Fourth Sunday of Epiphany
The Rite of Confirmation
Organ Prelude “Prelude and Fugue in C Major” (J.S. Bach)
Congregational Welcome
Choral Introit “Make a Joyful Noise Unto the Lord” (Hopson)
Call to Worship
*Opening Hymn (insert) God, When I Came into This Life
*Prayer of Invocation (Unison)
Gather us now, O God, for a time of praise and joy. Unite us for spiritual community, to share our bounty and burdens, and to celebrate how your Word moves from generation to generation, and place to place. Open our hearts to awe, our eyes to wisdom, and our hands to service. Draw us to the wonders of eternity, and let us delight in Jesus’ way. We pray this as Christ’s Body, Amen.
*Assurance of Grace
*Sung Response in Praise (Hymn #229, vs. 1)
From all that dwell below the skies, Let the Creator’s Praise arise:
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Let the redeemer’s name be sung Through every land, in every tongue.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
*Sharing of Peace
One Voice: The Peace of Christ be always with you. All: And also with you!
The Sacrament of Baptism**
*Hymn of Confirmation (insert) I Was There to Hear Your Borning Cry
(During the hymn, children quietly depart to Sunday School)
The Rite of Confirmation
The Review of the Promise
(A New Creed, UCC 1968)
All: We believe in God: who has created and is creating,
who has come in Jesus, the Word made flesh,
to reconcile and make new,
who works in us and others by the Spirit.
We trust in God.
We are called to be the Church:
to celebrate God’s presence, to live with respect in Creation,
to love and serve others, to seek justice and resist evil,
to proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen, our judge and our hope.
In life, in death, in life beyond death, God is with us.
We are not alone. Thanks be to God.
Prayer of all the Confirmands (spoken by the Confirmands, together)
Confirmands: O God, our God, known to us in Jesus Christ, I give myself to hope, and clothe myself in faith, to love my neighbor, serve our creation, and follow the Prince of Peace, throughout life and into eternity, with the help of your Holy Spirit, Amen.
All: We promise you our continuing friendship and prayers as we share the hopes and tasks of the way of Jesus Christ. By the presence and power of the Holy Spirit may we continue to grow together in awareness of God’s gifts. May we all love our neighbors, ourselves, and God’s creation, united together as witnesses to the resurrection, and repairers of the breach. Alleluia! Amen.
Thanksgiving for Community
Call to Offering
Choral Offering “The Plans I Have for You” (Allen Pote)
*Doxology
Praise God from whom all blessings flow,
Praise Christ the word in flesh born low,
Praise Holy Spirit evermore,
One God, Triune, whom we adore. Amen.
*Prayer of Thanksgiving and The Lord’s Prayer (Our father and mother…trespasses)
*Closing Hymn #464 Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee
*Assurance and Blessing
*Choral Benediction “Grace to You” (Larson)
Postlude “Toccata” (J. Lemmens)
* Those who are able please stand
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**Being Baptized today is Eliot Greer Jones, supported by his family.
NHCC is an Open and Affirming, Still Speaking congregation where all are welcome regardless of the divisions or separations that some in society would impose:
whoever you are, you are welcome in God’s house. “In Christ we are a new creation,”
so we are blessed to be together in Christ’s name.
Thanks to worship leaders Ken Baily, Jan Zimmerman,
Yevgenia Semeina-Maroyan, Amanda Ketchpaw, and Misha Hill.
Dogma
I might be an atheist
were it not
for all the tall angels
and the pudgy cherubs
in the silvery clouds
presiding over all those miracles.
–Billy Collins