GATHERING MUSIC
WELCOME and ANNOUNCEMENTS
LIGHTING THE PEACE CANDLE Sally Purvis, liturgist
To fling my arms wide
In some place of the sun,
To whirl and to dance
Till the white day is done.
Then rest at cool evening
Beneath a tall tree
While night comes on gently,
Dark like me —
That is my dream!
To fling my arms wide
In the face of the sun,
Dance! Whirl! Whirl!
Till the quick day is done.
Rest at pale evening . . .
A tall, slim tree . . .
Night coming tenderly
Black like me.
Dream Variation by Langston Hughes, 1901-1967
PRELUDE How Can I Keep from Singing Robert Lowry
CALL TO WORSHIP
Amazing grace!
How deep the love,
That saves and sets us free!
We may feel lost,
But in God, we are found,
As we are, God’s grace to see.
MUSICAL REFLECTION How Frim a Foundation American folk
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.
Hebrews 4:12-16
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.
MODERN READING – Greenless Child Ann Weems, 1934- 2016
SERMON Laid Bare Rev. Kim P. Wells
UNISON READING Ram Dass, 1931- 2019
When you go out into the woods and you look at trees, you see all these different trees. And some of them are bent, and some of them are straight, and some of them are evergreens, and some of them are whatever. And you look at the tree and you allow it. You see why it is the way it is. You sort of understand that it didn’t get enough light, and so it turned that way. And you don’t get all emotional about it. You just allow it. You appreciate the tree. The minute you get near humans, you lose all that. And you are constantly saying, ‘You’re too this, or I’m too this.’ That judging mind comes in. And so I practice turning people into trees. Which means appreciating them just the way they are.
MUSICAL INTERLUDE New Britain (Amazing Grace) anon./arr. HKJ
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 Sheep May Safely Graze J.S. Bach
Prayer of Dedication from the United Kingdom, adapted
God, use our gifts:
to lighten the darkness of those living in shadows,
to restore dignity to those robbed of their humanity,
to lift the humble and to fill the hungry with good things,
until your kindom is built with love and justice
and all your people are free. Amen.
PREPARATION FOR PRAYER Precious Lord, Take My Hand Thomas A. Dorsey
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
Fathering and Mothering God, lover of us all, most holy one.
Help us to respond to you
To create what you want for us here on earth.
Give us today enough for our needs.
Forgive our weak and deliberate offenses,
Just as we must forgive others when they hurt us.
Help us to resist evil and to do what is good.
For we are yours, endowed with your power to make the world
whole. Amen.
* BENEDICTION Modern prayer from Berlin, Germany
Light comes through a gap in the curtains:
the promise of morning.
Light comes through the flaws of our lives:
the promise of love.
*POSTLUDE Jig Fugue Dieterich Buxtehude
Circle of Concern: Jeff Wells and family, Bill Parsons, Dave Radens, William Owen-Cowan, Jen Degroot, Carolyn Moore, Ann Quinn, Maggie Brizendine, Janet Hall, All those suffering from COVID-19 and all healthcare workers, Schools: Students, families, teachers, and staff
Announcements
Facebook Live The 10:30 a.m. service is being streamed on Facebook Live.
Operation Attack OA needs donations of cereal, peanut butter, canned meat, fruit, vegetables and soup, dried beans, and mac/cheese. Donations may be placed on the shelf in the hallway at church.
Anti Racism Demonstrations The church will resume its witness against racism with weekly demonstrations along the sidewalk of 54th Ave. S. Make your own sign or use one of the signs at the church. Demonstrations will be held Sundays from 5:30-6 beginning Sunday October 3. In case of rain, the demonstration will not be held that week.
Electronics Recycling The church is collecting a load of electronics to be taken to an electronics recycling company in Clearwater. The electronics are dismantled and usable components, parts, and substances are recycled. Given the current problems getting the materials to produce electronic equipment, this recycling service has become even more important. If you have anything you would like recycled, please bring it to the church and put it on the built-in desk in the Church Office. These are some of the items that are accepted for recycling: computers, amps, batteries, cables and connectors, cd players, cassette players, cell phones, televisions, etc.
Sherry’s Play Sherry Santana will be in the musical parody, Dracula: The Vampire Strikes Back. Its last show will be this afternoon at St. Petersburg City Theatre at 2:00 p.m.
Looking Ahead to Sunday Oct. 31 – Day of the Dead On the last Sunday in October, the service will involve celebrating those who have died who have been significant in our lives. You are invited to give some thought to someone who has been particularly influential in your life. Perhaps it is a family member or someone you knew in the past. Or maybe it is an historic figure from the past. Whose legacy lives on in you? Who inspires you? During the service, you will be invited to tell the congregation about who you would like to honor and why they are important to you. Can’t be in church that Sunday? Write something brief and it will be read in the service.
Lakewood United Church of Christ 2601 54th Ave. S. St. Petersburg, FL 33712
727-867-7961 lakewooducc@gmail.com Lakewooducc.org
On land originally inhabited by the Tocabaga
Lakewood United Church of Christ 