Order of Worship
January 05, 2025 (Communion)
(The Second Sunday after Christmas and Epiphany (Year C)
10:00 AM
*Those who are able, please stand. Those who may not be able to stand, please remain seated.”
Prelude: “We Three Kings of Orient” Rebecca Groom Te Velde
WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS:
MISSION STATEMENT: (Let us say our Mission Statement together)
“To welcome and inspire All through faith, love, and fellowship according to Christ’s example.”
Introit: “O Morning Star, How Clear and Bright” Philipp Nicolai/J.S. Bach
*Call to Worship (Responsive)
Leader: Praise the Living God! Let all whom God rescues and redeems Praise Him.
People: Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, shining stars; praise him, highest heavens.
Leader: Let all know that God guides our way as he guides Mary, Joseph, and Jesus away from danger.
People: God commands that we praise all whose needs are dire.
All: Let us all praise our triune God, his beloved Son, and the Holy Spirit.
*GATHERING HYMN: “Go, Tell It on the Mountain” # 167
PRAYER OF INVOCATION: Gracious God, we come into your presence with joy and praise, grateful for the gift of Christ Jesus in our lives. As we celebrate this gift in our service of worship, fill our hearts with joy and our spirits with the gift of your Holy Spirit. With joy and gratitude, we pray. Amen.
Let us pray as Christ taught us to pray. Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come; your 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 yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen
STATEMENT OF FAITH: (Unison) We believe in God known to us in three persons: Creator of all, resurrected Christ, and the Holy Spirit, who guides and brings about the creative and redemptive work of God’s love in the world.
We believe that each person is unique and valuable.
We believe that we are called to welcome each person who is on a
spiritual journey, no matter who they are or where they are on that
journey.
We believe that the persistent search for God produces an authentic
relationship with God, one that engenders love, strengthens faith,
dissolves guilt, and gives life purpose and direction.
We believe we are a people of possibility.
We believe we have the breathing room to explore and to hear our call. We believe that God is still speaking…
*SERMON HYMN: “We Three Kings” # 172
WORD OF GOD: John 1: 1-18
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being 4 in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.
6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. 9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
10 He was in the world, and the world came into being through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. 12 But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. 15 (John testified to him and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ ”) 16 From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God. It is the only Son, himself God, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.
Matthew 2: 1-12
2 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, magi from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star in the east and have come to pay him homage.” 3 When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him, 4 and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written by the prophet:
6
‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah,
for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd my people Israel.’ ”
7 Then Herod secretly called for the magi and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8 Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” 9 When they had heard the king, they set out, and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen in the east, until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11 On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
Sermon: “The End of the Beginning” Rev. Norman Michaud
JOYS AND CONCERNS OF THE PEOPLE: (Please share by phone, text, or email at [email protected] or 603-812-1161 before the service.)
CALL TO PRAYER:
Pastor: May God be with you.
People: And also with you.
Silent Prayer, Pastoral Prayer:
Choral Response: “Rising in Darkness” Christe Sanctorum
COMMUNION HYMN: “I Come with Joy” #420 (verse 5)
SERVICE OF HOLY COMMUNION
Pastor: Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. You who have come to me shall not hunger; you who believe in me shall never thirst.”
All: (Unison) In company with all who hunger for spiritual food, we come to this table to know the risen Christ in the sharing of this life-giving bread.
Pastor: You need not be a member of this church or any church to partake of this spiritual food. All you need be is hungry.
Communion Prayer:
All: (Unison) Eternal God, who created the heavens and the earth, giving breath to every living thing, we thank you for the gifts of creation, and for the gift of life itself. We thank You for making us in your image, for forgiving us when we act as though you have no claim on us, and for keeping us in your steadfast care. Praise you for Christ’s birth, life, death, and resurrection, and for calling forth your church for its mission in the world.
Pastor: We remember that on the night of betrayal and desertion, Jesus took bread, gave you thanks, broke the bread, and gave it to his friends, saying “This is my body which is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, Jesus took the cup after supper, saying: “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
All: (Unison) Bless this bread and this cup. Bless all of us in our eating and drinking at this table, that our eyes may be opened and we may recognize the risen Christ in our midst, in each other, and in all for whom Christ lived and died. Amen.
Pastor: “Through the broken bread, we remember the body of Christ.”Through the cup of blessing, we remember the new life Christ gives.”
“The gifts of God for the people of God. Come, for all things are ready.”
Sharing of the Elements: Eat and drink in remembrance of Christ.
Prayer of Thanksgiving (Unison) : Holy one, you gave us this day our daily bread and nourished us with Christ’s presence. Through one loaf and cup, you have made us one, with you and each other. By your grace and love, feed the world with this bread. Let us remember the joy of your presence with the fruit of the vine. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen
CALL TO GIVING: On this day of celebration, let us bring our gifts, as the sages once brought gifts to Christ, the Light of the World. May our gifts reflect the light of Christ in the hearts of all we do for others.
Offertory Music for Inspiration: “Children of the Heavenly Father: James Pethel
Doxology: (Tune: Old Hundredth)
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Christ the Word in flesh born low;
Praise Holy Spirit evermore;
One God, Triune, whom we adore.
*Prayer of Dedication: (Unison) Generous God, thank you for the gift of Jesus. Thank you for the gifts of Christmas. Thank you for inviting us to bring gifts to your world. Bless the gifts we bring, that they may become vessels of Christ’s light and love in the world. Amen.
*HYMN OF DEPARTURE: “Lovely Star in the Sky” #175
Benediction: May each of us shine with Christ’s light of Love and Mercy. The world needs our light. Go forth with grace and love. Every person needs our grace and love. Go forth with the gift of Christ’s presence. Christ’s presence will save us all. Amen.
Postlude: “I Want to Walk As a Child of the Light” Rebecca Groom Te velde