LAKEWOOD UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST
GATHERING MUSIC
WELCOME and ANNOUNCEMENTS
LIGHTING THE PEACE CANDLE Sherry Santana, liturgist
If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.
Mother Teresa of Calcutta, 20th century
PRELUDE
CALL TO WORSHIP
May we open wide the windows of our spirits,
So that we may be filled with light.
May we open wide the doors of our hearts,
So that we may be filled with Divine Love.
MUSICAL REFLECTION
SCRIPTURE READING
Let us prepare ourselves for the word of God as it comes to us in the reading of Holy Scripture.
Our hearts and minds are open.
Matthew 15:21-28
For the word of God in scripture, for the word of God among us, for the word of God within us.
Thanks be to God.
CONTEMPORARY READING – You do not have to be good Mary Oliver
SERMON Of Dogs and Crumbs Rev. Kim P. Wells
UNISON READING-Thousand Red Birds Phil Porter
We clutch our tiny bits of faith in tight fists
shoved firmly in our pockets.
We clutch it suspiciously, so unwilling to let it go —
we don’t want to lose it.
We clutch it fearing that once it is spent,
we will be without hope,
cast adrift, out of luck.
Help us loosen our grip.
Help us to pull our hands out of our pockets.
Help us to uncurl fingers stiffened over time.
to grow,
to shimmer,
to pulse,
to explode into the air
like a thousand red birds.
MUSICAL INTERLUDE
MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of Lakewood United Church of Christ, as part of the Church Universal is to:
- Celebrate the presence and power of God in our lives & in our world.
- Offer the hospitality and inclusive love of Christ to all people.
- Work for God’s peace and justice throughout creation.
MORNING OFFERING
Morning offerings may be brought forward and placed in the plates on the altar.
Offertory
Prayer of Dedication Modern Prayer from Latin America
O God, to those who have hunger give bread.
And to those who have bread give the hunger for justice. Amen.
PREPARATION FOR PRAYER
You are invited to write your prayer requests on the sheets provided in the bulletin and bring them forward and place them in the basket on the altar. Please observe physical distancing.
MORNING PRAYER-SAVIOR’S PRAYER
Eternal Spirit, Earth Maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver,
Source of all that is and that ever shall be,
Father and Mother of all people, Loving God in whom is heaven:
The hallowing of your name echo through the universe!
The way of your justice be followed by all peoples of the world!
Your heavenly will be done by all created beings!
Your commonwealth of peace and freedom sustain our hope and come on earth!
With the bread that we need for today, feed us.
In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us.
In times of temptation and testing, strengthen us.
From trials too great to endure, spare us.
From the grip of all that is evil, free us.
For you reign in the glory of the power that is love, now and forever. Amen.
* BENEDICTION (unison) based on a prayer by Mary Zimmer
Bless the quick-witted, assertive woman in each of us who trembles even as she dares. May our spirits be open to her strength. May we be infused us with the power of her love. Amen.
*POSTLUDE
For the safety and comfort of all, please wear a mask. Thank you!
Circle of Concern: The family and friends of Ralph Schubert, Earl Waters, Bill Parsons, Dave Radens, Richard Wiggins and family, William Owen-Cowan, Jen Degroot, Carolyn Moore, Ann Quinn, Maggie Brizendine, Janet Hall
Announcements
Facebook Live The 9:30 a.m. service is being streamed on Facebook Live.
Advisors Meeting Sunday The advisors will meet at 11:15 on Sunday on Zoom. One of the concerns to be addressed is the safety of in person worship at this time in the covid pandemic. If you have thoughts or feelings about this, please contact an advisor: Patti Cooksey, Lucille Ruga, Jane Diven, or Malcolm Wells. All are welcome. If you would like to participate in the meeting, here is the Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2700683648
Rev. Wells on Vacation Rev. Wells will be on vacation from August 9-21. On Sunday Aug. 15, she will be in Burlington, MA to baptize her two grandsons, Soren and Emerson, an occasion for much joy and celebration! If pastoral care is needed, please contact Patti Cooksey at cooksepa@eckerd.edu or the Church Office 727-867-7961 or lakewooducc@gmail.com.
Tree Mapping – Tree Planting on the Church Grounds SAVE THE DATE: August 29, 2021 at 10:30 a.m. The Urban Forestry Committee of the City of St. Petersburg is sponsoring a tree mapping event on the church grounds on Sunday Aug. 29 at 10:30 following worship. This event will involve a process for mapping the trees currently on the church property and developing a plan to add more trees to the church grounds. The all volunteer Urban Forestry Committee includes a landscape architect, a certified arborist, and state and county master naturalists. Members and friends of the church are needed to help with the tree mapping. So, plan to stay after worship on Sunday Aug. 29 to be part of this exciting initiative to ‘green’ the church grounds. All are welcome!
Lakewood United Church of Christ 2601 54th Ave. S. St. Petersburg, FL 33712
727-867-7961 lakewooducc@gmail.com Lakewooducc.org
Lakewood United Church of Christ 