Liturgy 10-27-2019

This blog is a record of the call to worship, Scripture readings, and prayers from our Sunday liturgies.  If you are interested in writing something for the liturgy, or if you have a concern about any aspect of our liturgy, please email jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Call to Worship

(contributed by Kerri Fisher)

we come to wrestle with the God who is over all and in all,
expansive and intimate

soother of wave-wild seas and restless hearts.

we come with the hope that though we may be wounded

though our sins may testify against us, 
God is in our midst, pouring spirit upon flesh, 

we trust, if only for this hour, that God will dwell in this place 
and these people, 

holding fast young and old, to our dreams and our visions,
believing that we will not leave the same as we arrived.

 Amen

Scripture

Jeremiah 14:7-10, 19-22

Although our iniquities testify against us,
act, O Lord, for your name's sake;
our apostasies indeed are many,
and we have sinned against you.

O hope of Israel,
its savior in time of trouble,
why should you be like a stranger in the land,
like a traveler turning aside for the night?

Why should you be like someone confused,
like a mighty warrior who cannot give help?
Yet you, O Lord, are in the midst of us,
and we are called by your name;
do not forsake us!

Thus says the Lord concerning this people:
Truly they have loved to wander,
they have not restrained their feet;
therefore the Lord does not accept them,
now he will remember their iniquity
and punish their sins.

Have you completely rejected Judah?
Does your heart loathe Zion?
Why have you struck us down
so that there is no healing for us?

We look for peace, but find no good;
for a time of healing, but there is terror instead.
We acknowledge our wickedness, O Lord,
the iniquity of our ancestors,
for we have sinned against you.

Do not spurn us, for your name's sake;
do not dishonor your glorious throne;
remember and do not break your covenant with us.

Can any idols of the nations bring rain?
Or can the heavens give showers?
Is it not you, O Lord our God?
We set our hope on you,
for it is you who do all this.

Luke 18:9-14

Jesus told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 

The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, `God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.' 

But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, `God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' 

I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted."

Prayer

This week’s prayer was written by Kerri Fisher:

O God, if we have wandered, perhaps it is because we could not find you.

Not amidst the locusts nor the portents,
not in the desolate valley,
nor at the ends of the earth,
not even in our own bodies, brains, or behaviors.

We have looked for peace but found terror instead,
We have sought joy, but tasted bitterness on our lips,
We have coveted and compared and yes, we each have gone our own way,

But perhaps, oh God, our wanderings are our greatest acts of faith,

That if you are here, or there, anywhere or everywhere, then you will come and find us.

Amen

Setlist 10-27-2019

This past Sunday was the twentieth Sunday after Pentecost, and our songs were gathered with this in mind.  Below, you’ll find the list of the songs and artists. Clicking the song titles will take you to the lyrics.   If you want to talk about any of these, feel free to email me at jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Songs:

Wideness by ubcmusic

House of God Forever by Jon Foreman

Wandering by Jameson McGregor

Breathe For Me by Jameson McGregor

Where God Has Always Been by Jameson McGregor

Doxology

Liturgy 9-29-2019

This blog is a record of the call to worship, Scripture readings, and prayers from our Sunday liturgies.  If you are interested in writing something for the liturgy, or if you have a concern about any aspect of our liturgy, please email jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Call to Worship

(contributed by Craig Nash)

we have arrived to plant our feet into the soil of God’s Kingdom,
to participate in God’s upside-down economy

which proclaims the poor will be lifted up, 
and the rich can participate by bringing themselves low 

we are the rich and we are the poor

praying for the courage to shed those things that weigh us down, 
in hope that our need will draw us near to God 

leaving, lighter, we will go with joy into the streets to preach this Good News

that God is with us, and God’s treasures are mercy, grace, and love.  

amen

Scripture

2 Samuel 23:13-17

Towards the beginning of harvest three of the thirty chiefs went down to join David at the cave of Adullam, while a band of Philistines was encamped in the valley of Rephaim. 

David was then in the stronghold; and the garrison of the Philistines was then at Bethlehem. David said longingly, “O that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem that is by the gate!” 

Then the three warriors broke through the camp of the Philistines, drew water from the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate, and brought it to David. 

 But he would not drink of it; he poured it out to the Lord, for he said, “The Lord forbid that I should do this. Can I drink the blood of the men who went at the risk of their lives?” 

Therefore he would not drink it. The three warriors did these things.

2 Corinthians 9:6-11

The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 

Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work. 

As it is written,

“He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor;
    his righteousness endures forever.”

He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God through us;

Luke 16:19-31

Jesus said, "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man's table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. 

The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham.

The rich man also died and was buried. 

In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. He called out, `Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.' 

But Abraham said, `Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.' 

He said, `Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father's house-- for I have five brothers-- that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.' 

Abraham replied, `They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.' He said, `No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' 

He said to him, `If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'"

Prayer

This week’s prayer was adapted from Walter Brueggemann by Craig Nash

The Noise of Politics

We watch as the jets fly in
     with the power people and
     the money people,
     the suits, the budgets, the billions.

We wonder about monetary policy
     because we are among the haves,
and about generosity
     because we care about the have-nots.

By slower modes we notice
   Lazarus and the poor arriving from Syria,
   and the exiled from Central America, and
   the throng of the marginalized
     with their visions of inclusion and rest.

We wonder about peace and war,
     about ecology and development,
     about hope and entitlement.

We listen beyond jeering protesters and
     soaring jets and
   faintly we hear the mumbling of the crucified one,
   something about
     feeding the hungry
     and giving drink to the thirsty,
     about clothing the naked,
     and noticing the prisoners,
     more about the least and about holiness among them.
We are moved by the mumbles of the gospel,
   even while we are tenured in our privilege.

We are half ready to join the choir of hope,
half afraid things might change,
     and in a third half of our faith turning to you,
     and your outpouring love
     that works justice and
     that binds us each and all to one another.

So we pray amidst jeering protesters
and soaring jets.
Come by here and make new,
even at some risk to our entitlements.

Setlist 9-29-2019

This past Sunday was the sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost, and our songs were gathered with this in mind.  Below, you’ll find the list of the songs and artists. Clicking the song titles will take you to the lyrics.   If you want to talk about any of these, feel free to email me at jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Songs:

Mystery by ubcmusic (adapted from Charlie Hall)

Rise Up by BiFrost Arts

Waking Life by Jameson McGregor

Twice Begun by ubcmusic

How Great Thou Art

Doxology

Liturgy 9-22-2019

This blog is a record of the call to worship, Scripture readings, and prayers from our Sunday liturgies.  If you are interested in writing something for the liturgy, or if you have a concern about any aspect of our liturgy, please email jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Call to Worship

(contributed by Brianna Childs)

we have gathered to worship
the One Who makes all things whole

Who continues to be the balm to our wounds, 
though we find new pains every day

to enter into the story of God and the people of God

and find our own stories healed

hoping the Spirit of God would form our hearts
and minds in the way of Christ

as we offer the healing love that revives 
a hurting and discouraged world around us 

Amen.

Scripture

Jeremiah 8:18-9:1

My joy is gone, grief is upon me,
my heart is sick. 

Hark, the cry of my poor people
from far and wide in the land: 
"Is the Lord not in Zion?
Is her King not in her?" 

("Why have they provoked me to anger with their images,
with their foreign idols?") 
"The harvest is past, the summer is ended,
and we are not saved." 

For the hurt of my poor people I am hurt,
I mourn, and dismay has taken hold of me. 

Is there no balm in Gilead?
Is there no physician there? 

Why then has the health of my poor people
not been restored? 

O that my head were a spring of water,
and my eyes a fountain of tears, 
so that I might weep day and night
for the slain of my poor people!

Luke 16:1-13

Jesus said to the disciples, "There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was squandering his property. So he summoned him and said to him, `What is this that I hear about you? Give me an accounting of your management, because you cannot be my manager any longer.' 

Then the manager said to himself, `What will I do, now that my master is taking the position away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. I have decided what to do so that, when I am dismissed as manager, people may welcome me into their homes.' 

So, summoning his master's debtors one by one, he asked the first, `How much do you owe my master?' He answered, `A hundred jugs of olive oil.' He said to him, `Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it fifty.' 

Then he asked another, `And how much do you owe?' He replied, `A hundred containers of wheat.' He said to him, `Take your bill and make it eighty.' And his master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light. 

And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes.

"Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. If then you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? 

And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own? No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth."

Prayer

This week’s prayer was written by Brianna Childs

Creator God,

We confess that we often feel like Jeremiah when he wondered, “Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there?”

Our lives are filled with wounds too many to count. We are burdened by our lives, and we ask you to be near.

In the middle of it all, we ask to come be our Healer.

Remind us that you are still the God of everyday miracles. Help us to see the beauty in the little resurrections all around us- the blooming flower, the song of the bird, the laughter of a child, the tight hug of a friend.

These are the balms to our souls that soothe the pangs of life.

Your healing presence is all around us. Give us eyes to see. 

Amen.

Setlist 9-22-2019

This past Sunday was the fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost, and our songs were gathered with this in mind.  Below, you’ll find the list of the songs and artists. Clicking the song titles will take you to the lyrics.   If you want to talk about any of these, feel free to email me at jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Songs:

How Great Thou Art

The Word Is Yet Flesh by ubcmusic

Mother by Jameson McGregor

What The Dry Years Took Away by Jameson McGregor

O Love That Will Not Let Me Go by ubcmusic

Doxology

Liturgy 9-15-2019

This blog is a record of the call to worship, Scripture readings, and prayers from our Sunday liturgies.  If you are interested in writing something for the liturgy, or if you have a concern about any aspect of our liturgy, please email jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Call to Worship

(contributed by Kerri Fisher)

we have gathered to worship the God of the ages, 

who is filled with compassion and overflowing with grace.

we come with joy and expectation, 

with stiff-necks and mixed motivations,             

hoping to give and receive, 

ready to lose, to find, and to be found.
that we might be transformed here together 
by lovingkindness from above, within, and beside.  

amen.

Scripture

Exodus 32:7-14

The Lord said to Moses, "Go down at once! Your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have acted perversely; they have been quick to turn aside from the way that I commanded them; they have cast for themselves an image of a calf, and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, `These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!'" 

The Lord said to Moses, "I have seen this people, how stiff-necked they are. Now let me alone, so that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them; and of you I will make a great nation."

But Moses implored the Lord his God, and said, "O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, `It was with evil intent that he brought them out to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth'? 

Turn from your fierce wrath; change your mind and do not bring disaster on your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, how you swore to them by your own self, saying to them, `I will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.'" 

And the Lord changed the Lord’s mind about the disaster that the Lord planned to bring on the people of the Lord.

Luke 15:1-11

All the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to Jesus. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, "This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them."

So he told them this parable: "Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. 

And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, `Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.' Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

"Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, `Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.' 

Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

Prayer

This week’s prayer was written by Kerri Fisher (adapted from the Book of Common Prayer)

Create in us clean hearts, oh God. Clear new paths. Call forth what is good. 

As we reflect on the last week, we admit that we have been foolish and faithless in big and small ways. We confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed,

 by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We have lost our way---again—

still—

all-of-a-sudden. 

Renew our spirits oh God--our creator, redeemer, and sustainer.

Amen

Setlist 9-15-2019

This past Sunday was the fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost, and our songs were gathered with this in mind.  Below, you’ll find the list of the songs and artists. Clicking the song titles will take you to the lyrics.   If you want to talk about any of these, feel free to email me at jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Songs:

Future/Past by John Mark McMillan

Wild One by Jameson McGregor

O Love That Will Not Let Me Go by ubcmusic

True Love Will Find You In The End by Daniel Johnston

Eternal Anchor by ubcmusic

Doxology

Liturgy 9-8-2019

This blog is a record of the call to worship, Scripture readings, and prayers from our Sunday liturgies.  If you are interested in writing something for the liturgy, or if you have a concern about any aspect of our liturgy, please email jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Call to Worship

we have gathered to worship 
the One from whom nothing is hidden

the Creator and Sustainer of us all, 
who traced our frames before we had frames

to enter the story of God and the people of God

and find our own stories there 

hoping the Spirit of God would transform 
our hearts and minds

leaving hope where despair had been,
love where fear had been,
drawing us further into the way of Christ. 

amen

Scripture

Jeremiah 18:1-11

The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: "Come, go down to the potter's house, and there I will let you hear my words."

So I went down to the potter's house, and there he was working at his wheel. The vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter's hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as seemed good to him.

Then the word of the Lord came to me: Can I not do with you, O house of Israel, just as this potter has done? says the Lord. Just like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. 

At one moment I may declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, but if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will change my mind about the disaster that I intended to bring on it. 

And at another moment I may declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, but if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will change my mind about the good that I had intended to do to it. 

Now, therefore, say to the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: Thus says the Lord: Look, I am a potter shaping evil against you and devising a plan against you. Turn now, all of you from your evil way, and amend your ways and your doings.

Philemon 1-21

Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,

To Philemon our dear friend and co-worker, to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

When I remember you in my prayers, I always thank my God because I hear of your love for all the saints and your faith toward the Lord Jesus. 

I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective when you perceive all the good that we may do for Christ. I have indeed received much joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, my brother.

For this reason, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do your duty, yet I would rather appeal to you on the basis of love-- and I, Paul, do this as an old man, and now also as a prisoner of Christ Jesus. 

I am appealing to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I have become during my imprisonment. Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful both to you and to me. I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you. I wanted to keep him with me, so that he might be of service to me in your place during my imprisonment for the gospel; but I preferred to do nothing without your consent, in order that your good deed might be voluntary and not something forced. 

Perhaps this is the reason he was separated from you for a while, so that you might have him back forever, no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a beloved brother-- especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.

So if you consider me your partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. If he has wronged you in any way, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand: I will repay it. I say nothing about your owing me even your own self. 

Yes, brother, let me have this benefit from you in the Lord! Refresh my heart in Christ. Confident of your obedience, I am writing to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say.

Setlist 9-8-2019

This past Sunday was the thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost, and our songs were gathered with this in mind.  Below, you’ll find the list of the songs and artists. Clicking the song titles will take you to the lyrics.   If you want to talk about any of these, feel free to email me at jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Songs:

Chariot by Page France

Lord, I Need You by Matt Maher

Where God Has Always Been by Jameson McGregor

Noise by Jameson McGregor

Mystery by ubcmusic (adapted from Charlie Hall)

Doxology

Setlist 9-1-2019

This past Sunday was the twelfth Sunday after Pentecost, and our songs were gathered with this in mind.  Below, you’ll find the list of the songs and artists. Clicking the song titles will take you to the lyrics.   If you want to talk about any of these, feel free to email me at jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Songs:

House of God Forever by Jon Foreman

Mystery by ubcwaco (adapted from Charlie Hall)

There by Jameson McGregor

Wayward Ones by The Gladsome Light

Twice Begun by ubcmusic

Amazing Grace

Doxology

Setlist 8-25-2019

This past Sunday was the eleventh Sunday after Pentecost, and our songs were gathered with this in mind.  Below, you’ll find the list of the songs and artists. Clicking the song titles will take you to the lyrics.   If you want to talk about any of these, feel free to email me at jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Songs:

Come Alive by ubcmusic

Wideness by ubcmusic

Amazing Grace

After the Dust Clears by Jameson McGregor

Eternal Anchor by ubcmusic

Doxology

How They Fit In:

There are many ways to think about the significance of songs and the way they fit together–-this is simply one way you can look at these songs in light of this week’s theme. 

Come Alive: We sang this song to ask God to continue to form us in the way of Christ, coming alive in us as we come alive in God.

Wideness: This song celebrates the mercy of God and reminds us that our ideas about God’s mercy tend to be too small.

Amazing Grace: We sang this song to celebrate the work of God in our lives and celebrates the freedom that this brings.

After the Dust Clears: This song is about interpersonal conflict, the passing of time, and grace in the midst of both.

Eternal Anchor: We sang this song to look over our shoulder at last week’s songs. This is what we said about Eternal Anchor then: This song is about God making all things new.

Doxology: We close our time together each week with this proclamation that God is worthy of praise from every inch of the cosmos.

Setlist 8-18-2019

This past Sunday was the tenth Sunday after Pentecost, and our songs were gathered with this in mind.  Below, you’ll find the list of the songs and artists. Clicking the song titles will take you to the lyrics.   If you want to talk about any of these, feel free to email me at jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Songs:

Wandering by Jameson McGregor

Eternal Anchor by ubcmusic

Waking Life by Jameson McGregor

For All That I Don’t Know by Jameson McGregor

Inbreaking by Jameson McGregor

Doxology

How They Fit In:

There are many ways to think about the significance of songs and the way they fit together–-this is simply one way you can look at these songs in light of this week’s theme. 

Wandering: We sang this song to proclaim God’s faithfulness to us despite our unreliable faithfulness to God.

Eternal Anchor: This song is about God making all things new.

Waking Life: This song is about God’s reality breaking through our own and reframing the way we experience the world.

For All That I Don’t Know: This song is about clinging to faith when clinging to faith doesn’t seem like a viable option.

Inbreaking: We sang this song to look over our shoulder at last week’s songs. This is what we said about Inbreaking then: This song is a plea for the Slaughtered Lamb to enter again into our suffering and make all things new.

Doxology: We close our time together each week with this proclamation that God is worthy of praise from every inch of the cosmos.

Liturgy 8-11-2019

This blog is a record of the call to worship, Scripture readings, and prayers from our Sunday liturgies.  If you are interested in writing something for the liturgy, or if you have a concern about any aspect of our liturgy, please email jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Call to Worship

we have gathered to worship the Living God

with our songs, 
our prayers, 
our listening and our attention 

to enter the story of God and the people of God

and find our own stories reimagined

hoping the Spirit of God would form 
our hearts and minds in the way of Christ

making torches of our lives,
and drawing us into the work of God in the world

Amen

Scripture

Psalm 50:1-5

The mighty one, God the Lord,
speaks and summons the earth
from the rising of the sun to its setting.
Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, 
God shines forth.

Our God comes and does not keep silence,
before God is a devouring fire,
and a mighty tempest all around God.
God calls to the heavens above
and to the earth, that God may judge God’s people:

“Gather to me my faithful ones,
who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!”
The heavens declare God’s righteousness,
for God Godself is judge. Selah

“Hear, O my people, and I will speak,
O Israel, I will testify against you.
I am God, your God.
Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you;
your burnt offerings are continually before me.

I will not accept a bull from your house,
or goats from your folds.
For every wild animal of the forest is mine,
the cattle on a thousand hills.
I know all the birds of the air,
and all that moves in the field is mine.

“If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
for the world and all that is in it is mine.
Do I eat the flesh of bulls,
or drink the blood of goats?
Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and pay your vows to the Most High.
Call on me in the day of trouble;

I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”

Luke 12:32-40

Jesus said to his disciples, "Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

"Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. 

Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.

"But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour."

Setlist 8-11-2019

This past Sunday was the ninth Sunday after Pentecost, and our songs were gathered with this in mind.  Below, you’ll find the list of the songs and artists. Clicking the song titles will take you to the lyrics.   If you want to talk about any of these, feel free to email me at jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Songs:

All Creatures of Our God and King

Mystery by ubcmusic (adapted from Charlie Hall)

Pulse by ubcmusic

Inbreaking by Jameson McGregor

Be Thou My Vision

Doxology

How They Fit In:

There are many ways to think about the significance of songs and the way they fit together–-this is simply one way you can look at these songs in light of this week’s theme. 

All Creatures of Our God and King: This song invited us to join our voices to the whole of creation in directing our attention toward God.

Mystery: We sang this song to celebrate the death, resurrection, and coming return of Christ, and to acknowledge the way that informs the way we live and move in the world.

Pulse: This song is about the interconnectivity of creation, and asks that the Spirit reawaken us to this reality.

Inbreaking: This song is a plea for the Slaughtered Lamb to enter again into our suffering and make all things new.

Be Thou My Vision: We sang this song to look over our shoulder at last week’s songs. This is what we said about Be Thou My Vision then: We sang this song to petition God to be our vision, wisdom, security, and hope, as we navigate an uncertain world.

Doxology: We close our time together each week with this proclamation that God is worthy of praise from every inch of the cosmos.

Liturgy 8-4-2019

This blog is a record of the call to worship, Scripture readings, and prayers from our Sunday liturgies.  If you are interested in writing something for the liturgy, or if you have a concern about any aspect of our liturgy, please email jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Call to Worship

we have gathered to worship the Living God

the One in whom we live and move and have our being 

to enter into God’s story

and find our own stories transformed 

and to invite the Spirit to shape our hearts and minds 

into the way of Christ,
that we might come alongside the work of God in the world
with our whole lives.  

amen

Scripture

Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14; 2:18-23

Vanity of vanities, says the Teacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.

I, the Teacher, when king over Israel in Jerusalem, applied my mind to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven; it is an unhappy business that God has given to human beings to be busy with. I saw all the deeds that are done under the sun; and see, all is vanity and a chasing after wind.

I hated all my toil in which I had toiled under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to those who come after me --and who knows whether they will be wise or foolish? Yet they will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity. 

So I turned and gave my heart up to despair concerning all the toil of my labors under the sun, because sometimes one who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave all to be enjoyed by another who did not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil. 

What do mortals get from all the toil and strain with which they toil under the sun? For all their days are full of pain, and their work is a vexation; even at night their minds do not rest. This also is vanity.

Luke 12:13-21

Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me." But he said to him, "Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?" 

And he said to them, "Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions." Then he told them a parable: "The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, `What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?' 

Then he said, `I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, `Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.' 

But God said to him, `You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God."

Prayer

God, we come to you bearing the grief of yesterday’s act of terror in El Paso.

We come to you grieving the loss of life—the stopped hearts and the scarred hearts.

We grieve the anti-Christ poison of white nationalism, and that those who harbor it within themselves feel emboldened by our public discourse about immigration in general, and the rhetoric of the president in particular.

We grieve that black and brown bodies are sacrificed at the altar of inaction as this hate perpetuates itself.

We bear also the grief of this morning’s shooting in Ohio. We grieve the stopped hearts and the scarred hearts.

And we grieve that something so unthinkable has become so commonplace.

We grieve that a country so self confident in its own power is seemingly impotent to deal meaningfully with gun violence.

We grieve that so many lives have been sacrificed at the altar of inaction as this violence perpetuates itself.

We ask that you would continue to be present in both of these newly grieving communities, that you would bring comfort, peace, and healing to all those who are learning what it’s like to live in a world without some of the people they love in it.

And we ask that you would bring this same comfort, peace, and healing to all those who are learning what it’s like to live in a world where someone they love has done a terrible thing.

We ask also that you would be with the countless hospital workers and neighbors who are becoming the agents of that comfort, peace, and healing, that you would give them strength.

We confess that the scope of this evil in our culture is overwhelming, and there are days where we feel helpless. But we cling to the hope that you are emphatically not helpless. And so, we ask that you would bless us with the foolishness to think we can make a difference in the world, and that your Spirit would drive us to do just that.

And so in these next few moments of silence, we ask that the Spirit would intercede for us with groans too deep for words, as we grieve with our brothers and sisters. And that the Spirit would begin to shape our imaginations to build a world where the unthinkable isn’t a daily or weekly occurrence.

Amen.

Setlist 8-4-2019

This past Sunday was the eighth Sunday after Pentecost, and our songs were gathered with this in mind.  Below, you’ll find the list of the songs and artists. Clicking the song titles will take you to the lyrics.   If you want to talk about any of these, feel free to email me at jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Songs:

Come Thou Fount

Wayward Ones by The Gladsome Light

For Those Tears I Died by Jameson McGregor (adapted from Marsha Stevens)

Be Thou My Vision

Fever by Jameson McGregor

Your Love Is Strong by Jon Foreman

Doxology

How They Fit In:

There are many ways to think about the significance of songs and the way they fit together–-this is simply one way you can look at these songs in light of this week’s theme. 

Come Thou Fount: We sang this song to set our attention on God’s activity in our lives.

Wayward Ones: This is our communion hymn, and it contemplates Christ's self-giving love that is displayed and remembered in the eucharist.

For Those Tears I Died: This song is a part of our mass shooting liturgy. It is a lament that asks how long things will be this way.

Be Thou My Vision: We sang this song to petition God to be our vision, wisdom, security, and hope, as we navigate an uncertain world.

Fever: This song is about the ways in which we try to self-regulate our lives into status quos that should be otherwise, and imagines the work of God as a pathogen that overpowers our defenses.

Your Love Is Strong: We sang this song to look over our shoulder at last week’s songs. This is what we said about Your Love is Strong then: We sang this song to linger on the spirit of the Our Father.

Doxology: We close our time together each week with this proclamation that God is worthy of praise from every inch of the cosmos.

Liturgy 7-28-2019

This blog is a record of the call to worship, Scripture readings, and prayers from our Sunday liturgies.  If you are interested in writing something for the liturgy, or if you have a concern about any aspect of our liturgy, please email jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Call to Worship

we have gathered to worship the Eternal One 

the One who draws near to the lowly
and defends the weak

with our songs, our prayers, our listening

to enter the story of God and the people of God,
and find our own stories there 

hoping that the Spirit of God will form our hearts and minds
in the way of Christ

 and draw the full complexity of our lives 
into God’s work in the world 

amen

Scripture

Psalm 138

I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart;
before the gods I sing your praise;
I bow down toward your holy temple
and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness;
for you have exalted your name and your word
above everything.

On the day I called, you answered me,
you increased my strength of soul.
All the kings of the earth shall praise you, O Lord,
for they have heard the words of your mouth.
They shall sing of the ways of the Lord,
for great is the glory of the Lord.

For though the Lord is high, the Lord regards the lowly;
but the haughty the Lord perceives from far away.
Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve me against the wrath of my enemies;
you stretch out your hand,
and your right hand delivers me.

The Lord will fulfill the Lord’s purpose for me;
your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.
Do not forsake the work of your hands.

Luke 11:1-13

Jesus was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples." He said to them, "When you pray, say:

Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us.
And do not bring us to the time of trial."

And he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, `Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.' 

And he answers from within, `Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.' I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs.

"So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. 

Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish? Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion? 

If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

Prayer

This week’s prayer is from The Iona Community Worship Book (81):

O Christ, your cross speaks both to us and tour world.

In your dying for us you accepted the pain and hurt
Of the whole of creation.

The arms of your cross stretch out across the
Broken world in reconciliation.

You have made peace with us.
Help us to make peace with you by sharing in your
Reconciling work.

May we recognize your spirit disturbing and
Challenging us to care for creation and for the
Poor who most feel the effects of its abuse.

O Christ, the whole of creation groans,
Set us free and make us whole.

Setlist 7-28-2019

This past Sunday was the seventh Sunday after Pentecost, and our songs were gathered with this in mind.  Below, you’ll find the list of the songs and artists. Clicking the song titles will take you to the lyrics.   If you want to talk about any of these, feel free to email me at jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Songs:

How Great Thou Art

Your Love Is Strong by Jon Foreman

Rise Up by BiFrost Arts

Shadow by Jameson McGregor

There by Jameson McGregor

Doxology

How They Fit In:

There are many ways to think about the significance of songs and the way they fit together–-this is simply one way you can look at these songs in light of this week’s theme. 

How Great Thou Art: We sang this song to celebrate God’s activity in creation.

Your Love Is Strong: We sang this song to linger on the spirit of the Our Father, which featured in Taylor’s sermon text.

Rise Up: We sang this song to petition God to rise to the defense of the trampled in our world, and to remind ourselves that we are called to do the same.

Shadow: This song is about the difficulty and nigh impossibility of being formed in the way of Christ, and about God’s work of transformation in our lives in spite of this.

There: We sang this song to look over our shoulder at last week’s songs. This is what we said about There then: We sang this song to proclaim God as an anchor beyond our struggles, drawing us toward Godself.

Doxology: We close our time together each week with this proclamation that God is worthy of praise from every inch of the cosmos.

Liturgy 7-21-2019

This blog is a record of the call to worship, Scripture readings, and prayers from our Sunday liturgies.  If you are interested in writing something for the liturgy, or if you have a concern about any aspect of our liturgy, please email jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Call to Worship

we have gathered to worship the Living God

the Rest moving to pierce our busyness
the Holding-Together surrounding our brokenness 

to enter into the story of God and the people of God

with our songs, our prayers, and our listening 

hoping the Spirit of God would form 
our hearts and minds in the way of Christ

teaching us to love God
and love our neighbor
with our whole lives. 

Amen

Scripture

Psalm 15

O Lord, who may abide in your tent?
    Who may dwell on your holy hill?

Those who walk blamelessly, and do what is right,
    and speak the truth from their heart;
who do not slander with their tongue,
    and do no evil to their friends,
    nor take up a reproach against their neighbors;

in whose eyes the wicked are despised,
    but who honor those who fear the Lord;
who stand by their oath even to their hurt;
who do not lend money at interest,
    and do not take a bribe against the innocent.

Those who do these things shall never be moved.

Luke 10:38-42

As Jesus and his disciples went on their way, Jesus entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to what he was saying. 

But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me." 

But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her."

Prayer

This week’s prayer was from An Iona Prayer Book (98):

Lord of Life
we celebrate your countless gifts,
in days and nights,
in rainbows and rain,
in touch, dream and smile,
in partners who love,
in kids who cuddle,
in grannies who listen,
in friends who care,
in dogs that lick,
in hands that sew,
in food on the table;
yet above all,
in your coming among us,
walking our roads,
calling our names,
enfolding our lives,
inviting us home.