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Sunday, May 13, 2018

Written by St. James UCC on . Posted in Bulletins.

Ascension Sunday, Seventh Sunday of Easter

Music Leader: Janell Kinzie

For Meditation:
“It is hard work and great art to make life not serious.” — John Irving

Welcome and Announcements (Lauranne Oliveau)

Opening Prayer
All: Living God,
long ago, faithful women
proclaimed the good news
of Jesus’ resurrection,
and the world was changed forever.
Teach us to keep faith with them,
that our witness may be as bold,
our love as deep,
and our faith as true. Amen.

Responsive Call to Worship:
All: We come into the presence of Love today.
Left: Who calls us into community.
Right: Who calls us God’s people.
Left: To worship.
Right: To sing.
All: To pray

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Sunday, May 6, 2018

Written by St. James UCC on . Posted in Bulletins.

Sixth Sunday of Easter

For Meditation and Reflection

“Crazy-busy is a great armor, it’s a great way for numbing. What a lot of us do is that we stay so busy, and so out in front of our life, that the truth of how we’re feeling and what we really need can’t catch up with us.” – Brené Brown

“There is something in every one of you that waits and listens for the sound of the genuine in yourself. It is the only true guide you will ever have. And if you cannot hear it, you will all of your life spend your days on the ends of strings that somebody else pulls.” – Howard Thurman

Welcome and Announcements

A warm welcome is extended to all. No matter who you are, or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here in this safe and sacred place.

Call to Worship

Pastor: There is rarely enough rest in our lives. Perhaps we are too busy for rest. Perhaps we are afraid of what we might discover.

People: Today we will acknowledge that as citizens of creation, we too, need to rest.

Pastor: When we make room in our lives for rest, we are more available to affirm the worth of all, and commit ourselves to honoring the sacred in all.

People: When we rest, we create the space that allows us to effectively be more in tune, and authentically involved with each other and the world.

All: May our time together center us, provide us with perspective, and give us a sense of stillness and rest.

Opening Hymn Come and Find the Quiet Center (see insert)

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Sunday, April 29, 2018

Written by St. James UCC on . Posted in Bulletins.

Order of Worship for the Fifth Sunday of Easter
Musician: Janell Kinzie

For Meditation and Reflection:
“How foolish and blind are those who choose to cross through the water when the road has been built for them! This road is such a joy for those who travel on it that it makes every bitterness sweet for them, and every burden light. Though they are in the darkness of the body, they find light; and though they are mortal, they find life without death. For through love and the light of faith they taste eternal truth, with the promise of refreshment in return for the weariness they have borne.” — Catherine of Siena, (1347 – 1380)

Welcome and Announcements

Opening Prayer (Pastor)

Responsive Call to Worship: (Traditional Monastic Liturgy)
Pastor: We wait for the word of the Lord as we wait for the rains.
People: And our God shall come down upon us like gentle dew.
Pastor: The hills and the mountains will be singing praise to God.
People: Every tree in the forest will be clapping its hands. The Lord will come and rule for ever. Alleluia!

Opening Hymn: #8 – Praise to the Living God

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Sunday, April 22, 2018

Written by St. James UCC on . Posted in Bulletins.

Order of Worship
Worship Leader Reverend Michael Morse
Music by Sea Raven, Celtic Harp

For Meditation and Reflection
Prelude: Lady Athenry – Turlough O’Carolan

Welcome, Announcements and Introduction (Lay Leader)

Call to Worship
Excerpt from The Song of Eve – Manuela Dunn Mascetti

Opening Hymn: # 556
God Who Spread the Spangled Heavens

Scripture Readings: Genesis 1:2-27; Luke 3:28-29

Pastoral Prayer

Sermon: “#MeToo”: Sexism, Misogyny, and Patriarchy
by Rev. Michael Morse

Responsive Sharing

Reflective Hymn: #11 Bring Many Names
Verses 1, 2, 6

The Offerings

Offertory Music Fanny Power – Turlough O’Carolan

Prayers of Joys and Concerns (Lay Leader)

Lord’s Prayer
Creator God – your name be revered.
Your empire be established,
Your will be done on earth as in heaven.
Provide us with the bread we need for the day,
Forgive us our debts to the extent that we have forgiven those in debt to us,
And don’t make us face the test,
But rescue us from the evil one.
from “The Complete Gospels.”

Closing Hymn: #32 God of the Sparrow, God of the Whale
Verses 1, 3, 6

Benediction

Postlude: O’Carolan’s Dowry – Turlough O’Carolan

Sharing the Peace as we go…

And we hope you can join us for post-worship coffee and conversation in Fellowship Hall.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Childcare is available during services at St. James. Thank you to Greta Harteis and Katie Sulek for your generous and caring work.

This Sunday, April 22nd: Worship led by Rev. Michael Morse; Music by Sea Raven on Celtic Harp

Next Sunday, April 29th: Worship led by Rev. Michael Lyle

Sunday, May 6th:
11:00am: Communion worship led by Rev. Samantha Tuttle
12:30 – 3pm: Luncheon Party!
3:00pm: UCC Installation Service.
The Catoctin Association will confirm and celebrate Reverend Samantha Tuttle’s official status as Pastor of St. James.

Looking ahead…

Sunday, May 20th: Rev. Samantha Tuttle will include the Reception of New Members during this service. If you are ready to become a St. James member, please talk with Samantha or Janell.

Mon – Fri., August 6-10: Vacation Bible School
Call for Volunteers! If you’d like to offer a short lesson or activity for the children during this half-day camp, or if you simply want to help, please talk with Robin or Janell.

Sunday, April 15, 2018

Written by St. James UCC on . Posted in Bulletins.

Third Sunday of Easter April 15th, 2018

For Meditation and Reflection
“Jesus was short on sermons, long on conversations; short on answers, long on questions; short on abstraction and propositions, long on stories and parables; short on telling you what to think, long on challenging you to think for your-self.” – Brian McLaren

Welcome and Announcements

A warm welcome is extended to all. Especially those who are worshiping at St. James for the first time or who have returned after an absence. Your presence both enriches us and this time of celebration together.

Call to Worship

Pastor: We are enriched by the company of each other and are drawn closer to the heart of life in this time of celebration.

People: Sharing life’s journey with others is always a privi-lege. We are enriched by the company of each other and are drawn closer to the heart of love in this time of celebration.

Pastor: May this gathering be touched with tenderness, re-freshing us anew by the grace that encompasses this day

All: May we be seized with the miracle of life itself, that we might be filled with new passion, new resolve, to take the next step, on our journey together.

Opening Hymn #177 – God of Change and Glory

Opening Prayer

Enter with me that still place within, where we find not only our inmost selves, but also our connection to that creative and transforming mystery we call God. Storytelling God, who speaks to us in myths and legends and parables, may we find ourselves in those stories and grow through them. Touch our hearts with the wonder of your images so we can see ourselves more clearly in our fullness and complexity. May our time together renew our hope. May the stories we share deepen our connection. May the songs we sing lift our spirits. May our coming together bear witness to the power of love, and the possibility of community. Amen

Scripture Reading: Matthew 16:13-25

Sermon: Memory Stewardship – by Rev. Samantha Tuttle

Responsive Sharing

Reflective Hymn: #306 – The Church of Christ in Every Age

The Offerings and Offertory Music

Sharing of Joys and Concerns

The Lord’s Prayer (Traditional, with “debts”)

Closing Hymn: #351– I Was There to Hear Your Borning Cry

Blessing and Sending:

May the blessings of the Holy One be upon us and upon this congregation. May the memories we gathered here give us hope for the future. May the love we have shared bring strength and joy to our hearts, and the peace of this community be with us until we meet again.

Sharing the Peace as we go….And we hope you can join us for post-worship coffee and conversation in Fellowship Hall.

Announcements

Childcare is now available during services at St. James. Thank you to Greta Harteis and Katie Sulek for your generous and caring work.

This Sunday, April 15th

Sunday School
Children – 10:00am. Meet in the Fellowship Hall with Robin Scott.
Adults – 9:30am(childcare available). Meet in the Sanctuary with David Weintraub. We will listen to and discuss part 5 of Rob Bell’s podcast series on Wisdom – “How to Think About the News.” This is a long one, nearly an hour, so we are starting early. To listen or download, go to this page on our website:

Adult Education, Spring 2018

11:00am Worship led by Reverend Samantha Tuttle

Jammin’ at James Open Mic. Dinner at 5:30, Music 6:30 – 8:30. Max Honn and Michael O’Brian lead the monthly jam session. All musicians and music fans are invited to come dig the great acoustics in the St. James sanctuary!

Sunday, April 22nd: Worship will be led by Rev. Mike Morse with music by Sea Raven

Sunday, April 29th: Worship will be led by Rev. Michael Lyle

Sunday, May 6th:

11:00am: Worship will be led by Rev. Samantha Tuttle

12:30-3:00pm: Luncheon Party!

3:00pm: UCC Installation Service – The Catoctin Association will confirm and celebrate Reverend Samantha Tuttle”s official status as Pastor of St. James.

Our Statement of Faith

We gather in worship as an inclusive community, an open & affirming community of faith that transcends any distinctions based on gender, sexual orientation, nationality, race, or religion.

Our formal worship flows into a living worship of love and support for one another as we pursue ways to reflect God’s reign of mercy, justice, and peace in our community and throughout the world…

along with a continuing search for ways to celebrate the goodness of life together ……and always reaching out to draw others, with total inclusiveness, into this communal experience.

Sunday, April 8, 2018

Written by St. James UCC on . Posted in Bulletins.

Order of Worship

For Meditation and Reflection
“The universal incarnation always shows itself in the specific, the concrete, and the particular — refusing to be an abstraction. Poet Christian Wiman puts it this way: ‘If nature abhors a vacuum, Christ abhors a vagueness. If God is love, Christ is love for this one person, this one place, this one time-bound and time-ravaged self.’” —Richard Rohr

Welcome and Introduction of Worship Leader (Lay Leader)

Responsive Call to Worship
Worship Leader: When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it and bread.
Congregation: Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.”
Worship Leader: So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three of them.
Congregation: Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.”
Worship Leader: Then Jesus took the bread and gave it to them, and he did the same with the fish. And they ate, and they saw, and they cared for one another.

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Sunday. April 1, 2018

Written by St. James UCC on . Posted in Bulletins.

Easter Sunday

For Meditation and Reflection
“Without Easter, there would be no Christianity! Whatever it was that constituted the Easter experience, the obvious fact is that there was enormous power in that moment that cries out for explanation.” – John Shelby Spong

Welcome and Announcements
A warm welcome is extended to all. Especially those who are worshiping at St. James for the first time or who have returned after an absence. Your presence both enriches us and this time of celebration together.

Call to Worship
Pastor: We come together this Easter morning to rejoice in the ongoing creation around us and within us. We would remember the teachings of Jesus, whose words and deeds embodied the outreaching of unconditional love. And we acknowledge that we yearn to be touched by such love.
People: On this Easter morning may our senses come alive, ready to respond to all the beauty and harmony of life around us.
Pastor: May the symbols of this place, cross and table, book and candle, bread and cup, speak strength and courage to our hearts and minds, as we come and as we go.
People: On this Easter morning may the heavy stones which burden us be rolled away, releasing our spirits to love and to new life.
Pastor: As we celebrate the message of Easter, may we be helped to say yes to life, yes to a new beginning, yes to the presence that gives us courage for whatever is ahead of us.
All: On this Easter morning may we discover a joyous and courageous faith coming alive within us all. Welcome to worship!

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Sunday, March 11, 2018

Written by St. James UCC on . Posted in Bulletins.

Fourth Sunday in Lent

For Meditation and Reflection
It appears that whenever God is defined in any other way than as a supernatural being who stands ready to come to our aid, then prayer, as most people have traditionally under-stood it, loses most of its meaning. – John Shelby Spong

Welcome and Announcements
A warm welcome is extended to all. Especially those who are worshipping at St. James for the first time or who have returned after an absence. Your presence both enriches us and this time of celebration together.

Call to Worship
Pastor: Loving God, within and around us, we revere you. We seek to live life as you would want us to do:
People: with love and respect for all people and all things in the uni-verse.
Pastor: May we find each day sufficient for our needs. And find for-giveness when we do wrong,
People: just as we forgive those who do wrong to us.
Pastor: In times of trouble, may we center our lives in you.
People: For your being is love, which comes with strength and with beauty.
All: Throughout eternity. Amen.

Opening Song Gather Us In (See Handout)

Opening Prayer
Indwelling God, infused throughout all existence, we honor you with many names. Your realm is within the human heart. We accept life for all that it can be, on earth as throughout all creation. May we
continue to draw sustenance from this earth, and may we receive forgiveness equal to our own. May we ever move from separation toward union, to live in grace, with love in our hearts, forever and ever. Amen.

Scripture Reading: 1 Thessalonians 4:12-18

Sermon: Reimagining Prayer – by Rev. Samantha Tuttle

Responsive Sharing

Reflective Song Shattered (Unconditionally) by Oli Covington

The Offerings and Offertory Music

Sharing of Joys and Concerns

The Lord’s Prayer

God – heart of the world: revealed through every aspect of creation: understood through our awareness. May we honor the holiness of creation and act accordingly so that your love is reflected in the way we live. May we always be thankful for the food we eat and the friends we have. May we forgive those who transgress against us and be forgiven for our own. In the freedom of love may we live as your heartbeat and not be compromised by hesitation. Through our freedom, may your justice be seen and heard and experienced for-ever and ever. Amen.

Closing Song #539 – Won’t You Let Me Be Your Servant?

Blessing and Sending:

And now may the blessings of life
be upon us, and upon this congregation.
May the memories we gather here give us hope for the future.
May the love that we share
bring strength and joy to our hearts,
and the peace of this community be with us
until we meet again.
Go in peace, and may the peace of God go with you. Amen.

Sharing the Peace as we go…….And we hope you can join us for post-worship coffee and conversation in Fellowship Hall.
Announcements

Thank you, Oli Covington to for providing our music this morning. Thank you for sharing your gift with us!

ANNOUCEMENTS

Childcare is now available during services at St. James. Thank you to Greta Harteis and Katie Sulek for your generous and caring work.

This Sunday March 11th:
The Church Council will meet before worship at 9:30am in the Fellowship Hall.

Next Sunday, March 18th:
Sunday School (Adult and Children) on March 18 at 10AM Every third Sunday, children meet in the Fellowship Hall with Robin Scott. Adults meet in the Sanctuary with David Weintraub. The discussion will be part 4 of Rob Bell’s podcast series on Wisdom – Life and Death and Vegetables. See our website for the link to listen or download.

Jammin’ at James open mike is happening March 18 with Dinner at 5:30, Music 6:30 – 8:30. Max Honn and Michael O’Brian, lead a monthly jam session. All musicians and music fans are invited to come dig the great acoustics in the St. James sanctuary!

March 18th: Worship will be led by Reverend Mary Mason
March 25th: (Palm Sunday) Worship will be led by Reverend Samantha Tuttle
April 1st (Easter Sunday) Worship will be led by Reverend Samantha Tuttle

Sunday, March 4, 2018

Written by St. James UCC on . Posted in Bulletins.

Third Sunday of Lent March 4th, 2018

For Meditation and Reflection
We come together from our separate lives, each of us bringing our concerns, our preoccupations, our hopes, and our dreams. We are not yet fully present. The traffic, the last minute cooking, the final details still cling to us. Our bodies hold the rush of the past few hours. It is now time to let go of these pressures and really arrive… When you are ready, repeat silently to yourself: ‘Hineini’ or ‘Here I am’. Hineini is used in the Torah to signify being present in body, mind, and spirit. It means settling into where we are and simply being “here”.

Welcome and Announcements
A warm welcome is extended to all. Especially those who are worshipping at St. James for the first time or who have returned after an absence. Your presence both enriches us and this time of celebration together.

Call to Worship

Pastor: We gather in community to rest from our labors, to greet our neighbors,

People: and to open our being to insight and intuition of that greater reality of which we are a part.

Pastor: May we find in our time together, inspiration and renewal. May we touch the holy in each other and be touched by the graciousness of life.

People: And may we find here a calm peacefulness that will carry us through the days ahead.

Opening Hymn #592 – God of the Ages, Who with Sure Command

Opening Prayer
In each moment of this day resides incredible power: new life, new healing, new opportunity. May this time together empower us to take some new steps so all our living is transforming and the yearning of our hearts become reality. May your presence comfort us, and also confront us, with the responsibility of making your spirit of love flesh in our actions. May it be so. Amen.

Scripture Reading: Acts 17:22-28

Reflective Hymn: #560 – By Whatever Name We Call You

Sermon Series:

Unbelievable — Reimagining God – by Rev. Samantha Tuttle

Responsive Sharing

The Offerings and Offertory Music

Sharing of Joys and Concerns

The Lord’s Prayer (Traditional, with “debts”)

Holy Communion

Communion Melody

Closing Hymn: #556 – God Who Stretched the Spangled Heavens

Blessing and Sending:

If, here, you have found freedom, take it with you into the world.
If you have found comfort, go and share it with others.

If you have dreamed dreams, help one another,
that they may come true.
If you have known love and unity, give some back
to a bruised and hurting world.

Sharing the Peace as we go……. And we hope you can join us for post-worship coffee and conversation in Fellowship Hall.


Announcements

Thank you to Jesse Scobi for providing our music this morning. Thank you for sharing your gift with us!

Childcare is now available during services at St. James. Thank you to Greta Harteis and Katie Sulek for your generous and caring work.

This Sunday March 4th:
After service, come help celebrate fellowship with potluck brunch in the fellowship hall. This is a regular event held the first Sunday of each month.

Next Sunday, March 11th:
Church Council meeting before worship at 9:30am

Jammin’ at James open mic is happening March 18th with Dinner at 5:30, Music 6:30 – 8:30. Max Honn and Michael O’Brian, lead the monthly jam session. All musicians and music fans are invited to come dig the great acoustics in the St. James sanctuary!

March 11th: Worship will be led by Reverend Samantha Tuttle
March 18th: Worship will be led by Reverend Mary Mason
March 25th: Worship will be led by Reverend Samantha Tuttle

Sunday, February 25, 2018

Written by St. James UCC on . Posted in Bulletins, Uncategorized.

St. James United Church of Christ
Second Sunday in Lent, February 25, 2018

For Meditation and Reflection:
To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness. What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places – and there are so many – where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction. – Howard Zinn

Welcome and Announcements

Opening Prayer (Pastor)

Responsive Call to Worship (Traditional Monastic Liturgy)
Pastor: We wait for the word of the Lord as we wait for the rains.
People: And our God shall come down upon us like gentle dew.
Pastor: The hills and the mountains will be singing praise to God.
People: Every tree in the forest will be clapping its hands.
All: The Lord will come and rule for ever. Alleluia.

Opening Hymn When Morning Gilds the Skies 86

Prayer for Illumination (Pastor)

Today’s Scripture Reading: Romans 8:31-39

Sermon Unseparated (Mike Lyle)

The Offerings and Offertory Music

A Litany of Thanksgiving
Pastor: All things come from you, O God, and with gratitude we return to you what is yours. All that we are, and all that we have, is your gift to us.
People: And so, in gratitude for all your gifts, we offer ourselves, and all that we have. By your Spirit make us one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world.
All: Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Hymn There is a Balm in Gilead 553

Joys and Concerns

Prayers of the Pastor and the People
The Lord’s Prayer (Traditional, with “debts”)

Closing Hymn We Shall Overcome 570

Prayer of Benediction (Pastor)

Go forward in the comfort and strength of God’s blessing. Remember that you are loved, that God is ever near, and that divine mercy is your way in the world. Amen.

Sharing the Peace as we go…

Reverend Lyle is happy to stay following the service to talk about questions, concerns or thoughts you may have about today’s worship.

And we hope you can join us for post-worship coffee and conversation in Fellowship Hall.

Thoughts for the Day/Week
It may well be that we will have to repent in this generation. Not merely for the vitriolic words and the violent actions of the bad people, but for the appalling silence and indifference of the good people.
– Martin Luther King Jr.

Announcements

Childcare is now available during services at St. James. Thank you to Greta Harteis and Katie Sulek for your generous and caring work.

This Sunday February 25th:
10 AM, meet in the Sanctuary before service for Safety Training.

Next Sunday March 4th:
Worship will be led by Reverend Samantha Tuttle
After service, come help celebrate fellowship with potluck brunch in the fellowship hall. This is a regular event held the first Sunday of each month.

March 11th: Worship will be led by Reverend Samantha Tuttle
March 18th: Worship will be led by Reverend Mary Mason
March 25th: Worship will be led by Dr. Reverend Mikael Lyle

February 18, 2018

Written by St. James UCC on . Posted in Bulletins.

First Sunday in Lent [Note – Rev. Lyle intended to lead this service on February 4, Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany, but it was cancelled due to inclement weather.]

For Meditation and Reflection:

“If we choose to be co-creators (and it is a choice; God does not coerce our cooperation) we can help bring into being a world where peace, love, and charity rule, where we actually embody God. We become God’s hands and feet and voices . . . we give God a body in this world . . . we take action on what God wills for us and for the world, and we remember and fulfill our role as co-creators.” (Debra Farrington, Hearing with the Heart)

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February 11, 2018

Written by St. James UCC on . Posted in Bulletins.

Transfiguration Sunday February 11, 2018

For Meditation and Reflection
“Inner Presence, Outer Purpose” – By Eckhart Tolle. A New Earth.

“Being at one with what is doesn’t mean you no longer initiate change or become incapable of taking action. But the motivation to take action comes from a deeper level, not from egoic wanting or fearing. Inner alignment with the present moment opens your consciousness and brings it into alignment with the whole, of which the present moment is an integral part. The whole, the totality of life, then acts through you.”

Welcome and Announcements

A warm welcome is extended to all. Especially those who are worshipping at St. James for the first time or who have returned after an absence. Your presence enriches both us and this time of celebration together.

Call to Worship

Pastor: We have come into this place of hope
where our hearts and minds are opened to the future.

People: We have come into this place of justice where we set aside our fear to name freely every oppression.

Pastor: We have come into this place of song where we unite our voices in the somber and the beautiful melodies of life.

People: So let us celebrate this richness and diversity of life.

All: Welcome to worship.

Opening Hymn #73 – Enter, Rejoice, and Come In

Opening Prayer

Unpredictable, irrepressible, dancing, laughing Spirit, when we’re tempted to be cautious and hesitate, draw us forward into the surprising and joyful future you have waiting for us. When we’re tempted to opt for certainty, free our spirits to adventure and risk, as your people have always done. When we’re tempted to be shackled to comfort and conformity, enable us to leave such things behind, call us through your people into the surprise of each new day. Clear our vision, so we may see things, to which we’ve paid no attention in the past. Sharpen our listening, so we may hear pleadings and cries we’ve never heard before. Strengthen our hands, so we may do things we’ve previously not dared try. Put a new spring into our step, so we may follow your leading into new situations. And draw us dancing and laughing into tomorrow. Amen.

Scripture Reading: Mark 9:2-9

Sermon: The Evolutionary Effect of Light – by Rev. Samantha Tuttle

Responsive Sharing

Reflective Hymn: #584 – I Am the Light of the World

The Offerings and Offertory Music

Doxology: #780

Sharing of Joys and Concerns

The Lord’s Prayer (Traditional, with “debts”)

Closing Hymn: #82 – Go, My Children, with My Blessing

Blessing and Sending:

May we be wholly present in our own lives, ready to be surprised by the wonder of each ordinary moment. May the light around us guide our footsteps. May God’s breath stream within us. May God’s breath renew us. May God’s breath invigorate us. Go in peace, and may the peace of God go with you.

Sharing the Peace as we go…….And we hope you can join us for post-worship coffee and conversation in Fellowship Hall.

Announcements

Childcare is now available during services at St. James. Thank you to Greta Harteis and Katie Sulek for your generous and caring work.

This Sunday February 11th:

The Church Council will meet before worship at 9:30am in the Fellowship Hall.

Next Sunday, February 18th:

Sunday School (Adult and Children) on Febrary 18 at 10AM. Every third Sunday, children meet in the Fellowship Hall with Robin Scott. Adults meet in the Sanctuary with David Weintraub. We are currently listening to and discussing a Rob Bell podcast series.

Jammin’ at James open mike is happening February 18 with Dinner at 5:30, Music 6:30 – 8:30. Max Honn and Michael O’Brian, lead a monthly jam session. All musicians and music fans are invited to come dig the great acoustics in the St. James sanctuary!

Lovettesville Historical Society is meeting on February 18th at 2:00pm.

Worship next Sunday, will be led by Rev. Samantha Tuttle.

February 25th, worship will be led by Rev. Mike Lyle.

Our Statement of Faith

We gather in worship as an inclusive community, an open & affirming community of faith that transcends any distinctions based on gender, sexual orientation, nationality, race, or religion.
Our formal worship flows into a living worship of love and support for one another as we pursue ways to reflect God’s reign of mercy, justice, and peace in our community and throughout the world… along with a continuing search for ways to celebrate the goodness of life together ……and always reaching out to draw others, with total inclusiveness, into this communal experience.

February 4, 2018

Written by St. James UCC on . Posted in Bulletins.

Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany

For Meditation and Reflection:

“If we choose to be co-creators (and it is a choice; God does not coerce our cooperation) we can help bring into being a world where peace, love, and charity rule, where we actually embody God. We become God’s hands and feet and voices . . . we give God a body in this world . . . we take action on what God wills for us and for the world, and we remember and fulfill our role as co-creators.” (Debra Farrington, Hearing with the Heart)

Welcome and Announcements

Opening Prayer (Pastor)

Responsive Call to Worship (Traditional Monastic Liturgy)

Pastor: We wait for the word of the Lord as we wait for the rains.
People: and our God shall come down upon us like gentle dew.
Pastor: The hills and the mountains will be singing praise to God.
People: Every tree in the forest will be clapping its hands.
The Lord will come and rule for ever. Alleluia.

Continue reading

January 28, 2018

Written by St. James UCC on . Posted in Bulletins.

Fourth Sunday After the Epiphany
Worship led by the Reverend Dr. Michael Lyle
Music by Keith and Jennifer Taylor

For Meditation and Reflection:
“It is absolutely essential for the Church and for the credibility of her message that she herself live and testify to mercy. Her language and her gestures must transmit mercy, so as to touch the hearts of all people and inspire them once more to find the road that leads to God.
. . . In order to be capable of mercy, therefore, we must first of all dispose ourselves to listen to the Word of God. This means rediscovering the value of silence in order to meditate on the Word that comes to us. In this way, it will be possible to contemplate God’s mercy and adopt it as our lifestyle.” – Pope Francis

Welcome and Announcements
Opening Prayer/Invocation (Pastor)

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January 21, 2018

Written by St. James UCC on . Posted in Bulletins.

St. James United Church of Christ
Third Sunday After Epiphany January 21, 2018

For Meditation and Reflection
“So when you are listening to somebody, completely, attentively, then you are listening not only to the words, but also to the feeling of what is being conveyed, to the whole of it, to part of it.”
– Jiddu Krishnamurti

Welcome and Announcements

A warm welcome is extended to all. Especially those who are worshipping at St. James for the first time or who have returned after an absence. Your presence both enriches us and this time of cele-bration together.

Call to Worship

Pastor: How good it is to be alive! To feel the beat of our own hearts, the pulsing of life in our veins, the rhythm of our breathing.

People: So we come into this time of worship, of prayer and reflection with gratitude for the gift of life this day.

Pastor: In a universe so vast, may we be helped to sustain a good sense of who we are, and a good sense of worth in ourselves.

People: When time and events and people go by so fast, help us to know the power in pausing, and in pausing, help us to find our life renewed.

All: As we come and as we go, we pray that each of us, in our own small inner world, will know that we have been in a sacred place, fully present, to listen for and experience the Divine presence in our midst.

Opening Hymn #528 – You Are the Seed

Opening Prayer

We gather in this sacred place to honor and affirm life. We come to consider again being the change we wish to see in the world. This morning we celebrate the unfolding of the universe,
and our ability and possibilities for creating brighter and gentler futures for our communities. The symbols of life are all around us: light and noise, infants and adults, birds and animals, colors and movement, words of goodwill, songs of joy. May we recognize these symbols as life affirming. May we seek to renew them every-day. May we be inspired to share them generously. As we meet and as we prepare to depart may we again commit as individuals and as a community to the values and ideals that would contribute to the transformation of this world. May each of us undertake again the appraisal and joy of living out what is dear to us, and what truly advances and invites compassion, grace, forgiveness, kindness, justice and love to flourish and transform.

Scripture Readings: James 1:17-27, Matthew 7:24-29

Sermon: The Art of Listening – by Rev. Samantha Tuttle

Responsive Sharing

Reflective Hymn: #531 God, Speak to Me, That I May Speak

The Offerings and Offertory Music

Sharing of Joys and Concerns

The Lord’s Prayer (Traditional, with “debts”)

Closing Hymn: #538 – Standing at the Future’s Threshold

Blessing and Sending:

The God we worship is never confined to this holy place.
So go and travel with the God who is found in ordinary and surpris-ing places. Go in peace, and may the peace of God go with you.

Sharing the Peace as we go…….And we hope you can join us for post-worship coffee and conversation in Fellowship Hall.

Announcements

Sunday School, (Adult and Children) today at 10:00 A.M. Adults in the sanctuary and children in the Fellowship Hall.

Thank you to Michael O’Brien for providing our music this morning. Thank you for sharing your gift with us!

We are continuing our Giving Tree collection of donations of clean blankets for people to take what they need and give what they can.

Jammin’ With James will not be held in January.

Worship next Sunday, will be led by Rev. Michael Lyle.

Our Statement of Faith

We gather in worship as an inclusive community, an open & affirming community of faith that transcends any distinctions based on gender, sexual orientation, nationality, race, or religion.

Our formal worship flows into a living worship of love and support for one another as we pursue ways to reflect God’s reign of mercy, justice, and peace in our community and throughout the world…

along with a continuing search for ways to celebrate the goodness of life together ……and always reaching out to draw others, with total inclusiveness, into this communal experience.

January 7, 2018

Written by St. James UCC on . Posted in Bulletins.

The Epiphany of the Lord

For Meditation and Reflection:

Carol of the Epiphany
(John Bell, The Iona Community, Scotland)

I sought him dressed in finest clothes
where money talks and status grows
but poor and wealth he never chose
it seemed he lived in poverty

I sought him in the safest place
removed from crime or cheap disgrace
but safety never knew his face
it seemed he lived in jeopardy

I sought him where the spotlights glare
where crowds collect and critics stare
but no one knew his presence there
it seemed he lived in obscurity

then in the streets we heard the word
that seemed for all the world absurd
that those who could no gifts afford
were entertaining Christ the Lord

and so distinct from all we’d planned
among the poorest of the land
we did what few might understand
we touched God in a baby’s hand

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December 17, 2017

Written by St. James UCC on . Posted in Bulletins.

Third Sunday of Advent
Worship Led by the Rev. Michael Lyle

For Meditation and Reflection:

He comes this year into a world of suffering, disillusionment, polarization and broken hearts, a world much in darkness.
It is the world of the Bethlehem cave two thousand years ago, the world as humankind has always known it.
I recently visited that cave, a shrine now, and saw in the eyes of the Palestinian people (in whose territory it sits), the ageless human story of struggle and pain. And I, along with my fellow pilgrims, could have confessed my own brokenness and longing.
We anticipate his coming this Advent in solidarity with all people of every place and time. We need him desperately.
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. Enter our weary hearts and make of them what you will. Make us into temples of your merciful love.

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December 10, 2017

Written by St. James UCC on . Posted in Bulletins.

Second Sunday in Advent

For Meditation and Reflection:

A warm welcome is extended to all, especially those who are worshipping at St. James this Advent season for the first time or who have returned after an absence. Your presence both enriches us and this time of celebration together.

Welcome and Announcements

Call to Worship ….Advent Candle of Peace

Pastor: As this season of Advent unfolds around us, the silent prayers of peace lie like stars hidden in a clouded night.
People: May we inspire the world with peace.
Pastor: May we touch it to our lives that in every place of stress, frustration, or fear, we might feel the presence of peace easing our hearts and transforming our lives.
People: And may we share its healing power with our children, that they might become the inspiration through which peace makes its way to a new yet-dreamt-of world.
All: May Peace light the world this Christmas. Light candle

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December 3, 2017

Written by St. James UCC on . Posted in Bulletins.

First Sunday in Advent

Worship Leader: Reverend Samantha Tuttle
Music by Janell Kinzie

For Meditation and Reflection:
As surely as we belong to the universe, we belong together. We join here to transcend the isolated self. To reconnect, to know ourselves to be at home, here on earth, under the stars, linked with each other.

Let us take a moment now to settle into the silence. Hear and feel your quiet breathing. Hear and feel the quiet of this place and this community of people.

In this quiet hour may our spirits be renewed. In this gathering of old and new friends may our minds be open to new truth, and our hearts be receptive to love, as we give thanks for this life we are blessed to share.

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November 19, 2017

Written by St. James UCC on . Posted in Bulletins.

Thanksgiving Sunday Service
Order of Worship on Sunday, November 19th, 2017
Worship Leader: Reverend Mary Mason
Music by Janell Kinzie

Meditation
We gather together to ask for Gods blessings,
to live in community, seeking God’s will.
We come now as sisters and brothers,
confessing the sins that divide and the wrong in us still.
All praise to the Spirit, provider, defender.
You offer us freedom, to follow or stray, empowering all by the hope you engender.
Grant wisdom and courage to follow your way.
– Lavon Bayler

Lighting of the candles
Welcome and Announcements

Call to Worship:
Responsive reading Psalm 100, Page 688 black hymnal

Opening Hymn: No 422 Come, O Thankful People, Come

Scripture Reading: Matthew 25:14-30; Judges 4

Reflection: DEBORAH the Fiery Prophet

Reflective Hymn: No 423 Great Is Your Faithfulness

Offertory Words
Having received new life through the generosity of God, and the hope that Christ brings, let us give thankfully and abundantly that we may be called God’s generous people.

The Offering and Offertory Music

Responsive Reading:
United Church of Christ statement of faith, Page 885 black hymnal

Pastoral Prayer
Creator God,
You call us to love and serve you with body, mind and spirit through loving your creation and our sisters and brothers. Open our hearts in compassion and receive these petitions on behalf of the needs of the church and the world.

Joys and Concerns

The Lord’s Prayer

Closing Hymn: No 28 For the Beauty of the Earth

Light carried out to the world

Benediction
The grace of God, the strength of Christ, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, guide and sustain us today and in all our tomorrows.
Amen

Share the peace as we go.

All are invited to stick around for coffee and conversation afterwards in the Fellowship Hall.

November 12, 2017

Written by St. James UCC on . Posted in Bulletins.

Worship Leader: Rev. Samantha Tuttle
Music by Jesse Scobie

Welcome and Announcements – Welcome to this place of worship, which we make special by our presence. Come into this place, where the ordinary is sanctified, the human is celebrated, the compassionate is expected. Let us celebrate the richness and diversity of this time, this life in the presentness of God.

For Meditation and Reflection: We come together from our separate lives, each of us bringing our concerns, our preoccupations, our hopes, and our dreams. We are not yet fully present. The traffic, the last-minute cooking, the final details still cling to us. Our bodies hold the rush of the past few hours. It is now time to let go of these pressures and embrace and become aware of the present moment…When you are ready, repeat silently to yourself: ‘Hineini’ or ‘Here I am’. Hineini is used in the Torah to signify being present in body, mind, and spirit. It means settling into where we are and simply being “here”.

Call to Worship:

Pastor: This time of worship is an invitation to be calm in the midst of the noise of the world and our over-busy lives,

Congregation: to bring together thought and feeling, mind and spirit, and to find some center, some still point, of perspective and peace.

Pastor: We draw near to each other in the presence of a Holy Weaver. That we may see afresh. That we may hear anew. That we may act again with vigor.

Congregation: May there be many new patterns woven among us: patterns of peace between strangers, patterns of love between friends, patterns of hope among the hopeless, patterns of joy among the sorrowful.

Pastor: And may we be brokers of a spirit of new hope with all people, to the ways we cope with life, to the ways we embrace the present, and the ways we think about the future.

All: Welcome to worship.

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