Doubt is a Doorway to

Communities of Harmony

Pastor Ken continues a sermon series lifting up the

virtuous side of doubt.

Order of Worship

12 May 2024

Acknowledgment of the Land

(As an act of reconciliation)

For thousands of years Indigenous people have walked

and lived in this land.

Their relationship with the land

is at the center of their lives.

We acknowledge the Yavapai, Pima, Maricopa, and

Tohono O’odham Peoples and their stewardship

of this land throughout the ages.

Shadow Rock is a safe place for all people to worship

regardless of race, creed, age,

cultural background or sexual orientation.

All are invited because no matter who you are or where

you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here!

WELCOME TO SHADOW ROCK UCC!

Prelude ~

Shared by Christine Kyhn

GATHERING IN THE SPIRIT’S PRESENCE

Centering Affirmation: The foundation for communities of harmony is not correct beliefs. It is love and deep trust in the goodness of life.

Welcome and Announcements

Led by Pastor Ken

Opening Words

Led by Pastor Ken

One: Who are we and what are we called to do?

All: We are the sensitive and responsive ones called

to create a world where every person is radically

affirmed and barriers between people become

bridges of inclusion, justice, and spirituality.

Call to Worship

Led by Marilyn Rampley

(Please stand in body, mind or spirit.)

One: We are held by an awesome beauty.

All: Above, below, surrounding us is the

constant presence of Life and Love.

One: So let us celebrate the richness of love and

diversity of life by singing our hearts out.

Singing Our Faith

~ She Flies On

She comes sailing on the wind,

her wings flashing in the sun;

on a journey just begun,

she flies on.

And in the passage of her flight,

her song rings out through the night,

full of laughter, full of light,

she flies on.

1. Silent waters rocking on the morning of our birth,

like an empty cradle waiting to be filled.

And from the heart of God the Spirit moved up on the earth,

like a mother breathing life into her child.

2. Many were the dreamers whose eyes were given sight

when the Spirit filled their dreams with life and form.

Deserts turned to gardens, broken hearts found new delight,

and then down the ages still she flew on.

(Refrain)

3. To a gentle girl in Galilee, a gentle breeze she came,

a whisper softly calling in the dark,

the promise of a child of peace whose reign would never end,

Mary sang the Spirit song within her heart.

4. Flying to the river, she waited circling high

above the child now grown so full of grace.

As he rose up from the water, she swept down from the sky,

and she carried him away in her embrace.

(Refrain)

5. Long after the deep darkness that fell upon the world,

after dawn returned in flame of rising sun,

the Spirit touched the earth again, again her wings unfurled,

bringing life in wind and fire as she flew on.

(Refrain)

Centering Prayer

Shared by Pastor Ken

Passing the Peace

Led by Rev. Ken Heintzelman

Let us greet each other as a sign of God's peace and

of our shared friendship.

The Wide Spectrum of Mothering by Amy Young

Led by Marilyn Rampley

To those who gave birth this year to their first child -

we celebrate with you.

To those who lost a child this year –

we mourn with you.

To those who are in the trenches with little ones

every day and wear the badge of food stains –

we appreciate you.

To those who experienced loss through miscarriage,

failed adoptions, or running away -

we mourn with you.

To those who walk the hard path of infertility, fraught

with pokes, prods, tears, and disappointment -

we walk with you.

Forgive us when we say foolish things.

We don’t mean to make this harder than it is.

To those who are foster moms, mentor moms, and

spiritual moms –

we need you.

To those who have warm and close relationships with

your children –

we celebrate with you.

To those who have disappointment, heartache, and

distance with your children –

we sit with you.

To those who lost their mothers this year –

we grieve with you.

To those who experienced abuse at the hands of your

own mother –

we acknowledge your experience.

To those who lived through driving tests, medical

tests, and the overall testing of motherhood –

we are better for having you in our midst.

To those who have aborted children –

we remember them and you on this day.

To those who are single and long to be married and

mothering your own children –

we mourn that life has not turned out the way

you longed for it to be.

To those who step-parent –

we walk with you on these complex paths.

To those who envisioned lavishing love on

grandchildren, yet that dream is not to be –

we grieve with you.

To those who will have emptier nests in the

upcoming year –

we grieve and rejoice with you.

To those who placed children up for adoption –

we commend you for your selflessness and

remember how you hold that child in your

heart.

To those who adopt a child, and to those who are

pregnant with new life, both expected and

surprising –

we anticipate with you.

This Mother’s Day, we walk with you. Mothering is not for the faint of heart and we have real warriors in our midst.

We acknowledge and remember you.

Celebration Song

Led by Christine Kyhn

Celebrate your heart and your spirit,

Celebrate your life while you live it.

Even when it’s hard to do,

Celebrate the best of you.

Celebrate your dreams and your visions,

Celebrate the love you’ve been given.

Cherish all that you’ve been through,

Celebrate the best of you.

Invitation to Give

Shared by Marilyn Rampley

Let us bring our offerings as a decision to be

co-creators with God in a safer and more inclusive

world. Let us give of ourselves and our offerings to

make life good.

Offerings and Offertory ~

Shared by Christine Kyhn

Dedication of Our Offerings

Led by Marilyn Rampley

One: The Spirit of Life and Love is the weaver,

making patterns, and spinning threads

throughout our days.

All: May we have the wisdom to discern, the

generosity and compassion to help, and

the courage to allow ourselves and our

gifts to be a part of life’s tapestry.

Words For Mission

Led by Marilyn Rampley

One: As the Spirit teaches inwardly, may we involve

ourselves in the grander issues of life:

All: Those issues which make a compelling

difference, which create the good life for

all humanity.

One: These are the times!

All: We are the people!

One: All of Creation is blessed.

All: May we love all and serve all.

One: May God be with you.

All: And also with you.

One: Amen.

All: Amen.



EMPOWERING AND SENDING

Sending Forth Song ~ Trees of the Field

Led by Christine Kyhn

You shall go out with joy and be led forth with

peace;

The mountains and the hills will break forth before

you.

There’ll be shouts of joy, and all the trees of the field

will clap, will clap their hands.

And all the trees of the field will clap their hands,

(clap, clap)

The trees of the field will clap their hands,

(clap, clap)

The trees of the field will clap their hands

(clap, clap)

While you go out with joy.

(Repeat faster)

Sermon Reboot is ON for today.

This is a time to talk about the message and explore together using the ORID Art Form Conversation methodology. What is ORID? It stands for Observation, Reflection, Interpretation, and Decision. You will get the hang of it.