Hampstead Congregational Church
May 18, 2025
Fifth Sunday of Easter
with Sunday School
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
Call to Worship (responsive)
Leader: We gather from East and West, North and South,
All: all from different places in life, all with different needs.
Leader: Some of us gather as a sense of duty; others searching for meaning, some unsure why they are here, but regardless of how and why we are here:
All: we gather in this place of diversity and inclusion where all of us are
welcomed.
Leader: Let us worship God.
Invocation (unison) Rob Reeves
Ever-dreaming God, come to us now, in this time, opening our imaginations to your promise for us, in us, and in all you have made. We pray in the name of your Dream made flesh, Jesus the 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 Reading: Acts 11: 1-18 (NSRVUE) Rob Reeves
Now the apostles and the brothers and sisters who were in Judea heard that the gentiles had also accepted the word of God. 2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him, 3 saying, “Why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?” 4 Then Peter began to explain it to them, step by step, saying, 5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. There was something like a large sheet coming down from heaven, being lowered by its four corners, and it came close to me. 6 As I looked at it closely I saw four-footed animals, beasts of prey, reptiles, and birds of the air. 7 I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat.’ 8 But I replied, ‘By no means, Lord, for nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ 9 But a second time the voice answered from heaven, ‘What God has made clean, you must not call profane.’ 10 This happened three times; then everything was pulled up again to heaven. 11 At that very moment three men, sent to me from Caesarea, arrived at the house where we were. 12 The Spirit told me to go with them and not to make a distinction between them and us. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house. 13 He told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Joppa and bring Simon, who is called Peter; 14 he will give you a message by which you and your entire household will be saved.’ 15 And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as it had upon us at the beginning. 16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17 If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?” 18 When they heard this, they were silenced. And they praised God, saying, “Then God has given even to the gentiles the repentance that leads to life.”
Children’s Message
Sermon: When God Explodes Our Boxes Rev. Paige Besse-Rankin
Special Music
*Affirmation of Faith:
Call for Concerns & Celebrations
Pastoral Prayer Rev. Paige Besse-Rankin
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: NC #27 From All That Dwell Below the Skies - vs 1
Eternal are Thy mercies Lord
Eternal truth attends Thy word! Alleluia,
alleluia!
Thy praise shall sound from shore to shore
Till suns shall rise and set no more.
Alleluia!
Prayer of Dedication Rev. Paige Besse-Rankin
Giver of Life, we share what we have received. We dedicate these gifts as we rededicate ourselves to preparing the way for a new heaven and renewed Earth, where all people and all creation know the full measure of your peace. May these gifts reflect a praise and gratitude for the work of your spirit, drawing us ever deeper into the richness of relationship upon which we all depend. Amen.
Hymn of Going Forth:
Benediction Rev. Paige Besse-Rankin
May God show us a world rich in love’s diversity.
May God stretch the door that fits the breadth of grace.
May God cross each barrier that corrupts the variety of humanity.
And may God place us in the midst of it all.
Music Usage permitted through OneLicense HCC License # A-730412 and CCLI License Number 2927783. All rights reserved.
