9/13/26 Bulletin
UNION CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH OF HANCOCK
We respect tradition — and we welcome inclusive language about people and expansive language about God. Please pray using words most meaningful to you.
Open and Affirming of ALL God’s Children
September 13, 2026 at 10:00 a.m.
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 839 3635 9115
Passcode: 776780
The first pew in front of the pulpit has books and quiet activities for people of all ages.
Please find something that suits you, take it to your pew, and return it after the service.
Silent Prayer
Gracious and loving God, thank you for this day. Strengthen my resolve to love and show mercy throughout each day. Lead my feet to your holy dwelling place, and guide the work I have to do for myself and the world. Amen
* Indicates when we stand in body or spirit.
Announcements Deacon
Prelude In Heavenly Love Abiding Tune: Nyland/ Gilbert Martin
Welcome Rev. TJ Mack
* Introit Weave R. #375
Weave, weave, weave us to-geth-er. Weave us to-geth-er in u-nit-y and love. Weave, weave, weave us to-geth-er. Weave us to-geth-er, to-geth-er in love.
* Call to Worship (from Psalm 103)
One: People of God, bless the Lord,
All: bless God’s holy name.
One: For as the heavens are high above the earth,
All: so great is God’s steadfast love for us.
Passing the Peace & Lighting Peace & Justice Candle
* Hymn Living God, Your Joyful Spirit (vs.1 & 2) R. #371
Liv-ing God, your joyful Spirit breaks the bounds of time and space,
rests in love up-on your peo-ple, drawn to-geth-er in this place.
Here we join in glad thanks-giv-ing, here re-joice to pray and praise:
Lord of all our past tra-di-tions, Lord of all our fu-ture days.
As your bread may we be bro-ken, scat-tered in com-mu-ni-ty;
we who know your great-est bless-ings called to share Christ's min-is-try.
May we gent-ly lead each oth-er, share our hun-ger and our thirst;
learn that on-ly through our weak-ness shall we know the strength of Christ.
* Invocation (in unison)
Lord, by the power of your Holy Spirit open our understanding that we may receive the Word of life. Amen
Children’s Message Pastor TJ
Scripture Matthew 18:21-35
Special Music Litany Franz Schubert
Message Rev. TJ Mack
* Hymn Help Us Accept Each Other R. #376
Help us ac-cept each other as Christ ac-cept-ed us;
teach us as sis-ter, broth-er, each per-son to em-brace.
Be pres-ent, Lord, a-mong us and bring us to be-lieve:
we are our-selves ac-cept-ed and meant to love and live.
Teach us, O Lord, your les-sons, as in our dai-ly life
we strug-gle to be hu-man and search for hope and faith.
Teach us to care for peo-ple, for all not just for some,
to love them as we find them or as they may be-come.
Let your ac-cep-tance change us so that we may be moved
in liv-ing sit-u-a-tions to do the truth in love;
to prac-tice your ac-cep-tance, un-til we know by heart
the ta-ble of for-give-ness and laugh-ter's heal-ing art.
Lord, for to-day's en-coun-ters with all who are in need,
who hun-ger for ac-cep-tance, for righ-teous-ness and bread,
we need new eyes for see-ing, new hands for hold-ing on:
re-new us with your Spir-it; Lord, free us, make us one!
Call to Confession
As loving parents have compassion for their children, God has compassion for us.Confident in God’s love, let us confess our sins.
Prayer of Confession
Loving God, we confess that we have failed to live in harmony with those near and far. We have been self-righteous in our attitudes, closed-minded in our beliefs, and judgmental in our opinions. We have shunned those whose ways we do not understand, and we have despised those who do not endorse our convictions. Forgive our sins of discord and conceit, and heal our divisiveness and quarreling. Help us to be charitable in our regard for others that we may dwell in peace with Christ. Amen
Declaration of Forgiveness
Friends, the Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. In the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.
Prayers of the People – Sharing Joys & Concerns –
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father (Mother, Creator) who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy
kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our
daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass
against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the
kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen
Lead me Lord, lead me in thy righteousness, make thy way plain before my face.
For it is thou Lord, thou Lord, only, that makest me dwell in safety.
Invitation to Offering – Let us give as God has so abundantly given to us.
Offertory A Prayer of Quiet Thankfulness Fenton Groden
* The Doxology
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; Praise God, all creatures here below;
Praise God for all that love has done; Creator, Christ, and Spirit, One. Amen
* Prayer of Dedication (in unison)
Almighty God, receive these gifts that we offer with grateful hearts and use our lives for the ministry of your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen
* Hymn Restless Weaver R. #520
Rest-less Weaver, ev-er spin-ning threads of jus-tice and sha-lom;
dream-ing pat-terns of cre-a-tion where all crea-tures find a home;
gath-ering up life’s var-ied fi-bers— ev-ery tex-ture, ev-ery hue:
grant us your cre-a-tive vis-ion. With us weave your world a-new.
Where earth’s frag-ile web is rav-eling help us mend each bro-ken strand.
Bless our ur-gent, bold en-deav-ors cleans-ing wa-ter, air, and land.
Through the Spir-it’s in-spi-ra-tion— of-f’ring health where once was pain.
strength-en us to be the stew-ards of your world knit whole a-gain.
When our vio-lent lust for pow-er ends in lives a-bused and torn,
from com-pass-ion’s stur-dy fab-ric fash-ion hope and trust re-born.
Where in-jus-tice rules as ty-rant, give us cour-age, God, to dare
live our dreams of trans-for-ma-tion. Make our lives in-car-nate prayer.
Rest-less Weav-er, still con-ceiv-ing new life—now and yet to be—
bind-ing all your vast cre-a-tion in one liv-ing tap-es-try:
you have called us to be wea-vers. Let your love guide all we do.
With your reign of peace our pat-tern, we will weave your world a-new.
* Benediction
* Sung Benediction Go With Us, Lord R.#336
Go with us, Lord, and guide the way through this and every coming day,
That in your Spirit strong and true our lives may be our gift to you.
Postlude Let Us With a Gladsome Mind Robert Powell
(Please remain seated for the Postlude)
If you are visiting with us today, please sign our Guest Book
in the back of the sanctuary.
Support our Church Financially
Please visit Hancock (Maine) UCC on Facebook or our webpage www.hancockucc.com
or visit this link to our PayPal account: paypal.me/hancockucc
or mail offerings to:
Union Congregational Church, PO Box 443, Hancock, ME 04640 (Attention: Treasurer)
Contact Us
Vicky – hancockmaineucc@gmail.com – 207.422.3100
Jennifer – treasurer@hancockucc.com
TJ – revtjmack@gmail.com – 207.323.6743
Many thanks to those who make this service possible –
in front of the camera and behind the scenes.
Music Minister – Debbie Riley
Deacons – Everett Espling & Tamara Wilson
Liturgist – Kathy McGlinchey
Audio-Video Support – Ron Schwizer
Office Administrator – Vicky Espling
Settled Minister – Rev. TJ Mack
The Body of Christ – You
Resources:
Silent Prayer, Call to Worship, Invocation, Offertory Prayers – Feasting on the Word: Worship Companion, adapted
The New Century Hymnal (B.) Hymns of Truth and Light (R.)
Copyright © 1995 The Pilgrim Press Copyright © 1998 First Congregational
Church of Huston, Texas
"Permission to podcast / stream the music in this service obtained from ONE LICENSE, License #A-738532. All rights reserved.”
Help Us Accept Each Other (BECK)
Words and Music - ©1975, 1977 Hope Publishing Company
Contributors: Fred Kaan, John Ness Beck
Restless Weaver
Words - ©1995 Christian Board Of Publication
Contributors: Cricket Harrison
Go with Us, Lord
Words - ©1990 Hope Publishing Company
Contributors: Mary Jackson Cathey
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