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A Service of Song, Word, & Table
THE SEASON OF EPIPHANY
January 28, 2024
* Please rise in body or spirit.
WELCOME
MEDITATION FOR GATHERING
“God Will Raise Up a Prophet” (Based on Deuteronomy 18:15-20 in the Africana Tradition)
God will raise up a prophet when God needs a courageous word spoken.
Like Moses, and Mama and Auntie and Uncle
God will raise up a prophet from among us
Like coaches who care and teachers who pray
For athletes and students like they would their own.
Like barbers and beauticians who
Ask the right question at the right time
To pull us back to safety before we commit some crime.
God will raise up a prophet to speak God’s word to us.
And anyone who doesn’t listen will have to deal with God.
PRELUDE Dr. Dan Cummings
* CALL TO WORSHIP
Praise the LORD! I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart in the company of the upright in the congregation.
Great are the works of the LORD, studied by all who delight in them.
The works of God’s hands are faithful and just; all God’s precepts are trustworthy.
They are established forever and ever, to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness.
God’s works extend to you and me and the whole community as the Spirit nurtures gifts and graces in each of us.
Great are the works of the Lord, whose love and grace endures forever!
God raises up some to be prophets to help us follow God’s voice, yet all are called to lead by following.
We affirm the gifts of those who are called to be truth-tellers in our midst, helping us all to answer the call to be truth-doers. Great are the works of the Lord! Amen.
* PROCESSIONAL HYMN O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing (vs 1,2,3,5,7) 57 UMH
A READING FROM HEBREW SCRIPTURE Deuteronomy 18:15-20
ANTHEM
8:30 Here I Am, Lord Schutte, arr. Larson Karah Ingraham, soprano
11:00 I’m Gonna Live So God Can Use Me arr. Pote & Pote Chancel Choir
HOMILY “Seeing What God is Up To”
MUSICAL RESPONSE “The Servant Song” (vs 1,2,6) TFWS 2222
RESPONDING TO THE WORD: WE ARE CENTRAL — SERVICE Kathy Duncan
INVITATION TO OFFERING
OFFERTORY PRAYER
God of justice, mercy, and compassion; we bring our tithes and offerings to your altar and pray they will be used to make your amazing love known to all. Then, most often we leave and return to our weekday lives, expecting someone else to make that happen. Remind us that your prophets, your leaders, your missionaries, were called and raised up from “among the people.” Help us open our lives and our minds to the possibility that we might be the ones you would call and send. We pray this in the name of Christ, our teacher and our redeemer. Amen.
OFFERTORY
8:30 Dr. Dan Cummings, piano
11:00 Mass ApPeal Handbells
* DOXOLOGY Praise God, From Whom All Blessings Flow 94 UMH
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Holy God, hear our prayer. You send prophets and saviors to help us, to save us, to raise us, and our response is to question You. You heal someone’s beloved, and we ask, “Why not this one too?” You shower food upon some who hunger, and we complain that our stomachs are growling. Forgive us. Forgive us not for our doubts, but for our limited perspective. Open wide before us the vista of your grace, and the expanse of your love, and the wonder of your healing power. Through Christ, we pray. Amen.
AN ACT OF HOLY SILENCE
ASSURANCE OF FORGIVENESS AND PARDON
Sisters, brothers, and siblings in Christ, hear the Good News: At some time, each one of us has been lost in many different ways. But now we are indeed found, and not simply found, but rejoiced over, and cherished, and beloved. Your sins are forgiven; you have come home. Alleluia! Amen. Amen.
PASSING OF THE PEACE
REGATHERING HYMN Make Me a Servant TFWS 2176
THE GREAT THANKSGIVING UMH 17
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,
Our God, creator of heaven and earth.
Before the mountains were brought forth, or you had formed the earth,
from everlasting to everlasting, you alone are God.
You created light out of darkness and brought forth life on the earth.
You formed us in your image and breathed into us the breath of life.
When we turned away, and our love failed, your love remained steadfast.
You delivered us from captivity, made covenant to be our sovereign God,
and spoke to us through your prophets.
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 he 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.
In his baptism and in table fellowship he took his place with sinners.
Your Spirit anointed him to preach good news to the poor,
to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
and to announce that the time had come
when you would liberate your people.
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 Father (God), now and for ever.
Amen.
THE LORD’S PRAYER — Our Father/Creator…
MUSIC AT COMMUNION
8:30 Dr. Dan Cummings
11:00 Here I Am, Lord Schutte, arr. Larson Karah Ingraham, soprano
INVITATION TO CHRISTIAN DISCIPLESHIP
CLOSING HYMN Lord, Whose Love Through Humble Service 581 UMH
* BENEDICTION
POSTLUDE Dr. Dan Cummings
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