts we have been given. In gratitude we bring our gifts—our resources, out time, and our talents. We say thank you for all gifts generously given with love. Our offering will be received.

Offering Sung Response – “For the Gift of Creation” (Voices United #538)”

For the gift of creation, the gift of your love,
And the gift of the Spirit by which we live,
We thank you and give you the fruit of our hands.
May your grace be proclaimed by the gifts that we give.

Offering Prayer

Source of every blessing, as you sent Joseph into Egypt to save the world from famine, you sent Jesus into our lives to save us from selfishness and greed. For teaching us to treat others as we would have them treat us. We give you our thanks and praise. Bless these gifts that we have received from your bounty, and send them forth to those in need. Amen.

Prayers of the People

One:   God sometimes our world seems turned upside down. In a world with much conflict, strife and hate we don’t always know what to do. We are often uncertain how to respond to those who wrong us. Helps us to speak and act from a place of kindness and love, to what it means to love our enemies. Give us the courage to turn hate into love as you command us to do. As we come to you,
All:      God of love receive our prayers.

One:   Give us courage to do what needs to be done in a world where wars never cease, hope is often lost and pain is evident everywhere. We pray for all the people affected by the many conflicts all over the world, that your peace will be with all who face injustice and uncertainty. We pray for those affected by the protests in Nepal, for those who lost loved ones. We pray for the restoration of peace. We pray for leaders around the world, that they may be guided to lead with wisdom and kindness, that may truly care for the people they serve. As we come to you,
All:      God of love receive our prayers.

One:   We are grateful for this community of faith, coming together in worship and caring for one another, finding comfort in each other, coming together to share joys, sorrows, and uncertainties. We pray for all in this community who are sick, bereaved, lonely, facing uncertainty, for all who need your healing touch, that we may be assured that you are with all of us  and are in whatever each of us is facing. As we come to you,
All:      God of love receive our prayers.

One:   We give thanks for your never-ending love offered to us. Amen.

Passing of the Peace

One:   As we greet one another with the words “The peace of Christ be with you” may we discover the voice of God naming and blessing us with his love. May the peace of Christ be with you all
All:      And also, with you.

The Prayer Jesus Taught Us:

One:   Please join me in praying as Jesus taught us: Our Creator who is like
All:      Our Mother and our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, And forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory, now ever and forever. Amen.

We Go Into God’s World

Hymn – “Make Me a Channel of Your Peace” (Voices United #684)

Make me a channel of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me bring your love.
Where there is injury, your healing power,
And where there’s doubt, true faith in you.

O Spirit, grant that I may never seek
So much to be consoled as to console,
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved, as to love with all my soul.

Make me a channel of your peace.
Where there’s despair in life, let me bring hope.
Where there is darkness, only light,
And where there’s sadness, ever joy.

O Spirit, grant that I may never seek
So much to be consoled as to console,
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved, as to love with all my soul.

Make me a channel of your peace.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned.
In giving of ourselves that we receive,
And in dying that we’re born to eternal life.

Commissioning

As followers of Jesus, we will love our enemies and do good to those who hate us, we will bless those who curse us and pray for those who persecute us. As followers of Jesus, we will do unto others as we would have them do unto us.

Benediction

Go into the world with God’s blessing, be a blessing to all you meet, carrying the love of Jesus and the power of the holy spirit in your heart.

Sung Response – “Send Us Out”

Send us out in the power of Your Spirit, Lord,
May our lives bring Jesus to the world.
May each thought and word bring glory to Your name,
Send us out in Your Spirit, Lord, we pray.