Baptism of the Lord January 13, 2019 *Please stand as you are able. Congregational responses in bold. Prelude Greeting: The light shines in the deepest night and the night has not overcome it. John 1:5 Introit: Jesus, Stand Among Us v.1 VU#396 Jesus, stand among us in your risen power; let this time of worship be a hallowed hour. Lighting of the Christ Candle Call to Worship: Come all God s people, and listen to the voice of God. God s voice is in the murmur of the waters. The water is cleansing and refreshing. Water reminds us of our vows to follow Christ. Baptism clears a way for new life. Our baptism reminds us that we are God s people, and that we join together in love and service. Guest Orchestra: Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra Opening Prayer From the formless waters God created life and called them good. In the waters of the river Jordan, John baptized Jesus, the source of living water. Christ invites all who thirst to come and drink. Our baptism with water is a symbol of our covenant with Christ.
It reminds us that we too shall welcome all to the living water. Come all, prepare our hearts and minds to drink the living water. Lord s Prayer VU#910 *Hymn Jesus Loves Me VU#365 Theme Time Sing: For all your goodness, God VU#549 Prayer of Confession One: God with us. You come to your people in a manger, at the temple, and on a riverbank. During your earthly ministry, you inhabited everyday spaces: the places where your people went to tend to their livelihood, to pray, and to collect water. All: Too often, we imagine you only in these traditional biblical scenes, instead of looking for you in our everyday lives: in our workplaces, our places of worship, and our homes. Forgive us. Open our hearts, eyes, and ears to encounter you today. Too often, we acknowledge your holy identity, but we forget to remember that we share in your baptism. Forgive us. Remind us again this day that we are claimed as God s children and are sent to show the love and justice we see in you. Amen. Words of affirmation One: God s voice publicly claims Jesus as my child, the beloved, with whom I am well pleased. All: We too are called by God: God knows us, loves us, claims and names us. We are beloved and empowered! Prayer for Illumination & Intro Reader: Cathy Elderkin Isaiah 43:1-7 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. One This is the witness of Israel. All: Thanks be to God. *Hymn Oh a Song Must Rise MV#142 Intro
Acts 8:14-17 Baptised people in Samaria receive the Holy Spirit. One: This is the witness of the Church. All: Thanks be to God. Intro Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 Jesus is baptized by John. As Reader s Theatre Reflection Offering Invitation Offertory *Presentation of Gifts VU#44 In gratitude and humble trust we bring our best today to serve your cause and share your love with all along life's way. O God, who gave yourself to us in Jesus Christ, your Son, teach us to give ourselves each day until life's work is done. Prayers The Life and Work of the Community *Hymn I Have Called You by Your Name MV#161 Following this service, you are invited to dip your hand in the water in the baptismal font and take a stone as a symbol of your baptism and the Baptism of Jesus. Carry it with you or keep it in a special place as a reminder that you are God s beloved, and even before you begin, God tells you that with you God is well pleased. Go forth with that guiding your life, your words and your actions. *Sending Forth: Beloved of God, go into this world that God loves. May we bless it with our imagination; transform it with our courage; renew it with our compassion. And may the Spirit s presence fill you with abundant hope and everlasting joy. Amen. *Choral Closing: refrain, vs.1 & refrain VU#87 Postlude ~Words to music reprinted with permission One License #621976
Welcome to Mount Royal United Church! A Christian Family encouraging spiritual growth through Worship, Friendship, Learning and Action. Your presence enriches our worship. Newcomers and visitors are welcome and invited to sign our guest book at the back (name and address, if possible). If you are able, please join us for coffee and conversation. If you are new to Mount Royal and would like any information on giving, or how we make a difference in the world through the money we collect, please contact the church office. There are many options including envelopes and PAR (Pre-Authorized Remittance) which make it easier to give and tax deductible as charitable giving! Help support the vital ministry of Mount Royal! Minister: Rev Dr Beverly Daley Music Director: France Henriques Office Administrator: Tracy Parrott Custodian: Wayne Surrette Welcomer: Annie Thomas Ushers: Dave Arnold, Howard Easton, (Norman Bremner) Church Office: 855-5771 Kitchen Phone & Fax: 855-7180 Office e-mail: office@mountroyaluc.ca Mount Royal website: www.mountroyaluc.ca Office Hours: Mon-Thurs, 9am 3pm Screen Operators for the next 4 weeks: Jan 13 Penny/Mike, Jan 20 Jim, Jan 27 Erik, Feb 3 Stephen Ushers for the next 4 weeks: (chairlift operator in brackets) Jan 20 Reg Henderson, (Jim Morris), Connie MacCallum, Shirley Dutcher Jan 27 (Don Matheson), Terry Foreman, John & Nancy Brown Feb 3 Joe & June Robinson, Colin & Katelyn Montgomery Feb 10 Jean Cherry, Valerie Berry, Ina Freeman, (Ron Roper) This Week s Events Monday 9:30am Tai Chi Church Hall 2:15-3:15 Sparks Church Hall 6:30-8pm Cubs Church Hall Tuesday 9:00am Craft Group Boardroom 1:00pm Art Club Church Hall
6:30-7:30 Beavers Church Hall 7:00pm Church Council Boardroom Wednesday 9:30am Tai Chi Church Hall 7:00pm Choir Practice Sanctuary Thursday 12pm Lunch with Friends Church Hall 6:15-7:30 Brownies Church Hall Friday 9:30am Tai Chi Church Hall Saturday 10am-12 Tai Chi Church Hall Special Notices: A most sincere thank you to my church family for the wonderful reception December 9 th celebrating my 90 th birthday. Much appreciation for your kind wishes, beautiful cards and the many lovely gifts. A very special day I will not forget. - Grace Harris The next Lunch with Friends will be Thursday, January 17 th at noon. The speaker will be Jane Wood and the menu is potato and bacon chowder. The cost is $5.00. Please sign up on the sheet at the back of the church or call the office before Monday, January 14 th. The kitchen at Mount Royal UC will undergo renovations over the upcoming winter months. The first phase, beginning on Friday, January 25 will be to redo the countertops, backsplash and table top. The adhesives used in this process have a strong odour. All groups are advised that the fumes may linger, making the hall inaccessible. A work space with tools, etc. will also use part of the hall. Hopefully this phase will be completed by February 11. The next phase with carpentry and painting will be in March, with a newer brighter kitchen to suit our needs in the future. Thank you for your attention in this matter. All Committee Chairs and Group Leaders please consider your 2018 reports for submission for the Annual Report. The deadline for submissions for this publication is January 25. The reports will be available to pick up on February 3 and the Annual Meeting will take place on February 10. UCW continues to collect: stamps with ¼ inch border, pop tabs, used eye glasses and lenses, milk bags All of these items can be left at the Bessborough entrance.
Kim Gallant will be preparing a PowerPoint presentation of pictures highlighting "A Year in Review" of the events that have taken place in our church community in 2018. The PowerPoint will be posted on our website and Facebook page in the new year. If you have pictures of events you wish to have included, you can email them to Kchristi@nb.sympatico.ca The 2019 church envelopes are now in the mail slots. Please collect them after the service. No scents make good sense. Anyone interested in being a member of our 60 th Anniversary Committee (in 2019) please call the office to offer your name. It has been suggested that one way to show care and concern for members of our church family, would be to have a periodic contact with those people who have not been in attendance for some time. Contact could be made by phone or email or through an informal personal conversation. This will not be a formal visitation. If you would be willing to contact 3 or 4 people a couple of times per year, please contact Susan Fowler at 855-7008. Do you have difficulty hearing the services? There are hearing devices available at the back of the sanctuary for your use. There are alcohol swabs available to clean the earpieces before use. Just ask an usher for assistance. Book Club meets the last Tuesday of each month. At the next meeting, on Jan 29, we will be discussing The Book Club by Mary Alice Munroe and Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell. Please remember to continue to wear your name tags so that others may identify you and you may identify others. If you have e-mail and would like to receive notices regarding cancellations and other items of interest, please put your name and e-mail address on a piece of paper in the collection plate. Thank you. Community Notices: Thanks to a generous donation we have a transport wheelchair, rollator and walker in the church. These will be stored at the back of the sanctuary and are there should the need arise for anyone experiencing mobility issues during services or activities at the church. Please be advised that we now have the technology to permit the screen operators to record and post on the church website, any regular or
special services held in the sanctuary. If anyone would like to have a copy of an upcoming service on a disk, they should contact the office. We continue to support ReConnect. Following their reorganization, they will provide a more detailed list of required items. From UCW - A Special Thank You to all those who have contributed and continue to support the coffee and conversation gatherings after the Sunday service. Your gifts of food items as well as coffee and tea are very much appreciated. We welcome your help at any time and food items do not need to be home baked, healthy choices are always a plus. We hope that this fellowship time continues to be part of the warmth and friendliness shown to visitors and newcomers, Mount Royal folks, young and not so young. Thank you! There is a sign-up sheet next to the coffee window.