Sunday, January 23, 2022
January 23, 2022
Third Sunday of Epiphany
10:15A.M
Organ Prelude
Welcome and Announcements John Strawbridge
Choral Introit “Almighty Father, Hear Our Prayer” (Mendelssohn)
Almighty Father, hear our prayer, and bless all souls that wait before Thee. Amen.
Call to Worship
L: In one Spirit we were all baptized into one body – Jews or Greeks, slaves or free, native people and later comers to this land…
P: Indeed the body does not consist of one member but of many.
L: If one member suffers, all suffer together with it;
P: If one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.
L: We are the body of Christ and individually members of it.
P: Baptized by the Spirit, we claim our membership in the body of Christ.
Opening Hymn “In Christ There is No East or West” UMH 548 Vs. 1, 2 & 3
1. In Christ there is no east or west,
in him no south or north,
but one great fellowship of love
throughout the whole wide earth.
2. In Christ shall true hearts ev’rywhere
their high communion find.
His service is the golden cord
close binding humankind.
3. Join hands, then, people of the faith,
whate’er your race may be.
All children of the living God
are surely kin to me.
Gospel Lesson Luke 1:1-4, 4:14-21
1 Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled[a] among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. 3 With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.
4:14 Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. 15 He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.
16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
The Word of God…..THANKS BE TO GOD
Sharing Joys and Concerns
Pastoral Prayer
Lord’s Prayer
Choral Response “Cares Chorus” TFWS 2215
I cast all my cares upon You
I lay all of my burdens down at Your feet
And any time I don’t know just what to do,
I will cast all my cares upon You.
Epistle Lesson 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 The Message
12-13 You can easily enough see how this kind of thing works by looking no further than your own body. Your body has many parts—limbs, organs, cells—but no matter how many parts you can name, you’re still one body. It’s exactly the same with Christ. By means of his one Spirit, we all said good-bye to our partial and piecemeal lives. We each used to independently call our own shots, but then we entered into a large and integrated life in which he has the final say in everything. (This is what we proclaimed in word and action when we were baptized.) Each of us is now a part of his resurrection body, refreshed and sustained at one fountain—his Spirit—where we all come to drink. The old labels we once used to identify ourselves—labels like Jew or Greek, slave or free—are no longer useful. We need something larger, more comprehensive.
14-18 I want you to think about how all this makes you more significant, not less. A body isn’t just a single part blown up into something huge. It’s all the different-but-similar parts arranged and functioning together….As it is, we see that God has carefully placed each part of the body right where he wanted it.
19-24 But I also want you to think about how this keeps your significance from getting blown up into self-importance. For no matter how significant you are, it is only because of what you are a part of. An enormous eye or a gigantic hand wouldn’t be a body, but a monster. What we have is one body with many parts, each its proper size and in its proper place. No part is important on its own…..25-26 The way God designed our bodies is a model for understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part, the parts we mention and the parts we don’t, the parts we see and the parts we don’t. If one part hurts, every other part is involved in the hurt, and in the healing. If one part flourishes, every other part enters into the exuberance.
27 You are Christ’s body—that’s who you are! You must never forget this. Only as you accept your part of that body does your “part” mean anything. The Word of God for the people of God….Thanks Be To God
Sermon “We Are In This Together” Rev. Debbie Scott
Invitation to Offering
Offertory “Lord, We Pray Thee” (Roberts)
Lord, we pray Thee that Thy grace may always prevent and follow us, and make us continually to be given to all good works, through Jesus Christ our Lord. 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 “The Servant Song TFWS 2222
1. Will you let me be your servant,
Let me be as Christ to you;
Pray that I may have the grace to
Let you be my servant, too.
2.We are pilgrims on a journey,
We are trav’lers on the road;
We are here to help each other
Walk the mile and bear the load.
4. I will weep when you are weeping;
When you laugh I’ll laugh with you.
I will share your joy and sorrow
‘Til we’ve seen this journey through.
Benediction
Go as far as your courage takes you,
for you cannot go beyond the reach of God.
Give as extravagantly as you may,
for you cannot spend all the riches of God.
Care as lavishly as you are able,
for you cannot exhaust the love of God.
Keep journeying as a friend,
for God will always be with you. (BHughes)
All: May it be so!
Choral Benediction “God Be With You Till We Meet Again” (Vaughan Williams)
God be with you till we meet again;
By His counsels guide, uphold you,
With His sheep securely fold you;
God be with you till we meet again.
Ringing the Bicentennial Bell
Organ Postlude
To access the insert, please click here.
Flowers
In honor of Neill Curtis and all January birthdays.
We are grateful that you have come to be with us this morning. It is our hope that you experience the love of Christ this morning and his presence during our worship. Please find our contact information below if you would like to reach out to us:
Church Office Number: 410-889-1512
Office Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, & Saturday
8:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Email: Lovely.Lane.BCS@gmail.com
Pastor: Rev. Deb Scott
Phone Number: 301-641-4601
Email: revdeb8@aol.com
Social Networks:
