August 23, 2026

WORDS OF GREETING AND GATHERING

Chris Zepp

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 Thoughts

“Thoughts of Death” 
by Sterling Brown

Thoughts of death
Crowd over my happiness
Like dark clouds
Over the silver sickle of the moon.

Death comes to some
Like a grizzled gangster
Clubbing in the night
To some
Like an obstinate captain
Steadily besieging barriers
To some
Like a brown adder
Lurking in violet speckled underbrush
To some
Like a gentle nurse
Taking their toys and stroking their hot brows.

Death will come to you, I think
Like an old shrewd gardener
Culling his rarest blossom…

“Change” 
by Marie Smith

Change is my constant companion 
She is the cousin of growth
If avoided she morphs into fear
Change won't demand, only whisper 
Learn from me all your life, her words beckon 
I was still from my own insecurities
Change said "You make me happen. I am merely the catalyst." 
Change and I will walk together
And let Life be my classroom.

Opening SongS

Songs Will Happen!

“Reason to Believe”

~Tim Hardin

If I listened long enough to you
I'd find a way to believe that it's all true
Knowing that you lied straight faced while I cried
Still I look to find a reason to believe

Someone like you makes it hard to live
Without somebody else
Someone like you makes it easy to give
Never think about myself

If I gave you time to change my mind
I'd find a way to leave the past behind
Knowing that you lied straight faced while I cried
Still I look to find a reason to believe

If I listened long enough to you
I'd find a way to believe it's all true
Knowing that you lied straight faced while I cried
Still I'd look to find a reason to believe

“just one Break”

~Josiah Leming

So you're talking 'bout giving up
Resigning
Packing up that old truck
And driving
It's taken a hell of a lot
Just surviving
You crashed yourself on the rocks
Deciding

You're walking through your darkest hour
Running out of power
Right before the dawn
Looking for a ray of light
In the midnight sky
And time keeps moving on
But maybe you could roll that dice
One more time
See if the number's strong
All it takes is just one break
And you were alright all along
Alright all along

I know that it's hard to fall
You were climbing
And hearing that thunder call
Before the lightning

You're walking through your darkest hour
Running out of power
Right before the dawn
Looking for a ray of light
In the midnight sky
And time keeps moving on
But maybe you could roll that dice
One more time
See if the number's strong
All it takes is just one break
And you were alright all along

So won't you come back inside?
Give me some of your time?
Promise not to take it all
Soon you'll be on your way
On to better days
Saying "Look how far we've come"
Maybe we could roll that dice
One more time
See if the number's strong
All it takes is just one break
And we were alright all along
Alright all along
So you're talking 'bout giving up

Scripture Readings

Luke 6:21 (ESV)

21 “Blessed are you who are hungry now,
for you shall be satisfied.
“Blessed are you who weep now,
for you shall laugh.

Matthew 11:28-30 (RSV)

28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

John 16:22 (NIV)

22 So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.

THEOLOGICAL Reflection

Liza Koonin

“Walk With Me Down Memory Lane”

Memories of Victor Koonin

Memories of Russia, Visits to the US, Israel
Sharing of photos, momentos and childhood associations

“The Song of Haiwatha” by Henry Wordsworth Longfellow
(Start at 2:45) 

“When We Were Young” by Sergey and Tatiana Nikitin

“Adelaide” by Aquarium 

Liza (spoken word poetry) with Brent Holl and Gabe Carr on guitar

“Moment by Moment” 

Original Song by Gabe Carr and Liza Koonin

“Moment by Moment”

~Words by Liza Koonin / Music by Gabe Carr

Days can be magical, days can be tough
Some days you feel like you can’t be enough
Waiting and watching their little feet scurry
Picture memories settle and they all came out blurry

To know someone deeply’s a beautiful gift
To sit with their pain and feel their body shift

Those who look forward, too often forget how to notice

The present, the curious, moment by moment
Take a breath, feel your presence within the wide universe
Breathe out and release all of your burdens
We can’t come together
Unless we all fall apart first

I need a pathway, for pure, vulnerable eyes
I know the hearse with the pain and resentment inside
Give me the courage to live while in my life
So now I can be satisfied when it’s my turn to ride

The present, the curious, moment by moment
Take a breath, feel your presence within the wide universe
Breathe out and release all of your burdens
We can’t come together
Unless we all fall apart first
(Repeat)

We all fall apart

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS (Pick one or two):

1. Who was (or is) a particularly inspiring and influential person in your life? In what ways do you resonate and/or connect with them? 

2. What are ways that you keep the memories of your loved ones alive? Are there any particular rituals, activities, places or other things that help you feel particularly connected to those who have died? 

3. What rituals or practices do your family or culture practice to remember or connect to the dead? Family recipes, passing down traditions, stories, music, poetry, anecdotes, etc? 

4. Discuss any areas of growth you would like to work on in your understanding of grieving or your grief journey.

Song

“Handbags and Gladrags”

~Mike d’Abo

Ever seen a blind man cross the road
Trying to make the other side?
Ever seen a young girl growing old
Trying to make herself a bride?

So what becomes of you my love
When they have finally stripped you of
The handbags and the gladrags
That your grandad had to sweat to buy?

Once I was a young man
And all I thought I had to do was smile
Well you are still a young girl
And you bought everything in style

So once you think you're in, you're out
'Cause you don't mean a thing without
The handbags and the gladrags
That your grandad had to sweat to buy

Sing a song of six-pence for your sake
And take a bottle full of rye
Four and twenty blackbirds in a cake
And bake them all in a pie

They told me you missed school today
So I suggest you throw away
The handbags and the gladrags
That your granddad had to sweat to buy
(Repeat)

PRAYER

Beginning with “In Blackwater Woods” by Mary Oliver

“Change” 
by Mary Oliver

Look, the trees
are turning
their own bodies
into pillars

of light,
are giving off the rich
fragrance of cinnamon
and fulfillment,

the long tapers
of cattails
are bursting and floating away over
the blue shoulders

of the ponds,
and every pond,
no matter what its
name is, is

nameless now.
Every year
everything
I have ever learned

in my lifetime
leads back to this: the fires
and the black river of loss
whose other side

is salvation,
whose meaning
none of us will ever know.
To live in this world

you must be able
to do three things:
to love what is mortal;
to hold it

against your bones knowing
your own life depends on it;
and, when the time comes to let it go,
to let it go.

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

Also, one of our community members is looking for an affordable one-bedroom apartment, preferably in Harrisonburg. If you have any leads DM us or contact Pastor Alexis!

Next Sunday!

Back to School
Brunch Church

Same bat time.
Same bat channel.
Just more food:-)

Bring some of your favorite brunch food to share if you are able!

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.

Coming Soon…

The Return of WTF? — Thursday evenings at 6 pm starting in September!

RISE Sweet 16 Birthday Bash and Picnic — Sunday September 13

Harrisonburg Pride Weekend — Worship Sat. 9/19, 5pm / Festival Sunday 9/20 Noon-6 pm @ Turner Pavilion

Get details on all these coming events and more in The RISE Report - Your source of information for all things RISE! Get a sneak peak at the latest edition being sent out today! And if you aren’t yet getting it in your inbox, let us know so we can add you to the list!

Closing Song

“Tomorrow is a Long Time”

~Bob Dylan

If today was not an endless highway
If tonight was not a crooked trail
If tomorrow wasn't such a long time
Then lonesome would mean nothing to you at all

Ah, but only if my own true love is waitin'
Yes ‘an if I could hear her heart a-softly poundin'
Only if she were lyin' by me
Would I rest in my bed once again

I can't see my reflection in the mirror
I can't speak the sounds that show no pain
I can't hear the echoes of my footsteps
And can’t remember the sound of my own name

Ah, but only if my own true love is waitin'
Yes ‘an if I could hear her heart a-softly poundin'
Only if she were lyin' by me
Would I rest in my bed once again

There's beauty in the silver, singin' river
There's beauty in the sunlight in the sky
But none of these and nothing else can steal the beauty
That I remember in my true love's eyes

Ah, but only if my own true love is waitin'
Yes ‘an if I could hear her heart a-softly poundin'
Only if she were lyin' by me
Would I rest in my bed once again

Parting Blessing

“Should This Life Sometime Deceive You” 
by Alexander Pushkin (1825)

Если жизнь тебя обманет,
Не печалься, не сердись!
В день уныния смирись:
День веселья, верь, настанет.
Сердце в будущем живет;
Настоящее уныло:
Все мгновенно, все пройдет;
Что пройдет, то будет мило.

If by life you were deceived,
Don't be dismal, don't be wild!
In the day of grief, be mild
Merry days will come, believe.
Heart is living in tomorrow;
Present is dejected here;
In a moment, passes sorrow;
That which passes will be dear.

~Translation by Andrey Kneller

Remember friends — you are a gift!

Now go and be a gift!

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