WELCOME and ANNOUNCEMENTS
LIGHTING THE PEACE CANDLE Claire Stiles, liturgist
One day youngsters will learn words they will not understand.
Children from India will ask:
What is hunger?
Children from Alabama will ask:
What is racial segregation?
Children from Hiroshima will ask:
What is the atomic bomb?
Children at school will ask:
What is war?
You will answer them.
You will tell them:
Those words are not used any more
like stage coaches, galleys or slavery
Words no longer meaningful.
That is why they have been removed from dictionaries.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 1929-1968
PRELUDE Come Sunday Ellington
OPENING READING Julian of Norwich, 1343 – after 1416
God wants to be thought of
as our Lover.
I must see myself so bound in love
as if everything that has been done
has been done for me.
That is to say,
The Love of God makes such a unity
in us
that when we see this unity
no one is able to separate oneself
from another.
MUSIC To a Wild Rose MacDowell
SCRIPTURE LESSON
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.
I Corinthians 13
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.
MUSIC Celebration Løvland
MODERN READING Oscar Romero, 1917-1980
SERMON The Gospel in One Word Rev. Kim P. Wells
CONTEMPORARY RESPONSIVE READING Mary de La Valette
Let us understand
The gravity of our situation.
Let us understand
That our only redemption
Is love.
Love for a small, endangered planet
On which we are utterly dependent.
Only love can transform us
From plunderers and savages
Into Earthkeepers and peacemakers.
Only love can show us
The integrity and rights
Of all other beings.
Only love can open our eyes
To the truth and beauty
That surround us.
Only love can teach us
The humility we need
To live on this Earth.
And only love can now save us
From extinction.
MUSIC First Arabesque Debussy
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.
AFFIRMATION OF LEADERS 1 Corinthian 12:4-7, 26-27, adapted
There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit gives them.
There are different ways of serving, but the same God is served.
There are different abilities to preform service, but the same God gives ability to each of us for our own particular service.
The Spirit’s presence is shown in some ways to each person for the good of all.
Christ is like a single body, which has many parts.
It is still one body even though it is made up of different parts.
If one part of the body suffers, all the other parts suffer with it; if one part is praised, all the other parts are praised.
All of us are Christ’s body, and each one is a part of it.
Vows
*Congregational Affirmation
We stand in celebration of the joy that is ours to be partners with you in the service of Jesus Christ. We promise to love you and honor your leadership, that together we may be a faithful church of Jesus Christ.
MORNING OFFERING
Morning offerings may be brought forward and placed in the plates on the altar. If you would like assistance, please turn to someone seated near you.
Offertory Under the Sea Menken
Words of Dedication Anne Primavesi, b. 1934
It is the combination of both power and love which makes a community workable and sustainable. It is the combination of power and love which Christians call the Spirit, and which empowers us to shape our common future for the good of all.
PREPARATION FOR PRAYER Chanty Bloch
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 PRAYERS–SAVIOR’S PRAYER
Holy One, our only Home, hallowed be Your name.
May your day dawn, your will be done,
Here, as in heaven. Feed us today, and forgive us
As we forgive each other. Do not forsake us at the test,
But deliver us from evil. For the glory, the power,
And the mercy are yours, now and forever. Amen.
* BENEDICTION
They’ll know we are Christians by our love. Amen.
*POSTLUDE Fugue #2 C minor (Well-Tempered Clavier, Bk 1) J.S. Bach
Circle of Concern: Christopher and Dana, Joel Shores, Ben Shores, Amaiya Washington, Ann Quinn who is under Hospice Care, William Owen-Cowan, Jen Degroot, Carolyn Moore, 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.
The Gift of Music LUCC Music Director Hilton Jones has recorded 2 CDs for the LUCC family. The music is a gift to the congregation. If you would like to make a donation to offset the production costs, you may. See the display in the sanctuary. Enjoy the gift of music from Hilton not just on Sundays but every day!
Rev. Angela Wells-Bean to be Installed at Naples United Church of Christ The Rev. Angela Wells-Bean, who grew up at LUCC and was ordained at LUCC, has begun serving as the Minister for Congregational Care at Naples United Church of Christ. She will be installed to this minsitry on Sunday Feb. 6 at 3:00 p.m. in the sanctuary at the church. This event can also be accessed through live streaming from the church website – naplesucc.org
For the safety and comfort of all, please wear a mask. Thank you!
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 