This worship service centers on the theme of using our power, voices, and love to stand up for others, drawing especially from the opening chapters of Exodus. The service begins by welcoming everyone into the church community and reflecting on God’s peace and the responsibility to use power in ways that serve rather than oppress. Through prayer, Scripture, music, confession, and the passing of the peace, the congregation is encouraged to recognize God’s presence and to grow as disciples who embody Christ’s love.

The sermon focuses on the story of the Hebrew midwives, Moses’ mother and sister, and Pharaoh’s daughter—women who courageously resisted Pharaoh’s efforts to destroy the Hebrew people. The message contrasts Joseph’s earlier relationship with Pharaoh, built on mutual care and abundance, with a new Pharaoh’s fear-driven pursuit of control, forced labor, and oppression. At the heart of the sermon is a call to “sacred stubbornness”: the courage to resist division and destruction, protect vulnerable people, and use whatever power and influence we have to help create freedom and life for others. The service concludes with a celebration of the church’s continuing community, prayers for people experiencing grief and hardship, concern for local organizations and those facing homelessness, prayers for peace and healing throughout the world, and a closing reminder that God makes a way with us as we work toward a world where all can be loved and included.

The congregation is also invited to “Rooted in Love,” a special gathering planned for September 27, described as an opportunity to celebrate belonging, presence, connection, and the generations of love that have grown within the church community.