OAK HILL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

Transcription

1 OAK HILL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH March 12, nd Sunday in Lent 10:30 a.m. TIME OF QUIET PREPARATION As you arrive in the sanctuary, please quiet and prepare yourself for worship. Relax your body; quiet the inner dialogue of your mind; be open and receptive to God s Spirit in our midst. *those who are comfortable, please stand THE WORD CALLS US TOGETHER PRELUDE Send Us Your Spirit Haas *CALL TO WORSHIP Adapted from Psalm 121 and John 3 One: What does it mean to believe? Many: What does it mean to have faith? One: What if we are still learning? Many: What if we are curious or carry a few doubts? One: The Lord is your keeper, the psalmist once said. Many: The Lord can handle our faith and our doubts. One: The Lord will give us opportunities to question, explore, wonder, and grow. Many: And in our wondering, in our exploring, the Lord will keep One: The Lord will keep faith in us. Many: The Lord will keep seeking us. One: The Lord will keep blessing us. Many: The Lord will keep showing us how to believe. One: So hold on to faith. Many: Keep showing up. One: Ask all your questions. Many: Explore your beliefs. One: And let God keep you for the journey. Many: And let us keep showing up for God. One: Come, let us worship the Lord, our keeper! *OPENING HYMN Womb of Life and Source of Being No. 3 PRAYER OF CONFESSION One: Let us pray. Unison: Holy God, you are the source of our being, the voice that calls us, the spirit that moves us, and the love that surrounds us. But still, somehow, we feel alone. We give in to worry, doubt, and fear. We reject your teachings and refuse your testimony. We explain away your presence and abandon your promise. Then we call back to you when it is convenient for us. When we don t know what else to do or where else to turn. Have mercy on us, Lord. Replenish our faith, restore our confidence, refill our hope, and shower us with love. Amen. Silent Prayer of Confession Assurance of Pardon RESPONSE OF PRAISE (Cantor sings responses through first, followed by the congregation) We will glorify the King of kings; we will glorify the Lamb. We will glorify the Lord of lords; Who is the great I AM. (repeat) *SHARING THE PEACE (Share the peace of Christ as you feel led, with a wave, a smile, a kind word, or a handshake.) TIME FOR GROWING DISCIPLES (At the conclusion of the Time for Growing Disciples, children ages birth to 3 rd grade may stay in worship or go to the nursery.) ANTHEM Psalm Sleeth Wendy Barrow and Donna Cook vocal duet PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION FIRST SCRIPTURE READING Psalm 121 (see insert) SECOND SCRIPTURE READING John 3:1-17 (see insert) SERMON The Rev. Erin Counihan MEDITATION IN MUSIC

2 *AFFIRMATION OF FAITH (unison) The Apostles Creed I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, God s only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. *HYMN Ho, All Who Thirst No. 479 SERVICE OF ORDINATION AND INSTALLATION OF ELDERS (see insert) OFFERING OUR GIFTS (Please sign the Friendship Register found at the end of the pew. Complete information, including your , and pass pad along to those worshiping with you. ) *Prayer of Dedication Offertory Peace Within Kerby *Doxology Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow No. 607 Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; praise Christ, all people here below; praise Holy Spirit evermore; praise Triune God whom we adore. Amen. CONGREGATIONAL JOYS AND CONCERNS AND PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE THE LORD S PRAYER (unison) Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen. LIFE OF THE COMMUNITY (Not merely announcements, but the activities of our life together that reflect our day-to-day responses to God s call for faithfulness, and your invitation to join in!) *CLOSING HYMN O Love, How Deep, How Broad, How High No. 618 *BENEDICTION POSTLUDE My Soul Rejoices Alstott Oak Hill Presbyterian Church 4111 Connecticut St. Louis, MO (314) office@oakhillpcusa.org (office) Oak Hill Presbyterian Church Sunday, March 12, 2017

3 SERVICE OF ORDINATION AND INSTALLATION Litany of Ordination and Installation Leader: There are different gifts, People: But it is the same Spirit who gives them. Leader: There are different ways of serving God, People: But it is the same Lord who is served. Leader: God works through different people in different ways, People: But it is the same God who achieves the Lord s purpose through them all. Leader: Each one is given a gift by the Spirit, People: To use it for the common good. Leader: Let us not lack for enthusiasm, but be ardent in spirit, People: Serving the Lord, rejoicing in hope, patient in suffering, constant in prayer, supporting one another, and welcoming all. Presentation of Elders: Mme. Moderator, on behalf of the congregation, I present Toby Eckert to be installed as an elder, and Christine Woodward to be ordained and installed as an elder. The Rite of Ordination and Installation The Congregational Affirmation Elder: Do we, members of Oak Hill, accept Toby and Christine as elders of this church, chosen by God through the voice of this congregation, to lead us in the way of Jesus Christ? Response: We do! Elder: Do we agree to encourage them, to respect their decisions, and to follow as they guide us, serving Jesus Christ, who alone is head of the church? Response: We do! The Prayer of Ordination and The Laying On Of Hands Oak Hill Presbyterian Church Rev. Erin Counihan, Pastor Rev. Dr. Alan Meyers, Parish Associate Ms. Korla Masters, Student Pastor Mrs. Susan Brown, Minister of Music Ms. Carole Adams, Secretary Bulletin Deadline: Wednesday, 12:00 noon in writing. ACTIVITIES THIS WEEK March 12, 2017 Sunday 9:00 a.m. Chancel Choir Rehearsal 9:30 a.m. Sunday School for All Ages 10:30 a.m. Service of Worship 11:30 a.m. Fellowship Hour Monday 7:45 8:00 a.m. Prayer Pause 6:30 p.m. Tower Grove South Neighborhood Association Block Captains Oak Hill Tuesday 6:30 p.m. Book Cub at St. Louis Bread Co., I55 and Loughborough Wednesday 10:00 a.m. La Leche League in the Nursery 11:00 a.m. Wednesday Bible Study Class in the Faith and Fellowship Room 6:30 p.m. Tower Grove South Neighborhood Association Meeting at Oak Hill All are welcome! Friday 6:30 8:30 p.m. Open Gym Night at Oak Hill Saturday 8:00 p.m. Adult Fellowship Club Band Together Concert Sunday After Worship Corned Beef and Cabbage Luncheon We welcome you to worship at Oak Hill. We greet everyone in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and celebrate the gift of God s incarnate love through our worship and service. Everyone is invited to a time of fellowship and refreshment in the Large Assembly Room (downstairs) immediately following worship.

4 Today s Liturgist is Caitlin Stanford. Greeters are Lucie Crittenden and Alison Stanford. Ushers are Heather Beckmann, Donna Cook, Brent Crittenden, and Rick Soles. Acolytes are Carolyn Ream and Caitlin Stanford (beginning of service) and Sophie Sowell and Alison Stanford (end of service). Banner Bearer is Lucie Crittenden. Nursery Caregivers are Kim and Josh Smith. The Stewardship and Property Committee is hosting the time of fellowship in March. As a church family, we shall be praying this morning and all week for the following members and friends. You may wish to contact them to indicate your interest and ask if they have any special prayer concerns. Bev Brickey Kassi Crocker Marge Kalhorn If you have a specific prayer request to share with the congregation, please fill out the yellow prayer request form in the pew and place it in the offering plate. For prayers and congregational support during the week, call Pastor Erin or the church office. Today is Girl Scout Sunday at Oak Hill. Banner bearer is Lucie Crittenden, Brownie Troop 3148, St. Louis Language Immersion School. Acolytes are Carolyn Ream and Caitlin Stanford, members of Ambassador Troop 1329, Oakville High School, Mehlville School District; Sophie Sowell, member of Cadette Troop 1039 St. Stephen Protomartyr School, St. Louis; and Alison Stanford, member of Senior Troop 4219, Oakville High School. Mehlville School District. Sheryl Ream is leader of Troop 1329, and Jan Stanford is a life member of Girl Scouts. Congratulations to Paul Bordeaux, Sophie Kohn, and Ellis, on the birth of their daughter and sister, Nayeli Genevieve Bordeaux-Kohn, on March 1, The sympathy and support of the congregation is extended to the family of Mrs. Anna Southard who passed away on March 6, Pastor Erin will be out of town this week attending the NEXT PCUSA conference in Kansas City. She is working and is available by telephone and while out of town. Lent Coloring Calendars and Devotionals are available in the back of the sanctuary. Please pick one up and take it home to study, color, and pray through this season. And during fellowship hour, do come downstairs and help us color in our community coloring calendar. Book club will meet at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 14, at the St. Louis Bread Co., Loughborough Avenue and Interstate 55. We will discuss Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult. Please read the book and join us. We are always looking for new members. Open Gym Night! Friday, March 17. Games galore! Middle and high school kids. Snacks and crafts, too. Enter through the Oak Hill door next to the alley. All the fun is in the gym and Smylie Room. Come out and join us for some fun! Members of the congregation are invited to join the Adult Fellowship Club at the Band Together Spring Concert at 8 p.m. on Saturday, March 18, at the Desmond Lee Concert Hall at the 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity Avenue, at the western end of the U. City Loop. Our very own Valery and Bette Welch are members of the orchestra. Admission is free. Applause and donations are greatly appreciated. The Stewardship and Property Committee will host the March 19 fellowship luncheon. To celebrate St. Patrick s Day they will be serving corned beef and cabbage (a kids meal will also be provided.) You don t need to bring anything, just come and enjoy! A free-will offering will be collected to defray expenses. Mark your calendar! We will have a mini mission staycation from March (Thursday-Sunday). We are going to be working at AMEN House. There are several jobs we need to get done and it would be great to work on them together! There will be food! If anyone wants to spend the night or make the time more mission trippy, let Dena know. There are sign ups in the Large Assembly Room. All skill levels are welcome! Individually wrapped candies that will fit in plastic Easter eggs are needed for Oak Hill's annual Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 15. Please place your donations in the boxes in the Large Assembly Room or in the church office. We appreciate your help!

5 FIRST SCRIPTURE READING Psalm 121 I lift up my eyes to the hills from where will my help come? 2 My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. 3 He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. 4 He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade at your right hand. 6 The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. 8 The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and forevermore. SECOND SCRIPTURE READING John 3:1-17 3Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 2 He came to Jesus by night and said to him, Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God. 3 Jesus answered him, Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above. 4 Nicodemus said to him, How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother s womb and be born? 5 Jesus answered, Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. 6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be astonished that I said to you, You must be born from above. 8 The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit. 9 Nicodemus said to him, How can these things be? 10 Jesus answered him, Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? 11 Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. 17 Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

6 FIRST SCRIPTURE READING Psalm 121 I lift up my eyes to the hills from where will my help come? 2 My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. 3 He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. 4 He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade at your right hand. 6 The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. 8 The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and forevermore. SECOND SCRIPTURE READING John 3:1-17 3Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 2 He came to Jesus by night and said to him, Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God. 3 Jesus answered him, Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above. 4 Nicodemus said to him, How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother s womb and be born? 5 Jesus answered, Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. 6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be astonished that I said to you, You must be born from above. 8 The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit. 9 Nicodemus said to him, How can these things be? 10 Jesus answered him, Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? 11 Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. 17 Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.