FEBRUARY 3, 2019 FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY YEAR C

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1 UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA MELFORT ETHELTON PASTORAL CHARGE Office: (306) Website: Worship Time: 10:30 AM Ministers: All of us Lead Minister: Emmanuel Menyereye Music: Jodi Allen Music Director: Mavis Peters Office Administrator: Denise Todosichuk Caretaker: Faye Greier Today s Greeter: Bill Koroluk Scripture Readers: Imogene Schick, Gale Strachan ORDER OF WORSHIP FEBRUARY 3, 2019 FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY YEAR C WE GATHER AS A COMMUNITY OF GOD S PEOPLE As we gather for worship today we acknowledge that the land on which we gather is Treaty 6 Territory. We honour the Cree and Métis people for whom this place has been a homeland for thousands of years. We respect the sacredness of our home and the ground on which we walk and we are grateful to gather here in peace and hope. ANNOUNCEMENTS, ANNIVERSARIES & CONCERNS: CALL TO WORSHIP: Based on Psalm 71:1 6: In your presence, O God, we find a place of safety where we will never be put to shame. Your way is good and right and keeps us from all kinds of trouble. Tune your heart to the sounds of our voices as we open our hearts to worship you. You shelter us from all that threatens to destroy; for, with you, we do not have to be afraid. You are our hope and trust from the days of our youth.

2 -2- Tune your heart to the sounds of our voices as we open our hearts to worship you. We have trusted you from the time we were born; in fact, it was you who drew us out of our mothers wombs, and you midwife us along the way. Tune your heart to the sounds of our voices as we open our hearts to worship you. HYMN (MV 1) Let us build a house OPENING PRAYER: (in unison) Creator God, you spoke, and the world took shape. You spoke, and your people turned back to you. The word was made flesh in Christ, and we could see your love among us. Your word comes to us in the rushing of the wind, and our lives are reawakened in you. Open us to encountering your word in new and powerful ways during worship. Help us place your word at the centre of our life together. Maker of the universe, refine and mould our lives. Amen. HYMN (VU 372) Though I may speak PRAYER FOR GUIDANCE: If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. Love is patient; love is kind. Love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way. It is not irritable or resentful. Love does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth.

3 -3- Hear us, O God, as we confess to you the times we have failed to love with all our heart. (A time of silence) WORDS OF ASSURANCE: Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. Because God loves us, God also forgives us. Know that you are forgiven and loved by God. Alleluia! Amen. PRAYER RESPONSE (MV 81) Love us into fullness SPECIAL MUSIC: Hallelujah - Leonard Cohen Chris Corbett - Soloist WE LISTEN FOR GOD S WORD TO US ESPECIALLY FOR THE CHILDREN: HYMN (MV 145) Draw the circle wide THE LORD S PRAYER: MINUTE FOR MISSION: SCRIPTURE READINGS: HEBREW READING: JEREMIAH 1:4-10: Before you were formed in the womb, I set you apart. EPISTLE READING: 1 CORINTHIANS 13:1-13: Love is patient and kind. GOSPEL READING: LUKE 4:21-30: Jesus is driven out of Nazareth. SERMON:

4 -4- OUR RESPONSE OFFERING INVITATION: Friends, let us love not only in our words, but also in our deeds through our offerings and all that we are today. OFFERING: OFFERTORY HYMN (MV 191) What can I do? PRAYER OF DEDICATION: (in unison) Empowering God; you have put words in our mouth and gifts in our being. We dedicate all that we have and all that we are to spreading the word your word with voices born of love. Amen. PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE: Creator God, we turn to you in every situation in life. We know you have the power to transform the void into order, the shadows into light, and broken lives into restored lives. In this hour, we turn to you again and ask for your power to bend toward the situations that are on our hearts. Fill the void of loneliness that grips so many in our modern era. Shine your light in the violent places. May your light reveal the awful truths about the human cost of conflict not only in foreign war zones but also hidden in families closer to home. May your light offer hope to those in harm s way. Restore lives, which have been broken. We have not loved one another with our whole hearts and our relationships in our families, our workplaces, and our communities of faith have suffered. We seek your love to lead us back to right relationship with one another. Grow in us a love for your word and your way in the world. In Jesus name, we pray. Amen.

5 -5- SENDING FORTH HYMN (VU 509) I, the Lord of sea and sky COMMISSIONING & BENEDICTION: Empowered by God s love for you, go out and love your neighbours, the ones just like you, and the ones different from you. May the love of God help you to bear all things. May the love of Christ enable you to believe all things. May the love of the Holy Spirit inspire you to hope all things, so that you abide in faith, hope and love this day and forever. Amen. CHORAL BLESSING (VU 964) Go now in peace PRAYER RESOURCES: *Seasons of the Spirit - SeasonsFUSION Advent, Christmas, Epiphany ; Feasting on the Word, Liturgies for Year C, Volume 1 Advent through Pentecost Worship Companion; the United Church of Canada Advent, Christmas, Epiphany Year C Gathering Resources for Worship Planners. Used with permission. NEXT WEEK S (FEBRUARY 10, 2019) READINGS: Isaiah 6:1-13; Psalm 138; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11; Luke 5:1-11 ANNOUNCEMENTS Welcome: Welcome to worship here today. Whether you are worshipping with us today for the first time or you have been here before or longer than you can remember, you are welcome to be here and to participate however you feel comfortable. Sometimes

6 -6- you may be invited to stand and you want to stay sitting, or you might feel comfortable standing but no one else is. Do what feels right and comfortable for you. We each bring something of ourselves to worship, and it enhances the experience for each of us. Regardless of your age, stage, gender, sexual identity, or how great or small you feel your faith is, God, through us, welcomes you to worship. Please remember to sign our guest book at the entrance of the church, and stay back for a cup of coffee and conversation at the CE Centre immediately following the service. THIS WEEK AT MELFORT UNITED CHURCH Tuesday, February 5 7 pm Women Alive Wednesday, February 6 4:40 pm Worship Committee 7 pm Choir Thursday, February 7 10:30 Bible 4:15 Bell Choir Friday, February 8 10 am - Pastoral Care Rev. Emmanuel s Office Hours & Contact Information Office Hours: Tuesday Friday 10:00 am 4:00 pm Office Number: Cell Number: For emergency pastoral care call Confirmation / Transfer or Applying for Membership If you want your child to be confirmed or you wish to transfer or apply for membership in our church, please contact the church office or a member of the Membership Committee.

7 -7- Call for Board Members for 2019 If you are interested and willing to be a board member please call Don or Lorne There are also signup sheets for each board committee on the easel in the CE foyer. MUC Annual Congregational Meeting The annual congregational meeting is Sunday, February 24 th. The Service/AGM is followed by a noon luncheon hosted by the Finance Committee. FundScrip The next FundScrip order date will be Thursday, February 28 th, 2019 The order will be available for pick up on Thursday, March 7 th. Stewardship Seconds Could sharing our gifts with those who need them be part of God s hope for the world?