Second Sunday of Easter

Thought for Reflection: Doubt isn't the opposite of faith; it is an element of faith. --Paul Tillich

Invocation: Lay Reader, Dan Lupfer

Scripture Reading: 1 Peter 1:3-9 (Page 983) John 20:19-31 (Page 883)

Sermon: Closer and Closer: Reach Out and Touch Rev Anna Flowers, Special Request: Jill Tackas

Benediction by Rev. Anna Flowers

 

Easter Sunday - Love Wins

Thought for Reflection: "Jesus's resurrection is the beginning of God's new project not to snatch people away from earth to heaven but to colonize earth with the life of heaven. That, after all, is what the Lord's Prayer is about."

― N.T. Wright

Scripture Reading John 20:1-18 (Page 882)

Scripture Story for All Ages: The Resurrection from Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, John 20

Sermon: Love Wins

Benediction by Rev. Anna Flowers

Hallelujah Chorus by Handel, sung by members and guests of United Church in Walpole

Today we welcome Jeanne G Pocius Dorismond, trumpeter and Sarah Ibbett, violinist.

Maundy Thursday Service of the Lord's Supper and Tenebrae

The Service of the Lord's Supper

1: The Passover

2: The New Commandment

3: The Lord's Supper

4: Jesus Words of Farewell

5: The Shadow of Gethsemane

6: The Shadow of Desertion

7: The Shadow of Denial

8: The Shadow of Accusation

9: The Shadow of Crucifixion

10: The Shadow of Exploitation

11: The Shadow of Despair

12: The Shadow of Death

13: The Shadow of the Tomb

Readers: 1: Rev Anna Flowers, 2: Dan Lupfer, 3: Jean Augusta, 4: Julie Bushway, 5: Doug Owens, 6: Linda Sheehan, 7: Linda Sulkala, 8: Dan Lupfer, 9: Jen Owens, 10: Nancy Delaney, 11: Marjorie Dold, 12: Bob Bushway, 13: Deb Schoenthaler

 

Palm Sunday

Thought for Reflection: "Hosannah, Christ enters our lives! Blessings are here. Yet haunting truths lurk in the shadows: Jesus does not survive the Jerusalem pilgrimage. Death comes even to the most innocent and loving of humanity. Celebration and sorrow intermingle in our world." -- Mary J. Scifres

Scripture Reading Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29 (Page 492), Matthew 21:1-11 (Page 802)

Sermon by Rev Anna Flowers: Journey to the Cross: Entering Jerusalem

Benediction by Rev. Anna Flowers

 

Thought for Reflection: "Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me... Anything can happen, child. Anything can be." ― Shel Silverstein

Scripture Reading Ezekiel 37:1-14 (Page 704) by Rev. Cynthia Maybeck

Sermon: Journey to the Cross: Breath to Bones  by Rev. Cynthia Maybeck

Benediction by Rev. Cynthia Maybeck

Rev. Cindy Maybeck, founder of Spirit Story ministry, designs original presentations blending scripture telling and storytelling as a way to bring God's word to life and to inspire the church to move forward in faith with hope and joy. She served as pastor for 14 years at Trinity Church in Northborough and 10 years at Bethany Christian United Parish in Worcester. You may learn more about her ministry and invite her to teach workshops, lead retreats or give presentations www.cindymaybeck.com

Thought For Reflection: "I've never fully understood how Christianity became quite so tame and respectable, given its origins among drunkards, prostitutes, and tax collectors." ― Nadia Bolz-Weber, Accidental Saints: Finding God in All the Wrong People

Scripture Reading: 1 Samuel 16:1-13 (Page 226), John 9:1-41 (Page 871)

Sermon: Journey to the Cross: Starting to See Rev. Anna Flowers

Benediction by Rev. Anna Flowers

 

Thought For Reflection:

"Aliveness, he will teach, is a gift available to all by God's grace. It flows not from taking, but giving, not from fear but from faith, not from conflict but from reconciliation, not from domination but from service. It isn't found in the upper trappings of religion -rules and rituals, controversies and scruples, temples and traditions. No, it springs up from our innermost being like a fountain of living water. It intoxicates us with the best wine ever and so turns life from disappointment into a banquet." ― Brian D. McLaren

Scripture Reading: Exodus 17:1-7 (Page 56) John 4:5-42 (Page 864)

Sermon:  Journey to the Cross: Stopping to Drink  Rev. Anna Flowers

Benediction Response: Guide My Feet Guide my feet while I run this race (3x).  For I don't want to run this race in vain.

Thought for Reflection: "...new life starts in the dark. Whether it is a seed in the ground, a baby in the womb, or Jesus in the tomb, it starts in the dark." ― Barbara Brown Taylor, Learning to Walk in the Dark

Scripture Reading: Psalm 121 (Page 498), John 3:1-17 (Page 863)

Sermon: Journey to the Cross: Walking in the Dark, Rev. Anna Flowers

Testimony by Heather Centauro

Benediction by Rev Anna Flowers

First Sunday in Lent

Thought for Reflection: "Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it. Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky but not nearly as dangerous as giving up on love and belonging and joy—the experiences that make us the most vulnerable. Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light." ― Brené Brown

Scripture Reading: Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7 (Page 2), Matthew 4:1-11 (Page 785)

Sermon: Journey to the Cross: The Wilderness

Benediction by Rev. Anna Flowers (audio)

Open and Affirming Statement of United Church in Walpole: As we celebrate the gifts, talents, and resources of God's diverse creation, we affirm the dignity and worth of every person. We open our doors and our hearts to people of every age, mental or physical ability, race, sexual orientation, gender identity, and economic circumstance. In the spirit of mutual respect, we welcome you to join us in the life of this church community. We trust the words of Jesus: "...anyone who comes to me I will never drive away..."

 

Service Of Installation Reverend Anna Flowers

Worship Leaders

Alexander Green, Music Director, United Church in Walpole

April Kelley, Head Deacon, United Church in Walpole

Rev. Esther Rendon-Thompsom, Pastor, Union Congregational Church

Rev. Alexander Shea WIll, Associate Pastor, South Church in Andover

Hyunwoo Koo, Director of Christian Education, United Church in Walpole

Craig Cienchanowski, Moderator, United Church in Walpole

Rev. Wendy Vander Hart, Associate Conference Minister, MA Conference,United Church of Christ

Kelley DePasqua, Chair of the Arts Department at Silver Lake Regional HIgh School, and Music Director, The Church of the Pilgrimage

Rev. Laura Ruth Jarrett, Senior Pastor, Hope Central Church

Mary Annati, Search Committee & Pastor Parish Relations Committee Member, United Church in Walpole

Rev. Anna FLowers, Pastor, United Church in Walpole