lakewooducc

Lenten Devotion 3/2/2022

Lent 2022 The Wildness of Mercy
Ash Wednesday 3.3.22

“There’s a wideness in God’s mercy, like the wideness of the sea.” You may have sung this many times in church. It strikes a chord with the quaint rhymes and lilting tune. And, with a typo, the lead phrase can become “There’s a wildness in God’s mercy” and somehow that seems even more appropriate to our times as covid continues to plague the world and the economy, and the predictions about global warming become more dire, and Russia preps its nuclear arsenal. Let’s hope there is a wildness in God’s mercy to help us through all of this!

Lent is a 40 day season of preparation for Easter. It is a time of repentance. Of re-turning to God. For those of you who remember old TV sets, it’s like working the tuning to get the picture clearer. It’s a process of disengaging from all of the messaging we have absorbed that does not validate the reality of God and the wildness of mercy.

We can engage in this process of re-turning our lives to God trusting in the wildness of mercy. This is a time to let go and find you are caught, carried, and cushioned by the wildness of mercy. It is a time to shed all that is shielding you from Divine mercy. It is a time to root yourself once again in the God of wild mercy.

However you may envision God, whatever concepts of God resonate for you, scripture tells us of a God of love that never abandons us and is always present in us, in others, and in the world.

May this Lenten season bring us to Easter cleansed, renewed, and refreshed by the wildness of Divine mercy.

Prayer: In these quiet moments, reflect on how you have experienced the wildness of mercy. Trust those memories as you seek the mercy needed now. Amen.

Note: Lakewood United Church of Christ is having an Ash Wednesday service Wednesday, March 2 at 7:00 p.m. at the home of Bob and Emily Bell. This will be a service around the fire on the waterfront. It includes communion and the imposition of ashes. All are welcome. For details or transportation, please contact the Church Office. Call 727-867-7961 or email lakewooducc@gmail.com

Bulletin 2/27/2022

WELCOME and ANNOUNCEMENTS

LIGHTING THE PEACE CANDLE Claire Stiles, liturgist

In this day of man’s highest technical achievements, in this day of dazzling discovery, of novel opportunities, loftier dignities and fuller freedoms for all, there is no excuse for the kind of blind craving for power and resources that provoked the wars of previous generations. There is no need to fight for food and land. Science has provided us with adequate means of survival and transportation, which make it possible to enjoy the fullness of this great earth. The question now is, do we have the morality and courage required to live together as brothers and not be afraid?

Wisdom born of experience should tell us that war is obsolete.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 1929-1968

PRELUDE My Scarf Is Yellow Hale Smith (USA b.1925)^†

OPENING RESPONSIVE READING Eugene Guillevic, 1907-1997

When each day
is sacred

when each hour
is sacred

when each instant
is sacred

earth and you
space and you

bearing the sacred
through time

you’ll reach
the fields of light.

MUSIC Until I Found the Lord Clara Ward (USA 1924-1973)^‡

SCRIPTURE LESSONS

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.

Exodus 34:29-35 and Luke 9:28-43a

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 Precious Lord, Take My Hand

CONTEMPORARY READING Walter Wink, 1935-2012

SERMON Glory! Glory! Rev. Kim P. Wells

CONTEMPORARY RESPONSIVE READING Diane Ackerman, b. 1948

In the name of the daybreak
and the eyelids of morning
and the wayfaring moon
and the night when it departs,

I swear I will not dishonor
my soul with hatred,
but offer myself humbly
as a guardian of nature,
as a healer of misery,
as a messenger of wonder,
as an architect of peace.

In the name of the sun and its mirrors
and the day that embraces it
and the cloud veils drawn over it
and the uttermost night
and the male and the female
and the plants bursting with seed
and the crowning seasons
of the firefly and the apple,

I will honor all life—
wherever and in whatever form
it may dwell — on Earth my home,
and in the mansions of the stars.

MUSIC Ticklin’ Toes Florence B. Price (USA 1887-1952)^†

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. If you would like assistance, please turn to someone seated near you.

Offertory Can’t Nobody Do Me Like Jesus André Crouch (USA b.1945)^‡

Words of Dedication Leonardo Boff, b. 1938

Blessed are those who tearfully await the great aurora of liberation, fruit of divine grace and human struggle; for your eyes will see the glory of the sun’s rays of justice. Blessed are those who preserve good will, feed the internal flame, and ever dream of a new world. Amen.

PREPARATION FOR PRAYER Oh, To Be Kept by Jesus

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 Parker Palmer

Heavenly Mother, heavenly Father,
Holy and blessed is your true name.
We pray for your reign of peace to come,
We pray that your good will be done,
Let heaven and earth become one.
Give us this day the bread we need,
Give it to those who have none.
Let forgiveness flow like a river through us,
From each one to each one to each one.
Lead us to holy innocence
Beyond the evil of our days,
Come swiftly Mother, Father, come!
For yours is the power and the glory and the mercy —
Forever your name is All in One. Amen.

* BENEDICTION Sufi prayer by Andrew Harvey, b. 1952, adapted

Wherever we turn
May we see the Face of God
Amen.

*POSTLUDE Sunflower Slow Drag Joplin (USA)

^†from the Oxford Press collection: Piano Music of Africa and the African Diaspora
^‡ from The African American Heritage Hymnal

Circle of Concern: Earl Waters, Dyanne Edds, Christopher and Dana, 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.

Lent Ahead – The Wildness of Mercy At LUCC for Lent, the theme for services and other reflections and activities will be ‘The Wildness of Mercy.’ Themes involving nature will remind us of the wildness of Divine mercy and how blessed we are to be recipients of that mercy.

Ash Wednesday Service on March 2 at 7:00 p.m. The Lenten season of preparation for Easter begins with Ash Wednesday. The service is held around a fire reminding us of the healing, renewing, purifying power of Divine Love. The service will be held at the waterfront home of Emily and Bob Bell. The address is 641 64th Ave., St. Pete Beach. You may bring a chair if you wish. You may also bring a stick to add to the fire. To carpool from the church, please meet in the church parking lot at 6:30 p.m. If you would like a ride, please contact the Church Office.

A Call for Peace, Unity and Support for the Ukrainian People You may think there’s nothing you can do to stop this aggression, but we can stand in solidarity with the Ukrainian people and speak as one community against this crime and injustice. Show up and stand with the local Ukrainian community in a call for peace, unity and support. Wednesday, March 2 at 12 noon, for an outdoor gathering at the Epiphany of Our Lord Ukrainian Catholic Church, 430 90th Avenue N. St. Petersburg, FL 33702. All are welcome.

Toiletries for Celebrate Outreach Celebrate Outreach is a local ministry with people who are living without shelter in St. Petersburg. LUCC was asked to collect toiletries for this ministry. This collection will be ongoing in addition to the food being collected for Operation Attack. All are invited to donate the following items: toothbrushes, toothpaste, disposable razors, bar soap, wash cloths, deodorant, feminine hygiene items, travel size creams, shampoo, body wash, individual packets of Kleenex, hand wipes, toilet tissue, and paper towels

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.

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

Rev. Wells Supports the ‘Whispering Pines’ Housing Project at the St. Petersburg City Council Meeting

The plot of land next to the church was purchased by Boley for use as the site of a housing development for those who are vulnerable and in need of shelter. There will be 20 units in the community. In light of delays related to covid and increased costs, Boley approached the City Council asking for an additional $760,000 to fully fund the project. Rev. Wells was asked by Boley to speak to the City Council at their meeting on Thursday Feb. 17 in favor of the funding. This is what she said:

Good afternoon. I am Rev. Kim Wells, pastor of Lakewood United Church of Christ which is next door to the property acquired by Boley for Whispering Pines.

We are a Christian church. A consistent message in our faith tradition is the dictate to work to eliminate poverty, need, and want in society. We are committed to ministering to ‘the least of these.’

Our church has responded to this call in various ways. We support Operation Attack providing assistance to families in need. We have been involved in Family Promise helping families secure housing. We had about 30 houseless people stay at our church for a month several years ago. We have a partnership with Maximo Elementary School to assist their unhoused students. And we routinely have people in need come to the church for help and we provide assistance as we are able.

So, when we heard about the Boley initiative, we were thrilled.

But we don’t expect the City Council of St. Petersburg to follow the teachings of our faith tradition. You are the government not a faith-based organization.

So, having personally worked with people without housing, here’s what I feel you need to consider.

The struggles associated with home insecurity divert and distract people from being constructively involved in the community. Housing issues impact the capacity to work in a reliable and consistent manner. Housing instability impacts children getting to school and succeeding academically. Housing insecurity contributes to health problems that stress the healthcare system. There are many negative consequences to the community when people don’t have stable, secure housing. A person with a safe place to live then has the capacity to be a responsible, constructive, contributing member of the community.

The Whispering Pines community will have a significant positive impact not only on the new residents but it will have an important positive impact on the community as a whole and it will benefit us all.

When Boley leaders met with our church to introduce the Whispering Pines development, we were told that there would be a substantial fence erected on the property line between the church and the housing development. We made one request: Please put a big gate in that fence.

We implore you, the City Council, to vote to fully fund the Whispering Pines community. It is a much needed improvement not only for those who will reside there but for the community and the city as a whole. Thank you!

The City Council voted unanimously to fully fund Whispering Pines.