Hebrew Bible Wisdom and Poetry-
“Song of Solomon: Relational Wisdom”
Sunday, July 26, 2026
*Please stand in body or in spirit. Congregational responses are in bold and preceded by "All"
GATHERING
Welcome and Announcements
Invitation and Sharing of Peace
Peace be with you. And also with you.
Prelude Deborah Frounfelder, Guest Pianist
Call to Worship (enfleshed and Song of Songs 2)
LEADER: Look! Here comes by beloved— leaping across the mountains,
bounding over the hills.
ALL: We race towards one another in joy; for the Holy delights in our pleasure!
LEADER: Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing springs forth,
birdsong blesses the land.
ALL: We relish in the vibrancy of the world; for the Holy delights in our pleasure!
LEADER: My beloved spoke and said to me “Arise, my darling, my beautiful one,
come with me.”
ALL: The Divine greets us as a lover—enamored, giddily, playfully; for the Holy
delights in our pleasure!
Opening Prayer (adapted from enfleshed)
All: Beautiful Eros—we lament when religion vilifies and polices the wonders of pleasure. We mourn the ways we have internalized teachings of shame. We grieve the ways oppressive systems warp sexuality through violence and control.
Divine Love—plant within us joyful permission—to embrace what brings us pleasure, to learn healthy embodiments, and to celebrate the relationality of our bodies. May our cultivation of affectionate connection be the very expression of your wonder. Amen.
*Opening Song Pass It On UMH 572
- It only takes a spark
to get a fire going,
and soon all those around
can warm up in its glowing.
That’s how it is with God’s love
once you’ve experienced it;
you spread his love to everyone;
you want to pass it on. - What a wondrous
time is spring,
when all the trees are budding,
the birds begin to sing,
the flowers start their blooming.
That’s how it is with God’s love
once you’ve experienced it;
you want to sing,
it’s fresh like spring,
you want to pass it on. - I wish for you, my friend,
the happiness that I’ve found;
you can depend on him,
it matters not
where you’re bound.
I’ll shout it from
the mountaintop;
I want my world to know;
the Lord of love
has come to me,
I want to pass it on.
LISTENING
Scripture Reading Song of Solomon 2:10-13; 8:6-7
This is the Word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God.
Message for All Ages
Sermon “Song of Solomon: Relational Wisdom” Rev. DV Yost
RESPONDING
*Sermon Song Like the Murmur of the Dove’s Song UMH 544
- Like the murmur
of the dove’s song,
like the challenge
of her flight,
like the vigor
of the wind’s rush,
like the new flame’s
eager might:
Come, Holy Spirit, come. - To the members
of Christ’s body,
to the branches
of the Vine,
to the church
in faith assembled,
to her midst
as gift and sign:
Come, Holy Spirit, come.
With the healing
of division,
with the ceaseless
voice of prayer,
with the power to
love and witness,
with the peace
beyond compare:
Come, Holy Spirit, come.
Prayers of the People
Leader: Source of all Wisdom, ALL: We lift our prayers to you.
The Lord’s Prayer (Spoken)
All: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever.
Offertory Deborah Frounfelder, Guest Pianist
*Offering Response Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow (UMH 94)
*Prayer of Dedication (enfleshed)
All: Sensual Spirit—delight with us, dance with us, dream with us! Take our offerings and co-create communities that honor the wisdom of the body and that flow forth in freedom. Amen.
SENDING
*Closing Song How Great Thou Art UMH 77
- O Lord my God!
when I in awesome wonder
consider all
the worlds thy hands
have made,
I see the stars,
I hear the rolling thunder,
thy power throughout
the universe displayed.
Refrain
Then sings my soul,
my Savior God to thee;
how great thou art,
how great thou art!
Then sings my soul,
my Savior God to thee;
how great thou art,
how great thou art!
- When through the woods
and forest glades I wander,
and hear the birds
sing sweetly in the trees;
when I look down
from lofty mountain
grandeur
and hear the brook,
and feel the gentle breeze;
Refrain
Then sings my soul,
my Savior God to thee;
how great thou art,
how great thou art!
Then sings my soul,
my Savior God to thee;
how great thou art,
how great thou art!
- And when I think
that God, his Son
not sparing,
sent him to die,
I scarce can take it in;
that on the cross,
my burden gladly bearing,
he bled and died
to take away my sin;
Refrain
Then sings my soul,
my Savior God to thee;
how great thou art,
how great thou art!
Then sings my soul,
my Savior God to thee;
how great thou art,
how great thou art!
- When Christ shall come
with shout of acclamation
and take me home,
what joy shall fill my heart.
Then I shall bow
in humble adoration,
and there proclaim,
my God,
how great thou art!
Refrain
Then sings my soul,
my Savior God to thee;
how great thou art,
how great thou art!
Then sings my soul,
my Savior God to thee;
how great thou art,
how great thou art!
*Benediction
Benediction Response
Postlude Deborah Frounfelder, Guest Organist
Next Week
Hebrew Bible Wisdom and Poetry - “Job: Wisdom in Nature”
August 2, 2026 Job 38:1-11, 34-41
This Week at Arnolia
- Tuesday, July 28: 8:30 – 11:30 AM Thrift Store accepting donations
- Thursday, July 30 10 AM – 2 PM Thrift Store Open
- Friday, July 31 Pastor’s Sabbath – Church Office Closed
- Sunday, August 2: 10 AM: Worship Service
- Sunday, August 2: 11:15 AM Book Club
Copyright
Pass It On, by Kurt Kaiser, © 1969 Bud John Songs, Inc., CCLI #14284 - UMH 572
Used by Permission. CCLI Church Copyright License Number: 1684333 and Streaming License Number: 20155039
Like the Murmur of the Dove's Song, by Carl P. Daw, Jr., and Peter Warwich Cutts, © Words: 1982 Hope Publishing Company; Music: 1969 Hope Publishing Company, CCLI #217452 - UMH 544
Used by Permission. CCLI Church Copyright License Number: 1684333 and Streaming License Number: 20155039
How Great Thou Art, by Stuart Wesley Keene Hine, © 1953 Stuart K. Hine Trust, CCLI #14181 - UMH 77
Used by Permission. CCLI Church Copyright License Number: 1684333 and Streaming License Number: 20155039
About
-
Location