Worship
Coming together for worship at United is like finding water in a dry and thirsty land. That’s why we do so, not only on Sunday mornings but midweek, too!
Like a stream in the desert, worship can refresh and renew us. Each week it offers us God’s new life and hope, for ourselves and for this world. At United, worship is the center of our life together, from which everything else flows: outreach, education, care, among others.
Whether on Sunday mornings, midweek, or other times, worship at United offers that new life in different ways. Sometimes – especially in the Sunday 8:30 AM service and the midweek contemplative services – worship is like the deep, still waters that God promises in the 23rd Psalm. In the later Sunday service, worship can be like a living stream, offering life in all kinds of ways. Similarly, like on Mardi Gras and Fiesta Sundays, worship is a river, full of life and surprises.
At United, we believe all of us – regardless of age – need the living waters of worship. That’s why children and younger youth join in the first part of the late service each Sunday and why Children’s Ministry always begins with prayer and song. It’s also why we offer a number of “intergenerational” services for all ages throughout the year.
We hope you’ll join us in worship at United. Together may we be renewed by the waters of life God offers us each week.
Worship in April
Worship in Lent
The One Who Acts
Throughout Lent, the scripture lessons have centered on God’s acons: The One Who Showed. The One Who Chose. The One Who Wept. In the first week of April—the holiest of weeks—our journey takes us from the back alleys of Jerusalem to the court of Pilate to a hill called Golgotha and finally to an empty tomb. All along the way, we engage the One who connued to show us—how to live, to trust, to rise. It is a hard journey, but it can lead to new life. Join in – and invite a friend.
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Worship This Month
The One Who Gives Life - 5th Lent
8:30am (Contemplative Communion Service)
10:00am (Sanctuary)
The Prophet Ezekiel stands in the valley of dead, dry bones. God asks him, “Mortal, can these bones live?” The prophet is wise enough to know that only God knows the answer, because only God has the power to give life. (Ezekiel 37:1-10). The Prophet must also do his part to help bring about that life. So do we.
March 26
Lenten Mid-Week Communion
12:15pm
March 29
Join us in the sanctuary for a reflective communion service.
Holy Week
The One(s) Who Gave - Palm Sunday
April 2
8:30am (Contemplative Communion Service)
10:00am (Sanctuary)
Worship starts outside as we process into the Sanctuary, waving our branches and singing Hosanna. But then things change, just as they did that first Palm Sunday. Like the crowd, we head into the fear and confusion of the days that followed. But along the journey to Calvary, we encounter others, like the woman with the ointment, who overcame their fear with their love. (Matthew 26:1-16)
The One Who Overcame - Maundy Thursday
April 6
7:30pm
In John’s account of the Last Supper, Jesus washed his disciples’ feet and then told them—just hours before he was arrested, tried, and sentenced to death—that he had “overcome the world.” (John 13-16) Really, Jesus? We overcome the world by washing people’s dirty feet? The service includes Communion and ends with our youth leading us in the Tenebrae story of the Passion.
The One Who Loved This World - Good Friday
April 7
12:00 Noon
We gather at the foot of the cross to hear the full story once again, intertwined with music and the wisdom and writings of Bishop and Choctaw Elder Steven Charleston.
The One Who Still Loves This World - Easter Sunday
April 9
6:30am (Outdoor Sunrise Service)
10:00am (Sanctuary)
All age celebration of the Resurrection with choir and jazz ensemble.
"Unless I See..." - 2nd Sunday of Easter
April 16
8:30am (Contemplative Communion Service)
10:00am (Sanctuary)
“Unless I see for myself,” Thomas said to the other disciples when they told him they’d seen the Risen Christ. (John 20:24-29) But it wasn’t Jesus’ heavenly aura or shining face Thomas wanted to see. It was his wounds. He needed to know the reality of Jesus’ death before he could trust in his new life. What do we need to see?
"Their Eyes Were Kept..." - 3rd Sunday of Easter
April 23
8:30am (Contemplative Communion Service)
10:00am (Sanctuary)
Two disciples meet the Risen Christ on the road away from Jerusalem, but, “their eyes were kept from recognizing him.” (Luke 24:13-27) What keeps us?
"Their Eyes Were Kept..." - Good Shepherd Sunday
April 30
8:30am (Contemplative Communion Service)
10:00am (Sanctuary)
What voices call to us in our lives? What ones do we listen to? The Gospel is Jesus’ description of the Good Shepherd whose voice the sheep recognize and who calls them to life. (John 10:1-10) Who or what calls us?