Welcome to Worship
The United Church of Gainesville – March 21, 2021

“Elemental”
Palm Sunday

This morning our worship service will live-stream at 9am. It is available for viewing at anytime after this. Please click here to begin.

Prelude – Phillip Herr-Klepacki

Welcome, Announcements, and Celebration – Talia Raymond

Call to Worship (inspired by Isaiah 50:4-9a) – Andy Bachmann

Come. Come seeking words.
Come to let your tongue give praise.
Come. Come to find your voice.
Come to hear the response.
Come. Come to open your ears.
Come to listen.
Come. Come to be healed by the silence.
Come to stand together.
Come. Come to approach what words cannot describe.
Come to find God.

Opening Hymn – All Glory, Laud, and Honor 

All glory, laud, and honor
to you, O Christ, we sing,
to whom the lips of children
made sweet hosannas ring.
The people of the Hebrews
With palms adorned your way;
Our praise and prayer and
anthems we offer you this day.

O Promised One of Israel,
of David’s royal line,
the one called “God’s beloved,”
of flesh and yet divine,
To you before your passion
they sang their hymns of praise;
to you, now high exalted,
our melody we raise.

As you received their praises,
receive our prayers today,
whose justice and whose mercy
and sovereignty hold sway.
All glory, laud, and honor to you,
O Christ, we sing,
To whom the lips of children made
Sweet hosannas ring!

Prayer Concerns and Pastoral Prayer – Bromleigh McCleneghan

Prayer Response – “In the Lord, I’ll Be Ever Thankful” Phillip will play this once; then we will sing it twice together.

In the Lord I’ll be ever thankful,
In the Lord I will rejoice.
Look to God, do not be afraid,
Lift up your voices, the Lord is near;
Lift up your voices, the Lord is near.

Telling the Story – Luke 19:18-40

After he had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, saying, “Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it.’” So those who were sent departed and found it as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?” They said, “The Lord needs it.” Then they brought it to Jesus; and after throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, saying, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!” Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, order your disciples to stop.” He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.”

Message – “Hosanna!,” Talia Raymond

Closing Hymn – “Hosanna, Loud Hosanna”

“Hosanna, loud hosanna,”
the little children sang;
through pillared court and temple
the lovely anthem rang;
To Jesus, who had blessed them
close folded to his breast,
the children sang their praises,
the simplest and the best.

From Olivet they followed
amid a cheering crowd,
the victor palm branch waving,
and chanting clear and loud.
The one whom angels worship
rode on in lowly state,
and glad to see the children,
slowed down the donkey’s gait.

“Hosanna in the highest!”
That ancient song is ours,
We hail our great Redeemer
and sing with all our powers;
“Hosanna, Christ, we praise you
with heart and life and voice.
Hosanna! In your presence
forever we’ll rejoice!”

Benediction

In the streets,
In our homes,
Here in this beautiful sacred space,
We give you thanks,
O Holy One.

We give you thanks for giving us a story.
Even when we do not understand its meaning,
Even when we doubt it happened this way,
Even when we want to rush ahead to the end,
We know that you have given us this story
in which to live and move and have our being.

We remember that your story did not begin with this parade,
but began when you came to move over the waters of creation.
We remember the tragedies that came to your people.
And we know that you were not silent.

You gave your people a story.
You gave your people a rainbow.
You gave your people a song.
You gave your people peace. Amen.

Postlude – Phillip Herr-Klepacki

Thank you to the brass musicians:
Carl Carter, Ewan Johnson, Xander Kiker, Doug Maurer, Mark Burlingame, Tim Martin, Larry Reimer, Ruth Saunders

Here are the UCG friends celebrating a birthday this week.
Happy Birthday!

 

Leo	Heil	03/28
Jerry	Hill	03/28
Lauren	Hemmerich	03/28
Cynthia	Lawrence	03/29
Dari	Smith	03/29
Helen	Warren	03/29
Larry	Turner	03/29
Mary	Crummer	03/30
Harrison	Howard	03/30
John	King	03/30
Linda	Myrick	03/30
Erick	Smith	03/31
John	Bollinger	04/01
Bruce	Stevens	04/01
Wilfred	Vermerris	04/02

 

Sunday Schedule

Sunday Seminar at 10:00am –  “Our Enduring Fascination with the Afterlife” – with Larry Reimer – We will look at our highest hopes and deepest doubts about what happens after we die, explore some intriguing visions of what might be, and Larry will offer a roadmap of what makes sense to him of an image of eternity. Join here.  Meeting ID: 829 6457 0385, Passcode: 1624. 

Please also join us at 12:30pm for Congregational Coffee Hour. Talia will be available on our Zoom account to talk and share about the online worship experience, or whatever else is on your mind! Join here. Meeting ID: 875 0792 2974 Passcode: 1624 

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Announcements

Join us next Sunday, April 4th, as we gather for Easter Worship in the Courtyard. Services will be held at 8am, 9:30am & 11am, with the 9:30am live-streamed on our YouTube Channel. Like Palm Sunday, attendance will be limited to 100 people in order to maintain social distance. Advance registration, masks and negative responses to three screening questions will be required. There is no child care provided for Easter and families will sit together during the services. Registration will open with the E-Vents email at 5pm on Tuesday and will close when full or at 9am on Thursday morning, which ever comes first. Join us on Easter as we joyfully bring back the Alleluia,

This year’s Maundy Thursday service will be a walk-though event in our UCG courtyard.  There will be worship stations set-up around the courtyard that you will visit in order, including a time to receive communion from one of your ministers or a member of BPM. Please sign-up here for a time to begin your walk between 4-7:30pm. You may sign-up to walk alone or with your family/COVID-19 pods. Plan 20-30 minutes for your experience (self-paced, seating available for rest if needed). Please remember to wear your mask and take advantage of hand sanitizer available. We hope you will join us for this time of reflection and peace.

The next survey is here! As part of our Three Year Plan, we have committed to periodically checking in with each other to assess how well church programs are meeting our needs for spiritual nurture, connection, and accessibility. Please respond to the survey today! It should take less than 10 minutes for most.

Help Needed: Greeters for UCG’s Upcoming Services – Help is still needed with Sunday outdoor in-person services extending throughout the month of April. Click here for more information or email Dar Mikula at denalidar@gmail.com or call (352)359-4041 and we can have a conversation about your important role as a welcoming presence at UCG.

One Great Hour of Sharing Throughout Lent – One Great Hour of Sharing is an offering that is received by United Church of Christ congregations during the season of Lent for the purpose of meeting needs around the world. Please support this important initiative through a check mailed to UCG or online. Thank you for your generous support.

Please help keep our church finances healthy while you stay healthy!  Please consider donating online. To GIVE,  click here  to make a one-time donation to UCG -or- to set up a recurring donation schedule via your bank account or credit card. Our budgeted (anticipated) amount of Plate Income for 2021 is $36,000, so we rely on the weekly passing of the plate.  Here  is a video on how to use Shelby Giving.  Thank you for your support!

Lent at UCG

Lenten Devotional Booklet – with daily readings, as well as a bag of intentional items, to guide you through your Lenten journey, are available.  More

Labyrinth Walks – Tuesdays and Thursdays during Lent. More

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Please note: While the Church Office remains closed due to Covid-19, we are still available by phone or email from 9am – 4pm, Monday – Friday.