June 14, 2026
Prelude: When We Are in Utmost Need
J.C. and J.S. Bach
Welcome & Call to Worship
[Isaiah 53]
Who has believed what we have heard? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground;
He was despised and rejected by others; a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity.
Out of his anguish he shall see light; he shall find satisfaction through his knowledge.
The righteous one, God’s servant, shall make many righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.
Therefore the Lord will allot him a portion with the great.
Let us worship the LORD!
God Is Here!/Lord of Light (Hymns 461 & 425)
Green/Lewis/Taylor
God is here! As we your people meet to offer praise and prayer,
May we find in fuller measure what it is in Christ we share.
Here, as in the world around us, all our varied skills and arts
Wait the coming of the Spirit into open minds and hearts.
Lord of light, your name outshining all the stars and suns of space,
Use our talents in your kingdom as the servants of your grace;
Use us to fulfill your purpose in the gift of Christ your Son:
Abba, as in highest heaven, so on earth your will be done.
Lord of all, of church and kingdom, in an age of change and doubt
Keep us faithful to the gospel, help us work your purpose out.
Here in this day’s dedication, all we have to give, receive:
We, who cannot live without you, we adore you! We believe!
Confession
Jesus our teacher, in your incarnation, you met us in all the limitations of humanity. You experienced many of the same pains and frustrations that we do, including loneliness and rejection. In trying times, when we feel raw, on edge, or angry, forgive us for looking for someone to blame. You led with humility and carried others’ pain. When we feel blamed, alone, or unsupported, help us know the depths of your love. Thank you for taking such drastic measures to understand us and be with us. Help us trust that even our suffering can be redeemed. Amen.
Silence
What Wondrous Love Is This
American Folk Hymn/Walker’s Southern Harmony
What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul,
What wondrous love is this, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this that caused the Lord of bliss
To bear the heavy cross for my soul, for my soul,
To bear the heavy cross for my soul!
When I was sinking down, sinking down, sinking down,
When I was sinking down, sinking down,
When I was sinking down beneath God’s righteous frown,
Christ laid aside his crown for my soul,
Christ laid aside his crown for my soul!
Forgiveness in Jesus Christ
Peace
The peace of Christ be with you.
And also with you.
Doxology (Hymn 592)
Ken/Genevan Psalter
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise God, all creatures here below;
Praise God above, ye heavenly host
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
Prayer for Illumination
Scripture Readings
Old Testament: Isaiah 53
New Testament: Matthew 26:36-46
Sermon: The Loneliness of Christ
Maria Kulp
Focus: Far from shielding us from loneliness, the gospel promises instead offer us a God who has inhabited that same interior desolation, whose solidarity with human suffering is total and embodied. In Christ, our loneliness is neither solved nor explained away, but redeemed by being drawn into a unity that encompasses all of creation.
Response: Jesus Walked This Lonesome Valley (Hymn 80)
American Spiritual
Jesus walked this lonesome valley, He had to walk it by Himself;
O, nobody else could walk it for Him, He had to walk it by Himself.
We must walk this lonesome valley, We have to walk it by ourselves;
O, nobody else can walk it for us, We have to walk it by ourselves.
You must go and stand your trial, You have to stand it by yourself;
O, nobody else can stand it for you, You have to stand it by yourself.
Pastoral Prayer & The Lord's Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, and deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
Call to Stewardship
Teach them to your children, talking about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. -Deuteronomy 11:19
Sending: Blest Be the Tie That Binds (Hymn 438)
Fawcett/Nägeli
Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love:
The fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above.
Before our Father’s throne we pour our ardent prayers;
Our fears, our hopes, our aims are one, our comforts and our cares.
We share our mutual woes, our mutual burdens bear,
And often for each other flows the sympathizing tear.
From sorrow, toil, and pain, and sin we shall be free;
And perfect love and friendship reign through all eternity.
Charge & Benediction
Postlude: Fanfare on Gaudeamus Pariter
Horn/Busarow
“God has brought us into joy from sadness”
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