Orangeville United Church - Orangeville, PA

06/14/2026

Orangeville Charge United Church of Christ June 14, 2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cChkcLA8l0
Call to Worship (inspired by Psalm 116)
Leader: We call on the Holy One as long as we live! What shall we return to the Holy One for
God’s bounty to us?
All: With love and laughter, we praise the Holy One!
Leader: What shall we return to the Holy One for God’s bounty to us?
All: Lifting the cup of salvation and offering a sacrifice of thanksgiving, we praise the
Holy One!
Leader: What shall we return to the Holy One for God’s bounty to us?
All: With the fruit of our worship and the fruit of our lives, we praise the Holy One!

Please rise in Body or Spirit
Hymn: #543 The Family of God

Peace Candle St. James

Children’s Message St. James

Gathering Prayer
God who calls us, we are here, here to serve, and here to worship. We are here to sing and to
pray, to let the word resound in us and the community to envelop us. We are here, O God, to
know you and be known by you. We enter with thanksgiving and praise. We enter in safety of
love and hope of peace. Holy One, we respond to your call. We are here. Amen.

Confession
God of Grace, we give you thanks for love that transcends our shortcomings, that greets
us with mercy, and that offers the possibility of transformed life. Plant seeds in us that
will stretch our faith in you and in us. Nurture us to live miraculous lives. Let our faith
and our work join with your power to make us fruitful despite our limitations, doubts, and
fears. May the fruit we produce add sustenance and hope in your kindom. Amen.

Mutual Assurance
Gracious ones, you may receive the nourishment and encouragement of God to be fruitful even
when the Holy One amazes us beyond expectation and dream. God is with us in season and
out of season. Expect an abundant and bountiful harvest to witness to God’s grace at work in
and through us.
Congregation: Let go of your fears and doubts. God pours God’s love on you, in you and
through you to others.

Gloria Patri

Passing of the Peace

Readings
Psalm 100
Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth. Serve the LORD with gladness; come into his presence with singing. Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people and
the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him; bless his name. For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever and his faithfulness to all generations.

Text Intro

Matthew 9:35-10:8
Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest." Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his
brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus and Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananaean and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him. These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: "Do not take a road leading to gentiles, and do not enter a Samaritan town, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, proclaim the good news, 'The kingdom of heaven has come near.' Cure the sick; raise the dead; cleanse those with a skin disease; cast out demons. You
received without payment; give without payment.

Message:

Affirmation
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus
Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin
Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to
the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, is seated at the right
hand of the Father and will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the
Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Hymn: #661 Rescue the Perishing

Pastoral Prayer/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
debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from
evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
Offering

Invitation
What shall we return to the Holy One for God’s bounty to us? God calls us to live fruitful
and faithful lives that witness to and spread the good news of the kindom in the world.
God provides for our needs abundantly so that all may flourish. May we use the bounty
that we receive as gifts to share rather than as resources to hoard. Let generosity, trust,
and hope guide us to support the ministry of this faith community and the wider church.

Doxology

Unison Dedication
Faithful God, thank you for the gifts we receive and that we give. Bless them so
that needs will be met, your beloved will experience communal embrace, and you
will be honored and glorified. Amen.

Please rise in Body or Spirit
Hymn: #636 The Light of the World is Jesus

Benediction
May laughter and love fill your heart and joy and peace flow like a mighty river from you as you
share the glory of God in hope and peace boasting in the goodness of God and de lighting in the
wonders of God As you work the harvest of the kingdom Go, and be fruitful in the power of God
Shall I Be Fruitful? Service Prayers for the Third Sunday after Pentecost Year A was written by the Rev. Dr. Cheryl A. Lindsay

Next Week’s Gospel
Matthew 10:24-39

Morning service 8:45 am

06/13/2026

Pastor Mark recorded a message for us this week ... please click the link ... Patti

06/04/2026

Weekend announcements
Orangeville United Church will be holding an indoor yard sale on Saturday June 6 from 9-2

Orangeville United Church Charge will be holding a 10:30 joint service at St. James on Sunday June 7 … The bells will be playing. The service is followed by a potluck picnic.

Psalm 39 1-12_ Benton
If you have nothing nice to say,
say nothing at all.
Watch your tongue, kiddo,
or I’ll watch it for you.
These voices I’ve internalized from childhood,
so I kept it all inside, never conceding pain.
But holding my peace didn’t stop
the fire building in my gut
until it burst brightly from my too-tied tongue.
Holy One! When can I die
and be able to let all this go?
Does everyone feel as invisible
as I’ve made myself?
Are all of us hiding
our deepest selves,
trying to “be good” as we’ve been taught?
Are you happy yet?
But wait—they told me it was you!
That you’re the one who demanded
my silence and deceit. And so,
while I’ve asked you, O God, to stop
the lashing and loathing,
it’s really these voices—within and around me.
Stop!
So hear my prayer, Holy One,
even though my tongue is fiery.
And share my passion!
I’m here. Are you?

05/31/2026

5-31-2026 Orangeville Charge United Church of Christ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ex1iZHeHn4&t=1052s
Call to Worship (inspired by Psalm 8)
Leader: O Holy One, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
All: We admire the work of your hands in awe and thanksgiving!
Leader: O Holy One, our Redeemer, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
All: Who are we that you come to us, empower us, and give us rest?
Leader: O Holy One, our Companion, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
All: Let us worship the Triune God with honor and glory! How majestic are your many
names in all the earth!

Please rise in Body or Spirit
Hymn: #507 Come, All Christians, Be Committed

Peace Candle St. James

Children’s Message St. James

Gathering Prayer
Voice, Body, Spirit, we acknowledge your presence gathering us together as your church. Today,
we join in worship. May we encounter you anew. We find a good place in you and with one
another. You have made us in your image and enabled us to be in community with you, O God,
as people called to service, justice, and caretaking. Let your name be praised. Let us receive
your word. Let us embrace and live your truth. Amen.

Confession
Creator, we give thanks that creation does not end; it rests. In your created order, rest is
often the time and space necessary for renewal. Transformation happens in rest. Too
often, we adopt the pace of the world that adopts hurry as normative and beneficial. Yet,
we know, Holy Love, that when you began the work of creation, it served to bring order
out of chaos, and it was good. As we seek your goodness today, we confess that we live
in chaotic times. We affirm that you have charged us to care for this creation and have
made us like you. Use us then to bring order in a chaotic world and to use rest as a
necessary step for transformation and renewal. Help us discern the balance of rest and
work that will yield good fruit. Amen.

Mutual Assurance
Leader: Beloved, the God of Many Names has declared you good. You need not seek
perfection. Creator has called you as a co-worker in the continual progressive acts of shaping
the beloved community envisioned. The Holy One is with us in our work and with us in our rest.
Congregation: Let go of your fears and doubts. God pours God’s love on you, in you and
through you to others.

Gloria Patri

Passing of the Peace

Readings
Romans 12:9-16b
Let love be genuine; hate what is evil; hold fast to what is good; Love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal; be ardent in spirit; serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; pursue hospitality to strangers. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be arrogant, but associate with the lowly;

Text Intro

Luke 1:39-57
In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord." And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowly state of his servant. Surely from now on all
generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name; Indeed, his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty. He has come to the aid of his child Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever." And Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home. Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son.

Message:

Affirmation
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus
Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin
Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to
the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, is seated at the right
hand of the Father and will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the
Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Hymn: #77 Be Still My Soul

Pastoral Prayer/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
debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from
evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

Offering

Invitation
Generous God, just as you provided for all our needs in your creative acts, you have made us caretakers of your good creation. Let us accept the call to faithful discipleship, the opportunity to trust in your provision, and the generous nature you have embedded in us.

Doxology

Unison Dedication
Generous God, Receive our gifts as acts of participation in your continuing creation. Amen.

Please rise in Body or Spirit
Hymn: # 669 Hear the Voice of Jesus Calling

Benediction
Find rest in the love of God. Choose rest by the grace of God. Embrace rest by the power of
God. Trust rest because of the provision of God and know that the God of rest goes with you to
love and serve God’s creation.
Rest Made Holy: Service Prayers for Trinity Sunday Year A was written by the Rev. Dr. Cheryl A. Lindsay

Next Week’s Gospel

Morning service 8:30 am

05/27/2026

5-31-2026 message from Pastor Mark
Psalm 104:24-34
24 O Lord, how manifold are your works!
In wisdom you have made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
25 There is the sea, great and wide;
creeping things innumerable are there,
living things both small and great.
26 There go the ships
and Leviathan that you formed to sport in it.
27 These all look to you
to give them their food in due season;
28 when you give to them, they gather it up;
when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
29 When you hide your face, they are dismayed;
when you take away their breath, they die
and return to their dust.
30 When you send forth your spirit,[a]

they are created,

and you renew the face of the ground.
31 May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
may the Lord rejoice in his works—
32 who looks on the earth and it trembles,
who touches the mountains and they smoke.
33
I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
34 May my meditation be pleasing to him,
for I rejoice in the Lord.
Footnotes
a. 104.30 Or your breath

Psalm 104:35
35 Let sinners be consumed from the earth,
and let the wicked be no more.
Bless the Lord, O my soul.
Praise the Lord!

Numbers 11:24-30
24 So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord, and he gathered seventy of the
elders of the people and placed them all around the tent. 25 Then the Lord came down in the
cloud and spoke to him and took some of the spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy
elders, and when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But they did not do so again.
26 Two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad and the other named Medad, and the spirit
rested on them; they were among those registered, but they had not gone out to the tent, so
they prophesied in the camp. 27 And a young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are
prophesying in the camp.” 28 And Joshua son of Nun, the assistant of Moses, one of his chosen
men,[a] said, “My lord Moses, stop them!” 29 But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my

sake? Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put his spirit on
them!” 30 And Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp.
Footnotes
a. 11.28 Or of Moses from his youth
Moses was trying to carry the whole load for his people, but it was too much. Fortunately he got
good advice and was able to hand off many things to the 70 elders. But the spirit did not stay
only with the official people who were supposed to receive it, but it sought out others who were
not part of the official power structure. WE too have a tendency to put too much on our leaders
and often don’t listen to those people whom the spirit has touched who are not official leaders.
But God is not confined by our definitions of who is speaking for him and who is not.
John 7:37-39
37 On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, “Let
anyone who is thirsty come to me, 38 and let the one who believes in me drink. As[a]

the scripture
has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart[b] shall flow rivers of living water.’ ” 39 Now he said this about
the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive, for as yet there was no Spirit[c] because Jesus
was not yet glorified.
Footnotes
a. 7.38 Or come to me and drink. The one who believes in me, as
b. 7.38 Gk out of his belly
c. 7.39 Other ancient authorities read for as yet the Spirit (others, Holy Spirit) had not been
given
God Bless
Pastor Mark

05/24/2026

5-25-2026 Orangeville Charge United Church of Christ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiyXvUAZhbA&t=205s
Call to Worship (inspired by Psalm 104)
Leader: How manifold are the works of the Holy One! In wisdom, God has made them all; the
earth is full of God’s creatures.
All: May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the Creator rejoice in God’s works!
Leader: How beautiful are the works of the Holy One! In love, God has formed them all;
the earth is full of God’s beloved.
All: I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to our God while I have
being.
Leader: How wonderful are the works of the Holy One! In peace and hope, God has renewed
them all; the earth is full of God’s redeemed.
All: May our meditation be pleasing to Spirit, Rejoice in the Holy One!

Please rise in Body or Spirit
Hymn: #576 Thou, Whose Purpose Is to Kindle

Peace Candle St. James

Children’s Message St. James

Gathering Prayer
Living Water, quench our thirst. Fill us from the wellspring of your love. Refresh us in the
unending flow of your grace. Immerse us in the vastness of your kindom like drops in the ocean.
We live in awe of your majesty and in humility at your presence among us. Revive us again as
on the Day of Pentecost and drench your church in resurrection power. Amen.

Confession
Spirit of the Living God, draw us together into the place where your Spirit awaits us.
Guide us in your direction so that as we gather, we experience the unity that comes from
shared hope and mutual understanding. Fill us with more questions than answers and
open our minds to visions and dreams of a world transformed in your love and peace and
infused with your hope and joy. For your name and glory, we pray for new life in you.
Amen.

Mutual Assurance
Leader: Body of Christ, the Spirit is with us as Comforter, Counselor, and Conscience. The Holy
One will continue to demonstrate the way and amaze us with deeds of power and grace,
strength and mercy, might and compassion. Receive the gift of new possibilities, unity in Christ,
and transformation for the world through witness, justice, and love.
Congregation: Let go of your fears and doubts. God pours God’s love on you, in you and
through you to others.

Gloria Patri
Passing of the Peace

Readings
1 Corinthians 12:3b-13
No one can say "Jesus is Lord" except by the Holy Spirit. Now there are varieties of gifts but the same Spirit, and there are varieties of services but the same Lord, and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of power deeds, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses. For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body,
though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--Jews or Greeks, slaves or free-- and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

Text Intro

John 20:19-23
When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors were locked
where the disciples had were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and
said, "Peace be with you." After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."

Message:

Affirmation
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus
Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin
Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to
the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, is seated at the right
hand of the Father, and will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the
Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Hymn: #161 Breathe On Me Breath of God

Pastoral Prayer/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
debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from
evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

Offering

Invitation
Psalm 104:27-28 states, “These all look to you to give them their food in due season;
when you give to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with
good things.” As your gathered body, we give and open hands and hearts to share the
good things you have given to us. We give in abundance and in sacrifice so that all needs
are met. Let us give in thanksgiving and commitment to the church and the world.

Doxology

Unison Dedication
Spirit, receive these gifts for the mutual flourishing of all the creatures of earth and
the benefit of your kindom. Sustain us as caretakers, prosper our work, and stir the
gifts in us. Amen.

Please rise in Body or Spirit
Hymn: #682 A Song of Peace

Benediction

Having been quenched and ignited by Spirit and united in the waters of the baptized life let us
go from this gathering as members of the Body of Christ— Together even when distant,
understanding and understood across difference, resolved beyond fear and empowered by the
Spirit, joyful in amazement and in mystery, visioning, prophesying, dreaming as on the Day of
Pentecost
Who Is Thirsty: Service Prayers for the Day of Pentecost Year A was written by the Rev. Dr. Cheryl A. Lindsay

Next Week’s Gospel
Luke 1:39-57

Morning sertvice 8:45 am

05/23/2026

5-22-2026 message from Pastor Mark
Let's Dance - Vince Amlin
[Jesus said,] “Everyone, then, who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall because it had been founded on rock.” - Matthew 7:24-25 (NRSV)
“I dance during earthquakes,” my friend Camila tells me. I’m not sure I’ve heard her right. We are walking down the street in Santiago, Chile, a city whose eastern perimeter traces the San Ramon fault. A city which has been destroyed at least three times by her dancing partner. A city for whom the question of the next big one is not if, but when.
Yet, during my stay, Camila is just one of several Santiaguinos to express a kind of affection for these natural disasters. Or at least a fearlessness in the face of them. As another friend tells me, Chileans have become experts in seismic engineering. There is no safer place to be in an earthquake than in her city.
That’s the kind of faith that Jesus offers his listeners. Not one that promises shelter away from the storm. But one that builds along the fault line with confidence, trusting the engineering. Trusting the engineer.
A faith that knows that in life the question of the next big storm is always when, not if. But knows that when the rains start to fall, the winds start to blow, and the earth moves under your feet, that’s the cue to start the music. Because there is no safer place to be.
Prayer
Lord, you will turn my mourning into dancing.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Vince Amlin is co-pastor of Bethany UCC in Chicago.

05/20/2026

Announcement
Sunday is Pentecost Sunday. Please wear something red. It doesn’t have to be something
big.
Psalm 99
1 The Lord is king; let the peoples tremble!
He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake!
2 The Lord is great in Zion;
he is exalted over all the peoples.
3 Let them praise your great and awesome name.
Holy is he!
4 Mighty King,[a]

lover of justice,
you have established equity;
you have executed justice
and righteousness in Jacob.
5 Extol the Lord our God;
worship at his footstool.
Holy is he!
6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests,
Samuel also was among those who called on his name.
They cried to the Lord, and he answered them.
7 He spoke to them in the pillar of cloud;
they kept his decrees
and the statutes that he gave them.
8 O Lord our God, you answered them;
you were a forgiving God to them
but an avenger of their wrongdoings.
9 Extol the Lord our God,
and worship at his holy mountain,
for the Lord our God is holy.
Footnotes
a. 99.4 Cn: Heb And a king’s strength

1 Kings 8:54-65
54 Now when Solomon finished offering all this prayer and this plea to the Lord, he arose from
facing the altar of the Lord, where he had knelt with hands outstretched toward heaven; 55 he
stood and blessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice:
56
“Blessed be the Lord, who has given rest to his people Israel according to all that he
promised; not one word has failed of all his good promise that he spoke through his servant
Moses. 57 The Lord our God be with us, as he was with our ancestors; may he not leave us or
abandon us, 58 but incline our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways and to keep his
commandments, his statutes, and his ordinances that he commanded our ancestors. 59 Let
these words of mine, with which I pleaded before the Lord, be near to the Lord our God day and
night, and may he maintain the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel, as each
day requires, 60 so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God; there is no
other.
61 Therefore devote yourselves completely to the Lord our God, walking in his statutes and
keeping his commandments, as at this day.”

62 Then the king and all Israel with him offered sacrifice before the Lord. 63 Solomon offered as
sacrifices of well-being to the Lord twenty-two thousand oxen and one hundred twenty thousand
sheep. So the king and all the people of Israel dedicated the house of the Lord. 64 The same day
the king consecrated the middle of the court that was in front of the house of the Lord, for there

he offered the burnt offerings and the grain offerings and the fat pieces of the sacrifices of well-
being, because the bronze altar that was before the Lord was too small to receive the burnt

offerings and the grain offerings and the fat pieces of the sacrifices of well-being.
65 So Solomon held the festival at that time and all Israel with him—a great assembly, people
from Lebo-hamath to the Wadi of Egypt—before the Lord our God, seven days.[a]
Footnotes
a. 8.65 Compare Gk: Heb seven days and seven days, fourteen days

John 3:31-36
31 The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is of the earth belongs to the earth
and speaks about earthly things. The one who comes from heaven is above all. 32 He testifies to
what he has seen and heard, yet no one accepts his testimony.

33 Whoever has accepted his

testimony has certified[a]

this, that God is true. 34 He whom God has sent speaks the words of
God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. 35 The Father loves the Son and has placed all
things in his hands. 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever disobeys the Son
will not see life but must endure God’s wrath.
Footnotes
a. 3.33 Gk set a seal to
“he gives the Spirit without measure”
This is a comforting thought. God gives the spirit without measure. That means that there
is no rationing of the spirit or a limited amount of spirit available to do God’s works. The
only limits are our belief in the goodness of God and our willingness to seek the spirit to
serve him.
God Bless
Mark

05/18/2026

May 17, 2026 Orangeville Charge United Church of Christ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkOKbJNUgpY&t=61s
Call to Worship (inspired by Psalm 68)
Leader: Let God rise up! Sing to God; lift up a song to the One who rides upon the clouds–the
Holy One– be exultant before God.
All: Let the righteous be joyful; let them exult before God; let them be jubilant with joy!
Leader: Let God rise up! Ascribe power to God, full of majesty and power.
All: Let the righteous be joyful; let them exult before God; let them be jubilant with joy!
Leader: Let God rise up! Awesome is God in the sanctuary, who gives power and strength to the
people.
All: Let the righteous be joyful; let them exult before God; let them be jubilant with joy!
Blessed be God!

Please rise in Body or Spirit
Hymn: #345 Crown Him With Many Crowns

Peace Candle St. James

Children’s Message St. James

Gathering Prayer
Holy Love, our Companion and Source, shower us with your presence, shelter us in your
sanctuary, shield us with your peace. Open our receptivity to your word, wisdom, and way. May
our worship honor your name and draw us nearer to you and to our neighbors. Be glorified in
our midst as we exalt your Many Names. Amen.

Confession
Righteous God, you offer the newness of life and we cling to dry and desolate places. We
withhold our trust and cling to the ways of the world while retreating from witnessing to
your goodness in the world. We allow hopelessness to reign in our lives and direct our
attitudes and actions. Help us, O God, to believe that resurrection is not a one time event
but a way of being we commit to living. Let the resurrected live in us transform our being,
thinking, and doing in the world. Amen.

Mutual Assurance
Leader: New Creation in Christ, the resurrected life is yours. We place our hope in the
assurance that, in Christ, all things are made new. Change is possible. The world we seek is
ours to build, nurture, and sustain. God has given us grace and authority as well as a
Companion to make a difference in the world. Receive these gifts freely as they are given.
Congregation: Let go of your fears and doubts. God pours God’s love on you, in you and
through you to others.

Gloria Patri

Passing of the Peace

Readings
Acts 1:6-14
So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, is this the time when you will
restore the kingdom to Israel?" He replied, "It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of
their sight. While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white
robes stood by them. They said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into
heaven." Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a
Sabbath day's journey away. When they had entered the city, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying: Peter, and John, and James, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers.

Text Intro

John 17:1-11
After Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed. "I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you have given me is from you, for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you, and they have believed that you sent me. I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world but on behalf of those
whom you gave me, because they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them.

Message:

Affirmation

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus
Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin
Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to
the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, is seated at the right
hand of the Father, and will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the
Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Hymn: #623 The Longer I Serve Him

Pastoral Prayer/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
debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from
evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

Offering

Invitation
Our commitments in the world are tangible and spiritual. Let us bring our whole selves to
contribute to the kindom of God, including material resources, as a faithful act of hope,
trust, and companionship in this community and in the world.

Doxology

Unison Dedication

Generous God, may these gifts we bring be used to bless, to build, and to beautify
through generous and faithful care. Amen.

Please rise in Body or Spirit
Hymn: #82 Victory In Jesus

Benediction
Receive the power of the Holy Spirit and witness to Holy Love in Columbia County, in
Pennsylvania, in the United States and to the ends of the earth. The gospel calls your light
forward, as you go, in the world.
In the World: Service Prayers for the Seventh Sunday in Easter Year A was written by the Rev. Dr. Cheryl A.
Lindsay

Next Week’s Gospel
John 20:19-23

Morning service 8 am