November 2nd, 2025 - The Season After Pentecost
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: Come, let us ground ourselves in the sacredness of this ordinary day.
All: We come with our stories, our sorrows, our disappointments, and our dreams. We are here to move towards connection and compassion.
One: Let us collect our resources so that they might be shared. Let us speak to one another with kindness. Let us hold the door open for something good to happen. Let us make this the way of the world.
All: We take the first step by joining our hearts in song and lifting our voices as one!
All: We come with our stories, our sorrows, our disappointments, and our dreams. We are here to move towards connection and compassion.
One: Let us collect our resources so that they might be shared. Let us speak to one another with kindness. Let us hold the door open for something good to happen. Let us make this the way of the world.
All: We take the first step by joining our hearts in song and lifting our voices as one!
Hymn
How Blessed Are They Who Trust in Christ, Hymn 365
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
Most of All
Brandi Carlile, Phillip Hanseroth, and Timothy Hanseroth
Adele Marie-Alix, Bob Cross, Carolyn Sargent, and Clint Williams
I haven't seen my father in some time
But his face is always staring back at me
His heavy hands hang at the ends of my arms
And my colors change like the sea
But I don't worry much about time lost
I'm not gunning for the dreams I couldn't find
'Cause he taught me how to walk the best that I can
On the road I've left behind
But most of all
He taught me to forgive
How to keep a cool head
How to love the one you're with
And when I'm far into the distance
And the pushing comes to shove
To remember what comes back
When you give away your love
Give away your love
When you give your love away
Give away your love
I haven't heard my mother's voice in a while
But her words are always falling out my mouth
My mind and spirit are at odds sometimes
And they fight like the north and the south
But I still care enough to bear the weight
Of the heaviness to which my heart is tethered
She taught me how to be strong and say goodbye
And that love is forever
But most of all
She taught me how to fight
How to move across the line
Between the wrong and the right
And when I'm turned out in the darkness
And the pushing comes to shove
To remember what comes back
When you give away your love
Give away your love
When you give your love away
Give away your love
Give your love away
Oh, give your love away
And remember what comes back to you
Give your love away
Oh, give your love away
And remember what comes back to you
I haven't seen my father in some time
But his face is always staring back at me
His heavy hands swing at the ends of my arms
And my colors change like the sea
Brandi Carlile, Phillip Hanseroth, and Timothy Hanseroth
Adele Marie-Alix, Bob Cross, Carolyn Sargent, and Clint Williams
I haven't seen my father in some time
But his face is always staring back at me
His heavy hands hang at the ends of my arms
And my colors change like the sea
But I don't worry much about time lost
I'm not gunning for the dreams I couldn't find
'Cause he taught me how to walk the best that I can
On the road I've left behind
But most of all
He taught me to forgive
How to keep a cool head
How to love the one you're with
And when I'm far into the distance
And the pushing comes to shove
To remember what comes back
When you give away your love
Give away your love
When you give your love away
Give away your love
I haven't heard my mother's voice in a while
But her words are always falling out my mouth
My mind and spirit are at odds sometimes
And they fight like the north and the south
But I still care enough to bear the weight
Of the heaviness to which my heart is tethered
She taught me how to be strong and say goodbye
And that love is forever
But most of all
She taught me how to fight
How to move across the line
Between the wrong and the right
And when I'm turned out in the darkness
And the pushing comes to shove
To remember what comes back
When you give away your love
Give away your love
When you give your love away
Give away your love
Give your love away
Oh, give your love away
And remember what comes back to you
Give your love away
Oh, give your love away
And remember what comes back to you
I haven't seen my father in some time
But his face is always staring back at me
His heavy hands swing at the ends of my arms
And my colors change like the sea
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
It is Well With My Soul
Philip Bliss arr. Glenda Stansbury
Glenda Stansbury
Philip Bliss arr. Glenda Stansbury
Glenda Stansbury
Pastoral Prayer
Rev. Sheridan Irick
Scripture
Our reading this morning is an adaptation of Barbara Brown Taylor’s “A Great Cloud of Witnesses.”
What makes a saint?
Extravagance.
Excessive love, flagrant mercy, radical affection,
exorbitant charity, immoderate faith,
intemperate hope, inordinate love.
None of which is an achievement, a badge to be earned or a trophy to be sought;
all are secondary by-products of the one thing that truly makes a saint,
which is the love of God,
which is membership in the body of Christ,
which is what all of us, living and dead, remembered and forgotten,
great souls and small, have in common.
Some of us may do more with that love than others
and may find ourselves able to reflect it in a way that causes others to call us saints,
but the title is one that has been given to us all by virtue of our baptisms.
The moment we rose dripping from the holy water, we joined the communion of saints, and we cannot go back
any more than we can give back our names or the blood in our veins.
(The great cloud of witnesses includes us all), clan made kin . . .
There are heroes and scoundrels at the party,
beloved aunts and estranged cousins,
relatives we adore and those who plainly baffle us.
They are all ours, and we are all included.
... we worship amidst a great fluttering of wings,
with the whole host of heaven crowding the air above our heads.
Call their names and hear them answer “Present.”
... they belong to us and we to them,
and as their ranks swell so do the possibilities that open up in our own lives.
Because of them
and because of one another.
and because of the God who binds us all together,
we can do more than any of us had dreamed to do alone.
What makes a saint?
Extravagance.
Excessive love, flagrant mercy, radical affection,
exorbitant charity, immoderate faith,
intemperate hope, inordinate love.
None of which is an achievement, a badge to be earned or a trophy to be sought;
all are secondary by-products of the one thing that truly makes a saint,
which is the love of God,
which is membership in the body of Christ,
which is what all of us, living and dead, remembered and forgotten,
great souls and small, have in common.
Some of us may do more with that love than others
and may find ourselves able to reflect it in a way that causes others to call us saints,
but the title is one that has been given to us all by virtue of our baptisms.
The moment we rose dripping from the holy water, we joined the communion of saints, and we cannot go back
any more than we can give back our names or the blood in our veins.
(The great cloud of witnesses includes us all), clan made kin . . .
There are heroes and scoundrels at the party,
beloved aunts and estranged cousins,
relatives we adore and those who plainly baffle us.
They are all ours, and we are all included.
... we worship amidst a great fluttering of wings,
with the whole host of heaven crowding the air above our heads.
Call their names and hear them answer “Present.”
... they belong to us and we to them,
and as their ranks swell so do the possibilities that open up in our own lives.
Because of them
and because of one another.
and because of the God who binds us all together,
we can do more than any of us had dreamed to do alone.
Time of Remembrance
Rev. Dr. Lori Walke & Rev. Sheridan Irick
Jean Hubinger
Hazel James
Ron Werneke
Doug Manning
Russ Bartee
Anne Venters
Curtis Fair
Friends of Mayflower
Beloveds, we have all lost Saints in our lives. You are invited to light a candle for those you are grieving and still hold dear, and want to honor. Hold one end of a lighting stick to an already lit candle so that it catches flame, and then use it to light an unlit candle. Return it flame down into the sand. Sheridan and Lori will be standing on either the side of the sanctuary, if you need a hug or a prayer.
Jean Hubinger
Hazel James
Ron Werneke
Doug Manning
Russ Bartee
Anne Venters
Curtis Fair
Friends of Mayflower
Beloveds, we have all lost Saints in our lives. You are invited to light a candle for those you are grieving and still hold dear, and want to honor. Hold one end of a lighting stick to an already lit candle so that it catches flame, and then use it to light an unlit candle. Return it flame down into the sand. Sheridan and Lori will be standing on either the side of the sanctuary, if you need a hug or a prayer.
Hymn
Jerusalem, My Happy Home, Hymn 378
New Century Hymnal
[Please rise in body or in spirit.]
New Century Hymnal
[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.
- Immediately following worship, the first of two Budget Information Meetings begins in Milligan Hall, with an option to join online. Childcare is provided. Trustees will lead us through the budget process, priorities, and take questions. A second budget information meeting will be this Tuesday, November 4th, at 7pm, online only.
- Handmade Ministry Group also meets after worship in the Seekers Room.
- The memorial service for Anne Venters is this Thursday, November 6th, at 2pm, here at Mayflower.
- Next Sunday, November 9th, at 4pm is our Annual Meeting, both online and onsite, with childcare provided. Please make every effort to participate. While you must be an active member to vote, everyone is welcome to learn more about the work and mission of this beloved community.
You can find more details about all of these things in the events tab on our app and on our website. - 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.]