09/06/2026
Sunday September 6, 2026
“Your Second Home in the heart of Keene”
Proper 18 - Year A
WE GATHER
LIFE AND WORK OF CHURCH
Sept 13 – Bible Study after church at Keene United
Sept 20 – Terry Fox Ride – 1 p.m.
INTROIT: Worship the Lord VU 401 refrain vs 1
Refrain:
Worship the Lord (worship the Lord)
Praise the Creator, the Spirit, the Son,
raising our hands (raising our hands)
in devotion to God who is one!
Raising our hands as a sign of rejoicing,
and with our lips our togetherness voicing,
giving ourselves to a life of creativeness,
worship and work must be one! [Refrain]
WELCOME (ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND GRATITUDE FOR THE LAND)
Welcome back as we gather for worship after these summer months.
We give thanks for the lands upon which we gather – the traditional territory of the Michi Saagiig. The First People remind us that the land belongs to the Creator and we belong to one another. As together we learn how to care for creation, may it renew our faith to continue to plant seeds for future generations and to faithfully till the soil so life may flourish.
Our time of worship is the time we set apart to experience God’s presence; build community and renew our spirits for the time that is to come.
William Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury (1942-44), wrote:
“Worship is the submission of all our nature to God.
It is the quickening of conscience by God’s holiness;
the nourishment of mind with God’s truth;
the purifying of imagination by God’s beauty;
the opening of the heart to God’s love;
the surrender of will to God’s purpose –
and all of this gathered up in adoration.”
Let us enter into our experience of worship with praise as we share in the reading of our call to worship.
CALL TO WORSHIP: (adapted from Psalm 149)
After a time apart, we come together to sing to God a new song.
As an assembly of the faithful, we celebrate with dancing and music as we offer our praise to God.
God takes delight in us and crowns the humble with victory.
Let us revel in God’s glory and sing for joy as we feast.
In our worship and our lives, may God’s praise constantly be on our lips.
In our actions and through our prayers, let us bring nations to justice
and call to account the peoples and their leaders.
May this bring to God all glory and praise!
Praise be to God!
*OPENING MUSIC: Praise the Lord with the sound of trumpet VU 245 https://youtu.be/b9YtySTvzn4?si=tuyc-ZHlo3_k-jrC
LIGHTING OF THE CHRIST CANDLE
Jesus came that we might have life and life in all abundance.
So, we light this Christ candle reminding us of the light and life that we find in the person, the stories, the teachings of Jesus.
He said: “Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.’ Matthew 20
With this light, we celebrate his presence as we gather in his name.
Let us pray.
OPENING PRAYER ~ from All Things New, written by Rev. Susan A. Blain and Rev. Scott Ressman. Posted on the United Church of Christ website.http://www.ucc.org/50/pdfs/worship-resources.pdf
You have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you. – Augustine
O Living God of past and future,
we praise you
for this present moment.
Fill us with your joy and empower us with your Holy Spirit,
that our strength may be renewed
to sing a new song of your glory
in a world which longs for your justice and peace.
All this we ask in the name of Jesus,
in whom we become
your new creation.
TIME FOR CHILDREN OF ALL AGES –
Who helps to make things ready for you to go to school?
Parents; grandparents; teachers; bus drivers; administrators; friends; God
Blessing of Backpacks - Kate Bowler.com
God, bless this school year, this new season,
this chance to discover the world anew.
We sense the anticipation of something about to happen,
of all our preparation and worry and excitement
for new friendships and challenges and opportunities.
God, bless these backpacks,
these symbols of fresh beginning.
And bless every kid who carries their heavy load,
as all the new questions rise up in their hearts and minds.
God, bless this new environment and everyone in it.
The teachers and professors who ready their classrooms,
creating opportunities for learning and belonging.
The administrators and staff as they stretch hearts and minds,
and feel their own stretching too.
The parents and caregivers who carry the weight
of loving, protecting, and raising these kids.
God, bless all who begin this journey of a new year,
With every step they take, may they feel your presence
and hear you say, “I love you. I am with you. You are loved.”
Each and every one.
KIDS SONG: This is the Day VU 412
WE LISTEN TO GOD’S WORD
INTRODUCTION TO SCRIPTURE: Exodus 12:1-14
The Exodus tells the story of the Israelites who, under the leadership of Moses, escape from Egypt. It is a long and complex story. After multiple plagues of increasing intensity, Pharaoh still refuses to release the Israelites from his control.
In this passage, we hear the origins of the tradition and ritual that has lasted for thousands of years, that of the Passover meal - a sacred ritual for our Jewish neighbours and a pre-cursor to the Christian sacrament of communion.
Christians and Jewish people alike struggle with understanding the violent, horrific and desperate circumstances in which this story is born. In his book “A New Christianity” Brian McLaren raises the questions of “Is God Violent?” and invites the reader to view the God’s character through the person of Jesus, moving us from an image of a violent and tribal God to a Christlike God.
The passage as well moves us to explore the communal act of people sharing with neighbours, participating in the ceremony at the same time and receiving the communal promise of deliverance from slavery conditions, under the leadership of Moses. The ritual itself places the Exodus story as Author and scholar Brian McLaren would say in the larger biblical context that tells of a God of creation, liberation, and ongoing renewal towards the peaceable kingdom.
HYMN OF ILLUMINATION: O worship the King VU 235 vs 1,5
O worship the King all-glorious above,
O gratefully sing God’s power and God’s love:
our Shield and Defender, the Ancient of Days,
pavilioned in splendour and girded with praise.
Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail,
in you do we trust, nor find you to fail.
Your mercies, how tender, how firm to the end,
our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend!
SCRIPTURE READING: Exodus 12:1–14 The First Passover Instituted
12 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt: 2 This month shall mark for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year for you. 3 Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth of this month they are to take a lamb for each family, a lamb for each household. 4 If a household is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join its closest neighbour in obtaining one; the lamb shall be divided in proportion to the number of people who eat of it.
5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a year-old male; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats.
6 You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month; then the whole assembled congregation of Israel shall slaughter it at twilight.
7 They shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it.
8 They shall eat the lamb that same night; they shall eat it roasted over the fire with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 9 Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted over the fire, with its head, legs, and inner organs.
10 You shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn.
11 This is how you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it hurriedly. It is the Passover of the Lord.
12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both human beings and animals; on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgements: I am the Lord. 13 The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live: when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.
14 This day shall be a day of remembrance for you. You shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord; throughout your generations you shall observe it as a perpetual ordinance.
For the word of God that nourishes us.
For the acts of God that transform us.
For the story of God’s people that inspires us.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
WORDS OF REFLECTION: Longing to worship
By Rev. Nancy Wilson
Sunday Sept 6, 2026
Based on Exodus 12:1–14
Think of one of your favourite traditions or rituals that we, as a faith community, celebrate. Or if you are new to this community of faith, consider a favourite tradition from your own family.
What comes to mind?
Maybe it is Christmas by candlelight at Lang,
honouring loved ones at Christmas, Remembrance Sunday, or All Saints’ Sunday.
Maybe it is Kids’ Camp, Learning and Leisure, the annual curling bonspiel, Easter morning Sunrise Service, the Hiawatha Community Picnic, or the Hiawatha Public Speaking Contest.
Or maybe another tradition comes to mind—one that carries memory, belonging, and meaning for you.
What makes it important or special to you?
What is the origin story of this ritual?
Sometimes as the years pass and people come and go, we forget how a particular tradition began. That is why the Passover story matters for us today. It does not simply tell us that a ritual exists; it remembers why the ritual began, what it teaches a people to carry, and how the ritual can shape the identity of a community over time. It reminds us that as God’s people we receive liberation, nourishment, and move into the world with renewed hope.
Trouble in the Text
The Israelites are enslaved, tensions are high, violence is building. This is the central trouble in the text: the story has us confront suffering, coercion, and the unsettling question that human’s grapple with of how God is portrayed in the struggle for liberation.
Today’s story speaks of the fulfillment of God’s promise of salvation – the deliverance of the Hebrew people from captivity. Although described in a superhero kind of way, God swooping in and rescuing the Israelites, author Marcus Borg identifies the ‘ongoing staying power of salvation in the Bible.’ He identifies 4 themes of liberation from bo***ge, connection when people are aliened, restoration of sight to those who are blind, and new life when death occurs. This is the staying power of salvation – when people are threatened and alone, they receive assurance that God is still with them.
We struggle with the horrific means by which Pharaoh finally relented and “let the people go,” and so we should. Violence, the abuse of power, and the destruction of another culture are not the way of God that we come to know in the person of Jesus. His message is that of striving to create the peaceable kingdom. We long for people to be free from slavery. We long for lives and communities to be transformed by the way of justice and forgiveness.
Trouble in the World
Violence permeates our news and our world. Divisive behaviours turn neighbours into enemies. People in power are not always held to account, and injustice can seem well-funded and hard to refute. Diplomatic efforts do not always achieve the common good. Hope is strained when people feel their words are not heard and their actions are not making a difference.
While in this place of frustration and despair, this story invites us to remember the power of communal ritual.
Grace in the Text
This passage gives most of its attention to the formation of a people through memory, meal, and shared practice. Almost all of these verses describe, with great care, how this ritual is to take place. God’s desire is for people to come together, be fed and nourished by the community that gathers, and then move into the world renewed and more ready to address the injustices they see.
The liberation of the people is found and celebrated in community.
This symbolic meal reminds them that they are saved by God, and that the remembrance must be shared widely enough across time and place so that everyone can be part of it.
This ritual was celebrated by the Jewish people thousands of years ago, and its power is that it did not remain in one generation. It was passed on—a perpetual ordinance carrying memory, identity, and faith across time.
Grace in the World
We hear this passage on a Sunday when we come together as a community of faith after time away. Today, worship itself is the gift we are invited to notice and celebrate.
Passover shows how carefully chosen practices can carry memory, identity, and hope across generations. In the same way, our worship practices gather ordinary people into a shared story and send us back into the world with courage and purpose.
If we were to describe the elements of worship the way that the story of Passover was outlined in today’s reading, it might sound something like this:
God said: “This month shall mark for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the school year. So, tell the whole congregation they are to join with their closest neighbours and strangers alike in the sharing the gift of music, prayer, and reflection.
Use the resources you have on hand.
Do not let any go to waste. Invite everyone to be part of the gathering.
Feast on the word, and do it without haste. Receive the spiritual nourishment you need to prepare you as you go out into the world. At any moment, you may need to draw on your faith for wisdom, guidance, and strength.
Do not let your heart be hardened. Join with others regularly so you are strengthened for the task ahead. And whenever you gather, share your story with the next generations in an intentional and faithful way.”
We live in a world where people pay membership fees to a variety of clubs and services because they understand the value we receive from the experience. In the same way, gathering for singing, prayer, and reflection week after week forms a habit of worship that gives structure to our faith and steadies our hearts. We may not always think of worship in those terms. But we do understand the value of practices that shape us over time. Music lessons form the musician. Team practices form the athlete. Repeated gatherings form friendships. And worship forms a people who learn to remember, trust, pray, and act together.
Communal worship increases spiritual resilience. It helps us look beyond ourselves and connect with something larger: our God, who has created and continues to create. It offers hope in a world where many people struggle to imagine that change is possible. When we gather, we draw strength from the One who accompanies us. Regular spiritual practice, like worship, trains and turns our minds toward the sacred within our daily experiences and routines.
Ritual moves ordinary time into purposeful devotion. This is not a small thing. When we gather for worship, we are not simply keeping a schedule or preserving a habit. We are remembering who God is, who we are, and what we are being formed to become. We are nourished for the work of justice, strengthened for the living of these days, and sent back into the world with hope.
Receive worship as a gift and a practice. Hear the story again, make room for one another, and trust that God is still forming us into a people of liberation, compassion, and hope. This is what worship invites. We are remembering. We are being nourished. We are being formed. And when we leave this place, we are being sent—not alone, but together, as God’s people. Amen.
WE RESPOND
Over the holidays, I found myself longing to go to worship; to be in community; to hear the story of our faith. On Sunday mornings as a worshipper, I left feeling grounded in faith, strong in spirit and empowered to speak the truth of God’s love and presence.
MINISTRY OF MUSIC: VU 766 As the Deer Pants for the Water (Psalm 42) https://youtu.be/tHygpp-lc2w?si=77I84xD0wCDBkOZl
INVITATION TO THE OFFERING
The worship most acceptable to God comes from a thankful and cheerful heart. – Plutarch
We are grateful for the cheerful and softened hearts which contribute to this ministry.
Although the summer months had a more laid-back feel, we continued to be able to host EarlyOn! Pickleball, Food Cupboard, Kids camp and many other meetings and conversations.
Moving into the fall, there are many other ways that we are present in the community, offering activities that bring joy and laughter, spiritual gatherings that speak of hope, a caring presence, and conversations about faith.
Thank you to those who volunteer for a variety of tasks and projects.
Those who offer leadership in our committees and on staff,
Those who give financially to this church.
We are able to share the good news with others because you care enough to give.
Let us receive this morning’s offering.
*OFFERTORY: Worship the Lord VU 401 refrain vs 2
Refrain:
Worship the Lord (Worship the Lord)
Praise the Creator, the Spirit, the Son,
raising our hands
in devotion to God who is one!
Praying and training that we be a blessing,
and by our workmanship daily confessing:
we are committed to serving humanity,
worship and work must be one! [Refrain]
*PRAYER OF DEDICATION
God whose gifts are too numerous to name.
You invite us to respond to your love by sharing that which we have and all that we are.
Bless these our offerings to a greater cause - your purpose of bringing glimmers of joy and times of peace into this community and beyond.
In Jesus’ name Amen.
The words of the agrarian poet Wendell Berry, who died this week may we “Practice resurrection.,” by acting in ways of justice and mercy and grace.
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE (the Lord’s Prayer)
Creator God,
You have created us in your image and invite us to be in relationship with you and to share your love with those we meet throughout our days. We give thanks for those who show us that your way calls us to have empathy for all. Remind us of the dignity and respect we are called to extend to one another as we offer care for all. Help us to share out of our abundance with those who are suffering from hunger, grief, violence and oppression.
Thank you, God, that we can practice resurrection by being good stewards of the land, waters, sky,
by living our prayers for justice,
by practicing how to care for the people who are grieving their land and water right now.
We pray for those whose lands have been ravaged by fire in Spain or France and elsewhere in the world; those exposed to excessive heat in Europe and many other places.
We think of countries impacted by viruses and outbreaks of disease that run rampant.
We remember the people in Gaza (Palestine) whose tenuous water supply is getting more dangerous by the day, and offer prayers for the thousands of people of Nepal and Tibet who are in ceaseless mourning.
God of Community, give us the gift of empathy to help us to listen to the griefs and challenges that we have not experienced.
Help us to extend hospitality to the newcomers and strangers in our country and community.
Those who struggle to fit in or find a place of belonging.
As kids begin the school year, we pray for educators, administrators, bus drivers, parents and kids as they adapt to a new routine. May this transition offer learning and growth for kids and families alike. May they learn not only the content of knowledge and information but also the values of compassion, inclusion and respect.
We pray this in the name of Jesus, the one who taught us to pray saying:
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 trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory.
Forever and ever. Amen.
*CLOSING HYMN: Sing Praise to God, who has Shaped VU 221 (tune of Praise to the Lord, the Almighty) https://youtu.be/2apVGJcM-hY?si=Wu3sS5RNFY3TdnNk
*BENEDICTION
Bolstered by God’s spirit that binds us,
Strengthened by Jesus’ teaching that inspire us,
Liberated by God’s love that saves us,
We go forth to share the story of justice, hope and love.
And may the blessing of God, Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer of Life, be with you all.
Now and always, Amen.
*CHORAL COMMISSIONING: Worship the Lord VU 401 refrain vs 5
Refrain:
Worship the Lord
Praise the Creator, the Spirit, the Son,
raising our hands
in devotion to God who is one!
Now in response to the life you are giving,
help us, Creator, to offer our living,
seeking a just and a healing society,
worship and work must be one! [Refrain]
Praise The Lord With The Sound Of Trumpetwords and music by Natali...
