Pentecost 2024
Volume 15, Issue 3
Our worship services are livestreamed on our YouTube channel: upcbgm.org/youtube
Annual Congregational Meeting
Sunday, June 16, after worship
Our annual Congregational and Corporate Meeting (Part 2) will be on Sunday, June 16, immediately following the worship service. We will gather on this Sunday to conduct the ongoing business of the church for this year, knowing that the Lord of love and light goes with us every step of the way! We will elect the Session class of 2026 and the Nominating Committee for 2024–2025, and receive the team and project reports for the program year.
This meeting will be hybrid, immediately following the worship service, in the sanctuary and in the Zoom room, upcbgm.org/zoom or via phone call (+1) 646-558-8656, Meeting ID 865 274 8433.
It would be good to have you with us, either in person or online.
Worship Themes for Summer: Revisiting the Old, Old Stories
The Bible is full of stories about our ancestors in faith. Some of the stories are “Just So Stories”, explaining why things are the way they are. Some are origin stories, telling about how the God of the Bible called particular people and communities to worship and follow. Some seem to just be great stories that remind God’s people of their faith and God’s place as the creator, liberator, and source of their life.
This summer we are going to revisit some of the old stories, to retell them and to think about what they might mean for us as participants in God’s continuing story.
May 26 — The Tower of Babel and Human Culture: A “Just-So” Story
Focus text: Genesis 11:1–11
Once upon a time, there was one language and one culture for the whole world. And the people wanted to build a city that would reach the heavens, so they could be like God. God responded by scattering people all over the earth and confusing their language, “Therefore the tower is called Babel”. The story explains the confusion of languages, and takes sly aim at Babylon, the empire in Mesopotamia that was an early source of confusion to the Hebrew people. There is an ancient ziggurat built around 2000 BCE that is believed to be the tower that inspired the story, but it is more likely that the story was created to explain the existence of the ancient tower than that it was rooted in history. The story still rings true, because we still prefer to stay where we are, and let the world adapt to us, instead of following God’s call to transform the whole world, following in the footsteps of Jesus.
June 2 — Jacob’s Ladder (Dreams of Greatness)
Focus text: Genesis 28:10–22
In the Hebrew Bible there are many stories of God speaking to people in dreams, for warnings or reassurance or instruction about God’s purposes. The dream of Jacob’s Ladder has captured the imaginations of people of faith for generations, because it carries the promise of God’s blessing and of God’s messengers moving easily between heaven and earth. Jacob is on a journey between the land of his birth and the land where he is to seek his fortune; God’s promise of blessing gives Jacob a new vision and a new sense of purpose, so he creates a memorial stone and promises to be faithful to God, since God has promised faithfulness to him.
June 9 — Interlude: The Great VINES adventure with Amelia LoDolce
Focus text: Psalm 46
In the beginning, there was a group of dedicated volunteers who began to create urban gardens. In 2010, VINES became a fully-fledged 501c(3) organization with a simple purpose: growing food, growing community. As their vision expanded and their organization grew, they needed office space and a place to hold workshops, organize events, and gather the community that they were building… so they became a building partner with us in 2015. They have continued to grow and to build the vision, and now they are moving to their own dedicated building, itself an architectural and engineering feat, built at 157 Susquehanna Street. Today we are celebrating the time they have spent in our building and hearing about what else is in store for this terrific group that is making such a difference in downtown Binghamton.
June 16 — The Great Flood and Noah’s Ark
Focus text: Genesis 6–9 (selected verses)
The human race is corrupt and violent, and God has had enough! God decides to blot out the living world and start over again, saving only enough animals to repopulate the world and the family of Noah, who believes God and responds faithfully to God’s instructions. After days of rain and storm, and many days of being tossed about on the floodwaters, the Ark lands safely and a new world begins. God places a rainbow in the heavens as a sign of the promise that God will never again destroy the earth by flooding.
The story of the flood appears in other cultures in the Ancient Near East, so it seems likely that there was some kind of catastrophic event that was remembered widely and retold with different meanings for different people. Today we’ll look at the story for what it tells us about God’s faithfulness, about care for creation, and about starting over again after catastrophe.
June 23 — Interlude: The UP-Center and our ACBC Building Partner
Focus text: Luke 7:18–23
Jeff Pryor, the director of the Addiction Center of Broome County’s UP-Center, will be with us to tell us about the work of the UP-Center, how it has developed since it opened in 2023, and what his hopes are for the future. We’ll hear stories and have the opportunity to ask questions about the program and our partnership. Jeff is the first guest in a series of conversations we’ll be having with ministry partners that share our space and that we support with our time, talent, and treasure.
June 30 — Feed My Sheep
Focus text: John 21:15–19
It is the last conversation recorded between Peter and Jesus; it is framed as a post-resurrection encounter. Peter, weary from the events of recent days, announces to the gathered companions that he’s going fishing; they decide to join him and the story is set. When they return to shore, Jesus cooks breakfast for them, and then turns to Peter and asks, “Do you love me?” and when Peter responds, “yes Lord, you know that I love you,” Jesus says, “Feed my sheep.” This is repeated 3 times; apparently Jesus really wants Peter to get the message — if you love Jesus, feed the people that Jesus came to serve. It’s a challenge that we continue to reckon with even now: commitment of our minds and our hearts has to be matched by our commitment to the work that Jesus calls us to do.
July 7 — Eutychus
Focus text: Acts 20:7–12
The Apostle Paul is on one of his missionary journeys, and stops for a week in Troas. The last evening, he is teaching in an upstairs room until midnight; a young man named Eutychus, sitting in the window, falls asleep and out of the window; he is instantly killed. Paul picks him up, restores him to life, then returns to the room on the third floor and continues to preach until dawn.
Our mission is to follow Jesus Christ by doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with God.
