Little Falls United Methodist Church

 

Sunday Worship Service

 

July 5, 2026 - 10 am

 

 

 

139 Main Street, Little Falls, NJ 07424

Office Phone: (973) 256-0993

Website: www.LittleFallsUMC.org

Email: Info@LittleFallsUMC.org

 

We are “A Welcoming Community of Faith, Hope,

Mission and Outreach Sharing Christ’s Love”

Our Mission is “Making Disciples of Jesus Christ for the Transformation of the World”

 

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God,

to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God,

which is your spiritual worship.” (Romans 12:1)

 

 

Called to Praise

 

⭻Prepare your heart and body for Worship

 

Greeting & Announcements
 

• We have ‘In-Person’ & ‘Online Worship’ on Sunday, July 5, 2026, at 10am.

 

• You can join our Online Worship via YouTube or Facebook. Type “Little Falls United Methodist Church” in the search window on YouTube or Facebook. Please use the link below to join in Online Worship. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lfumc

 

• Prayer Concerns & Joys – If you would like to share your concerns and joys with the congregation, please email Pastor Jin (jkim@littlefallsumc.org) or complete the online form, www.littlefallsumc.org/prayer.

 

• We will have Sunday Worship in the Fellowship Hall during Summer.

 

• We will observe the Holy Communion on Sunday, July 5, 2026.

 

• Altar Flowers – Thank you, Linda Timms, for providing the Altar Flowers in Celebration of the 44th Wedding Anniversary! If you would like to offer the altar flowers, please contact Janet (973) 896-8936 or ladyteddy@aol.com. 

 

• Fellowship Time after Worship – Let us enjoy a good fellowship time every Sunday after Worship. Please help us with hosting the coffee hour. The Sign-up board is on the table in the Narthex. Please contact Cheryle or Kathy F. if you have any questions about the coffee hour.

 

• Save the dates

  • July 5 – Holy Communion

  • July 11, 2026 (Saturday, 3 pm) – LFUMC Summer Pop Concert by the New Jersey Gamer Symphony Orchestra. Ticket is $10.

 

• Walk by Faith – We will post the church flyers on the doors of our neighbors at 9:30 am, on July 18, 2026! Please join us and let us share the Good News with others and invite them to the church for a faith journey.

 

• Treasured Memories – The next meeting will be held in the fall. The date will be announced. “Treasured Memories” is a grief group for those who have lost their loved ones. The ongoing meeting gathers every 2nd Wednesday of the month in Lee Lounge at 7 pm. Contact Allison for details (973) 800-4152.

 

• Online Donation – Online donation is available now. Please visit the church website and click ‘Donation.’ The link is https://www.littlefallsumc.org/donation.  Your financial support and generosity are greatly appreciated and essential for our church ministry and mission. Please consider sending your tithes and offerings to Little Falls UMC (139 Main St. Little Falls, NJ 07424). You can send your offerings and tithes to the church every week. Or you can send offerings and tithes for a month with a check. Thanks again for your generosity!

 

• Shoprite Gift Card – To purchase a Shoprite gift card, contact Pete (973) 595-5765 or detroit50@aol.com.

 

• LFUMC FOOD PANTRY ITEMS NEEDED - Many families depend on the Food Pantry on a regular basis. The Pantry needs the following non-perishable items; canned vegetables, peanut butter, jelly, adult/children’s cereal, pasta & sauce, instant potatoes/rice, tuna, chicken, sardines, fruit, apple sauce, juice, and granola bars.

 

• SOCKS FOR SOULS - Do your feet get cold? Please help Unity Circle to provide new or gently used socks to the homeless. There is a constant need. Please drop off your socks in the large white sock in the Narthex. 

 

• Ongoing Collection - UMW collects postmarked stamp and can pull tabs. Items are donated to different charities and organizations.

 

† Passing The Peace

 

†Call to Worship

Leader: We gather this morning in the true freedom granted by our Creator, the One who formed the heavens and the earth. 

People: We come to worship the God who made each of us fearfully and wonderfully.

Leader: In a world that constantly divides us, judging by wealth, power, and status... 

People: We declare our allegiance to the Kingdom of Heaven, where every person is beautifully made in the image of God.

Leader: Here, there is no high and no low. There is only the profound dignity of being loved unconditionally by the Father. 

People: Open our eyes, Lord, that we may see Your image in every face we meet.

Leader: Let us break free from the chains of the world's standards, and let us love one another just as Christ has loved us.

All: With grateful hearts and unified spirits, let us lift our voices and worship the Lord together!

 

†Praise Song                                  Goodness Of God             Jenn Johnson and 4 others

 

1. I love You, Lord
For Your mercy never fails me
All my days, I've been held in Your hands
From the moment that I wake up
Until I lay my head
Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God

 

[Chorus]

And all my life You have been faithful
And all my life You have been so, so good
With every breath that I am able
Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God

 

2. I love Your voice
You have led me through the fire
In the darkest night
You are close like no other
I've known You as a Father
I've known You as a Friend
And I have lived in the goodness of God (yeah)

 

[Bridge]

'Cause Your goodness is running after
It's running after me
Your goodness is running after
It's running after me
With my life laid down
I'm surrendered now
I give You everything
'Cause Your goodness is running after
It's running after me (oh-oh)

 

Children’s Time                          

 

Hymn of Prayer                           God Is So Good                            TFWS 2056

 

1 God is so good,

God is so good,

God is so good,

God's so good to me.

 

2 God cares for me,

God cares for me,

God cares for me,

God's so good to me.

 

3 God loves me so,

God loves me so,

God loves me so,

God's so good to me.

 

4 God is so good,

God is so good,

God is so good,

God's so good to me.

 

Pausing for Silent Prayer and Confession

 

Prayers of the People (Response: God, in Your Mercy, hear our prayers.)

Gracious and loving God, We come before You with grateful hearts, thanking You for Your faithful love that never fails. We thank You for the blessings of this past week, for the freedom we enjoy, for the opportunity to worship You together, and for the gift of being created in Your image. Lord, we lift before You those who are carrying heavy burdens today. Comfort those who are grieving, strengthen those who are facing illness or recovering from surgery, encourage those who feel anxious or discouraged, and provide for those who are struggling financially or searching for direction. Surround them with Your peace and remind them that they are deeply loved by You.

We pray for our nation as we reflect on Independence Day. Grant wisdom to our leaders, justice to our communities, and hearts that seek peace and reconciliation. Help us to honor one another with the love and respect that reflect Your kingdom. Bless our church family. Make us a community that welcomes all people and sees Your image in every face. Fill us with the Holy Spirit so that our words and actions may reveal the love of Christ wherever we go. We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

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 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. Amen.

 

Called to the Word

Prayer for Illumination 

 

Leader: 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. 

All: Amen

 

NT Lessons                                                James 2:1-9

2 My brothers and sisters, do not claim the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ of glory while showing partiality. 2 For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in, 3 and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Have a seat here in a good place, please,” while to the one who is poor you say, “Stand there,” or, “Sit by my footstool,” 4 have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor person. Is it not the rich who oppress you? Is it not they who drag you into the courts? 7 Is it not they who blaspheme the excellent name that was invoked over you?

8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well. 9 But if you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.

 

This ends the New Testament Lesson. 
Let us turn to the Gospel Lesson. Please stand, if able.

 

†Gospel Lesson                                        Matthew 25:34-40

34 Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world,35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38 And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you or naked and gave you clothing? 39 And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ 40 And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me.’

 

This is the word of God for the people of God. 

All: Thanks be to God.

 

Message                               God's Image in Every Face                 Rev.  Jin Kook Kim

Good morning, Church Family! I hope you had a blessed week in God’s love and grace last week. Yesterday, the whole nation celebrated Independence Day. Especially, it was special because it was the 250th Independence Day since the thirteen Colonies declared their independence on July 4th, 1776. Researching Independence Day, I found that it reminds us of an important message of God for our daily lives, so I want to share it with you this morning.

 

Here is a pop quiz for you. What led the thirteen colonies to Independence? History shows us that the colonists were wrongly and unfairly treated by the English Government. England had huge debts after the French and Indian War, and for the financial relief, England set unfair taxes, including the Stamp Act and the Sugar Act, for the colonies without any agreement or hearing from the colonies. And when the colonies resisted, England used their army force to handle the situation. That showed how they treated the people in the colonies. And the unjust and unfair treatment led the United States to seek independence from the ruling of England and the King.

 

I want us to focus on the foundation of the declaration of Independence the leaders claimed. The first sentence of the second paragraph shows the foundation of the declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” This profound statement reveals that the very foundation of independence is the belief that men are created equal by God and are given the exact same rights by our Creator.

 

This idea perfectly aligns with Christian thought. However, the teachings of Christianity—the Word of God—hold a truth that goes even deeper. As we see in Genesis 1:27, “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them.” The truth that everyone is created in the image of God means much more than simple equality, where no one is above or below another. It means that every single person is infinitely precious and honorable. It goes far beyond simply not infringing on someone’s rights; it means we are called to actively respect everyone and treat every single person we encounter with an attitude of profound dignity.

 

Just as England treated the colonies unjustly and unfairly back then, we see that today’s society once again tries to use wealth, strength, and power to strip away the rights and freedoms of others, treating people with injustice and inequality. But what about us? How do we treat the people we meet every day? Do we use wealth, ability, power, educational background, or race as measuring sticks to judge people, deciding who is "high" and who is "low"? When we interact with others, do we let these worldly factors cause us to ignore or look down on them? Every person is a beautifully made creation of God, but do we forget this fact and try to put people under our feet?

 

The early church struggled with this very same issue. In James 2:1-9, the Apostle James strongly rebukes the church for showing favoritism. He points out how they would welcome a rich man wearing a gold ring and fine clothes with great honor, but tell a poor man in filthy old clothes to “stand there” or “sit on the floor by my feet.” James reminds them—and us—that treating people differently based on their worldly status is a sin. Whenever we deal with anyone, we must remember they are made in the image of God and treat them with absolute respect.

 

The early church struggled with this very same issue. In James 2:1-9, the Apostle James strongly rebukes the church for showing favoritism. James describes a wealthy man entering worship wearing gold rings and fine clothes. Immediately the church gives him the best seat. Then a poor man enters in worn-out clothes, and he is told to “stand there” or “sit on the floor by my feet.” James criticized that the church had begun to value people the same way the world did. Instead of seeing people through God’s eyes, they were judging them by appearance, wealth, and social status. James reminds them—and us—that treating people differently based on their worldly status is a sin. Whenever we deal with anyone, we must remember that every person is made in the image of God and deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.

 

I want to share a touching story written by Olivia Shirley in the Upper Room devotional from June 26, 2026:

“Two days after birth, my newborn daughter developed a life-threatening brain hemorrhage. As she was taken by helicopter to a larger hospital for a risky operation, we prayed desperately. I pleaded with God to let me keep my baby girl. My daughter lived and was given a clean bill of health one week later. She did, however, stop eating. She was given a feeding tube through which she received all her nutrition for two years. Doctors never found a reason why she stopped eating, which made it more difficult for me to accept the feeding tube. I begged friends to pray that my daughter would start eating on her own. One friend reminded me that we are all 'fearfully and wonderfully made' (Psalm 139:14). This reminded me that with or without a feeding tube, my daughter's life is valuable, important, and perfect.”

 

Church family, whether someone has a physical challenge or not, every person is a beautiful being created in the image of God. Likewise, regardless of wealth, ability, power, education, job, race, or nationality, all people are beautiful beings made in God’s image. Therefore, whoever it is we meet, let us treat them with the deep respect owed to someone bearing the image of the Creator.

 

Now, I know that living a life where we respect everyone perfectly overnight is impossible. It is a journey. Even the founders who wrote the Declaration of Independence owned slaves, and the "all men" in their declaration sadly did not include women, Black people, or Native Americans at the time. However, because their direction was right, the United States moved forward, eventually including them and recognizing their freedom through the tremendous sacrifices and efforts of many. In our spiritual walk, we too might stumble. But if we hold onto the right direction and keep trying to practice it, even when we fail, I believe that with God’s help, we will grow to respect more and more people as those made in God's image. Living this way is exactly how we bring the Kingdom of Heaven down to this earth.

 

So, what does this look like in our actual, everyday lives?

At home, treating each other as beautifully made creations starts in our most ordinary moments. It means that when you are carefully making that morning cup of coffee for your spouse, or when you are preparing a family meal like pizza or baking cookies together, you aren't just doing household chores—you are actively serving the image of God in the people you love most. In a household filled with the busy schedules of growing children, it is so easy to treat our kids simply as tasks to manage or rush them through the day. But honoring their God-given dignity means pausing in the middle of the chaos, looking them in the eye, and reminding them that their true worth isn't found in their grades or extracurricular performances, but in simply being fearfully and wonderfully made by the Creator.

 

In our workplaces, whether we are in administration, customer service, or management, it means treating every colleague, subordinate, and client with the exact same dignity we would offer Jesus. It means stopping ourselves before we make a snap judgment about a coworker's background, education, or title, and choosing instead to see their God-given worth.

 

In our local communities, it extends to everyone we cross paths with. It means showing genuine respect and warmth not only to the server at a restaurant, but also to the mechanic fixing our car, the cashier scanning our groceries, the delivery driver dropping off a package, or the barista handing us our coffee. We don't look past them as just people doing a job; we see them as beautiful creations of God.

 

And right here in our church, it means welcoming the stranger, the broken, and the unfamiliar visitor with the exact same honor we offer our closest friends. It means building a community where there is truly no 'high' or 'low,' but only brothers and sisters in Christ.

 

Let us leave this sanctuary today with a renewed commitment. Let us declare our spiritual independence from the world's standard of judging by power and wealth. Instead, let us embrace God's standard of unconditional love. May we be a church that honors the Creator by honoring every single one of God’s creations. Amen!

 

HOLY COMMUNION & GREAT THANKSGIVING 

 

Response 1 : Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. 

  

Response 2 : Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again. 

  

Response 3 : Amen 

 

Called to Share

Response to Our Generous God 

 

 †Doxology                 Praise God, From Whom All Blessings Flow                   UMH 95

 

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;

Praise Him, all creatures here below;

Praise Him above, ye heav’nly host;

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!

 

†Prayer of Dedication

All: Gracious God, Everything we have comes from Your generous hand. As we present these tithes and offerings, we offer not only our gifts but also our hearts in gratitude for Your goodness. Use these gifts to share the love of Christ, care for those in need, and build Your kingdom in our community and throughout the world. Teach us to see Your image in every person we meet, and may all that we give and all that we do honor You, our Creator and Redeemer. We dedicate these offerings to Your service, in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

Called to the World

 

†Closing Hymn                             America, The Beautiful                    UMH 696

 

1. O beautiful for spacious skies,

for amber waves of grain;

for purple mountain majesties

above the fruited plain!

America! America! God shed his grace on thee,

and crown thy good with brotherhood

from sea to shining sea.

 

2. O beautiful for heroes proved

in liberating strife,

who more than self their country loved,

and mercy more than life!

America! America! May God thy gold refine,

till all success be nobleness,

and every gain divine.

 

3. O beautiful for patriot dream

that sees beyond the years

thine alabaster cities gleam,

undimmed by human tears!

America! America! God mend thine every flaw,

confirm thy soul in self-control,

thy liberty in law.

 

†Benediction                                                                                                         Rev. Jin Kook Kim

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you.  Amen.