ST. LUKE'S UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST

FEBRUARY 1, 2026      

FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY                                                             

SILENT MEDITATION: 

“Holy Ground is… the place where the gracious rule of God is known and the new creation

 becomes visible.”  --John S. Mogabgab

GATHERING MUSIC  

GREETING  

PRELUDE: “Christ, the Cornerstone”                                             

Steven Scott

CONGREGATIONAL HYMN No. 82 “Praise the Lord! Ye Heavens, Adore Him”                

AUSTRIAN HYMN

Praise the Lord! ye heav'ns adore Him; Praise Him, angels, in the height.
Sun and moon, rejoice before Him; Praise Him, all ye stars of light.
Praise the Lord! for He hath spoken; Worlds His mighty voice obeyed.
Laws which never shall be broken For their guidance hath He made.

Praise the Lord! for He is glorious; Never shall His promise fail.
God hath made His saints victorious; Sin and death shall not prevail.
Praise the God of our salvation! Hosts on high, His pow'r proclaim.
Heav'n and earth, and all creation, Laud and magnify His Name.

Worship, honor, glory, blessing, Lord, we offer unto Thee.
Young and old, Thy praise expressing, In glad homage bend the knee.
All the saints in heav'n adore thee; We would bow before Thy throne.
As Thine angels serve before Thee, So on earth Thy will be done.

CALL TO WORSHIP 

One:  God is our Great Deliverer who still delivers!
All:     With assurance and peace we await God’s gracious mercy.
One:  God is our Great Restorer who still restores!
All:    With anticipation and hope we await God’s steadfast love.
One:  God is our Great Redeemer who still redeems!

All:    With joy we envision the coming Kingdom of God.

CALL TO CONFESSION

PRAYER OF CONFESSION (Unison)

Gracious and Loving God, forgive our brooding on the struggles of life. Forgive us when we are afraid of what tomorrow may bring. Forgive us when we lose hope in your goodness. Open our eyes to the promise of your joy. Renew within us a vision of the fullness of life. Refresh our souls with streams of your mercy. Amen

ASSURANCE OF PARDON
 

GLORIA PATRI

Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen. Amen.

MOMENTS WITH MINNIE 

INSTALLATION OF LEADERS

Covenant

Leader: Sisters and brothers in Christ, it is an honor to be entrusted with responsibility for particular service in the ministry of the church, whether gathered or scattered.

Having prayerfully considered the duties and responsibilities of your ministry, are you prepared to serve with the help of God in Christ’s name and for the glory of God?

Individuals: I am.

Leader: Do you promise to exercise your ministry diligently and faithfully, showing forth the love of Christ?

Individuals: I do, relying on God’s grace.

Leader: Members of St. Luke’s United Church of Christ, you have heard the promises of fellow laborers in Christ who have answered God’s call to service. Let us affirm our intention to live in covenant with them. Will those who may comfortably do so, rise and witness to the commitment we now make?

People: We gather in celebration of the joy that is ours to be partners with you in the service of Jesus Christ. We promise to love you, honor your leadership, and assist you that together we may be a faithful church of Jesus Christ.

Prayer of Installation

Leader: Richly bless these leaders, O God. Shepherd them well lest they grow enamored of their own accomplishment or entrenched in old habit. Instead let them listen for Your voice, their hearts ever open to the quiet beckonings of Your Spirit in this endeavor. Let them in true humility and poverty of spirit remain ever ready to move at the impulse of your love in paths of your design.

Individuals: May our love and our labor echo Your love and labor, O Lord.

Leader: May their acts of service and devotion, frail and wanting as they are, be met and multiplied by the mysterious workings of Your Spirit who weaves all things together toward a redemption more good and glorious than we yet have eyes to see, or courage to hope for.

Individuals: O Spirit of God, now shape our hearts. O Spirit of God, now guide our hands. O Spirit of God, now build Your kingdom among us. Amen

(Adapted from Douglas McKelvey, Every Moment Holy)

Declaration

Leader: In the name of Jesus Christ, and on behalf of the people of St. Luke’s United Church of Christ, I rejoice to announce: “You are!” hereby installed in your respective positions.

All:  Thanks be to God!

 PASTORAL PRAYER and THE LORD’S PRAYER

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins as we forgive those
who sin against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever.  Amen.

SPECIAL MUSIC: “Sing to God!”                                                      

Henry Purcell

SCRIPTURE: Romans 8:18-25                              

SERMON:  “Struggling to Emerge”

CONGREGATIONAL HYMN  No. 38 “Ye Servants of God”                                                              

HANOVER

Ye servants of God, your Master proclaim, And publish abroad His wonderful Name;

The Name, all victorious, of Jesus extol: His kingdom is glorious, He rules over all.

God ruleth on high, almighty to save, And still He is nigh, His presence we have;

The great congregation His triumph shall sing, Ascribing salvation to Jesus, our King.

"Salvation to God, Who sits on the throne!" Let all cry aloud, and honor the Son;

The praises of Jesus the angels proclaim, Fall down on their faces and worship the Lamb.

Then let us adore, and give Him His right—All glory and power, all wisdom and might,

All honor and blessing, with angels above, And thanks never-ceasing, and infinite love.

STEWARDSHIP REFLECTION
CALL TO STEWARDSHIP  
THE BEAUTY OF SHARED GIFTS “Make Me a Channel of Blessing”                      

Harper G. Smyth

CELEBRATING STEWARDSHIP — DOXOLOGY
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise God, all creatures here below;
Praise God above, ye heavenly host:
Creator, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

PRAYER OF DEDICATION (In Unison)       

God of Promise, you hear and respond to the groans of the suffering of all creation. You also call us to hear and respond to the suffering in our midst. Let the offerings we bring and the lives we live give rise to the vision of your Kingdom. Bless by your Spirit, the mission and ministry of this congregation for the healing and hope of all your children. Amen

SACRAMENT OF HOLY COMMUNION

The Invitation

Affirmation and Renewal of Faith

We believe in God:

                Who has created and is creating,

                Who has come in Jesus,

                The Word made flesh,

                To reconcile and make new,

                Who works in us and others by the Spirit.

  We trust in God.

  We are called to be the Church:

                To celebrate God’s presence,

                To love and serve others,

                To seek justice and resist evil,

                To proclaim Jesus,

                Crucified and risen,

                Our judge and our hope.

In life, in death, in life beyond death,

                God is with us.

We are not alone.  Thanks be to God.

                                                                     United Church of Canada

Words of Institution

Sharing the Sacrament

Prayer of Thanksgiving (Unison)

Great and Loving God, we give you thanks for the light of your grace and mercy that has shined upon us at this table. Having received this gift, let your light guide us forth from this place and may we be always a reflection of the light we have received in Christ. Amen

CONGREGATIONAL HYMN No.75 “Holy Is the Lord” (Sing twice)                                

HOLY IS THE LORD

Holy, holy, holy, Holy is the Lord. Holy, holy, holy, Holy is the Lord.
Holy is the Father, Holy is the Son, Holy is the Spirit, Blessed Three in One.
Holy, holy, holy, Holy is the Lord. Holy, holy, holy, Holy is the Lord.

BENEDICTION  

POSTLUDE “Shout to the Lord”                                             

Darlene Zschech  

The Liturgist today is Marita Ray.
 

ANNOUNCEMENTS

ANNUAL GIVING STATEMENTS
If you need an annual giving statement/tax statement, please sign up on the sheet in the hallway or email the church office at stlukes@stlukesuccindep.org Your statement can be given to you the following Sunday, emailed or mailed to you. Please indicate your preference when making your request.

PRAYER FOR PEACE SERVICE
Boyd Ahrens, former Music Director at St. Luke’s UCC, will be playing the organ at the Community of Christ Temple, 1001 W Walnut, Independence for their weekly Prayer for Peace Service,
on Wednesday,February 11th, at 1:00 PM. All are welcome to attend. The service is also available on the Temple’s Facebook page & YouTube Channels. 

MARDI GRAS LUNCH
We will celebrate Mardi Gras with a lunch on February 15th, immediately following worship.
There will be a lot of fun, amazing food, and wonderful fellowship.

ASH WEDNESDAY
Wednesday, February 18th, 7:00 PM.
This service will be in person and livestreamed on Facebook

LENTEN STUDY
The Lenten Study, “If These Walls Could Talk”, will be at 7:00 PM on the following Tuesday evenings:
February24th, March 3rd, 10th, 17th & 24th.
It will be hybrid, both in person and on zoom. More information will be available closer to time

WINTER WEATHER ANNOUNCEMENTS If in person worship is canceled due to winter weather conditions, the announcement will be put on the website, in the Facebook group Windows Into St. Luke’s, and on Channel 9. When looking on Channel 9, look for St. Luke’s UCC, Independence. There are other churches with the same name. The service will be livestreamed on Facebook no matter what the weather is.

SHARING TABLE
Take time on Sundays, or anytime during normal office hours, to SHOP at the sharing table. There are Bibles and some old hymnals available if you would like to take one or even more.