Sunday, January 26, 2020

Third Sunday of Epiphany

Prelude – In Paradisum (Sequence)

Welcome and Announcements John Strawbridge

Choral Introit ­– May the Words of Our Mouths (Donald Moore)

May the words of our mouths and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in Thy sight. Amen.

* Call to Worship

L: We gather together in this space, to sing praises to our God!
P: We are old and young, men and women, all children of God.
L: We gather together to pray for each other and to pray to our God,
P: We come from all walks of life, but we are all children of God.
L: We gather to listen, to be in fellowship, and to celebrate our God.
P: We are poor and rich, sick and healthy, strong and weak.
Together we are the people of God! Together, let us worship.

* Opening Hymn – God of Love and God of Power UMH 578

1. God of love and God of power, grant us in this burning hour grace to ask these gifts of thee, daring hearts and spirits free. God of love and God of power, thou hast called us for this hour.

2. We are not the first to be banished by our fears from thee; give us courage, let us hear heaven’s trumpets ringing clear. God of love and God of power, thou hast called us for this hour.

3. All our lives belong to thee, thou our final loyalty; slaves are we whene’er we share that devotion anywhere. God of love and God of power, thou hast called us for this hour.

4. God of love and God of power, make us worthy of this hour; offering lives if it’s thy will, keeping free our spirits still. God of love and God of power, thou hast called us for this hour.

Prayer of Invocation (All)

God of radiant light, shine into our lives, and disperse the darkness that dims our vision; shine into our world, and cast out the fears that long have chained us; shine into our worship, that we may be a people of your hope and promise. Amen.

Sharing Joys and Concerns

Pastoral Prayer

Lord’s Prayer

Children’s Moments

Anthem – When the Kingdom Comes (Susan Naylor Callaway)

When the Kingdom comes, wars will cease;
When the Kingdom comes, only peace.
Pain will pass away,
Night will turn to day,
Love will make a way
When the Kingdom comes.

When the Kingdom comes, eyes will see;
When the Kingdom comes, fro you and me.
We’ll glorify His name!
His majesty proclaim!
We’ll never be the same
When the Kingdom comes.

Come, Lord Jesus, come and free us;
How we long to see Your face.
King of Glory,
End the story,
Bring Your Kingdom to this place.

When the Kingdom comes, it won’t be long;
When the Kingdom comes, we’ll sing the song
He gave to you and me,
And for eternity
Like Jesus we will be
When the Kingdom comes.

Psalter Reading – Psalm 27: 1, 4-9    Sefi Abedoh, Liturgist
The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?

One thing I asked of the Lord,
that will I seek after:
to live in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the Lord,
and to inquire in his temple.

Call to Confession Sefi Abedoh, Liturgist

If we come to God with open hearts and honest words, we will not be pushed away, but wrapped in God’s loving and forgiving embrace. I invite you to join me as we confess our lives to God, praying,

Prayer of Confession (Unison)

We admit, God our Light, that we do indeed try to tear Christ apart – a piece of him here to support our politics, a part of him to undergird our economic views, the rest of him to bolster our fears of others. We could leave immediately to follow him, but need to wait until we see where he might lead us. We want you to look upon us with favor always, but have no trouble turning our backs on those around us.

Hear us, God our Deliverer, as we speak of our failures! Have mercy on us, we appeal to you, have mercy! May your love become the core of our hearts, may your compassion become the words we speak, may your hope illuminate the ways in which we serve others, even as we seek to follow the One who calls us to new life, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Assurance of Pardon Sefi Abedoh, Liturgist

L: God is our help, so why should we be afraid? God keeps us safe, there is nothing to dread!
This is good news for all of us.
P: Sheltered in God’s gracious heart of mercy and love, we raise shouts of joy: thanks be to God, we are forgiven! Amen.

* Hymn of Preparation – Dear Lord and Father of Mankind UMH 358

1. Dear Lord and Father of mankind, forgive our foolish ways; reclothe us in our rightful mind, in purer lives thy service find, in deeper reverence, praise.

2. In simple trust like theirs who heard, beside the Syrian sea, the gracious calling of the Lord, let us, like them, without a word, rise up and follow thee.

3. O sabbath rest by Galilee, O calm of hills above, where Jesus knelt to share with thee the silence of eternity, interpreted by love!

4. Drop thy still dews of quietness, till all our strivings cease; take from our souls the strain and stress, and let our ordered lives confess the beauty of thy peace.

5. Breathe through the heats of our desire thy coolness and thy balm; let sense be dumb, let flesh retire; speak through the earthquake, wind, and fire, O still, small voice of calm.

* Gospel Lesson – Matthew 4:12-23

Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:

From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.

Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people.

Sermon – “Want to Go Fishing?”                                                                                              Rev. Debbie Scott

Invitation to Offering

Offertory – Welcome, Dear Redeemer (Franck, arr. Dash)

Welcome, dear Redeemer,
Welcome to this heart of mine;
Lord, I make a full surrender,
Every power and thought be Thine,
Thine entirely, through eternal ages Thine.

Breathe, O breathe Thy loving Spirit
Into every troubled breast;
Let us all in Thee inherit,
Let us find Thy promised rest. Amen.

Presentation of Tithes and Offerings

* Presentation of Offering – 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, yet heavenly host; praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

* Offering Prayer (All)

We are part of the body of Christ which extends around the world. Together, we form a caring community, united in spite of many differences in appearance, understanding, and function. If others are suffering, we, too, will suffer. When we have the ability to help, it is a joy to do so. May our offerings preach good news, proclaim liberty, and recover among us all the ability to see and hear and respond. Amen.

* Closing Hymn – Go, Make of All Disciples UMH 571

1. “Go, make of all disciples.” We hear the call, O Lord, that comes from thee, our Father, in thy eternal Word. Inspire our ways of learning through earnest, fervent prayer, and let our daily living reveal thee everywhere.

2. “Go, make of all disciples,” baptizing in the name of Father, Son, and Spirit, from age to age the same. We call each new disciple to follow thee, O Lord, redeeming soul and body by water and the Word.

3. “Go, make of all disciples.” We at thy feet would stay until each life’s vocation accents thy holy way. We cultivate the nature God plants in every heart, revealing in our witness the master teacher’s art.

4. “Go, make of all disciples.” We welcome thy command. “Lo, I am with you always.” We take thy guiding hand. The task looms large before us; we follow without fear; in heaven and earth thy power shall bring God’s kingdom here.

* Benediction

L: May the words of our mouths proclaim God’s love. May the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to God.
P: We go forward as praying, witnessing people. We greet this week with high anticipation.
L: The Spirit of God accompanies us on our journey. We are anointed for the sharing of good news.
P: Our words and deeds will release captives. What we do and say will change our world.
L: The joy of God is our strength. The law of God revives us and makes us wise.
P: In purity of heart, we seek to serve.
In quiet confidence, we dare to change and grow. Amen.

* Choral Response – Lord, Dismiss Us with Your Blessing (Sicilian Mariners)

Lord, dismiss us with Thy blessing;
Fill our hearts with joy and peace.
Let us each, Your love possessing,
Triumph in redeeming grace.
O, refresh us, traveling through this wilderness.

* Ringing of the Bicentennial Bell

Postlude – Rex Coelestis (Jackson)