August 9, 2026
“I look handsome, I look smart
I am a walking work of art
Such a dazzling coat of many colors
How I love my coat of many colors”
~Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice,
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
WORDS OF GREETING AND GATHERING
Pastor Alexis Ward Owens
WELCOMING STATEMENT
RISE believes that God has open arms, and so should we. Our Creator wants us to love, accept and affirm every human being, including persons of every age, race, ethnic background, nationality, gender identity, sexual orientation, family or socioeconomic status, educational background, religion or creed, and physical or mental ability. We celebrate our diversity and recognize the sacred worth and dignity of all. Everyone is invited and encouraged to join us as we seek to follow Jesus with mutual respect, understanding, and love.
*Read more about “Why Pronouns Matter” HERE.
OPENING AFFIRMATION
~Alexis Ward Owens
We gather today as people wonderfully diverse in identity, story, and experience. We come wearing the colors of our lives—the gifts, the scars, the joys, and the truths that make us who we are. We remember today that God does not call us to erase what makes us unique in order to belong.
So we affirm together:
We are God's beloved, exactly as we are.
Our identities are gifts, not burdens.
Our diversity reflects the boundless creativity of our Creator.
No one is beyond God's embrace.
No pit is deeper than God's love.
No rejection can erase our sacred worth.
Opening SongS
Songs Will Happen!
“Higher Ground”
~Lyrics: Johnson Oatman, Jr., Music: Charles H. Gabriel, 1892
I’m pressing on the upward way,
new heights I’m gaining ev’ry day;
still praying as I’m onward bound,
”Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.”
Lord, lift me up and let me stand,
by faith, on heavens’ tableland,
a higher plane than I have found;
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.
My heart has no desire to stay
where doubts arise and fears dismay;
tho’ some may dwell where these abound,
my prayer, my aim is higher ground.
Lord, lift me up and let me stand,
by faith, on heavens’ tableland,
a higher plane than I have found;
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.
I want to live above the world,
tho’ Satan’s darts at me are hurled;
for faith has caught the joyful sound,
the song of saints on higher ground.
Lord, lift me up and let me stand,
by faith, on heavens’ tableland,
a higher plane than I have found;
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.
I want to scale the utmost height,
and catch a gleam of glory bright;
but still I pray till heav’n I’ve found,
”Lord, lead me onto higher ground.”
Lord, lift me up and let me stand,
by faith, on heavens’ tableland,
a higher plane than I have found;
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.
“Elijah Rock”
~Spiritual - Mahalia Jackson, arr. Brent Holl
Elijah rock, shout, shout
Elijah rock, comin' up Lord
Elijah rock, shout, shout
Elijah rock, comin' up Lord
Elijah, Elijah
Elijah
Elijah, Elijah
Elijah
Satan is a liar and a conjure too
If you don't watch out
He'll conjure you
If I could I surely would
Stand on the rock where Moses stood
Elijah rock, shout, shout
Elijah rock, comin' up Lord
Elijah rock, shout, shout
Elijah rock, comin' up Lord
Elijah, Elijah
Elijah
Elijah, Elijah
Elijah
Ezekiel said he saw him
Wheel in the mid' of a wheel
John talked about him
Book of the seven seals
Some say the Rose of Sharon
Others say the Prince of Peace
But I can tell everybody
He's been a rock and a shelter for me
Hallelujah
Elijah rock, shout, shout
Elijah rock, comin' up Lord
Elijah rock, shout, shout
Elijah rock, comin' up Lord
Elijah, Elijah
Elijah
Elijah, Elijah
Elijah
You can call my rock in the mornin'
Call him late at night
He's always with me
And all my battles He'll fight
When I'm in trouble
I can call him on the line
He put a telephone in my heart
And I can call God anytime
Hallelujah
Elijah rock, shout, shout
Elijah rock, comin' up Lord
Elijah rock, shout, shout
Elijah rock, comin' up Lord
Elijah, Elijah
Elijah
Elijah, Elijah
Elijah
Scripture Reading
Genesis 37:1-4,12-28 (NRSV)
1 Jacob settled in the land where his father had lived as an alien, the land of Canaan. 2 These are the descendants of Jacob.
Joseph, being seventeen years old, was shepherding the flock with his brothers; he was a helper to the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives, and Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his children because he was the son of his old age, and he made him an ornamented robe.[a] 4 But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him.
12 Now his brothers went to pasture their father’s flock near Shechem. 13 And Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers pasturing the flock at Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.” He answered, “Here I am.” 14 So he said to him, “Go now, see if it is well with your brothers and with the flock, and bring word back to me.” So he sent him from the valley of Hebron.
He came to Shechem, 15 and a man found him wandering in the fields; the man asked him, “What are you seeking?” 16 “I am seeking my brothers,” he said; “tell me, please, where they are pasturing the flock.” 17 The man said, “They have gone away, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’ ” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan. 18 They saw him from a distance, and before he came near to them they conspired to kill him. 19 They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer. 20 Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; then we shall say that a wild animal has devoured him, and we shall see what will become of his dreams.” 21 But when Reuben heard it, he delivered him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not take his life.” 22 Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but lay no hand on him”—that he might rescue him out of their hand and restore him to his father. 23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the ornamented robe that he wore, 24 and they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.
25 Then they sat down to eat, and looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels carrying gum, balm, and resin, on their way to carry it down to Egypt. 26 Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? 27 Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers agreed. 28 When some Midianite traders passed by, they drew Joseph up, lifting him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt.
THEOLOGICAL Reflection
Pastor Alexis Ward Owens
“Pretty Pretty Princess Joseph”
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
Who do you identify with the most in this story and why?
Do the brothers hate Joseph for who he is, or for what his existence makes them feel about themselves? How does dehumanizing or reducing Joseph to “the dreamer” help the brothers rationalize what they do to him?
How does the group dynamic among the brothers make it easier for them to justify harming Joseph? If a group agrees that someone deserves to suffer, does that make the act more morally acceptable—or simply easier to commit? What happens to individual moral responsibility when people act as part of a group?
Song
“Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel”
~Traditional Spiritual
Didn’t my Lord deliver Daniel,
Deliver Daniel, deliver Daniel?
Didn’t my Lord deliver Daniel,
And why not a every man?
He deliver’d Daniel from the lion’s den,
And Jonah from the belly of the whale,
And the Hebrew children from the fi’ry furnace,
And why not every man?
Didn’t my Lord deliver Daniel,
Deliver Daniel, deliver Daniel?
Didn’t my Lord deliver Daniel,
And why not a every man?
He set my foot on the gospel ship,
And the ship it begin to sail.
It landed me over on Canaan’s shore,
And I’ll never come back anymore.
Didn’t my Lord deliver Daniel,
Deliver Daniel, deliver Daniel?
Didn’t my Lord deliver Daniel,
And why not a every man?
Oh, Daniel cast in the lion’s den,
He pray both night and day.
The angel came from Galilee
And took that lion away!
Didn’t my Lord deliver Daniel,
Deliver Daniel, deliver Daniel?
Didn’t my Lord deliver Daniel,
And why not a every man?
PRAYER
~Alexis Ward Owens
Offering and NOMOFOMO
One of our core values is, "God gives to us, so we give back." We're called to give as a joy-filled response to what we've been given. Your financial gifts make a tremendous difference in the lives of God's beloved in Harrisonburg and beyond. Whether it's helping to make sure children in our community have enough to eat, helping to respond to the mental health crisis in our community, or providing much needed backing for the operating costs of our spaces and staff — your gift is a part of God's dream and we are grateful for everyone who partners with us on this journey!
(see a list of ongoing material needs on our giving page)
Community Material Need:
Thank you to everyone who has donated items to help out the single mom in our community setting up a new apartment. They are now living in their new home! There are some things that they could still use, so if you are interested in helping further, check out the list on our Community Needs Page . Contact Alexis if you have questions or need more info
THIS AFTERNOON!
Movie Night
3 pm
Zepps’ Home
Bring a friend, drinks and snacks for yourself or to share (we’ll have some on hand), and join us for a Sunday matinee movie and discussion.
This month’s movie:
First Reformed
(View Trailer HERE)
DM us or contact Chris Zepp (worship@riseharrisonburg.com) for address, directions, or more info.
NEXT BOOK STUDY
(One Discussion Only)
Monday Evening, August 31, 7:30 pm
Home of the Harbicks
For our next study, we will be reading “What Makes You Come Alive: A Spiritual Walk with Howard Thurman” by Lerita Coleman Brown. “Known as the godfather of the civil rights movement, Howard Thurman served as a spiritual adviser to Martin Luther King Jr. and other leaders and activists in the 1960s. Thurman championed silence, contemplation, common unity, and nonviolence as powerful dimensions of social change. In “What Makes You Come Alive,” Brown…walks with us through Thurman's inimitable life and commitments as he summons us into centering down, encountering the natural world, paying attention to sacred synchronicity, unleashing inner authority, and recognizing the genius of the religion of Jesus. We learn from Thurman's resilience in the psychologically terrorizing climate of the Jim Crow South, his encounters with Quakers and with Mahatma Gandhi, and his sense of being guided by the Spirit. Decades after their deaths, sages like Howard Thurman offer spiritual kinship and guidance for our contemporary life. Thurman's spirituality enlivened an entire movement, and it can awaken us to intimacy with God and to authentic action today.”
All you need to do to participate is buy the book, read it (or read what you can), and join us at the Harbicks’ for a conversation inspired by the reading on August 31! DM us or contact Chris if you have questions, need more info, or need the address.
In Our Community…
ACTS OF Atonement
Court Square Theater
August 13-16, 2026
The story you saw before, “Can’t Feel At Home”, was drawn from the historical record. Real families real mountains. Real removals. “Acts Of Atonement”, a new play from JoeBob Productions, begins where history grows quiet. The record tells us what happened in the 1930s… But they do not tell us what the children and grandchildren did with that memory. What follows is not history. It is a possibility. A question asked 33 years later . What might a community do if it tried to make things right? Our very own Gabe and Jeff Carr are in the cast! Reserve your tickets using the link below!
Coming Soon…
GaME Night
Friday, August 21, 6:30 pm
Laura Douglass’ Home
Bring a friend, your favorite game(s), and any food/sharing snacks as you wish / are able and join us for some fun times!
DM us or contact Chris Zepp (worship@riseharrisonburg.com) for address, directions, or more info.
Closing Song
“MAY YOUR HOPE ARISE”
~Michael Stern
May you be healthy, may you be strong
May you laugh and dance and sing your song
May you drink pure water, may you breathe clean air
May your hope arise from despair
May you seek the truth in the face of lies
May you find a love that never dies
May you have vision and stand your ground
May you hold these precious things you’ve found
May you have children under feet
And may they never lack good things to eat
May you all have shelter overhead
May you taste love’s wine and daily bread
May you count your blessings one by one
May your days be full till your days are done
And may you lay to rest that foolish pride
May you let the Spirit be your guide
May you be healthy, may you be strong
May you laugh and dance and sing your song
May you drink pure water, may you breathe clean air
May your hope arise from despair
Parting Blessing
~Alexis Ward Owens
Wear the colors of your true self with courage, trusting that you are wonderfully made and deeply cherished.
Go in peace to celebrate the sacred worth of every person, knowing that God's love goes with you always.
Remember friends — you are a gift!
Now go and be a gift!
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