Liturgy 8-20-2017

This blog is a record of the call to worship, Scripture readings, and prayers from our Sunday liturgies.  If you are interested in writing something for the liturgy, or if you have a concern about any aspect of our liturgy, please email jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Call to Worship

we have gathered to worship
the Creator and Sustainer of all that is

the One Who counts all creatures
as Beautiful and Worthy of love

the One revealed in the Word who became flesh
Whose life, death and resurrection echo across space and time

speaking a Yes to love and life
and a No to hatred and death

And whose Spirit hovers over our chaos

calling us out of our tombs
to follow in the way of Christ

Amen.

 

 

 

Scripture

Genesis 45:1-15

Joseph could no longer control himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, “Send everyone away from me.” So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers.

And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it. Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, so dismayed were they at his presence.

Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come closer to me.” And they came closer. He said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt.

And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years; and there are five more years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest.

God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God; he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay.

You shall settle in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children’s children, as well as your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. I will provide for you there—since there are five more years of famine to come—so that you and your household, and all that you have, will not come to poverty.’

And now your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see that it is my own mouth that speaks to you. You must tell my father how greatly I am honored in Egypt, and all that you have seen. Hurry and bring my father down here.”

Then he fell upon his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, while Benjamin wept upon his neck. And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them; and after that his brothers talked with him.

 

 

 

Matthew 15:21-28

Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.”

But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, “Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” He answered, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”

Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed instantly.

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Setlist 8-20-2017

,

This was the eleventh Sunday after Pentecost.  Our songs were gathered with this in mind.  Below, you’ll find the list of the songs and artists. Clicking the song titles will take you to the lyrics.  Below the songs, you can find an example of one way you might think of these songs in light of this week's theme. If you want to talk about any of these, feel free to comment at the bottom of this page or email me at jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Songs:

Pulse by Jameson McGregor

Death In His Grave by John Mark McMillan

Mystery by Jameson McGregor (adapted from Charlie Hall)

Inbreaking by Jameson McGregor

Crown Him With Many Crowns

Doxology

How They Fit In:

There are many ways to think about the significance of songs and the way they fit together–-this is simply one way you can look at these songs in light of this week’s theme. 

Pulse: This song is about the interconnectivity of creation--that the Spirit of Life is woven through the whole cosmos. It's also about our propensity to completely ignore this and decide instead which parts of God's beloved creation we want to consider worthy of love.  It is a confession of our brokenness and a petition for God to make us new.

Death In His Grave: This song is about the defeat of Death by the Resurrection of Jesus.  It stands as a reminder to us that the most fundamental existential victory has been won, and the final word about God's creation has been spoken.  It is a celebratory declaration of the work of God in the world, and a hopeful proclamation that the story of creation has been rewritten.

Mystery: "Christ has died/Christ is Risen/Christ will come again" is a refrain that has been present with the Church since its inception.  It is shorthand for the core of our story, and it is also shorthand for the fundamentally revolutionary roots of our faith.  It is a protest anthem.  Against death.  Against evil.  Against oppressive powers of all sorts.  It says, "Not even death can silence the Hope of Christ." 

Inbreaking: This song is a confession of the brokenness of the world, of the church, and of ourselves, and a petition for the Slaughtered Lamb to show us how to exit our tombs.

Crown Him With Many Crowns: We sang this song to look over our shoulder from our songs from two weeks ago.  This is what we said about Crown Him With Many Crowns then: A central focus of Ordinary Time is on seeking to be the presence of Christ in our particular time and place--that means to seek to be formed in the way of Christ in such a way that our lives are outposts of the Kingdom.  This song praises Christ as Lord, and speaks of the fact that his Kingdom is marked by peace and self-sacrificial love, thus helping us recenter on our minds on who we are called to be.

Doxology: We close our time together each week with this proclamation that God is worthy of praise from every inch of the cosmos.

-JM

ITLOTC 8-18-17

ITLOTC

(In The Life Of The Church) 

Ordinary Time

A Conversation Between Two Friends About Race

 

Kindergarten Commission

This Sunday we will be commissioning all #champions4thelord entering kindergarten.  If this is your child and you have not been contacted by our children's pastor taylor@ubcwaco.org, please email her and ask, "why haven't you contacted me about kindergarten commission?"  Also if you don't have a kid in Kindergarten, but are part of our community, please be praying for these #champions4thelord. 

First Youth Group Meeting of the Semester

UBC's youth group, The Order of the Phoenix, will meet for the first time this year on Wednesday August 23rd.  It's going to blow your mind.  If you have a question about our youth group, please email josh@ubcwaco.org.  

Jameson McGregor House Show (8/18)

TONIGHT August 18th, at 8pm, Jamie is playing a benefit show for his friends Casey and Brittany Ramirez as they prepare to move to China as CBF Partnership Advocates.  Tickets are $15, and all proceeds go toward their expenses.  You can get more info and purchase tickets here.

UBC Kids Back to School Movie Night/Parent Date Night (8/18)

TONIGHT from 6:30pm-9:30pm, we are going to be having a Back to School Movie Night for all UBC Kids! We will be playing games and having some back to school fun and watching a movie! (Also - I heard there's a really cool house show that night so if you're looking for childcare we've got you covered!) Dinner is NOT provided so make sure kids have eaten before they come. Please sign-up after church this Sunday, or you can email taylor@ubcwaco.org.

Work is Worship

Greeters:  Richardsons

Coffee Makers: Pereiras

Mug Cleaners:  Woods

Money Counter: Anna T. 

Announcements

  • Sunday Sermon:  matthew 15 "will you object?"
  • 8-23 OOTP First Meeting!!! (Welcome 5th graders!) 6-8 P.M. @ UBC
  • 8-27 Welcome Back Lunch after church served by Crucero 
  • 9-13 McLennan County Orphan Care Event 1: Generation Adoptions 
  • 9-17 Family Weekend Breakfast 
  • 9-22 Backside Event 1 
  • 9-24 NUBCer Lunch 

Do you have an emergency and need to talk to a pastor? 

254 413 2611

Leadership Team

If you have a concern or an idea for UBC that you’d like to share with someone that is not on staff, feel free to contact one of our leadership team members. 

Chair- Emma Wood:  emmaj.wood@yahoo.com

Byron Griffin: byrontgriffin@gmail.com

Stan Denman: Stan_Denman@baylor.edu

Adam Winn:  adamwinn68@yahoo.com

Bridget Heins: bheins@hot.rr.com

Sharyl Loeung: sharylwl@gmail.com

Jon Davis: jdavis83@gmail.com

Student Position: Samuel Moore: samuel_moore2@baylor.edu

Student Position: Leah Reed: Leah_Reed@baylor.edu

UBC Finance Team

Do you have a question about UBC’s financial affairs? Please feel free to contact any of your finance team members.

Josh McCormick: Josh.McCormick@dwyergroup.com

Hannah Kuhl: HannahKuhl@hotmail.com  

Justin Pond: pondjw@gmail.com

Anna Tilson: Anna_Tilson@jrbt.com

Doug McNamee: douglas_mcnamee@baylor.edu

UBC HR Team

If you have concerns about staff and would like contact our human resources team, please feel free to email any of the following members.

Rob Engblom: Rob_Engblom@baylor.edu

Ross Van Dyke: Ross_Vandyke@baylor.edu

Jared Gould: jared.gould1@gmail.com

Rebekah Powell: rppowell671@gmail.com

Kristen Richardson: wacorichardsons@gmail.com

Liturgy 8-13-2017

This blog is a record of the call to worship, Scripture readings, and prayers from our Sunday liturgies.  If you are interested in writing something for the liturgy, or if you have a concern about any aspect of our liturgy, please email jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Call to Worship

We have gathered to worship the Living God

The One who sees us
The One Who knows us
The One Who loves us

Carrying with us joys and sorrows, celebration and loss

To devote our attention to the One
who is with us through them all

To learn to see the Kingdom among in our midst

And to learn to look
for the Kingdom to come

Amen.

Scripture

Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28

Jacob settled in the land where his father had lived as an alien, the land of Canaan. This is the story of the family of Jacob. 

Joseph, being seventeen years old, was shepherding the flock with his brothers; he was a helper to the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives; and Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his children, because he was the son of his old age; and he had made him a long robe with sleeves. But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably to him.

Now his brothers went to pasture their father’s flock near Shechem. And Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers pasturing the flock at Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.” He answered, “Here I am.” So he said to him, “Go now, see if it is well with your brothers and with the flock; and bring word back to me.” So he sent him from the valley of Hebron. 

He came to Shechem, and a man found him wandering in the fields; the man asked him, “What are you seeking?” “I am seeking my brothers,” he said; “tell me, please, where they are pasturing the flock.” The man said, “They have gone away, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’“ So Joseph went after his brothers, and found them at Dothan. They saw him from a distance, and before he came near to them, they conspired to kill him.

They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer. Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; then we shall say that a wild animal has devoured him, and we shall see what will become of his dreams.” But when Reuben heard it, he delivered him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not take his life.” Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but lay no hand on him” —that he might rescue him out of their hand and restore him to his father.

So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the long robe with sleeves that he wore; and they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it. 

Then they sat down to eat; and looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels carrying gum, balm, and resin, on their way to carry it down to Egypt.

Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and not lay our hands on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.”

And his brothers agreed. When some Midianite traders passed by, they drew Joseph up, lifting him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt.

Matthew 14:22-33

Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them.

And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” 

Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”

Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” 

Prayer

This week's prayer was arranged by Toph, and was heavily influenced by several collects from the Book of Common Prayer you can find here.

O God, who is Creator of all, whose Son commanded us to love our enemies:  we pray for our brothers and sisters in Charlottesville, and we denounce the sin of racism that has plagued our country since its inception.  We ask that you would give us the courage to stand for truth and justice, to stand against evil in peaceful protest, and to learn from and stand alongside our black sisters and brothers who have suffered under this evil for far to long.  Grant us grace fearlessly to contend against evil and to make no peace with oppression; and lead them and us from prejudice to truth: deliver them and us from hatred, cruelty, and revenge; and in your good time enable us all to stand reconciled before you, through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Amen. 

ITLOTC 8-11-17

ITLOTC

(In The Life Of The Church) 

Ordinary Time

Owning Things

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”     -  Jesus

I got a scooter.  I’ve wanted one for years.  I’ve spent more hours than you might think researching name brands like Vespa, Genuine, and Piaggio.  The reason I’ve never purchased a scooter, despite the fact that I’ve wanted one for years, is that it was not practical for our family.  We need two cars.  With six family members, two jobs, four different school locations, and all the demands of recreational activities, we’ve needed a minimum of two cars to meet transportation demand.  So even the small investment of a scooter seemed impractical given our need for two cars.

 

I’ve driven a Subaru Outback for the last couple years. I bought it in May of 2015 with 175K miles.  Dave Ramsey told me not to borrow money, so I paid cash for what I could.  It was terrible advice.  My car died a slow death, culminating in my refusal to replace the dead alternator.  

***

You need another detail before I can proceed with this story.  My mom brought her minivan down here last fall.  It now resides at our house.  It’s a Honda Odyssey that has a movie screen.  I love it because my kids don’t yell at me when I drive. They watch the movie.  

***

In the midst of brainstorming about what I was going to do to solve my scooter problem, it dawned on me.  Having always needed a second car to transport children and in the event of inclement weather, I’d never really considered buying a scooter.  But now !!!! …. I can use my mom’s car when need to.  So on a Thursday night I Craigslisted “scooters,” and by Friday I had test driven and purchased a 2015 Bentelli Valor with 140 miles on it.  

***

I was a business major.  I wish I had majored in something else.  I picked it because I was told it was easy.  Looking back, I think business is intuitive. It probably doesn’t need to be an entire major.  I think people should major in something like a language or sociology and then spend one year learning how to do the business they will be doing.  Anyone who I have talked to about “doing business” tells me they learned how to do it by doing it.  I liked my marketing classes, though, because that’s a kind of subset of psychology and art.  

The other exception would be my economics classes.  I had a Russian econ professor who constantly reminded us that economics was originally a branch of philosophy and he taught our class that way.  We spent an entire class period talking about why women are traditionally given diamond rings when they get engaged.  Another class period was given to chatting about the exponential value of a left shoe when you only have a right shoe.  

Every once in awhile I’d encounter an econ term that was covered in the residue of philosophical thought - language to explain human behavior in the marketplace that had pragmatic and explanatory power for the way people behave in all life.  This is why I’ve always thought that a handy way to diagnose sin is by reading a book on human economics.  

One such term is marginal diminishing utility.  It means that every time we return to an experience, our satisfaction with that object, person, or experience will be lessened.  Clothes wear out.  Children lose interest in toys.  Eventually, we move because we need a new scene.  That’s diminishing utility.

Because I was exposed to this word in college, I’ve made it part of my purchasing experience.  I’m asking, how will I feel about this in a year.  Does this thing have any chance of bringing me satisfaction in the future?  Or will it only make me happy now?  Indeed, that is a difficult question for us to answer as humans.  Sometimes we just simply don’t know.  

Because of this, I feel like I’ve gotten good at consumption.  Outside of disposable needs such as food and beverages, I don’t buy much.  My clothes usually last me about seven years and my wardrobe is minimal.  So when I do make bigger purchases or purchase “capital expenditures”  that have substantial shelf life (say, anything over a year), I usually feel good about it.

***

That is a long introduction for me to make the following point:  I LOVE MY SCOOTER.  I have so much fun riding it.  For the life of me, I cannot figure out why everyone in America with a reasonable commute and who also does not need to drive multiple human beings, does not own and drive one.  Am I in the honeymoon period with my scooter? Yes. But I suspect the marginal in my marginal diminishing utility will be ever so slight.  I take and get great joy in riding my scooter...  

Which makes me wonder about Jesus’ statement that I began with.  What does Jesus think about my relationship with stuff?

Jesus warns against money and having things all the time.  I could argue a list of pros and cons.  I could ride a bike.  I am burning fossil fuel.  I could have donated that money to charity.  It does take less fuel than most modes of transportation.  It was much less than a car.  I get to be outside when I ride it.

But that’s not actually what I’m asking.  Does Jesus consider my affection misplaced or does He take joy in my joy?  

Humans have needs.  We are not robots.  We need shelter, food, air, and clothing.  Is it okay to enjoy the things we need?  What if those needs get conflated with wants?  And how much does my life need to look like my Christian brother or sister in a developing country before I enjoy what I do have without guilt?

These are questions I think about quite a bit and cannot answer for myself in a  satisfactory manner.  So this is how I own what I have: With open hands.  The best way to love my scooter and all things that God has lent to me is by not owning them.  To be content if they were taken from me tomorrow.  Because tomorrow they will be rusty and stolen.  

Meet Our Newest HR Team Member

C3F95038-DF36-4A4E-826B-9FCDC95793CE.JPG

Name: Kristen Evans Richardson

what you do in Waco: I am the Director of Pastoral Care at Baylor

best Waco restaurant: Lula Jane’s, brunch at Homestead, Taqueria #9 (the white queso is the best!), and Zoe’s Kitchen

book, chapter, and/or verse of the bible that has been meaningful for you: Matthew 22:37-40          

favorite movie/show: This year…The Big Sick and La La Land, This is Us and Jimmy Fallon

a book that you’ve really enjoyed: This summer, How to Be Here by Rob Bell has been one where I have read and re-read chapters. 

Order of the Phoenix Meeting

After church this Sunday we will be hosting a meeting to discuss the upcoming year for the youth group.  If you are new to UBC our youth group begins when kids enter 5th grade and runs through high school.  Please either bring a lunch for your family or plan on grabbing something after church 

UBC Summer Party Dos

The summer is coming to a close, and we are throwing a party!  Join us at 6pm, on August 13th, for a grand finale to summer.  We will be eating dinner and hanging out at the Wood’s casa.  UBC will provide the main dish, as well as drinks, you need to bring a side to share with everyone.  Please sign-up after church this Sunday or next, or you can email toph@ubcwaco.org . 

Jameson McGregor House Show (8/18)

Next Friday, August 18th, at 8pm, Jamie is playing a benefit show for his friends Casey and Brittany Ramirez as they prepare to move to China as CBF Partnership Advocates.  Tickets are $15, and all proceeds go toward their expenses.  You can get more info and purchase tickets here.

UBC Kids Back to School Movie Night/Parent Date Night (8/18)

Next Friday, August 18th, from 6:30pm-9:30pm, we are going to be having a Back to School Movie Night for all UBC Kids! We will be playing games and having some back to school fun and watching a movie! (Also - I heard there's a really cool house show that night so if you're looking for childcare we've got you covered!) Dinner is NOT provided so make sure kids have eaten before they come. Please sign-up after church this Sunday, or you can email taylor@ubcwaco.org.

Work is Worship

Greeters:  Ricky & Juliet 

Coffee Makers:  Burns 

Mug Cleaners:  Nelsons

Money Counter: Hannah K 

Announcements

  • Sunday Sermon:  Matthew 14:22-33 "Stay In The Boat"
  • 8-13 OOTP Parent Meeting After Church @ UBC
  • 8-20 Kindergarten Commission 
  • 8-23 OOTP First Meeting!!! (Welcome 5th graders!) 6-8 P.M. @ UBC
  • 8-27 Welcome Back Lunch after church served by Crucero 
  • 9-13 McLennan County Orphan Care Event 1: Generation Adoptions 
  • 9-17 Family Weekend Breakfast 
  • 9-22 Backside Event 1 
  • 9-24 NUBCer Lunch 

Do you have an emergency and need to talk to a pastor? 

254 413 2611

Leadership Team

If you have a concern or an idea for UBC that you’d like to share with someone that is not on staff, feel free to contact one of our leadership team members. 

Chair- Emma Wood:  emmaj.wood@yahoo.com

Byron Griffin: byrontgriffin@gmail.com

Stan Denman: Stan_Denman@baylor.edu

Adam Winn:  adamwinn68@yahoo.com

Bridget Heins: bheins@hot.rr.com

Sharyl Loeung: sharylwl@gmail.com

Jon Davis: jdavis83@gmail.com

Student Position: Samuel Moore: samuel_moore2@baylor.edu

Student Position: Leah Reed: Leah_Reed@baylor.edu

UBC Finance Team

Do you have a question about UBC’s financial affairs? Please feel free to contact any of your finance team members.

Josh McCormick: Josh.McCormick@dwyergroup.com

Hannah Kuhl: HannahKuhl@hotmail.com  

Justin Pond: pondjw@gmail.com

Anna Tilson: Anna_Tilson@jrbt.com

Doug McNamee: douglas_mcnamee@baylor.edu

UBC HR Team

If you have concerns about staff and would like contact our human resources team, please feel free to email any of the following members.

Rob Engblom: Rob_Engblom@baylor.edu

Ross Van Dyke: Ross_Vandyke@baylor.edu

Jared Gould: jared.gould1@gmail.com

Rebekah Powell: rppowell671@gmail.com

Kristen Richardson: wacorichardsons@gmail.com

Liturgy 8-6-2017

This blog is a record of the call to worship, Scripture readings, and prayers from our Sunday liturgies.  If you are interested in writing something for the liturgy, or if you have a concern about any aspect of our liturgy, please email jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Call to Worship

we have gathered to worship the One
who raises up those who are falling

to find rest in the One
who is just, kind, and compassionate

in our singing, praying, listening, and reflecting,

we seek to be transformed
into Kingdom people

to be formed by the Spirit

into people who carry
the work of Christ
in our ordinary lives.

Amen.

 

 

 

Scripture

Genesis 32:22-31

The same night he got up and took his two wives, his two maids, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok.

He took them and sent them across the stream, and likewise everything that he had.

Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak.

When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket; and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him.

Then he said, "Let me go, for the day is breaking." But Jacob said, "I will not let you go, unless you bless me."

So he said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob."

Then the man said, "You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans, and have prevailed."

Then Jacob asked him, "Please tell me your name." But he said, "Why is it that you ask my name?" And there he blessed him.

So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, "For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved."

The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip.

 

 

 

 

 

Matthew 14:13-21

Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns.

When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick.

When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves."

Jesus said to them, "They need not go away; you give them something to eat."

They replied, "We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish."

And he said, "Bring them here to me."

Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.

And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full.

And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

,

Setlist 8-6-2017

,

This was the ninth Sunday after Pentecost.  Our songs were gathered with this in mind, and heavily influenced by the lectionary texts.  Below, you’ll find the list of the songs and artists. Clicking the song titles will take you to the lyrics.  Below the songs, you can find an example of one way you might think of these songs in light of this week's theme. If you want to talk about any of these, feel free to comment at the bottom of this page or email me at jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Songs:

Crown Him With Many Crowns

SMS [Shine] by David Crowder* Band

There's A Wideness in God's Mercy by Jameson McGregor (adapted from F. Faber)

Wearing Thin by Jameson McGregor

Wayward Ones by The Gladsome Light

Doxology

How They Fit In:

There are many ways to think about the significance of songs and the way they fit together–-this is simply one way you can look at these songs in light of this week’s theme. 

Crown Him With Many Crowns: A central focus of Ordinary Time is on seeking to be the presence of Christ in our particular time and place--that means to seek to be formed in the way of Christ in such a way that our lives are outposts of the Kingdom.  This song praises Christ as Lord, and speaks of the fact that his Kingdom is marked by peace and self-sacrificial love, thus helping us recenter on our minds on who we are called to be.

SMS [Shine]: This song is a petition for God to be present where God feels absent, and to make Godself known in love.  This presence applies to us personally in the midst of our own pain and doubt, and also asks that we ourselves be made into torches that spread the Light all around us.

There's A Wideness In God's Mercy: We sang this song to look over our shoulder at last week's songs.  This is what we said about There's A Wideness In God's Mercy then: This song serves as a reminder of two things: 1) God's mercy extends to us far more generously than we think we deserve; and 2) God's mercy extends to other people far more generously than we think they deserve.  

Wearing Thin: This song is about anxiety, specifically the anxiety that arises when the brokenness of the world seems far too great for us to push back against, but it ultimately serves as a petition for God to draw us in to the work of redemption that God is already doing.

Wayward Ones: We sing this song every time we take communion to remind ourselves of a couple of things.  First, we are a broken people--though we are seeking to become more like Jesus, we often fail at this.  Second, Christ has given Himself for us despite our brokenness.  We take communion to remember the sacrifice of Jesus on our behalf, even though we did not, and do not, deserve it.

Doxology: We close our time together each week with this proclamation that God is worthy of praise from every inch of the cosmos.

-JM

ITLOTC 8-4-17

ITLOTC

(In The Life Of The Church) 

Ordinary Time

Psalm 145

The lectionary Psalm for this Sunday is Psalm 145:8-9,14-21. It says:

8 God is all mercy and grace—
    not quick to anger, is rich in love.

9 God is good to one and all;
    everything he does is suffused with grace.

14 God gives a hand to those down on their luck,
    gives a fresh start to those ready to quit.

15 All eyes are on you, expectant;
    you give them their meals on time.

16 Generous to a fault,
    you lavish your favor on all creatures.

17 Everything God does is right—
    the trademark on all his works is love.

18 God’s there, listening for all who pray,
    for all who pray and mean it.

19 He does what’s best for those who fear him—
    hears them call out, and saves them.

20 God sticks by all who love him,
    but it’s all over for those who don’t.

21 My mouth is filled with God’s praise.
    Let everything living bless him,
    bless his holy name from now to eternity!

Psalm 145:8-9, 14-21


My favorite movie for the past 17 years has been Remember the Titans. I was in the 7th grade the first time I saw Remember the Titans and I watched (at least a part of) it every night from 7th grade until my senior year of high school. That’s ridiculous – but also true.

I loved Remember the Titans for a myriad of reasons – probably some reasons that at 13 I wasn’t really able to vocalize – but one of the reasons I loved it was because Denzel Washington gives a KILLER motivational speech that brings everybody together as teammates and friends. (Obviously.) And I have always been a fan of motivational speeches and catch-phrases – short, quick phrases that sound like things you could call out during an intramural volleyball game. Things like, “Team work makes the dream work!” or “You gotta risk it to get the biscuit!” Tiny motivational speeches.

Psalm 145:8 is kind of like the motivational catch-phrase of the Old Testament. It (or something very similar to it) is found 8 different times throughout Scripture – attesting to the mercy, grace, patience, and love of God. And the rest of Psalm 145 goes on to illustrate God’s mercy, grace, longsuffering, patient nature.

Psalm 145 tells us that God is good to one and all, and that everything God does is suffused with grace. That God gives a hand to those down on their luck and a fresh start to those ready to quit. That God provides food for the hungry on their hungriest of days. God is generous to a fault, (that’s the one that gets me – my imagination falters when I try to imagine being generous to a fault), and that God lavishes favor on all creatures. God is always right. The way that you know God has done something is because there is love infused throughout it.

Psalm 145 reminds us that God is always with us, always listening to our prayers, and to the prayers of all of those who call for God. That God does what is best for us and for everyone – and saves us in our hour of need. That God will never leave us.

I don’t know about you – but that’ll motivate me. It fires me up, calls me out, inspires me to be better. I mean – it’s no Denzel Washington-Remember the Titans-Gettysburg Battle Field-Motivational Speech. But it’ll do in a pinch.

- Taylor

taylor@ubcwaco.org

 

 

Meet Our Newest HR Team Member

Rebekah Powell

what you do in Waco: I am a Staff Trainer at Methodist Children's Home

best Waco restaurant: ummm...do I have to pick one? Cafe Homestead, Baris, Alpha Omega, Captain Billy Whizbangs

book, chapter, and/or verse of the bible that has been meaningful for you: Psalm 40. This passage kept popping up during a pretty tough time filled with a lot of doubt and pain. I would read this passage and hope that it was true and I am slowly starting to believe that it is.

favorite movie/show: Parks and Rec is one of my favorite shows and Inside Out is one of my favorite movies

a book that you’ve really enjoyed: Simply Jesus by N.T. Wright

UBC Summer Party Dos

The summer is coming to a close, and we are throwing a party!  Join us at 6pm, on August 13th, for a grand finale to summer.  We will be eating dinner and hanging out at the Wood’s casa.  UBC will provide the main dish, as well as drinks, you need to bring a side to share with everyone.  Please sign-up after church this Sunday or next, or you can email toph@ubcwaco.org . 

UBC Kids - Branch/Root End of Summer Pool Party

Our Branch/Root Class (Pre-K -4th Grade) is ending the summer with a bang! We're having an End of Summer Pool Party this Sunday August 6th from 3:30pm-5:30pm at the McNamee's house. There will be snacks and drinks provided as well as a certified lifeguard present. Please sign-up after church this Sunday or you can email taylor@ubcwaco.org  

Work is Worship

Greeters:  Walters 

Coffee Makers:  Lees 

Mug Cleaners: Winns 

Money Counter: Justin Pond 

Announcements

  • Sunday Sermon:  Matthew 14:13-21 "what, how and … why did God do this miracle?” 
  • Tuesday Dives Location:  Tuesday Dives have come to a conclusion for the 2017 season.  
  • 8-6 OOTP Pool Party After Church @ Baylor SLC 
  • 8-13 OOTP Parent Meeting After Church @ UBC
  • 8-20 Kindergarten Commission 
  • 8-23 OOTP First Meeting!!! (Welcome 5th graders!) 6-8 P.M. @ UBC
  • 8-27 Welcome Back Lunch after church served by Crucero 

Do you have an emergency and need to talk to a pastor? 

254 413 2611

Leadership Team

If you have a concern or an idea for UBC that you’d like to share with someone that is not on staff, feel free to contact one of our leadership team members. 

Chair- Emma Wood:  emmaj.wood@yahoo.com

Byron Griffin: byrontgriffin@gmail.com

Stan Denman: Stan_Denman@baylor.edu

Adam Winn:  adamwinn68@yahoo.com

Bridget Heins: bheins@hot.rr.com

Sharyl Loeung: sharylwl@gmail.com

Jon Davis: jdavis83@gmail.com

Student Position: Samuel Moore: samuel_moore2@baylor.edu

Student Position: Leah Reed: Leah_Reed@baylor.edu

UBC Finance Team

Do you have a question about UBC’s financial affairs? Please feel free to contact any of your finance team members.

Josh McCormick: Josh.McCormick@dwyergroup.com

Hannah Kuhl: HannahKuhl@hotmail.com  

Justin Pond: pondjw@gmail.com

Anna Tilson: Anna_Tilson@jrbt.com

Doug McNamee: douglas_mcnamee@baylor.edu

UBC HR Team

If you have concerns about staff and would like contact our human resources team, please feel free to email any of the following members.

Rob Engblom: Rob_Engblom@baylor.edu

Ross Van Dyke: Ross_Vandyke@baylor.edu

Jared Gould: jared.gould1@gmail.com

Rebekah Powell: rpowell671@gmail.com

Liturgy 7-30-2017

This blog is a record of the call to worship, Scripture readings, and prayers from our Sunday liturgies.  If you are interested in writing something for the liturgy, or if you have a concern about any aspect of our liturgy, please email jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Call to Worship

we have gathered to worship the Creator

to offer our attention and thanks
to the One in whom we live
and move and have our being

and to be formed in the way of Christ

to learn how to love,
how to live,
and how to die.

in these things, we seek
the wisdom of the Spirit

Who is present in our weakness,
active in our brokenness,
and calling us into the work of God in the world.

Amen.

Scripture

Genesis 29:15-28

Laban said to Jacob, “Because you are my kinsman, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall your wages be?”

Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Leah’s eyes were lovely, and Rachel was graceful and beautiful. Jacob loved Rachel; so he said, “I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.”

Laban said, “It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to any other man; stay with me.” So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her. 

Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife that I may go in to her, for my time is completed.” So Laban gathered together all the people of the place, and made a feast. But in the evening he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob; and he went in to her. (Laban gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her maid.)

When morning came, it was Leah! And Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?” Laban said, “This is not done in our country—giving the younger before the firstborn. Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also in return for serving me another seven years.”

Jacob did so, and completed her week; then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as a wife.

Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52

Jesus put before the crowds another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” 

He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.”

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 

“Have you understood all this?” They answered, “Yes.” And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”

 

 

 

Prayer

This week's prayer was from An Iona Prayer Book, and is based on a traditional Gaelic prayer:

Thanks be to you, O Christ our Lord,
for the many gifts you have given us:
each day and night, each sea and land,
each weather fair, each calm, each wild.

Today may we remember your mercy
given so gently and generously:
each thing we have received, from you it came;
each thing for which we hope, from your love it will come;
each thing we enjoy, it is of your bounty;
each thing we ask, comes of your disposing.

O Lord, from whom each thing that is freely flows,
grant that no tie over-strict, no tie over-dear,
may separate us from your constant love,
or from the needs of our neighbours
in whom your face shines
each day and night.

Amen.

,

Setlist 7-30-2017

,

This was the eighth Sunday after Pentecost.  Our songs were gathered with this in mind, and heavily influenced by the lectionary texts.  Below, you’ll find the list of the songs and artists. Clicking the song titles will take you to the lyrics.  Below the songs, you can find an example of one way you might think of these songs in light of this week's theme. If you want to talk about any of these, feel free to comment at the bottom of this page or email me at jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Songs:

Amazing Grace by Citizens & Saints

There's A Wideness in God's Mercy by Jameson McGregor (adapted from F. Faber)

Mystery by Jameson McGregor (adapted from Charlie Hall)

O Love That Will Not Let Me Go by Jameson McGregor (adapted from Ascend the Hill)

Hope by Jameson McGregor

Doxology

How They Fit In:

There are many ways to think about the significance of songs and the way they fit together–-this is simply one way you can look at these songs in light of this week’s theme. 

Amazing Grace: This song moves from a general sense of God's grace in our lives to a more particular consideration of what effect the grace of God has on the way we live.  This is gathered into an implicit challenge to live as stories of grace and agents of reconciliation.

There's A Wideness In God's Mercy: This song serves as a reminder of two things: 1) God's mercy extends to us far more generously than we think we deserve; and 2) God's mercy extends to other people far more generously than we think they deserve.  

Mystery: This song champions the story of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection as a song of hope for all of creation.

O Love That Will Not Let Me Go: This is a hymn to God's enduring presence with us.  Rather than speaking of the difficulty to hold on to God in the midst of suffering, it proclaims God's presence with those who suffer.  

Hope: We sang this song to look over our shoulder at last week's songs.  This is what we said about Hope then: This song clings to the hope that the work of redemption made visible in the Resurrection will spread to the entirety of the cosmos.  This hope is characterized as such because, at the moment, things are still not as they should be--the weeds are growing up with the wheat, so to speak.

Doxology: We close our time together each week with this proclamation that God is worthy of praise from every inch of the cosmos.

-JM

ITLOTC 7-28-17

ITLOTC

(In The Life Of The Church) 

Ordinary Time

Prayer and Psalms

Perhaps unsurprisingly, I find myself talking about prayer a lot.  When prayer has come up in conversations I’ve had with ubcer’s over the past couple of years, it has usually been in the context of either a frustration about what the point of prayer is or how one is supposed to pray in the first place—the why and the how of prayer.  It’s common enough that it seems newsletter-worthy, but it’s going to take several newsletters to begin to flesh this out.  

I’d like to start with the “why" of prayer, but I’m going to start with the "how" instead.  Because I think that there is an impulse in us--consciously or not, reasoned or otherwise--that brings prayer into our lives before we even care why we are doing it. 

At the moment, the way I’ve been thinking about the “how” of prayer is as a dance between specific structure and honest vulnerability; between form and feeling.

In his book Under the Unpredictable Plant, Eugene Peterson talks about the prayer that Jonah offers from the belly of the fish.  He points out, fascinatingly, that this prayer is entirely composed of language from the Psalms.  Peterson says, “Jonah had been to school to learn to pray, and he prayed as he had been taught.  His school was the Psalms.” 

Why would you look to the Psalms as a school of prayer?  There are probably a few ways to answer that.  

First, praying language that is established in the Psalms allows one to tie oneself to a long tradition of humanity grasping for words with which to address God.  It is an implicit reminder that the Divine-human relationship is not summed up best in the Divine-me relationship.  

And that’s important because 1) we might otherwise fool ourselves into thinking that we experience special kinds of doubt, pain, joy, thanks, etc. (we don’t); and 2) if we tie ourselves to the history of the people of God, we are able to remind ourselves that, though we might be experiencing something in life for the first time, we have a vantage point in this Story from which we are able to look back on who God has been, in order to suspect who God will continue to be.

Second, using the Psalms as a “school” of prayer helps us address the near-universal concern of not knowing what or how to pray.  It’s a starting place—a training ground.  And we need this not so that we can pray hyper religious things, but just the opposite—so we see how to be our actual selves in our prayers.  

This is sort of what Jesus is getting at when he criticizes the way that the Pharisees pray.  It doesn’t take an especially righteous person to catch on to flashy lingo in a religious system that will send out the vibe that you are particularly adept at talking to God.  Creating a mask to wear before God and people comes pretty naturally. 

In the Psalms, alongside various kinds of thanks, we find deep lament, expressing feelings of abandonment, pain, and longing.  We find a history of not putting on a mask when addressing God, but instead bringing vulnerability. 

Most of the time I speak with someone who says they don’t know how to pray, what they really mean is they are angry or feel abandoned and they can’t think of anything nice to say to God. Which in fact means they have plenty to say, and are fully capable of praying, but they don’t think what they would pray is allowed.  

But when we look at the Bible (and not even just the Psalms), I think we can rest assured that God can take it.  We need not withhold any part of who we are.

So, if we have words of lament and are looking for permission to speak them to God, the Psalms offer it.  But also, if we are in pain, yet don’t have the words to express it, the Psalms can offer us language to do so. 

Take the opening of Psalm 13, for example:

How long, O Lord?  
Will you forget me forever?  
How long will you hide your face from me?  
How long must I bear pain in my soul,
and have sorrow in my heart all day long?  

The first time I needed words like this, I had never read this Psalm, so I sat and said nothing. [For the record, I think that was prayer too, and Paul talks about the Spirit interceding for us when our pain is too deep for words (Rom. 8:26, if you want to explore that further), but we’re talking about praying with words right now].  Had I been familiar with this Psalm, I likely would have taken up these words, or some version of them.    

Since coming into contact with this Psalm, I’ve gotten much better at expressing the abandonment of those verses, but what Psalm 13 has been teaching me lately is how to take up the final two verses:

But I trusted in your steadfast love;
my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.  
I will sing to the Lord,
because the Lord has dealt bountifully with me.

Sometimes moving to the twilight of darkness is hard for me.  And sometimes it feels like I don’t mean it.  But I’d like to.  So I say it anyway.  Because there is a way to take on a tunnel-vision that confuses the weight of a particular moment with the full truth about life and God.

The Psalms have a way of revealing when our prayers are too one-dimensional, and they challenge us to bring a balance to our prayers that is ultimately more honest.  They teach us to represent the whole of ourselves.

This is the dance of form and feeling that I mentioned earlier: we bring our experiences into conversation with the legacy of prayer in the Bible, seeking out forms, themes, and language, to offer prayers that say more than we might think we are capable of, and ultimately to speak more truthfully about who we are and who God is.

There’s so much more to say about this, but that’s going to have to wait for another week.  As always, if you have any feedback, questions, or concerns about any of this, feel free to email jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Meet Our Newest UBCer

Khoury Lev Ezekiel Loeung

IMG_20170621_172235_095.jpg

 

Birthday: June 14

Birth Weight: 5 lb. 11 oz. 

Birth Height: 19 inches 

Enneagram Number: 2

UBC Summer Party Dos

The summer is coming to a close, and we are throwing a party!  Join us at 6pm, on August 13th, for a grand finale to summer.  We will be eating dinner and hanging out at the Wood’s casa.  UBC will provide the main dish, as well as drinks, you need to bring a side to share with everyone.  Please sign-up after church this Sunday or next, or you can email toph@ubcwaco.org . 

Work is Worship

Greeters:  Blaylocks 

Coffee Makers: Burns 

Mug Cleaners: Woods 

Money Counter:  Hannah K. 

Announcements

  • Sunday Sermon: Matthew 13:31-33, 46-52
  • Please be in prayer for our next leadership team meeting which will be on Sunday July 30th. 
  • Tuesday Dives Location:  Fridays  
  • 7-?? Summer Event Dos ... more info to come 
  • 8-6 OOTP Pool Party After Church @ Baylor SLC 
  • 8-13 OOTP Parent Meeting After Church @ UBC
  • 8-23 OOTP First Meeting!!! (Welcome 5th graders!) 6-8 P.M. @ UBC

Do you have an emergency and need to talk to a pastor? 

254 413 2611

Leadership Team

If you have a concern or an idea for UBC that you’d like to share with someone that is not on staff, feel free to contact one of our leadership team members. 

Chair- Jon Davis: jdavis83@gmail.com

Byron Griffin: byrontgriffin@gmail.com

Stan Denman: Stan_Denman@baylor.edu

Adam Winn:  adamwinn68@yahoo.com

Bridget Heins: bheins@hot.rr.com

Sharyl Loeung: sharylwl@gmail.com

Emma Wood: emmaj.wood@yahoo.com

Student Position: Samuel Moore: samuel_moore2@baylor.edu

Student Position: Leah Reed: Leah_Reed@baylor.edu

UBC Finance Team

Do you have a question about UBC’s financial affairs? Please feel free to contact any of your finance team members.

Josh McCormick: Josh.McCormick@dwyergroup.com

Hannah Kuhl: HannahKuhl@hotmail.com  

Justin Pond: pondjw@gmail.com

Anna Tilson: Anna_Tilson@jrbt.com

Doug McNamee: douglas_mcnamee@baylor.edu

UBC HR Team

If you have concerns about staff and would like contact our human resources team, please feel free to email any of the following members.

Rob Engblom: Rob_Engblom@baylor.edu

Ross Van Dyke: Ross_Vandyke@baylor.edu

Jared Gould: jared.gould1@gmail.com

Liturgy 7-23-2017

This blog is a record of the call to worship, Scripture readings, and prayers from our Sunday liturgies.  If you are interested in writing something for the liturgy, or if you have a concern about any aspect of our liturgy, please email jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Call to Worship

we have gathered to worship
the One who is the first and the last

the One who is gracious and full of compassion,
slow to anger, and full of kindness and truth

the One who is present when we don’t know it

and who knows us completely

seeking undivided hearts
and a hope that can’t be tamed

so that we can join in God’s work of redemption
and cast Light into Light-starved places

Amen.

 

 

 

Scripture

Genesis 28:10-19a

Jacob left Beer-sheba and went toward Haran. He came to a certain place and stayed there for the night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place.

And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.

And the Lord stood beside him and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring; and your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your offspring.

Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place—and I did not know it!” And he was afraid, and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” 

So Jacob rose early in the morning, and he took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. He called that place Bethel.

 

 

 

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

Jesus put before the crowd another parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well.

And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?’ He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The slaves said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’

But he replied, ‘No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’” 

Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.

Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age.

The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!”

Prayer

For this week's prayer, we offered the excerpt from Psalm 139 that was a part of the lectionary set:

Lord, you have searched me out and known me;
you know my sitting down and my rising up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.

You trace my journeys and my resting-places
and are acquainted with all my ways.
Indeed, there is not a word on my lips,
but you, O Lord, know it altogether.

You press upon me behind and before
and lay your hand upon me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is so high that I cannot attain to it.

Where can I go then from your Spirit?
where can I flee from your presence?
If I climb up to heaven, you are there;
if I make the grave my bed, you are there also.

If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
Even there your hand will lead me
and your right hand hold me fast.

If I say, "Surely the darkness will cover me,
and the light around me turn to night,"
Darkness is not dark to you;
the night is as bright as the day;
darkness and light to you are both alike.

Search me out, O God, and know my heart;
try me and know my restless thoughts.
Look well whether there be any wickedness in me
and lead me in the way that is everlasting.

Amen.

,

Setlist 7-23-2017

,

This was the seventh Sunday after Pentecost.  Our songs were gathered with this in mind, and heavily influenced by the lectionary texts (particularly, the weeds & wheat passage that Josh preached from).  Below, you’ll find the list of the songs and artists. Clicking the song titles will take you to the lyrics.  Below the songs, you can find an example of one way you might think of these songs in light of this week's theme. If you want to talk about any of these, feel free to comment at the bottom of this page or email me at jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Songs:

Hope by Jameson McGregor

Lord, I Need You by Matt Maher

There by Jameson McGregor

For Those Tears I Died by Jameson McGregor

Wandering by Jameson McGregor

Doxology

How They Fit In:

There are many ways to think about the significance of songs and the way they fit together–-this is simply one way you can look at these songs in light of this week’s theme. 

Hope: This song clings to the hope that the work of redemption made visible in the Resurrection will spread to the entirety of the cosmos.  This hope is characterized as such because, at the moment, things are still not as they should be--the weeds are growing up with the wheat, so to speak.

Lord, I Need You: This song is a confession of our need for the transformation of the Spirit in our own lives to form us into people who are like Christ, and for the Spirit to hold us together as we face any number of struggles in living in a world that is still broken.

There: This song proclaims that the same God who is imminent with us in our suffering also stands over and above every kind of brokenness as an Anchor that is holding us in place in the midst of the turbulence of history.

For Those Tears I Died: This song holds in tension both the solidarity of Christ with human suffering, and the cry of "how long?" from the worn-thin world.

Wandering: We sang this song to look over our shoulder at last week's songs.  This is what we said about Wandering then: This song allows us to confess our tendency to, knowingly or not, attempt to use God for our own ends, while also praising God for being consistently faithful.

Doxology: We close our time together each week with this proclamation that God is worthy of praise from every inch of the cosmos.

-JM

ITLOTC 7-21-17

ITLOTC

(In The Life Of The Church) 

Ordinary Time

Town Hall Recap

At our town hall this last Sunday we focused on two things.  The first was a report on our current fiscal situation. 

UBC currently has $168,188.14 in checking and $97,464.87 in savings bring our total liquid assets to $270,164.75.  

We just concluded our 2K16-7 fiscal year which runs from July 1st-June 30th and during that period our total giving was $400,259.07. Our budget for the 2016-17 years was about 330K, but we added the children's pastor position which added another 30K in benefits and salary bringing out actual total closer to 360K.  

Our budget for the 2017-18 year is right at 400K.  

The other portion of the town hall was given to discussing our space situation.  I have a few updates to give from that.  After our April town hall and leadership team meeting, i was given a few actionable steps.  I was asked to bring in architect to answer a few questions including: 

1. can we utilize the space we already have better to solve our problems?

2. can we shut down Flint between 17th and 18th? 

3. What is the best way to do a and how much would a renovation cost. 

I met with architect Sterling Thompson and he was able to help me with a few things. To the first question the answer is no, we cannot solve our current space needs with our existing building.  2. The second question he is investigating.  3. The third question he answered by asking how much space we would need.  Off the cuff I guessed 8,000 sq. ft.  To give you an idea, our current building is 16,000 sq. ft.  I talked with him about building off of the 18th st. side of the building (the orange arrow below) and the Flint side of the building (the red arrow below) and he was able to immediately determine that it would be much more cost effective to build towards 18th.  If you can see the picture below, Sterling said that 8,000 sq. ft. would be roughly the length of our building out to the yellow line that divides the parking space (near the tip of the orange arrow below).  If this were the plan pursue, we'd investigate shutting down flint and turning that and the lot we own across the st. (Flint) into additional parking.  

A few months ago I told my friend, UBCer, and commercial real estate super champion Lisa Monroe that if anyone ever wanted to offer us big money and another in town location came up for sale that we could move to, UBC might be interested.  That comment was half-hearted, but not untrue.  Low, on one fine Wednesday Lissa called me and asked, "hey, have you seen the Brazos Electric Company property?"  

Turns out the BEC property is 11 acres with several buildings on LaSalle, right by the circle.  Lisa sent me a flyer, I shared it with the staff and we decided to go take a look with Jon Davis and Stan Denman from the leadership team and Melissa Whisnant who I asked to get some aesthetics feedback.  

So we looked at the property, dreamed dreams and asked questions.  The most obvious being how much?  The BEC property is listed for 1.85 million.  However, Lisa told us that several hotels and other commercially interested buyers have already inquired about purchases some of the acreage for development.  The BEC won't sell the property without the building.  So Lisa thinks that if we can sell our current space and sell off ... say half of the 11 acres, we might be able to get into the building nearly debt free.  

The question then becomes, could we renovate the property at an affordable rate?  Back to Sterling Thompson.  So after showing Sterling our building, I told him about the BEC and asked if we got him the plans for the BEC if he could tell us what would be feasible.  Low and behold, Sterling did addition to the BEC so he already has the plans. 

So this is where we are at.  Sterling is looking for the BEC property, investigating shutting down Flint and working on ideas for an expansion to our current building.  

What I would like from you if you consider yourself a UBCer is: 

1. prayers for myself, the staff, and the leadership team as we discern how to move forward 

2. advice.  please contact us with your own thoughts.  

grateful,

carney 

Sunday School Reminder

Friends, just a friendly reminder that tour weekly Sunday School summer class meets in the backside at 9:30 AM.  Kolachies provided.  

UBCYP Extravaganza

A UBCYP Extravaganza is happening ... TONIGHT at the McGregor household.  This is the sort of deal where you bring a side.  You can sign up for that here. For more information, email jamie@ubcwaco.org. 

Work is Worship

Greeters:  Blaylocks 

Coffee Makers:  Burns 

Mug Cleaners: Pereiras

Money Counter: Anna T. 

Announcements

  • Sunday Sermon:
  • Please be in prayer for our next leadership team meeting which will be on Sunday July 30th. 
  • Tuesday Dives Location:  Rufis Cocina 
  • 7-?? Summer Event Dos ... more info to come 
  • 8-6 OOTP Pool Party After Church @ Baylor SLC 
  • 8-13 OOTP Parent Meeting After Church @ UBC
  • 8-23 OOTP First Meeting!!! (Welcome 5th graders!) 6-8 P.M. @ UBC

Do you have an emergency and need to talk to a pastor? 

254 413 2611

Leadership Team

If you have a concern or an idea for UBC that you’d like to share with someone that is not on staff, feel free to contact one of our leadership team members. 

Chair- Jon Davis: jdavis83@gmail.com

Byron Griffin: byrontgriffin@gmail.com

Stan Denman: Stan_Denman@baylor.edu

Adam Winn:  adamwinn68@yahoo.com

Bridget Heins: bheins@hot.rr.com

Sharyl Loeung: sharylwl@gmail.com

Emma Wood: emmaj.wood@yahoo.com

Student Position: Samuel Moore: samuel_moore2@baylor.edu

Student Position: Leah Reed: Leah_Reed@baylor.edu

UBC Finance Team

Do you have a question about UBC’s financial affairs? Please feel free to contact any of your finance team members.

Josh McCormick: Josh.McCormick@dwyergroup.com

Hannah Kuhl: HannahKuhl@hotmail.com  

Justin Pond: pondjw@gmail.com

Anna Tilson: Anna_Tilson@jrbt.com

Doug McNamee: douglas_mcnamee@baylor.edu

UBC HR Team

If you have concerns about staff and would like contact our human resources team, please feel free to email any of the following members.

Rob Engblom: Rob_Engblom@baylor.edu

Ross Van Dyke: Ross_Vandyke@baylor.edu

Jared Gould: jared.gould1@gmail.com

Liturgy 7-16-2017

This blog is a record of the call to worship, Scripture readings, and prayers from our Sunday liturgies.  If you are interested in writing something for the liturgy, or if you have a concern about any aspect of our liturgy, please email jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Call to Worship

we have gathered to worship the One who speaks Life
in the midst of chaos,

each of us carrying chaos of our own

we have come seeking rest from our wandering

and peace for our scattered minds

Spirit of Life, who raised Christ from the dead

raise us from every kind of death
and guide us into abundant life

Amen

 

 

 

Scripture

Genesis 25:19-34

These are the descendants of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah, daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-aram, sister of Laban the Aramean. Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord granted his prayer, and his wife Rebekah conceived.

The children struggled together within her; and she said, “If it is to be this way, why do I live?” So she went to inquire of the Lord. And the Lord said to her, 

“Two nations are in your womb,
and two peoples born of you shall be divided; 
the one shall be stronger than the other, 
the elder shall serve the younger.” 

When her time to give birth was at hand, there were twins in her womb. The first came out red, all his body like a hairy mantle; so they named him Esau. Afterward his brother came out, with his hand gripping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.

When the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, living in tents. Isaac loved Esau, because he was fond of game; but Rebekah loved Jacob.

Once when Jacob was cooking a stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was famished. Esau said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stuff, for I am famished!” (Therefore he was called Edom.) Jacob said, “First sell me your birthright.” Esau said, “I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?”

Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank, and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach.

And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil.

But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!”

“Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away.

As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

Prayer

This week's prayer is from An Iona Prayer Book (p. 130):

Loving God, open our hearts
so that we may feel the breath and play of your Spirit.
Unclench our hands
so that we may reach out to one another,
and touch and be healed.
Open our lips
that we may drink in the delight and wonder of life.
Open our eyes
so that we may see Christ in friend and stranger.
Breathe your Spirit into us,
and touch our lives with the life of Christ.

Amen.

 

,

Setlist 7-16-2017

,

This was the sixth Sunday after Pentecost.  Our songs were gathered with this in mind, and heavily influenced by the selection from Psalm 145 in this week's lectionary set.  Below, you’ll find the list of the songs and artists. Clicking the song titles will take you to the lyrics.  Below the songs, you can find an example of one way you might think of these songs in light of this week's theme. If you want to talk about any of these, feel free to comment at the bottom of this page or email me at jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Songs:

How Great Thou Art

Wandering by Jameson McGregor

Up On A Mountain by The Welcome Wagon

Anthem by Leonard Cohen

Lifted/Lifting by Jameson McGregor

Doxology

How They Fit In:

There are many ways to think about the significance of songs and the way they fit together–-this is simply one way you can look at these songs in light of this week’s theme. 

How Great Thou Art: We sang this song to begin our time together with a word of gratitude to the breadth of God's work of creation and redemption.

Wandering: This song allows us to confess our tendency to, knowingly or not, attempt to use God for our own ends, while also praising God for being consistently faithful.

Up On A Mountain: We sang this song as a reminder that Christ has entered into our afflictions, knows the depth of our pain, and that the Spirit is present with us, drawing creation toward redemption.

Anthem: This song acknowledges the depth of the brokenness of the world, and imagines the wounds of existence as the points through which the Light enters our stories.

Lifted/Lifting: We sang this song to look over our shoulder at last week's songs.  This is what we said about Lifted/Lifting last week: This song is a plea for God to continue to develop the things we think we already know about who God is, and also to continue to form who we are more fully in the way of Christ.

Doxology: We close our time together each week with this proclamation that God is worthy of praise from every inch of the cosmos.

-JM

ITLOTC 7-14-17

ITLOTC

(In The Life Of The Church) 

Ordinary Time

Further Up and Further In by Brad Rettler

Over the course of the summer, UBC will say goodbye to four families that have been part of our community for some time.  I've asked each of them to write something for the newsletter about their experience at UBC and something they learned.  This third entry is by Brad Rettler.  

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

When we got married, Lindsay had been living in Columbus and I had been living in South Bend. We were both content with our lives, our lodgings, our friends, and our churches. Lindsay was at an Acts 29 church in Columbus that sang hymns with updated instrumentation and was really involved in their community, and her small group was kind and intelligent and supportive. I was at a Southern Baptist church in South Bend whose pastor was an avid reader despite never going to college, and where I played drums and helped in the nursery. Lindsay moved to South Bend and joined my church after we got married, and came to love it as well.

When it came time to move to Waco, we were certain that we wouldn’t ever find another church that we loved as much as our former churches. But that was okay, we thought, because you can’t always get what you want. Sometimes God gives you good things, and other times you have to learn to be content with lesser things. 

But then we visited Waco in April to look for an apartment, and the Tweedts brought us to UBC. It was Palm Sunday, and Josh preached on Jesus’ triumphal entry. He suggested that we are supposed to see ourselves as accompanying Jesus into Jerusalem, because the story invokes a number of pairs – two apostles, a donkey and a colt, two cloaks… (I may be getting the details wrong.) We learned something, and we liked the atmosphere. When we discovered that Josh is a Green Bay Packers fan, we were sold. We stayed, and we’ve never regretted it.

When I was an undergraduate, I assumed I’d meet my wife during college. There were hundreds of women who were my age, I had a lot in common with most of them, we were hanging out every day… it just made sense. When graduation came and went and I wasn’t married, I was certain that I wouldn’t ever be in as good a position to find the right person as I was. Five years later I met Lindsay. She was brilliant, kind, godly, funny, and beautiful, and I was sold. We’ve been together five years, and I’ve never once regretted it.

Sometimes we’re at a point in life from which we can’t wait to move on. We work long hours at a job we hate, or we live in a dirty and cramped apartment, or we don’t have any friends. Anywhere seems like a step up.

But sometimes we’re at a point in life from which we don’t want to move on. Life seems perfect – as if nowhere we could go from there could compare. Every possibility seems like a step down. And sometimes this is worse than having a bad life, because it seems like there’s nowhere to go but down.

There’s a Sara Groves song that captures some of this nicely. She says, “I’ve been painting pictures of Egypt, leaving out what it lacks. And the future feels so hard and I want to go back.” Of course, Egypt was terrible was the Israelites. But it was familiar, unlike the desert. I am sure some Israelites walked out of Egypt in faith and confidence. But I’m equally sure that some were longing for their beds and huts. If they could do that with Egypt, how much easier is it, I’m sure, for us to do it wherever we are.

It’s easy to look forward when things are bad. Maybe it’s even easier to trust God when things are bad, because it just seems more likely they’ll get better anyway. But it’s much harder to look forward when things are good. When things are good, I look backward. I dwell on what I think of as the good life I used to live, and I don’t want to plan ahead for the life I’m sure won’t be as good.

UBC, may we be a people (I’ve always wanted to say that) who take each step forward in our lives trusting that we’re moving further up and further in the good that God has for us.

Town Hall

Our quarterly town hall meeting will take place after church on July 16th.  

Work is Worship

Greeters:  Will & the Richardsons 

Coffee Makers:  Jobson 

Mug Cleaners: McNamees 

Money Counter: Doug M. 

Announcements

  • Sunday Sermon: Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 "The Generous Sower" 
  • Please be in prayer for our next leadership team meeting which will be on Sunday July 30th. 
  • Tuesday Dives Location:  The Eatery 
  • 7-?? Summer Event Dos ... more info to come 
  • 7-21: UBCYP cookout at McGregor's House
  • 8-6 OOTP Pool Party After Church @ Baylor SLC 
  • 8-13 OOTP Parent Meeting After Church @ UBC
  • 8-23 OOTP First Meeting!!! (Welcome 5th graders!) 6-8 P.M. @ UBC

Do you have an emergency and need to talk to a pastor? 

254 413 2611

Leadership Team

If you have a concern or an idea for UBC that you’d like to share with someone that is not on staff, feel free to contact one of our leadership team members. 

Chair- Jon Davis: jdavis83@gmail.com

Byron Griffin: byrontgriffin@gmail.com

Stan Denman: Stan_Denman@baylor.edu

Adam Winn:  adamwinn68@yahoo.com

Bridget Heins: bheins@hot.rr.com

Sharyl Loeung: sharylwl@gmail.com

Emma Wood: emmaj.wood@yahoo.com

Student Position: Samuel Moore: samuel_moore2@baylor.edu

Student Position: Leah Reed: Leah_Reed@baylor.edu

UBC Finance Team

Do you have a question about UBC’s financial affairs? Please feel free to contact any of your finance team members.

Josh McCormick: Josh.McCormick@dwyergroup.com

Hannah Kuhl: HannahKuhl@hotmail.com  

Justin Pond: pondjw@gmail.com

Anna Tilson: Anna_Tilson@jrbt.com

Doug McNamee: douglas_mcnamee@baylor.edu

UBC HR Team

If you have concerns about staff and would like contact our human resources team, please feel free to email any of the following members.

Rob Engblom: Rob_Engblom@baylor.edu

Ross Van Dyke: Ross_Vandyke@baylor.edu

Jared Gould: jared.gould1@gmail.com

Liturgy 7-9-2017

This blog is a record of the call to worship, Scripture readings, and prayers from our Sunday liturgies.  If you are interested in writing something for the liturgy, or if you have a concern about any aspect of our liturgy, please email jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Call to Worship

we have gathered to worship
the One whose love is abundant

and whose mercy extends to all of creation

hoping to be shaped into people
who mirror this love and mercy

and who regard all of creation as God does

Spirit of Life, who is active among us,

resurrect what is dead in us
and teach us how to live

amen.

Scripture

Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67

The servant said to Laban, “I am Abraham’s servant. The Lord has greatly blessed my master, and he has become wealthy; he has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male and female slaves, camels and donkeys. And Sarah my master’s wife bore a son to my master when she was old; and he has given him all that he has.

My master made me swear, saying, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live; but you shall go to my father’s house, to my kindred, and get a wife for my son.’ 

“I came today to the spring, and said, ‘O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, if now you will only make successful the way I am going! I am standing here by the spring of water; let the young woman who comes out to draw, to whom I shall say, “Please give me a little water from your jar to drink,” and who will say to me, “Drink, and I will draw for your camels also” —let her be the woman whom the Lord has appointed for my master’s son.’ 

“Before I had finished speaking in my heart, there was Rebekah coming out with her water jar on her shoulder; and she went down to the spring, and drew. I said to her, ‘Please let me drink.’

She quickly let down her jar from her shoulder, and said, ‘Drink, and I will also water your camels.’ So I drank, and she also watered the camels. Then I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bore to him.’

So I put the ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her arms. Then I bowed my head and worshiped the Lord, and blessed the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me by the right way to obtain the daughter of my master’s kinsman for his son.

Now then, if you will deal loyally and truly with my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, so that I may turn either to the right hand or to the left.” 

And they called Rebekah, and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” She said, “I will.” So they sent away their sister Rebekah and her nurse along with Abraham’s servant and his men.

And they blessed Rebekah and said to her, “May you, our sister, become thousands of myriads; may your offspring gain possession of the gates of their foes.” Then Rebekah and her maids rose up, mounted the camels, and followed the man; thus the servant took Rebekah, and went his way.

Now Isaac had come from Beer-lahai-roi, and was settled in the Negeb. Isaac went out in the evening to walk in the field; and looking up, he saw camels coming. And Rebekah looked up, and when she saw Isaac, she slipped quickly from the camel, and said to the servant, “Who is the man over there, walking in the field to meet us?”

The servant said, “It is my master.” So she took her veil and covered herself. And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent. He took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.

Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30:

Jesus said to the crowd, “To what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another,

‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
we wailed, and you did not mourn.’ 

For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon’; the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”

At that time Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.

All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Prayer

This week's prayer is from An Iona Prayer Book, and is attributed to the Egyptian Coptic Church:

O God, who sends the light to shine upon this earth;
God who makes the sun to shine upon those who are good
and those who do wrong
God who created the light that lights the whole world,
shine your light into our minds and hearts.
Guard us from all that is harmful to ourselves and others.

Amen.

 

,

Setlist 7-9-2017

,

This was the fifth Sunday after Pentecost.  Our songs were gathered with this in mind, and heavily influenced by the selection from Psalm 145 in this week's lectionary set.  Below, you’ll find the list of the songs and artists. Clicking the song titles will take you to the lyrics.  Below the songs, you can find live recordings of a few of them from Sunday morning , and below the recordings, there is an example of one way you might think of these songs in light of this week's theme. If you want to talk about any of these, feel free to comment at the bottom of this page or email me at jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Songs:

All Creatures of Our God and King

Crown Him With Many Crowns by Jameson McGregor

Be Thou My Vision

Lifted/Lifting by Jameson McGregor

Future/Past by John Mark McMillan

Doxology

Recordings:

From time to time, we'll post live recordings of the songs from Sunday morning.  These recordings aren't what you would call polished--sometimes guitars are out of tune, sometimes the vocals are off--but they are records of moments we've shared together.  Here are the songs from this week:

How They Fit In:

There are many ways to think about the significance of songs and the way they fit together–-this is simply one way you can look at these songs in light of this week’s theme. 

All Creatures of Our God and King: We sang this song to begin our time by praising God as our Creator and Lord both with our words and with an attempt at grasping for a view of other creatures as equally created and loved by God.

Crown Him With Many Crowns: We sang this song to remind ourselves of the lordship of the Suffering God who has drawn us to Godself by drawing near to us in Christ.

Be Thou My Vision: This song is a petition for God to be our vision, wisdom, security, and hope, and we sang it because this is the sort of divine-human relationship that drives the people of God out into the world to join in God's redemption project in creation.

Lifted/Lifting: This song is a plea for God to continue to develop the things we think we already know about who God is, and also to continue to form who we are more fully in the way of Christ.

Future/Past: This song was a look over our shoulder at last week's songs (I was out of town, so there aren't any thoughts from last week's post to place here).

Doxology: We close our time together each week with this proclamation that God is worthy of praise from every inch of the cosmos.

-JM

ITLOTC 7-7-17

ITLOTC

(In The Life Of The Church) 

Ordinary Time

This week’s Psalm in the Lectionary is Psalm 145:8-15. It reads as follows:

The Lord is gracious and merciful,
    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

The Lord is good to all,
    and his compassion is over all that he has made.

All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,
    and all your faithful shall bless you.
They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom,
    and tell of your power,
to make known to all people your mighty deeds,
    and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
    and your dominion endures throughout all generations.

The Lord is faithful in all his words,
    and gracious in all his deeds.

The Lord upholds all who are falling,
    and raises up all who are bowed down.
The eyes of all look to you,
    and you give them their food in due season.

            The reminder in v. 8 that God is gracious and merciful reminds me of a song that Jaime uses frequently in our times of congregational singing – “There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy.” It has been a convicting reminder for me since Jaime began incorporating it into our worship a few years ago, that God’s mercy, grace, and love are far wider than I could ever imagine, and if I think that I have found their ends it is not because of a lack of God’s mercy, grace, and love – but it is because of a lack of those things within myself and an unwillingness to depend on God to provide them.

The next verse goes on to affirm that God’s compassion is larger than I could probably imagine it to be by insisting that God’s compassion extends to everything that God has every made – which we know…is everything. God’s compassion extends to everything. At all times because verses 13 and 14 remind us that God’s mercy, grace, love, compassion, and faithfulness do not just exist now and for us – but that the kingdom of God is everlasting and eternal. That God’s compassion, faithfulness, love, grace, and mercy have always and will always exist to cover everything that God has created.

And just when we might be getting crazy v.15 pops up to remind us that oftentimes none of this looks the way that we might assume that it would. That God gives in God’s own perfect timing and we can’t always anticipate what the gift will be or how it will fit into our own plans. We can only trust that all good things come from the God of heaven and earth who is just, kind, merciful, and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. May we all look to the God of grace for guidance in the days to come and may we all depend on God to extend to us grace, mercy, and love that we can then extend to those around as we give thanks and bless the name of the Lord.

- Taylor

If you'd like to talk more about this you can email me at: taylor@ubcwaco.org

Town Hall

Our quarterly town hall meeting will take place after church on July 16th.  

HR Team Member Needed

We are proud and grateful for the work of Mathew Crawford and Maxcey Blaylock who both rotated off the UBC HR team.  That means we are looking for two new members of our community to serve on that team.  If you have HR or related experience or know someone who does, you can nominate them or yourself to work on the HR Team.  Nominations should be sent to josh@ubcwaco.org.  Selections will be made at our July leadership team meeting.  Below you will find some information on the HR team from our bylaws.

(A) Purpose.  The Human Resources/Staff Support Team shall exist for the following purposes:

a.     To establish procedures for the hiring of ministerial and non-ministerial staff, and to enact those procedures when advised by Leadership Team to do so.

b.    To advise Leadership and Finance teams on issues regarding long-term staff needs.

c.     To create and implement staff review procedures.

d.    To advise Leadership and Finance teams on matters regarding staff compensation, benefits, grievances and termination.

e.    To be a liaison between the congregation and staff during times of conflict after all attempts at personal, one-on-one resolution has been made. 

(C) Qualifications.  HR/Staff Support Team members shall have been an active participant in the life of UBC for no less than one year, have received a bachelor’s degree (or roughly an equivalent amount of experience in personnel management, ministry, or other related field,) and have a demonstrable understanding of organizational management. 

Princes Fundraiser for Mission Waco

 

Work is Worship

Greeters:  Ricky and Juliet 

Coffee Makers:  Hand

Mug Cleaners: Meehans 

Money Counter: Justin P. 

Announcements

  • Sunday Sermon: Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67.
  • Please be in prayer for our special guest preacher Dr. David Wilhite 
  • Tuesday Dives Location:  The Eatery 
  • 7-10 OOTP Go Bowling 5:30-7:30  @ Baylor SUB
  • 7-16 Town Hall After Church 
  • 7-?? Summer Event Dos ... more info to come 
  • 7-21: UBCYP cookout at McGregor's House
  • 8-6 OOTP Pool Party After Church @ Baylor SLC 
  • 8-13 OOTP Parent Meeting After Church @ UBC
  • 8-23 OOTP First Meeting!!! (Welcome 5th graders!) 6-8 P.M. @ UBC

Do you have an emergency and need to talk to a pastor? 

254 413 2611

Leadership Team

If you have a concern or an idea for UBC that you’d like to share with someone that is not on staff, feel free to contact one of our leadership team members. 

Chair- Jon Davis: jdavis83@gmail.com

Byron Griffin: byrontgriffin@gmail.com

Stan Denman: Stan_Denman@baylor.edu

Adam Winn:  adamwinn68@yahoo.com

Bridget Heins: bheins@hot.rr.com

Sharyl Loeung: sharylwl@gmail.com

Emma Wood: emmaj.wood@yahoo.com

Student Position: Samuel Moore: samuel_moore2@baylor.edu

Student Position: Leah Reed: Leah_Reed@baylor.edu

UBC Finance Team

Do you have a question about UBC’s financial affairs? Please feel free to contact any of your finance team members.

Josh McCormick: Josh.McCormick@dwyergroup.com

Hannah Kuhl: HannahKuhl@hotmail.com  

Justin Pond: pondjw@gmail.com

Anna Tilson: Anna_Tilson@jrbt.com

Doug McNamee: douglas_mcnamee@baylor.edu

UBC HR Team

If you have concerns about staff and would like contact our human resources team, please feel free to email any of the following members.

Rob Engblom: Rob_Engblom@baylor.edu

Ross Van Dyke: Ross_Vandyke@baylor.edu

Jared Gould: jared.gould1@gmail.com

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