This Sunday’s service will take the motto of the United Church of Christ as its theme: “That They May All Be One.”   This weekend was the Annual Meeting of the Vermont Conference of the UCC, always an inspiring and uplifting gathering of churches from all over the state.  Worshipping together, singing and praying and laughing and crying, we really do feel that we are one, with a unity that spans all our diversity.   We will hear the scripture passage from which our motto came, which is the final prayer of Jesus for his followers, John 17:20-26.  We will also hear the passage in the first letter of John that names God’s love as the source of our unity (I John 4:16b-21), and Psalm 133 that begins, “How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity.”

We will sing These Things Shall Be, and Lord, We Thank Thee for Our Brothers (set to the Austrian Hymn tune), and the beloved communion spiritual that unites churches all over America, Let Us Break Bread Together.  The choir will sing We Limit Not the Truth of God and the favorite anthem, God So Loved the World.  John will play organ pieces by F. Couperin, F. Peters  and C. Couperin .