November 30th, 2025 - First Sunday of Advent
We offer you a warm welcome, and as is our practice, we remember that the land on which we meet is, was, and always will be native land. We acknowledge those indigenous tribes to Oklahoma: the Wichitas, Caddos, Plains Apaches, and the Quapaws, as the original custodians of the land in this place. We grieve the violence done to native language, culture, and personhood, and seek to honor the sovereignty and dignity of native peoples.
We are so glad you've joined us, whether in person or online. Please take a moment to tell us you are here by using the sign-in button below.
We offer you a warm welcome, and as is our practice, we remember that the land on which we meet is, was, and always will be native land. We acknowledge those indigenous tribes to Oklahoma: the Wichitas, Caddos, Plains Apaches, and the Quapaws, as the original custodians of the land in this place. We grieve the violence done to native language, culture, and personhood, and seek to honor the sovereignty and dignity of native peoples.
We are so glad you've joined us, whether in person or online. Please take a moment to tell us you are here by using the sign-in button below.
Welcome
One: Good morning and welcome from Mayflower Congregational United Church of Christ, where no matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey . . .
All: You are welcome here!
All: You are welcome here!
Call to Worship
One: On this last Sunday of the liturgical year, we gather to remember, to celebrate, and to lift our eyes to the road ahead.
All: On this day, we take time to look back at the storms that we weathered together. In this hour, we pause to give thanks for all the good that we were part of, witnessed, and experienced. In this moment, we take a deep breath and open our hearts to the nudging of the Spirit.
One: So let us consider, as scripture urges us, how to provoke one another to love and good deeds.
All: Knowing that can do more together than we ever could on our own, we join our hearts and hands for the work ahead!
All: On this day, we take time to look back at the storms that we weathered together. In this hour, we pause to give thanks for all the good that we were part of, witnessed, and experienced. In this moment, we take a deep breath and open our hearts to the nudging of the Spirit.
One: So let us consider, as scripture urges us, how to provoke one another to love and good deeds.
All: Knowing that can do more together than we ever could on our own, we join our hearts and hands for the work ahead!
Hymn
Enter, Rejoice, and Come In, Hymn 73
New Century Hymnal
[Please rise in body or in spirit.]
New Century Hymnal
[Please rise in body or in spirit.]
Pass the Peace of Christ
One: "May the peace of Christ be with you."
All: "And also with you!"
All: "And also with you!"
Anthem
Zion's Walls
arr. Aaron Copland
Clint Williams and Carolyn Sargent
Come fathers and mothers,
Come sisters and brothers,
Come join us in singing the praises of Zion.
O fathers, don’t you feel determined
To meet within the walls of Zion?
We’ll shout and go round
The walls of Zion.
arr. Aaron Copland
Clint Williams and Carolyn Sargent
Come fathers and mothers,
Come sisters and brothers,
Come join us in singing the praises of Zion.
O fathers, don’t you feel determined
To meet within the walls of Zion?
We’ll shout and go round
The walls of Zion.
Joys + Concerns
For the joys of this congregation, let the people say: “Thanks be to God!”
The Lord's Prayer
Let us say together the Lord's Prayer, as translated by members of this congregation:
All: Our Creator, who is in heaven, holy is your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For you reign in the power that is love, now and always, Amen.
All: Our Creator, who is in heaven, holy is your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For you reign in the power that is love, now and always, Amen.
Anthem
Beautiful City
Stephen Schwartz
Adele Marie-Alix and Carolyn Sargent
Out of the ruins and rubble
Out of the smoke
Out of our night of struggle
Can we see a ray of hope?
One pale, thin ray
Reaching for the day
We can build a beautiful city
Yes, we can, yes, we can
We can build a beautiful city
Not a city of angels
But we can build a city again
We may not reach the ending
But we can start
Slowly but truly mending
Brick by brick, heart by heart
Now, maybe now
We start learning how
We can build a beautiful city
Yes, we can, yes, we can
We can build a beautiful city
Not a city of angels
But we can build a city again
When your trust is all but shattered
When your faith is all but killed
You can give up bitter and battered
Or you can slowly start to build
A beautiful city
Yes, we can, yes, we can
We can build a beautiful city
Not a city of angels
But finally a city again
A city again
Stephen Schwartz
Adele Marie-Alix and Carolyn Sargent
Out of the ruins and rubble
Out of the smoke
Out of our night of struggle
Can we see a ray of hope?
One pale, thin ray
Reaching for the day
We can build a beautiful city
Yes, we can, yes, we can
We can build a beautiful city
Not a city of angels
But we can build a city again
We may not reach the ending
But we can start
Slowly but truly mending
Brick by brick, heart by heart
Now, maybe now
We start learning how
We can build a beautiful city
Yes, we can, yes, we can
We can build a beautiful city
Not a city of angels
But we can build a city again
When your trust is all but shattered
When your faith is all but killed
You can give up bitter and battered
Or you can slowly start to build
A beautiful city
Yes, we can, yes, we can
We can build a beautiful city
Not a city of angels
But finally a city again
A city again
Pastoral Prayer
Rev. Dr. Lori Walke
Scripture: Psalm 46
God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,
though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble with its tumult. Selah
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved;
God will help it when the morning dawns.
The nations are in an uproar; the kingdoms totter;
God utters their voice; the earth melts.
The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah
Come, behold the works of the Lord;
see what desolations God has brought on the earth.
God makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
God breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
God burns the shields with fire.
“Be still, and know that I am God!
I am exalted among the nations;
I am exalted in the earth.”
The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah
a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,
though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble with its tumult. Selah
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved;
God will help it when the morning dawns.
The nations are in an uproar; the kingdoms totter;
God utters their voice; the earth melts.
The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah
Come, behold the works of the Lord;
see what desolations God has brought on the earth.
God makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
God breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
God burns the shields with fire.
“Be still, and know that I am God!
I am exalted among the nations;
I am exalted in the earth.”
The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah
Sermon:
Rev. Dr. Lori Walke
Hymn
There is a Patchwork--the Mayflower Anniversary Hymn
Adam LaPorte
(see insert below)
[Please rise in body or in spirit.]
Adam LaPorte
(see insert below)
[Please rise in body or in spirit.]
Announcements
- Please use the giving link above to support the work and mission of this congregation with your tithes and offerings.
- The annual 363 Wrap Them in Warmth Drive continues the whole month of November. Find their wishlist on the announcements page of our website.
- Bella Voce, Mayflower’s Ensemble in Residence, invites you back to the sanctuary today at 5pm for an evening of music, history, and storytelling. A History of Hymns takes guests on a musical journey spanning more than three centuries of hymnody, exploring the rich origins behind some of the world’s most beloved and enduring songs of faith. It promises to be an inspiring program for music lovers and history enthusiasts alike. All are welcome.
- Advent & Art Intergenerational Sunday School meets on Sundays, December 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th, and January 4th, at 9:15am in Classroom 2 to cultivate the spirit of Advent through creativity, relationships, and scripture. All are welcome!
- Mayflower is delighted to welcome our friends from PAMBE Ghana back to Milligan Hall on Sunday, December 7th, for their annual Global Market pop-up shop. This fair-trade marketplace features beautifully crafted items from around the world, with every purchase supporting PAMBE Ghana’s mission to provide high-quality, culturally grounded education for children in northern Ghana. Stop by, say hello, explore their holiday treasures, and join us in supporting this remarkable partnership in learning and global justice.
- If you would like sponsor the new chairs in Milligan Hall, please donate to the cleverly named Chair Fund by selecting it from the drop down menu on our online giving portal.
- You can find more details about all of these things in the events tab on our app and on our website.
Benediction
One: May God grant to us the grace to never sell ourselves short, the courage to risk something big for something good, and the wisdom to know that the world is too small for anything but love. So let us go in peace, pray for peace, wage a little peace, and love one another.
ALL: Every single other. Amen.
ALL: Every single other. Amen.
Benediction Response
What Does the Lord Require?
Jim Strathdee
Part 1: What does the Lord require of you? What does the Lord require of you?
Part 2: Justice, kindness, walk humbly with your God. Justice, kindness, walk humbly with your God.
Part 3: To do justice, and love kindness and walk humbly with your God. To do justice, and love kindness and walk humbly with your God.
[Sung in a round, Part 1 begins the response, joined the second time by Part 2, then by Part 3, and then a fourth time through. For those in-person, it is our tradition for the congregation to stand and turn towards the center aisle during the benediction response so that we might "send each other forth" to embody what we sing.]
Jim Strathdee
Part 1: What does the Lord require of you? What does the Lord require of you?
Part 2: Justice, kindness, walk humbly with your God. Justice, kindness, walk humbly with your God.
Part 3: To do justice, and love kindness and walk humbly with your God. To do justice, and love kindness and walk humbly with your God.
[Sung in a round, Part 1 begins the response, joined the second time by Part 2, then by Part 3, and then a fourth time through. For those in-person, it is our tradition for the congregation to stand and turn towards the center aisle during the benediction response so that we might "send each other forth" to embody what we sing.]