Weekly Bulletin
St. Paul UCC, Wapakoneta
Worship Order
Baptism of Jesus
January 10, 2021
WELCOME, ANNOUNCEMENTS, AND PRAYER REQUESTS
PASSING THE PEACE
One: The Peace of Christ be with you.
All: And also with you.
PRELUDE and LIGHTING THE ALTAR CANDLES
CALL TO WORSHIP (Psalm 29):
Voice 1: Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings,
Ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
Ascribe to the LORD the glory of his name;
Worship the LORD in holy splendor.
Voice 2: The voice of the LORD is over the waters;
The God of glory thunders,
The LORD, over mighty waters.
Voice 1: The voice of the LORD is powerful;
The voice of the LORD is full of majesty.
The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars;
The LORD breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,
And Sirion like a young wild ox.
Voice 2: The voice of the LORD flashes forth flames of fire.
The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness:
The LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
Voice 1: The voice of the LORD causes the oaks to whirl,
And strips the forest bare;
And in his temple all say, “Glory!”
Voice 2: The LORD sits enthroned over the flood;
The LORD sits enthroned as king forever.
Voice 1: May the LORD give strength to his people!
Voice 2: May the LORD bless his people with peace!
HYMN #31 I Sing the Almighty Power of God
I sing the almighty power of God that made the mountains rise,
That spread the flowing seas abroad and built the lofty skies.
I sing the wisdom that ordained the sun to rule the day;
The moon shines full at his command and all the stars obey.
I sing the goodness of the Lord that filled the earth with food;
He formed the creatures with his word and then pronounced them good.
Lord, how your wonders are displayed where’er I turn my eye,
If I survey the ground I tread or gaze upon the sky!
There’s not a plant or flower below but makes your glories known;
And clouds arise and tempests blow by order from your throne;
While all that borrows life from you is ever in your care,
And everywhere that I may be, you, God, are present there.
OPENING PRAYER
In the beginning, O God, you fashioned a universe. Each star and planet had its beginning in you. Out of the void, you brought light and life. Through eons of creativity, you have acted, and today we are here, inheritors of an amazing process, tiny specks in the limitless reaches of time and space. And you are here, Mighty God, waiting to greet us. Let your light awaken us and your Spirit empower us to faithful living. Amen.
WE GIVE GLORY TO GOD Gloria Patri
Glory 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. Amen.
FIRST SCRIPTURE READING Genesis 1:1-5 (NRSV)
1 In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, 2 the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. 3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
SOLO “Worship the King” Daniel Landis
SECOND SCRIPTURE READING Mark 1:4-11
4 John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6 Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. 8 I have baptized you with[b] water; but he will baptize you with[c] the Holy Spirit.” 9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved;[d] with you I am well pleased.”
SERMON
WE GIVE PRAISE TO GOD 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.
PASTORAL PRAYER AND THE LORD’S PRAYER
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 debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
HYMN #352 Spirit Song
O let the Son of God enfold you with his Spirit and his love.
Let him fill your heart and satisfy your soul.
O let him have the things that hold you, and his Spirit like a dove
Will descend upon your life and make you whole.
Jesus, O Jesus, come and fill your lambs. Jesus, O Jesus, come and fill your lambs.
O come and sing this song with gladness as your hearts are filled with joy.
Lift your hands in sweet surrender to his name.
O give him all your tears and sadness; give him all your years of pain,
And you’ll enter into life in Jesus’ name.
Jesus, O Jesus, come and feed your lambs. Jesus, O Jesus, come and feed your lambs.
OUR COMMON CALLING
Let us go forth into the world in peace. Be of good courage. Hold fast to that which is good. Render to no one evil for evil. Strengthen the faint hearted. Support the weak. Help the afflicted. Honor all people. Love and serve the Lord, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit.
BENEDICTION
BENEDICTION RESPONSE The Trees of the Field #710
POSTLUDE
**All hymn texts reprinted here are either in the public domain or used with permission.
Portions of today’s service were adapted from Lavon Bayler’s Led by Love: Worship Resources for Year B (Cleveland: United Church Press, 1996).
CHURCH NEWS – JANUARY 10, 2021
2021 OFFERING ENVELOPES – The 2021 offering envelopes are ready. You may stop by the office to pick up or if don’t feel comfortable getting out of car call when you get here and we can bring them out to you. 419-738-2215.
PASTOR BECKY ON VACATION – Pastor Becky will be on vacation from January 12 through January 25. If you have any pastoral needs during this time, Rev. Jeanette Tangeman will be available. Please call the church office at 419-738-2215, and we will contact her for you.
FLOWER CHART 2021 – If you would like your name on the flower chart for 2021, please call the church office and we will take care of that for you.
ANNUAL CONGREGATION MEETING – The current Covid Pandemic Crisis has certainly placed unique safety and health protocols in order to keep people as safe as possible. One of these protocols involves any meeting that requires large amounts of people to gather in one place. Our Annual Congregational Meeting, is one such meeting that should not take place. The number needed to make a quorum to conduct Church business, as required by our Church Constitution is still much too large to safely hold a Congregational Meeting. Please know that we regret that we are not able to have our annual Congregational Meeting, but as always, we place the safety and health of our Congregation first. Hence, we are forced to seat new Council Members in a manner that is not necessarily the most desired, but one of necessity. We thank you in advance for your support of this important matter.
FOOD DISTRIBUTION EVENT – Our next large-scale food distribution event through West Ohio Food Bank will be on Friday, January 15 from 10:00am -12:00pm at the Auglaize County Engineering Facility (1014 S. Blackhoof St.). Registration will be at 9:00am across the street in the medical office parking lot.
TAKE OUT TUESDAY MEALS – Our Take Out Tuesday Meals are back. Please contact Tami Zwez if you DO NOT want a meal; all people who were registered for a meal prior are still registered and will receive a meal. Meal pick-up times are 5:30 to 6:30.
THIS WEEK AT ST. PAUL CHURCH
SUNDAY, JANUARY 10, 2021
10:15AM Live Stream Worship Service
3:30-5:00PM 8TH Grade Confirmation Class
MONDAY, JAN. 11th
6:30PM Zoom Church Council Meeting
TUESDAY, JAN. 12th
5:30 – 6:30PM Take Out Tuesday Meals
FRIDAY, JAN. 15th
10-12:00PM Food Distribution Event
SUNDAY, JANUARY 17, 2021
10:15AM Live Stream Worship Service
We Support Our Church By Our Prayers
Susan Bartlett
Betty Brookhart
Donna Cady
Grant Childress
Connie Claybaugh
Jamie Clements
Alicia Cummins
Gale Gebhart
Emil George
Haley Greer
Greg Hengstler
Janice Hershberger
Ethan Hibner
Cindy Huckemeyer
Nikolas Hunter
Noelle Hunter
Laura Kinstle
Tim Kinstle
Family of Grace Knatz
Kenda Kohler
Ron Kohler
Rex & Brenda Lippincott
Alan McClintock
Steve McClintock
Jade Miller
Nellie Montgomery
Tina Moritz
Family of Jean Nieter
Shirley Place
Carol Presar
Alexis (Hoelsher) Stiles
Doris Sunderland
Cindy Vinco
Brenda Wellington
Janet Winkler
Members and friends serving in the U.S. military:
Alex Bowersock
Matthew Cox
Amanda Preston Johnston
Haley Jean Kill
Valerie Orellana
Scott Presar
Nathan Quellhorst
Johnathon Schlosser
Morgen Sindelar
Dave Sodders
Douglas Sodders
Alexis Stiles
Jeff Sunday
Daniel Turnbow
Ian Wiedenbein
Jian Feng Zhao
