Online Worship - Sunday, January 31, 2021
Sermon: What Possessed Us?
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Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. Anyone who claims to know something
does not yet have the necessary knowledge; but anyone who loves God is known by God.
- 1 Corinthians 8:1-3
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This Sunday, we will reflect on the healing story in Mark and how Jesus calls out the unclean spirits. This is a passage that we often struggle to understand and this week we will talk about how we understand unclean spirits, especially in our current reality, and how ultimately Jesus Christ brings healing and restoration. We are blessed to have Hannah Day Donoghue, our Program Director, preach and proclaim the word of God!
Please register your attendance here! You can also list prayer requests as well. To be added to the Prayer Chain click here.
See below for the Order of Worship.
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Sunday Worship
January 31, 2021 - 11 AM
The Order of Service
Welcome to Trinity online.
As we prepare for a time of worship, we invite you to find an intentional space in your home for worship. We encourage you to light a candle or place something that
reminds you of Trinity or your connection with God nearby. Children are invited
to take out their worship boxes to prepare for worship.
Prelude: Voluntary on “Let All Things Now Living” - David Lasky
Welcome and Announcements
As we light our candles in the sanctuary, I invite you to join us in lighting your own candle at home. As we place the cross in the holder, we invite you to place something that reminds you of Trinity or your connection with God in front of you.
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Call to Worship:
Come to worship this day.
Bring with you all your joys and sorrows.
Jesus will bring us healing.
Come to worship this day believing in the power
of God through Jesus Christ.
Jesus will bring us healing.
Come to worship this day feeling the presence of God.
Jesus will bring us healing. AMEN.
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Hymn: Heal Us, Emmanuel, Hear Our Prayer - Hymnal no. 266
The United Methodist Hymnal ©1989 The United Methodist Publishing House. All rights reserved.
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Prayer of Confession and Pardon:
Merciful God,
we confess that we have not loved you with our whole heart.
We have failed to be an obedient church.
We have not done your will,
we have broken your law,
we have rebelled against your love,
we have not loved our neighbors,
and we have not heard the cry of the needy.
Forgive us, we pray.
Free us for joyful obedience,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
(All pray in silence.)
Here the good news:
Christ died for us while we were yet sinners;
that proves God’s love toward us.
In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!
Glory be to God. Amen.
Passing of the Peace:
We’d love to know you worshiped with us! Please register your attendance here. We also encourage you to comment during the service so we can be in community with you! Click here to sign up for all our eCommunications.
Staff Appreciation
Children’s Time: Pastor Grace Han
We invite the children who are worshiping at home to pay extra special attention. Each week Hannah Day Donoghue will send out Children’s Coloring Page for the children to do at home during this time.
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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.
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Solo: Speak, O Lord - Stuart Townend
Gordon Johnson, tenor
Speak, O Lord, as we come to You to receive the food of Your Holy Word. Take Your truth, plant it deep in us. Shape and fashion us in Your likeness that the light of Christ might be seen today in our acts of love and our deeds of faith. Speak, O Lord, and fulfill in us all Your purposes for Your glory. Teach us Lord, full obedience, Holy reverence, true humility. Test our thoughts and our attitudes in the radiance of Your purity. Cause our faith to rise, cause our eyes to see your majestic love and authority. Words of pow’r that can never fail. Let their truth prevail over unbelief. Speak, O Lord, and renew our minds, help us grasp the heights of Your plans for us. Truths unchanged from the dawn of time that will echo down through eternity. And by grace we’ll stand on Your promises, and by faith we'll walk as You walk with us. Speak, O Lord, till Your church is built and the earth is filled with Your glory.
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1 Now concerning food sacrificed to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. 2 Anyone who claims to know something does not yet have the necessary knowledge; 3 but anyone who loves God is known by him. 4 Hence, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “no idol in the world really exists,” and that “there is no God but one.” 5 Indeed, even though there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth--as in fact there are many gods and many lords- 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist. 7 It is not everyone, however, who has this knowledge. Since some have become so accustomed to idols until now, they still think of the food they eat as food offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. 8 “Food will not bring us close to God.” We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. 9 But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if others see you, who possess knowledge, eating in the temple of an idol, might they not, since their conscience is weak, be encouraged to the point of eating food sacrificed to idols? 11 So by your knowledge those weak believers for whom Christ died are destroyed. 12 But when you thus sin against members of your family, and wound their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if food is a cause of their falling, I will never eat meat, so that I may not cause one of them to fall.
The Word of God for the People of God. Thanks be to God.
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21 They went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. 22 They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. 23 Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, 24 and he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” 25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” 26 And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. 27 They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching--with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” 28 At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.
The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.
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Sermon: What Possessed Us? ~ Hannah Day Donoghue
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Invitation to the Offering:
We invite you to consider giving on-line or giving by text! To give on-line, click here and click on the Giving tab. To give by text, text “GIVE” to 703-783-3034. Further instructions will follow. For further information about online giving, visit here.
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Offertory Prayer
All good gifts come from you, dear Lord,
and from these riches we bring this offering.
Help us to use it for the furtherance of your purpose in this place,
and for the benefit of those in need. Amen.
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Hymn: My Soul Cries Out with a Joyful Shout - Canticle of the Turning
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Dismissal with Blessing:
During this time, children are invited to take one of the stickers and place it on your clothing to remember that you are sent into the world remembering the love of God and Jesus Christ.
Postlude: Little Fugue in F - G.F. Handel
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Music Notes
Today’s Solo: Stuart Townend (born 1963) is an English Christian worship leader and writer of hymns and contemporary worship music. His British, old-country music roots color “Speak, O Lord.” In June 2017, he was awarded the Cranmer Award for Worship by the Archbishop of Canterbury “for his outstanding contribution to contemporary worship music.” Townend, son of a Church of England vicar in Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire, started piano at age 7 and songwriting at age 22, and studied literature at the University of Sussex. He has led worship and performed events across the world at many conferences and festivals. His albums, 13 so far, span from 1995 to 2018.
© 2005 Thank You Music Ltd. Notes from Biography of Stuart Townend, BBC; Cross Rhythms magazine, 2005; Crosswalk.com
Today’s hymn: Canticle of the Turning is a setting of the Magnificat composed in 1988 by Rory Cooney. The hymn appears in the Catholic, Lutheran, Mennonite, and Presbyterian hymnals and is used in many choral and instrumental arrangements by others. Cooney writes, “...as (Advent) approached I was thinking about how I might write a song that my parish, St. Jerome in Phoenix, Arizona, might use to tie together the themes of Luke’s gospel through the year, and in a special way to begin it in Advent. The song of Mary known by its first word in the Latin version, “Magnificat,” (Lk. 1:46-55) celebrates that story in the even wider context of Jewish song, as the Magnificat itself parallels the Song of Hannah, the mother of Samuel, in 1 Kings 2. God takes action in the world on behalf of the powerless, the song goes, lifting up the lowly, filling the hungry, tearing the mighty from their thrones. The tune (the Irish 'Star of the County Down’) dances a bit, and there’s both joy and excitement in the melody that I think fits the spirit of Mary’s song well. The idea of “turning” in the title was both a nod to the inner conceit of “revolution,” (derived from the Latin “volvere,” which means “to turn”) and to the message of Jesus’s preaching...“Repent, and believe the good news”...that is to say, a complete change of the self, of mind and heart, which might also be rendered as “turn around.” notes from Gentle Reign by Rory Cooney
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Sunday at Trinity Church
The flowers on the altar are given to the glory of God and in celebration of Linda Cancellieri’s Birthday from the Chancel Choir.
Worship Online this Sunday: While we aren’t meeting in person, we will be worshiping online via livestream on Trinity’s Facebook page and through our website. Each Saturday evening, we will send out an email with links to the worship sites and the bulletin for worship that Sunday. This Sunday, we will invite you to be intentional about finding a space in your home to worship and to be truly present in a time of worship. For additional questions about how to worship online, please contact the Church Office.
Fellowship Time via ZOOM on Sunday after Church: After worship this morning, we invite you to a time of fellowship via Zoom led by our Program Director Hannah Day Donoghue! This will be a time for us to connect after worship, check-in, and to have a time of conversation about worship. Click here to join. For questions, contact our Program Director, Hannah Day Donoghue.
Join us for Youth Group via Zoom from 5:30-7 PM. For more information contact Hannah Day Donoghue.
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Trinity Community News & Prayers
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Trinity Church’s Weekly News
Virtual Coffee with Pastor Grace: Are you new to the church? Are you wondering what it means to get more involved or to join as a member? Join us for this casual gathering to learn more about Trinity and get to know Pastor Grace! We will meet via Zoom next Sunday, February 7th at 12 PM, immediately following the worship service! Sign up here or contact the Church Office.
Faith and Extremism: A Conversation with Chris Meserole: Over the last few years, we’ve seen a rise in extremist movements in the U.S. culminating in the storming of the Capitol on January 6th. What role did American Christianity play in those movements and how should faith communities, of all kinds, respond? Join us on Wednesday, February 10th at 7:30 PM for a conversation with Dr. Chris Meserole on this important topic. Chris Meserole is a Fellow in Foreign Policy at The Brookings Institution and the Director of Research and Policy on AIET. To participate, register here!
Order your Easter Lilies & Azaleas today! The Flower Committee invites you to reserve an Easter Lily or Pink Azalea for our Easter Sunday services. Plants are $25 each. Please pay electronically here, choose Flower Fund (765) and comment what type of plant(s) you wish to reserve. Our Office Manager, Jenessa Stokes will confirm your order and request the dedication you wish to have printed in the bulletin for Easter Sunday. Plants will be available for pick up at the Church on Easter Sunday after worship. Please know that all proceeds help us cover the costs of flowers, wreaths, and supplies throughout the year. For questions or assistance contact the Church Office.
Volunteers Needed to Help with Food Ministry: Mission is seeking volunteers who are willing to make food deliveries to Rising Hope Mission Church on Tuesday or Thursday mornings. Someone from the Mission Team will determine delivery contents and will help you load your vehicle. Sign up here. For additional questions or concerns contact Mary Gillman.
COVID-19 Vaccination Registration Information for Alexandria City Residents who are 65 years and over: If you are 65 and over, or have a condition that places you at high risk for severe illness from COVID-19, please complete this registration form by clicking here. For more information contact Alexandria City Health Department.
ALIVE! is restarting its Housewares program! They will be holding a drive-through collection event in the parking lot of Fairlington UMC on Saturday, February 6th, from 8:30 AM – 11:30 AM. Should this model be successful, ALIVE! will continue to schedule regular collection days. Volunteers will be present to receive donated items on a contactless and socially distanced basis. For the foreseeable future, this will be the only way to donate household items. Please limit donations to items listed on the ALIVE! Housewares page.
Rising Hope has made an urgent request for paper grocery bags. They are critical in delivering food to families in the community. Please consider helping with this effort by collecting them and then dropping them off in the large plastic bin outside the Church Office door, across from the mailbox. You can’t miss it! We will ensure that they’ll be included with the weekly food delivery. Thank you for your continued support with this ministry.
Join the Trinity Prayer Chain: During times of trial and uncertainty, we pray to grow in our faith and encourage one another. To respond to our growing prayer needs, we will be starting an email prayer chain to share our prayer concerns with one another. We will share joys as well as concerns and needs. If you are interested in being part of this prayer chain or have a prayer request, please email us here.
Centering Prayer meets weekly on Wednesdays from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM, via Zoom. Centering Prayer is a 20 minute practice to sit in quiet prayer to make ourselves open to God. A reading is shared by the leader with a short discussion prior to the prayer time. Click here to connect. For more information contact, Alva Smircina.
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Giving at Trinity
How to give at Trinity:
There are three ways to give at Trinity!
1. Give online through our online donation portal.
2. Give by text at 703-783-3034. Just send a text that says “Give” and the Amount.
For further questions about how to give, visit here!
Trinity has switched our financial management system from Vanco to Breeze. If you still give through Vanco, you can access your Legacy Vanco account here. We encourage you to switch to Breeze, our new online management system as soon as you can. Please cancel your Vanco account first and then set up your new giving through Breeze. Thank you for however you give, it is all very much appreciated! For additional questions or concerns, contact the Church Office.
Did you know you can support Trinity UMC with a tax-free transfer from your IRA? If you are age 72 (or 70½ before Jan 1, 2020) and have a Traditional, Rollover, SEP, or SIMPLE IRA, you are required by law to take Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) annually. But did you know that you can use the RMD as a way to make a tax-free transfer to a charity, including Trinity UMC? The transfer must be directly from your IRA to Trinity, and your broker can help you with this process so that you get the full tax benefit. Please notify Trinity when you authorize a transfer so that we may confirm receipt.
Another way to provide financial support to Trinity is with a gift of stock. Please consult with your broker and a tax adviser (prior to selling stocks intended to benefit Trinity) on how to handle to maximize the tax benefits. But if you do decide to give stock – please contact the church help. We can provide a form for your broker or tax adviser to facilitate the transfer.
As always, Trinity is very grateful for any gifts. It makes everything we do at Trinity possible. If all else fails - please contact Rich McKinney. Thank you again for your giving - no matter how you give!
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Sunday, January 31st
11:00 AM Worship at via Facebook Live and Trinity Website
12:00 PM Fellowship Time via Zoom
5:30 PM Youth Group via Zoom
Wednesday, February 3rd
6:00 PM Centering Prayer via Zoom
Thursday, February 4th
8:30 PM Chancel Choir Rehearsal via Zoom
Sunday, February 7th
11:00 AM Worship at via Facebook Live and Trinity Website
12:00 PM Virtual Coffee with Pastor Grace via Zoom
5:30 PM Youth Group via Zoom
Tuesday, February 9th
7:00 PM UMW Meeting via Zoom
Wednesday, February 10th
6:00 PM Centering Prayer via Zoom
7:30 PM Faith & Extremism: A Conversation with Chris Meserole via Zoom
Thursday, February 11th
8:30 PM Chancel Choir Rehearsal via Zoom
Sunday, February 14th
11:00 AM Worship at via Facebook Live and Trinity Website
12:00 PM Fellowship Time via Zoom
5:30 PM Youth Group via Zoom
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