ST. LUKE'S UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST

JULY 26, 2026                                                                                                  

NINTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

SILENT MEDITATION: 

“Sky is You, Earth is You!/You above! You below!/In every trend, at every end,/Only You, You again,

always You!/You! You! You!”    -- Martin Buber

GATHERING MUSIC

GREETING

PRELUDE “Come, Christians, Join to Sing” “Madrid”    
Traditional Spanish Melody

CONGREGATIONAL HYMN No. 153 “Worthy of Worship”                                                            

SOLI DEO GLORIA

Worthy of worship, worthy of praise, Worthy of honor and glory;
Worthy of all the glad songs we can sing,
Worthy of all the offerings we bring.
 

Refrain: You are worthy, Father, Creator, You are worthy, Savior, Sustainer.
You are worthy, worthy and wonderful; Worthy of worship and praise

Worthy of reverence, worthy of fear. Worthy of love and devotion;
Worthy of bowing and bending of knees,
Worthy of all this and added to these…(Refrain)

Almighty Father, Master and Lord, King of all kings and redeemer,
Wonderful Counselor, comforter, Friend, Savior
 and Source of our life without end. (Refrain)

CALL TO WORSHIP 

One:  Let us celebrate God’s blessings to us.

All:    Wherever we are, we are not alone!

One:  Let us open ourselves to God’s guidance and love.

All:    Wherever we are, God is always present with us!

One:  Let us see more clearly God’s presence in our lives.

All:    "Neither death, nor life...nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from

          the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord".

One:  Surrounded by God’s love, let us worship and offer ourselves to God.

All:    In all the places we find ourselves, we worship in the presence of God!

CALL TO CONFESSION

PRAYER OF CONFESSION (Unison)

O LORD, our God, we confess that we have let sorrows and noise hide the sounds of joy found in your abiding presence. Our songs of praise have become empty words, unsupported by meaningful connection to you. Forgive us and let the joy of your presence give us a new song, filling our hearts with adoration of YOU for all your wonderous deeds. 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    

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 “Jesus, Name Above All Names”            

Naida Hearn

                                                                                                                                                      
SCRIPTURE Psalm 40:1-10 (Psalm 71)

SERMON “My Life A Song”
 

CONGREGATIONAL HYMN No. 746 “He Keeps Me Singing”                                              

SWEETEST NAME

There's within my heart a melody; Jesus whispers sweet and low:
"Fear not I am with thee; peace, be still," In all of life's ebb and flow.

Refrain: Jesus, Jesus, Jesus - Sweetest name I know,
Fills my every longing, Keeps me singing as I go.

All my life was wrecked by sin and strife; Discord filled my heart with pain.
Jesus swept across the broken strings, Stirred the slumb'ring chords again. [Refrain]

Feasting on the riches of His grace, Resting 'neath His shelt'ring wing,
Always looking on His smiling face - That is why I shout and sing. [Refrain]

Tho' sometimes He leads thro' waters deep, Trials fall across the way;
Tho' sometimes the path seems rough and steep, See His footprints all the way. [Refrain]

Soon He's coming back to welcome me Far beyond the starry sky;

I shall wing my flight to worlds unknown; I shall reign with Him on high. [Refrain]

STEWARDSHIP REFLECTION
CALL TO STEWARDSHIP  
THE BEAUTY OF SHARED GIFTS “I Have Felt the Touch of God”                                                                      

Lloyd Larson

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)                                                           

You, God! You have done wonderous things for us! We lift our songs in praise and thanksgiving. With our songs, we would offer our very lives and the gifts that we bring. May all we offer ring with the joyous sound of your presence. Amen

CONGREGATIONAL HYMN No. 416 “We’re Marching to Zion”                                       

MARCHING TO ZION
 

Come, we that love the Lord, and let our joys be known;

join in a song with sweet accord, join in a song with sweet accord

and thus surround the throne, and thus surround the throne.
 

Refrain: We're marching to Zion, beautiful, beautiful Zion;

we're marching upward to Zion, the beautiful city of God.
 

Let those refuse to sing who never knew our God;

but children of the heavenly King, but children of the heavenly King

may speak their joys abroad, may speak their joys abroad. (Refrain)
 

The hill of Zion yields a thousand sacred sweets

before we reach the heavenly fields, before we reach the heavenly fields,

or walk the golden streets, or walk the golden streets. (Refrain)
 

Then let our songs abound, and every tear be dry;

we're marching through Emmanuel's ground, we're marching through Emmanuel's ground,

to fairer worlds on high, to fairer worlds on high. (Refrain)

BENEDICTION
POSTLUDE “We Are Crossing Jordan River”                 

Spiritual

The Liturgist is Linda Sehrt.  
Thank you to John Kritos for accompanying the hymns today.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

CHURCH UBER ACCOUNT
Thanks to a generous donation a church Uber account as been established for individuals who are unable to drive to and from church. If you would like more information on the program notify the church office.

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.