United Church of Christ Image: Mural in Glendale, CA. Artist unknown TRANSFIGURATION SUNDAY SECOND SUNDAY OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH February 14, 2021 Zoom Worship WE GATHER TO WORSHIP GOD PRELUDE All You Need Is Love John Lennon Lexington Gospel Choir WELCOME & ANNOUNCEMENTS Rev. Eric Sherlock CALL TO WORSHIP Sereen and Tahir Mahmood One: There are times when God calls us to come and rest, be at peace. All: Wisdom meets us like a friend, settling our anxiety and bringing us comfort. One: There are times when God comes to us through chaos and disorder. All: Love moves like a mighty wind, troubling all efforts to dominate and control. One: God brings stillness. All: God stirs up. One: God is restful and restorative. All: God is wild and disruptive. One: Let us welcome God in all Their forms, trusting the Spirit through confusion and clarity. Call to Worship by enfleshed.com PASSING THE PEACE Sereen Mahmood One: Peace be with you. All: And also with you. One: Let us greet one another with waves and smiles and pass the peace of Christ using the chat feature. TIME WITH CHILDREN Love Lesson Jubilee Project Life’s Big Questions Unscripted OPENING HYMN They’ll Know We Are Christians By Our Love Peter Scholtes Boyd Family Singers, The Riverside Church We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord; We will work with each other, we will work side by side; We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord; We will work with each other, we will work side by side; And we pray that all unity will one day be restored. And we’ll guard each one’s dignity and save each one’s pride. And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love, We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord; yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our love. We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord; We will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand; And we pray that all unity will one day be restored. We will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand; And together we’ll spread the news that God is in our land. SCRIPTURE LESSON Mark 9:2–9 and Mary Taylor MODERN LESSON “It will take each of us to confront the injustices that continue to perpetuate a broken system that has taken countless Black Americans’ lives. It will take people of every race, creed, and gender identity to speak up and to act. Now is the time to have those uncomfortable conversations about racism with family, friends, and neighbors. It’s time to have honest discussions about our country’s dark history of discrimination and confront the fact that structural racism lives on in our policies and everyday life. And it’s time for all of us—not just some—to speak out against racism.” — then-Senator Kamala Harris from an essay written for Cosmopolitan, June 4, 2020 SERMON Transfigured by Love Rev. Todd Atkins-Whitley ANTHEM A Change Is Gonna Come Sam Cooke Chase Dean, soloist accompanied by Jecorey “1200” Arthur, Cheyenne Mize, Ben Sollee It’s been a long / A long time coming / But I know a change gonna come / Oh, yes it will TIME OF PRAYER Pastor Eric Sharing our Joys and Concerns (Email your requests to Pastor Eric or type them in the chat window.) All: Hear our prayer Pastoral Prayer The Lord’s Prayer (using these words or the words most familiar to you) Our Loving God, who is in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your 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 yours is the kingdom, and the power and the glory, forever. Amen TIME OF GIVING Tahir Mahmood Invitation to Giving During this time of virtual worship, we invite you to give online via our web site and clicking “Donate” in the upper right of the screen. Doxology Praise God from whom all blessings flow; feat. Alton Eugene Praise God, all creatures here below; Praise God above, ye heavenly host; Creator, Christ and Holy Ghost. Amen Offertory Prayer CLOSING HYMN Ain’t No Mountain High Enough Nickolas Ashford, Victory Boyd Valerie Simpson BENEDICTION Pastor Todd POSTLUDE Unsung Hero (ภาพยนตร์โฆษณา ปี) The flowers on the altar for the final Sunday of the season after the Epiphany are provided by Kathie Hixon in memory of her sister Claudia Stine. Worship Notes Framed by Black History, Black Futures month, Sundays in February will invite us to consider our role in building what Josiah Royce, and later Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., called “beloved community”—a society based on justice, equal opportunity, and love of one’s fellow human beings. Through poetry, readings, and music created by people of color and moments of prayer and reflection, we will have the opportunity to reflect on our role in being a part of the UCC mission and vision to be an anti-racist church that works toward a more just world for all people. Made up of top London session singers, the soulful Lexington Gospel Choir deliver pitch perfect gospel harmonies including today’s Postlude “All You Need Is Love,” which was written by John Lennon in 1967. There's nothing No one you can save that can't be saved you can do that Nothing you can do, but you can learn how to be you can't be done in time Nothing you can sing that can't be sung It's easy Nothing you can say, but you can learn how to play the All you need is love game All you need is love It’s easy All you need is love, love Nothing you can make that can't be made Love is all you need Ain’t No Mountain High Enough was written by American husband-and-wife songwriting-production team and recording duo Ashford & Simpson— Nickolas Ashford and and Valerie Simpson. Ashford was born in Fairfield, South Carolina, and Simpson in the Bronx, New York City. Afterwards, his family relocated to Ypsilanti, Michigan, where he became a member of Christ Temple Baptist Church. While there, he sang with a group called the Hammond Singers (named after the founding minister, James Hammond). Later, Nickolas attended and graduated from Willow Run High School in Ypsilanti, Michigan, before pursuing his professional career, where he would ultimately meet his wife, Valerie. They met at Harlem's White Rock Baptist Church in 1964. After having recorded unsuccessfully as a duo, they joined an aspiring solo artist and former member of the Ikettes, Joshie Jo Armstead, at the Scepter/Wand label, where their compositions were recorded by Ronnie Milsap ("Never Had It So Good"), Maxine Brown ("One Step at a Time"), as well as the Shirelles and Chuck Jackson. Another of the trio's songs, "Let's Go Get Stoned," gave Ray Charles a number one U.S. R&B hit in 1966. That same year, Ashford & Simpson joined Motown, where their best-known songs included "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," "You're All I Need to Get By," "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing," and "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)." Ashford and Simpson wrote many other hit songs, including Chaka Khan's "I'm Every Woman" (1978) and Teddy Pendergrass's "Is It Still Good to You?" Ashford & Simpson were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002. They are also recipients of The Rhythm & Blues Foundation's Pioneer Award, ASCAP Founders Award, and the Grammy Trustee Award. Rolling Stone ranked them No. 19 on its list of the 20 Greatest Duos of All Time. Ain’t No Mountain High Enough was originally recorded in 1967 by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell becoming a top- twenty hit on the pop charts and number three on the R&B charts. The song became a hit again in 1970 when recored by Diana ross, becoming her first solo number-one hit and garnering her a Grammy nomination. [Ross’s first solo single was also written by Ashford & Simpson—“Reach Out and Touch (Somebody’s Hand)”. “A Change Is Gonna Come” is a song by American recording artist Sam Cooke. It initially appeared on Cooke's album Ain't That Good News, released mid-February 1964. The song was inspired by various personal events in Cooke's life, most prominently an event in which he and his entourage were turned away from a whites-only motel in Louisiana. Cooke felt compelled to write a song that spoke to his struggle and of those around him, and that pertained to the Civil Rights Movement and African Americans. The song contains the refrain, "It's been a long time coming, but I know a change gon' come." Though only a modest hit for Cooke in comparison with his previous singles, "A Change Is Gonna Come" is widely considered Cooke's best composition and has been voted among the best songs ever released by various publications. In 2007, the song was selected for preservation in the Library of Congress, with the National Recording Registry deeming the song "culturally, historically, or aesthetically important. Young people all over the world are using their voices to inspire change. One of those distinct voices is Louisville’s own, Chase Dean, who has continually used the power of song to inspire, uplift and spark action.