January 25, 2026 Order of Worship
Partita on Azmon (Mark Brampton Smith) – Geoffrey Liu
Welcome – Terry Bolender
Prayer of Invocation – EJ Ragual
Alive In Christ – led by Rev. Dr. Brian Grassley
Opening Prayer – Dana Bowne
Leader: Like our mother in the morning before school, God, bang on the door to wake us from our sleeping before it’s too late!
People: Turn up the music and set the dog barking! Tap dance on the hard wood! Do whatever it takes to wake us from our slumber.
Leader: What we need most today is not to miss another moment of your Kingdom time.
People: Sit with us and wait with us in our vigils and our grieving.
Leader: Dance with us and sing with us in our revelry and celebrations!
People: Strengthen and embolden us in our generosity and sacrifices for mercy and justice.
Leader: Tell us your ancient stories, test our daily faithfulness, and give us impossibly holy dreams to live into each day.
People: Pull back the covers and wake us up right now, God, so that we don’t miss another moment.
Leader: Get us up and moving today, God!
People: So that we can be there for others, and bear witness to your love, and see the look in your eye when our vigil is complete and all our waiting has come to its joyous end!
All: Wake us up and get us up so that today can be such a holy day! In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen!
Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee – UMH #89
Time with Young Disciples – Stephanie McIlwain Miller
Great Is Thy Faithfulness (Camp Kirkland) – Sanctuary Choir
Scripture Reading – Dana Bowne
Introduction to the Gospel reading: The Gospel of Mark is one of the earliest accounts of the life of Jesus. Tradition links it to a coworker of Paul and a close friend of Peter named John Mark. In Mark chapter 5, Jesus casts out demons, heals a woman, and raises a child from the dead. As you can imagine, people are really amazed and really confused as Jesus tries to wake us up to God’s love and God’s power. Now, here’s the story of Jairus’ daughter in Mark chapter 5…
Mark 5:22-24 and 35-43
One of the leaders of the synagogue, named Jairus, came and, when he saw Jesus, fell at his feet and pleaded with him repeatedly, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live.” So, Jesus went with him.
And a large crowd followed them and pressed in on Jesus, all of them wanting some healing, some blessing, some kind of salvation…
On their way, Jesus took time to speak with, touch, and heal a woman who had been suffering for 12 years. While Jesus was still speaking with that woman, blessing her, some people came from the synagogue leader’s house interrupting Jesus, saying, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?” But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the synagogue leader, “Do not be afraid; only believe.” He allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. When they came to the synagogue leader’s house, he saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. When he had entered, he said to them, “Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. Then he put them all outside and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him and went in where the child was. Taking her by the hand, he said to her, “Talitha koum,” which means, “Little girl, get up!” And immediately the girl stood up and began to walk about (she was twelve years of age). At this they were overcome with amazement. He strictly ordered them that no one should know this and told them to give her something to eat.
Get Up and Wake Up! – Pastor Jim
There Is a Balm In Gilead – UMH #375
Offering Our Gifts to God – Sleepers, Wake! A Voice Astounds Us (sett. by J.S. Bach) – Geoffrey Liu
Doxology – Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow, UMH #94
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.
Awake, O Sleeper – UMH #551
Blessing
Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee (setting by Matt Limbaugh) – Geoffrey Liu
Resources for Worship
Opening Prayer is by Jim Head-Corliss for worship at Kent UMC, January 25, 2026 with images from a “Blessing for Waking,” by Jan Richardson in Circle of Grace (Orlando: Wanton Gospeller Press, 2015).