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10:00 AM Service June 29, 2025
PRELUDE
WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
RINGING OF THE BELL
Please rise as you are able.
THANKSGIVING FOR BAPTISM
Blessed be the holy Trinity, one God, the fountain of living water,
the rock who gave us birth, our light and our salvation. Amen.
Joined to Christ in the waters of baptism, we are clothed with God's mercy and forgiveness. Let us give thanks for the gift of baptism.
Water may be poured into the font as the presiding minister gives thanks.
We give you thanks, O God, for in the beginning your Spirit moved over the waters and by your Word you created the world, calling forth life in which you took delight.
Through the waters of the flood you delivered Noah and his family.
Through the sea you led your people Israel from slavery into freedom. At the river your Son was baptized by John and anointed with the Holy Spirit. By water and your Word you claim us as daughters and sons, making us heirs of your promise and servants of all.
We praise you for the gift of water that sustains life, and above all we praise you for the gift of new life in Jesus Christ. Shower us with your Spirit, and renew our lives with your forgiveness, grace, and love.
To you be given honor and praise through Jesus Christ our Lord in the unity of the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.
GATHERING HYMN “To Be Your Presence” Hymn #546
GREETING
The grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.
And also with you.
HYMN OF PRAISE
For peace in the world, for the health of the church, for the unity of all; for this holy house, for all who worship and praise, let us pray to the Lord, let us pray to the Lord.
Refrain
That we may live out your impassioned response to the hungry and the poor; that we may live out truth and justice and grace, let us pray to the Lord, let us pray to the Lord.
Refrain
For peace in our hearts, for peace in our homes, for friends and family; for life and for love, for our work and our play, let us pray to the Lord, let us pray to the Lord.
Refrain
For your Spirit to guide; that you center our lives in the water and the Word; that you nourish our souls with your body and blood, let us pray to the Lord, let us pray to the Lord.
Refrain
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Let us pray. Sovereign God, ruler of all hearts, you call us to obey you, and you favor us with true freedom. Keep us faithful to the ways of your Son, that, leaving behind all that hinders us, we may steadfastly follow your paths, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
Please be seated.
WORD
FIRST READING Acts 7:44-8:4
(Stephen proclaimed,)44Our ancestors had the tent of testimony in the wil-derness, as God directed when he spoke to Moses, ordering him to make it according to the pattern he had seen. 45Our ancestors in turn brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations that God drove out before our ancestors. And it was there until the time of David, 46who found favor with God and asked that he might find a dwelling place for the house of Jacob. 47But it was Solomon who built a house for him. 48Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made with human hands as the prophet says, 49'Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord, or what is the place of my rest? 50Did not my hand make all these things?' 51You stiff-necked people, uncircum-cised in heart and ears, you are forever opposing the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors used to do. 52Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute? They killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, and now you have become his betrayers and murderers. 53You are the ones that received the law as ordained by angels, and yet you have not kept it." 54When they heard these things, they became enraged and ground their teeth at Stephen. 55But filled with the Holy Spirit, he gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56Look, he said, "I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!" 57But they covered their ears, and with a loud shout all rushed together against him. 58Then they dragged him out of the city and began to stone him; and the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59While they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." 60Then he knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he died.
1And Saul approved of their killing him. That day a severe persecution be-gan against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scat-tered throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria. 2Devout men bur-ied Stephen and made loud lamentation over him. 3But Saul was ravaging the church by entering house after house; dragging off both men and women, he committed them to prison. 4Now those who were scattered went from place to place, proclaiming the word.
Word of God, word of Life. Thanks be to God.
PSALM Psalm 16
REFRAIN
1 Protect me, O God, for I take refuge in you; I have said to the Lord,
“You are my Lord, my good above all other.” 2 All my delight is in the godly that are in the land, upon those who are
noble among the people. 3 But those who run after other gods shall have their troubles
multiplied. 4 I will not pour out drink offerings to such gods, never take their names upon my lips.
REFRAIN
5 O Lord, you are my portion and my cup; it is you who uphold my lot. 6 My boundaries enclose a pleasant land; indeed, I have a rich
inheritance. 7 I will bless the Lord who gives me counsel; my heart teaches me night
after night. 8 I have set the Lord always before me; because God is at my right hand, I
shall not be shaken.
REFRAIN
9 My heart, therefore, is glad, and my spirit rejoices; my body also shall rest
in hope. 10 For you will not abandon me to the grave, nor let your holy one see the
pit. 11 You will show me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy,
and in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
REFRAIN
SECOND READING Acts 8:26-40
26Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Get up and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." (This is a wilderness road.) 27So he got up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her en-tire treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship 28and was returning home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29Then the Spirit said to Philip, "Go over to this chariot and join it." 30So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?" 31He replied, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him. 32Now the passage of the scripture that he was reading was this:
"Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter, and like a lamb silent before its shearer, so he does not open his mouth. 33In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth." 34The eunuch asked Philip, "About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?" 35Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus. 36As they were going along the road, they came to some wa-ter; and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?" 38He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. 39When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.
40But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he was passing through the region, he proclaimed the good news to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.
Word of God. Word of Life Thanks be to God.
CHILDREN’S SERMON Rev. Judi Miller
SERMON Rev. Judi Miller
HYMN OF THE DAY “Shine, Jesus, Shine” Hymn #671
Please rise as you are able
THE APOSTLES’ CREED
Together with the whole church, we confess our faith:
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s 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,
He is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come 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.
THE PRAYERS
. . . God of grace Hear our prayers.
THE PEACE
The peace of Christ be with you always.
And also with you.
Let us share the peace with one another.
OFFERING
OFFERING MUSIC “Go to the World” Choir
Please rise as you are able as the offering is brought forward.
OFFERING PRAYER
Let us pray. Blessed are you, O God, ruler of heaven and earth. Day by day you shower us with blessings. As you have raised us to new life in Christ, give us glad and generous hearts, ready to praise you and to respond to those in need, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer (Sung)
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
BENEDICTION
The love of God abound in you; the grace of our Savior Jesus Christ fill your hearts; and the life of the Spirit bless you and give you peace.
SENDING HYMN “Rise Up, O Saints of God” Hymn # 669
DISMISSAL
Go in peace. Live by the Spirit!
Thanks be to God.
POSTLUDE
Our thanks to those who serve as our worship leaders today:
Our Reader—Dottie Gilbert
Our Liturgist—Don Gillett
Organist—Jimmy Cheung
Choir and Hand Bell Director—Wendy Kuenemann
Pastor—Rev. Christopher Steubing