# St. John's United Church of Christ — June 21, 2026 > [!info] Service Theme > **Ruth: Daring to Act** — third installment of the summer preaching series on the Book of Ruth. Sermon text: Ruth 3:1-18 (Naomi's plan and Ruth at the threshing floor). Preacher: Rev. Caroline E. Saxton. > [!tip] Recording > Full livestream: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LVoiNkpG7c>. Timestamp links on the Order of Worship below jump to each element. They convert the captured transcript offsets directly (synced-clock workflow). **Calibration note:** if the upload has a pre-roll slate, every link is shifted by the same amount — tell me the real start time of any one element (e.g., when Hymn #625 actually begins) and I'll re-offset them all in one pass. ## Liturgical Context ### Christian Liturgical Calendar - **Season:** Season after Pentecost (Ordinary Time) - **Day:** Fourth Sunday after Pentecost - **Proper / Ordinary:** Proper 7 (Ordinary 12) - **Lectionary Year:** A (the liturgical year that began Advent 2025; Matthew is the featured Gospel) - **Liturgical color:** Green St. John's is in its **summer Ruth preaching series**, which runs off the lectionary cycle. The congregation's program-year worship through Pentecost (24 May 2026) followed the **Narrative Lectionary (Year 4 – John)**; that cycle concluded at Pentecost, and the summer series on Ruth now carries the preaching. ### Jewish Calendar - **Hebrew date:** 6 Tammuz 5786 - **Preceding Shabbat (Sat 20 June):** Parashat **Korach** (Numbers 16:1–18:32) — the rebellion against Moses and Aaron's authority - **Following Shabbat (Sat 27 June):** Parashat **Chukat–Balak** (combined) - **On the horizon:** The fast of the 17th of Tammuz (Tzom Tammuz) falls 2 July 2026, opening the Three Weeks of mourning leading toward Tisha B'Av. ### Ecumenical & Global Observances - **Father's Day** (third Sunday in June) — the dominant pastoral note of the day: the Prayers of the People were an extended Father's Day litany, and several joys/concerns named fathers (see below). - **June Solstice** (20 June) — longest day in the Northern Hemisphere. - **World Refugee Day** (20 June) — pairs with the Call to Worship's "no foreigners" and Ruth the Moabite as an immigrant woman seeking welfare in a foreign land. - **Juneteenth** (19 June) — woven through both the sermon and Courtney's "wretch" reflection (see below). - **Make Music Day / World Music Day** (21 June). ### Lectionary Readings (Revised Common Lectionary — Proper 7, Year A) Provided for cross-reference; St. John's is preaching the Ruth series rather than these texts today. - **Track 1 (semicontinuous):** Genesis 21:8-21; Psalm 86:1-10, 16-17 - **Track 2 (complementary):** Jeremiah 20:7-13; Psalm 69:7-10 (11-15) 16-18 - **Epistle:** Romans 6:1b-11 - **Gospel:** Matthew 10:24-39 ### Connection to Today's Message The bulletin pairs **Matthew 7:7-12** ("ask, and it will be given you... do to others as you would have them do to you") with **Ruth 3:1-18**. Ruth 3 is the hinge of the book: Naomi devises a daring, risky plan, and Ruth acts on it at the threshing floor, asking Boaz to "spread your cloak over your servant" — claiming the protection (and kinship-redemption) owed her. The Matthew pairing frames that bold asking and reciprocal care as the shape of faithful action. The responsive reading "Reclaiming My Time" extends the theme of agency: naming what one will no longer apologize for, and acting from trust rather than fear. ## Order of Worship *An asterisk (*) invites the congregation to stand in body or in spirit. ▶ links jump to the livestream.* ### Gathering #### Unison Welcome & Announcements — ▶ [0:13](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LVoiNkpG7c&t=13s) > No matter who you are or where you are on life's journey, you are welcome here. *From the recording:* The pastor opened by welcoming all "into this time of worship... as we receive new members into this family of God's people." Rebecca and Diana then gave announcements: help publicize **July's VBS** (two sizes of flyers in the office; post them at grocery stores and the post office — ask management); Roxanne and the children's-corner / children's-sermon rota can always use more volunteers ("the more the merrier"); and **cooks are still needed Wednesday–Friday at St. John's Camp** (Kirk coordinating). #### Gathering Song — "This is the Day" A scripture chorus drawn from Psalm 118:24 — "This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." (Song setting by Les Garrett, 1967, copyrighted; the underlying verse is public domain.) Underlying scripture: [[Psalm 118#24]] #### Passing of the Peace > "The peace of Christ be with you." / "And also with you." #### Prelude #### Chiming of the Trinity — ▶ [5:42](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LVoiNkpG7c&t=342s) *From the recording:* "We worship in the name of God, creator, Christ, and Holy Spirit. Amen." (An expansive-language Trinitarian invocation.) #### *Call to Worship — ▶ [5:53](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LVoiNkpG7c&t=353s) *(adapted from The Abingdon Worship Annual)* > Here in this place, there are no foreigners, > **for all are welcome in God's house.** > Here in this worship, there is only acceptance, > **for love is the language of faith.** > Here in our lives, there are no divisions, > **for God dwells in each of us.** > Come, let us worship in unity and love. *(The cleaner recording confirms the spoken text matched the bulletin exactly — "no foreigners.")* #### *Hymn #625 — "Standing on the Promises" — ▶ [6:18](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LVoiNkpG7c&t=378s) *Words & Music: R. Kelso Carter, 1886. Tune: PROMISES (11.11.11.9 with refrain). Public domain.* 1. Standing on the promises of Christ my King, through eternal ages let his praises ring; glory in the highest, I will shout and sing, standing on the promises of God. *Refrain:* Standing, standing, standing on the promises of God my Savior; standing, standing, I'm standing on the promises of God. 2. Standing on the promises that cannot fail, when the howling storms of doubt and fear assail, by the living Word of God I shall prevail, standing on the promises of God. *(Refrain)* 3. Standing on the promises of Christ the Lord, bound to him eternally by love's strong cord, overcoming daily with the Spirit's sword, standing on the promises of God. *(Refrain)* 4. Standing on the promises I cannot fall, listening every moment to the Spirit's call, resting in my Savior as my all in all, standing on the promises of God. *(Refrain)* ### Word #### Call to Confession & Prayer of Confession — ▶ [9:53](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LVoiNkpG7c&t=593s) > Let us confess our sins before God and one another. > Gracious God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, you have promised to receive us when we come to you. We confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word and deed. We have disobeyed your law. We have not loved you or our neighbors as we should. Forgive us, O God, and grant that we may live and serve you in newness of life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. #### Kyrie *(Hymnal Companion C-4. Traditional liturgical text below — ancient/public domain; the printed musical settings, John Ylvisaker, 1971, © 1985, and CCLI #7065, © 1985 Birdwing Music, are copyrighted. Sung responsively in the service.)* > Lord, have mercy upon us. > Christ, have mercy upon us. > Lord, have mercy upon us. #### Assurance of Pardon *(from the UCC Book of Worship)* > God hears the confession of our hearts and lips. Through Jesus Christ we are forgiven all our sins, and by the Holy Spirit we are empowered for new life. **We believe the good news of Jesus Christ. Amen.** #### *Glory Be to the Father #704 *Gloria Patri. Traditional doxology; public domain. Sung.* > 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. #### Scripture Reading — Matthew 7:7-12 — ▶ [12:33](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LVoiNkpG7c&t=753s) *Lector: Jayla Wheeler. The full ask/seek/knock passage, closing with the Golden Rule: "in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you. This sums up the law and the prophets."* ![[Matthew 7#7]] ![[Matthew 7#8]] ![[Matthew 7#9]] ![[Matthew 7#10]] ![[Matthew 7#11]] ![[Matthew 7#12]] #### Responsive Reading — "Reclaiming My Time" (a remix of Psalm 127) — ▶ [12:54](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LVoiNkpG7c&t=774s) *From "Her Masterpieces" by Kentina Washington-Leapheart, in* The Words of Her Mouth: Psalms for the Struggle, *ed. Martha Spong (copyrighted; full text in the bulletin).* A litany in the voice of Rep. Maxine Waters' phrase "reclaiming my time." The congregation reclaims, in turn: the freedom not to do everything; the grace to laugh at mistakes; the courage to ask for help; the honesty to admit what one does not know; resilience under criticism; rest instead of forced wakefulness; and full trust in God — closing, "Yes, I'm reclaiming my time!" Underlying scripture (Psalm 127): ![[Psalm 127#1]] ![[Psalm 127#2]] ![[Psalm 127#3]] ![[Psalm 127#4]] ![[Psalm 127#5]] #### Reception of New Members — ▶ [13:54](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LVoiNkpG7c&t=834s) *(please follow along on the screen)* - Kevin and Rachel Chapman - Jennifer Long - Rhonda Neff - Robert Wolff *From the recording:* The full UCC Book of Worship rite for **Affirmation of Baptism / Reception of Members**. It quoted **Ephesians 2:19-22** ("you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but... citizens with the saints and members of the household of God... Christ Jesus alone being the cornerstone"). New members answered a series of vows — to affirm their baptism; to renounce the powers of evil and desire the freedom of new life in Christ; to profess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior; to **"resist oppression and evil, to show love and justice,"** and to be faithful members furthering Christ's mission — each sealed "I promise, with the help of God," followed by the three Trinitarian belief questions. The congregation then promised friendship and prayers and extended "the hand of Christian love," closing with a prayer of thanksgiving and applause welcoming "Kevin, Rachel, Jen, Rhonda, and Bob." #### Special Music — "Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)" — ▶ [20:04](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LVoiNkpG7c&t=1204s) *Chris Tomlin. John Newton's original stanzas (1779) are public domain and given below; the added refrain ("My chains are gone, I've been set free…") and new music are by Chris Tomlin and Louie Giglio, © 2006, copyrighted.* > [!quote] Courtney's spoken reflection introducing the hymn (~20:04) > Before the hymn, **I** offered a reflection on changing a **single word** — singing **"soul"** in place of **"wretch"** in "saved a wretch like me." The point: naming ourselves a "wretch" can imply that's how God made us, but **Genesis 1** says we are created **in God's image and likeness** — so the word doesn't square with our being made in the likeness of the Creator. I noted that the author, **John Newton**, wrote from reflection on his own history in the slave trade — significant to raise on **Juneteenth weekend**, when "so much of the history we thought we knew has been modified." Words get adjusted as times change. Two further examples I gave: the **Lord's Prayer** — I learned "trespasses" at a United Methodist church, and moving between "trespasses" and "debts" is no big deal, "either way is okay based upon where I am in my journey"; and **names for God** beyond "Father" (for "those kind of heretics" who use other names). I tied it to reading *United and Uniting* (the UCC's denominational history) and the UCC's practice of **holding space for different perspectives** as radically different traditions came together — "united even though we are not yet" uniform. "Don't let this one word throw you off. Choose to sing it how you'd like to sing it." > > *(This resolves the earlier debts-vs-trespasses flag: it wasn't an error in the service — it was your teaching point. It's also the image-of-God / anthropology thread directly.)* John Newton's public-domain stanzas: 1. Amazing grace! how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see. 2. 'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved; how precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed! 3. Through many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already come; 'tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home. 4. When we've been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun, we've no less days to sing God's praise than when we'd first begun. #### Children's Message — Rev. Caroline E. Saxton — ▶ [27:46](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LVoiNkpG7c&t=1666s) *Children's Corner offered following (Rebecca Pound). An animals series; today: the **donkey**.* *From the recording:* Male donkeys are **jacks**, females **jennies**; a male donkey crossed with a female horse produces a **mule**. Donkeys work, breed, are kept as pets, and even **guard livestock** (tying back to Roxanne's lesson last week on sheep and shepherds). Found across the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Their trademark **stubbornness**, Saxton noted, can be **self-preservation** — they dig in their heels rather than risk a dangerous path. Biblical thread: - **Old Testament** — Ishmael (Abraham's elder son) is called a "wild donkey"; the prophets and the Book of Job mention the wild donkey's independence. - **Nativity** — Mary likely rode a donkey from Nazareth to Bethlehem. - **Numbers 22 (Balaam's donkey)** — a talking donkey with "greater insight and loyalty than its master" (with a nod to Shrek's donkey). - **Zechariah 9:9** — the king comes to Israel "riding on the back of a donkey," because in the ancient Near East kings and gods rode donkeys. - **Palm Sunday** — Jesus deliberately rode into Jerusalem on a donkey; St. John's sings the Palm Sunday hymn "Jesus Rode into the City." - Closing prayer thanked God for the donkeys' "hard work and their stubbornness and their ability to transport the ordinary and the extraordinary, especially Jesus." #### Scripture Reading — Ruth 3:1-18 — ▶ [35:39](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LVoiNkpG7c&t=2139s) *Read by Rev. Saxton in the **Common English Bible (CEB)** — "shouldn't I seek security for you," "winnowing barley at the threshing floor," "spread out your robe over your servant because you are a redeemer," "a woman of worth," "six measures of barley." She closed the reading with the narrative-homiletics refrain, "I don't know if the story happened this way, but I know that the story is true," and the Psalm 19:14 prayer of illumination.* ![[Ruth 3#1]] ![[Ruth 3#2]] ![[Ruth 3#3]] ![[Ruth 3#4]] ![[Ruth 3#5]] ![[Ruth 3#6]] ![[Ruth 3#7]] ![[Ruth 3#8]] ![[Ruth 3#9]] ![[Ruth 3#10]] ![[Ruth 3#11]] ![[Ruth 3#12]] ![[Ruth 3#13]] ![[Ruth 3#14]] ![[Ruth 3#15]] ![[Ruth 3#16]] ![[Ruth 3#17]] ![[Ruth 3#18]] #### Sermon — Rev. Caroline E. Saxton — ▶ [38:53](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LVoiNkpG7c&t=2333s) ##### Sermon Notes ###### Introduction Opened with a **personal story**: her cat **Naomi** turned eight this Friday — a "Juneteenth baby," born 19 June 2018 with six siblings. At eight weeks Naomi and her mother (renamed **Leah**) came to live with Courtney's pastor. The names are intentional — **Naomi and Leah, two biblical women** who show that "God makes a way out of nowhere," a theme she credited to **womanist theologians**: God works through us; we are "partners with the divine," helping make God's vision of abundant life real. ###### Main Points **Point 1: Juneteenth, mutuality, and the call to dare to act.** Quoting an "11 Facts About Juneteenth" piece (DoSomething.org) — freedom "always fought for, delayed, and reimagined" — and **MLK** ("injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere... a single garment of destiny"), she layered in **quantum entanglement** as an image of interdependence ("both science and scripture point to this truth") and explicitly named the **Wesleyan Quadrilateral** — scripture, **reason, tradition, and experience** — all affirming that "we indeed need each other." Flourishing "requires us to act, to move, to dare to dream." **Point 2: Ruth becomes an active agent; the threshing-floor scene, read honestly.** The two poor widows — and Ruth an immigrant — are "partners in whatever happens next." Citing scholar **Katherine M. Schifer-Decker**, Saxton handled the "feet" euphemism candidly ("sometimes a euphemism... but feet are also sometimes just feet"), named the scene's "sexual overtones" while noting **no explicit sexual relations** here (cf. **Ruth 4:13**), and concluded "some things are best left to mystery." The knowing laughter: Naomi says Boaz "will tell you what to do," yet it is **Ruth who tells Boaz what to do** — "Spread out your robe over your servant." To spread one's cloak over a woman **is to marry her**: in Schifer-Decker's phrase, **"Ruth proposes to Boaz."** She invokes the **go'el** (kinsman-redeemer) duty under Israelite law (**Leviticus 25:35-38, 47-49**) — knowledge Ruth the Moabite would have gotten from Naomi. **Point 3: Boaz's character, and a cloud of daring women.** Boaz blesses Ruth, praises her courage and integrity, promises to act, and protects her safety and reputation (stay till the darkest part of night, leave before recognition), sending her home with **six measures of barley**. "And then they wait. And so will we" — the chapter-4 conclusion comes next week. Ruth is **"triply marginalized"** — widow, poor, immigrant — yet exercises agency for her future and her community's. Saxton's cloud of witnesses: **Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, Fannie Lou Hamer, Opal Lee** ("the grandmother of Juneteenth"), and **Betty Reid Soskin** (the trailblazing Black NPS ranger). "Change occurs not only by hoping and praying, but by daring and acting... We are called to discern how to play our part in building the kingdom of God." ##### Illustrations / Stories - **Personal:** cat Naomi (Juneteenth baby) and Leah, named for biblical women; womanist framing. - **Juneteenth:** DoSomething.org "11 Facts"; "America's second Independence Day"; "none of us are free until all of us are free." - **Cloud of witnesses:** Tubman, Parks, Hamer, Opal Lee, Betty Reid Soskin. - **Science metaphor:** quantum entanglement / interdependence. - **Scholarship:** Katherine M. Schifer-Decker on the threshing-floor scene. - **Refrain:** "I don't know if the story happened this way, but I know that the story is true." ##### Scripture Connections - **Ruth 3:1-18** (primary; CEB) — threshing floor, kinsman-redeemer, the nearer go'el. - **Leviticus 25:35-38, 47-49** — the go'el / redemption law. - **Ruth 4:13** — cited as the contrast point (explicit relations) to the ambiguity of ch. 3. - **Matthew 7:7-12** — bold asking; the Golden Rule. - **Psalm 127** (responsive) and **Psalm 19:14** (prayer of illumination). - **Ephesians 2:19-22** (reception rite); **Genesis 1** (Courtney's "image of God" reflection). - **Numbers 22 / Zechariah 9:9** (children's message). ##### Key Quotes - MLK: "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere" — extended via the "single garment of destiny." - "Freedom has always been fought for, delayed, and reimagined." (DoSomething.org) - "Ruth, in other words, proposes to Boaz." (Schifer-Decker, quoted by Saxton) - "Change occurs by not only hoping and praying, but by daring and acting." (Saxton) - "We are called to discern how to play our part in building the kingdom of God." (Saxton) ##### Personal Reflections **What spoke to me:** **Questions raised:** **Challenges / Convictions:** **Liturgical Context Reflections:** ##### Applications **This week I will:** **People to pray for:** **Follow-up study:** ##### Connections ### Response #### Nicene Creed: An Affirmation of Faith — ▶ [50:34](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LVoiNkpG7c&t=3034s) *(Hymnal Companion C-10. Ecumenical English text; freely used in worship.)* > We believe in one God, > the Father, the Almighty, > maker of heaven and earth, > of all that is, seen and unseen. > > We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, > the only Son of God, > eternally begotten of the Father, > God from God, Light from Light, > true God from true God, > begotten, not made, > of one Being with the Father. > Through him all things were made. > For us and for our salvation > he came down from heaven: > by the power of the Holy Spirit > he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, > and was made man. > For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; > he suffered death and was buried. > On the third day he rose again > in accordance with the Scriptures; > he ascended into heaven > and is seated at the right hand of the Father. > He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, > and his kingdom will have no end. > > We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, > who proceeds from the Father and the Son, > who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, > who has spoken through the prophets. > We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. > We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. > We look for the resurrection of the dead, > and the life of the world to come. Amen. #### Sharing of Joys and Concerns — ▶ [53:56](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LVoiNkpG7c&t=3236s) *From the recording, the named prayers shared:* - **Chris** — his father died ten years ago, shortly after Chris's 25th birthday, of a rare and aggressive cancer; prayer for all who have lost fathers and carry unresolved grief, and for hope to keep moving forward. - **Erin** — a recent Department of Justice memorandum reinterpreting the **_Olmstead_** decision on home- and community-based services for people with disabilities; warning it could **reintroduce institutionalization**; a call for prayers and peaceful action, affirming people with disabilities as enriching the community and "loved children of God." - **A caregiver** — restrictions on **waiver programs** that let people with disabilities stay in their homes; caregivers are underpaid and families may be forced onto untrained relatives or aging parents; for special-needs parents whose ability to work depends on these programs. - **Allan** — a joy: today is his **40th wedding anniversary** ("40 years ago I stood at the altar waiting for the love of my life to walk down the aisle"). Met with applause. #### Prayers of the People and the Lord's Prayer (Debts) — ▶ [1:01:21](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LVoiNkpG7c&t=3681s) *From the recording:* An extended **Father's Day litany** — thanksgiving for fathers and fatherly figures; tenderness for estrangement, absence, dementia, death, and fathers "who could not father in the way their children needed"; for adoptive, step, and bonus dads; for those who long to be fathers and cannot; for those who have lost children; for fathers parenting "through war and pandemic and famine," and those who "grieve their children gunned down merely for the color of their skin"; and, above all, for "your fathering love, God — Jesus' gift to us of imagining you as a loving parent... who nurture[s] us from our very first days all the way to our very last." A concluding collect gave thanks for the Spirit "still speaking among us" and led into the **Lord's Prayer**. *(Bulletin rubric specifies the **debts** form; cf. Courtney's reflection earlier on debts vs. trespasses. The closing prayer is garbled in the captions, so the spoken form can't be confirmed from the transcript.)* #### Invitation to Giving & Offertory > God has abundantly blessed us and calls us to be a community that blesses others through the sharing of our love, our talents, and our material possessions. #### *Offertory Response #706 — "Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow" *Doxology. Words: Thomas Ken, 1674. Tune: OLD HUNDREDTH. Public domain. Sung.* > 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 *(from Touch Holiness: Resources for Worship, ed. Ruth C. Duck and Maren C. Tirabassi)* > O God, through the offering of these gifts may we become a more open people… open-minded in hearing your Word and wisdom, open-hearted in healing a broken world, open-handed in heeding your call for charity and enacted love. With thanks for all good gifts, we present a portion of our substance and the whole of ourselves. Amen. ### Sending #### *Hymn #520 — "The Spirit Sends Us Forth to Serve" *Words: Delores Dufner, 1993 (© 1993 OCP — copyrighted). Tune: AZMON (Carl G. Gläser; arr. Lowell Mason, 1839; public domain).* Paraphrase (lyrics under copyright): A sending hymn in four stanzas. (1) The Spirit sends us out to serve in Jesus' name, carrying good news to the poor and proclaiming God's favor. (2) We go to comfort those who mourn, to free the burdened, and to share a dream of hope where hope is dim. (3) We go to be the hands of Christ — scattering joy like seed, cherishing life, doing the loving deed, helping the blind to see. (4) So, empowered by God's Spirit, let us go to serve in peace and proclaim the gospel, in Jesus' name. #### *Commission & Benediction *From the recording:* "Serve God with patience and passion. Be deliberate in enacting your faith. Be steadfast in celebrating the Spirit's power. And may peace be your way in the world... God in Christ has come to stay; live tomorrow's life today." #### Postlude (seated) > [!note] Timestamp coverage > ▶ links are placed on every element for which a transcript offset was captured (through the Lord's Prayer). Post-offering elements (Doxology, Dedication, Hymn #520, Benediction, Postlude) are confirmed from the full YouTube transcript but were past the captured offsets, so they're left unlinked — say the word and I'll estimate or you can drop their times. ## Sermon Analysis (from recording) > 13-category rubric, hermeneutical genealogy, and lateral-transfer audit per the church-notes framework. Scores reflect the full YouTube transcript. **Caveat:** vocal-delivery scoring is still constrained by working from a transcript. ### Sermon Summary - **Central message:** In the dark, risky threshing-floor scene, Ruth refuses passivity and acts boldly for her own and Naomi's future; faithful people are likewise called to courageous, discerning action for the good of the whole community. Both **personal** (agency, trust) and **communal/systemic** (justice, kingdom-building). - **Liturgical/thematic focus:** Tightly integrated — Ruth 3 cliffhanger + Juneteenth + Father's Day + womanist framing, converging on "dare to act." - **Score: 5/5** ### Preaching Style Assessment - **Primary:** Narrative / Homiletical storytelling, strong **prophetic** register, with substantive **textual/expository** work (go'el law, the honest reading of the scene's eroticism, a named scholar). - The refrain "I don't know if the story happened this way, but I know that the story is true" is a classic narrative-homiletics move (Shea / McKenna lineage). Well-suited to a narrative book and a serialized series. - **Score: 5/5** ### Storytelling and Illustration - Personal (cat Naomi/Leah), historical-political (Juneteenth; Tubman, Parks, Hamer, Opal Lee, Betty Reid Soskin), scientific (quantum entanglement), and scholarly (Schifer-Decker). **Black women foregrounded**; inclusive and balanced with the text. - **Score: 5/5** ### Intonation and Delivery - Evident warmth and rapport (congregational laughter in the children's message; applause at the reception and Allan's anniversary). Full vocal dynamics can't be assessed from a transcript. - **Score: 4/5** *(transcript-limited)* ### Content Structure - Clear arc: womanist/Juneteenth frame → mutuality (quadrilateral) → the two women's trust → the threshing-floor scene with scholarly support → go'el law → cloud of witnesses → "dare to act," with a deliberate chapter-4 cliffhanger. Smooth transitions throughout. - **Score: 5/5** ### Engagement and Application - Congregation positioned as participants (children's message; responsive litany; the disability-rights call to "prayers and action"). Marginalized groups explicitly named (people with disabilities; Black liberators; immigrants). The headline application stays at the discernment level ("discern how to play our part") rather than a single concrete step. - **Score: 4/5** ### Scripture Handling - **Texts:** Ruth 3:1-18 (CEB); Leviticus 25:35-38, 47-49 (go'el); Ruth 4:13 (contrast); Matthew 7:7-12; Psalm 127; Psalm 19:14; Ephesians 2:19-22; Genesis 1; Numbers 22 / Zechariah 9:9. - **Depth:** Responsible and justice-aware. Engages the kinsman-redeemer institution with citation, reads the cultural-erotic ambiguity **honestly** via a named scholar, and resists the reductive "seduction" reading. Text as foundation, not launchpad. - **Score: 5/5** ### Logical Reasoning - **Sound moves:** analogical reasoning (Ruth ↔ liberating women); ethical reasoning from mutuality; explicitly balanced handling of the erotic-overtones question; epistemic humility ("some things are best left to mystery"). - **Watch point — appeal to science / loose analogy:** quantum entanglement is offered as an image of moral interdependence. Entanglement is real physics but does not *ground* mutuality — the link is metaphorical. She softens this herself ("it's funny how both science and scripture point to this truth") and pairs it with tradition/reason/experience rather than resting the argument on it, so it functions as resonance, not proof. Still the softest inference in the sermon. - **Score: 4/5** ### References - Katherine M. Schifer-Decker (Ruth scholarship); MLK (*Letter from Birmingham Jail*); DoSomething.org; Tubman, Parks, Hamer, Opal Lee, Betty Reid Soskin; womanist theologians; quantum physics; explicit Leviticus citation. Diverse and rich, Black voices centered, with a named biblical scholar anchoring the exegesis. - **Score: 5/5** *(up from the bulletin-only pass — the full recording shows the scholarly apparatus)* ### Quotes and Illustrative Stories - "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere"; "freedom has always been fought for, delayed, and reimagined"; "Ruth proposes to Boaz"; "change occurs by not only hoping and praying, but by daring and acting"; the narrative refrain. Memorable and thematically tied. - **Score: 5/5** ### Calls to Action - "Discern how to play your part in building the kingdom of God"; "dare to act... especially on behalf of the last and the least"; the disability-rights appeal for "prayers and action"; Juneteenth's "learn, reflect, and act." Present and multi-modal, though the headline call remains discernment-level rather than one concrete step. - **Score: 4/5** ### Style Effectiveness Analysis - Narrative-prophetic suits a Ruth cliffhanger on Juneteenth weekend: strong for **auditory** and **interpersonal** learners, with the children's message adding **kinesthetic/visual** entry. A single explicit "do this" step would convert the discernment call into action for **intrapersonal** processors. - **Score: 5/5** ### Hermeneutical Awareness *(13th category — see reconciliation note)* - Conspicuously high. Saxton names her interpretive lens (womanist theology), engages a named scholar on a contested crux (the "feet" euphemism), cites the legal-cultural matrix (go'el / Leviticus), notes Ruth's Moabite status as a reason the legal knowledge must come from Naomi, and explicitly invokes the **Wesleyan Quadrilateral** as method (scripture, reason, tradition, experience). Courtney's own pre-hymn reflection compounded the day's hermeneutical self-awareness (translation choices, *Amazing Grace*'s reception history and Newton's slave-trading past, expansive names for God, UCC pluralism). - **Score: 5/5** ### Scoring Summary - **Total: 61/65** across all 13 categories. - ✅ **Rubric reconciliation (was open):** the missing 13th category is **Hermeneutical Awareness** (per your established rubric). The `church-notes` SKILL template lists only 12 scored categories — it should be updated to add Hermeneutical Awareness so the skill matches your 65-point scale and the back-catalog. Flagging for the skill edit. - Per-category: Summary 5 · Style 5 · Storytelling 5 · Delivery 4 · Structure 5 · Engagement 4 · Scripture 5 · Reasoning 4 · References 5 · Quotes 5 · Calls to Action 4 · Style Effectiveness 5 · Hermeneutical Awareness 5. ### Side-by-Side Comparison: Narrative-Prophetic vs. Fully Exegetical | Aspect | This Sermon (Narrative-Prophetic) | Fully Exegetical Version | |--------|-----------------------------------|--------------------------| | Primary style | Story-driven, with a civil-rights cloud of witnesses | Verse-by-verse through Ruth 3:1-18 | | Stories | Cat Naomi/Leah; Tubman, Parks, Hamer, Opal Lee, Soskin; Juneteenth | Minimal; illustrations subordinated to the text | | Scripture depth | Schifer-Decker on the crux; go'el via Lev 25; honest on the erotic ambiguity | Hebrew terms (go'el, *kanaph* "wing/cloak"), levirate-style redemption mechanics, intertext with Genesis 38 (Tamar) and the gate scene of Ruth 4 | | Application | "Discern your part in building the kingdom" (communal) | A more text-bound takeaway on covenant loyalty (*hesed*) and redemption typology | ## Hermeneutical Genealogy Saxton's reading sits in four converging streams, several named aloud: 1. **Womanist biblical interpretation** (explicitly credited) — God "makes a way out of nowhere"; Ruth as triply-marginalized subject who exercises agency. 2. **African American liberationist memory** — the Juneteenth frame and a genealogy of Black women liberators (Tubman → Hamer → Opal Lee → Soskin), with MLK's mutuality as connective tissue. 3. **Narrative homiletics** (Shea/McKenna) — the "I don't know if it happened this way, but I know it's true" formula; truth located in the story's meaning. 4. **Wesleyan Quadrilateral** (named) — scripture, reason, tradition, experience held together; notably, *experience* and *reason* are given real weight alongside scripture and tradition. The expansive-language invocation ("Creator, Christ, and Holy Spirit"), the Father's Day prayer's image of God as nurturing parent, and Courtney's pre-hymn reflection on **names for God** and the **debts/trespasses** variation all reflect **UCC's "united and uniting"** identity — holding space for plural perspectives. The go'el framing draws on standard historical-critical commentary, here mediated through Schifer-Decker. Net: a **progressive-mainline** hermeneutic — liberationist, womanist, and covenantal, not triumphalist. ## Lateral Transfer Risk Audit **Risk: Low.** No high-control markers present: - **No leader-centric authority claim** — agency is explicitly *distributed* ("we are called to discern how to play **our** part"); and Courtney's "choose to sing it how you'd like" reflection actively *de-centers* a single authoritative reading. - **No spiritual-warfare or us/them framing**, no demonized out-group. - **No prosperity or obedience-for-reward logic** — Ruth's boldness is framed as communal liberation and *hesed*, not a technique for securing blessing. - **No demand for unquestioning submission** — the opposite: the day modeled holding space for difference (translation, prayer wording, names for God). One mild interpretive item (not a control dynamic): the Ruth ↔ civil-rights analogy could, if pressed, conflate coerced survival with chosen activism. As preached, it functions as solidarity rhetoric. No lateral-transfer pattern detected. ## Worship Leadership | Role | Person | |------|--------| | Pastor | Rev. Caroline E. Saxton | | Organist | Barbara Motichka | | Choir Director | Gary Crum | | Worship Team | Diana Kongkeattikul, Swann Kongkeattikul, Neath Ham, Barbara Motichka, Courtney Robertson, Roxanne Davenport, Chris Willman-Bunge | | Deacon in Charge | Tena Keeney | | Lector | Jayla Wheeler | | Children's Corner | Rebecca Pound | | Media Coordinators | Calvin Frantz and Neath Ham | **Bulletin cover:** "Story of Ruth" © Estate of John August Swanson, from *Art in the Christian Tradition*, a project of Vanderbilt Divinity Library. **Flowers at the Foot of the Cross** are given in memory of grandparents Pawel and Anna (Chomiczewski) Scubelek, Ernest and Hilda Chapman, and Homer and Fanny Bailey, by Wayne Scubelek and Sue McMurtray. ### Staff & Contacts - **The Rev. Caroline E. Saxton** — [email protected] — (641) 260-1868 (cell) - **Tonya Schwartz**, Office Administrator — [email protected] — (717) 263-8593 (office) - **Gary Crum**, Music Director | **Barbara Motichka**, Organist - **Roxanne Davenport**, Director of Children & Youth - **The Rev. Stephen W. Hoffman**, Pastor Emeritus ## 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. ### Worship Resources Cited - Call to Worship adapted from *The Abingdon Worship Annual 2012* - *UCC Book of Worship* - "Her Masterpieces" by Kentina Washington-Leapheart, in *The Words of Her Mouth: Psalms for the Struggle*, ed. Martha Spong - *Touch Holiness: Resources for Worship*, ed. Ruth C. Duck and Maren C. Tirabassi ## Church News & Announcements ### This Week at St. John's - **Today (Sun, June 21):** NO Bible Study on Ecclesiastes — the Sunday-evening study will begin Sunday, July 26. - **Monday, June 22 — 1:30 pm:** Afternoon Book Study (Chapter 4) — Conference Room 111 - **Tuesday, June 23 — 10:00 am:** Summer Singers Practice — Fellowship Hall - **Tuesday, June 23 — 5:30 pm:** Yoga — Room 202 - **Wednesday, June 24 — 6:30 pm:** Council Meeting — Conference Room 111 - **Sunday, June 28:** - 8:45 am — K-12 Faith and Fellowship — Youth Room 206 - 8:45 am — Wired Word Church School Class - 8:45 am — Upper Room Church School Class - 10:00 am — Sunday Worship — Sanctuary - 11:15 am — VBS Workday — Fellowship Hall ### Announcements - **VBS publicity (from the recording):** Help spread the word for July's VBS — two flyer sizes in the office; post at grocery stores, the post office, and elsewhere (ask management). More children's-corner / children's-sermon volunteers welcome. - **St. John's Camp cooks needed (from the recording):** Volunteers needed Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at St. John's Camp (Kirk coordinating). - **Summer Special Music** — Sign up on the choir room door to provide special music this summer. Contact Gary Crum. - **Summer Church School Classes** — Wired Word and Upper Room adult classes meet throughout the summer; K-12 Faith and Fellowship in the youth room. Questions: Diana Kongkeattikul or Roxanne Davenport. - **Summer Prayer Gatherings** — 8:45 am, Sunday, July 12 at the Peace Pole (bring your own chair); and 9:30 am, Saturday, August 22 at St. John's Camp. - **Monday Afternoon Book Study** — Chapter 4 of Adam Hamilton's *The Walk: Five Essential Practices of the Christian Life*, Monday, June 22, 1:30 pm, Conference Room 111. - **Summer Snacks for NETwork Ministry** — Collection boxes in the front lobby. - **Vacation Bible School ("Snowball Mountain")** — Wish list: snow sports equipment; white poly-fill stuffing/batting; Styrofoam balls 3" diameter and larger; white sheets; Styrofoam medication coolers; a snowflake projector. Donation cart in the lobby. Contact Roxanne. Work Days after worship June 28 and July 12. - **American Revolution Talk** — Col. (Ret.) Frank Hancock, Wednesday, July 1, 6:30 pm, Fellowship Hall. Free; donations accepted. - **A Civil War Ball** — Friday, July 10, 7–9 pm, Fellowship Hall; period dances. All welcome. - **Summer Singers in Concert** — Sunday, July 27, 3 pm, at St. John's UCC. - **Sweet Treats: Ice Cream Social** — Sunday, August 16. Sign up at the Welcome Center. - **Summer Quarter First Fruits** (May–July) — supports Race Against Poverty (RAP), Maranatha Ministry, and United Way's Stuff the Bus. - **Stuff the Bus** — United Way school-supply drive, July 15–31. Boxes in the vestibules; or give through First Fruits. - **Sunday Night Bible Study (Ecclesiastes)** — With Pastor Caroline, Sunday evenings 8 pm via Zoom; begins **July 26**. Zoom Meeting ID: 836 0593 5961; Passcode: 277938. - **July/August Upper Room devotionals** — At the Welcome Center. $1 (small print) / $2 (large print). Mailed copies via the office. - **Want to Stay in Touch?** — Contact the office to join the email list (weekly emails, Diana's Devotionals, Prayer Chain). ### Birthdays This Week - 06/22 — Thomas Sheele ### Accessibility & Families The "Nursery Nook in the Narthex" quiet area and the infant/toddler space in the Parlor are available during worship. Age-appropriate activity bags are also available. ## Calendar & Upcoming Events - **Mon, June 22** — Afternoon Book Study, *The Walk* ch. 4, 1:30 pm (CR 111) - **Tue, June 23** — Summer Singers Practice, 10:00 am (Fellowship Hall); Yoga, 5:30 pm (Room 202) - **Wed, June 24** — Council Meeting, 6:30 pm (CR 111) - **Sun, June 28** — Church School 8:45 am; Worship 10:00 am; VBS Workday 11:15 am - **Wed, July 1** — American Revolution Talk, 6:30 pm (Fellowship Hall) - **Fri, July 10** — Civil War Ball, 7–9 pm (Fellowship Hall) - **Sun, July 12** — Summer Prayer Gathering, 8:45 am (Peace Pole); VBS Workday after worship - **Tue, July 15 – Fri, July 31** — Stuff the Bus school-supply drive - **Sun, July 26** — Sunday Night Bible Study resumes (Ecclesiastes), 8 pm via Zoom - **Sun, July 27** — Summer Singers in Concert, 3 pm - **Sun, Aug 16** — Ice Cream Social - **Sat, Aug 22** — Summer Prayer Gathering, 9:30 am (St. John's Camp) --- > [!note] Personal notes space > Add reflections through the week here — the threshing-floor scene as courageous agency, the "Reclaiming My Time" litany on rest and trust, and the Ruth-to-Juneteenth bridge. Ruth 4 lands next week — the series' resolution.