West Side Presbyterian Church

Transcription

1 West Side Presbyterian Church December 30, :15 am Service And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. -Colossians 3:17 The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master s crib; but Israel does not know, my people do not understand. -Isaiah 1:3 No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. -Matthew 6:24 Disobeying God means, whether we believe in Him or not, we let Him be the man upstairs and reserve for ourselves, in our hearts and minds and lives, the right to go our own ways. -Karl Barth But this great work of obedience cannot and will not be carried out by any of us using only his own knowledge and power. Only you yourself can make us free and eager, willing and able to do it. -The prayer of Karl Barth For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. -Hebrews 4:15 But you are not in the flesh, you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him. -Romans 8:9 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs to God. -Colossians 3:16

2 ~ The Preparation for the Word ~ PRELUDE Ben Kerswell, organ Break Forth, O Beauteous, Heav nly Light Johann Sebastian Bach Break forth, O beauteous, heav nly light, and usher in the morning; ye shepherds, shrink not with affright, but hear the angels warning. This Child, now weak in infancy, our confidence and joy shall be, the pow r of Satan breaking, our peace eternal making. *CALL TO WORSHIP and OPENING PRAYER We are brought together by the call of God, the One who has loved us from the beginning. We are bound together by the presence of the Spirit, the One who has challenged us to love more deeply. We worship together in the name of Christ, the One who was Love made flesh. Let us pray: Almighty God, You wonderfully created, and yet more wonderfully restored, the dignity of human nature. In Your mercy, let us share the divine life of Christ, who came to share our humanity, and who now lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. *HYMN OF PRAISE 28 Good Christian Friends, Rejoice IN DULCI JUBILO CALL TO CONFESSION PRAYER OF CONFESSION 2 Holy God, we have seen the Christ child in the manger, and we know that You are a light to all people. The prayer continues. * The congregation may stand.

3 Forgive us when our lives are not shaped by the Christmas story, when our hearts are not open to the leading of Your Spirit, when our hands are not open to help a neighbor in need. Speak your good news to us once more, forgive us, and bring us peace. HYMN 43, v. 4 O Little Town of Bethlehem FOREST GREEN ASSURANCE OF PARDON O Holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us, we pray; cast out our sin and enter in, be born in us today. We hear the Christmas angels the great glad tidings tell; O come to us, abide with us, our Lord Emmanuel. *HYMN 29, v. 3 Go Tell It on the Mountain GO TELL IT *THE PEACE Refrain: Go, tell it on the Mountain over the hills and everywhere; go, tell it on the mountain that Jesus Christ is born! Down in a lowly manger the humble Christ was born, and God sent us salvation that blessed Christmas morn. Refrain Children should leave to join their Sunday School small groups during the Peace. ANNOUNCEMENTS ~ The Proclamation of the Word ~ NEW TESTAMENT LESSON Colossians 3:12-17 The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. SERMON Jesus is Our Lord! Christine Park 3

4 ~ The Response to the Word ~ *RESPONSE OF FAITH Colossians 3:12-17 We are the people of God; He loved us and chose us for His own. So then, we must clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Let us be tolerant with one another and forgive one another whenever any of us has a complaint against someone else. We must forgive one another just as the Lord has forgiven us. And to all these qualities let us add love, which binds all things together in perfect unity. The peace that Christ gives is to guide us in the decisions we make; for it is to this peace that God has called us together in the one body. And let us be thankful. Christ s message in all its richness must live in our hearts. Let us teach and instruct one another with all wisdom. Let us sing psalms, hymns and sacred songs; sing to God with thanksgiving in our hearts. Everything we do or say, then, should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus, as we give thanks through Him to God the Father. *HYMN 27 Gentle Mary Laid Her Child TEMPUS ADEST FLORIDUM PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE and THE LORD S PRAYER (hymnal page 16, using debts/debtors) The Lord be with you. And also with you. Let us pray. PRESENTATION OF OUR TITHES AND OFFERINGS OFFERTORY ANTHEM Good News from Heaven Johann Sebastian Bach 4 Good News from heaven the angels bring, glad tidings to the earth they sing; to us this day a Child is given, to crown us with the joy of heaven. The Anthem continues.

5 Ah! dearest Jesus, holy Child, make Thee a bed, soft, undefiled, within my heart that it may be a quiet chamber kept for Thee. Praise God upon the heavenly throne, who gave to us His only Son; for this the hosts on joyful wing a blest New Year of mercy sing. *HYMN 22, v. 4 Angels, from the Realms of Glory REGENT SQUARE All creation, join in praising God the Father, Spirit, Son, evermore your voices raising to the eternal Three in One; come and worship, come and worship, worship Christ, the new born King! *PRAYERS OF THANKSGIVING ~ The Sending ~ *HYMN 40 Joy to the World ANTIOCH BLESSING & CHARGE POSTLUDE Ben Kerswell, organ You are welcome to listen to the postlude. If you are leaving before the postlude is finished, please do so quietly. ******* Our worship has ended. May our service to God and others continue. 5

6 Greeters: We thank today s greeters. Procession of Worship Elements: The worship elements are being carried in this morning by members of the Chancel Choir. Lay Leadership: We are pleased to welcome Ben Kerswell back to the organ bench while Erik Eickhoff is on vacation with family in Minnesota. Ben is working on his Masters Degree in Organ Performance at Rice University in Texas. If you are interested in being a lay reader during the 10:15 am Sunday service, please contact Lucy Ianacone (Lianacone@optonline.net; ). Sanctuary Flowers: Flowers are a wonderful way to remember a loved one or to celebrate a special occasion. If you wish to dedicate flowers, please contact Russell Clark (rjclark100@gmail.com; ). Coffee Hour: We thank those who contributed their gifts to coffee hour this morning: Anna and David Levy. Visitor Information Bags are available in the Narthex. If you are visiting with us today, please feel free to take one. 6

7 Worship Values, Practices and Information Congregational participation is the hallmark of Reformed Worship. Hymns, responses, corporate prayers and readings belong to you, the people and express the voice of the individual and the larger body of the Church. We hope the following notes will help you to join us in our liturgy. An asterisk (*) indicates the congregation may stand. Boldface type signifies congregational participation. First and final stanzas of hymns are usually sung in unison, middle stanzas in parts. Share your prayer concerns on the cards provided in the pew rack. Ushers will collect the cards during the announcements. Those arriving after the Call to Worship begins will be seated during the next hymn or the passing of the peace. If you must leave the Sanctuary during worship, please wait in the Narthex until the next hymn, the passing of the peace or the doxology before returning to your seat. Please help us protect and care for our beautiful worship space. Food and beverages, with the exception of closed plastic water bottles, are not allowed in the Sanctuary. Please turn off your cell phone before worship begins. Large print bulletins and hymnals are available in the Narthex. Assistive listening devices are available by contacting one of the ushers. Throughout the Sanctuary, there are a number of spaces available for wheelchairs. An usher will be happy to direct you. Video of the service is available online at We have live streaming video on Sunday mornings. In case of emergency: our AED Unit is on the wall across from the reception desk and the First Aid kit is in the closet across from the reception desk. 7

8 West Side Presbyterian Church Varian Fry Way, 6 South Monroe Street, Ridgewood, NJ (201) Lay Leadership of West Side Session (Elders) Class of 2018 Heidi Ahlborn Phyllis Anderson Russell Clark John Lescroart Anna Levy Katherine Montgomery John Pierce Larry Steenvoorden Andrew Steenvoorden (Youth Rep) Class of 2019 Scott Brubaker Cindi Cheesman Wendy Dodge Jane French John Gutekunst Fred Jubitz Dennis Kim Paul Mensing Andy Roughgarden Beth Staples Anson Welch Class of 2020 Mark Babunovic Jamie Cella Mike Chepucavage David DeFeo Scott Gavin Brian Hanse Lynn Morneweck-Fuld Jennifer Padolina Board of Deacons Class of 2018 Caroline Barr Donna Burdick Sally Clark Harris Fleming Lisa Garvey Laura Impomeni Peter Krautle Craig Ollenschleger Ann Butler (Youth Rep) Class of 2019 Janet Anderson Christina Dyer Donna Dykstra Terry Erzmoneit Angela Gutekunst Anita Jones Mary Ann Malinski Marion Strauch Miguel Torres Sora Torres Class of 2020 Kay Chase Bill Clark Patrick Elkins Mary Ann Hoogerheyde Jan Lescroart Dave Levy Walter Lynn 8