CCLI Number: 2880734
May 3, 2026
Baccalaureate Sunday
Words of Welcome and Announcements Rev. John Hill
Gathering Music
Call to Worship Rev. John Hill
The Lord called the prophet Jeremiah, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born, I consecrated you.”
We thank you, Creator God, for the life of this graduate, known and loved even before she was born. We praise you that she was consecrated by you to purposes we could not imagine so many years ago.
God created all people in the image of the Divine, in the image of God all were made by God’s own hand.
We recognize this graduate as your child, bearing your image. Her compassion and creativity mark her as a child of God, sharing her Creator’s likeness.
The philosopher reminds us that for everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.
We thank you that you have brought us to this day of rejoicing: a day to remember our journeys, a day to pause and look both to the past and to the future.
Mordecai saw God’s potential in his adopted daughter and told her, “Who knows? Perhaps you have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this.”
We know that you have great things in store for our graduate. We cannot imagine the future to which you are calling her, but we are confident in your ability to use every gift in your own time and for the purposes of your Kingdom.
God instructed the Israelites to share the story of their salvation, saying, “It is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.” Their celebration served as a sign on the hand and as a reminder on the forehead, so that the teaching of the Lord may be on every lip; for with a strong hand the Lord brought them out of Egypt.
Let this baccalaureate remind us of your strength, O God, in bringing people of faith through trial and difficulty. Let it be a sign of your eternal goodness and our unending gratitude.
Opening Hymn “O God, Our Help in Ages Past” (UMH #117)
O God, our help in ages past,
our hope for years to come,
our shelter from the stormy blast,
and our eternal home.
Under the shadow of thy throne,
still may we dwell secure;
sufficient is thine arm alone,
and our defense is sure.
Before the hills in order stood,
or earth received her frame,
from everlasting, thou art God,
to endless years the same.
A thousand ages, in thy sight,
are like an evening gone;
short as the watch that ends the night,
before the rising sun.
Time, like an ever rolling stream,
bears all who breathe away;
they fly forgotten, as a dream
dies at the opening day.
O God, our help in ages past,
our hope for years to come;
be thou our guide while life shall last,
and our eternal home.
Affirmation of Faith “A Statement of Faith of The United Church of Canada” (UMH #883) Rev. John Hill
We are not alone, we live in God’s world.
We believe in God:
who has created and is creating,
who has come in Jesus, the Word made flesh,
to reconcile and make new,
who works in us and others by the Spirit.
We trust in God.
We are called to be the church:
to celebrate God’s presence,
to live with respect in Creation,
to love and serve others,
to seek justice and resist evil,
to proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen,
our judge and our hope.
In life, in death, in life beyond death,
God is with us.
We are not alone.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
Gloria Patri (UMH 70)
Glory be to the Father
and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen. Amen.
Children’s Moment Marianne Harper
Prayer for Illumination Rev. John Hill
Lord, open our hearts and minds by the power of your Holy Spirit, that, as the Scriptures are read and your Word proclaimed, we may hear with joy what you say to us today. Amen.
Scripture Reading (Psalm 46) Rev. John Hill
God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Come and see what the Lord has done,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.
He makes wars cease
to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Response to the Scripture Reading Rev. John Hill
For the Word of God we hear in scripture, for the Word of God we encounter among us,
and for the Word of God at work within us,
Thanks be to God.
Sermon “Questions for the Journey Ahead” Rev. Chelsey Hedglin
Hymn “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee” (UMH #89)
Joyful, joyful, we adore thee,
God of glory, Lord of love;
hearts unfold like flowers before thee,
opening to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness;
drive the dark of doubt away.
Giver of immortal gladness,
fill us with the light of day!
All thy works with joy surround thee,
earth and heaven reflect thy rays,
stars and angels sing around thee,
center of unbroken praise.
Field and forest, vale and mountain,
flowery meadow, flashing sea,
chanting bird and flowing fountain,
call us to rejoice in thee.
Thou art giving and forgiving,
ever blessing, ever blest,
well-spring of the joy of living,
ocean depth of happy rest!
Thou our Father, Christ our brother,
all who live in love are thine;
teach us how to love each other,
lift us to the joy divine.
Mortals, join the mighty chorus
which the morning stars began;
love divine is reigning o’er us,
binding all within its span.
Ever singing, march we onward,
victors in the midst of strife;
joyful music leads us sunward,
in the triumph song of life.
A Blessing for Our Graduate Rev. Chelsey Hedglin and Rev. John Hill
Kelsey Huffman
Prayer Rev. John Hill
Invitation to Offer Tithes and Gifts Rev. John Hill
https://onrealm.org/CrievewoodUMC/Give
Offertory
Doxology (UMH #95)
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
praise God, all creatures here below;
praise God, above ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
Invitation to Holy Communion Rev. Chelsey Hedglin
Prayer of Confession Rev. Chelsey Hedglin
Merciful God,
we confess that we have not loved you with our whole hearts.
We have failed to be an obedient church.
We have not done your will,
we have broken your law,
we have rebelled against your love,
we have not loved our neighbors,
and we have not heard the cry of the needy.
Forgive us, we pray.
Free us for joyful obedience,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Silent Confession
Words of Assurance Rev. Chelsey Hedglin
Hear the Good News: Christ died for us while we were yet sinners. That proves God’s love toward us. In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven.
In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!
Glory to God. Amen.
Passing the Peace
The Great Thanksgiving Rev. Chelsey Hedglin and Rev. John Hill
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
It is right, and a good and joyful thing,
always and everywhere to give thanks to you,
Almighty God, creator of heaven and earth.
You formed us in your image
and breathed into us the breath of life.
When we turned away, and our love failed,
your love remained steadfast.
You delivered us from captivity,
made covenant to be our sovereign God,
and spoke to us through the prophets.
And so, with your people on earth
and all the company of heaven
we praise your name and join their unending hymn:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
Holy are you, and blessed is your Son Jesus Christ.
Your Spirit anointed him
to preach good news to the poor,
to proclaim release to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
and to announce that the time had come
when you would save your people.
He healed the sick, fed the hungry, and ate with sinners.
By the baptism of his suffering, death, and resurrection
you gave birth to your Church,
delivered us from slavery to sin and death,
and made with us a new covenant
by water and the Spirit.
When the Lord Jesus ascended,
he promised to be with us always,
in the power of your Word and Holy Spirit.
On the night in which he gave himself up for us,
he took bread, gave thanks to you, broke the bread,
gave it to his disciples, and said:
“Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you.
Do this in remembrance of me.”
When the supper was over, he took the cup,
gave thanks to you, gave it to his disciples, and said:
“Drink from this, all of you;
this is my blood of the new covenant,
poured out for you and for many
for the forgiveness of sins.
Do this, as often as you drink it,
in remembrance of me.”
And so,
in remembrance of these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ,
we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving
as a holy and living sacrifice,
in union with Christ’s offering for us,
as we proclaim the mystery of faith.
Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again.
Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here,
and on these gifts of bread and cup.
Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ,
that we may be for the world the body of Christ,
redeemed by his blood.
By your Spirit make us one with Christ,
one with each other,
and one in ministry to all the world,
until Christ comes in final victory
and we feast at his heavenly banquet.
Through your Son Jesus Christ,
with the Holy Spirit in your holy Church,
all honor and glory is yours, almighty God,
now and forever. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
Holy Communion
Prayer After Communion Rev. Chelsey Hedglin
Closing Hymn “I Was There to Hear Your Borning Cry” (TFWS #2051)
I was there to hear your borning cry,
I’ll be there when you are old.
I rejoiced the day you were baptized,
to see your life unfold.
I was there when you were but a child,
with a faith to suit you well;
in a blaze of light you wandered off
to find where demons dwell.
When you heard the wonder of the Word
I was there to cheer you on;
you were raised to praise the living Lord,
to whom you now belong.
If you find someone to share your time
and you join your hearts as one,
I’ll be there to make your verses rhyme
from dusk till rising sun.
In the middle ages of your life,
not too old, no longer young,
I’ll be there to guide you through the night,
complete what I’ve begun.
When the evening gently closes in,
and you shut your weary eyes,
I’ll be there as I have always been
with just one more surprise.
I was there to hear your borning cry,
I’ll be there when you are old.
I rejoiced the day you were baptized,
to see your life unfold.
Benediction Rev. Chelsey Hedglin
May the Lord bless you and keep you, may the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious unto you, may the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace. Amen.
Benediction Song “Christ Is Alive” (UMH #318, v. 5)
Christ is alive, and comes to bring
good news to this and every age,
till earth and all creation ring
with joy, with justice, love, and praise.