Worship At United
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!
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Worship This Month
Follow the Star (and the Donkey, the Cat, the Dove, etc.)
December 29
10:00am (Sanctuary)
Lots of travelers had a hard time that first Christmas. Joseph and Mary ended up in Bethlehem with no place to stay. The shepherds needed a whole angel chorus to help them find their way. And the Wise Ones got off-track and ended up in King Herod’s court, because that’s where conventional wisdom told them to find a new king. (Matthew 2:1-11) This Sunday, a Readers’ Theater of children, youth, and adults offer the Epiphany story in a whole new way
Get to the Waters of Life
January 12
8:30am Contemplative Communion
10:00am (Outdoor)
Before he started down a new path of his life, Jesus first went to the life-giving waters of the Jordan River where his cousin John was baptizing people of all backgrounds and beliefs. When he baptized Jesus, Luke says that the “heaven was opened, the Holy Spirit descended like a dove, and a voice said, ‘You are my Child, the beloved.’” (Luke 3:15-17, 23-22) This Sunday, we’ll share the “Reaffirmation of our Baptismal Vows”—and listen for the same voice in our lives.
The Bible’s Light, King’s Life
January 19
8:30am Contemplative Communion
10:00am
On the day before the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Day (and the Presidential Inauguration), our worship centers on the Biblical texts that were “a light unto [King’s] path.” His witness and work were grounded in passages from the Prophet Amos – “Let justice roll down like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream.” (Amos 5:24) and from Jesus’ teachings – “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.’” (Matthew 5:42). May those same words be a light for our lives and work, too. (We also welcome Jazz Pianist Andy Kingston for this special Sunday.)
Opening Our Eyes
January 26
8:30am Contemplative Communion
10:00am
When Jesus started his ministry, he turned to the Prophet Isaiah for guidance. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,” he proclaimed in his hometown synagogue, “because God has anointed me to bring good news to the poor, release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind.” He then spent the rest of his life trying to open the eyes of others to God’s love and care for all people. (Luke 4:16-18) Perhaps that’s the first step in following Jesus’ ways—just open our eyes, too. Rev. Ben Larzelere is guest preacher.