October 11, 2026 Order of Worship
Andante tranquillo from Five Short Pieces (Percy Whitlock) – Geoffrey Liu
Welcome to Worship – Richard Thomas
Opening Prayer – Brad Johnson
Leader: God, bless us with discontent with easy answers, half-truths, lies, and superficial relationships, especially when we try to fool ourselves.
People: We want to live with mercy and justice, honestly and deeply from our heart of hearts!
Leader: God, bless us with anger at injustice, oppression, abuse, and exploitation of anyone.
People: Give us strength and courage to work for the well-being of all people everywhere!
Leader: God, bless us with tears to shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger, and violence.
People: Give us the courage to stand up and speak up and act up to care for and protect our neighbors and strangers!
Leader: God bless us with hearts to change what needs to be changed in ourselves and in the world.
People: Lord, we want to be generous in every way, especially for those most in need.
Leader: God bless us with the foolishness to think that you can make difference in this world.
People: Use us, Lord, to do the things that others say cannot be done!
Leader: Bless us, Lord, with happiness and inner peace, with laughter and faithful friends.
People: All these blessings we claim not for ourselves but for others, giving ourselves away generously today as we follow Jesus!
All: In his holy name and for his coming kingdom’s sake, we live and pray. Amen!
Welcome – W&S #3152
Time with Young Disciples – Stephanie McIlwain Miller
Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing (arr. by Mark Patterson) – Sanctuary Choir
Scripture Reading – Brad Johnson
Introduction to the Old Testament Reading
Deuteronomy is the 5th book of the Bible and the final book of the Torah. It’s mostly a collection of teaching and guidelines for staying healthy and holy in our relationship to God and our neighbors. Today’s reading focuses on being generous. Here’s what the Law of Moses says in Deuteronomy 15…
Deuteronomy 15:7-8 and 10-11
If there is among you anyone in need, a member of your community in any of your towns within the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tight-fisted toward your needy neighbor. You should rather open your hand, willingly lending enough to meet the need, whatever it may be…
Give generously and be ungrudgingly and the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. Since there will never cease to be some in need on the earth, I therefore command you, ‘Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land.’
Introduction to the Gospel Reading
This morning’s Gospel reading includes 2 parables from the 12th chapter of the Gospel of Luke. The first parable is sometimes called the rich fool about a person who focuses on getting and storing up more and more but forgets how to live and look out for others. The second is about always being ready to serve God by being generous. Listen now to the teaching of Jesus…
Luke 12:15-21 and 33-38 (The Message)
Speaking to everyone, Jesus said, “Take care! Protect yourself against the least bit of greed. Life is not defined by what you have, even when you have a lot.” Then he told them this story: “The farm of a certain rich person produced a terrific crop. The farmer thought: ‘What can I do? My barn isn’t big enough for this harvest.’ Then they thought, ‘Here’s what I’ll do: I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll gather in all my grain and goods, and I’ll say to myself, Self, you’ve done very well! You’ve got it made. No more work for you. Take it easy and have the time of your life!’ Just then God showed up and said, ‘You may be rich but you’re also a fool! Tonight you die. And your barns full of goods—what good are they now?’ That’s what happens,” Jesus said, “when you store things up here on earth and focus only on yourself and not on your relationships with God and your neighbors.”
Then Jesus went on teaching, saying, “Be generous. Give to the poor. Get yourselves a bank that can’t go bankrupt, a bank in heaven… Just remember to keep awake, stay ready, keep the lights on! Be like house servants waiting for their master to come back from his honeymoon, awake and ready to open the door when he arrives and knocks. Lucky are the servants whom the master finds on watch! He’ll put on an apron, sit them at the table, and serve them a meal, sharing the wedding feast with them. It doesn’t matter what time of the night the master arrives, those who are awake and ready to welcome him home are blessed!”
The Blessing of Those Who Cannot Repay You – Pastor Jim
When the Poor Ones – UMH #434
Pastoral Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer
Offering Our Gifts to God – In Christ Alone (arr. by Sandra Eithun) – Handbell Choir
Doxology – Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee, UMH #89, v.1
Prayer of Dedication
Leader: All that we have, we have from you, Creator and Preserver of all.
People: Accept these gifts which we now offer. Help us to make the whole of life an offering and every thought a prayer.
The Voice of God Is Calling – UMH #436
Blessing
Trumpet Tune in D Major (Jeremiah Clark) – Geoffrey Liu
Resources for Worship
Opening Prayer is by Jim Head-Corliss for worship at Kent UMC, October 11, 2026, adapted from a prayer he wrote February 8, 2026 with images from a “A Non Traditional Blessing,” by the Benedictine nun, Sister Ruth Marlene Fox in 1985.