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
Holy Ground
August 30
8:30am Contemplative Communion
10:00am Sanctuary Service
(livestreamed)
When Moses the Sheepherder sees a bush burning in the desert—that doesn’t burn up—he also hears a voice telling him to take off his shoes for he is on holy ground. (Exodus 3:1-15) What would we do if we regarded all ground, all the Earth, as holy? Moses gave up his shoes. What would we give up to show our respect and awe for this holy planet? Good questions for the Sunday of our Church’s Annual Meeting.
Knowing God at Work - Labor Day Sunday
September 6
8:30am Contemplative Communion
10:00am Sanctuary Service
(livestreamed)
Moses was minding his own business, tending his uncle’s sheep when God appeared to him as a burning bush. (Exodus 3:1-2) Mary was also minding her own business, tending house, when the angel Gabriel showed up with astounding news. (Luke 1:26-28) On this Sunday before Labor Day, how have we known God’s presence in our everyday work? United members share their own experiences, with Rev. Jeff Hopson as worship leader. We also share Communion in both services.
Bendice al Señor, alma mía | Bless the Lord, O my soul
September 13
8:30am Contemplative Communion
10:00am Sanctuary Service
(livestreamed)
Psalm 103 is filled with thanksgiving. “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not God’s benefits.” Remember how God saved our ancestors in the wilderness. Remember how God has healed and restored you. “Bless the Lord, O my soul.” A great text for the beginning of a new church year. We welcome Rev. Jeff Hopson as guest preacher, and the 10:00 Choir starts a new year of helping lead worship.
Worthy of the Gift
September 20
8:30am Contemplative Communion
10:00am Sanctuary Service
(livestreamed)
In one of his last letters to early Christian churches, the Apostle Paul wrestled with his own commitment to the faith, and especially to following Jesus’ way of life while living under the Empire’s ways of death. (Letter to the Philippians 1:21-30) Staying faithful wasn’t easy—and it still isn’t. What might the Apostle have to teach us in our time?
A Hymn of Humility
September 27
8:30am Contemplative Communion
10:00am Sanctuary Service
(livestreamed)
Early in his letter to the church in the wealthy Greek city of Philippi, Paul reminds the Philippians (and us) about who Jesus was and what he chose. (Philippians 2:1-13) That church, like United, was surrounded by the empire’s signs of wealth and power. But Paul called them to focus on the One whose power surpassed the empire’s. The One who chose a different way for the sake of this world. A good passage for the Sunday before St. Francis Day.
The Love that Moves the Sun and All Starts
October 4
8:30am Contemplative Communion
10:00am Sanctuary Service
(livestreamed)
“All praise be Yours through Brother Sun, Sister Moon,” proclaimed Francis of Assisi. He echoed the long-ago Psalmist who praised the Creator for creating everything from rocks and mountains to the rock badgers who live there. (Psalm 104) We join that chorus of praise with all Creation as we gather outside for both the 8:30 and 10:00 services—and bless our animals, too.