Hancock Covenant of Welcome We welcome all who seek to know God. We believe that, although we are many members, we are one body in Christ. We have been called as well as challenged by God to respect and reconcile our differences. We recognize and love each individual as a child of God. We welcome, respect, support, and lovingly encourage people of every race, ethnicity, creed, class, gender, sexual orientation, age, and physical and mental ability to join us on our journey of faith. This faith journey indeed calls Hancock Members not to be silent in the face of prejudice, injustice, and exclusion, but to express our faith, in word and deed, for justice and inclusiveness for all humanity. As Paul wrote to the Galatians, In Christ there is no longer Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for all are one. First Sunday After Christmas Paul Shupe, Senior Minister paul.shupe@hancockchurch.org Barbara Callaghan, Minister barbara.callaghan@hancockchurch.org Andrew Harris, Student Minister andrew.harris@hancockchurch.org Nancy Rottman, Congregational Care Coordinator nancy.rottman@hancockchurch.org Mark Morgan, Director of Music mark.morgan@hancockchurch.org Marilyn Becker, Associate Director of Music marilyn.becker@hancockchurch.org David Clark, Student Minister david.clark@hancockchurch.org www.hancockchurch.org David Price, Student Minister david.price@hancockchurch.org Hancock United Church of Christ, Congregational Church Office Phone: (781) 862-4220 Church Office Hours: M-Th 9:00-4:00, F 9:00-3:00 Hancock Community Prayer: (781) 862-6845 Emergency Pastoral Care Phone: (929) 500-1912 1912 Massachusetts Avenue, Lexington, MA December 27, 2015 For bulletin announcements, corrections, or suggestions, email office@hancockchurch.org To conserve trees and your pledge dollars, consider sharing your bulletin. Please recycle.
Service of Worship Gathering Together To Praise God MOMENT FOR REFLECTION Merry Christmas to you all! On this Sunday a er Christmas we will look at the only story in the gospels between Jesus birth and the start of his ministry. It seems rather amazing that there could be a 30 year gap in Jesus life that we hear nothing about, but some mes it feels like life just moves that way, and it was no different for Jesus. Today we re going to imagine his teenage years, specifically involving this story, where he gets lost, and then is found right where you d expect him to be. PRELUDE CALL TO WORSHIP One: Rejoice, rejoice, for unto us a child is born. Many: Joy to the world, the Lord has come! One: Rejoice again, I say rejoice, for the child is born anew again today and every day. Many: Joy to the world, the Lord is with us! One: Rejoice again, I say rejoice, for the child is with us, who brings the good news. Many: Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to all people! *OPENING HYMN Angels, From the Realms of Glory #136 WORDS OF WELCOME Barbara Callaghan PRAYER OF INVOCATION David C. Clark DECEMBER CELEBRATIONS Andrew Harris GATHERING SONG Walk With Me Walk with me, I will walk with you And build the land that God has planned Where love shines through (repeat) CHILDREN S TIME David C. Clark Children and youth are always welcome in worship and pews packs with ac vi es for children are available in the front entry. Childcare for infants and toddlers is available in The Commons of the Educa on Wing. Junior Youth Organiza on (JYO) for grades 6th, 7th, and 8th grades head to the upper room for fellowship and discussion. Giving Thanks To God THE MORNING OFFERING Andrew Harris 2 * Congregation standing some may wish to remain seated Sunday December 27th 8:30 am Pastor s Class in PEAR 10:00 am Morning Worship in SANC 11:00 am Fellowship Hour in DR 7:00 pm No Owl in KS Monday December 28th 1:30 pm Skyloom in KS 7:00 pm No Parish Life in LIB 7:30 pm Cub Scouts Pack Commi ee Mee ng in RM 205 Tuesday December 29th No Staff Mee ng in CONF No Staff Worship Planning in CONF Wednesday December 30th All Day No Hancock Weekly 1:15 pm Consort in KS Thursday December 31st 6:30 pm No Boys Scouts Friday January 1st 9:30 am Morning Glory Bell Ringers The Week Ahead Saturday January 2nd 10:00 am AA Mee ng in DR 3:00 pm Plaster Posaunes Brass Group in CHOR Sunday January 3rd 8:30 am Pastor s Class in PEAR 8:30 am Choir Rehearsal in SANC 9:00 am Stewardship Commi ee in RM 205 10:00 am Morning Worship Communion Sunday in SANC 10:20 am All Ages Children s Program 10:20 am JYO Sandwich Making 11:00 am Fellowship Hour in DR 11:15 am No JYO Choir in RM 210 6:15 pm Worship @the Well in CLAR 7:00 pm HYG in UR 7:00 pm No Owl in KS LOCATION KEY BELL Bell Room CHAP Chapel CHOR Choir Room CLAR Clark Hall CONF Conference Room DR Dining Room RM205 Room 205 KS Kathie Stuart LIB Po er Library PEAR Pearson SANC Sanctuary WILS Wilson UR Upper Room To schedule an event or rent space, contact the Church Office at office@hancockchurch.org or call 781.862.4220. The complete Hancock calendar is available at www.hancockchurch.org/events/event calendar. 11
OFFERTORY Service of Worship *THE DOXOLOGY S-29 (The words and music may also be found in the supplement at the beginning of the hymnal.) From North and South and East and West, May God s eternal name be blessed! Alleluia! Alleluia! Till everywhere beneath the sun, Thy kingdom come Thy will be done. Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! *PRAYER OF DEDICATION Andrew Harris The Prayers of the People CALL TO PRAYER Infant Holy, Infant Lowly #147 PASTORAL PRAYER Barbara Callaghan A TIME OF SILENT PRAYER Barbara Callaghan THE LORD S PRAYER 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 tempta on, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen. The Good News Is Proclaimed THE GOSPEL READING Luke 2:41-52 Barbara Callaghan Now every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the fes val of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the fes val. When the fes val was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Assuming that he was in the group of travelers, they went a day s journey. Then they started to look for him among their rela ves and friends. When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. A er three days they found him in the temple, si ng among the teachers, listening to them and asking them ques ons. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety. He said to them, Why were you 10 ANNOUNCEMENTS 3
Service of Worship searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father s house? But they did not understand what he said to them. Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor. THE SERMON Happy Birthday Teenage Jesus Andrew Harris *CLOSING HYMN Good Christians All, Rejoice #158 BENEDICTION Andrew Harris *PASSING THE PEACE OF CHRIST POSTLUDE Today s Flower Offering The Chancel flowers are given in loving memory of their nephew, Robert A. Spurbeck, by Meg and Jim Weston. The Pulpit flowers are given in loving memory of Ann s parents, Peggy and Joseph Becker, by the Behravesh family. The Lectern flowers are given by the Wilson Family to honor Bart s grandparents, Alfred and Esther Adler, their sons Robert, Donald, Karl, and Paul, their daughter, Bart s mother, Hazel Wilson, and Bart s father, Herbert Wilson, all late members of Hancock Church. 2016 Annual Giving Envelopes: For those of you who requested them when you filled out your pledge card, the booklets of annual giving envelopes for 2016 are now available for you to pick up in the Narthex. Look for your name on the spreadsheet, find the number associated with your name, and choose the booklet with that number on it. Please ini al the spreadsheet so that I know you ve picked up your booklet. Don t hesitate to contact me, Kim Gladstone, at 781 862 4220 or at financial.administrator@hancockchurch.org should you have any ques ons. Thank you! A Warm Hug Filled With Prayers That s what a prayer shawl is! It is a gi fit for the newborn baby Jesus and his parents. Here at Hancock we have a prayer shawl ministry that brings the comfort and prayers of our community of faith to those in need. Kni ng prayer shawls is a spiritual prac ce for the kni er, whose heart, hands, mind, and spirit are united in an act of prayer for the one who will receive their caring in the shawl that is created. Shawls are available for anyone who is experiencing illness or injury, whether physical, mental, or spiritual. We also gi prayer shawls to those who are bap zed at Hancock. The shawl is a symbol of our covenant to provide loving Chris an community and nurture to the newly bap zed and their family. Ul mately, prayer shawls are LOVE made real and tangible in the world for someone in need. If you knit or crochet and would like to make prayer shawls, please let our Congrega onal Care Coordinator, Nancy Ro man, know. If you are aware of someone who would benefit from the gi of a shawl, please speak with Nancy or another member of the worship staff. 4 ANNOUNCEMENTS 9
Jazz Epiphany@ The Well Featuring Yale's Red, Hot, and Blue! Join us for our annual Jazz Epiphany at Worship @the Well, Sunday evening January 10th at 6:15 p.m. Red, Hot, and Blue, Yale University's oldest co ed a capella group, will be joining us and singing jazz takes on the songs of the season. The group tours na onally and interna onally every year and will be giving a concert here at Hancock on Sunday, January 17th at 3:00 p.m. Welcome Service of to Worship Hancock! We are delighted that you chose to worship with us today and are strengthened by your par cipa on in our service! We warmly invite you to coffee and refreshments immediately following worship. Coffee can be found through either of the doors next to the Chancel. If you d like to learn more about our church community and ac vi es, please take the flier hanging in the pew. You may also fill out the Welcome slip in the pew holder, and hand it to one of the clergy or ushers today. We hope that you feel very much at home here and that you will make Hancock Church your church. If you have any ques ons, our Welcoming Commi ee would be happy to help: welcoming@hancockchurch.org. Child care is available each Sunday beginning at 9:00 a.m. in the nursery and toddler room. All children and youth are invited to worship with their families, to come forward for the Children s Gathering, and then recess to the Church School for K 5. Older children are invited to stay in worship or help with younger youth. Large print bulle ns, hearing assist aids, and an elevator are available at Hancock Church. Please ask an usher for assistance. Red, Hot, & Blue has won na onal recogni on for its innova ve arrangements of jazz standards that infuse American songbook classics with the crea ve dynamism of the collegiate a cappella tradi on. Since 1977, this breathtaking ensemble has brought its award winning sound to venues all over the world: from snowy Montreal to the Golden Gate Bridge; from the sunny plazas of Madrid to the bustling streets of Tokyo; and from the White House to the halls of their beloved Yale University. All services are recorded and cablecast locally by LexMedia Cable TV (RCN 3, Comcast 8 and Verizon 35) Sunday 10 AM and 7 PM, Tuesdays 10 PM. For more informa on, please visit the Hancock website at www.hancockchurch.org *** SERVICE DVDS AVAILABLE Just fill out the orange form just outside the television studio on the lower level. The cost is $10.00 which can be paid upon ordering or upon pickup at the church. All proceeds go to support the television ministry. HANCOCK CHURCH SERMON IN HD Online at www.youtube.com/user/hancockchurch WATCH SERVICE LIVE Online at www.lexmedia.org/lptv livestreaming.html from 10am 11am 8 ANNOUNCEMENTS 5
Please join us for the Epiphany Sunday! January 3, 2016 Paul Shupe preaches on Matthew 25:31-46 We extend our sympathy to the friends and family of those who have passed away recently. Long me member Merion Ri er died on December 19th. A memorial service will be held for her at Hancock on Saturday, January 2, 2016 at 2:00 PM. Dick Plaster died before Thanksgiving. A memorial service will be held for him at Hancock on Sunday, February 14, 2016 at 1:00 PM. Thank you so much JYO for helping with Manger Sunday gi s and the Holiday Fair! Here is your upcoming class schedule: Jan 3 No JYO. Happy New Year! We will make sandwiches for the Outdoor Church and all JYOers who are in church are encouraged to par cipate. Loca on TBA April 3rd Save the Date for the HYG Auction! For 14 years, the Hancock Youth Group (HYG) has traveled to the Appalachian Mountains during their spring vaca on to build and repair homes for people in need. This week of service is the highlight of the year for HYG, and the proceeds from the Auc on support their work. We need you to donate items to the silent or live auc on, a end the auc on and bid (o en and high!!), purchase lunch at the auc on, and donate cash directly to the Mission Fund. Want to learn more about Hancock? Lunch on Jan 24th The Welcoming Commi ee invites all who would like to learn more about Hancock Church to come to a small group lunch Sunday, January 24th following worship in the Kathy Stewart Room the large mee ng room at the end of the 2nd floor rear hallway. This is a chance to meet some members and clergy and ask any ques ons about Hancock where we've come from and what we hope for the future. This is a casual, no pressure opportunity to meet some people and get to know us be er. Child care will be available. Also, we'll be welcoming new members during the February 7th service. If you are considering that, please stop by the lunch or contact the Welcoming commi ee. (Al Bukys at 781 674 0339) 6 ANNOUNCEMENTS ANNOUNCEMENTS 7