A Gathering in Worship Offered by the People of the

Church of Christ, Union

Epiphany

January 4, 2015, 10:30 am

Meditation
We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when adults are afraid of the light.
— Plato

Beginning the Journey

Welcome & Announcements
Prelude     Arioso  G.F. Handel
*  Call to Worship
One:   We gather wondering, “’Where will we find the Babe born in Bethlehem?’
All:      We will find the Babe in the laughter of children, in the wisdom of grandparents.
One:     We gather asking, “where will we find  the Child of Christmas?”
All:      We will find the Child where the needy are gifted with hope, where the oppressed are set free.
One:     We gather wanting to know, “where will we find the Christ
who has come for us?”
All:      We will find our Hope where fear is overwhelmed by grace, where hatred is overwhelmed by love, where all people are overwhelmed by joy.
*  Opening Hymn #158 Black        O Morning Star           Wie Schon Leuchtet
*  Prayer of Approach & Confession
One:     O Divine Light,  we confess that sometimes we look to you
to be a neon sign or even a burning bush offering easy answers to our problems in the moments when our lives are most dim. And we confess that sometimes we expect you  to do most of the work to light our way  while we sit back and watch you work.
All:      But your ever-beckoning presence reminds us
that we embody your light.  You have empowered us with spiritual currents  of wisdom, strength, compassion, and peace  and when we trust enough to let your life flow within us
we find our life journey well illumined.
* Words of Assurance
One:     Even in your darkness, God is there offering empowering light.
Search for glimpses of light amidst the gloom;
seek the teachings of Jesus, which will light your way in the world;
trust God, and celebrate that you are made in God’s image
this day and forevermore. Amen.
*  Passing the Peace of Jesus Christ
All who come to this sanctuary are welcome companions on this day! You are invited to turn to those nearest you and greet them with words of peace and joy.

Beholding the Light

Special Music       Christmas Hymn          Karen Willard
Carrie Jadud, Debbonnaire Kovacs, Sharona Nelson, Robert Rorrer
Hebrew Scripture Lesson                       Isaiah 60:1-6
Children’s Moment                                      As the children return to their seats, we sing:

May God’s presence guard, protect and guide you. God bless you, God bless you. Our savior’s loving arms be ever ’round you. God bless you, God bless you.

Following Children’s Moment, children grades K-3 are invited to Children’s Church, which takes place in the chapel.  If this is your child’s first time attending Children’s Church, please accompany them to fill out a registration form.  Otherwise, children are welcome to follow volunteers to their worship spaces. For children preschool & under, care is available in the Nursery, downstairs off the Community Room. Please pick up your children in the Chapel after the service.
Gospel Lesson                  Matthew 2:1-12
Sermon     Filtering the Light       Rev. Rachel Small Stokes

Responding to the Light in Love

Call to Offering
Our gifts help sustain this particular community of caring by sustaining the building, pastors and staff, and all the materials that make our ministry of healing, justice, and teaching available to all in need. In addition, a good portion of our contributions flows out to aid to those in need via many external agencies.
This can now be done online or by text to  859-448-3403 (Example: Text “$50.00 Offering” to contribute to the ongoing ministries, or add “youth,” or “missions” or designation of your choice to benefit one in particular.)
Your contribution is love made visible. Thank you!
 Offertory             Epiphany Road           Lewis
*  Doxology    Old Hundredth
To God all glorious heavenly light; To Christ revealed in earthly night; To God the spirit now we raise.  Our grateful hymn of thankful praise. Amen.

Becoming One With the Light

* Invitation to Communion
One:     People of Advent: the Lord be with you!
All:      And also with you!
One      People of Christmas, lift up your hearts.
All:      We lift our hearts overwhelmed with grace  to the One who was born for us.
One:     People of the Star, offer your songs of joy and thanksgiving to God.
All:      We will sing our praises to the One who has revealed glory and hope in the Babe of Bethlehem.
Ringing of the Peace Bell
The Union Church Peace Bell was created by Jeff Enge in honor of Union Church member Carl Eschbach (1904-1998).  A twin bell hangs in Berea’s sister province in Japan and is also rung in the hope of peace for all nations.
Silent Prayers and Prayers of the Community
Hymn        Brightest and Best       Southern Harmony
Deborah Payne, violin
Communion Prayer
One:     In that first moment, you spoke,
Radiant God, and the light of creation dispelled the thick darkness of chaos.
You whispered, and your glory filled the skies.
You sang, and the dust of the earth was shaped into your image, as you breathed life into us.
One:     We could have lived in grace and peace with you for as long as the sun endures, for as long as the moon hangs in the night sky.
One:     But we were tempted by the sweet taste of sin, and overwhelmed with temptation’s wealth of cheap gifts and thrills. The prophets were sent to tell of your gifts of joy and peace, but we listened to the world’s news of success, power, achievement.
One:     Finally, in that dark time of despair, you sent Jesus, your servant of salvation. Therefore, we will join our voices with the wise ones, as well as the foolish, of every time and place who forever sing of your grace:
Communion Sanctus                   please join in singing:
Communion  Prayer
One:     Holy are you, God of redemption, and blessed is Jesus Christ, our Savior.
Overwhelmed with compassion, he left the glory of heaven, to become a prisoner of sin, so we could be set free.
Overwhelmed with hope, he entered death’s house, to break its dark power forever.
Overwhelmed with love, he travelled another road, walking to Calvary, so we might run with joy  into your waiting arms.
One:     So, as we remember his birth, as we prepare to journey with him this year, we speak of that mystery called faith, which is revealed to us through Christ:
All:      Christ came, the morning star of love;
Christ died, the night star of salvation;
Christ arose, the radiant star of resurrection;
Christ will come again, the constellation of hope.
Serving One Another
All who seek the love of God are welcome at this meal and are invited to freely receive from it.  We will share the elements today by intinction, dipping the bread in the cup. When invited please come to one of the stations by exiting your pew to the left and returning by the right. If it is not convenient to come forward, the elements can be brought to your seat by signaling to the usher. All the bread is gluten-free, and the chalices are filled with non-alcoholic grape juice.
If it is not your tradition to receive, you are invited to join in prayers for the unity of the Spirit and all people, within your tradition.
Blessing for Those Who Will Receive at Home
Members who have been designated to carry communion to those who could not be with us this morning are invited forward at this time. The elements from our meal will go with our blessing and prayers for our continued unity in the Spirit. If you would like serve by taking communion to others, you are very welcome to do so and are invited to volunteer.
Prayer of Thanksgiving

Shining Forth

*  Closing Hymn #164 Black          Arise, Your Light Is Come      Festal Song
*  Benediction                    
Postlude    Fugue in C Major       F. Mendelssohn
———————————————
*  Please rise in body or in spirit
Especially in our prayers
Each week we join millions of Christians who pray for one another through the ecumenical prayer cycle and, locally, the Berea Ministerial Association’s prayer cycle.  Let us hold the people of Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories and our brothers and sisters at Grace Community Church in your hearts, and pray for them.
Please also hold these concerns in your prayers, today and throughout the week:
* Those in harm’s way in service of our country, and those who wait and worry for them.
* For the victims of violence everywhere, and especially under the influence of racial prejudice and simmering fear. Peace to those everywhere our madness reigns.
* Our church family members in nursing homes, or who are homebound:  Edith Hansen, Klara Welsh, Bernice Robertson, Nancy Jones, Mary Miller, Averill Kilbourne, Alva Peloquin, Ruth Butwell
* Debbonnaire Kovacs, at the death of her father
* Peggy Coyne, recovering from surgery
* Rich Royalty,  who has had a stroke
* Michael Embry’s mother, Kelly Basham, struggling with health problems
* Melissa Neal, recovering from surgery
* Joan Moore, at the death of her father, Bob Moore
* Stephanie Ledgin, who had surgery for a complicated torn rotator cuff this week and soon will have breast cancer surgery
* Lee Etta Cummings and Lisa Vaughn, in the loss of Lee Etta’s mother
New Year, New Directory! We’re going to produce a new directory in January—the plan is to have a draft copy for correcting/approving at WNL on January 7, and at the Congregational Budget meeting on Jan. 11.
If your info – and your family’s – has been correct (birthdays, emails, etc.) – you don’t need to do anything. BUT if something has changed (or if you’ve added cell #s or emails) OR you haven’t been in the Directory before OR you want to send us a new photo, we’d love it!

    We print names, birthdays, emails, phone numbers & cell numbers (with permission, of course), and produce printed or pdf copies. If you have a spouse/partner or children who don’t sign in on Sunday mornings but you’d like in the Directory, please let us know that too. We won’t publish the Directory on the website without password protection.

Family Faith Day, Saturday January 10th, 10 am to Noon

Create Blankets for Project Linus, which provides homemade blankets for children in need.  Anyone in the church who is interested is welcome to join us! Any level of sewing experience also welcome, including none. We will be making rag-edged blankets out of flannel and denim and possibly fleece.

Want to help? Here is what we need:

* Fabric, especially flannel. Squares will be at least 6″x6″.

* Sewing machines, fabric scissors, rotary cutting supplies

* Experienced sewers who can teach kids and parents to use sewing machines.

For more information, contact Kim Kobersmith at 985-0185 or kim.kobersmith@gmail.com.

Budget meeting: Union Church’s annual budget meeting to consider the 2015 budget will be January 11, 2015, after worship & lunch.