January 3 @ St. Paul's UMC: Worship

Second Sunday of Christmas

Today’s Meditation Verse: “Let the righteous flourish throughout their lives, and let peace prosper until the moon is no more.” —Psalm 72:7

Welcome—Pastor Charles

Prelude: “Let All Things Now Living” — Hannah G.

Call to Worship (Psalm 8)—Pastor Charles (Leader) and Rebecca G. (People) —Congregation is encouraged to read People’s response aloud on Mute setting

Leader: Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name throughout the earth! You made Your glory higher than heaven!

People: From the mouths of nursing babies You have laid a strong foundation because of Your foes,  in order to stop vengeful enemies.

Leader: When I look up at Your skies, at what Your fingers made— the moon and the stars that You set firmly in place— what are human beings that You think about them; what are human beings that You pay attention to them?

People: You’ve made them only slightly less than divine, crowning them with glory and grandeur.

Leader: You’ve let them rule over Your handiwork, putting everything under their feet— all sheep and all cattle, the wild animals too, the birds in the sky, the fish of the ocean, everything that travels the pathways of the sea.

People: Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name throughout the earth!

 

Hymn: “There’s a Star in the Air” Verses 1 & 2 led by Hannah G. and Don B. —

Congregation is encouraged to sing along on Mute setting; words and music will be provided onscreen

The Work of Christmas Begins —Rebecca G. - Congregation is encouraged to read aloud on Mute setting (by Michael Dougherty, a variation on Howard Thurman’s “When the Song of the Angels is Stilled”) 

When the carols have been stilled,

When the star-topped tree is taken down,

When family and friends are gone home,

When we are back to our schedules

The work of Christmas begins:

To welcome the refugee,

To heal a broken planet,

To feed the hungry,

To build bridges of trust, not walls of fear,

To share our gifts,

To seek justice and peace for all people,

To bring Christ’s light to the world.

Community prayer requests, concerns, and celebrations—Pastor Charles

Pastoral Prayer—Pastor Charles

First Lesson: Ecclesiastes 3:1-13—Rebecca G.

Musical Offering: “I Cannot Tell” —Hannah G.                     

Second Lesson: Revelation 21:1-6a—Pastor Charles

Sermon: “Are you ready for something new?”—Pastor Charles

The Great Thanksgiving for Epiphany Sunday*

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts. 

We lift them up to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right to give our thanks and praise.

It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to give thanks to You, Almighty God, Creator of heaven and earth. You made all things and called them good. You gave a season for everything and a time for renewal of the old. And so, with Your people on earth and all the company of heaven we praise Your name and join their unending hymn:

 

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

Holy are you, and blessed is Your Son Jesus Christ, in whom You have revealed Yourself, our light and our salvation. You sent a star to guide wise ones to where the Christ was born; and in Your signs and witnesses, in every age and through all the world, You have led Your people from far places to His light. By the baptism of His suffering, death, and resurrection You gave birth to Your Church, delivered us from slavery to sin and death, and made with us a new covenant by water and the Spirit. 

 

On the night in which He gave himself up for us, He took bread, gave thanks to You, broke the bread, gave it to His disciples, and said: “Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 

 

When the supper was over He took the cup, gave thanks to You, gave it to His disciples, and said: “Drink from this, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant, poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 

 

And so, in remembrance of these Your mighty acts in Jesus Christ, we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving as a holy and living sacrifice, in union with Christ’s offering for us, as we proclaim the mystery of faith. 

 

Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again. 

 

Pour out Your Holy Spirit on us gathered here, and on these gifts of bread and wine. Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ, that we may be for the world the body of Christ, redeemed by His blood. By Your Spirit make us one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world, until Christ comes in final victory and we feast at His heavenly banquet. Through Your Son Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit in Your holy Church, all honor and glory is Yours, Almighty God, now and forever. 

The Lord’s Prayer — Congregation is encouraged to pray The Lord’s Prayer aloud on Mute setting

Receiving Together

 

Hymn: “Blest Be the Tie that Binds” Verses 1 & 2 led by Hannah G. and Don B. —Congregation is encouraged to sing along on Mute setting

Words for the Journey—Pastor Charles

Postlude: “The First Nowell” — Hannah G.

*“The Great Thanksgiving for Epiphany Sunday” © 1972 The Methodist Publishing House; © 1980, 1981, 1985 UMPH; © 1986 Abingdon Press; © 1987, 1989, 1992 UMPU. Used by permission.