Second Sunday of Epiphany January 13, 2019
Sunday Worship at 10:30am
NO SWIMMING
www.riverofhopehutchinson.org
Bummer seat Bulletin and/or Music-Reader Bulletin:
This seat is NOT reserved. Go ahead – sit here! You may have a partially blocked seat, so use this bulletin if you can’t see the screen.
You’re welcome. ☺
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Gathering
Music to Prepare Us For Worship
Gathering Songs “Comfort, Comfort Now My People and
Did You Feel the Mountains Tremble”
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Introduce the Theme with Kids
Welcome, River Source, Connection Cards
No Longer Strangers Prayer
God of the Stranger, You created us and the world good. You created people in your image. Help us to see the miracle of your love and presence in strangers and friends. Amen.
Meet Someone New Now is the time to practice this very dangerous prayer we just prayed – there are no strangers because of the love we know in Jesus. We simply can’t afford to be afraid of each other, especially in this place of worship of the God who brings us together. Visitors, stay right where you are. It’s our job, as River of Hope, to make ourselves a little bit uncomfortable and to come and say hello to you. So, go and say hi to someone you don’t know very well or at all.
“Did You Feel the Mountains Tremble” to bring people back together.
Greeting
Wherever you are on your journey of faith, we believe that God meets you here. We gather in the name of the infinite giving and receiving Triune God – God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. God is with you! And also with you.
Let us confess that God is God and we are not.
Silence for reflection.
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Dear faithful and good God, You created us and all of creation good. Yet we deny your goodness, we insist on our own way. We re-define what is good and we mess it up, over and over. We end up making new, fear-based rules that nobody can follow, not even us. We make up our own truth and deny yours. In all of this flailing around, we forget to love. Ourselves, others, you. Help us see the goodness in us, in others, and in all the world you created.
Silence
Dear Sisters and Brothers, We believe in a God who is good and who created us good. Jesus Christ, the light of the world, is the one who makes us new, reminds us of our goodness from God. Children of God, you are loved, you are forgiven, today and every day. Let us rejoice in this good news! Thank you, God!
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KYRIE – “Lord, Have Mercy”
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Prayer of the Day
Let us pray. Rule-changing God, you give us ordinary water and your powerful promise and it changes everything. You turn our no’s into yeses, our fear into faith by claiming us as your children of God. Thank you for creating us good. Amen.
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THE STORY NARRATOR: Our story and God’s story continues today, with a reading from Matthew 3:1-17.
Narrator: In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, Side 1: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” Narrator: This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, Side 2: “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’” Narrator: Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, Side 1: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Narrator: Bear fruit worthy of repentance. Do not presume to say to yourselves, Side 2: ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor’; Narrator: for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
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Side 1: “I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. Side 2: His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” Narrator: Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, Side 1: “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” Narrator: But Jesus answered him, Side 2: “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” Narrator: Then he consented. And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ALL: “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”
Stay tuned for the continuing story that is our story and God’s story.
ALL: Praise to you O Christ.
Wade in the Word
Sermon
Hymn – “Christ, When for Us You Were Baptized”
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Prayers of the People Prayers given to the pray-ers will be prayed out loud, anonymously. Petitions will end with:
Jesus, teach us to pray You alone are good.
Offering We are grateful for your financial gifts; it’s the only way churches are churches. Set up automatic giving by going to our website, riverofhopehutchinson.org click “give” and go from there.
Offering Song “Praise God From Whom All Blessing Flow”
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THE FEAST
Setting the Table As the kids help set the table, make a circle around the table and lead the congregation in the table prayer written by Martin Luther:
Let’s pray: Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest. And let these gifts to us be blest. Blest be God who is our bread, may all the world be clothed and fed. Amen.
Let us pray: All things have their origin with you, Lord, and from these riches we freely give, that your church might grow in this place and throughout the world. Amen.
Invitation to Communion The table of bread and wine is now to be made ready. It is the table of company with Jesus, and all who love him. It is the table of sharing with the poor of the world, with whom Jesus identified himself. It is the table of communion with the earth, in which Christ became incarnate.
There is room for you at this table. So come, you that have much faith and you who would like to have more; you who have been here often and you who have not been for a long time; you who have tried to follow Jesus, and you who have failed.
No matter what shape our faith is in, we come to this table and join our voices with the choirs of angels, with the church on earth, and with the sinner saints of all times and places who sing your praise and your glory:
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In the night when Jesus was betrayed by his best friends, he took bread. He blessed it and broke it and gave it to these same friends saying, “Take and eat. This is my body given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.”
After supper he took the cup, blessed it and gave it for all to drink saying, “This is the new covenant, the new promise, for the forgiveness of sins. Do this for the remembrance of me.”
The Lord’s Prayer You are invited to join hands with those around you in prayer. If you are not the hand-holding
type, then simply fold your hands in front of you or hang onto this bulletin as you pray.
Heavenly Father, heavenly Mother,
Holy and blessed is your true name.
We pray for your reign of peace to come, We pray that your good will be done,
Let heaven and earth become one.
Give us this day the bread we need,
Give it to those who have none.
Let forgiveness flow like a river between us, From each one to each one.
Lead us to holy innocence
Beyond the evil of our days —
Come swiftly Mother, Father, come.
For yours is the power and the glory and the mercy:
Forever your name is All in One. Amen.
-This version of the Lord’s Prayer written by Parker J. Palmer
Invitation to the Meal You are welcome to this meal. It is free and it is for you. If you hunger and thirst for grace and mercy that comes through Jesus Christ, then Christ has set this table just for you.
Communion Songs “Lamb of God” and
“When Jesus Came to Jordan”
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THE SENDING
Blessing after Communion May the body and blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ, strengthen you and keep you in his peace. Amen.
Prayer after Communion Let us pray, My past, O Lord, I entrust to your mercy. My presence to your love. My future to your faithfulness. Thank you for this good gift of life. Amen.
Why does our church exist? What is our purpose? We go out to transform lives through Jesus Christ.
[Please be seated] Purpose Sightings
[Pic on power point] Don’t forget to grab your copy of The Current on your way home today. There are lots of opportunities to live into our purpose listed in The Current. And, one of the most important things included in these pages are the invitation to pray and to read scripture during the week.
MILESTONES! “They’ll Know We are Christians By Our Love”
The congregation will sing before Milestones – verse 1 only.
If you’ve got a good or hard milestone in your life and can share it in a few sentences, meet me at the baptismal font and throw a water drop in as you share your milestone.
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Final Blessing
May the light of Jesus show you the way; may the goodness of God be found every step of the way, and may God’s Holy Spirit renew and inspire you. Remember, you are loved. Live in the promise of this never-ending love.
Sending Song “Days of Elijah”
(Kids are invited to come up and play an instrument)
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Go in peace – serve the Lord! Thanks be to God
Music to Send You Out
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