Plymouth C ongregational C hurch A Congregation of the United Church of Christ RIN G IN G O F TH E BE L L TH E G ATH E RING Service of the Word J anuary 8, 2017 Baptism of C hrist Sunday 10:00 am PRE L U D E The Baptism of C hrist Rachel Aarons *O PE N IN G H Y M N C ome, O Fount of E very Blessing N o. 459 *PRAY E R O F IN VO C ATIO N WO RD S O F WE L C O M E L et us pray. Y ou broke down the barriers when you crept in beside us. F or in J esus, your hands touched all, and touched us. Y ou opened our eyes, to see how the hands of the rich were empty, and the hearts of the poor were full. Y ou took the widow s mite, the child s loaves, the babe at the breast and used them to show us the K ingdom. Y ou gave us hands to hold, black and white, African and Asian, the clasping hands of lovers and the reluctant hands of those who don t believe they are worth holding. And when we wanted to shake our fists, you still wanted to hold our hands. H ere in the company of the neighbor whom we know and the stranger in our midst, and the self from whom we turn, we ask to love as J esus loved. M ake this the place and time, good L ord, when heaven and earth become one, and we in word and flesh know ourselves beloved. Amen. *Please rise if you are able Q uinn G. C aldwell
WITN ESS PRAY E R O F C O N FE SSIO N *WO RD S O F ASSU RAN C E *PASSIN G O F TH E PE AC E *SO N G O F PRAISE (unison) TH E RE F RE SH M E N T O F FO RG IVE N E SS Please share a sign of peace with those around you. G o, tell it on the mountain O ver the hills and everywhere! G o, tell it on the mountain That J esus C hrist is born! Kirsten H ubel AN TH E M The Baptism of C hrist M ichael Bedford TH E G IF T O F TH E WO RD SC RIPTU RE AN D STO RY FO R AL L AG E S M atthew 3:13-17 After the Story, kids can head upstairs with Liz for Chapel Time. H Y M N (seated) Won t Y ou L et M e Be Y our Servant?, v. 1 N o. 539 WITN ESS H Y M N (seated) Won t Y ou L et M e Be Y our Servant?, v. 2 WITN ESS H Y M N (seated) Won t Y ou L et M e Be Y our Servant?, v. 3 WITN ESS?? *H Y M N (standing) Won t Y ou L et M e Be Y our Servant?, vv. 4 & 6 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 G eri H all C hris H opkins Kelly Tooley O ur Father, 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. There are several beloved versions of this prayer. In an effort to pray in unison while respecting the different versions that many of us have prayed since childhood, we will cycle through the different versions over the course of a year. We will pray using trespasses through the first part of 2017. C AL L TO TH E O FFE RIN G O F F E RIN G O U RSE L VE S AN D O U R G IF TS 2
O FFE RTO RY AN TH E M This Baptizing D ay Arr. William Pasch *D O X O L O G Y (unison) Old Hundredth 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! Praise G od above, ye heavenly host! C reator, C hrist, and H oly G host. Amen. *C L O SIN G H Y M N Sent Forth by G od s Blessing N o. 76 *BE N E D IC TIO N PO STL U D E Water M usic X IV G. F. H andel Plymouth Runs O n Y O U G RE E TE RS : Rich J aeger and D avid J enks U S H E RS : G eorge Bain and Bill Bucher AC O L Y TE : Ray C arr F L O WE RS : In loving memory of H ilda M annion & G enevieve Stahl by the M annion Family C O M M U N ITY TIM E : N icaragua M ission Trip Team O F FE RIN G C O U NTE RS : G eorge Bain and Keith J akway 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 and across E ast O nondaga Street. 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. 3
S U PPO RT PL Y M O U TH S M IS S IO N ARIE S! From the 20 th through the 27 th of February, a team from the N ew Y ork C onference of the U nited C hurch of C hrist will be visiting our mission partners in La Iglesia M ision C ristiana in M anagua, N icaragua. There they will work on construction and medical projects, and will partner with teachers and students at after-school educational and feeding programs sponsored by the church. Plymouth s own C hris H opkins is leading the charge, along with G eri H all, M ilanne M orange, and Kelly Tooley. There are a number of ways you can support them in their work: + Pray for them as they prepare to depart, and while they re there + Follow their posts on Facebook, and ask them about their experience after they get back + M ake a donation to help cover the cost of the trip. For each $20 you donate, you will receive one of our new Be Bold Plymouth mugs. If you already have all the mugs you need, just put your new ones on the cart next to the coffee pots in M emorial H all to donate them to be used at C ommunity Time. There will be a table set up in M emorial H all after worship to receive your donations and distribute cups. Thanks to the anonymous donor who paid for the mugs! 4
M usic N otes for J anuary 8, 2017 Today, amongst other things, we celebrate the Baptism of J esus. O ur prelude is by Rachel Aarons, who is a real estate agent with a degree in French who sings alto in her church choir in Virginia. O ur anthem is by M ichael Bedford (b. 1949) who is O rganist and C hoir D irector at St. J ohn s E piscopal C hurch in Tulsa, O klahoma. The text is macaronic, which means it mixes two (or more) languages: J esus autem hodie regresses est a J ordane. (Today J esus returned to the J ordan.) When J esus Christ baptized was, the Holy Ghost descended with grace; The Father s voice was heard in this place: Hic est filius meus; ipsum intende. (This is my Son; listen to him.) There were three Persons, and one Lord, the Son baptized with one accord, The Father said this blessed word. Hic est filius meus; ipsum intende. Now J esus, as thou art both God and man, and were baptized in from J ordan, At our last end we pray thee, say then. Hic est filius meus; ipsum intende. William Allen Pasch is an emeritus professor of E nglish at C layton State U niversity near Atlanta. H e has been a choir director and organist most of his life. O ur offertory anthem uses the tune of an American folk hymn made popular by the movie Oh Brother, Where Art Thou: J esus went down to the J ordan one day, his Father s calling to obey, Then J ohn baptized him; and the Lord God said, This is the way! This is my own dear Son. Follow him, His work s begun. Sin s drowned, the victory won! River, wash guilt away! This water flows as the promise of grace for all God s children in this place. It s not our doing; Christ has done it all. Give God the praise! Now let this flood of love wash us clean, all fear remove. From earth to heaven above loud thanksgiving we raise. When I go down to the river to pray, thinking on my baptizing day, The Holy Spirit tells me I m newborn! Old sin, away! My Savior died for me. Resurrection sets us free! Grace reigns eternally through this baptizing day! Although not really about baptism, I thought it appropriate to play one of the lesser known movements of G. F. H andel s (1685-1759) Water M usic as the postlude. 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. 5
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 13202 (315) 474-4836 plymouthsyr.org office@plymouthsyr.org 6