Entering Into Sacred Space

Call to Worship: Call From Beyond by Susan Maginn, read by Brendan Shea

Welcome and Greeting: Brendan Shea

Chalice Lighting: Chalice Lighting For Challenging Times, by Lisa Doege

Covenant:

Love is the heart of this church.
We commit to:
Being a diverse, welcoming community of mutual care and respect;
Supporting each other's spiritual journey and search for truth and meaning;
Promoting justice and serving the wider community.
We hold ourselves to this promise with compassion and understanding.

Hymn #65: The Sweet June Days

The sweet June days are come again; once more the glad earth yields
its golden wealth of rip’ning grain, and breath of clover fields
and deep’ning shade of summer woods, and glow of summer air,
and winging thoughts and happy moods of love and joy and prayer.

The sweet June days are come again; the birds are on the wing;
bright anthems, in their merry strain, unconsciously they sing.
Oh, how our cup o’er brims with good these happy summer days;
for all the joys of field and wood we lift our song of praise.

Time for All Ages: Poem by Terry Carter

Building Beloved Community

Candles of Joys, Sorrows and Milestones: Brendan Shea

Hymn #93: To Mercy, Pity, Peace, and Love

To Mercy, Pity, Peace, and Love
all pray in their distress,
and to those virtues of delight
return their thankfulness— return their thankfulness.

For Mercy has a human heart,
and Pity a human face;
and Love, the human form divine,
and Peace, the human dress— and Peace, the human dress.

Then every one, of every clime,
that prays in deep distress,
prays to the human form divine —
Love, Mercy, Pity, Peace — Love, Mercy, Pity, Peace

Reading: poetry reading by Terry Carter

Sermon: Across The Threshold: Can We Get There From Here?, poetry and homily by Terry Carter

Sending Forth

Hymn #1: May Nothing Evil Cross This Door

May nothing evil cross this door,
and may ill fortune never pry about
these windows; may the roar
and rain go by.

By faith made strong, the rafters will
withstand the battering of the storm.
This hearth, though all the world grow chill,
will keep you warm.

Peace shall walk softly through these rooms,
touching our lips with holy wine,
till every casual corner blooms
into a shrine.

With laughter drown the raucous shout,
and, though these sheltering walls are thin,
may they be strong to keep hate out
and hold love in.

Closing Words: Terry Carter

Parting Music: Alex Cumming