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.
The One Who Comes
Worship in December
What – or whom—are we waiting for this Christmas? Starting the First Sunday of Advent (right after Thanksgiving ), we’ll explore that question all through Advent, not only in sermons, but also as we light
Advent candles against the shadows and sing “Come, O Come, Emmanuel” (long before singing “O Come, All ye Faithful).” We’ll tell our children stories not of elves on shelves, but of people who beat their swords into plowshares, lions that lie down with lambs, flowers that bloom in the desert, and a poor child born in a stable. Advent calls us to acknowledge the ache of our world and in our own hearts. But Advent also calls us to open our hearts—and eyes and ears—to see and hear how God is with us in our longing. Holy Waiting is Advent’s gift. Share it with friends and neighbors and invite them to worship this season.
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Worship This Month
The One Who Comes... to Transform - 2nd Advent
December 7
8:30am Contemplative Communion
10:00am
People from all over Judea and other regions flocked to the Jordan River where John was
baptizing. (Matthew 3:1-12) Why travel miles to stand in line for a brief encounter with a
man dressed in camel skins, eating locusts, and preaching a gospel of repentance? What
were they seeking? Maybe it was the prophet’s vision of the “peaceable kingdom,” where
lions and lambs lay down together and a little child would lead them (Isaiah 11:1-10)
Perhaps they wanted nothing less than a whole new world.
The One Who Comes... to the Desert - Joyous Advent
December 14
8:30am Contemplative Communion
10:00am
In our annual “Lessons and Carols” service, we engage two songs from desert times
and places. In the midst of the devastation of his people and the land, the prophet Isai-
ah breaks into a song about the desert blooming and rejoicing. (Isaiah 35) Living un-
der Roman oppression, young Mary sings of a God who has remembered all who are
oppressed and hungry. (Luke 1:46-55) What signs of God’s presence do we see in our
wilderness time? The scripture translations are from the new First Nations Version:
An Indigenous Translation of The Bible, along with readings from Steven Charleston,
Joy Harjo, and other Native American theologians and poets.
Vamos Vamos Todos a Belén - A Francis and Clare Christmas - 4th Sunday of Advent
December 21
8:30am Contemplative Communion
10:00am
Nativity Scenes, portraying Mary, Joseph, the Christ Child, shepherds, angels, kings, and the rest of the Christmas characters have been a part of Christmas for centuries. But in the Middle Ages, the story of Christ’s birth was confined to the Latin liturgy of the church. Francis and Clare of Assisi, two ordinary people with extraordinary vision, wanted to make Jesus’ story come alive for all people. One Christmas Eve, they welcomed ordinary people (and animals) from their town to portray this holy story. Kids and Youth United (with help from a few adults), offer us the “First Living Nativity,” inviting us all to “Vamos Todos a Belén!” (We also celebrate the baptism of Blanca Surgeon’s grandbaby!)
Candles and Carols Christmas Eve Service
December 25
5:00pm
Candlelight Service
December 25
7:00pm