The Worship of God

The First Sunday of Christmastide

Jazz
in the Round
30 December 2018
at 11:00 in the morning
Myers Park Baptist Church
Heaton Hall

GATHERING
Silent Meditation
Truth is so obscure in these times, and falsehood so established, that, unless we love the truth, we
cannot know it. – Blaise Pascal

My religion is based on truth and non-violence. Truth is my God. Nonviolence is the means of realizing it.
– Gandhi

Suffering, failure, loneliness, sorrow, discouragement, and death will be part of our journey, but the
kingdom of God will conquer all these horrors. No evil can resist grace forever. – Brennan Manning

I do not at all understand the mystery of grace - only that it meets us where we are but does not leave us
where it found us. – Anne Lamont

Gathering Music See page 6.

“O Come, All Ye Faithful” Adeste Fideles

Welcome
Inspired by the bold and boundless hospitality of Jesus, we are “open to all,” which means we welcome and
accept all people into the life of our Church without regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, age, economic
status, political affiliation, physical or mental capacity, or religious belief. We believe that God’s call is given
to all people, and we embrace the Spirit that continues to cross boundaries in order to unite the world.
All children are invited to remain in worship today.

*Call to Worship
Leader: We come to glorify God,
to rejoice in the One who saves us.
People: God came, so we might believe,
so we might be blessed.
Leader: Our hearts leap for joy!
For God came, to us in a child.
People: God came, for those who hunger for hope,
for those who thirst for grace.

________________________________________
*Please stand in body or in spirit.
 Leader: Holy is the One who came, in God's name,
who fulfills every promise of God.
People: God came, to walk with those who follow in faith,
to bring peace to a shattered world.

*Opening Song See page 7.

“Go Tell It on the Mountain” Go Tell It on the Mountain

*Prayer of Invocation

THE PEOPLE CONFESS AND RECEIVE FORGIVENESS

The Invitation to Silent Confession

Prayer of Confession
Holy God,
we know that the blank slate of a new year seems so promising;
and we know that the blank slate of a new year is also an illusion.
Time continues, and our lives flow from one day to the next, from one year to the next.
In this time, we know we are sometimes loving and generous, bearing light to the shadows,
and we know we are sometimes less than what we wish we were.
We invite you on our journeys, O God.
We seek your presence with us in both the darkness and the light.
In our better moments and those where we fall short,
we seek your presence, always. Amen.

Assurance of Forgiveness
Leader: Friends, hear this good news. Truly, God can do what we cannot.
People: In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven and set free.

*Passing of the Peace

Leader: As beloved children of God, let us not be strangers to one another but family in Christ.
Please stand and greet each other with the peace of Christ.

All are invited to stand and share the peace of Christ with one another.

The Welcome of our Guests

HEARING AND PROCLAIMING THE WORD

The Gospel Reading John 1:1-14 (NRSV adapted)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God. The Word was in the beginning with God. All things came into being
through the Word, and without the Word not one thing came into being.

What has come into being in the Word was life, and the life was the light of all
people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to
testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the
light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens
everyone, was coming into the world.

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 The Word was in the world, and the world came into being through it; yet the
world did not know it. The Word came to what was its own, and its own people
did not accept it. But to all who received the Word, who believed in it, were given
power to become children of God, and were born, not of blood or of the will of
the flesh or of the will of humanity, but of God.

And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen its glory, the
glory of God’s only son, full of grace and truth.

Leader: For the Word of God in scripture,

for the Word of God among us,
for the Word of God within us.
People: Thanks be to God.

*Congregational Song See page 8.

“Angels We Have Heard on High” Gloria

The Sermon The Reverend W. Benjamin Boswell

“The Incarnate God”

The Musical Reflection Jazz Ensemble

“Trumpet Child” Linford Detweiler (b. 1964)
The trumpet child will blow his horn,
will blast the sky till it's reborn;
with Gabriel's power and Satchmo's grace,
he will surprise the human race.
The trumpet he will use to blow
Is being fashioned out of fire;
the mouthpiece is a glowing coal
the bell a burst of wild desire.
The trumpet child will riff on love,
Thelonious notes from up above;
he'll improvise a kingdom come
accompanied by a different drum.
The trumpet child will banquet here
until the lost are truly found;
a thousand days, a thousand years
nobody knows for sure how long.
The rich forget about their gold;
the meek and mild are strangely bold;
the lion lies beside the lamb
and licks a murderer's outstretched hand.

RESPONDING TO THE WORD

Prayers for the People

The Lord’s Prayer

Our God, 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. Amen.

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Sharing of Gifts
Please place gifts and member/guest cards in the basket as it is passed.
Mobile giving is available – see page 5.
Gifts of loose cash in December support the work of Med Assist, a nonprofit pharmacy program
providing access to life-saving prescription medications, patient support, advocacy and related
services to poor, vulnerable, and uninsured North Carolina residents.

Offertory Music
“Take Me to the Alley” Gregory Porter (b. 1971)
Well they build their houses
in preparation for the King
and they line the sidewalks with every sort of shiny thing.
They will be surprised when they hear him say
take me to the alley,
take me to the afflicted ones.
Take me to the lonely ones that somehow lost their way;
let them hear me say, I am your friend
come to my table, rest here in my garden.
You will have a pardon, you will have a pardon,
take me to the alley.

*The Doxology Lasst uns Erfreuen

Praise God from whom all blessings flow.
Praise God, all creatures, here below. Alleluia. Alleluia!
Praise God above, ye heavenly hosts.
Creator, Christ and Holy Ghost.
Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia.
Alleluia. Alleluia.

SENDING
Prayer of Dedication

*Closing Song See page 9.

“God Rest You Merry, Christians All” God Rest You Merry

The Benediction

Sending Forth Song

“Auld Lang Syne” Traditional Folk Song
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and old lang syne?

CHORUS:
For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we'll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

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 Leading worship today with The Reverend W. Benjamin Boswell, Senior Minister,
are The Reverend Joseph D. Aldrich, Associate Minister,
The Reverend Leigh Anne Hagerman, Church Administrator,
and David Zeeso, Member of the Congregation.

The Jazz Ensemble leads worship through music:

Phillip Howe, piano
Ocie Davis, drums
Mike Gudbur, bass
Greg Jarrell, saxophone
Toni Tupponce, vocals

The sound technician is Eric Roberts.

The webcast technician is John Bambach.

THEOLOGY OF WORSHIP

Why do we worship?
Worship at Myers Park Baptist is the gathering of a diverse, intergenerational, ecumenical
community of faith, celebrating God’s active and timeless presence in the world. In worship,
God re-forms our hearts, minds and bodies, and ignites our imaginations with sacred
stories—stories that invite us to question, explore mystery, express joy and grief, and deepen
our faith. We worship to learn how to develop caring, empowering relationships with each
other, and to stay centered in God as the world swirls around us. We worship to be inspired and
prepared to exemplify the compassion and justice of Jesus in our church family and in the world.
Through worship, God frees and transforms us in heart, mind and body, so we can make a
difference within ourselves, in our relationships and in our community.

How do we worship?
Focusing on God, worship at Myers Park Baptist unfolds consistently with the Isaiah 6 scriptural
model: praise, confession, pardon, calling to respond, commitment and sending out. All our
worship services are built on this ancient structural form, regardless of worship style, venue or
theme. Communal practices within worship — radical hospitality, confession and assurance of
pardon, passing the peace, silence and listening, spirited hymn singing, presentations of gifts,
and active participation in Communion—transform worshipers into newness with God and one
another. Themes for services, based on lectionary scriptures, annually portray the narrative arc
of God’s redeeming love for humankind.

MOBILE GIVING

You can now text your contributions and offerings to MPBC! It is secure, simple, and efficient:
C Start a new text message to phone number 73256.
C In the message of the text, enter 1900Q, a space, and the amount you want to give (i.e.,
1900Q 100).
C The system will return a message to you; click on the link provided and follow
instructions.
C You will then receive a receipt to confirm your gift was received. It is that simple!
C Next time, since your setup is already done – just text “1900Q, a space, then amount
you wish to give” to 73256.

Questions? Contact Rev. Leigh Anne Hagerman, Church Administrator,

at 704.334.7232 x116 or lhagerman@myersparkbaptist.org

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 OUR COVENANT
We, the members of the Myers Park Baptist Church, are a people on a journey of
faith. By God’s grace we are experiencing God’s love through Jesus Christ and in the
community of the faithful. We are discovering in this experience our freedom to
become new creatures and our responsibility to be faithful stewards of our lives and
of this world.

We will be open to all new light, strengthened by God and each other in our faith.
We will sustain a critical examination of Scripture, belief and ritual as interpreters of
God’s active presence in the world. We will accept controversy as a reality of life
together and an opportunity for growth toward maturity. We covenant to be a
community of God’s new creation and affirm that we are open to all and closed to
none.

We covenant to nurture this Church as a community of faith and as an

instrument for reconciliation in this world: by worship, by Christian education, by the
dedication of our personal and material resources and by all the other ways we
express the significance of our lives with God and one another.

We covenant together to be priests celebrating God’s presence in community

and in the world, believing we are participants in God’s kingdom on earth.

Myers Park Baptist Church

1900 Queens Road • Charlotte, North Carolina 28207-2582
704.334.7232 • www.myersparkbaptist.org

@MPBaptist

Our Ministers

Rev. W. Benjamin Boswell | Senior Minister | bboswell@myersparkbaptist.org

Frances L. Morrison | Minister of Music | fmorrison@myersparkbaptist.org
Rev. Joseph D. Aldrich | Associate Minister | jaldrich@myersparkbaptist.org
Rev. Leigh Anne Hagerman | Church Administrator | lhagerman@myersparkbaptist.org
Rev. Carrie Veal | Minister of Children and Community Life | cveal@myersparkbaptist.org
John Richardson | Organist | jrichardson@myersparkbaptist.org
Charlotte C. Judge | Associate Director of Music | cjudge@myersparkbaptist.org
Allen Davis | Director of Youth Ministry | adavis@myersparkbaptist.org
Pamela Handon | Director of the Cornwell Center | phandon@cornwellcenter.org
Belinda Geuss | Director of Through-The-Week School | bgeuss@myersparkbaptist.org

J Printed on recycled paper CCLI License #1864926