THE CHURCH OF THE REDEEMER 175 th Anniversary Service November 3, :00 a.m. PRELUDE Vivaldi-Walther Concerto in b minor. arr.

Transcription

1 THE CHURCH OF THE REDEEMER 175 th Anniversary Service November 3, :00 a.m. We will gather in front of the church at the Whitney Avenue entrance. PRELUDE Vivaldi-Walther Concerto in b minor INTROIT Wendell Whalum arr. Uzee Brown That we are back home, O God, we give thee thanks. We journeyed safely, we arrived safely; we praise thee, Jesus Christ. Jonathan Allen, percussion Dide ta Deo William Billings Through north and south and east and west CALL TO WORSHIP (adapted from the 100 th Anniversary Service) Leader: Great is our God and greatly to be praised! People: One generation shall praise God s works to another and shall declare God s mighty acts and endless love! Leader: We shall speak the memory of God s great goodness, and shall sing of God s justice! People: Let all the earth and all the saints of the church praise God! Alleluia!

2 PROCESSIONAL HYMN For all the Saints

3 WELCOME & ANNOUNCEMENTS CENTERING PRAYER ANTHEM Maurice Duruflé from Requiem Kyrie Lord have mercy; Christ have mercy; Lord have mercy. PASSING OF THE PEACE Let us welcome one another with the traditional Christian greeting: Peace be with you. And also with you. CHILDREN S MESSAGE Pastor Shelly

4 Verses one, two and four: All Verse three: Choir only

5 INTRODUCTION TO SCRIPTURE The Rev. J. Bennett Guess SCRIPTURE Psalm 148 Ephesians 1:11-23 SERMON Generation to Generation The Rev. Guess MOMENT FOR SILENT REFLECTION OFFERING OFFERTORY ANTHEM Ralph Vaughan Williams O how amiable Please stand and sing verse one of O God, our help in ages past with the choir, noting that the first note of each phrase is long. PRAYER OF DEDICATION PRESENTATION OF 175 th ANNIVERSARY GIFT

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7 Francisco F. Feliciano Silence my soul Silence my soul, these trees are prayers. I asked the tree: tell me about God. And it blossomed. LITANY Rev. Stackhouse: Rev. Kendrix: Jonathan Weber: Elliott Munn: All: Rev. Stackhouse: Briana Ivy: Jake Halsey: Meggie Czepiel: Simon Doss-Gollin: All: Jonathan Weber: Rev. Kendrix: Rev. Stackhouse: All: It helps, now and then, to step back and take the long view. The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is beyond our vision. A Future Not Our Own a poem/prayer by Oscar Romero We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God s work. Nothing we do is complete, which is another way of saying that the kingdom always lies beyond us. No statement says all that could be said. No prayer fully expresses our faith. No confession brings perfection. No program accomplishes the church s mission. No set of goals and objectives includes everything. This is what we are about: We plant seeds that one day will grow. We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise. We lay foundations that will need future development. We provide yeast that produces effects beyond our capabilities. We cannot do everything and there is a a sense of liberation in realizing that. This enables us to do something, and to do it very well. It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for God s grace to enter and do the rest. We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker. We are workers, not master builders, ministers, not messiahs. We are prophets of a future not our own.

8 SACRAMENT OF HOLY COMMUNION At Redeemer, we welcome all people to our table for Holy Communion, including children. If your children have not been in the practice of receiving the Sacrament, we leave to your discretion whether or not to invite them to receive. By way of explanation, we encourage you to tell your children that we do this because Jesus asked us to remember him when we eat and drink, and that Jesus promised to be present with us in a special way when we eat and drink together as the church. It is a quiet time, for praying and remembering all we know about Jesus. It is a joyous time, for we celebrate that the risen Christ is with us always! INVITATION WORDS OF INSTITUTION COMMUNION PRAYER SANCTUS PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION PRAYER OF CONSECRATION

9 LORD S PRAYER Mark Miller SHARING OF THE ELEMENTS Please partake of the bread as it is served; as the bread is broken, so we too are often broken in body, mind, and spirit. Please wait until we all have been served the cup that we might partake together, for while we are many, yet we are one in Christ. (On each tray of bread, there are small, single-serving containers of gluten-free bread for those with gluten allergies. The grape juice is low in sugar. The center ring of the cup tray contains WINE, while the outer ring has grape juice. The darker liquid is the wine and the lighter is the juice.)

10 PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING All: For the miracle of this moment when we, in all our human limitations, together become the Body of Christ, we give you most hearty thanks, loving God. Surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses as our ancestors past, our partners in faith in New Haven and throughout the world, and the expectant hearts of those who will follow us, may we continue to be Christ s Body serving the world. By the power of Christ we pray, Amen. HYMN Ye holy angels bright

11 BENEDICTION RESPONSE Pablo Sosa Gloria Spanish: The choir English: All POSTLUDE Pierre du Mage Grand jeu Please be seated during the postlude and use this time for silent reflection.

12 THANK YOU TO THOSE PARTICIPATING IN THIS MORNING S SERVICE: Readers: Meggie Czepiel Simon Doss-Gollin Jake Halsey Briana Ivy Babz Rawls-Ivy Jonathan Weber Ushers: Roslyn Hamilton Alan Kendrix Barbara Libby Peggy Strickler The flowers are given in honor of the Church of the Redeemer communities of the past, present, and future as we celebrate our 175 th anniversary. We welcome the Rev. J. Bennett Guess as guest preacher today. Rev. Guess serves as Executive Minister of the United Church of Christ's Local Church Ministries. Guess has served at the national setting of the UCC in Cleveland since 2000 first as communications director for Justice and Witness Ministries, followed by four years as an award-winning news director and editor of United Church News, and as the director of the UCC's Publishing, Identity and Communication Ministry. Prior to his time at the UCC's national offices, Guess served 12 years as a local church pastor in Kentucky. Guess and his spouse of 10 years, Jim Therrien, live in Cleveland and are members of Pilgrim UCC. REDEEMER S VISION STATEMENT We are the Church of the Redeemer, United Church of Christ, an inclusive community committed to the worship of God, the work of justice, and the recognition of our common humanity in the struggles of life. We follow Jesus Christ who welcomes all people to his table. We celebrate the rich diversity of God s people: in race, gender, age, sexual orientation, physical and mental abilities, marital and economic status, and culture. Join us on a journey of the Holy Spirit, where faith and intellect meet, learning never ends, and music and the arts draw us closer to our Creator.

13 (CALL TO A CONGREGATIONAL MEETING HERE)

14 The Church of the Redeemer United Church of Christ 185 Cold Spring Street New Haven, CT Phone: Join us on Facebook at Church of the Redeemer New Haven The Rev. Dr. Rochelle A. Stackhouse, Senior Minister The Rev. Marilyn Kendrix, Associate Pastor for Faith Formation Jonathan Weber, Moderator of the Church Henry Sykes, Treasurer Charles McEnally, Clerk Marguerite Brooks, Director of Music Julia Blue Raspe, Chancel Choir Director Paul Berry, Boys and Men s Choir Director Larry Bishop, Organist Elliott Munn, Youth Ministry Intern Debra Tangarone, Office Administrator and Financial Secretary Geoffrey Johnson, Security Loretta King, Sexton