# St. John's United Church of Christ — June 7, 2026 > [!info] Ruth: Loss and Loyalty > **Preacher & presider:** **Rev. Peter Emig** (guest) · **Sermon text:** Ruth 1:1-22 · **Holy Communion** by intinction · **Score: 50/65.** > **Pastor Caroline Saxton was away** at the first-ever **Keystone Conference** (the newly merged Pennsylvania UCC conference) in Lancaster — so Rev. Emig led the entire service, not just the sermon. The bulletin cover is an **icon of Ruth and Naomi made on Mount Athos**: two widows on the road from Moab, the very image of *hesed* carrying people through loss. The whole service leans into St. John's extravagant-welcome identity — fitting for a sermon whose heroine is a Moabite outsider, an immigrant, a widow, drawn into the covenant. > **Video:** [Full service on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O76M7rzE2zU&t=1s) — timestamp deep-links appear on every Order of Worship subheading below. --- ## Liturgical Context ### Christian Liturgical Calendar - **Day:** **Second Sunday after Pentecost** (First Sunday after Trinity). - **Season:** **Season after Pentecost** (Ordinary Time) — the long green stretch to Christ the King. - **Liturgical Year:** **A** (Matthew-focused) in the Revised Common Lectionary (Advent 2025–Christ the King 2026). - **Color:** **Green** (Ordinary Time). ### Summer Lectionary Note (important for this vault) - The **Narrative Lectionary Year 4 (John)** ended at Pentecost (NL446, May 24); Trinity Sunday (May 31) used the **RCL**. - The summer is **topical / series preaching**, not lectionary. Today a guest preacher, **Rev. Peter Emig**, opened on **Ruth 1**, with **Matthew 5:3-9** (Beatitudes) as the first reading and **Psalm 146** (The Inclusive Bible) as the responsive psalm. - These are **not** the RCL Proper 5 Year A propers (listed below for reference only). **No Narrative Lectionary number applies.** - *From the pulpit, Emig named exactly this:* he is "a bit of a **dinosaur**" who has always preached the **common lectionary**, in which Ruth lands at the very end of the Pentecost season and "may not be offered at all" in Year C depending on when Pentecost falls — which is why he has "only preached on Ruth maybe once or twice." He thanked Caroline for "breaking the pattern." ### Jewish Calendar - **Hebrew date:** ~**22 Sivan 5786**. - **Festivals:** None — about three weeks after **Shavuot** (6–7 Sivan, May 21–23). The preceding Shabbat (Saturday, June 6) read **Parashat Beha'alotcha** (Numbers 8:1–12:16). - **Ruth at Shavuot:** In Jewish tradition the **Book of Ruth is the Shavuot megillah** (barley/wheat-harvest setting; Ruth as model convert; David's lineage). The congregation takes up Ruth just weeks after the festival most associated with it — and Ruth 1 closes "at the beginning of the barley harvest." ### Ecumenical & Global Observances - **Corpus Christi** — the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ — observed this Sunday (June 7) in the Roman Catholic Church in the U.S. (transferred from Thursday, June 4). A striking pairing with St. John's **Holy Communion by intinction** today. ### Lectionary Readings (Revised Common Lectionary, Proper 5, Year A) — *for reference; not used in this service* - **First Reading:** Genesis 12:1-9 — the call of Abram; "in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." - **Psalm:** Psalm 33:1-12. - **Alt. First Reading:** Hosea 5:15–6:6 — "I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice." - **Alt. Psalm:** Psalm 50:7-15. - **Second Reading:** Romans 4:13-25 — Abraham's faith. - **Gospel:** Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26 — the call of Matthew; mercy, not sacrifice. ### Connection to Today's Message The pieces line up around **welcome, loyalty, and God's bias toward the lowly**: the **Call to Worship** ("here… there are no foreigners"), **Psalm 146** (God who "secures justice for the oppressed… gives food to the hungry… sets captives free"), the **Beatitudes** (blessing on the poor, mourning, meek, merciful, peacemakers), and **Ruth 1** (a bereaved Moabite woman binding herself to Naomi). Emig's thesis: the Book of Ruth shifts the governing virtue **from purity (who is in/out, clean/unclean) to faithfulness and loving relationship** — the same move the service makes liturgically through the Maranatha and Network Ministries mission, the Dominican-congregation potluck, and the open table. --- ## Order of Worship > `*` = please stand in body or in spirit. Subheadings link to the moment in the [service recording](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O76M7rzE2zU&t=1s). Timestamps are to the nearest transcript marker. ### Gathering #### [Gathering Song — "This is the Day"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O76M7rzE2zU&t=1980s) A contemporary scripture chorus from **Psalm 118:24**, most familiar in the **Les Garrett (1967)** setting (led by the praise team). *Lyrics under copyright (© 1967 Scripture in Song) and not reproduced here.* See [Hymnary.org](https://hymnary.org/text/this_is_the_day_the_lord_has_made_let_us). #### [*Unison Welcome](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O76M7rzE2zU&t=1980s) > *"No matter who you are or where you are on life's journey, you are welcome here."* #### [Announcements](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O76M7rzE2zU&t=1995s) Given live (see **Church News & Announcements** below for full content): **Summer Snacks for Network Ministries** (boxes in the lobby; both Sunday-school classes collecting money); the **June 13 potluck with the Dominican Republic congregation** (Pastor Martin) that meets upstairs Sunday mornings — Dominican food and music, the praise team singing, Chris helping translate ("music binds us together"); **Diana K.'s** summer prayer series (June 14 labyrinth, July 12 peace pole, Aug 22 camp breakfast); the **parking-lot paving** timeline (Tom); and a note that the **Race Against Poverty** First Fruits walk was **rained out** the night before. #### [Mission Moment — Craig Newcomer (Maranatha Ministry)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O76M7rzE2zU&t=2407s) A First Fruits recipient. *(Full content in announcements below.)* Craig grounded the ministry in **Matthew 25:35-40** ("I was hungry and you gave me food… in prison and you came to visit me") — *he cited it as "Matthew 18," but the text is Matthew 25.* #### [Passing of the Peace](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O76M7rzE2zU&t=2942s) > **Leader:** *"The peace of Christ be with you."* · **People:** *"And also with you."* #### [Welcome & Opening Remarks — Rev. Peter Emig (Chiming of the Trinity & Prelude)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O76M7rzE2zU&t=3153s) Emig opened with a **"Godspeed" joke** (the neighbor handed a $100 bill — "Godspeed won the fourth at Belmont yesterday"), then explained **Pastor Caroline's absence**: she is at the **first-ever Keystone Conference** in Lancaster — the merger of Pennsylvania's four UCC conferences (Penn West, **Penn Central** [St. John's], Penn Northeast, Penn Southeast) — worshiping with ~800 delegates. He encouraged the congregation to engage the wider church and to serve as a delegate next June (noting **Steve** [Rev. Stephen W. Hoffman, Pastor Emeritus] has done so). #### [*Call to Worship](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O76M7rzE2zU&t=3336s) *(adapted from* The Abingdon Worship Annual *)* > **Leader:** Here in this place, there are no foreigners, > **People:** **for all are welcome in God's house.** > **Leader:** Here in this worship, there is only acceptance, > **People:** **for love is the language of faith.** > **Leader:** Here in our lives, there are no divisions, > **People:** **for God dwells in each of us.** > **Leader:** Come, let us worship in unity and love. #### [*Hymn #72 — "Day by Day"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O76M7rzE2zU&t=3360s) **Words:** Lina Sandell-Berg, 1865 (*"Blott en dag"*) · **Tr.** Andrew L. Skoog, 1921 · **Music:** Oscar Ahnfelt (tune: BLOTT EN DAG) · after **Deuteronomy 33:25**. **Public domain.** > **1.** Day by day, and with each passing moment, > Strength I find to meet my trials here; > Trusting in my Father's wise bestowment, > I've no cause for worry or for fear. > He whose heart is kind beyond all measure > Gives unto each day what He deems best— > Lovingly, its part of pain and pleasure, > Mingling toil with peace and rest. > > **2.** Every day the Lord Himself is near me > With a special mercy for each hour; > All my cares He fain would bear, and cheer me, > He whose name is Counselor and Power. > The protection of His child and treasure > Is a charge that on Himself He laid; > "As thy days, thy strength shall be in measure," > This the pledge to me He made. > > **3.** Help me then in every tribulation > So to trust Thy promises, O Lord, > That I lose not faith's sweet consolation > Offered me within Thy holy Word. > Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting, > E'er to take, as from a father's hand, > One by one, the days, the moments fleeting, > Till I reach the promised land. #### [Call to Confession](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O76M7rzE2zU&t=3548s) *(from* Feasting on the Word Worship Companion*)* — "Let us confess our sins to God, from whom our help comes." #### [Prayer of Confession](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O76M7rzE2zU&t=3556s) *(adapted from* Feasting on the Word Worship Companion *— copyrighted; paraphrased.)* A unison confession: God has been faithful, yet we have not loved God with our whole hearts; God showed us how to love others, yet we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves; God modeled welcome and acceptance, and we do not always follow. *Turn us back, that we may keep your commandments, through Christ our Lord. Amen.* #### [Kyrie](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O76M7rzE2zU&t=3600s) *(Hymnal Companion C-4.)* The sung "Lord, have mercy / Christ, have mercy / Lord, have mercy." #### [Assurance of Grace](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O76M7rzE2zU&t=3626s) *(from* Feasting on the Word Worship Companion *— paraphrased.)* The Lord is loving, merciful, and just; we are reconciled to God and to one another, that we might walk in peace and love. #### [*Glory Be to the Father #704 (Gloria Patri)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O76M7rzE2zU&t=3660s) **Public domain.** > Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; > as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, > world without end. Amen, amen. ### Word #### [Scripture Reading — Matthew 5:3-9](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O76M7rzE2zU&t=3694s) The opening Beatitudes, read by the **lector (Lloyd Beers)** in a contemporary translation ("Blessed are the poor in spirit… Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God"). Bible Linker embeds (NRSVue): ![[Matthew 5#3]] ![[Matthew 5#4]] ![[Matthew 5#5]] ![[Matthew 5#6]] ![[Matthew 5#7]] ![[Matthew 5#8]] ![[Matthew 5#9]] #### [Responsive Reading — Psalm 146](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O76M7rzE2zU&t=3745s) *Read responsively from **The Inclusive Bible: The First Egalitarian Translation** (Priests for Equality — copyrighted; its distinctive wording not reproduced here). Hallmarks heard in the recording: the divine name as **"Yahweh,"** the beatitude form **"Happy are those…,"** and justice-forward, inclusive language. The full text renders below via the Bible Linker embeds (NRSVue).* Responsive division (plain = **Leader**, indented = **People**): > **Leader (v. 1–2a):** Opening *Hallelujah* and the call to praise Yahweh, my soul. > **People (v. 2b):** "I will sing praise to my God while I live." > **Leader (v. 3):** Do not trust in rulers/mortals, in whom there is no salvation. > **People (v. 4):** When their breath departs they return to the earth; their plans perish. > **Leader (v. 5–6a):** Happy are those whose help and hope is the God of Jacob/Israel — maker of heaven and earth. > **People (v. 6b):** …who keeps faith forever. > **Leader (v. 7):** Who secures justice for the oppressed, feeds the hungry, sets captives free. > **People (v. 8–9):** Who opens the eyes of the blind, lifts the bowed-down, loves the just, protects strangers, sustains the orphan and the bereaved — but thwarts the way of the corrupt. > **Leader (v. 10):** Yahweh will reign forever, through all generations. > **People:** **Hallelujah!** Bible Linker embeds (NRSVue): ![[Psalm 146#1]] ![[Psalm 146#2]] ![[Psalm 146#3]] ![[Psalm 146#4]] ![[Psalm 146#5]] ![[Psalm 146#6]] ![[Psalm 146#7]] ![[Psalm 146#8]] ![[Psalm 146#9]] ![[Psalm 146#10]] #### [Special Music — "How Great Is Our God"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O76M7rzE2zU&t=3840s) **Chris Tomlin** (with Jesse Reeves & Ed Cash), 2004 (© worshiptogether.com / sixsteps Music). *Lyrics under copyright, not reproduced here. Noted for the record, not as a worship-music recommendation.* #### [Children's Message — "The Divine Animal Kingdom" (Roxanne Davenport)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O76M7rzE2zU&t=4141s) The children's leader (Roxanne Davenport per the bulletin) gathered the children (Oscar, Elinor, and others) and asked what Bible stories feature animals — Noah's ark, the nativity stable, Genesis 1 creation, Joseph. Teaching: humanity was created *after* the animals, **entrusted to care for them** — "dominion" means to care for, not to dominate, hurt, or abuse; the **Noahic covenant (Genesis 9)** is made "with Noah… and the beasts" — God's covenant is with all creation, not just humankind. She announced a **summer children's series: "The Divine Animal Kingdom — the lessons we can learn from them,"** a different animal each week (the Bible names 120+ species), drawing out lessons like patience, unconditional love, living in the moment, gentleness. Closed in prayer thanking God for creation and our calling as its caretakers. *(And: "cats and dogs are not in the Bible.")* #### [Children's Corner](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O76M7rzE2zU&t=4507s) Led by **"Miss Shanny" (Chani Wolfe)**, following the Children's Message. #### [Scripture Reading — Ruth 1:1-22](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O76M7rzE2zU&t=4600s) The sermon text, **read by Rev. Peter Emig** from the pulpit (NRSV) as the opening of the sermon. He prefaced it by noting his shirt — a gift from his sister, "speak[ing] to… the all-inclusive love of God." Bible Linker embeds (NRSVue): ![[Ruth 1#1]] ![[Ruth 1#2]] ![[Ruth 1#3]] ![[Ruth 1#4]] ![[Ruth 1#5]] ![[Ruth 1#6]] ![[Ruth 1#7]] ![[Ruth 1#8]] ![[Ruth 1#9]] ![[Ruth 1#10]] ![[Ruth 1#11]] ![[Ruth 1#12]] ![[Ruth 1#13]] ![[Ruth 1#14]] ![[Ruth 1#15]] ![[Ruth 1#16]] ![[Ruth 1#17]] ![[Ruth 1#18]] ![[Ruth 1#19]] ![[Ruth 1#20]] ![[Ruth 1#21]] ![[Ruth 1#22]] > *Anchor verses:* **Ruth 1:16-17** ("Where you go, I will go… your people shall be my people, and your God my God") and **1:20-21** ("Call me no longer Naomi but Mara… I went away full, but the LORD has brought me back empty"). The chapter moves from famine and triple bereavement to "the beginning of the barley harvest." #### [Sermon — "Ruth: Loss and Loyalty" (Rev. Peter Emig)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O76M7rzE2zU&t=4988s) *Full notes, analysis, and scoring in the [Sermon section](#sermon) below.* ### Response #### [UCC Statement of Faith](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O76M7rzE2zU&t=5860s) *(Hymnal Companion C-12; doxological version. Emig framed it as fitting for "conference weekend.")* > We believe in you, O God, Eternal Spirit, > God of our Savior Jesus Christ and our God, > and to your deeds we testify: > > You call the worlds into being, > create persons in your own image, > and set before each one the ways of life and death. > > You seek in holy love to save all people from aimlessness and sin. > > You judge people and nations by your righteous will > declared through prophets and apostles. > > In Jesus Christ, the man of Nazareth, > our crucified and risen Savior, > you have come to us > and shared our common lot, > conquering sin and death > and reconciling the world to yourself. > > You bestow upon us your Holy Spirit, > creating and renewing the church of Jesus Christ, > binding in covenant faithful people of all ages, > tongues, and races. > > You call us into your church > to accept the cost and joy of discipleship, > to be your servants in the service of others, > to proclaim the gospel to all the world > and resist the powers of evil, > to share in Christ's baptism and eat at his table, > to join him in his passion and victory. > > You promise to all who trust you > forgiveness of sins and fullness of grace, > courage in the struggle for justice and peace, > your presence in trial and rejoicing, > and eternal life in your realm which has no end. > > Blessing and honor, glory and power be unto you. Amen. #### [Sharing of Joys and Concerns](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O76M7rzE2zU&t=6022s) *For personal prayer use.* Emig introduced this with a story about his **five-year-old grandson Rowan**, found sitting with hands folded and eyes closed, praying silently — "I wasn't praying to you." One prayer was offered aloud: | Person | Joy / Concern | Timestamp | |---|---|---| | *(unnamed member)* | A **prayer for Pastor Caroline** — that she is enjoying her time at the Keystone Conference among colleagues and friends. ("In God's mercy, hear our prayer.") | [6112s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O76M7rzE2zU&t=6112s) | #### [Prayers of the People & The Lord's Prayer (Debts)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O76M7rzE2zU&t=6161s) Emig's pastoral prayer ("Loving God, we confess that we so easily lose sight of your presence…") gave thanks for "the bold witness offered by those who… have been forced into the fringes of society," looked to **"faithful women like Ruth as examples of true faith and devotion,"** and asked for courage to "challenge the societal norms that pit race against race, sex against sex, us against [them]" — leading into the **Lord's Prayer**. *(The bulletin specifies the "debts/debtors" form; the audible opening was the traditional "Our Father, who art in heaven…")* #### [Invitation to Giving & Offertory](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O76M7rzE2zU&t=6366s) > Emig: "**Our gifts do make a difference.**" He reported from conference that generous UCC gifts had raised **over $60,000** to help rebuild a **UCC church in Pittsburgh that burned to the ground in early May** — "so yes, give all that you can. It makes a difference." #### [*Offertory Response #706 — "Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O76M7rzE2zU&t=6540s) **Words:** Thomas Ken, 1674/1709 (the Doxology) · tune: OLD HUNDREDTH · **public domain.** > Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; > Praise him, all creatures here below; > Praise him above, ye heavenly host; > Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen. #### [*Prayer of Dedication](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O76M7rzE2zU&t=6594s) *(adapted from* Touch Holiness: Resources for Worship *— copyrighted; paraphrased.)* Bless this offering that it may reach those who hunger, hurt, mourn, and seek new hope; as part of the global village we care for all our siblings, praying for peace and justice, liberty for the oppressed, and joy for the weary. *In Jesus' name, Amen.* #### [Holy Communion (by intinction)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O76M7rzE2zU&t=6631s) *(Hymnal Companion C-72.)* The Invitation drew on **Isaiah 55** ("Why spend money on what does not satisfy? … come to me and you will have life") and the UCC open-table formula: *"Come not because you must, but because you may… not because you are fulfilled, but because in your emptiness you stand in need of God's mercy."* A full **Great Thanksgiving** (creation, law and prophets, the *Sanctus* "Holy, holy, holy"), **Words of Institution**, and **epiclesis** ("Consecrate by your Holy Spirit these gifts of bread and wine") followed, with the congregation coming forward to the altar to commune **by intinction**. > *All are welcome at Christ's table.* Sign the **black attendance pad**; those communing from home contact the office. #### [Post-Communion Prayer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O76M7rzE2zU&t=7361s) "We thank you, O God, for inviting us to this table where we have known the presence of Christ… Strengthen our faith, increase our love for one another, and let us show forth your praise in our lives. Amen." ### Sending #### [*Hymn #267 — "Blest Be the Tie"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O76M7rzE2zU&t=7380s) **Words:** John Fawcett, 1782 · **Music:** Hans Georg Nägeli; arr. Lowell Mason, 1845 (tune: DENNIS, SM) · **public domain.** *A hymn of covenant fellowship — the bond of "kindred minds," echoing Ruth's loyalty to Naomi.* > **1.** Blest be the tie that binds > our hearts in Christian love; > the fellowship of kindred minds > is like to that above. > > **2.** Before our Father's throne > we pour our ardent prayers; > our fears, our hopes, our aims are one, > our comforts and our cares. > > **3.** We share each other's woes, > our mutual burdens bear; > and often for each other flows > the sympathizing tear. > > **4.** When we asunder part, > it gives us inward pain; > but we shall still be joined in heart, > and hope to meet again. #### [*Commission & Benediction](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O76M7rzE2zU&t=7523s) > *"Dear friends in the faith, you're about to go back out into the world, which can be terrifying at times, but it's a blessing nonetheless — because out there you're going to meet God's children, who are loved as richly and as deeply as we are loved. So greet them in the spirit, in the love, and in the grace of Christ, and welcome them with the blessing of God Almighty, the Creator, the Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Go in peace."* #### [Postlude (seated)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O76M7rzE2zU&t=7620s) Organ postlude (Barbara Motichka). --- ## Sermon > [!quote] Refrain > ***"May Ruth's God be our God. May her people be our people."*** ### Sermon Notes #### Introduction Rev. Emig — self-deprecating ("It's a good thing I still get nervous when I ascend the pulpit"; "despite this youthful appearance, I'm actually getting up in years") — named himself a lectionary "dinosaur" and thanked Caroline for inviting him to preach **Ruth**, a book he has rarely touched because the common lectionary buries it at the end of Pentecost (and skips it in Year C if Pentecost falls late). He reframed the day around the **all-inclusive love of God**, opening with the meaning of the name **Ruth — "beloved."** #### Main Points ###### Point 1: The old ethic was purity; Ruth installs a different one — faithfulness. Emig set the legal/cultural background: **levirate marriage** (the nearest male relative must marry a dead man's widow) and the **holiness codes** that forbade Israelite men from marrying foreign women and treated foreign women and children as **unclean**, excluded from the people because "God demanded purity." Ruth's story, set in the violent, lawless era of the judges, takes "a different, more welcoming view of non-Israelites": **"the primary virtue is not purity, not who is in or out, but faithfulness and loving relationships."** His prophetic turn: "**sadly, many religious communities today believe the same thing**" — using holiness codes and "some of Paul's writings" to define some of God's children as unclean and unacceptable. ###### Point 2: The cast are people at the margins — and the women are the most vulnerable of all. The main characters are foreigners "seen by many as a threat to the proper order," around whom "many laws were erected to protect and separate the good people from these… immigrants." In a patriarchy, **Naomi, Orpah, and Ruth** were secure only while their husbands lived; widowed, they became "vulnerable and socially invisible," of "little value," unprotected by the law. Yet **Naomi**, even at her darkest, thinks first of the younger women, releasing them with a blessing that reveals **the God she trusts: "inclusive and expansive, even in suffering and scarcity."** ###### Point 3: Orpah is us; Ruth is the gospel. **Orpah** returns to her people — "reasonable… practical… no one can fault her." "In many ways, Orpah is like us. When life becomes difficult, we often retreat to the safety of what is familiar." *"If we were writing this story, it might end here. But it is not."* **Ruth** sets aside her own needs, commits to building a life with Naomi in an unfamiliar land, "trusting in the promise of a loving and gracious God she is coming to know" — *"Where you go, I will go… your people shall be my people, your God my God."* God's response: to make this Moabite immigrant **the foremother of King David — "and by faith, a mother of us all."** "God once again uses someone we would least expect… to help us realize what is truly important to God." #### Illustrations / Stories - **The "Godspeed" joke** (during the Peace): the neighbor who blesses the gardener "Godspeed," then receives a $100 bill — "Godspeed won the fourth at Belmont yesterday." - **The shirt** from his sister, worn last year filling in for Caroline, "speak[ing] to the all-inclusive love of God." - **Caroline at the Keystone Conference** — the new merged PA conference, 800 delegates; an invitation to engage the wider church. - **"I'm a bit of a dinosaur"** — the lectionary-preacher confession (above), framing why Ruth is unfamiliar territory. - **"I still get chills"** reading Ruth 1:16-17 — a moment of preacher vulnerability. - **Rowan, the praying grandson** (in the Prayers): "I wasn't praying to you." - **The Pittsburgh church fire / $60,000** (in the offering invitation): the wider church's generosity in action. #### Scripture Connections - **Primary:** Ruth 1:1-22 (famine → triple bereavement → the road back; *hesed* in 1:16-17; "Call me Mara," 1:20-21; "the beginning of the barley harvest"). - **Read earlier and echoed:** Matthew 5:3-9 (Beatitudes — blessing on the meek, merciful, peacemakers) and Psalm 146 (God who protects strangers, sustains orphans, feeds the hungry). - **Background invoked:** levirate marriage (Deuteronomy 25:5-10); the Moabite-exclusion and foreign-wife laws (Deuteronomy 23:3; Ezra 9–10 / Nehemiah 13, implied); the holiness codes (Leviticus). - **Trajectory:** Ruth → David → "a mother of us all" (the genealogy that runs to Matthew 1:5, left implicit). #### Key Quotes - "The primary virtue is not purity, not who is in or out, but **faithfulness and loving relationships.**" - "If we were writing this story, it might end here. **But it is not.**" - "God once again uses someone we would least expect… to help us realize what is truly important to God." - "We should cling **not just to God, but to others.**… There should be no turning our back on one another, even if we want to play it safely." - "Ruth's love **rises above the boundaries of birth, place, custom, tradition.** Her love has no limits." - "Do not be directed by societal structures, conventional wisdom, or the religious proclamations of **those whose only mission is to divide and tear down.**" - "**May Ruth's God be our God. May her people be our people.**" ### Comprehensive Sermon Analysis #### Sermon Summary - **Central Message:** *Both* personal and communal. The Book of Ruth shifts the governing virtue from **purity** (clean/unclean, insider/outsider) to **faithfulness and loving relationship**; God works through the least-expected — a foreign, widowed, immigrant woman — to reveal God's truly **expansive** nature; the church is called to refuse walls and silos and to cling, like Ruth, to one another and to the stranger, the widow, the orphan, the immigrant. - **Liturgical/Thematic Focus:** Tightly integrated with the day's extravagant-welcome arc — the Call to Worship ("no foreigners"), Psalm 146's justice catalogue, the Beatitudes, and the open communion table all rhyme with Ruth's boundary-crossing *hesed*. - **Score:** **5/5.** #### Preaching Style Assessment A **narrative/biographical** retelling (character by character: Naomi, Orpah, Ruth), with a strong **prophetic** edge (purity-vs-faithfulness; immigrant welcome; naming exclusionary religion), framed **textually** around the single passage and delivered in a warm, **conversational/pastoral** register (self-deprecation, humor, vulnerability). Mildly **inductive** — the story builds toward the application. Well-matched to an Open and Affirming congregation and to Ruth, which is best preached as story. - **Score:** **5/5.** #### Storytelling and Illustration Strong and varied — the Godspeed joke, the sister's shirt, the "dinosaur" confession, the Rowan prayer, the Pittsburgh fire — plus a vivid character-driven retelling (Orpah-as-us is the sharpest move). Inclusivity is thematically central (the foreigner, the immigrant, women in patriarchy), though contemporary global illustration is thin and there are no named voices from outside the preacher's own world. - **Score:** **4/5.** #### Intonation and Delivery *(As far as a transcript allows.)* Warm, folksy, paced for an older-veteran cadence; humor early, vulnerability throughout ("I still get chills," "I still get nervous"), building to an impassioned, anaphoric close ("no turning aside… no turning our back… no walls"). Lowers the authority gradient through self-deprecation. - **Score:** **4/5.** #### Content Structure A clear arc: name the all-inclusive theme → set the purity-law background → walk the three women → Orpah/Ruth pivot → application to church and world → sending refrain. The legal background is a little dense up front, and the closing exhortation circles its point several times (a touch repetitive), but the through-line never breaks. - **Score:** **4/5.** #### Engagement and Application Explicitly, repeatedly inclusive — names "the widow, the orphan, the stranger, the foreigner, the unclassified, the immigrant"; ties Ruth to the church's mission and the wider church; indicts wall-building and "playing it safe." Applications are mostly **postural/relational** (cling, embrace, don't retreat) rather than itemized next-steps — though the surrounding service supplies the concrete embodiment (Maranatha, Network Ministries, the Dominican-congregation potluck, the open table). Little interactive/physical element. - **Score:** **4/5.** #### Scripture Handling Responsible and pastorally rich: reads Ruth 1 in full; supplies genuine legal/cultural context (levirate marriage, the holiness/purity codes, foreign-wife exclusion); reads Scripture squarely **for** justice and inclusion, and even names Ruth as Scripture's *internal* counter-voice to exclusionary law. Limits: no original-language work; the historical picture of Israelite "purity" is somewhat monolithic; the Boaz/redeemer arc and the explicit Davidic/Matthean genealogy are left for the hearer to supply. - **Score:** **4/5.** #### Logical Reasoning **Strong moves:** (1) a clean **contrast argument** (purity ethic vs. faithfulness ethic); (2) **redemptive-historical/typological** reasoning (Ruth → David → "mother of us all"); (3) an effective **analogy** (Orpah = us, retreating to the familiar). **Watch-points (for your own rigor):** (a) **hasty generalization** — "the people of Israel believed God demanded purity" and "many religious communities today believe the same thing" paint with a broad brush; (b) a **totalizing characterization of opponents** — "those whose only mission is to divide and tear down" others the excluders (a prophetic device, but a mild us/them); (c) **appeal to emotion** ("I still get chills") used legitimately, not manipulatively. No fallacy is load-bearing; the argument stands on the textual contrast. - **Score:** **4/5.** #### References Light on named scholarship — Emig cites **no theologians or academic sources**, leaning on the text and decades of pastoral experience (a folksy, lectionary-formed style). Marginalized perspectives are **thematically central** (the immigrant, the widow, women under patriarchy) but not voiced through named Black, feminist, or LGBTQIA+ theologians. The richest "reference" is institutional and contemporary: the Keystone Conference and the Pittsburgh-church rebuild. - **Score:** **3/5.** #### Quotes and Illustrative Stories Memorable and well-anchored: "faithfulness… not purity"; "if we were writing this story, it might end here, but it is not"; "her love has no limits"; the closing "May Ruth's God be our God, may her people be our people." Tied tightly to the text and to lived congregational reality (welcome, mission, the wider church). - **Score:** **4/5.** #### Calls to Action Clear and inclusive in orientation: **cling to one another, not just to God**; **don't retreat into silos, safe havens, or walls**; **embrace the stranger/immigrant/widow/orphan**; **strengthen the relationships God values** in this church and the wider church; **trust the ever-expanding Spirit toward new relationships.** Multi-modal in the sense that the surrounding liturgy (mission moment, snack drive, intercultural potluck, open table) enacts it — but the sermon itself names few concrete, this-week steps. - **Score:** **4/5.** #### Style Effectiveness Analysis The narrative-pastoral-prophetic blend is well-chosen: Ruth *is* a story and lands best told as one, and the prophetic edge (purity → faithfulness; immigrant welcome) is more persuasive coming from a gentle, self-deprecating veteran than it would be as a frontal indictment. Learning styles served: strongly **auditory** and **interpersonal/intrapersonal** (relational, reflective); lighter on **visual/kinesthetic**. A fully expository turn (the Greek of *hesed*; Deuteronomy 23's Moabite ban; Boaz as *go'el*; Ruth named in Matthew 1) would add rigor; a fully prophetic turn would sharpen the contemporary indictment at some cost to the pastoral warmth. - **Score:** **5/5.** #### Scoring Summary | # | Category | Score | |---|---|---| | 1 | Sermon Summary | 5/5 | | 2 | Preaching Style | 5/5 | | 3 | Storytelling & Illustration | 4/5 | | 4 | Intonation & Delivery | 4/5 | | 5 | Content Structure | 4/5 | | 6 | Engagement & Application | 4/5 | | 7 | Scripture Handling | 4/5 | | 8 | Logical Reasoning | 4/5 | | 9 | References | 3/5 | | 10 | Quotes & Illustrative Stories | 4/5 | | 11 | Calls to Action | 4/5 | | 12 | Style Effectiveness | 5/5 | | **Total** | | **50/65** | #### Side-by-Side Comparison: Narrative-Pastoral vs. Fully Exegetical | Aspect | This Sermon's Style | Fully Exegetical Version | |---|---|---| | Primary Style | Narrative-biographical + pastoral + prophetic; story-driven | Verse-by-verse of Ruth 1 with word study | | Stories | Godspeed joke, the shirt, "dinosaur," Orpah-as-us, "I still get chills" | Illustrations subordinated to the text; fewer, tighter | | Scripture Depth | Legal/cultural background (levirate, purity codes, foreign-wife exclusion); justice hermeneutic | Explicit *hesed* (חֶסֶד); Deuteronomy 23:3 Moabite ban; *go'el*/redeemer setup for Ruth 2–4; Ruth named in Matthew 1:5; Naomi/Mara wordplay (נׇעֳמִי "pleasant" → מׇרׇא "bitter") | | Application | Postural/relational: cling, embrace, refuse walls | Systemic + textual: discipline of covenant loyalty drawn from the verbs; concrete welcome practices | ### Hermeneutical Genealogy Observations *(Your signature lens — and this sermon is unusually legible to it.)* - **The sermon performs a purity-vs-faithfulness genealogy.** Emig explicitly historicizes the **purity/holiness ethic** (Leviticus, the foreign-wife laws, the Moabite exclusion) as *one* tradition, then reads the Book of Ruth as **Scripture's own internal counter-voice** — a faithfulness-and-relationship ethic set against the exclusion ethic. That is a genealogical move: it denaturalizes "purity = God's demand" by locating it historically and setting a rival biblical tradition beside it. - **Recovery-claim tension (worth filing).** Having de-centered the purity reading, the sermon makes a strong **recovery claim** — Ruth shows "what God is *really* like… the full God of creation, not a God of our design." As with the 5/31 sermon, this *renaturalizes* a particular (inclusive, relational) reading as the true nature of God. Not a flaw — it's the unavoidable structure of any retrieval — but note it: the sermon swaps an exclusionary naturalization for an inclusive one, and the *epistemology* shifts with it (from rule-keeping/purity toward trust and relationship). - **Lateral-transfer check — passes.** No new gatekept orthodoxy is installed; authority is relocated toward **relationship and welcome**, and agency is returned to the hearer ("we are called," "don't be afraid… to plunge in"). The one sharp edge — "those whose only mission is to divide and tear down" — is a **prophetic denunciation of exclusionary religion**, not a demand for loyalty to the preacher or an in/out gate. The *form* (warmth, humility, open welcome) matches the *content*. - **Clean counter-exemplar for the WHO / NAR corpus.** File this against the coercive sermons in your taxonomy: same raw biblical material around covenant and chosenness, deployed toward **boundary-dissolving welcome** rather than the NAR control-grammar of purity-policing, "covering," and alignment. A useful matched pair (genre identical, control-grammar inverted). - **Minor rigor flag.** The generalizations ("the people of Israel believed God demanded purity"; "many religious communities today believe the same thing") and the totalizing "those whose only mission is to divide" are the two places where the prophetic rhetoric outruns the historical/charitable detail — worth marking even though they serve an inclusive end. ### Personal Reflections ##### What spoke to me: - - ##### Questions raised: - Emig reads Ruth as the welcome of the immigrant/stranger; how would I preach the same chapter with Naomi's *grief* (Mara) as the spine rather than Ruth's loyalty? - He names "some of Paul's writings" as misused for exclusion — which texts, and how would I handle them responsibly from this pulpit? ##### Challenges / Convictions: - ##### Liturgical Context Reflections: - Communion + Corpus Christi Sunday + a sermon on the foreigner welcomed into the covenant — the open table as the place where "no foreigners" becomes flesh. Sit with that. - The Dominican-congregation potluck (June 13) and the Maranatha mission moment are the sermon's application already in motion — "music binds us together," "a hand up, not a handout." #### Applications ##### This week I will: - ##### People to pray for: - Pastor Caroline (at the Keystone Conference) · the Maranatha Ministry move to the new Main Street building · the Pittsburgh UCC congregation rebuilding after the fire. ##### Follow-up study: - Ruth as the **Shavuot megillah** — what the wheat-harvest/convert lens surfaces that a Davidic-genealogy lens hides. - The **Moabite exclusion** (Deuteronomy 23:3) vs. Ruth's inclusion — Scripture arguing with itself; pair with Ezra 9–10 / Nehemiah 13. - The **kinsman-redeemer (go'el)** institution (Leviticus 25; Deuteronomy 25:5-10) as background for Ruth 2–4. #### Connections - Likely opens a **summer Ruth thread** with guest preacher(s); watch whether Ruth 2–4 follow. - Children's ministry launches its own summer series, **"The Divine Animal Kingdom"** (Roxanne) — track alongside the sermon arc. - Evening Bible study: James concluded May 31; **Ecclesiastes begins June 21** (no Sunday-evening study June 7 or 14). --- ## Worship Leadership | Role | Person | |---|---| | Pastor (called) | Rev. Caroline E. Saxton — *absent; at the Keystone Conference, Lancaster* | | Guest Preacher & Presider | **Rev. Peter Emig** | | Organist | Barbara Motichka | | Choir Director | Gary Crum | | Worship Team | Roxanne Davenport, Neath Ham, Diana Kongkeattikul, Swann Kongkeattikul, Barb Motichka, Courtney Robertson, Chris Willman-Bunge | | Deacon in Charge | Diana Kongkeattikul | | Lector (Matthew 5; Psalm 146) | Lloyd Beers | | Children's Message | Roxanne Davenport | | Children's Corner | Chani Wolfe ("Miss Shanny") | | Mission Moment | Craig Newcomer (Maranatha Ministry) | | Media Coordinators | Calvin Frantz and Neath Ham | | Bulletin Cover | Icon of Ruth and Naomi, made on Mount Athos | **Flowers at the Foot of the Cross:** given in loving memory of brothers **Franklin Worthington** and **William Moyer** by **Jim and Mary Moyer**. --- ## Church News & Announcements ### From the live announcements - **Summer Snacks for Network Ministries:** collection boxes in the lobby; "we're gonna try and do as much as we can" over the summer; both Sunday-school classes are also collecting money toward it. - **Potluck with the Dominican Republic congregation — Saturday, June 13, 4:00 pm:** the Spanish-speaking congregation that meets upstairs Sunday mornings (**Pastor Martin**) hosts Dominican food and music; **the praise team will sing a song**, with Chris helping translate. "Music binds us together." Sign up so they have a headcount. - **Summer Prayer Gatherings (Diana K.):** - **Sunday, June 14** — Sunday school out at the **prayer labyrinth** (in lieu of class); **Lloyd** will share thoughts on prayer; bring a favorite devotional if you like; bring a chair (shade and light snacks provided). - **Sunday, July 12** — a similar gathering at the **peace pole** out front. - **Saturday, August 22, 9:30 am** — **breakfast at St. John's Camp** followed by prayer and song; the camp labyrinth (plus tactile labyrinths in the pavilion for those who prefer); **sign-up deadline August 9**; rides to camp available (mark the sign-up sheet). These lead toward **prayer groups launching in the fall.** - **Parking-lot paving (Tom):** nothing this coming week beyond tidying; **paving begins the 15th** (a week from Monday), ~2 days; a meeting this week will decide which lot goes first. Thanks to **Greg St. Clair** and **Tom Kitten** for coordinating. Until lines are repainted, **"free-range" parking** — use your imagination for where the lines will be; watch the e-blasts. - **First Fruits — Race Against Poverty:** the walk was **rained out** Saturday night (June 6); collection continues. (June First Fruits also support **Maranatha Ministry** and **United Way's Stuff the Bus**.) ### Mission Moment — Maranatha Ministry (Craig Newcomer) - Takes **no state or federal grants** ("we'd have to take God out of what we do"); runs on monthly congregational support. Name *Maranatha* = the word the disciples passed ear to ear when Jesus entered a town. Founding purpose: share the love of Christ — "**a hand up, not just a handout**" — "without the barriers of life's judgments of race, religion, and worldview." Grounded in **Matthew 25:35-40** *(cited as "Matthew 18")*: "I was hungry and you fed me… in prison and you visited me." - **Last year:** ~**480,000 lbs of food** distributed (and supplies smaller pantries). Cold-weather shelter: **63% of 124 guests** moved into **permanent** housing; a 3-hour community-service requirement to return each night gave back ~**$18,750** of labor to the community. Also: rep-payee services (run by Craig's wife), street outreach, and prison ministry. Donates monthly to **Network Ministries.** - **New building:** relocating from the flood-prone Loudoun Street creek site to the **old NAPA building on Main Street** (plus two parking lots) — from **20 to 50 beds**, with a two-story food warehouse. Borough settles their current property **Aug 16**; their **first-ever fundraiser in 30 years** will follow. Needs: volunteers for the food pantry (8 am–2 pm, five days/week), the winter shelter (Dec 1–Apr 1), and prison ministry; donations for ongoing yard sales. ### Birthdays This Week - **06/09:** Constance Reichelderfer - **06/10:** Matthew Hoover - **06/14:** John Campbell ### Communion Note - All are welcome at Christ's table. Sign the **black attendance pad** to record that you communed; if communing from home, contact the church office. --- ## Vision & Mission > **St. John's Vision** > We are called to love, to learn, to worship and to witness in Christ as a congregation that welcomes everyone, and seeks service that will advance God's realm on earth. > **St. John's Mission** > To grow in love of God and neighbor. --- ## Calendar & Upcoming Events *(From the church website calendar; verify against the Friday e-blast.)* | Date | Time | Event | Location | |---|---|---|---| | Sun Jun 7 | 8:45 am | Wired Word / Upper Room / K-12 Church School | Rooms 116, 111, 206 | | Sun Jun 7 | 10:00 am | Sunday Worship — Ruth: Loss and Loyalty | Sanctuary | | Sun Jun 7 | 8:00 pm | **No** Bible Study (Ecclesiastes begins 6/21) | — | | Mon Jun 8 | 1:00 pm | Art Class | — | | Mon Jun 8 | 1:30 pm | Monday Afternoon Book Study (Pastor Caroline) | Conf. Room 111 | | Tue Jun 9 | 9:00 am / 10:00 am / 5:30 pm | S.E.K. Meeting · Summer Singers Practice · Yoga | Fellowship Hall / Rm 202 | | Wed Jun 10 | 11:30 am | Ladies Luncheon | — | | Thu Jun 11 | 7:00 am / 1:00 pm | Men's Breakfast (Texas Lunch) · UCC Clergy Group | — | | Sat Jun 13 | 4:00 pm | Potluck with the Dominican Republic congregation (Pastor Martin) | Fellowship Hall | | Sun Jun 14 | ~8:45 am | Summer Prayer Gathering #1 (in lieu of Sunday school) | Prayer Labyrinth | | Mon Jun 15 | — | **Parking-lot paving begins** (~2 days) | Lots A/B | | Sun Jun 21 | 8:00 pm | Bible Study begins — Ecclesiastes ch. 1 | Zoom | | Sun Jul 12 | — | Summer Prayer Gathering #2 | Peace Pole | | Sat Aug 22 | 9:30 am | Summer Prayer Gathering #3 + breakfast (RSVP by Aug 9) | St. John's Camp | --- ## Worship Resources Cited - Call to Worship — *The Abingdon Worship Annual* (adapted) - Call to Confession, Prayer of Confession, Assurance of Grace — *Feasting on the Word Worship Companion*, Kimberly Bracken Long, ed. - Prayer of Dedication — *Touch Holiness: Resources for Worship*, Ruth C. Duck & Maren C. Tirabassi, eds. - Responsive Reading — *The Inclusive Bible: The First Egalitarian Translation* (Psalm 146) - Communion liturgy — Hymnal Companion C-72 (Invitation drawn from Isaiah 55) --- > [!note] Copyright handling > Public-domain texts (*Day by Day*; *Blest Be the Tie*; the Gloria Patri; the Doxology; the UCC Statement of Faith, freely used in UCC worship) are reproduced in full for personal devotional use. Texts under active copyright (*This is the Day*; *How Great Is Our God*; the *Feasting on the Word* and *Touch Holiness* prayers; *The Inclusive Bible* Psalm 146) are paraphrased or described with attribution; scripture renders via the Bible Linker embeds (NRSVue).