We apologize that the live stream continues to be down – about all we can say is that we’re getting closer to repairing it. We hope to resume the live stream on Sunday, October 19. Mahalo for your patience.
Thank you for joining us for this live stream (or recording, as the case may be) of Sunday worship. May it bless you! You may need to click “Play” to launch the stream, which will be live around 9:50 AM.
This service includes the celebration of Holy Communion. If you will be worshiping from home, please prepare and have ready some bread or other staple food and grape juice or another beverage for that portion of the service.
Welcome to the live stream of worship from Church of the Holy Cross for Sunday, October 5, 2025. You will find the service outline below, and you may download and print the PDF to follow more easily.
Service of Worship October 5, 2025
Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost
Rev. Eric S. Anderson, Pastor
WE GATHER TO WORSHIP GOD
Please note that audio and video of this service are being live streamed on the Internet and will be recorded. The right rear section of the sanctuary will not be captured by any cameras. Please be aware that in other sections you may be visible at times.
Prelude: Let Us Break Bread Together Kayleen Yuda
Lighting of the Candles
Ringing of the Bell
Introit: For All the Saints Bell Choir
Welcome: Pastor Rev. Eric S. Anderson
* Call to Worship: (based on Psalm 37:1-9) John Narruhn
Leader: Trust in the LORD and do good. Live in the land and enjoy God’s bounty.
People: Take delight in the LORD, who fulfills the needs of your heart.
Leader: Commit your way to the LORD. Trust God, and God will act.
People: Even so will the justice of our cause shine like the noonday sun.
Leader: Be still before the LORD. Wait patiently for God.
People: The wicked will not profit from their deeds; God’s people will inherit the land.
All: Let us worship God!
* Hymn #496: Ekolu Mea Nui (Three Greatest Things) (v. 1-2)
* Invocation (based on Lamentations 3:19-26) John Narruhn
Our spirits are weighed down, O God, by the cares of our lives. Yet this we recall, and this brings us to this place and time: your steadfast love never ceases, and your mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness! We wait and worship, O God, our souls reach out for you. Come to us in this time of worship and renew us in body, mind, and spirit. Amen.
Please be seated
WE SHARE THE WORD OF GOD
Anthem: The Heart of Worship IYAA
Time with the Children Rev. Eric S. Anderson
Scripture: Habakkuk 1:1-4, 2:1-4 John Narruhn
The oracle that the prophet Habakkuk saw.
O Lord, how long shall I cry for help,
and you will not listen?
Or cry to you ‘Violence!’
and you will not save?
Why do you make me see wrongdoing
and look at trouble?
Destruction and violence are before me;
strife and contention arise.
So the law becomes slack
and justice never prevails.
The wicked surround the righteous—
therefore judgment comes forth perverted.
I will stand at my watch-post,
and station myself on the rampart;
I will keep watch to see what he will say to me,
and what he will answer concerning my complaint.
Then the Lord answered me and said:
Write the vision;
make it plain on tablets,
so that a runner may read it.
For there is still a vision for the appointed time;
it speaks of the end, and does not lie.
If it seems to tarry, wait for it;
it will surely come, it will not delay.
Look at the proud!
Their spirit is not right in them,
but the righteous live by their faith
Luke 17:5-10
The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!’ The Lord replied, ‘If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea”, and it would obey you.
‘Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from ploughing or tending sheep in the field, “Come here at once and take your place at the table”? Would you not rather say to him, “Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink”? Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, “We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!”’
Sermon: Prepare Supper Rev. Eric S. Anderson
WE RESPOND IN WORD AND DEED
Pastoral Prayer Rev. Eric S. Anderson
Please join me in the Lord’s Prayer
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 debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever and ever. Amen
Call to Offering John Narruhn
We are not idle creations; we are active participants. The Creator God has asked us to contribute to the blessing of the world. Let today’s offering be a part, a small part, of your work as a follower of Christ. Whether you share your gift here in the church today, through a gift online, or via an envelope in the mail, let the offering now be received.
Offertory: Elegy Kayleen Yuda
* Doxology
Praise God from whom all blessings flow,
Praise Him all creatures here below
Praise Him above ye heavenly host
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost – Amen
* Offertory Prayer John Narruhn
You have called us to prepare meals, to lay tables, and to serve our neighbors, O God. May these gifts feed them in body, mind, and spirit. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
* Hymn #332: As We Gather at Your Table (v. 1-3)
Sacrament of Holy Communion
Invitation
Eric Anderson: It was on a Sunday that Jesus Christ was raised from death by the power of God, appearing to several of his followers and friends. Mary Magdalene saw him and so did Simon Peter. Jesus walked the road to Emmaus with two of his disciples, but they did not recognize him until they joined him at a table where Jesus Christ broke bread.
Jonathan Roach: On this World Communion Sunday, come from the four corners of the world to gather about this table. Come brief in days and long in years. Come from your loves and successes and from your losses and sorrows. Come aware that the mountain is holy and the ocean is holy and the growing things are holy and the birds of the air are holy. Come to learn once more that Jesus of Nazareth called his disciples to name as holy the most common food and the most common drink, to remember is life, death, and resurrection.
Consecrating the Bread and Cup
Eric Anderson: On this World Communion Sunday, let us come to God for the breaking of the bread. Let us pray:
People: God of vast creation, God of heaven and earth, we thank you for the bread of life.
Jonathan Roach: We recall the time when you preserved the children of Israel by leading them to Egypt, where your prophet Joseph had gathered grain.
People: There on our Communion table, O God, is bread baked from wheat to keep us whole and sound.
Eric Anderson: We recall the time when they fled slavery into a barren land, and you fedthem with your manna.
People: There on our Communion table, O God, is rice, which nourishes so many hungry people every day.
Jonathan Roach: We recall the time your people found a promised land, rejoicing in its plenty.
People: There on our Communion table, O God, is banana bread, in which we taste the sweetness of life.
Eric Anderson: We recall the time when Israel received its law from you, a law that extended justice to the stranger and sojourner.
People: There on our Communion table, O God, is tortilla, which is the bread of so many newcomers to our nation.
Jonathan Roach: We recall the time when Israel was taken into exile, and they sought to worship you in a new land.
People: There on our Communion table, O God, is ulu, breadfruit, which has nourished Polynesian peoples wherever they have traveled.
Eric Anderson: We recall that in your wisdom and mercy, O God, you have never left your people hungry when your Spirit might provide.
People: There on our Communion table, O God, is poi from taro root, which keeps our bodies rooted in the land.
Jonathan Roach: And we recall, O God, that when your people were starved for your Spirit, you sent us Jesus, to fill us and make us whole.
People: There on our Communion table, O God, is an empty bowl, which reminds of the hungry we still yearn to feed, and reminds us of the love of Christ which fills our souls from depth to height.
Eric Anderson: God, bless the meeting of hunger and generosity in all places. Bless the memories of all that is Holy Land, the place of Jesus’ lineage and Passover custom, the land under our feet, all land remembered, all land honored, all land with justice.
Jonathan Roach: Bless all that is Communion but especially what we take into body and spirit, so that you can live and walk, sit, roll with us. Fill our bodies and spirits with strength, guidance, inspiration, and love, through this holy meal. Amen.
Eric Anderson: Through the broken bread we participate in the Body of Christ. In Jesus’ name, we give you this bread.
Jonathan Roach: Through the cup which we bless we participate in the new life Christ brings. In Jesus’ name, we give you this cup.
Prayer of Thanksgiving
Jonathan Roach: God, we thank you for refreshing us at your table by granting us the presence of Jesus Christ. Strengthen our faith, increase our love for one another, and send us forth into the world in courage and in peace, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit, through Jesus Christ our Savior, Amen.
* Hymn #540: We Plant a Grain of Mustard Seed (v. 1, 4-6)
Please be seated
Announcements Rev. Eric S. Anderson
Benediction Rev. Eric S. Anderson
Postlude: Scherzo Kayleen Yuda
* Please stand if you are able.
Permissions
Let Us Break Bread Together
African American Traditional
Streamed by permission CCLI License #1595965
Ekolu Mea Nui (Three Greatest Things)
Text by Robert Nawahine
Tune NAWAHINE by Robert Nawahine
Arr. by Martha Hohu, 1971
Arr. © 1972 the Hawai’i Conference UCC
Streamed by permission
The Heart of Worship
Text and Music by Matt Redman
© 1999 Thankyou Music Ltd.
Streamed by permission CCLI License #1595965
Elegy
Alice Jordan
Streamed by permission ONELICENSE A-735890
As We Gather at Your Table
Text by Carl P. Daw Jr., 1989
© 1989 Hope Publishing Company
Tune BEACH SPRING first pub. 1844
Harm. © 1992 The Pilgrim Press
Streamed by permission ONELICENSE A-735890
We Plant a Grain of Mustard Seed
Text by Mary Bryan Matney, 1990
© 1998, GIA Publications, Inc.
Tune NEW BEGINNINGS by Sally Ann Morris, 1990
© 1998, GIA Publications, inc.
Streamed by permission ONELICENSE A-735890
Scherzo
Alan Ridout
Tune: ‘Scherzo’ by Alan Ridout from
‘A Second Easy Album for Organ’
© Oxford University Press 1975
All rights reserved.
Streamed by permission ONELICENSE A-735890
Important Dates
Today, October 5 – Church Council meeting after Worship Service
Mondays, 11:30 a.m. –Pickleball lessons; contact Connie 808-936-7534 or
Ruth (rnduponte07@gmail.com) to sign up.
Wednesdays, 5:00 p.m. Bible Study in person and via Zoom in the Pastor’s Study (see the Weekly Chime for Zoom meeting link). Special Bible Study sessions from Sept 17 – Oct 15 as part of our Open & Affirming (ONA) discussion (contact Rev Dr Jonathan Roach.) in Room 2.
Friday, October 17, 6 PM – Community Sing in the church sanctuary
Sunday, October 25 – All Saints Sunday Worship Service
Other Faith Groups that meet at Church of the Holy Cross
The United Church of Christ, Pohnpei – Sanctuary, 12 noon
Rev. Bensis Henry
Congregational Christian Church of American Samoa – Sanctuary, 2:00 p.m.
Rev. Sitau Ofoia, Jr.
The Bedesta Church – Sanctuary, 4 p.m.
Rev. Edmes Edwin
Pastor Rev. Eric S. Anderson
Moderator Stefan Tanouye
Lay Reader John Narruhn
Chapel Decoration Amy Shiroma and Clarice Suzuki,
in memory of Tommy Shiroma
Organist Kayleen Yuda
Hand Bell Director Anna Kennedy
IYAA Music Director Stuart Mori
Projected Imagery Sue Smith
Web Master Ruth Niino-DuPonte
Videographers Eric Tanouye, Bob Smith,
Mace Peng, Woody Kita, Cindy Debus
Streaming Sound Director Ben Yamaki
Sunday School Teacher Gloria Kobayashi
Sunday School Aide Johanna Narruhn
We welcome you to worship this day. Church of the Holy Cross seeks to help its members, friends, and visitors follow the guidance of God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit, encouraging all people to love one another according to the teachings of Jesus. We live and teach the faith, speak good news, minister to people near and far, and work with other households of faith and helping agencies to improve our community and our world. To support our ministries, please visit our Donate Page.
