Plymouth C ongregational C hurch

Transcription

1 Plymouth C ongregational C hurch A Congregation of the United Church of Christ S ervice of the Word F ebruary 19, 2017 S eventh S unday after E piphany 10:00 am RIN G IN G O F TH E BE L L PRE L U D E TH E G ATH E RING Fantasy on Westminster C himes *H Y M N J oyful, J oyful, We Adore Y ou No. 4 *C AL L TO WO RSH IP Audrey K ane Welcome to this ancient place: H ouse of prayer for many peoples and nations; H ome to all who come. Welcome to this gathering place, F riend and stranger, saint and sinner In all who gather here. C ome with hope or hesitation; come with joy or yearning; All who hunger, all who thirst for life in all its fullness. G enerous G od and generous S avior, Touch us through your S pirit. That the kingdom might come, that the world might believe, that the powerful might stumble, that the hidden might be seen, G enerous G od and generous S avior, make us your people. Amen. *M U SIC AL C AL L TO C O M M U N ITY Sung once in unison, then as a round; watch your section leader! *Please rise if you are able

2 WE L C O M E PRAY E R O F C O N FE SSIO N TH E RE F RE SH M E N T O F FO RG IVE N E SS *WO RD S O F ASSU RAN C E and PASSIN G O F TH E PE AC E *PRAISE SO N G STO RY FO R AL L AG E S Please share a sign of peace with those around you. G ood C hristian friends, rejoice with heart and soul and voice! N ow you know of endless bliss. J esus C hrist was born for this. G od has opened H eaven s door and you are blessed forevermore! C hrist was born for this, C hrist was born for this! TH E G IF T O F TH E WO RD After the Story, kids can head upstairs with Liz for Chapel Time. Q uinn G. C aldwell L iz Pruchnicki AN TH E M Beloved, If G od So Loved U s J ames Rogers SC RIPTU RE M atthew 5:38-48 *H Y M N Y our Ways Are N ot O ur O wn N o. 170 SE RM O N TH E PASTO RAL PRAY E R TH E PRAY E R O F O U R SAVIO R TH E M INISTRY O F PRAY E R O ur F ather, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. G ive us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. F or thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen. *M U SIC AL RE SPO N SE N o. 759 G lory to the C reator, the C hrist, the H oly S pirit, Three-in-O ne As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, World without end. Amen, amen. O F F E RIN G O U RSE L VE S AN D O U R G IF TS C AL L TO TH E O FFE RIN G O FFE RTO RY AN TH E M Scarlet Ribbons Arr. J ames Vedder *D O X O L O G Y Lasst uns Erfreuen *PRAY E R O F D E D IC ATIO N Praise G od, from whom all blessings flow! Praise G od, all creatures here below! Alleluia! Alleluia! Praise G od above, ye heavenly host! C reator, C hrist, and H oly G host. Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! 2

3 C O M M ISSIO NING O F M ISSIO N ARIE S From the 21 st through the 27 th, a team from the New York Conference of the United Church of Christ will be in Nicaragua working with our partners in La Iglesia Mision Cristiana. We send these Plymouth missionaries on their way with our love and blessing! G eri H all C hris H opkins M ilanne M orange Kelly Tooley *C L O SIN G H Y M N G o Forth, O People of G od N o. 614 *BE N E D IC TIO N PO STL U D E Basse de C romorne L ouis-n icolas C lerambault 3

4 Plymouth Runs O n Y O U G RE E TE RS : M ary and Rich C appelli L ITU RG IS T: Audrey Kane U S H E RS : G ert D anzy and Barb Forsstrom AC O L Y TE : Abigail M annion F L O WE RS : Luis M orales & Bob Watrous celebrate 39 wonderful years together; our life journey continues - together with deep love and affection for each other. C O M M U N ITY TIM E : C harlottee Vallejo and L aura M asuicca O F FE RIN G C O U NTE RS : G eorge Bain and Keith J akway H ospitality M inistry Please consider serving as a host for C ommunity Time. A sign-up sheet is found in the bell tower entry. It s easy and we ll help you! F lowers M ake our worship space even more beautiful for the glory of G od and in honor of whatever you choose. A sign-up sheet is found in the bell tower entry. The cost is $25, but plans for larger or multiple arrangements can always be made. Accessibility: Individual listening headsets are available on the table at the back of the sanctuary. Please contact one of the ushers for help. An elevator and ramp are available. L ARG E PRIN T BU L L E TIN S ARE IN TH E BAC K O F TH E SAN C TU ARY. Welcoming C hildren in Worship: C hildren of all ages have a place in worship and in the life of the church. N ursery care is offered at 10:00 am for infants. Sound is piped into M emorial H all next door to the Sanctuary for those who would welcome a space apart. Worship C lipboards: Worship clipboards with age-appropriate bulletins and coloring paper are available in the back of the Sanctuary for our elementary aged children as a support to their attendance in worship. We hope you will find these clipboards a welcoming and supportive means of engaging your children during the worship service. There is ample free street parking on the blocks around our church on Sundays, as well as in the lots behind the C atholic diocese building. For those able to walk a short distance, parking here will allow those with mobility impairments or small children to use the spots directly in front of the church. M usic N otes for February 19, 2017 We are pleased to have the Plymouth Bells playing for us today. There is a centuries-old tradition of change bell ringing in E ngland. This consists of playing a set of bells in every possible order: if there are two bells, one is limited to 1-2 or 2-1. With three bells, you can play 1-2-3, 1-3-2, 2-1-3, 2-3-1, 3-1-2, With four bells, there are 24 possibilities. The 10 variations that comprise the familiar Westminster C himes were first played on the bells at St. M ary the G reat in C ambridge E ngland in From there, this sequence was adopted for use at the Palace at Westminster (which is where the famous Big Ben bell hangs.) It is interesting to note that both the Big Ben bell and our own set of handbells were cast by Whitechapel Foundries. Whitechapel is the oldest business in London (450 years old), and has been housed in the same building for the past 250 years. Sadly, they recently announced that they will be closing in M ay 2017 unless a new buyer can be found who could continue the business at a new location. O ur prelude is based on the famous Westminster C himes. O ur anthem, by J ames Rogers ( ), uses a text from I J ohn 4: which relates closely to our scripture reading today: Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and God s love is perfected in us. 4

5 O ur offertory anthem was arranged by our own J ames Vedder, who plays with the Plymouth Bells, and also sings in the choir. This arrangement of Scarlet Ribbons was done for the Plymouth Bells, and soprano M aria Whitcomb: I peeped in to say good night, and I heard my child in prayer, "Ooh for me some scarlet ribbons, scarlet ribbons for my hair." All the stores were closed and shuttered; all the streets were dark and bare. In my town no scarlet ribbons - not one ribbon for her hair. Through the night my heart was aching, just before the dawn was breaking I peeped in and on her bed, in gay profusion lying there Lovely ribbons, scarlet ribbons, scarlet ribbons for her hair If I live to be a hundred, I shall never know from where Came those lovely scarlet ribbons, scarlet ribbons for her hair. Louis-N icolas C lerambault ( ) was a Parisian organist and composer who wrote a large number of religious works, secular cantatas (based mostly on G reek mythology) and works for organ, harpsichord and violin. O ur postlude is from his second suite for organ. O ne critic notes that in these suites, melodic charm wins out over religious spirit. About Plymouth Plymouth was founded in 1853 by a group of Syracusans who wanted to create a C hristian abolitionist bulwark in the city. Since then, we have fought against slavery, poverty, and war; for immigrants, natives, workers, L G BT, and women s rights; and sought to be agents of mercy in a hurting world. We believe in beauty, laughter, the struggle for peace with justice, taking risks for G od, and the Way of J esus C hrist. O ur faith is over 2,000 years old; our thinking is not! We are O pen and Affirming We believe G od calls us to welcome all people and their gifts regardless of gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, race and ethnicity, physical ability, socioeconomic status, or religious background. We are J ust Peace We covenant to live actively within the holy longing that weds justice with the quest for peace within us, between us, in community, and across the globe. We covenant to affirm the sacredness of all life and to honor and preserve creation. We are S anctuary We provide a space of physical, emotional, and spiritual safety for immigrants without documents, and specifically pledge to the principles of the national N ew Sanctuary M ovement. We are Progressive C hristians We try to walk in the way of J esus C hrist, our brother and savior. We believe G od speaks new meanings for new days, and that S he does so not only in the church and the ancient words of the Bible, but through the insights of science, the arts, the revelations of other religions, and the best strivings of the human spirit. We believe G od has granted us a purpose, and that life is too short for long-faced religion. J oin us! Rev. Q uinn G. C aldwell, Pastor D r. J oseph D owning, D irector of M usic L iz Pruchnicki, D irector of C hildren, Y outh, and Family M inistries Kathy Ferro, C hurch Administrator M ark J ohnson, Sexton 232 E ast O nondaga Street Syracuse, N ew Y ork (315) plymouthsyr.org office@plymouthsyr.org 5