Order of Worship
Order of Worship
May 10, 2026
ORDER OF WORSHIP
May 10, 2026
Continuing God’s Story Together“Let this little message be but a reminder,
and I will continue with the story.”
2 Maccabees 6:17
Worship Participants
Deacon: Grace and Peter Tilden
Welcomers: Merry Sue Ahlgren, Tracy Morin
Reader: Kathleen Gustafson Tucker
Announcer: Chelsey Helmke
Prelude Light in the Valley
Welcome Rev. Tina Walker-Morin
Song I Speak Jesus
Opening Prayer (unison) Deacon
Holy and guiding God,You were present and worked through Esther in a time of need.Be present with us now.Show us the way we should go,and give minds which are open to your wisdom.And may we trust your ever still speaking voice.Amen.
Choir My Shepherd Will Supply My Need
Prayers of the People & Lord’s Prayer Rev. Tina Walker-Morin
Our Father/Mother/Creator, who art in heaven hallowed be thy name. Thy kin-dom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kin-dom and the power and the glory for ever. Amen
Scripture: Esther 2:1-5,7-9 (Common English Bible) Kathleen Gustafson Tucker
Today’s reading is from the book of Esther:
Sometime later when King Ahasuerus was less angry, he remembered Vashti, what she had done, and what he had decided about her. So his young male servants said, “Let the king have a search made for beautiful young women who haven’t yet married. And let the king choose certain people in all the royal provinces to lead the search. Have them bring all the beautiful young women together to the fortified part of Susa, to the women’s house, to the care of Hegai the king’s eunuch in charge of the women so that he might provide beauty treatments for them. Let the young woman who pleases you the most take Vashti’s place as queen.” The king liked the plan and implemented it.
Now there was a Jew in the fortified part of Susa whose name was Mordecai, Jair’s son. He came from the family line of Shimei and Kish; he was a Benjaminite. Mordecai had been a father to Hadassah (that is, Esther), though she was really his cousin, because she had neither father nor mother. The girl had a beautiful figure and was lovely to look at. When her parents died, Mordecai had taken her to be his daughter. When the king’s order and his new law became public, many young women were gathered into the fortified part of Susa under the care of Hegai. Esther was also taken to the palace to the care of Hegai, the one in charge of the women. The young woman pleased him and won his kindness. He quickly began her beauty treatments and gave her carefully chosen foods. He also gave her seven servants selected from among the palace servants and moved her and her servants into the nicest rooms in the women’s house.
May God bless this reading and our understanding. Amen
God’s Stories Rev. Jennie Valentine
Message for All Ages
A Croning Litany with Ritual Action
Leader: Holy One, Source of all life and wisdom,
we gather in gratitude for the sacred journey of years,
for lives shaped by courage, compassion, and enduring love.
People: We give thanks for our elders,
for the women who have walked before us and among us.
Leader: Today we remember Queen Esther,
who stepped forward in a moment of great risk and great need,
trusting that she had come “for such a time as this.”
People: We honor those among us
who have lived with courage in their own time.
Leader: For the moments you spoke when silence would have been safer,
for the times you stood when it would have been easier to sit,
for the ways you have used your voice for justice and compassion—
People: We honor you. We bless you. We give thanks for you.
Leader: For wisdom hard-earned and freely shared,
for stories carried across generations,
for resilience rooted deep like ancient trees—
People: We honor you. We bless you. We give thanks for you.
Leader: Like Esther, you have known both hiddenness and revelation,
both waiting and boldness,
both uncertainty and sacred purpose.
People: Blessed are you, wise ones,
bearers of memory, keepers of vision.
Leader: As Esther prepared herself with intention and care,
so we mark this moment with blessing.
Leader (to each):
[Name], for such a time as this, you have lived, loved, and led.
May your wisdom continue to guide us,
and your courage continue to inspire us.
People (after all women have been blessed):
You are beloved. You are honored. You are a blessing.
Leader: May you be wrapped in dignity,
strengthened in spirit,
and upheld in love.
People: May your days be filled with dignity and delight.
Leader: You who have discerned the times,
you who have acted with courage,
you who remind us that no life is without sacred purpose—
People: We receive your wisdom with open hearts.
Leader: And may we, following your witness,
trust that we too are called,
in this moment and in this world,
to live with courage and compassion.
People: For such a time as this, we are here.
All: Thanks be to God for the gift of wise women among us. Amen.
Sermon Rev. Tina Walker-Morin
Song Show Me the Way
RECEPTION OF NEW MEMBERS
Lynn Joslyn, Anna Purmort-Labue, Micah Peters, Janai’ Peters, Susie Shoemaker, Heather Powell, Sue Christiano
Deacon: Do you promise to participate in the life and mission of this family of God’s people, sharing regularly in the worship of God and enlisting in the work of this local church as it seeks to serve this community and the world?
Candidates: We promise with the help of God.
Rev. Jennie: Do you promise, by the grace of God, to learn from Jesus and seek to follow in the way he leads: to resist oppression and evil, to show love and justice, and to witness to the work and word of Jesus Christ as best you are able?
Candidates: We do, with the help of God.
Rev. Tina: Do you promise, according to the grace given you, to grow in the Christian faith and to be a faithful member of the church of Jesus Christ, celebrating Christ's presence and furthering Christ's love in the world?
Candidates: We do, with the help of God.
COVENANT OF MEMBERSHIP (unison)
All: We covenant with God and with one another in mutual love and trust:
to worship God together,
to study and respond to God’s Still Speaking Word.
to witness in all the world to God’s reconciling love,
to strive for love, justice, and peace,
we do hereby bind ourselves together to walk in all of God’s ways.
We rely on the Holy Spirit to lead and empower us.
We acknowledge God’s covenant with us,
made known to us in Jesus Christ.
We recognize our continuing need for God’s grace,
and our dependence upon each other,
in the fulfillment of this covenant.
Amen.
Deacon: We welcome you with joy! We promise to you, our friendship and prayers as we share the hopes and labors of this church. By the power of the Holy Spirit may we continue to grow together in God’ knowledge and love and be active in the Jesus movement.
Send Forth Song Friend of God
Benediction Rev. Tina Walker-Morin
Announcements
Postlude