April 19 Bulletin

Claremont United Church of Christ Sunday, April 19, 2020 10:00 am We are an Open and Affirming congregation, welcoming into our full life and ministry persons of all sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions, races, socioeconomic status, faith experiences, countries of origin, and abilities. Jesus welcomes everyone and so do we!

A CELEBRATION OF WORSHIP CLAREMONT UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST PRELUDE That Easter Day with Joy was Bright Dale Wood INTROIT WELCOME CALL TO WORSHIP One: We gather to celebrate God’s magnificent creation. All: We gather because the Earth belongs to God and is also our home. One: We gather because we recognize we share this world. All: We gather to give thanks for the waters and mountains, the trees and the grasses. One: We gather to give thanks for the birds of the sky, ocean, and land. All: We gather to renew our commitment as good stewards of creation. We gather to worship our Creator! OPENING HYMN For the Fruit of All Creation AR HYD Y NOS For the fruit of all creation, thanks be to God. For God’s gifts to every nation, thanks be to God. For the plowing, sowing, reaping, silent growth while we are sleeping, Future needs in earth’s safekeeping, thanks be to God. In the just reward of labor, God’s will is done. In the help we give our neighbor, God’s will is done. In our worldwide task of caring for the hungry and despairing, In the harvests we are sharing, God’s will is done. For the harvests of the Spirit, thanks be to God. For the good we all inherit, thanks be to God. For the wonders that astound us, for the truths that still confound us, Most of all that love has found us, thanks be to God. PRAYER OF CONFESSION God who created the mountains and oceans and palm trees, we come before you to confess our sins against your beautiful creation. Although Christ is risen from the grave and has overcome death, we still struggle daily with fear and doubt. We still neglect the poor and the hungry and ignore the cries of the oppressed. We still pursue profits and pleasures that harm the

land and pollute the waters, leaving this world depleted and damaged for future generations. Have mercy on us, O God. Help us to trust Your ability to change us and make us new, so that we may all enjoy abundant life as you intended. Amen. ASSURANCE One: Our God is sow to anger and quick to forgive. For our missteps of the past, we are given grace. Let us live as renewed people. All: Amen! PASSING OF THE PEACE One: May the peace of Christ be with you. All: And also with you. OFFERING/MUSIC What the World Needs Now Ganna Sorbat, vocals/piano DEDICATION SCRIPTURE “God’s Hands Get Dirty” (Adaptation of Genesis 2:4-17, Rev. Kerry Greenhill © 2015 Sacred Stone Ministries) In the beginning there was dirt. No trees, no bushes, no rivers or streams or lakes, just the dirty, dusty ground. And every once in a while, water would well up from underneath, and it would get all muddy and marshy. And God looked around and thought, Well, that’s no fun. So God sat down in the dirt and scooped up some clay in God’s own hands, and rolled part of it into a ball, and pinched and poked and mashed it up a bit. And God rolled part of it out into long skinny logs and bent up the ends and the middles. And God put all the pieces together, carefully smoothing out the seams, and blew into the creature’s nostrils with the breath of life. And voilà!

God had a human being in God’s muddy, messy hands. Then God looked around at the dust and mud and thought, I can do better than this. So God started planting: trees and bushes and vines, grasses and flowers and shrubs of all kinds. Soon, God had a beautiful garden growing, full of fruits and nuts and vegetables for the human to eat. In the middle of the garden were two special trees, God’s very favorites: the Tree of Life, and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The human liked to look at them and wonder what they were for. Now God drew a line in the dirt and made a river flow through the fertile land called Eden. The river flowed through the garden to water it, and beyond the garden, it divided into four branches, and those streams spread and gushed and flowed across the land in four directions. So God led the human by the hand and showed it all around the garden, pointing out the roses that needed pruning, explaining how to care for the passionfruit vines, and how to plant beans and corn and squash together. “This is your job now, to cultivate and care for the land,” said God. “You can eat any fruit you like here, except for the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. I know it looks shiny and colorful and appealing, but it’s not a fruit you’re equipped to digest. If you eat of that fruit, life as you know it will be over, for by your knowledge and judgment you will separate yourself from the rest of creation. And by choosing what you want

instead of honoring the limits and boundaries woven into the cycles of this garden I have given you, you will choose a path that takes you away from the close relationship you have with me now. “And though I will follow you, the work of my hands, beloved creature of my own making, you will be haunted by that separation, and struggle forever after to regain the sense of unity and wholeness you feel now. And even if you live a long life, the day that you eat this fruit will be the beginning of death for you.” And God saw that the human had stopped listening, and only understood in part anyway, and God sighed, and knew it would be a long journey from Eden to death and beyond and back. And God rolled up God’s sleeves once more, and went on with the messy work of creation, redemption, and transformation. SERMON What a Wonderful World Rev. Dr. Jacob Buchholz GUEST ARTIST Ganna Sorbat, vocals/piano PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE & THE LORD’S PRAYER One: …This is the truth of your kingdom, a kingdom we long for, a kingdom for which we now pray using the words the living Christ teaches us: All: Our Father/Mother/Creator who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom/kin-dom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom/kin-dom, the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. BENEDICTION CLOSING RESPONSE Joyful, Joyful, We Adore You (verse 1) HYMN TO JOY

Joyful, joyful, we adore you, God of glory, God of love; Hearts unfold like flowers before you, opening to the sun above. Melt the clouds of sin and sadness, drive the storms of doubt away; Giver of immortal gladness, fill us with the light of day. POSTLUDE Toccata Festiva John Ritter WAYS TO DONATE TO THE CHURCH: 1. Mail in your donation (233 W. Harrison Ave., Claremont, CA 91711) 2. Contribute on our website: claremontucc.org 3. Text an amount to (909) 343-5901 4. Set up automatic giving through your bank