Hampstead Congregational Church UCC

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Hampstead Congregational Church

July 13, 2025

Fifth Sunday After Pentecost

No Matter Who You Are or Where You Are on Life’s Journey,

You are Welcome Here!

Order of Worship

Prelude                                                                                                                           Herb Tardiff  

Greetings and Announcements                                                                                 Debra Sawyer

Call to Worship (responsive)                                                                                          Kari Allard
Leader: We gather to worship God and to proclaim our love of God.

People: God delights in us, just as God has found wonder in every generation.
Leader: We come, proclaiming our love of neighbor.
People: Jesus challenges us to see each person as the neighbor we are to serve.
Leader: Come, let us turn to the Lord, whose very heart is compassion and hope.
People: Let us be partners in caring for all who are in need.

Invocation   (unison)                                                                                                       Kari Allard

Loving Healer, give us the eyes of Jesus to clearly see both neighbors and strangers as your beloved children. Teach us what it means to love the stranger as we love ourselves. Move us beyond our comfort zone so that by our words and actions we are recognized as your disciples. We ask this in the name of Christ, Amen.

Passing of the Peace of Christ 

(Feel free to pass the peace by shaking hands, offering hugs or waves.  Those who would like to share peace without physical contact are invited to place their hands over their hearts in greeting.)

*Opening Hymn: 

Scripture Readings:  Deuteronomy 30:9-14; Luke 10:25-37  (NSRVUE)                      Kari Allard 

Deuteronomy 30:9-14;

⁹ and the Lord your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all your undertakings, in the fruit of your body, in the fruit of your livestock, and in the fruit of your soil. For the Lord will again take delight in prospering you, just as he delighted in prospering your ancestors, ¹⁰ when you obey the Lord your God by observing his commandments and decrees that are written in this book of the law, because you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

¹¹ “Surely, this commandment that I am commanding you today is not too hard for you, nor is it too far away. ¹² It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will go up to heaven for us and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?’ ¹³ Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will cross to the other side of the sea for us and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?’ ¹⁴ No, the word is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to observe.

Luke 10:25-37

²⁵ An expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” ²⁶ He said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?” ²⁷ He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and your neighbor as yourself.” ²⁸ And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.”

²⁹ But wanting to vindicate himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” ³⁰ Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and took off, leaving him half dead. ³¹ Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. ³² So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. ³³ But a Samaritan while traveling came upon him, and when he saw him he was moved with compassion. ³⁴ He went to him and bandaged his wounds, treating them with oil and wine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. ³⁵ The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him, and when I come back I will repay you whatever more you spend.’ ³⁶ Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” ³⁷ He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

Children’s Message  “It’s Too Hard”                                       Rev. Carolyn Keilig

Sermon:  “The Riskiness of Neighborliness”         `                  Rev. Carolyn Keilig

*Hymn:  

Call for Concerns & Celebrations

Pastoral Prayer                                                                          Rev. Carolyn Keilig

     The Lord’s Prayer:

     Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.  Thy kingdom come, Thy 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 thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever.  Amen.

Call to Offering

*Doxology:        Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
                           Praise God, all creatures here below; 
                           Praise God above, you heavenly host: 
                           One God, Triune whom we adore.

*Prayer of Dedication                                                               Rev. Carolyn Keilig

God of compassion and mercy, may the gifts that we bring to you this day and every day reflect our understanding of what it means to love you and love our neighbor. We ask that our giving move beyond our morning offering and be reflected in our lives lived selflessly for others. This we pray in the name of Jesus, who gave all. Amen.

*Hymn of Going Forth:  

*Benediction

Music Usage permitted through OneLicense HCC License # A-730412 and CCLI License Number 2927783. All rights reserved.

Certain worship materials are used or adapted with permission from Liturgies Online, Trinity, by Rev Moira Laidlaw, Uniting Church in Australia, and from  Worship Ways by Rev. Catherine Rolling, of Portland, OR Copyright 2010 Local Church Ministries, UCC.

Announcements:

Welcome Again to Rev. Carolyn Keilig - This morning we again welcome Rev. Carolyn Keilig to our pulpit. She is a retired UCC minister, having pastored a number of churches in Maine and New Hampshire either as a settled or interim pastor, for over forty years. She has served in a variety of leadership roles on the Association, Conference and national levels and is now active in her home church in Hopkinton. Since retirement, she has been enjoying working for the Pension Board of the UCC visiting retired clergy and their spouses/partners. Carolyn has also rediscovered an interest in birding and can be found traipsing the woods and fields of N.H. and around the world on the lookout for a new Lifer. She is blessed with three adult children, who along with their life partners, keep her on her toes while bringing her much joy.

Outdoor Worship July 20th -- Please join us for outdoor worship on Sunday, July 20th at 10am on the lawn next to the Historical Society.  Please plan to bring a chair and join us for this special service. Coffee hour will be held after the service in Hadley Hall.

  July 14th Church Weekly Calendar