May 25, 2025
Prelude: Unless the Lord the House Shall Build
Hauser/Ore
Welcome & Call to Worship
[Psalm 100]
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness.
Know that the Lord is God. It is he that made us, and we are his.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise.
For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.
Let us worship the LORD!
When the Morning Stars Together (Hymn 486)
Bayly/As in Tochter Sion, Cologne
When the morning stars together their Creator’s glory sang,
And the angel host all shouted till with joy the heavens rang,
Then Your wisdom and Your greatness their exultant music told,
All the beauty and the splendor which Your mighty works unfold.
When in synagogue and temple voices raise the psalmists’ songs,
Offering the adoration which alone to You belongs,
When the singers and the cymbals with the trumpet made accord,
Glory filled the house of worship, and all knew Your presence, Lord.
Voice and instrument in union through the ages spoke Your praise,
Plainsong, tuneful hymns, and anthems told Your faithful, gracious ways.
Choir and orchestra and organ each a sacred offering brought,
While, inspired by Your own Spirit, poet and composer wrought.
Lord, we bring our gift of music; touch our lips and fire our hearts,
Teach our minds and train our senses, fit us for these sacred arts.
Then with skill and consecration we would serve You, Lord, and give
All our powers to glorify You, and in serving fully live.
Confession
God of all the earth, you have made us, and we are yours. You love each and every person, even when we are not following your path. You love those who do not know you, and we are your ambassadors. Forgive us when we fail to reach out, or when we think anyone is beyond the scope of your redemption. In our worship and beyond, help us cultivate friendships, communities, and practices that will support faith, healing, and a deeper engagement with the world you love. Amen.
Silence
Lord, Prepare Me
Quinn/Gaelic melody
Lord, prepare me to be a sanctuary,
Pure and holy, tried and true.
With thanksgiving, I’ll be a living
Sanctuary for you.
Forgiveness in Jesus Christ
Peace
The peace of Christ be with you.
And also with you.
Doxology
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.
When in Our Music God is Glorified (Hymn 264)
Stanford/Green
When in our music God is glorified,
and adoration leaves no room for pride,
It is as though the whole creation cried: Alleluia!
How often, making music, we have found
A new dimension in the world of sound,
As worship moved us to a more profound Alleluia!
So has the church, in liturgy and song,
In faith and love, through centuries of wrong,
Borne witness to the truth in every tongue: Alleluia!
Let every instrument be tuned for praise!
Let all rejoice who have a voice to raise!
And may God give us faith to sing always: Alleluia! Amen.
Prayer for Illumination
Creed
The church responds to the message of reconciliation in praise and prayer. In that response, it commits itself afresh to its mission, experiences a deepening of faith and obedience, and bears open testimony to the gospel. Adoration of God is acknowledgment of the Creator by the creation. Confession of sin is an admission of every person’s guilt before God and of their need for God’s forgiveness. Thanksgiving is rejoicing in God’s goodness to all people and in giving for the needs of others. Petitions and intercessions are addressed to God for the continuation of divine goodness, the healing of human ills, and deliverance from every form of oppression. The arts, especially music and architecture, contribute to the praise and prayer of a Christian congregation when they help people to look beyond themselves to God and to the world which is the object of God’s love.
Scripture Readings
Jay Stafstrom
Old Testament: Isaiah 61:1-2
New Testament: 2 Corinthians 5:20
Sermon: Art and the Odd
Scott Starbuck
Focus: “On the basis of the eternal will of God we have to think of EVERY HUMAN BEING, even the oddest, most villainous or miserable, as one to whom Jesus Christ is Brother and God is Father; and we have to deal with him on this assumption. If the other person knows that already, then we have to strengthen him in the knowledge. If he does not know it yet or no longer knows it, our business is to transmit this knowledge to him.” ― Karl Barth
Response: Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus
Southern Harmony/Organ
Angela Bloemeke, clarinet
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
Betsy Hammond
Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. -Philippians 2:4
Sending: O God of Earth and Space (Hymn 274)
Huber/Hebrew melody
O God of earth and space, of sea and fire and air,
Your providence surrounds us here and everywhere.
In fruit and grain and tree, in shelter from the cold.
In cooling breezes, flowing wells, now as of old.
Where faithfulness is shown, where love and truth abound,
Where beauty graces human life, there you are found.
Inspirer of all thought! Creative force of art!
The melody on every tongue, in every heart!
Wherever freedom reigns, where sin is overthrown,
Where justice fused with mercy rules, there You are known.
Give us the courage clear to make the earth a home
For all to live in harmony in Christ’ shalom.
Charge & Benediction
Postlude: Trumpet Tune
Callahan
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