July 26, 2026
“I sometimes try my acquaintances by such tests as this – Who could wear a patch, or two extra seams only, over the knee? Most behave as if they believed that their prospects for life would be ruined if they should do it. It would be easier for them to hobble to town with a broken leg than with a broken pantaloons. Often if an accident happens to a gentleman’s legs, they can be mended; but if a similar accident happens to the legs of his pantaloons, there is no help for it; for he considers, not what is truly respectable, but what is respected.”
~Henry David Thoreau, Walden
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 Call to Worship
~Homiletics, adapted
May the God of ages past,
the God of years to come,
and the God of this moment –
Give us today:
ears to hear truth in words both ancient and modern
voices to sing praise and speak of grace
eyes to see what once was lost, now found, & always loved
and hearts, souls, and minds that are rooted in Christ…
Opening SongS
Songs Will Happen!
“I’ll be on My Way”
~Shawn Kirchner
When I am gone, don’t you cry for me
Don't you pity my sorry soul
What pain there might have been
Will now be passed
And my spirit will be home
(REFRAIN)
I'll be on my way, I'll be on my way
I'll have left my feet of clay upon the ground
I will be glory bound,
I'll be on my way
When I am gone
Don't you cry for me
Don't my pity my sorry soul
What pain there might have been
Will now be past and my spirit will be home
I'll be on my way, I'll be on my way
I'll have left my feet of clay upon the ground
I will be glory bound,
I'll be on my way
When I am gone
Please forgive the wrong
That I might have done to you
There'll be no room for regrets up there
High above way beyond the blue
I'll be on my way, I'll be on my way
I'll have laid my. frown and all my burdens down
I'll be putting on my crown
I'll be on my way
When I am gone, don't you look for me
in the places I have been
I'll be alive but somewhere else
I'll be on my way again
I'll be on my way, I'll be on my way
I'll lift my wings and soar into the air
There'll be glory everywhere
I'll be on way
I'll be on my way, I'll be on my way
I'll have laid my frown and all my burdens down
I'll be putting on my crown
I'll be on my way
I'll have left my feet of clay upon the ground
I will be glory bound,
I'll be on my way
“Make Me a Channel of Your Peace” (Prayer of St. Francis)
~Adapted by Sebastian Temple
Make me a channel of your peace
Where there is hatred let me bring your love
Where there is injury your pardon, Lord,
And where there’s doubt, true faith in you
Make me a channel of your peace
Where there’s despair in life let me bring hope
Where there is darkness, only light
And where there’s sadness ever joy.
Master, grant that I may never seek
So much to be consoled as to console
To be understood as to understand
To be loved, as to love with all my soul
Make me a channel of your peace
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned
In giving of ourselves that we receive
And in dying that we’re born to eternal life.
Scripture Reading
Luke 5:36-39 (NRSV)
36 He also told them a parable: “No one tears a piece from a new garment and sews it on an old garment; otherwise, not only will one tear the new garment, but the piece from the new will not match the old garment. 37 Similarly, no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins and will spill out, and the skins will be ruined. 38 But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. 39 And no one after drinking old wine desires new wine but says, ‘The old is good.’”
THEOLOGICAL Reflection
Chris Zepp
“Pondering Patched Pantaloons”
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
Chris used his patched pants as a metaphor for faith and the way we tenaciously cling that which is comfortable and known. What metaphors might you choose to use for your own life and faith? How does Jesus’ parable of patches and wineskins speak to it?
The historian Jaroslav Pelikan famously stated, "Tradition is the living faith of the dead; traditionalism is the dead faith of the living.” How can we avoid the pitfalls of traditionalism in our faith? How does this parable of patches and wineskins, or the metaphors of pants or your own, help us see the difference?
RISE is not a community that is steeped in tradition, but that doesn’t mean we don’t cling to comfort and resist change like any other human community. What food for thought have these reflections given you in thinking about our own community of faith?
PRAYER
~Beginning with a prayer from The Iona Abbey Worship Book (2001)
Song
“Lord, Listen to your Children Praying”
~Ken Medema
Lord, listen to your children praying
Lord, send your Spirit in this place
Lord, listen to your children praying
Send us love, send us pow’r, send us grace…
Something's gonna happen like the world has never known,
when the people of the Lord get down to pray;
A door's gonna swing open, and the walls come a-tumbling down,
when the people of the Lord get down to pray.
When the people of the Lord, oh the people of the Lord,
When the people of the Lord get down to pray;
A door's gonna swing open, and the walls come a-tumbling down,
when the people of the Lord get down to pray.
Lord, listen to your children praying
Lord, send your Spirit in this place
Lord, listen to your children praying
Send us love, send us pow’r, send us grace…
He's gonna take over, He's gonna take control,
when the people of the Lord get down to pray;
He's gonna move the mountain, He's gonna make the waters roll,
when the people of the Lord get down to pray.
You're gonna know it when the Lord stretches out His hand,
when the people of the Lord get down to pray;
There's gonna be a brand new song of vict'ry in this land,
when the people of the Lord get down to pray.
Lord, listen to your children praying
Lord, send your Spirit in this place
Lord, listen to your children praying
Send us love, send us pow’r, send us grace…
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!
Community Material Need:
Boys clothes and shoes
(Size 8/9 clothing [small] & “big kids” size 2 shoes)
(see a list of ongoing material needs on our giving page)
BOOK STUDY
TOMORROW NIGHT
One Discussion Only!
Tomorrow (Monday) Evening, July 27, 7:30 pm
Home of the Harbicks
Join us at the Harbicks’ for a conversation inspired by the reading tomorrow night! DM us or contact Chris if you have questions, need more info, or need the address.
THE Sitting
6-8 pm THURSDAY Nights
Feel the Rain Brother’s Craft Brewing
It’s that time again! Some people have “standing” office hours, but you know that we do things a bit differently here at RISE, so we have “sitting” hours during the summer season! Join Alexis and/or Chris on Thursday nights at Brothers throughout the summer - whether you have some burning theological questions or you just want to hang out with friends, we’ll be there and happy to chat with whoever might come!
Feel free to bring the kids and your dinner!
In Our Community…
VOICE Ensemble All Call
TODAY, July 26, 5:30 pm
Vision of Hope UMC
VOICE invites everyone to come check out VOICE at their WINTER 2026 ALL-CALL event at Vision Of Vision of Hope United Methodist Church!
Learn about VOICE and see if it’s a good fit for you! Light snacks will be provided. No pressure event and auditions are NOT necessary to participate in VOICE — you just need to be at least 13 years old and have a passion for singing and supporting our community! Beth and Taylin Sellers and Sue Nelson are members! Learn more at voiceensemble.org
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!
Picnic, Firepit, and Games - Friday, August 7, 6 pm at the Sellers’
Get full info about these and other upcoming events in the RISE Report — your source of information for all things RISE! If you aren’t yet getting it in your inbox, let us know so we can add you to the list!
Closing Song
“Count Well the Cost”
~Michael Stern
Count well the cost of building something right from the start
A new congregation or a work of art
There may be trials that seem to tear all your work apart
Count well the cost of patience, of heart
Count when you’re making a start
Count and then follow your heart
Count well the cost of following the one crucified
The river Jordan is deep and wide
And it’s not easy crossing to the other side
To love and to serve, to swallow your pride
Count well before you decide
Count well the cost of waging peace for often we fail.
In some situations may end up in jail.
To find a joy born of suffering, a freedom born of pain
count well the cost then wage peace again.
Wage peace all over again.
Count well the cost of following the one who would forgive
seven times seventy, so shall we live.
To find a joy born of suffering, a freedom born of pain,
count well the cost then forgive again.
Forgive again and again.
Count well the cost of building some-thing right from the start
A new congregation or a work of art
There may be trials that seem to tear all your work apart
Count well the cost of patience, of heart
Count when you’re making a start
Count and then follow your heart
Parting Blessing
~Homiletics, adapted
On the opening night of the Second Vatican Council, the beloved Pope John XXIII stood in the window by the study, smiling at the thousands of cheering persons below in St. Peter's Square. He lifted his arms to quiet them, and then spoke to them these words:
"Go home, and make love grow from here to everywhere."
It is a blessing that never grows old.
So friends, may we do the same.
Go home and remember that you are a gift.
And then share your gift –
Make love grow from where you are, to everywhere…
Remember friends — you are a gift!
Now go and be a gift!
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