Liturgy 3-18-2018

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 Forgetful God revealed in Jesus Christ

to devote our attention
to the One whose compassion blots out our sin

seeking to be formed by the renovating memory of God

into people whose hearts mirror God’s own

whose minds are open to the wisdom of the Spirit

and whose lives are joined
with God’s work of re-Creation in the world.

Amen.

Scripture

Jeremiah 31:31-34

The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord.

But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, “Know the Lord,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.

John 12:20-33

Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.

Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.

Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.

“Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say—‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”

The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.

Prayer

This week's prayer was written and read by Emmy Edwards:

God,
We want to see You.
We want to know You.
We want to love You.

Merciful God,
Forgive us for the ways we close our eyes when You show us Your face in the faces of the downtrodden.
Forgive us when we hid our minds from You in shame, fear, or guilt.
Forgive us when we love our own designed comfort instead of You.

Mysterious God,
So today, even in the wilderness, we ask for new eyes, new minds, and new hearts.

We ask to see You more – even if it’s just to expand our world.
We ask to know You more – even if it’s just to know how greatly we’re known by You.
We ask to love You more – even if it’s just to grasp at the hem of your cloak.

God,
You are relentless in Your pursuit of us and all Your beloved.
You invite us to see You, to know You, and to love You.
You invite us to be redeemed.
Today, and moment by moment each day, will You give us the grace to say yes?

Amen

ITLOTC 3-16-18

ITLOTC

(In The Life Of The Church) 

Lent

Five Women I admire

It's women's month.  You knew that right?  So in this blog I'm going to tell you about 5 women that I admire.  

Rule: I can't be related to the people because of course I would say my wife, daughters, mom, sisters, etc.  

5. Michelle Obama: UBC is a wonderful church in many ways.  One of those ways is that it does not place job expectations on my family.  I'm acutely aware of how bad the job of pastor's spouse can be, because I saw my mom do it.  Lindsay always tells people she grew up Catholic so she doesn't have any model to work with anyway.  Ha.  There is a job that has to be worse than being the spouse of clergy though, and that is being the spouse of a politician.  I 100% agree that politicians are elected officials who should be held accountable for their decisions and even more accountable when they seem to ignore the voice of their constituents, and I think criticism comes with the job, but I often think criticism is turned to cruelty.  All that to say, I think the weight that every 1st lady carries is a remarkable thing.  There have been many good ones.  I happen to be a big Laura Bush fan as well.  That being said, because of the politics of race in this country, I think few if any, carried a load as heavy as Michelle Obama.  Never once did I see not respond without dignity and class.  She is a remarkable individual who I'm proud to point out to my children as an example of elegance and strength.  

4. Terri Gross: I love asking people hypothetical questions like, "if you could have any job in the world or you had to do another job than the one you have, what you pick?"  My answer that that question is always, "I would do Terri Gross's job."  If you don't know and didn't infer, she hosts the daily NPR talk show Fresh Air.  It is to me a show about humanity.  Her guests have no vocational, demographical, or national uniformity.  She interviews all kinds of people.  I've often noted about myself that one thing that never seems to tire within me is my curiosity.  I love discovering new ideas and people.  Terri Gross has a career of perfecting curiosity and asking intriguing questions to mine for meaning in people.  I have learned a good deal both from her guests, but also from her ability.  

3. Barbara Brown Taylor: I've read more of BBT's sermons than anyone else's.  There are few who can do so much with so little.  Sometimes when I'm writing sermons and I'm stuck I have to force myself not to read BBT.  That's right I said NOT read BBT, because as soon as I do I know that will be the end of the my creative instinct.  The problem is she's likely done it and done it better.  In that regard reading her can be deflating.  Kind of like playing PIG with Michael Jordan. I can't say something like, "BBT taught me how to preach."  1. That would be overstated, 2. My style is nothing like hers and 3. I'm not even nosebleed section of the same stadium, much less same ballpark.  But I do think BBT has taught me how to think.  I got a text today.  It asked, "who are some theologians you love."  I listed a few, but then confessed I don't read much theology anymore.  Then about a half minute later I decided I do read theology, just not the kind that academics care about.  BBT is not just a great preacher, she is a theologian and an ecclesiastical pioneer.  

2. J.K. Rowling:  Yes, this one is obvious because I'm a nerd.  You probably saw it coming as soon as you read the title of this post.  It may surprise you to know that for the first 5-6 years of Harry Potter's book and film life, I scoffed at the idea of children's book about wizards.  In the first year of our marriage when we were dirt poor and Netflix wasn't a thing, Lindsay and I rented a lot of movies form the library and went to what we called "the dollar theatre."  One semester they had a deal. If you bought there plastic cup, you could refill it as many time as you wanted.  So we'd buy two tickets and medium popcorn for $5.  We ended up going to the movies so often that sometimes we'd go without knowing what was playing and watch the movie that started the closest to the time we arrived.  Eventually Harry Potter part 3 made it's way to the dollar theatre. Desperate for a good movie, we decided to rent the first two from the library and watch the third at the dollar theater.   That was our Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights that weekend.  I remember when we walked out of the theater after the third movie.  I looked at Lindsay and said, "She is so unbelievably creative."  That was the hook.  I bought all the books and became a lifelong fan afterwards.  I think theology, our world views, are collected narratively.  No, I'm not claiming J.K. Rowling is a theologian, but I do think she teaches people about what matters.  

1. Lindsay Carney: OK, I lied, but I wanted to build the suspense.  In the good marriages I know one person usually remarks, "we love each other more now than ever."   Here's a different way to say that.  Stanley Hauerwas says that you can't possibly know what you mean when you say your vows.  I think that's right.  It's a commitment we make without knowing what's being committed.  For that reason marriage has the potential to be a marvelous adventure.  In most of my closest relationships I find that at some point I need distance.  What's remarkable to me about my wife is that I grow more fondly of her with time.  I don't need distance from her.  She is an extraordinary mother, wife, teacher, but she is also a good human.  I feel safe when I'm with her and I feel like she strengthens my belief in God because she makes God known through her presence in our home and lives.  She is strong and beautiful and she is everything that is beautiful about being a woman.   

Random Image Picked to Generate Clickbait Traffic

 

Parishoner of the Week

Kelly and Matthew Palmer for staffing the welcome station both weekends of spring break.  

Welcome Team

You may have noticed that we have a welcome station for first time visitors in the coffee room. We are looking for a team of people to be willing to serve in the role of welcoming new people. If you feel like you have great social skills and a passion for helping people connect to UBC, email josh@ubcwaco.org.  Time commitment is from 9:45-10:00 A.M. on Sunday mornings. 

College Spring Retreat

Are you freshman or sophomore who is looking for a great experience at an epic college retreat? Well then look no further than UBC.  Brother Toph will be leading a group of courageous champions like yourself on a two night/three day retreat on April 13/14 2K18.  You can sign up after church or email toph@ubcwaco.org.  

Annual Easter Egg Hunt

Come out to our annual Easter Egg Hunt with the South Waco Community Center.  The fun will begin at 11am, and we will most certainly be finished by noon.  Please bring your own basket to place eggs in.  The Easter Egg Hunt is on March 24, at 11am.  The address for the SWCC is 2815 Speight Avenue.  If you have any questions, please email toph@ubcwaco.org

Work is Worship

Greeters: Richardsons 

Coffee Makers:  Kailey Davis 

Mug Cleaners: Andrew & Carson 

Money Counter:  Anna Tilson

Announcements

• Sermon Text:  Taylor Post Preaching for Women's Month 
• SWCC Easter Egg Hunt 
• 3-25 Palm Sunday 
• 3-29 Maundy Thursday Service 
• 3-30 Good Friday Service 
• 4-13&14 College Spring Retreat 
• 4-15 Town Hall 
• 4-22 Children's Sunday 

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.

JD Newman: JD_Newman@baylor.edu 

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

Kristen Richardson: wacorichardsons@gmail.com

Liturgy 3-11-2018

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
our Creator and Sustainer

seeking rest in the wilderness of Lent

and hoping to be formed
more fully in the way of Christ

to make his self-giving love our own

and to seek the wisdom of the Spirit of God

that we might pursue the Kingdom of God
with our lives

Amen

Scripture

Numbers 21:4-9

From Mount Hor the Israelites set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; but the people became impatient on the way.

The people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food.”

Then the Lord sent poisonous serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord to take away the serpents from us.”

So Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live.”

So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live.

John 3:14-21

Jesus said, “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.

For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.”

Prayer

This week's prayer was written and read by Kim Stübben:

God,

So much of the time things are unexplainable, they are so difficult that they are beyond comprehension, so painful that they defy logical thought, so confusing that hope is hard to grasp onto. 

But you make ways. That sounds cliche, but I know it’s true because you promise that you make ways. When life gets to be a way where we can’t fathom making it, somehow we do. Somehow, regardless of what life is or where it takes us, you are there. 

So much of the time I want to know why. I want to know what the purpose is for it all. I want to know the reasons things happen. Why do we suffer? Why is pain so prevalent? Why, how, can we be the source of so much pain?

Though we can’t know why (even though we try so much of the time to make sense of it all), help us to be aware when we are the cause. We can’t control so much of what happens in our world, but help us navigate the way you set, the path you wish us to go. Help us bring light into the darkness, even when it is us that dim the light. 

Amen. 

Setlist 3-11-2018

Yesterday was the fourth Sunday of Lent, and the songs were gathered with that 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 a brief example of one way you might think of these songs. 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:

Your Love Is Strong by Jon Foreman

Wandering by Jameson McGregor

O Love That Will Not Let Me Go

In the Night by Andrew Peterson

Be Thou My Vision

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. 

Your Love Is Strong: We sang this song to begin our gathering by proclaiming the self-giving love of God.  

Wandering: This song gave us language to celebrate God's faithfulness to us despite our inconsistent faithfulness to God.

O Love That Will Not Let Me Go: We sang this song to look over our shoulder at last week's songs.  This is what we said about  O Love That Will Not Let Me Go then: Lent can be a daunting season as we come to terms with our sin.  We sang this song to remind ourselves of the enduring love of God.

In the Night: This song carries us through Lent all the way to Easter.  It is a record of God’s showing up in the midst of despair throughout the biblical narrative.

Be Thou My Vision:  Throughout the Lenten season, we will close our liturgies with these words to reaffirm our desire to seek our vision, wisdom, and security in God alone.

-JM

ITLOTC 3-9-18

ITLOTC

(In The Life Of The Church) 

Lent

Spring Break Game

i was gone all of this week, so I prepared a game for your festive spring break extravaganza wherever you should be.  below you will find 7 baby pictures of the current staff: Josh, Jamie, Taylor, Toph, Kim, Dilan and Val.  Those pictures have numbers on them.  If you'd like to play, you can do so by emailing me your guesses at josh@ubcwaco.org.  The first person to correctly email me all 7 names that correspond to the pictures wins a festive prize to be decided ... probably an opportunity to have your picture taken with Chip and JoJo's new baby or something like that.  

Parishoner of the Week

Jake Robinson, for crushing the coffee video.

Work is Worship

Greeters: Ricky 

Coffee Makers:  Emmy & Caroline 

Mug Cleaners: Dustin Kunz 

Money Counter:  Doug McNamee 

Announcements

• Sermon Text:  Numbers 21:4-9
• 3-12 Finance Team Meeting 
• 3-25 Palm Sunday 
• 3-29 Maundy Thursday Service 
• 3-30 Good Friday Service 
• April 13-14
• 4-15 Town Hall 
• 4-22 Children's Sunday 

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.

JD Newman: JD_Newman@baylor.edu 

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

Kristen Richardson: wacorichardsons@gmail.com

Liturgy 3-4-2018

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 God of gentle whispers
and turned-over tables

to be transformed in this wilderness of Lent

to learn to see our own brokenness

and to invite the Spirit of God

to breathe life into our desert places

amen

Scripture

Exodus 20:1-17

Then God spoke all these words:

I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me.

You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.

You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.

You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name.

Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. For six days you shall labour and do all your work. But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns.

For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it.

Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

You shall not murder.

You shall not commit adultery.

You shall not steal.

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

John 2:13-22

The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables.

Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. He told those who were selling the doves, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!”

His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” The Jews then said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”

The Jews then said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking of the temple of his body.

After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

Reading

This week's reading was from Barbara Cawthorne Crafton in a book called Break and Wine:

We didn't even know what moderation was. What it felt like. We didn't just work: we inhaled our jobs, sucked them in, became them. Stayed late, brought work home – it was never enough, though, no matter how much time we put in.

We didn't just smoke: we lit up a cigarette, only to realize that we already had one going in the ashtray.

We ordered things we didn't need from the shiny catalogs that came to our houses: we ordered three times as much as we could use, and then we ordered three times as much as our children could use.

We didn't just eat: we stuffed ourselves. We had gained only three pounds since the previous year, we told ourselves. Three pounds is not a lot. We had gained about that much in each of the twenty-five years since high school. We did not do the math.

We redid living rooms in which the furniture was not worn out. We threw away clothing that was merely out of style. We drank wine when the label on our prescription said it was dangerous to use alcohol while taking this medication. "They always put that on the label," we told our children when they asked about this. We saw that they were worried. We knew it was because they loved us and needed us. How innocent they were. We hastened to reassure them: "It doesn't really hurt if you're careful."

We felt that it was important to be good to ourselves, and that this meant that it was dangerous to tell ourselves no. About anything, ever. Repression of one's desires was an unhealthy thing. I work hard, we told ourselves. I deserve a little treat. We treated ourselves every day.

And if it was dangerous for us to want and not have, it was even more so for our children. They must never know what it is to want something and not have it immediately. It will make them bitter, we told ourselves. So we anticipated their needs and desires. We got them both the doll and the bike. If their grades were good, we got them their own telephones.

There were times, coming into the house from work or waking early when all was quiet, when we felt uneasy about the sense of entitlement that characterized all our days. When we wondered if fevered overwork and excess of appetite were not two sides of the same coin – or rather, two poles between which we madly slalomed. Probably yes, we decided at these times. Suddenly we saw it all clearly: I am driven by my creatures – my schedule, my work, my possessions, my hungers. I do not drive them; they drive me. Probably yes. Certainly yes. This is how it is. We arose and did twenty sit-ups. The next day the moment had passed; we did none.

After moments like that, we were awash in self-contempt. You are weak. Self-indulgent. You are spineless about work and about everything else. You set no limits. You will become ineffective. We bridled at that last bit, drew ourselves up to our full heights, insisted defensively on our competence, on the respect we were due because of all our hard work. We looked for others whose lives were similarly overstuffed; we found them. "This is just the way it is," we said to one another on the train, in the restaurant. "This is modern life. Maybe some people have time to measure things out by teaspoonfuls." Our voices dripped contempt for those people who had such time. We felt oddly defensive, though no one had accused us of anything. But not me. Not anyone who has a life. I have a life. I work hard. I play hard.

When did the collision between our appetites and the needs of our souls happen? Was there a heart attack? Did we get laid off from work, one of the thousands certified as extraneous? Did a beloved child become a bored stranger, a marriage fall silent and cold? Or, by some exquisite working of God's grace, did we just find the courage to look the truth in the eye and, for once, not blink? How did we come to know that we were dying a slow and unacknowledged death? And that the only way back to life was to set all our packages down and begin again, carrying with us only what we really needed?

We travail. We are heavy laden. Refresh us, O homeless, jobless, possession-less Savior. You came naked, and naked you go. And so it is for us. So it is for all of us.

Setlist 3-4-2018

Yesterday was the second Sunday of Lent, and the songs were gathered with that 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 a brief example of one way you might think of these songs. 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:

Fall Afresh by Jeremy Riddle

O Love That Will Not Let Me Go

Deliver Me by David Crowder* Band

In the Night by Andrew Peterson

Be Thou My Vision

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. 

Fall Afresh: We sang this song to give language to our need for the Spirit to occupy the wilderness space of Lent alongside us and carry out the Spirit's vitalizing work of transformation.

O Love That Will Not Let Me Go: Lent can be a daunting season as we come to terms with our sin.  We sang this song to remind ourselves of the enduring love of God.

Deliver Me: We sang this song to look over our shoulder at last week's songs.  This is what we said about Deliver Me then: We sang this song as a petition for God to deliver us from the cycles in our lives that push against being formed more fully in the way of Christ.

In the Night: This song carries us through Lent all the way to Easter.  It is a record of God’s showing up in the midst of despair throughout the biblical narrative.

Be Thou My Vision:  Throughout the Lenten season, we will close our liturgies with these words to reaffirm our desire to seek our vision, wisdom, and security in God alone.

-JM

ITLOTC 3-2-18

ITLOTC

(In The Life Of The Church) 

Lent

A few years ago I was learning a lot about the importance of silence. I was studying about it as a spiritual practice, and I had gone on a silent retreat with my covenant group, and I was preparing to go spend some time in the New Mexico desert at a monastery with some Benedictine Monks – and I just seemed to be surrounded by silence and I was really learning about how important it was. And I was really just beginning to understand how important and formative it could be for me as a practice in particular.

And so at the height of all of this I posted something on Facebook – normally a mistake – about how I was learning about the importance of silence. The post in total said something to the effect of, “I’m learning a lot about the importance of silence lately. And I’m pretty sure that would surprise anyone who knew me when I was in middle school.” Very funny. I gave myself a pat on the back for posting something funny, slightly self-deprecating, and slightly self-congratulatory and went on with my day.

But the next time I checked Facebook I realized I had made a critical error. Because multiple people that I had known throughout all different stages of my life had all commented on my post saying that anyone who had known me as a toddler or an elementary schooler, as a high schooler or a college student, as a choir member or youth group peer or classmate or coworker was also surprised that I was learning a lot about the importance of silence. Even my very own mother commented and said that she knew I would be chatty when I was an infant. So - there's that.

For much of my life – or for much of my adult life at the very least – I have desperately wanted to be the kind of person of whom it could be said, “Man, you know, Taylor doesn’t talk a lot – but when she talks you know that she’s going to say something meaningful.” I think that part of the reason I wanted to be that kind of person was because at some point in my life I received the message that good Christian women were supposed to be this way. But the reality is – I’m never going to be that person. I mean – I am working on embracing silence and its importance in my life, and I can definitely say that I am farther along in that journey than I was a few years ago. And I am certainly convicted by the many places in Scripture that stress that our words are important – that they can be like honey or they can fan a flame into a fiery blaze, that they can crush someone’s spirit or they can create peace between friends – and that an important part of Christian discipleship is learning to tame the tongue. But learning to speak thoughtfully and meaningfully, and allowing the formation of the Holy Spirit to help me tame my tongue is not the same as becoming a completely different kind of person.

I think, as I continue to grow, I will instead adopt the attitude of the psalmist. Psalm 19 is the Psalm of the week in the lectionary, and verse 14 says, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” The psalmist is praying that their prayer will be pleasing to God – that both their inner self (meditations of my heart) and outward actions (words of my mouth) will be oriented towards God in such a way that it demonstrates their submission to God.

That is the type of person that I know that I am trying to become – that we are all trying to become. A person who is oriented towards God in such a way that it overflows into every part of our lives. This is the type of desire that allows us to become who we are more fully, instead of attempting to convince us to subdue what God has created us to be. May we move together towards who God has created us to be – and may we use kind, thoughtful words on the way there. As many – or as few – as we deem necessary.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns about any of this, feel free to email me at taylor@ubcwaco.org.

Parishoner of the Week

In consultation with the staff I, josh carney, was selected for fixing the ceiling in the Bloom Room. 

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Sunday School

Remember, due to spring break there will be no Sunday School this week Sunday, March 4th.  Sunday School will resume on Sunday March 11th.  

Lost and Found

At the end of each month, starting at the end of March, the Lost and Found will be emptied and donated. If you have lost something at the church, or think you may have lost something, please check the office before it’s gone. 

Work is Worship

Greeters: ricky 

Coffee Makers:  clark mi casa 

Mug Cleaners:  cooleys 

Money Counter:  justin pond 

Announcements

• Sermon Text:  John 2:13-22 "we need an angry God" 
• 3-12 Finance Team Meeting 
• 3-25 Palm Sunday 
• 3-29 Maundy Thursday Service 
• 3-30 Good Friday Service 
• April 13-14
• 4-15 Town Hall 
• 4-22 Children's Sunday 

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.

JD Newman: JD_Newman@baylor.edu 

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

Kristen Richardson: wacorichardsons@gmail.com

Liturgy 2-25-2018

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 Eternal One

the one who hears the cries of those who suffer
and draws near to those who mourn

following Jesus into the wilderness of Lent,

hoping to be formed more fully in the way of Christ

and learning to live in the hope of God’s story

until our hope gives way to glad fruition

amen

Scripture

Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless. And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous.”

Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him, “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations.

I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.

God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.”

Mark 8:31-38

Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly.

And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”

He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.

For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life?

Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

Reading

This week's reading was an excerpt from a series of Lenten meditations by Yolanda Pierce.  You can view the whole series here, and find the full post that the excerpt is from here:

My Lenten meditation is: “Help me to have faith, O God, when I just cannot believe the cruelties of this age.” It is an important prayer because I never want to become indifferent to hate and injustice. I never want to grow accustomed to children dying in jail cells alone. I never want food deserts and poisoned water to become the usual state of affairs. I want my disbelief to propel me to work harder, pray more, and turn over tables.

Prayer

This week's prayer was written by Martin Luther King, Jr.:

We thank thee, O God, for the spiritual nature of man.  We are in nature but we live above nature. Help us never to let anybody or any condition to pull us so low as to cause us to hate.  Give us strength to love our enemies and to do good to those who despitefully use us and persecute us.  The thank thee for thy Church, founded upon thy Word, that challenges us to do more than sing and pray, but go out and work as though the very answer to our prayers depended on us not upon thee.  Then, finally, help us to realize that man was created to shine like stars and live on through all eternity.  Keep us, we pray, in perfect peace; help us to walk together, pray together, sing together, and live together until the day when all God's children, Black, White, Red, and Yellow will rejoice in our common band of humanity in the kingdom of our Lord and of our God, we pray.

Amen.

Setlist 2-25-2018

Yesterday was the second Sunday of Lent, and the songs were gathered with that 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 a brief example of one way you might think of these songs. 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:

Lord, I Need You by Matt Maher

Deliver Me by David Crowder* Band

Rise Up by Bifrost Arts

In the Night by Andrew Peterson

Be Thou My Vision

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. 

Lord, I Need You: We sang this song to give voice to our reliance on God for transformation in the wilderness of Lent.  

Deliver Me: We sang this song as a petition for God to deliver us from the cycles in our lives that push against being formed more fully in the way of Christ.

Rise Up: We sang this song to look over our shoulder at last week's songs.  This is what we said about Rise Up then: We sang this song to petition God to rise to the defense of the vulnerable, and by extension a reminder to ourselves that to be the people of God is to take up the cause of the vulnerable.

In the Night: This song carries us through Lent all the way to Easter.  It is a record of God’s showing up in the midst of despair throughout the biblical narrative.

Be Thou My Vision:  Throughout the Lenten season, we will close our liturgies with these words to reaffirm our desire to seek our vision, wisdom, and security in God alone.

-JM

ITLOTC 2-25-17

ITLOTC

(In The Life Of The Church) 

Lent

Into the Wilderness

Last Wednesday, we stepped out of Epiphany and into the wilderness of Lent.  

If we were to attach this season to a particular part of the Jesus story, it would be when Jesus goes into the wilderness to be tempted.  Frederick Buechner offers some helpful insights into this connection here. 

Buechner refers to Jesus’ time in the wilderness as Jesus asking what it means to be Jesus.  Jesus takes up the identity question—who am I? What am I for?  We see the fruit of this introspection embodied in Jesus’ resisting the temptation to be various kinds of Messiah that have their power rooted in anything but self-sacrificial love.

At the Ash Wednesday services, I talked about how Lent primarily asks us to engage this identity question in the context of the ways we fail to love other people like Jesus did, confronting our brokenness head-on, and hopefully putting some sustained attention toward repentance over the next 40 days.

I think, at it’s core, Lent is challenging us to move toward a life lived fully, grasping year by year for a bit more freedom from the things that tie us own and separate us from others.

But I also wanted to make sure you had access to the questions that Buechner poses for reflection during Lent, because I think they aid in this task from a different angle than we took on Wednesday.  Here they are:

If you had to bet everything you have on whether there is a God or whether there isn't, which side would get your money and why?

When you look at your face in the mirror, what do you see in it that you most like and what do you see in it that you most deplore?

If you had only one last message to leave to the handful of people who are most important to you, what would it be in twenty-five words or less?

Of all the things you have done in your life, which is the one you would most like to undo? Which is the one that makes you happiest to remember?

Is there any person in the world or any cause that, if circumstances called for it, you would be willing to die for?

If this were the last day of your life, what would you do with it?

As always, if you have any questions or concerns about any of this, feel free to email me at jamie@ubcwaco.org.

Parishoner of the Week

Ross Van Dyke and Cody Shrank for instilling the hand rail on the right side of the stage this week.  

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Fasting The Familiar

As a follow up to last weeks sermon, we wanted to remind you that our lenten practice as a community is to fast the familiar.  Included in that "familiar" is the monotony that keeps us from meeting new people and growing together.  So here are five suggestions I gave for fasting the familiar in the life our church during lent this season. 

1. Sit somewhere you don’t normally sit

2. invite some over you haven’t invited over before

3. schedule a lunch with a new friend

4. exchange prayer requests with someone and follow up on them

5. consider joining a group at UBC with social connection or starting a group 

Another idea that came to us through mi casa was keeping our phones in the car during the worship time.  What are ways you are fasting the familiar during lent? 

Sunday School

Due to spring break there will be no Sunday School next week Sunday, March 4th.  Sunday School will resume on Sunday March 11th.  

Work is Worship

Greeters: Blaylocks 

Coffee Makers:  Katie & Jacob 

Mug Cleaners: UBC Youth 

Money Counter:  Anna Tilson 

Announcements

• Sermon Text: Special Guest Preach Kerri Fisher 
• 3-12 Finance Team Meeting 
• 3-25 Palm Sunday 
• 3-29 Maundy Thursday Service 
• 3-30 Good Friday Service 
• 4-15 Town Hall 
• 4-22 Children's Sunday 

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.

JD Newman: JD_Newman@baylor.edu 

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

Kristen Richardson: wacorichardsons@gmail.com

Liturgy 2-18-2018

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 Lord of all creation,

the One who is gracious, merciful,
and abounding in steadfast love

to follow Jesus into the wilderness of Lent

and face the truth about ourselves;
our brokenness, and our fears

to open ourselves to the transformation of the Spirit

that we might be formed more fully in the way of Christ

Amen.

Scripture

Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless. And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous.” 

Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him, “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. 

I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.

God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.”

Mark 1:9-15

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”

Reading

This is an excerpt from God of the Oppressed by James Cone (93-94):

Story is the history of individuals coming together in the struggle to shape life according to commonly held values.  The Jewish story is found in the Hebrew Bible and the Rabbinic traditions.  The early Christian story is told in the Old and New Testaments, with the emphasis on the latter as the fulfillment of the former.  The white American story is found in the history of European settlements struggling against dark forests and savage people to found a new nation.  The Black American story is recorded in the songs, tales, and narratives of African slaves and their descendants, as they attempted to survive with dignity in a land inimical to their existence.  

Every people has a story to tell, something to say to themselves, their children, and to the world about how they think and live, as they determine and affirm their reason for being.  The story both expresses and participates in the miracle of moving from nothing to something, from nonbeing to being. 

When people ask me, “How do you know that what you say is true?” my reply is: “Ultimately, I don’t know and neither does anybody else.” We are creatures of history, not divine beings.  I cannot claim infinite knowledge.  What I can do is bear witness to my story, to tell it and live it, as the story grips my life and pulls me out of nothingness into being.   

However, I am not imprisoned within my story.  Indeed, when I understand truth as story, I am more likely to be open to other people’s truth stories.  As I listen to other stories, I am invited to move out of the subjectivity of my own story into another realm of thinking and acting.  The same is true for others when I tell my story.

It is only when stories are abstracted from a concrete situation and codified into Law or dogma that their life blood is taken away and thus a people begins to think that its ways of thinking and living are the only real possibilities.  When people can no longer listen to other people’s stories, they become enclosed within their own social context, treating their distorted visions of reality as the whole truth. 

Prayer

This week's prayer was written by Mary McLeod Bethune:

Father, we call Thee Father because we love Thee.

We are glad to be called Thy children, and to dedicate our lives to the service that extends through willing hearts and hands to the betterment of all mankind. We send a cry of Thanksgiving for people of all races, creeds, classes, and colors the world over, and pray that through the instrumentality of our lives the spirit of peace, joy, fellowship, and brotherhood shall circle the world.

We know that this world is filled with discordant notes, but help us, Father, to so unite our efforts that we may all join in one harmonious symphony for peace and brotherhood, justice, and equality of opportunity for all men. The tasks performed today with forgiveness for all our errors, we dedicate, dear Lord, to Thee. 

Grant us strength and courage and faith and humility sufficient for the tasks assigned to us.

Amen.

Setlist 2-18-2018

Yesterday was the first Sunday of Lent, and the songs were gathered with that 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 a brief example of one way you might think of these songs. 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:

Rise Up by Bifrost Arts

Come Thou Fount

Wandering by Jameson McGregor

For Those Tears I Died by Jameson McGregor

In the Night by Andrew Peterson

Be Thou My Vision

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. 

Rise Up: We sang this song to petition God to rise to the defense of the vulnerable, and by extension a reminder to ourselves that to be the people of God is to take up the cause of the vulnerable.

Come Thou Fount: This song offers us language to seek sustenance in who God is and root our hope in who God has been for us.

Wandering: This song praises God’s faithfulness in the midst of our own inconsistency and selfishness.

For Those Tears I Died: This song is a cry of lament.  I’ve thought of these words as being directly related to too many tragedies to even remember—it’s just a blur of despair at this point.  And I hate that.  But these are words I return to time and again to process my rage when faced with a reminder of how very evil we humans are capable of being.

In the Night: This song carries us through Lent all the way to Easter.  It is a record of God’s showing up in the midst of despair throughout the biblical narrative.

Be Thou My Vision:  Throughout the Lenten season, we will close our liturgies with these words to reaffirm our desire to seek our vision, wisdom, and security in God alone.

-JM

Liturgy 2-11-2018

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 devote our attention to the Lord of all

to worship the God
revealed in Jesus Christ

to embrace what God would have us know
about who God is

and what God would have us know
about who we are

that we might be drawn into God’s story

and join with God in the work
of new life in the world.

Amen.

 

Scripture

Psalm 50:1-6

The Lord, the God of gods, has spoken;
and has called the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.

Out of Zion, perfect in its beauty,
God reveals Godself in glory.

Our God will come and will not keep silence;
before God there is a consuming flame,
and round about God a raging storm.

God calls the heavens and the earth from above
to witness the judgment of God’s people.

"Gather before me my loyal followers,
those who have made a covenant with me
and sealed it with sacrifice."

Let the heavens declare the rightness of God’s cause;
for God is judge.

Mark 9:2-9

Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them.

And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus.

As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

Poem

truth
by gwendolyn brooks

And if sun comes
How shall we greet him?
Shall we not dread him,
Shall we not fear him
After so lengthy a
Session with shade?

Though we have wept for him,
Though we have prayed
All through the night-years—
What if we wake one shimmering morning to
Hear the fierce hammering
Of his firm knuckles
Hard on the door?

Shall we not shudder?—
Shall we not flee
Into the shelter, the dear thick shelter
Of the familiar
Propitious haze?

Sweet is it, sweet is it
To sleep in the coolness
Of snug unawareness.

The dark hangs heavily
Over the eyes.

Prayer

This week's prayer was written by W. E. B. Du Bois:

In these first beginnings of new life in the world, renew in us the resolution to persist in the good work we have begun.  Give us strength of body and strength of mind and the unfaltering determination to carry out that which we know to be good and right.  

Forgive all wavering in the past service of Thy cause and make us strong to go forward in spite of our own distrust in ourselves. 

Out of the death of winter comes ever and again the resurrection of spring: so out of evil bring good, O God, and out of doubt determination. Amen.

ITLOTC 2-9-18

ITLOTC

(In The Life Of The Church) 

Epiphany

Conversation with Kerri (Black History Month) 

Meet Our Newest UBCer

Marco V. Shanks

birthday: 2/1/18

birth height: 21"

birth weight: 8lbs 3oz

enneagram number: 5

Parishoner of the Week

Katie Walton, for always being willing to take an offering basket for herself and whatever unsuspecting friend she happens to be sitting next to.

Random Pic To Generate Clickbait Traffic

Ash Wednesday Services 

On Wednesday February 14th, 2K18, Cupid will run rampant and make Hallmark rich.  In conjunction with these cultural shenanigans, the church, UBC INCLUDED, will remind people how bad they are AKA SINNERS!  To do that in the form of worship we will host two Ash Wednesday services.  The morning service will take place at 7am, and the evening service will take place at 5:30pm.

Parents Night Out

Do you have children?  Do you need a brake?  This night is for you.  Please email taylor@ubcwaco.org to sign up for parents night on Friday, February 16th 2018.  The PNO will run from 6-9 PM CST.  

Love, Love Feast

UBC will host our annual Love, Love Feast on Sunday February 11th at 5:30 P.M.  Please bring the food that you love the most.  If you would like to sign up for one of the dessert spots please email toph@ubcwaco.org. 

Work is Worship

Greeters: Walters 

Coffee Makers:  Abby Opersteny & Kailey Davis

Mug Cleaners: Kaylin & Maddie 

Money Counter:  JD Newman 

Announcements

• Sermon Text: Special Guest Preacher CoKeisha Bailey Robinson 
• FEBRUARY BLACK HISTORY MONTH LITURGY 
• 2-14 Ash Wednesday Service, Lent Begins 
• 2-16 Date Night 
• 3-12 Finance Team Meeting 
• 3-25 Maundy Thursday Service 
• 3-30 Good Friday Service 

Liturgy 2-4-2018

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 devote our attention
to the Living God

to be formed more fully in the way of Christ

who, on the night he was betrayed,
took bread, blessed it, and said

this is my body which is for you
do this in remembrance of me

in the same way, he took the cup also after supper, saying

this cup is the new covenant in my blood
do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me

for as often as we eat this bread and drink this cup

we proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes

Amen.

Scripture

Isaiah 40:21-31

Have you not known? Have you not heard?
Has it not been told you from the beginning? 
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? 

It is the Lord who sits above the circle of the earth,
and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; 
who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
and spreads them like a tent to live in;
who brings princes to naught,
and makes the rulers of the earth as nothing. 

Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown,
scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth, 
when the Lord blows upon them, and they wither,
and the tempest carries them off like stubble. 

To whom then will you compare me,
or who is my equal? says the Holy One. 
Lift up your eyes on high and see:
Who created these? 

The One who brings out their host and numbers them,
calling them all by name; 
because this One is great in strength,
mighty in power, 
not one is missing. 

Why do you say, O Jacob,
and speak, O Israel,
"My way is hidden from the Lord,
and my right is disregarded by my God"?
Have you not known? Have you not heard?

The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
The Lord does not faint or grow weary;
the Lord’s understanding is unsearchable.
The Lord gives power to the faint,
and strengthens the powerless.

Even youths will faint and be weary,
and the young will fall exhausted;
but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,
they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary,
they shall walk and not faint.

Mark 1:29-39

After Jesus and his disciples left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.

That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered around the door. And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.

In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. And Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, “Everyone is searching for you.”

He answered, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.” And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.

Poem

"Caged Bird" by Maya Angelou

A free bird leaps
on the back of the wind   
and floats downstream   
till the current ends
and dips his wing
in the orange sun rays
and dares to claim the sky.

But a bird that stalks
down his narrow cage
can seldom see through
his bars of rage
his wings are clipped and   
his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings   
with a fearful trill   
of things unknown   
but longed for still   
and his tune is heard   
on the distant hill   
for the caged bird   
sings of freedom.

The free bird thinks of another breeze
and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees
and the fat worms waiting on a dawn bright lawn
and he names the sky his own

But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams   
his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream   
his wings are clipped and his feet are tied   
so he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings   
with a fearful trill   
of things unknown   
but longed for still   
and his tune is heard   
on the distant hill   
for the caged bird   
sings of freedom.

Prayer

This week's prayer was written by Martin Luther King, Jr. (Thou, Dear God, 63):

O God, our gracious heavenly Father, we thank thee for the inspiration of Jesus the Christ, who came to this world to show us the way.  And grant that we will see in that life the fact that we are made for that which is high and noble and good.  Help us to live in line with that high calling, that great destiny.  In the name of Jesus we pray.  Amen. 

Setlist 2-4-2018

Yesterday was the fifth Sunday of Epiphany, and the songs were gathered with that 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 a brief example of one way you might think of these songs. 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 and Saints

Wayward Ones by The Gladsome Light

Pulse by Jameson McGregor

Just the Same by Jameson McGregor

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 offers us language to express the transformative grace of God revealed in the Person of Jesus.

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.

Pulse: This song expresses the interconnectivity of God's creatures that is revealed through the life and ministry of Jesus.

Just the Same: Epiphany offers us the chance to encounter Jesus again and to re-calibrate the lens through which we view him.  This ends up being an opportunity to intentionally seek to revise our models of faith, which will launch us into this more intentionally during Lent.  In revising our faith models, we are faced with the reality that, over time, the things we believe to be true about God change.  This song is about the complexity of the hope and grief of coming to terms with that change.

Hope: We sang this song to look over our shoulder at last week's songs.  This is what we said about Hope then: Among the things we come to find revealed in Jesus is how far God is willing to go to set things right with us.  In the incarnation, long before we reach the love revealed in the Passion, we find an act of radical love and empathy: the self-emptying of God into humanity.  This song gives voice to a hope rooted in God having demonstrated God's decision to set things right in Creation.

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 2-2-18

ITLOTC

(In The Life Of The Church) 

Epiphany

Main Article

Friends I had prepared an article for print, but after some further reflections have decided to delay it's publishing.  An apology on that.  But let's be honest, now you're really curious about what I wrote.  See what I did? 

Parishioner of the Week

Maggie McNamee, for winning the baby crawling race at the Baylor Basketball game.  

Ash Wednesday Services 

On Wednesday February 14th, 2K18, Cupid will run rampant and make Hallmark rich.  In conjunction with these cultural shenanigans, the church, UBC INCLUDED, will remind people how bad they are AKA SINNERS!  To do that in the form of worship we will host two Ash Wednesday services.  The morning service will take place at 

Building Update

Wanted to give an update on building stuff.  Since we got the news about not being able to purchase the BEC property, i've more aggressively pursued the possibility the possibility of shutting down Flint St. between 17th and 18th.  That process is long and complicated, but I did meet with the COW planning director who helped me identify what we would need to do to apply.  In that application includes contractor drawings showing what we would do with the space and information provided by a surveyor.  So we will be making those investments.  

Parents Night Out

Do you have children?  Do you need a brake?  This night is for you.  Please email taylor@ubcwaco.org to sign up for parents night on Friday, February 16th 2018.  The PNO will run from 6-9 PM CST.  

Love, Love Feast

UBC will host our annual Love, Love Feast on Sunday February 11th at 6:00 P.M.  Please bring the food that you love the most.  If you would like to sign up for one of the dessert spots please email toph@ubcwaco.org. 

Work is Worship

Greeters: Blaylocks 

Coffee Makers: Emmy and Caroline 

Mug Cleaners: UBC Youth 

Money Counter:  Doug McNamee 

Announcements

• Sermon Text: 1 Corinthians 9ish 
• FEBRUARY BLACK HISTORY MONTH LITURGY 
• 2-5 Finance Team Meeting 
• 2-14 Ash Wednesday Service, Lent Begins 
• 2-16 Date Night 
• 3-12 Finance Team Meeting 
• 3-25 Maundy Thursday Service 
• 3-30 Good Friday Service 

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.

JD Newman: JD_Newman@baylor.edu 

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

Kristen Richardson: wacorichardsons@gmail.com

Liturgy 1-28-2018

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 Word who became flesh
and dwelt among us

to find ourselves transformed
by God’s story

formed more fully
in the way of Christ

that we might be Lights in the darkness

that the darkness
will not overcome.

Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scripture

Deuteronomy 18:15-20

Moses said: The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you shall heed such a prophet. This is what you requested of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said: “If I hear the voice of the Lord my God any more, or ever again see this great fire, I will die.”

Then the Lord replied to me: “They are right in what they have said. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their own people; I will put my words in the mouth of the prophet, who shall speak to them everything that I command.

Anyone who does not heed the words that the prophet shall speak in my name, I myself will hold accountable. But any prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, or who presumes to speak in my name a word that I have not commanded the prophet to speak—that prophet shall die.”

1 Corinthians 8:1-13

Now concerning food sacrificed to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. Anyone who claims to know something does not yet have the necessary knowledge; but anyone who loves God is known by him.

Hence, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “no idol in the world really exists,” and that “there is no God but one.”

Indeed, even though there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as in fact there are many gods and many lords— yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.

It is not everyone, however, who has this knowledge. Since some have become so accustomed to idols until now, they still think of the food they eat as food offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. “Food will not bring us close to God.”

We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For if others see you, who possess knowledge, eating in the temple of an idol, might they not, since their conscience is weak, be encouraged to the point of eating food sacrificed to idols?

So by your knowledge those weak believers for whom Christ died are destroyed. But when you thus sin against members of your family, and wound their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ.

Therefore, if food is a cause of their falling, I will never eat meat, so that I may not cause one of them to fall.

 

Human Trafficking Awareness Liturgy

This week, we read a declaration and prayer prepared by the Heart of Texas Human Trafficking Coalition:

Declaration:

January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention & Awareness Month, a time for us to take a moment to recognize the prevalence of this modern day slavery both around the world and in our own community. There are nearly 30 million slaves worldwide, and there are currently an estimated 313,000 victims of human trafficking in Texas alone. Our region’s high poverty rates, location on a major interstate, and a number of kids involved in child welfare all contribute to the growing problem here at home.

Human trafficking of all kinds and in all locations capitalizes on the sinful desire of one person to control and maintain power over other human beings, often those who find themselves in vulnerable situations. As people of faith, we must adamantly denounce such behavior as sinful and contrary to God’s will. God created us to love each other selflessly and with constant concern for other’s well-being. Human trafficking defaces human dignity and affronts the image of God. When people anywhere are bought, sold, and enslaved, we are enslaved with them. Violence against one of God’s people is violence against us all.

Human trafficking destroys families and communities. This is an issue that concerns all of us, and it is occurring in our cities. For too long the voices of the most vulnerable have been marginalized, ignored, or silenced. But silence is not spiritual. So this morning, we stand in solidarity with the victims and survivors of human trafficking of all kinds. Forgive us for ignoring you. Help us to open our eyes to these acts of injustice, and to seek ways to compassionately and thoughtfully serve you.

We denounce the sinful actions of traffickers, and we denounce our own silence in the face of suffering.

And we mourn the loss of life and the loss of freedom that has occurred because of human trafficking. We commit ourselves to labor toward a better future, one free from the violence and evil of human trafficking. 

Prayer:

God of peace, there are many places and many people who do not experience your peace. Right now, around the world and in the cities we call home, men, women, and children are living under the oppressive evil and darkness of human trafficking. Help them, Lord, and give them strength, courage, and protection. Turn their terror and fear into hope.

Lord, we confess that as a church we have often been silent in the face of the suffering that is human trafficking. Open our hearts to the pain of others. Remind us of your love for all people, and impress upon us ways that we can actively work against this injustice. Give the law enforcement and community organizations who serve victims, survivors, and perpetrators strength and courage.

We acknowledge, Lord, that this battle will be long. But we commit ourselves to be bold in our actions, in our words, and in our prayers. We put our trust in You. Amen. 

Setlist 1-28-2018

Yesterday was the fourth Sunday of Epiphany, and the songs were gathered with that 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 a brief example of one way you might think of these songs. 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

House of God Forever by Jon Foreman

Future/Past by John Mark McMillan

For All That I Don't Know by Jameson McGregor

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

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: Among the things we come to find revealed in Jesus is how far God is willing to go to set things right with us.  In the incarnation, long before we reach the love revealed in the Passion, we find an act of radical love and empathy: the self-emptying of God into humanity.  This song gives voice to a hope rooted in God having demonstrated God's decision to set things right in Creation.

House of God Forever: We sang this song to proclaim the care and belonging that permeate the life and ministry of Jesus, which embodied aspects of the character of God already articulated in Psalm 23.

Future/Past: We sang this song to proclaim God's having chosen to be God-with-us in Christ.

For All That I Don't Know: This song is about the difficulty of believing in God--the One who is love, at least--when the world seems to be getting darker, but finds room for the twilight hope of faith in the midst of the long night of human history.

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: We sang this song to remind ourselves that our best ideas of God's love fall short of grasping it in fullness.  During Epiphany, we hope to suspend our assumptions about God's love along with everything else we think we know about the Person of Jesus, in hopes of encountering Jesus anew.

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

-JM