# St. John's United Church of Christ — June 28, 2026 > [!info] Service Theme > **Ruth: New Life** — the fourth and final installment of the summer preaching series on the Book of Ruth. Sermon text: **Ruth 4:1-22** (Boaz redeems at the city gate; Ruth bears Obed; the genealogy to David). This is also **Open and Affirming Sunday**, and the whole order of worship is built on Rev. Derek A. Terry's *We Shall Not Be Moved! Rooted in Love, Justice, and Affirmation* (UCC Open and Affirming Coalition). Preacher: Rev. Caroline E. Saxton. > [!tip] Recording > Full livestream: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3VyTENvXQI>. The ▶ links on the Order of Worship jump to each element; they were placed from the YouTube timed transcript (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 and I'll re-offset them all in one pass. The benediction marker lands a few seconds in ("…living water"); scrub back ~8s for "Beloved, go now." ## Liturgical Context ### Christian Liturgical Calendar - **Season:** Season after Pentecost (Ordinary Time) - **Day:** Fifth Sunday after Pentecost - **Proper / Ordinary:** Proper 8 (Ordinary 13) - **Lectionary Year:** A (the liturgical year that began Advent 2025; Matthew is the featured Gospel) - **Liturgical color:** Green for the season; the day carries **Open and Affirming / Pride** accents (the bulletin cover is a rainbow dove). 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. Today the series reaches its resolution in Ruth 4, deliberately overlaid with **Open and Affirming Sunday**. ### Jewish Calendar - **Hebrew date:** 13 Tammuz 5786 - **Preceding Shabbat (Sat 27 June):** Parashat **Chukat–Balak** (combined in the diaspora this non-leap year) — the red heifer, the waters of Meribah, and Balaam's blessing-instead-of-curse. - **Following Shabbat (Sat 4 July):** Parashat **Pinchas** (Numbers 25:10–30:1). - **On the horizon:** The fast of the **17th of Tammuz** (Tzom Tammuz) falls **2 July 2026**, opening the **Three Weeks** of mourning that lead toward Tisha B'Av. ### Ecumenical & Global Observances - **LGBTQ+ Pride Month** (June) — the immediate frame for Open and Affirming Sunday. - **Stonewall uprising anniversary** — **28 June** marks the 1969 Stonewall riots, the watershed moment of the modern LGBTQ+ movement. Holding Open and Affirming Sunday on this exact date is pointed and intentional. - The last Sunday of June, the traditional weekend of many U.S. Pride marches. - **Looking ahead:** in the Prayers of the People, Erin noted **July as Disability Pride Month** and the **ADA's anniversary (26 July 1990)**. ### Lectionary Readings (Revised Common Lectionary — Proper 8, Year A) Provided for cross-reference; St. John's is preaching the Ruth series rather than these texts today. - **Track 1 (semicontinuous):** Genesis 22:1-14; Psalm 13 - **Track 2 (complementary):** Jeremiah 28:5-9; Psalm 89:1-4, 15-18 - **Epistle:** Romans 6:12-23 - **Gospel:** Matthew 10:40-42 ### Connection to Today's Message The bulletin pairs **Jeremiah 17:5-8** and **Luke 1:46-55** with the sermon text **Ruth 4:1-22**. Jeremiah 17 contrasts those who trust in mere mortals (a shrub in the desert) with those who trust in the Lord (a **tree planted by water** whose leaves stay green) — picked up directly in the Call to Worship's and Benediction's "like trees planted by living water." Luke 1:46-55, **the Magnificat**, sings God's great reversal: the powerful brought down, the lowly lifted up, the hungry filled — a fitting bridge to Ruth, since Ruth the Moabite widow becomes great-grandmother of David and an ancestor in the line that runs to Jesus (cf. Matthew 1:5). Ruth 4 is the resolution: at the city gate Boaz secures the redemption the nearer kinsman declines, marries Ruth, and the women bless a child, **Obed** — grandfather to David. On Open and Affirming Sunday, the series lands on a story of an outsider drawn fully into the community and the covenant line: belonging, redemption, and new life for the one the system had pushed to the margins. ## Order of Worship *An asterisk (*) invites the congregation to stand in body or in spirit. ▶ links jump to that moment in the livestream.* ### Gathering #### Gathering Song — "Find a Home Here" *Listed in the bulletin as the gathering song (theme of welcome and belonging); folded into the pre-service music, so no distinct transcript anchor. Lyrics not reproduced (likely under copyright).* #### Unison Welcome & Announcements — ▶ [7:56](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3VyTENvXQI&t=476s) > No matter who you are or where you are on life's journey, you are welcome here. *From the recording:* The pastor welcomed all "joining us here in our sanctuary or online," invited everyone to pick up the **July/August newsletter** ("hot off the presses"), and handed off to **Lloyd** ([8:24](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3VyTENvXQI&t=504s)), who — for the Spiritual Life standing committee (with **Diana** and **Kay**) — invited the congregation to the **second outdoor Prayer Gathering at the newly installed Peace Pole on Sunday, July 12 (8:45 am, in lieu of Sunday School)**. The Peace Pole will be **dedicated**, and attendees may read from the UCC's **"People's Prayers for Peace,"** part of GMP **Rev. Karen Georgia Thompson's** call to a season of prayer amid escalating wars and injustices; bring chairs (juice and donuts provided). The pastor also reminded everyone that **today's VBS workday** follows worship in Fellowship Hall (**pizza provided**). #### Chiming of the Trinity & Prelude — ▶ [10:59](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3VyTENvXQI&t=659s) > We gather together for the worship of God in the name of Creator, Christ, and Holy Spirit. Amen. *(The Trinitarian invocation, an expansive-language chiming, comes at ~13:47 after the prelude music.)* #### *Call to Worship — ▶ [13:47](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3VyTENvXQI&t=827s) *(adapted from "We Shall Not Be Moved!" — Rev. Derek A. Terry, UCC Open and Affirming Coalition; spoken text matched the bulletin)* > Beloved, some of us came here tired, or carrying grief. > **But we are still here.** > Some of us come with joy in our bones and rainbows in our spirits. > **And we are still here.** > In a world that tries to erase queer stories and target trans and nonbinary lives, > **We shall not be moved.** > When fear tells us to be silent, > **We shall not be moved.** > When shame tries to pull us from the truth of who God made us to be, > **We shall not be moved.** > We are rooted in love. > **We are rooted in justice.** > We are rooted in affirmation. > **We are rooted in God.** > Like trees planted by living water, > **We shall not be moved.** > Come, let us worship the God who sees the vulnerable, strengthens the weary, and calls the church into holy courage. > **Rooted in love, justice, and affirmation, we worship with joy. We worship with courage. We worship together.** *(The "trees planted by living water" line draws on the day's first reading, Jeremiah 17:7-8, and returns in the Benediction.)* #### *Hymn #254 — "Diverse in Culture, Nation, Race" — ▶ [15:52](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3VyTENvXQI&t=952s) *Sung from the green hymnal (NCH). Words: Ruth Duck, 1991 (© 1992 GIA Publications, Inc. — copyrighted). Tune: CANONBURY (Robert Schumann, 1839; public domain). LM.* Paraphrase (lyrics under copyright): A four-stanza prayer for a reconciled, diverse church — (1) drawn together by grace into a meeting ground of hope and healing love; (2) a bridge of care confronting fear, hate, and lust for power; (3) when divisions widen and storms rise, the Spirit makes us wise and our resolve strong as steel to stand with those who suffer wrong; (4) a table spread with love and broken bread, where all find welcome and even enemies rise as friends. #### Prayer for Transformation and New Life — ▶ [17:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3VyTENvXQI&t=1025s) *(from "We Shall Not Be Moved!")* > God of love and justice, we confess that we have not always loved as you call us to love. We confess the harm done in your name, especially to LGBTQ+ people: the exclusion, shame, silence, and fear that have wounded your beloved children. We confess, too, the ways we all fall short: choosing comfort over courage, silence over justice, and fear over love. Forgive us. Transform us. Root us again in love, justice, and affirmation. Make us a church where all people are safe, celebrated, and truly belong. In the name of Jesus, who welcomed all with courageous love, we pray. Amen. #### Assurance of Grace — ▶ [18:47](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3VyTENvXQI&t=1127s) *(adapted from "We Shall Not Be Moved!")* > Beloved, hear this good news: God does not abandon us to shame. God does not leave us in the wilderness. God does not ask us to sacrifice our *belovedness* in order to be faithful. In Christ, the old powers do not get the final word. Fear does not get the final word. God's grace is still rising. God's Spirit is making the church new. So stand tall, beloveds. Breathe deep. You are forgiven. You are beloved. You are free. Thanks be to God. #### Passing of the Peace — ▶ [19:52](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3VyTENvXQI&t=1192s) *(adapted from "We Shall Not Be Moved!")* > The peace of Christ is not fragile politeness. It is the fierce peace of justice, truth, and love. **The peace of Christ makes room for us all.** Let us share signs of peace and remember: every body, every story, every beloved child of God belongs in the circle of grace. The peace of Christ be with you. **And also with you.** ### Word #### Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 17:5-8; Luke 1:46-55 — ▶ [22:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3VyTENvXQI&t=1335s) *Lector: Holli Burton. Read in a traditional ("Thus saith the Lord"… RSV/KJV-style) text — note this differs from the NRSVue embeds below.* **Jeremiah 17:5-8** — trust in mortals (a shrub in the desert) vs. trust in the Lord (a tree planted by water whose leaves stay green and which does not fear when heat comes). ![[Jeremiah 17#5]] ![[Jeremiah 17#6]] ![[Jeremiah 17#7]] ![[Jeremiah 17#8]] **Luke 1:46-55** — the Magnificat, Mary's song of justice and reversal (the proud scattered, the mighty brought down, the lowly lifted, the hungry filled). ![[Luke 1#46]] ![[Luke 1#47]] ![[Luke 1#48]] ![[Luke 1#49]] ![[Luke 1#50]] ![[Luke 1#51]] ![[Luke 1#52]] ![[Luke 1#53]] ![[Luke 1#54]] ![[Luke 1#55]] #### Children's Message — Roxanne Davenport — ▶ [24:22](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3VyTENvXQI&t=1462s) *Children's Corner offered following. This summer's children's-message series is **"the wisdom of the animal kingdom"** — a biblical animal each week (sheep, donkeys on June 21, and today **fish**).* *From the recording:* Fish are **cold-blooded vertebrates** (they have a backbone) that **breathe through gills** (the gills take the oxygen from the water and expel the rest); they live in **communities** ("a school of fish") for safety and food; and their **hard skulls** make them hearty and strong survivors. Fish in the Bible: - **Jonah and the great fish** — every translation says "great/big/giant fish," never *whale* (whales are mammals); Jonah was inside three days and three nights, **paralleling Jesus three days in the tomb**. - **The five loaves and two fish** — abundance when shared in community. - Most **disciples were fishermen**; Jesus called them to be **"fishers of men"** — to go out and share the faith. - The **risen Jesus cooked fish** on the beach (after the miraculous catch when they cast nets on the other side). - The **ichthus** (ΙΧΘΥΣ) fish symbol — drawn in the palm or in the sand during persecution; the Greek word for "fish" is an **acronym: Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior** — an affirmation of faith ("we speak affirmations of faith here every Sunday"). - **Lesson:** like fish, we live in community — we share, provide for, and care for one another — and we are called to be strong by relying on God and Jesus Christ. - **Closing prayer:** thanks for the messages God sends; "forgive us when we're hard-headed in the wrong way… Help us to be like fish: steady, strong, simple, living each day in your name." #### Scripture Reading — Ruth 4:1-22 — ▶ [35:20](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3VyTENvXQI&t=2120s) *The conclusion of the book, read in the **Common English Bible (CEB)**, closing with the genealogy from Perez to David and 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 4#1]] ![[Ruth 4#2]] ![[Ruth 4#3]] ![[Ruth 4#4]] ![[Ruth 4#5]] ![[Ruth 4#6]] ![[Ruth 4#7]] ![[Ruth 4#8]] ![[Ruth 4#9]] ![[Ruth 4#10]] ![[Ruth 4#11]] ![[Ruth 4#12]] ![[Ruth 4#13]] ![[Ruth 4#14]] ![[Ruth 4#15]] ![[Ruth 4#16]] ![[Ruth 4#17]] ![[Ruth 4#18]] ![[Ruth 4#19]] ![[Ruth 4#20]] ![[Ruth 4#21]] ![[Ruth 4#22]] #### Sermon — Rev. Caroline E. Saxton — ▶ [40:16](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3VyTENvXQI&t=2416s) ##### Sermon Notes ###### Introduction — chosen family on screen Opened with **Fried Green Tomatoes** (Fannie Flagg's novel; the 1991 film, a favorite of Saxton's): **Mary-Louise Parker** as **Ruth** and **Mary Stuart Masterson** as **Idgie** — two women who "defied the odds and the definition of family to survive" in rural Alabama from the 1920s. The story explores **family, aging, queer identity, and the dehumanizing effects of racism on both Black and white people.** Ruth leaves an abusive marriage to Frank Bennett, returns to the **Threadgoode** family, and helps Idgie run the **Whistle Stop Cafe**; the characters cross dividing lines to make a **chosen family**. "That concept — chosen family — isn't new. **It is biblical, too.**" Series recap: loyalty amid loss → gleaning and hope → daring to act → and now **new life**. ###### Art, belonging, and the image of God A turn through live theatre: Saxton attended opening night of **Chambersburg Community Theatre's *Fiddler on the Roof*** (Broadway opened 22 Sept 1964; performed somewhere every day since — **22,560 days**), and looks forward to **_Come From Away_ at Totem Pole Playhouse on July 3**. "In a time when fear can divide us, love unites us. Art has the power to bring us together… [it speaks to] the longing to belong, for meaning and purpose, and to be reminded that **we are all made in God's image and we are beloved.**" In *Fiddler*, **Tevye** wrestles with the tension between **tradition** and **change**, especially over his daughters' (Tzeitel, Hodel, Chava) romantic choices — we relate to wanting some things to stay the same while navigating change. Scripture calls us to courage: to travel to new places, follow where God leads, wrestle with the divine, and trust the Spirit. Personal: "My prayers these days are most often asking for **wisdom, courage, and discernment.** I pray a lot of **breath prayers**… desiring for love to be in my words, my deeds, my heart, and my work — **love for God and neighbor, for friend and stranger.**" God invites us into the work of justice, peace, and new life — building the **beloved community**. ###### The gate scene and the unnamed redeemer Exegesis of Ruth 4: Boaz goes to the **city gate** (the place of legal proceedings) and meets the **nearer relative — the potential go'el / redeemer — who is never named.** He's enthusiastic about acquiring land but **changes his mind** when he learns Ruth is part of the deal and that he would carry on **Mahlon's** name (Naomi's dead son, Ruth's dead husband), not his own; he releases his claim to Boaz. "It seems that **Boaz doesn't care about the land as much as he cares about the women**" — recalling that he had sent Ruth home with **food** to sustain her and Naomi. "Boaz is a man with an understanding of **community care, not simply personal gain.**" The contract is settled publicly before witnesses; both women will be cared for; their risks have paid off. Ruth and Boaz marry, and this time fertility is no problem: **Obed** is born, continuing Naomi's line and legacy. ###### Hesed, the second miracle, and a line of daring women Quoting scholar **Katherine M. Schifer-Decker**: "Where there was famine, now there is plentiful harvest. Where there was barrenness, now there is birth." The village women bless **Naomi**: "He will restore your life and sustain you in your old age. Your daughter-in-law who loves you has given birth to him. **She's better for you than seven sons.**" "**Ruth is Naomi's greatest blessing.**" All of it is made possible through **hesed — the faithful love of God enacted by Ruth and by Boaz.** A **second miracle** Saxton noticed only in preparing: **Naomi becomes Obed's wet nurse** — like **Sarah**, nurturing a child long past what her body should allow; "her breasts fill with milk and she feeds her grandchild." Obed — like his ancestor **Perez**, who would not exist but for the daring of his mother **Tamar** (Genesis 38) — would not have been born without **Ruth's courage**; Naomi would have been left without a future. "These two women are granted the blessing of a new life with **family that is chosen as well as family that is made.**" ###### Open and Affirming anchor and close "**My parents were present at the UCC General Synod in Ames, Iowa, in 1985** when the UCC… became Open and Affirming" — **the first mainline Protestant denomination in the U.S.** to adopt such a sweeping national resolution welcoming gay and lesbian members into full church life and ministry. Because UCC polity is **bottom-up, not top-down**, each local church decides how to live the resolution out; **St. John's studied for about two years before voting to become Open and Affirming on November 15, 2020**, and reaffirms the covenant **at least annually**. "We are a community of people who **choose to be family**." Nontraditional families have always existed; **kinship is chosen**; bonds are formed by love as well as shared DNA. Personal testimony: she has been blessed to find people who "show up for me, who say that I matter, who love me" — chosen family. New life is "more than just a blessing from God… something that must be **sought after, even worked for**, because we aren't called to be **spectators in the seats, but actors on the stage** of our own lives and communities." With **agency, prayer, and intention**, we receive the gift and grace of new life and love within our church and chosen family — loving God and neighbor. **Amen.** ##### Illustrations / Stories - **Fried Green Tomatoes** (Fannie Flagg; 1991 film) — Ruth & Idgie, the Whistle Stop Cafe, chosen family; queer identity and racism's dehumanizing effects. - **Fiddler on the Roof** (Chambersburg Community Theatre) — Tevye, tradition vs. change, his daughters' choices; the complicated nature of family. - **_Come From Away_** (Totem Pole Playhouse, July 3) — art bringing people together. - **Naomi as wet nurse**, paralleled with **Sarah**; **Tamar → Perez** as the precedent of daring women. - **Personal:** breath prayers (wisdom, courage, discernment); her own chosen family; her parents at the **1985 Ames General Synod**; St. John's **2020** ONA vote. ##### Scripture Connections - **Ruth 4:1-22** (primary; CEB) — gate scene, sandal custom, the unnamed go'el, Boaz's public redemption, Obed's birth, the Davidic genealogy. - **Ruth 4:15** — "He will restore your life and sustain you" (the women's blessing of Naomi). - **Genesis 38** — Tamar and Perez (the genealogy explicitly names Perez → … → Boaz → Obed → Jesse → David). - **Genesis** (Sarah) — the elderly woman miraculously nurturing new life. - **Jeremiah 17:5-8** and **Luke 1:46-55** (the day's readings; tree-by-water and the Magnificat's reversal). - *Imago Dei* (**Genesis 1**) — "we are all made in God's image," a recurring St. John's thread. ##### Key Quotes - "I don't know if the story happened this way, but I know that the story is true." (Saxton, after the reading) - "We aren't called to be spectators in the seats, but actors on the stage of our own lives and communities." (Saxton) - "Where there was famine, now there is plentiful harvest. Where there was barrenness, now there is birth." (Schifer-Decker, quoted) - "These two women are granted the blessing of a new life with family that is chosen as well as family that is made." (Saxton) - "Kinship is chosen… bonds are formed by love as well as by shared DNA." (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 - Completes the summer **Ruth series:** [[2026-06-21]] (Ruth 3 — "Daring to Act"), with Ruth 1–2 in the preceding weeks. - Ties to Courtney's recurring **imago Dei / image-of-God** thread (cf. the June 21 "wretch" reflection). ### Response #### *Hymn — "There is Room in God's Great Welcome" — ▶ [51:41](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3VyTENvXQI&t=3101s) *(words on screen; sung to the tune **HOLY MANNA**, introduced once by organist Barbara Motichka)* *Words: Carolyn Winfrey Gillette, © 2016; used by permission. A celebration of God's love and justice for all and a call for us to be loving and just.* Paraphrase (lyrics under copyright): A hymn of radical, expansive welcome — God's table and God's church have room for every person, across every difference the world uses to divide — summoning the congregation to embody that same wide welcome in love and justice. #### Reaffirmation of St. John's UCC Covenant of Welcome and Affirmation — ▶ [56:18](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3VyTENvXQI&t=3378s) *Read in unison, standing. Prefaced by the leader's reminder that our love extends to everyone "on earth as it is in heaven."* > Scripture reminds us that we are one body with many members with varying gifts. Scripture also reminds us that we are all created in God's image. At St. John's United Church of Christ, we affirm that image as inclusive of all individuals, regardless of race, age, ethnicity, economic status, physical and/or mental ability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender expression, or gender identity. Because many have experienced rejection and/or exclusion by some faith communities over the years, we at St. John's UCC seek to fully welcome and affirm all marginalized individuals. We seek to welcome into the full life and ministry of this congregation all persons, acknowledging those many diverse gifts of God among us. We seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit as we extend welcome, acceptance, and affirmation to all who enter our doors and with whom we interact in our community at large, extending love, hope, and justice. We seek further to overcome the complicity of silence, injustice, and insensitivity to the marginalized. Amen. #### Sharing of Joys and Concerns — ▶ [58:18](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3VyTENvXQI&t=3498s) *From the recording (a "pass the mic" sharing):* - **Shanny** — gratitude for **Mary Lee and Renee** and the counselors (and Kirk cooking) for their hard work at **St. John's Camp**; the campers are loving it. - **A parent** — both children are **on the autism spectrum** (Shiloh and Asher); their third year at camp has been transformative ("blessed beyond measure that others have done this for my family"). - **Judy** — her kids' **flight to Oregon** went beautifully; a wonderful visit with her sister and brother — "family is complete." - **Rev. Saxton** — asks prayers for **safe travel to Iowa** (flying that evening) for her **brother's neurology appointment** (a new tremor in his dominant hand); "he's a pretty precious person to me." - **Dan** — prayers for **the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces** ("I don't really understand what is going on"). - **Jen** — after an ER visit for hallucinations, the doctor's first response was to move her to a **mental facility** rather than run tests; she advocated for herself, and lifts up concern for others who may be "shut away" instead of cared for; a prayer for her health and for systems that see people in their "holistic, beautiful selves." - **Erin** — **July is Disability Pride Month**; the **ADA** was passed **26 July 1990**; concern that those in power are trying to undermine the **_Olmstead_** decision; prayers for leadership, good governance, and wisdom that disabled people may remain in their communities. #### Prayers of the People and the Lord's Prayer (Debts) — ▶ [1:07:57](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3VyTENvXQI&t=4077s) *A gathered pastoral prayer lifted the camp praises, the broken-systems concerns, and the desire for change ("may peace prevail on earth"), leading into the **Lord's Prayer in the debts form** ("forgive us our debts") at [1:09:31](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3VyTENvXQI&t=4171s).* #### Invitation to Giving & Offertory — ▶ [1:10:54](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3VyTENvXQI&t=4254s) > Generosity is one way we stay rooted in love, justice, and affirmation. In a world investing in fear, we invest in love. In a world trying to uproot hope, we plant seeds. Let us give as people rooted in God's love for all people. #### *Offertory Response #706 — "Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow" — ▶ [1:14:08](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3VyTENvXQI&t=4448s) *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 — ▶ [1:15:31](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3VyTENvXQI&t=4531s) *(adapted from "We Shall Not Be Moved!")* > God of abundance, receive these gifts and help them to grow: grow into shelter, into courage, and into care. Let them grow into justice, joy, safety, and beloved community. Bless what we give. Bless what we hold. Bless what we build together. Root our generosity in love, justice, and affirmation, so that all your people may flourish. Amen. ### Sending #### *Hymn #C-53 — "We Shall Overcome" — ▶ [1:16:07](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3VyTENvXQI&t=4567s) *Hymnal Companion C-53. Text & music: African American spiritual; adaptation by William Farley Smith, 1986 (arrangement © 1986 The United Methodist Publishing House / Abingdon Press; reprinted under OneLicense.net A-719890). The core verse "We shall overcome someday" was held to be in the public domain by a U.S. federal court in 2017; the traditional verse incipits follow.* 1. We shall overcome 2. We'll walk hand in hand 3. We shall all be free 4. We shall live in peace 5. The Lord will see us through *Refrain motif: "Oh, deep in my heart I do believe, we shall overcome someday."* #### *Commission & Benediction — ▶ [1:20:02](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3VyTENvXQI&t=4802s) *(spoken by Rev. Saxton, in the "We Shall Not Be Moved!" idiom; marker lands a few seconds in — scrub back ~8s for "Beloved, go now")* > Beloved, go now like trees planted by living water. Go rooted in love that refuses shame. Go rooted in justice that refuses silence. Go rooted in affirmation that refuses erasure… When fear rises, stand. When hatred shouts, sing. When the world tries to move you away from love, dig your roots deeper. Choose each other, embracing one another, for we are indeed family, one in the body of Christ. Go with the power and presence of God, with joy in your spirit and justice in your bones. Amen. #### Postlude (seated) — ▶ [1:21:45](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3VyTENvXQI&t=4905s) > Join us for a time of fellowship after worship! (Today: VBS workday with pizza in Fellowship Hall.) > [!note] Timestamp coverage > ▶ links are placed on every Order of Worship element from the YouTube timed transcript. Two anchors are approximate because the auto-transcript lumped music with speech: the **Chiming/Prelude** link lands in the prelude music (the spoken invocation is ~13:47), and the **Benediction** link lands a few seconds into the text. Everything else lands at the element's first words. ## Sermon Analysis (from recording) > 13-category rubric, hermeneutical genealogy, and lateral-transfer audit per the church-notes framework. Scored from the **complete timed transcript**. **Caveat:** vocal-delivery scoring is still constrained by working from a transcript (no audio). ### Sermon Summary - **Central message:** God's faithful love (*hesed*), enacted through Ruth and Boaz, brings redemption, restoration, and **belonging** to those the system had marginalized — Ruth the Moabite outsider folded into the covenant family, and the once-"empty" Naomi given new life as Obed's nurse. The church is called to that same expansive, **chosen-family** welcome, and to **act** rather than spectate. The Ruth series lands, by design, on **Open and Affirming Sunday**. Both **personal** (belonging, image of God, agency) and **communal/systemic** (welcome, justice, beloved community). - **Liturgical/thematic focus:** Tightly integrated — Ruth 4's resolution + chosen family (film/theatre) + *hesed* + the UCC's ONA history (1985 Ames; St. John's 2020). - **Score: 5/5** ### Preaching Style Assessment - **Primary:** Narrative / homiletical storytelling (the *Fried Green Tomatoes* and *Fiddler* frames) woven with **textual exegesis** (the go'el institution, the gate court, the Tamar/Perez genealogy) and **personal testimony**. The "I don't know if it happened this way, but I know it's true" refrain is a classic narrative-homiletics move. - **Score: 5/5** ### Storytelling and Illustration - Film (*Fried Green Tomatoes*), theatre (*Fiddler*, *Come From Away*), the Naomi/Sarah wet-nurse parallel, Tamar, personal chosen-family testimony, and the 1985/2020 ONA history. Rich, layered, and foregrounding **queer belonging** and women's agency. - **Score: 5/5** ### Intonation and Delivery - Warmth and rapport are evident (the children's-message banter; the "pass the mic" sharing). Full vocal dynamics can't be assessed from a transcript. - **Score: 4/5** *(transcript-limited)* ### Content Structure - Clear arc: film/chosen-family hook → "chosen family is biblical" → series recap → art/belonging/*imago Dei* (Fiddler) → breath prayers → Ruth 4 gate exegesis → *hesed* and the second miracle → Tamar/Perez line → ONA history → "actors not spectators" close. Smooth, cumulative. - **Score: 5/5** ### Engagement and Application - Congregation positioned as participants (the **covenant reaffirmation**; "actors on the stage"); LGBTQ+ people, people with disabilities, and the marginalized explicitly named. The headline application is **agency/belonging** ("sought after, even worked for") rather than a single concrete step. - **Score: 4/5** ### Scripture Handling - **Texts:** Ruth 4:1-22 (CEB); Ruth 4:15; Genesis 38 (Tamar/Perez); Genesis (Sarah); Jeremiah 17:5-8; Luke 1:46-55; Genesis 1 (*imago Dei*). - **Depth:** Responsible and integrative — the go'el/kinsman-redeemer institution and the gate-court procedure, the rhetorical force of the **unnamed** nearer kinsman, Boaz's motive read as community care, the *hesed* frame, the **Naomi-as-wet-nurse** insight, and the explicit Perez/Tamar → David genealogy. Anchored by a named scholar (Schifer-Decker). - **Score: 5/5** ### Logical Reasoning - Sound throughout: analogical reasoning (chosen family across *Fried Green Tomatoes* / *Fiddler* / Ruth), a genealogical argument (no Perez without Tamar's daring; no Obed without Ruth's courage), and epistemic humility ("I don't know if it happened this way, but I know it's true"). No notable fallacy (and none of the prior week's quantum-entanglement stretch). - **Score: 5/5** ### References - Fannie Flagg / *Fried Green Tomatoes* (1991); *Fiddler on the Roof*; *Come From Away*; Katherine M. Schifer-Decker; UCC ONA history (**General Synod 15, Ames, Iowa, 1985**; St. John's vote 15 Nov 2020); Tamar, Sarah. Literary, scholarly, and denominational-historical, with queer and women's voices centered. - **Score: 5/5** ### Quotes and Illustrative Stories - "I don't know if the story happened this way, but I know that the story is true"; "actors on the stage, not spectators in the seats"; the Schifer-Decker famine/harvest, barrenness/birth line; "kinship is chosen." Memorable and on-theme. - **Score: 5/5** ### Calls to Action - Be **actors, not spectators**; **reaffirm the covenant**; **choose each other** and build beloved community; the benediction's imperatives ("when fear rises, stand… dig your roots deeper"). Strong and multi-modal, though the headline call stays at the agency/belonging level rather than one concrete step. - **Score: 4/5** ### Style Effectiveness Analysis - Narrative-testimonial-affirming suits a series finale on O&A Sunday: strong for **auditory** and **interpersonal** learners, with film/theatre giving a **visual/cultural** entry and the children's message a **kinesthetic** one. Serves the welcome theme well. - **Score: 5/5** ### Hermeneutical Awareness *(13th category)* - High: a self-aware **chosen-family** hermeneutic; *imago Dei* applied explicitly to LGBTQ+ persons; the **narrative-truth** stance ("true" without being literal); the Tamar/Perez intertext; and an explicit, located account of the **UCC's Open and Affirming tradition** — its 1985 origin, its bottom-up polity, and St. John's own 2020 discernment. - **Score: 5/5** ### Scoring Summary - **Total: 62/65** across all 13 categories. - Per-category: Summary 5 · Style 5 · Storytelling 5 · Delivery 4 · Structure 5 · Engagement 4 · Scripture 5 · Reasoning 5 · References 5 · Quotes 5 · Calls to Action 4 · Style Effectiveness 5 · Hermeneutical Awareness 5. - *(Supersedes the earlier provisional pass built from a fragmentary transcript.)* ### Side-by-Side Comparison: Narrative-Affirming vs. Fully Exegetical | Aspect | This Sermon (Narrative-Affirming) | Fully Exegetical Version | |--------|-----------------------------------|--------------------------| | Primary style | Film/theatre frames (chosen family) + ONA anchor, with a gate-scene exegesis | Verse-by-verse through Ruth 4:1-22 | | Stories | *Fried Green Tomatoes*; *Fiddler*; *Come From Away*; the 1985 Synod; personal chosen family | Minimal; illustrations subordinated to the text | | Scripture depth | go'el / gate court, the unnamed kinsman, *hesed*, Naomi-as-nurse, Tamar/Perez | Hebrew terms (go'el, *ga'al*), the *kanaph* link back to ch. 3, levirate mechanics, the gate-court legal form, Obed → David typology toward Matthew 1 | | Application | "Actors not spectators"; reaffirm the covenant; build beloved community | A more text-bound takeaway on covenant loyalty and redemption in the line of David | ## Hermeneutical Genealogy Saxton's reading sits in several converging streams, several named aloud: 1. **Queer / affirming hermeneutics** — Ruth read as the story of an outsider's full belonging; *imago Dei* applied explicitly to LGBTQ+ persons; **"chosen family"** as a theological category, illustrated through *Fried Green Tomatoes* and *Fiddler*. 2. **UCC "Open and Affirming" tradition** — narrated through its **1985 Ames General Synod** origin ("first mainline Protestant denomination"), its **bottom-up polity**, and **St. John's 2020 ONA vote** with annual covenant reaffirmation; denominational memory as interpretive authority. 3. **Womanist / feminist interpretation** — the two women's agency at the center; a genealogy of daring women (Tamar, Sarah, Ruth, Naomi); Naomi's restoration (empty → wet nurse) foregrounded. 4. **Narrative homiletics** (Shea/McKenna) — "I don't know if it happened this way, but I know it's true"; truth located in the story's meaning. 5. **Literary-cultural hermeneutic** — reading scripture alongside film and theatre as windows onto the human longing to belong. 6. **Covenantal / *hesed* reading** — faithful love enacted by human agents as the vehicle of God's redemption; standard historical-critical background on the go'el and the gate court, mediated through Schifer-Decker. Net: a **progressive-mainline** hermeneutic — affirming, womanist, covenantal, and culturally literate, reading Ruth's resolution as belonging and new life for the marginalized. ## Lateral Transfer Risk Audit **Risk: Low.** No high-control markers; several explicitly *counter*-control moves: - **Agency is distributed and de-centered** — "actors on the stage, not spectators in the seats," "we choose each other"; authority is not concentrated in a leader. - **No us/them demonization** — the framing is welcome to all, "friend and stranger," and overcoming "the complicity of silence." - **No prosperity or obedience-for-reward logic** — *hesed* and chosen family, not technique for blessing. - **No demand for submission** — the day's posture is welcome, affirmation, and the congregation's own discerned covenant (note the bottom-up polity Saxton highlighted). Chosen-family theology actively de-centers rigid authority and biological-gatekeeping structures — the opposite of a high-control dynamic. No lateral-transfer pattern detected. ## Worship Leadership | Role | Person | |------|--------| | Pastor | Rev. Caroline E. Saxton | | Organist | Barbara Motichka | | Choir Director | Gary Crum | | Deacon in Charge | Tena Keeney | | Lector | Holli Burton | | Children's Message / Children's Corner | Roxanne Davenport | | Media Coordinators | Calvin Frantz and Neath Ham | | Bulletin cover | Edd Scheer | **Flowers at the Foot of the Cross** are given to the glory of God and in memory and honor of the **Orndorff** and **Fair** families, by **Scot and Mindy Orndorff**. ### 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 - *We Shall Not Be Moved! Rooted in Love, Justice, and Affirmation* by Rev. Derek A. Terry, Acting Executive Director of the UCC Open and Affirming Coalition (Call to Worship, Prayer for Transformation and New Life, Assurance of Grace, Passing of the Peace, Prayer of Dedication, Commission & Benediction) - "There is Room in God's Great Welcome" © 2016 Carolyn Winfrey Gillette; used by permission (sung to HOLY MANNA) - St. John's UCC Covenant of Welcome and Affirmation (adopted 15 Nov 2020) ## Church News & Announcements ### This Week at St. John's - **Today (Sun, June 28):** VBS Workday after worship — Fellowship Hall (pizza provided). **NO** Sunday-evening Bible Study on Ecclesiastes (begins Sunday, July 26). - **Monday, June 29 — 1:30 pm:** **NO** Afternoon Book Study (Chapter 5) — will resume July 20. - **Tuesday, June 30 — 10:00 am:** Summer Singers Practice — Fellowship Hall; **5:30 pm:** Yoga — Room 202. - **Wednesday, July 1 — 6:30 pm:** American Revolution Talk — Fellowship Hall. - **Thursday, July 2 — 7:00 am:** Men's Breakfast — Texas Lunch. - **Friday, July 3:** Church Office Closed — in observance of Independence Day (July 4). - **Sunday, July 5:** - 8:45 am — K-12 Faith and Fellowship — Youth Room 206 - 8:45 am — Wired Word Church School Class — Room 116 - 8:45 am — Upper Room Church School Class — Conference Room 111 - 10:00 am — Sunday Worship — Sanctuary ### Announcements - **Outdoor Prayer Gathering at the Peace Pole** — Sunday, **July 12, 8:45 am** (in lieu of Sunday School), south side of campus; the Peace Pole will be **dedicated**, with readings from the UCC "People's Prayers for Peace" (GMP Rev. Karen Georgia Thompson's season of prayer). Bring chairs; juice and donuts provided. (Spiritual Life standing committee — Lloyd, Diana, Kay.) - **Summer Special Music** — Sign up on the choir room door to sing or play this summer. Contact Gary Crum. - **Summer Church School Classes** — Wired Word and Upper Room adult classes meet throughout the summer; a K-12 Faith and Fellowship option meets in the youth room. Questions: Diana Kongkeattikul or Roxanne Davenport. - **Summer Prayer Gatherings** — 8:45 am, Sunday, July 12 at the Peace Pole; and 9:30 am, Saturday, August 22 at St. John's Camp. - **Monday Afternoon Book Study** — Chapter 5 of Adam Hamilton's *The Walk: Five Essential Practices of the Christian Life*, Monday, **July 20**, 1:30 pm, Conference Room 111. - **Summer Snacks for NETwork Ministry** — Collection boxes in the front lobby; suggested-items list on the bulletin boards and in the July/August *Spirit*. - **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 grocery 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. Historical artifacts; the role of Cumberland County, Col. William Thompson, Washingtonburg, and the 1775 attack on Quebec. Free; donations accepted. - **A Civil War Ball** — Friday, July 10, 7–9 pm, Fellowship Hall; period dances. No experience needed; all welcome. - **Summer Singers in Concert** — Sunday, July 27, 3 pm, at St. John's UCC. - **Sweet Treats: Ice Cream Social** — Sunday, August 16 after worship. Bring homemade ice cream or baked goods; 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 offerings. - **Sunday Night Bible Study (Ecclesiastes)** — With Pastor Caroline, Sunday evenings 8 pm via Zoom; begins **Sunday, July 26**. Zoom Meeting ID: 836 0593 5961; Passcode: 277938. (Hyperlink in the weekly e-blast.) - **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 - 06/29 — Eleanor Collier - 06/30 — Barbara Soper - 07/01 — Makayla Sheele - 07/05 — Marco Dereef and Kelly Ann Hoover ## Calendar & Upcoming Events - **Sun, June 28** — Worship 10:00 am; VBS Workday after worship (Fellowship Hall) - **Mon, June 29** — Afternoon Book Study cancelled (resumes July 20) - **Tue, June 30** — Summer Singers Practice, 10:00 am (Fellowship Hall); Yoga, 5:30 pm (Room 202) - **Wed, July 1** — American Revolution Talk, 6:30 pm (Fellowship Hall) - **Thu, July 2** — Men's Breakfast, 7:00 am (Texas Lunch); fast of 17 Tammuz (Jewish calendar) - **Fri, July 3** — Church Office Closed; *Come From Away* at Totem Pole Playhouse (per the sermon) - **Sun, July 5** — Church School 8:45 am; Worship 10:00 am - **Fri, July 10** — Civil War Ball, 7–9 pm (Fellowship Hall) - **Sun, July 12** — Peace Pole Prayer Gathering & dedication, 8:45 am; VBS Workday after worship - **Tue, July 15 – Fri, July 31** — Stuff the Bus school-supply drive - **Mon, July 20** — Afternoon Book Study resumes, *The Walk* ch. 5, 1:30 pm (CR 111) - **Sun, July 26** — Sunday Night Bible Study begins (Ecclesiastes), 8 pm via Zoom - **Sun, July 27** — Summer Singers in Concert, 3 pm - **Sun, Aug 16** — Ice Cream Social after worship - **Sat, Aug 22** — Summer Prayer Gathering, 9:30 am (St. John's Camp) --- > [!note] Personal notes space > Add reflections through the week here — the resolution of Ruth in the gate scene and the birth of Obed (redemption and belonging for the outsider), the Magnificat's reversal as a lens on Ruth, the chosen-family thread (Fried Green Tomatoes / Fiddler), and the Open and Affirming framing on the Stonewall anniversary. This closes the summer Ruth series; the Sunday-evening study turns to Ecclesiastes beginning July 26.