WORSHIP SERIES and SERMONS

Join us each Sunday at 10:30 a.m. for in-person worship!

Past sermons and previous worship series can be found below.

what r u up 2?

February 18 - March 31, 2024

Lent is often known as a time of giving something up in order to make room in our lives for spiritual pursuits. Rather than just “giving up” in Lent, the scriptures ask us to consider all that Jesus is “up to” and all that he asks us to be “up to” in his name.

Bread, Bath & Beyond

January 7 - February 11, 2024

The new year always brings opportunity to move beyond our limitations . . . to find new beginnings and be better than we were before. We use this cultural word-play in our series title to remember that the basic transforming experiences of our faith — communion and baptism — are the strarting points for life “beyond” our limitations. Let’s make this year one of amazing transformation — for our lives, for our community, for our world!

“The Gift of Being Present”

November 26 - December 24, 2023 (Advent/Christmas worship series)

Advent can be filled with worry about finding the perfect Christmas gifts. Deep down we want people in our lives to know they are special and that we love them. But sometimes we overlook the greatest gift of all… our very presence.

Our spiritual ancestors were also worried — often about survival  in the midst of political occupation. And the response of the scriptures is “the Holy Living One is with you.” Like a shepherd who never leaves the flock, we are held close.

This season, we are invited to be the gift of presence for our loved ones, for our communities, for those who need it most.

“Outside My Own Little World”

October 8 - November 19, 2023

It seems the world these days teeters between those who seek to protect "their own" and those who dare to declare that all are worthy of compassion and care. Can we get out of our comfort zones, our "own little world" and remember that we are the Body together — the hands and feet of Christ in a frightened and hurting world?

“Come to the Table”

In this series, we hear the call to dine with Jesus — an invitation that means much more than a simple eating experience. It never was with Jesus. The table was the place where he fed people and also challenged them to acts of hospitality that reflect God’s way. When we say “yes” to the place at Christ’s table, we accept a way of life that embraces God’s definition of love, peace, grace, and joy.

“A Way Out of No Way”

July 23 - August 27, 2023

We enter the biblical narrative of God’s action in human history “already in progress” and right out of the gate we are plopped down in the middle of a major crisis: Noah and the flood. During this series, we will witness Old Testament Bible stories of God urging the people forward in times when it seemed there was no way out.

“Beguiled by Beauty” Worship Series

June 4 - July 16, 2023

All things are beautiful—not by a standard of “pretty” as seen by our eyes, but by an essence of sacred worth that is sensed by the spirit. This is the root and heart of compassion and justice.

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“Emerge: A Metamorphosis Moment” Worship Series

April 9 - May 28, 2023

The butterfly has long been a symbol of the resurrection of Jesus, as well as our own resurrection as we emerge from the power of fear and death. In this series, we will consider the process of metamorphosis as a guide to examine our own transformations from cocoons and tombs to the unfurled beauty of all God calls us to be.

“Lookin’ for Love in All the Wrong Places” Worship Series

February 26 - April 9 (Easter), 2023

The Christian scriptures offer many images of where love, grace, forgiveness, righteousness, and healing can REALLY be  found. And it is not in the “usual” places. Isn’t it true fo us today as it was of the spiritural authors? Don’t we often look for wholeness and happiness in places that offer only temporary “good feelings” and satisfaction?

Lent is a wonderfully reflective time to reassess where we are searching for meaning and purpose. Join us as we move through the stories of Jesus to find out who offers the “real deal.”

“SAD: Spiritual Affective Disorder” Worship Series

January 8, 2023 - February 19, 2023

Seasonal Afffective Disorder happens when a lack of sunlight affects our moods and ability to cope effectively. Spiritual Affective Disorder can also be a condition when we’ve had prolonged stress and life is disturbingly uncertain. What is our faithful resonse to our strained mental health? What if everyday life activities could become spiritual practicies - deepening our experience of a meaningful life and helping us shine a light on the “blahs”?

“Reflecting the Sacred”
Worship Series

November 27, 2022 - January 1, 2023

The Christmas season is a time when the juxtaposition of the sacred and secular feels sometimes blatantly opposed and sometimes quite blurred. The word “sacred” points to something dedicated as “holy” and “set apart.”

This year, you are invited to a spiritual journey at RGUC of seeing ALL things pregnant with the Holy. What could our experience of the Advent and Christmas season be like if we lived it imagining that everything is reflecting the sacred?

“Moving Out of Scare City”
Worship Series

October 9 - November 13, 2022

The sense that there is not enough drives greed, fear, and exclusionary behavior. We begin to live in “Scare City” where it seems that death, starvation, feelings of being overwhelmed and swallowed up can lurk around every corner.

The Good News is that this is an illusion. A spiritual journey into the truth of abundance of all that we need offers us an alternative vision of where to live our lives. During this series, we will be “Moving Out of Scare City” and traveling to the vast, open habitats of God’s grace.

“Re-Shaped” Worship Series

September 11 - October 2, 2022 (10:30 a.m. worship)

You were created for a purpose, formed into something spectacular – not just created, but re-created again and again.

Ready to be stretched? It’s time to be re-shaped!

Click on the graphic to the left or the button below to watch the trailer for this series.

“The Prayer of Jesus”
Worship Series

August 7 - September 4 (10:30 a.m. worship)

Join us as we spend 5 weeks focusing on the Lord’s Prayer. Worship each week hones in on a part of the prayer and draws us into examination and implementation of it in a relational way.

Click on the graphic to the right or the button below to watch excerpts from this series.

“What is the Value of Prayer?” Worship Series

July 24 and 31, 2022

Have you ever asked yourself these questions?

  • What should I say in my prayers?

  • When should I pray?

  • Where should I pray?

  • What is the value of prayer?

Watch the excerpts from this series to help you find answers!

“Drawn In” Worship Series

June 12 - July 17, 2022

We spend too much time being “driven” rather than “drawn in.” We focus on what we should do rather than what we feel excited and compelled to do in our lives in this world.

During this series, we will connect with our inherent creativity and nurture this foundational aspect of being human that gives us renewed energy for passionate work, delightful play, and creative problem solving to make this world a better place for all.

Watch excerpts from the series on YouTube. Just click the link!

“The Cup of Freedom” Worship Series

April 24th through June 5th (Pentecost)

Throughout this season, we will claim the power to sing,  follow, rise again, love, heal, and be opened. We are filled with the freedom of the Spirit of God!

“Good Enough” Worship Series

Lent - Easter 2022

We live in a culture bent on definitions of a good life as continuous upward mobility. We may comb the shelves of the self-help section in search of just the right formula to gain success. But life happens, right? Most times we are not moving upward but trying to repair the rung from which we’ve just slipped. So what if we stopped climbing and started fertilizing, water, and blooming right where we find ourselves? Welcome to a Lent of affirming a faith in which we are blessed, regardless of our imperfections, and where we can lean into embracing our “good enough” lives.

“Known and Called” Worship Series

Epiphany Plus (January - February 2022)

After the celebration of the birth of Jesus, we move into a season of hearing the stories of people discovering and recognizing the identity of Jesus. In the time from Epiphany to the beginning of Lent, we, too, will discover the depth of who Jesus is and, by extension, who we are called to be as his followers.

“The Inn: Housing the Holy”

Advent and Christmas 2021

The pandemic, along with so many other disasters this year, has laid bare and widened economic disparity locally and globally. As we enter the Advent season, how can our church become a house where the Holy will be born anew–offering respite, sustenance and care, opening the doors ever wider to those seeking shelter from the onslaught of life? No one church can do it all, but each can do something. As we study the biblical prophets that call us to care for our neighbors and “make room in the inn,” the lonely and frightened spaces within us are filled with the light of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love.

“Rooted in Love”

Late fall 2021

How can we describe a Christian life? King David, in Psalm 1, wrote: “He will be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season; . . .

This paints a picture of the Christian life as having deep roots - firmly planted and growing stronger and deeper day after day. No matter the season, the Christian life is committed to God’s work - always bearing fruit. When our lives are “planted by streams of water,” our faith is everlasting.

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972-315-2777