Round Hill Community Church

ORDER OF SERVICEJanuary 10, 2016Epiphany Sunday

PRELUDE Adagio J.S. Bach

WORDS OF WELCOME

INTROIT

CALL TO WORSHIP Leader: Worship gives us a way to celebrate the presence of God in our

lives and worldAll: Through the sharing of stories and songs we celebrate

the love of God expressed through Jesus Christ.Leader: We gather in this sanctuary to remember the life of Christ and his ministry…All: And the life of faith that we are called to live.Leader: We gather as a pilgrim people searching for ways to give substance to that faithAll: Thanks be to God who gives us strength to embrace the journey with joy!

*The congregation is invited to stand

*HYMN No. 173 As With Gladness

*OPENING PRAYER Spirit of energy and change, in whose power Jesus was anointed to be the hope of the nations; be poured out also upon us without reserve or distinction, that we may have confidence and strength to plant your justice on the earth, through Jesus Christ, Amen.

*GLORIA PATRIGlory be to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning,is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

CHILDREN’S MESSAGE The Rev. Dan HaughChildren may now leave for Church School.

ANTHEM Three Kings of Orient Rutter

SCRIPTURE LESSON Matthew 2: 1-12In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least

among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.’”

Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

SCRIPTURE LESSON Luke 3:21-22Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

SERMON A Good Receiver The Rev. Dr. Ed Horstmann

*HYMN Arise, Your Light is Come!

PASTORAL PRAYER

OFFERINGInvitationAnthem Thou Must Leave Thy Lowly Dwelling

Berlioz L’Enfance du Christ*Doxology Praise God from whom all blessings flow; praise him, all

creatures here below; praise him above, ye heavenly host: Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

*Hymn O Beautiful for Spacious Skies (verse 1)O beautiful for spacious skies, for amber

waves of grain, for purple mountainmajesties above the fruited plain!

America! America! God shed full graceon thee, and crown thy good with servanthood

from sea to shining sea.

THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY COMMUNION

Invitation to the Table

The Great Prayer of ThanksgivingLeader: God be with you.All: And also with you.Leader: Lift up your hearts.All: We lift them up to God.Leader: Let us give thanks to God Most High.All: It is right to give God our thanks and praise.

Leader: O God of majesty and mercy, we bless you for the beauty andbounty of the earth and for the vision of the day when sharing by all willmean scarcity for none. You have set us in the world to love and serve you, and to live in peace with your whole creation.

We remember your covenant with our ancestors in the faith, the prophets you sent to call us back to your way, and how, in the fullness of time,

out of your great love for the world, you sent your beloved son to be one of us, to redeem us, to heal us, and to form us anew to be your people in the world.

Therefore, we praise you, joining our voices with choirs of angels, with prophets, apostles, and with all the faithful of every time and place, who forever sing to the glory of your name:

Sanctus sung by all to the tune Nicaea

Holy! Holy! Holy! One God Almighty!All your works shall praise your name in earth and sky and sea!

Holy! Holy! Holy! Hosanna in the highest!Blessed is Christ who comes to set us free!

Words of Remembrance Leader: Blessed is our brother Jesus, bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh; who on the night when he was delivered over to death, took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and said: “This is my body, which is for you. Do this to remember me.’ In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying: ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, whenever you drink it, to remember me.’ For, as we eat this bread and drink this cup, we are proclaiming the Lord’s death until he comes.

All: Remembering all your mighty and merciful acts, we break this bread and share this cup, giving thanks for your saving love in Jesus Christ. As you raised Jesus from death and call us with him from death to life, may we bear witness to your resurrection power, alive and at large in our world.

Prayer of Consecration

Leader: Gracious God, may the bread we break and the cup we bless become for us the communion of the body and blood of Christ. By your Spirit make us one with Christ, that we may be united with all your people in every time and place. As Christ our Savior has taught us, let us pray together, saying:

All: 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 trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Sharing of the Bread and the Cup These are the gifts of God for the people of God. Take them in remembrance that Christ died and was raised for you.

All are invited to come forward, as directed by our Ushers, to receive the bread and cup standing in a semi-circle in front of

the communion table, dipping the bread into the cup and remaining until the words of blessing.

Communion Music

Prayer of Thanksgiving

All: Bountiful God, we give you thanks that you have refreshed us at your table by granting us the presence of Christ. Strengthen our faith, increase our love for one another, and send us forth into the world

in courage and peace, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

*HYMN You Are Salt for the Earth, O People

CHURCH PRAYEROur Heavenly Father, shed forth thy blessed spirit upon all our lives. Make each one of us an instrument in thy hands for good. Purify our hearts, strengthen our minds and bodies, fill us with Christian love. Let no pride, no self-conceit, no rivalry, no ill will ever spring up among us. Make us earnest and true, wise and prudent, giving no just cause for offense; and may thy holy peace rest upon us this day and every day throughout the coming week, sweetening our trials, cheering us in our work, and keeping us faithful to the end, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

BENEDICTION AND CHORAL RESPONSE

POSTLUDE Toccata J.S. Bach

ROUND HILL COMMUNITY CHURCH MISSION STATEMENTWe, the members of the Round Hill Community Church, a self-governing, non-denominational body, seek to foster a community of faith where people of all ages and backgrounds pursue spiritual growth; where God is worshipped in Word and praised in music; where friends are made and hurts are healed. We seek to be a community where individuals commit their time and resources to education, fellowship, and to helping those in need among our Church family and in the broader world. We are a church where faith, hope, justice and love are valued, and above all, Jesus is Lord.

ROUND HILL COMMUNITY CHURCH CREEDI believe in God, the one universal Father of all mankind, revealed supremely in Jesus Christ, our Lord, and present with us to guide, comfort and inspire in the Holy Spirit. I believe in the Kingdom of God; and in the mission of the Christian Church to proclaim the Gospel to all the world, exalting the worship of the Lord our God, and laboring for the progress of knowledge, the promotion of righteousness, the reign of peace, and the realization of human brotherhood. United in Christian love, we pray and labor for the coming of the Kingdom, the triumph of righteousness and the life everlasting. Amen.

CHURCH NEWS

Thank you to Helen and Hooker O’Malley for ushering during this morning’s service.

Thank you to Ken Hammond and Hooker O’Malley for hosting today’s Coffee Hour. Please join them in the parlor following the service.

Welcome and thank you to Eugene Sirotkine for inspiring our service with music this week, substituting for Christopher Kabala during his vacation.We welcome Adrianne Singer, President and CEO of the Greenwich YWCA and Meredith Gold, Director of YWCA Domestic Abuse Servicesto RHCC this morning! Please join them following the service for a discussion about how domestic violence affects our community, the basics of domestic abuse, how to help a friend or family member, what services are available and how to get involved.

Following our service this morning, we are pleased to launch the inaugural class of the Greenwich Community Confirmation Program. Our first topic of discussion will be “God.” Confirmands will regularly meet on the second Sunday of each month through May, in addition to more intimate

group meetings with their Confirmation Mentors at other times throughout the program. We are still accepting interested 7th and 8th graders through the end of January. Contact Rev. Dan Haugh for info.

The call of the wild has come to RHCC! A collection of Tanzanian safari photographs, Wild Serengeti, by Greenwich photographer Arto Szabo, are on display in Les Beaux Arts Gallery beginning today through February 4 th. Come and gaze at the magnificent wild animals captured by Arto’s discerning lens!

The next installment in the Bible Study Series: People of the Book will take place next Sunday from 11:30-1pm. In this series, we will explore the lives of Simeon and Anna and try to gain a sense of how their struggles, accomplishments, and transformations may help us strengthen our own faith, increase our love for one another, and help us to be a force for good. Please register for People of the Book by emailing the Church Office.

RHCC and Congregation Shir Ami will host Greenwich Emergency Medical Services [GEMS] for a CPR certification class on Sunday, January 24 at 11:30AM, in our Meeting Room. The curriculum is from the American Heart Association and covers the initial assessment of someone who has become unconscious, the performance of CPR for both adults and children, and the usage of an Automated External Defibrillator [AED]. This program typically runs for approximately two (2) hours and does involve a measure of physical activity. Faculty members will be paramedics and EMT’s from GEMS, and we will use defibrillator training machines that mimic the unit that Round Hill Community Church owns. The class is free, but pre-registration is required to insure we have sufficient instructors. Childcare will be provided ONLY if you register by January 15. Please sign up at the Welcome Table in the Parlor or by contacting the church office by January 15. If you have any questions about the class, please contact GEMS directly by writing to Art Romano, Deputy Director at ARomano@greenwichems.org

Thanks to your generosity on this year’s Mitten Tree, Rev. Dan Haugh was able to deliver over 100 brand new gloves, hats and mittens to our friends at Neighbor-to-Neighbor this week. Thank you for warming both hands and hearts this Christmas season!

Youth are invited to participate in two Service Saturdays this winter in partnership with Neighbor to Neighbor of Greenwich. Students will help collect, sort and organize donated clothes and food items on Saturday, January 16 between 10 am and 12:30 pm and Saturday, February 13 from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm. Community service hours will be awarded and students are encouraged to sign up quickly, as capacity is limited. Please register by January 10th. For more info, contact Rev. Dan Haugh.

The Spirit may be moving our burgeoning youth ministry in mysterious ways....but what we really need is a PEOPLE-MOVER!! As our youth ministry develops and grows, we want to be able to offer safe, reliable and cost-effective transportation to and from Church-organized group outings.  If you have a 7-10 person vehicle in good working condition that you would be willing to lend or donate for Church Youth Ministry excursions, please reach out to Rev. Dan Haugh – dan@roundhillcommunitychurch.org .  Thank you!!

Volunteer Opportunity!!! Our friends at Inspirica have asked for helping hands for their “Point in Time” initiative which aims to paint an accurate picture of homelessness in the state of Connecticut. There are thousands of individuals and families in shelters at any time, and hundreds more living without shelter in Connecticut. Only by knowing who, where, and how many people are experiencing homelessness in Connecticut can we plan and identify the resources needed to best serve the most vulnerable, and ultimately move families and individuals into permanent housing. The count will take place on Tuesday, January 26th, with a short training session at 6pm followed by the count at 7pm. Please join us to make a difference in the lives of homeless

men, women, and children throughout Connecticut by taking part in the nation’s largest homeless census.  For more info or to sign up, contact Rev. Dan Haugh.

REFLECTIONThe little stable at Bethlehem was the place where the love of God broke through to humankind. The wise men out of the East followed the star and discovered the place of breaking in, where the mystery of love lay in the helplessness of a human baby, wrapped in swaddling clothes in the feeding trough of an animal. They discovered the place where God’s love had come down. That is the most important thing for each of us: to discover in our own time and hour the place where God’s love has broken through, and then to follow the star that has risen for us – and to remain true to the light that has fallen into our hearts.

Eberhard Arnold

Senior Pastor: The Rev. Dr. Edward G. HorstmannAssociate Pastor: The Rev. Dan Haugh

Minister Emeritus: The Rev. Dr. Ralph AhlbergMinister of Music: Christopher Kabala

Church School Coordinator: Connie Blunden

Round Hill Community Church

395 Round Hill Road, Greenwich, CT 06831203.869.1091 roundhillcommunitychurch.org