Hummelstown UCC Podcast

Psalm 34: 1-18; Matthew 3: 13-17: The Baptism of JesusHearts Afire: The Courage to Say YesWhat does it mean for us to live courageously as God’s people in the midst of the daily grind of life? How do we claim our courage with an abiding hope as we worship through such a time as this? The latin root “cor” reminds us that the word courage means “to speak from one’s heart.” Courage is a matter of the heart, of the soul, of that which makes us come alive and live into our most authentic self.

Matthew 2:1–15Leader: Beloved of God, Epiphany is the season of revealing— the holy momentwhen what is hidden becomes known. We light these candles to proclaim the truthwe know— to make visible the God’s Presence already among us. Four travelerscome forward: three stargazers and a shepherd. Each carries a taper to light fromthe Christ Candle— each bears a gift that God desires of us: Justice, Joy,Compassion, and Peace.Justice Stargazer: I bring gold, the finest of what I have, the gift God asks of us: to dojustice. (Lights and places a candle on the table)Many: Look! God’s dwelling is now among us. The end of God’s justice is joy.Joy Stargazer: I bring frankincense, the fragrance of prayer and praise, the gift Godasks of us: to delight in what is good. (Lights and places a candle on the table)Many: Look! God’s dwelling is now among us. The end of God’s justice is joy.Compassion Stargazer: I bring myrrh, balm for the broken and mercy for the world,the gift God asks of us: to love compassion. (Lights and places a candle on thetable)Many: Look! God’s dwelling is now among us. The end of God’s justice is joy.Peace Shepherd: I bring light for the journey and bread for the road, the gift Godasks of us: to walk humbly and live in peace. (Lights and places a candle on thetable)Many: Look! God’s dwelling is now among us. The end of God’s justice is joy.Leader: The gifts are given, the desires of God made visible— Justice, Joy,Compassion, and Peace now shine among us. People of God—lift your eyes up, liftyour hearts up. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord!

Matthew 3:1-12; Malachi 3:1-6In the second week of Advent, we turn our hearts toward peace—not a fragile quiet, but the deep, steady peace God plants within us and calls us to share with the world. In this episode, we explore what it means to be people of peace in turbulent times: peace that heals, peace that resists injustice, peace that welcomes every neighbor just as they are.Grounded in the United Church of Christ’s commitment to extravagant welcome, we reflect on scripture, lift up voices from our community, and create space to breathe, listen, and rest in God’s presence. Wherever you are on life’s journey, may this week draw you closer to the peace that passes all understanding—and empowers us to become instruments of peace for one another.

Mark 13:24-37; Isaiah 2:1-5Vigilant HopeAs we enter the first week of Advent, we lean into vigilant hope—the kind of hope that keeps watch, pays attention, and believes that God is doing a new thing even when the world feels weary. In this episode, we explore how hope is not passive waiting but active, courageous expectancy.Rooted in the inclusive love of the United Church of Christ, we reflect on scripture, share stories from our community, and invite you to open your heart to the light already dawning. Wherever you are on life’s journey, this Advent season begins with a promise: hope is alive, hope is resilient, and hope is for all of us.

Psalm 100; Philippians 4:4-9; Deuteronomy 26:1-11Building Community... What too will you use?

Ruth 1: 14-22; Acts 10: 34-47“Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice. Justice at its best islove correcting everything that stands against love.” -Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Job 2:11-13; 2 Timothy 4:9-18“After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most inthe world.” Philip Pullman

Psalm 149: Praise for God’s Goodness to Israel; Ephesians 1:11-23; Luke 6:20-31Today we are celebrating All Saints Day. We recognize that we have saints in ourown lives who have formed our faith in some way and who have passed on from thislife. So on All Saints Day, we celebrate, honor, and remember these forebearers ofthe faith. Today in worship we will read aloud the names of the saints in ourcommunity who have passed in the last year. You will also have the opportunity tolight a candle in memory of the saints in your life, whether they passed just recentlyor long ago. We pray that their memory will continue to be a beacon of faith, hope,and love for us all

1 Samuel 1:1-18; Mark 5:21-43“Tears shed for another person are not a sign of weakness. They are a sign of a pureheart.” -José N. Harris

Genesis 2:4-15; John 1:35-51Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity and change.-Brené Brown

1 Chronicles 29:10, 13, 14b-17; Ephesians 2:19-22; Matthew 7:24-27One: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion ofthe Holy Spirit be with you all.Many: And also with you.

Jeremiah 32:1-3a, 6-15; Amos 6: 1-2, 4-7; 1 Timothy 6:6-10, 17-19; Luke 16:19-31: The Rich Man and LazarusPsalm 146, The Message VersionHallelujah! O my soul, praise God! All my life long I’ll praise God, singing songs to myGod as long as I live. Don’t put your life in the hands of experts who know nothing oflife, of salvation life. Mere humans don’t have what it takes; when they die, theirprojects die with them. Instead, get help from the God of Jacob, put your hope inGod and know real blessing!God made sky and soil, sea and all the fish in it. God always does what They say—defends the wronged, feeds the hungry. God frees prisoners— gives sight to theblind, lifts up the fallen. God loves good people, protects strangers, takes the side oforphans and widows, but makes short work of the wicked. God’s in charge—always.Zion’s God is God for good! Hallelujah!

Psalm 113: God the Helper of the Needy; Amos 8:4-7; Luke 16:1-13"Look up and not down; look out and not in; look forward and not back, and lend ahand." -Edward Everett Hale

Psalm 51:1-12; Luke 14:25-33“The community member stared at the bill the Afghan family had just shown her,aghast. She had no idea how they would pay this, no idea how she might be ableto help them. She’d been involved with the immigrant community around her foryears, welcoming families, connecting them with resources, being invited into theirhomes for tea – so much tea. But this season felt different, the families’ situationsmore fraught, the go-to solutions more threadbare.As they haltingly chatted, using their basic English and Pashto as well as a translationapp, the thought niggled in the back of her mind: was she doing enough?Every thread of hope woven into something bigger and brighter than any coulddare to dream. This patchwork quilt of love is what we weave together when weextend welcome and love those who are different than us.” - Sarah E.Z.

Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18; Luke 14:25-33; Philemon 1-21“Some people came to (Kolkata), and before leaving, they begged me: ‘Tell ussomething that will help us to live our lives better.’ And I said, ‘Smile at one another;smile at your wife, smile at your husband, smile at your children, smile at each other-it doesn’t matter who it is-and that will help you to grow up in greater love for eachother.’ And then one of them asked me: ‘Are you married?’ and I said: ‘Yes, and Ifind it difficult sometimes to smile at Jesus.’ And it is true, Jesus can be verydemanding also, and it is at those times when he is so demanding that to give him abig smile is very beautiful.” - Saint Mother Teresa

Genesis 1: 1-5, 31, 3: 16-19; 1 Corinthians 15: 1-10; (1 Corinthians 15: 10)From The Message by Eugene PetersonBut because God was so gracious, so very generous, here I am. And I’m not aboutto let this grace go to waste. Haven’t I worked hard trying to do more than any ofthe others? Even then, my work didn’t amount to all that much. It was God givingme the work to do, God giving me the energy to do it. So whether you heard it fromme or from those others, it’s all the same: We spoke God’s truth and you entrustedyour lives.

Psalm 103:1-8; Isaiah 58:9b-14; Isaiah 58:9b-14We read in Matthew’s gospel that in his last days before the cross, Jesus cleansedexploitative commerce out of the Temple, caused a fig tree to wither, and told hisfollowers that even small faith can move mountains. “The cleansing of the Templeand the withering of the fig tree tell the same story. God is not impressed byappearances, by show, or by religious busyness. What God seeks is fruit — livestransformed, the poor lifted, the sick healed, the outsider welcomed. These are themountains that need moving.” - Jeremy D. Scott

Psalm 82; Hebrews 12:1-2; Luke 12:49-56“God can as little do without us, as we without God. If at first this seems a wildstatement, we may well consider in how many ways God’s will depends on ourcooperation. God cannot do some things unless we think… And God cannot dosome things unless we work… Now if God has left some things contingent on ourthinking and working, why may God not have left some things contingent on uspraying?... Prayer is one of the three forms of our cooperation with God.” - HarryEmerson Fosdick

Psalm 33:12-22; Genesis 15:1-6; Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16“A real spiritual life … makes us so alert and aware of the world around us, that allthat is and happens becomes part of our contemplation and meditation and invitesus to a free and fearless response.” Henri J.M. Nouwen

Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14, 2:18-23; Psalm 107 1-9, 43; Luke 12:13-21Amazing God, we honor and celebrate your presence among us. We rejoice in yourgoodness and delight in your wonderful works. We lament the suffering of the worldand take courage that you are with us. We ask that you make your presence knownto us. Speak, O God, for we attune our attention for your guidance. Receive ourpraise as we glorify your name! Amen.