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fpchw logo 2016

Worship Service

"Being Good News"

THE CELEBRATION OF THE PEOPLE OF GOD
January 23, 2022
First Presbyterian Church of Homewood
Homewood, IL

  • In Person Sunday,January 23, 11 a.m. (Mask required for all)  Today, we welcome back to the pulpit Chaplain Mike Welf, Past Moderator of the Presbytery of Chicago, Elder at First Presbyterian Chicago Heights and Chaplain for the Chicago Heights Fire Department, as our preacher. The Sermon Title for today is entitled "Being Good News"
  • Worship Live Streaming at 11 a.m. Click here for January 23rd streaming of live service.  (If it is blue, the link should  be working. If it is NOT blue, "refresh" your page.) The Bulletin is printed below. 
    After worship, join us on Zoom from 12:15 to 2:00 p.m., where we can see each other and visit just like we did at our Heavenly Perks coffee time (except you provide your own cuppa  tea/coffee).  Click on the ZOOM picture below. 

BULLETIN FOR STREAMING SERVICE

THE CELEBRATION OF THE PEOPLE OF GOD
January 23, 2022
First Presbyterian Church of Homewood
Homewood, IL

WE GATHER IN GOD’S NAME

FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF HOMEWOOD
MISSION STATEMENT

Through the grace of God, faith in Jesus Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit, we prayerfully seek to discern God’s will for this congregation and to reach beyond ourselves to feed the hungry, body and soul. Adopted by Session 7/31/17

PRAYER FOR PEACE
Bless the hands that bring wholeness to lives blighted by sickness.
Bless the saints who in sad and desperate places bring a sense of hopefulness.
Bless the Christians facing daily opposition showing a faithful witness.
Bless the generosity of the rich and powerful for the gift of thoughtfulness.
Bless the peacemakers working in conditions that are often hazardous.
Bless the politicians whether good or bad for decisions affecting all of us.
Bless our words and actions as we carry your light into places shrouded in darkness.
Bless your children whoever they might be with the warmth of your love and grace.

PRELUDE ||| Higher Ground ||| Lani Smith 
*CALL TO CONTINUING WORSHIP
Let us gather for worship,
for this day is holy to the Lord.
The joy of the Lord is our strength and salvation,
and we gather to offer our praise.
In singing and in silence,
in Word and in prayer,
let us walk in the light of the Lord.
Let us come and worship God.

*HYMN 301 ||| Let Us Build a House ||| Two Oaks

CALL TO CONFESSION
Turning to God and following the light of Christ, let us in faith confess our sin and the sins of the world.

*PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Holy God, we confess that we have wandered from your light. We follow paths of self-indulgence, instead of focusing on our need of you. We passively accept the suffering of the world, expecting others to stand up and work for the change we would like to see. Lord, in your strength, renew us and compel us by your invitation that we may work to pursue your justice and mercy for all people, sharing your light in ways great and small.
(silent prayer)
Amen.

*DECLARATION OF FORGIVENESS
Friends, believe the good news of the gospel:
In Jesus Christ we are forgiven. Thanks be to God!

*THE GLORIA

MOMENT WITH OUR CHILDREN ||| Chaplain Mike Welf

WELCOME AND CHURCH COMMUNICATIONS

WE HEAR GOD’S WORD

PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION

FIRST SCRIPTURE READING ||| Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10 ||| RCL
1 all the people gathered together into the square before the Water Gate. They told the scribe Ezra to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the LORD had given to Israel. 2 Accordingly, the priest Ezra brought the law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could hear with understanding. This was on the first day of the seventh month. 3 He read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the book of the law.
5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up. 6 Then Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God, and all the people answered, "Amen, Amen," lifting up their hands. Then they bowed their heads and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.
8 So they read from the book, from the law of God, with interpretation. They gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading. 9 And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, "This day is holy to the LORD your God; do not mourn or weep." For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law. 10 Then he said to them, "Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions of them to those for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy to our LORD; and do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."

SPECIAL MUSIC ||| There Is a Balm In Gilead ||| Mark Hayes

SECOND SCRIPTURE READING ||| Luke 4:14-21 ||| RCL
14 Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. 15 He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone. 16 When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: 18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." 20 And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 Then he began to say to them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."
The Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God!

SERMON ||| "Being Good News" ||| Chaplain Mike Welf

WE RESPOND TO GOD’S WORD

*HYMN 772 ||| Live Into Hope ||| Truro

*AFFIRMATION OF FAITH ||| Apostle’s Creed
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen.

*PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE ||| 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.

OFFERING OF OUR GIFTS

OFFERTORY ||| Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise ||| Douglas Wagner

*DOXOLOGY ||| 606 Old Hundredth
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.

*PRAYER OF DEDICATION
See in our gifts our loyalty to you. We commit ourselves to both show forth and work for your kingdom to come. Amen.

WE GO IN GOD’S NAME

*HYMN 625 ||| How Great Thou Art ||| How Great Thou Art

CHARGE AND BENEDICTION

*BENEDICTION RESPONSE - Sung

*BENEDICTION / HYMN 542 ||| God Be With You Till We Meet Again
(verse 1 only) God Be With You
God be with you till we meet again;
By His counsels guide, uphold you,
With His sheep securely fold you;
God be with you till we meet again.

POSTLUDE ||| Partita on "Blessed Name" ||| Mary McDonald
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord! Thanks be to God!

Chaplain Mike Welf, Guest Worship Leader
Mrs. Mary Ann Wenzelman, Interim Organist/Pianist

Worship Liturgist: Doug Bonthron
Usher: Phil Dillman

Today, we welcome back to the pulpit Chaplain Mike Welf, Past Moderator of the Presbytery of Chicago, Elder at First Presbyterian Chicago Heights and Chaplain for the Chicago Heights Fire Department, as our preacher.

 

SCRIPTURES IN WORSHIP – Next Sunday we will be reading Jeremiah 1:4-10 and Luke 4:21-30.

Next ...

Calendar of Upcoming Virtual & in Person Meetings in January/February 2022

    • Worship with us in person or live streaming, Sunday, January 23, at 11:00 am. (Or you may watch the service using the link below anytime after that, at your leisure.)  Today, we welcome back to the pulpit Chaplain Mike Welf, Past Moderator of the Presbytery of Chicago, Elder at First Presbyterian Chicago Heights and Chaplain for the Chicago Heights Fire Department, as our preacher.   To begin worship, click here to go to this Sunday's worship service
    • After worship, join us on Zoom from 12:15 to 2:00 p.m., where we can see each other and visit just like we did at our Heavenly Perks coffee time (except you provide your own cuppa  tea/coffee).  Click on the ZOOM picture below. (use picture link below)

      Perks Enter Image 3976

    • First Monday: Next Book Study | Kathleen O'Hanlon & Joyce Anders
      Zoom Link:  7 pm-8:30 April 4, 2022 So, what do we read next? I am proposing that we take the next three months away from meetings so that each of us can browse through bookstores or Amazon to find the book you would like our antiracism club to discuss. However, I am asking that it be a very different kind of book from "Stamped," fitting the following descriptors: 
      - short, rather than long
      - a personal story, rather than a panoramic history
      - concrete and sensory, rather than abstract and academic 
      Novels are fine as long as they portray some experience of racism in the United States. 
      When you find one--anytime within the next three months--please hit "reply all" and just tell us the title and author, and nothing more. We might want to browse through your selection ourselves and think about choosing it.
    • Tuesdays: 10:30 a.m. every Tuesday Morning  at a Zoom meeting.  We are currently studying the Book of Acts.  Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information (we formerly met at Panera and may meet at Panera again) 
    • Tuesdays: | Tuesday Adult Education Class  | 7:00 pm Central Time | Tim VanNasdale
      Zoom Link for meeting:  Tuesdays, 7 pm (next class 01/25/22)    If  you are interested in participating in this book study, please click on the blue link above or let us know through email: the church office  or phone: 708-798-0490 so we can include you in the weekly email notification with the Zoom link.
    • Zoom link for meeting Tuesday at 7 pm Illinois time. Update from Tim: I've decided to go with a curriculum called "Is the Bible Reliable?" You can see the promo for the class here. There is an $8 study guide, if you'd like to pick it up. You can purchase it here. There are 10 videos that we'll watch and discuss together. The titles for these videos are:
      • In the Footsteps of Abraham
      • The Exodus: From Egypt to Canaan
      • The Israelites Conquer the Promised Land
      • Israel's Rise to Prominence through David and Solomon
      • The Assyrian Invasion
      • The Babylonian Conquest of Judah
      • Investigating the Historical Authenticity of the New Testament
      • The Reliability of Luke and Acts
      • How Archeology Backs Up the New Testament
      • The Trial of Jesus
      The class is led by an author named Stephen Meyer. I'll leave some resources below for you to check out a bit more about him and his work, if you're interested. It's going to focus on methods for determining text historicity along with using insights from archeology as well. I'll likely be drawing in work from Titus Kennedy and Gleason Archer as we go through the course as well. I'm really looking forward to it.
    • Sundays: | SundayWorship Service  We are now worshiping in the church building at 11 am on Sunday mornings.Access to our Live Streaming Service can be found on the "Worship Page" | Post Sunday Streaming Worship Meet-up is continuing on Zoom  12:15 - 2 p.m. Sunday  
    • Healing & Wholeness Service date is: TBD.  We offer access to a Healing & Wholeness Service online  at any time.  This service is a time of reflection, prayer, and meditation.  This service can help us to experience anew God’s healing, peace-giving grace or refuel us for becoming agents of healing and reconciliation.  Taking time for this mimics a pattern for Jesus and his disciples.  They would be out in the thick of a clamoring multitude and then retreat to a quiet place to reconnect, recharge, and clarify their mission.  Our quiet place awaits us in this service online.  (Watch for an announcement for maybe private prayer time on Zoom after this service.) | Please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for prayer needs request.

Looking forward | scripture readings for next sunday, January 30

Jeremiah 1:4-10 ||| Revised Common Lectionary

4Now the word of the LORD came to me saying, 5"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations." 6Then I said, "Ah, Lord GOD! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy." 7But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a boy'; for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and you shall speak whatever I command you, 8Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, says the LORD." 9Then the LORD put out his hand and touched my mouth; and the LORD said to me, "Now I have put my words in your mouth. 10See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant."

Luke 4:21-30 ||| Revised Common Lectionary 

 21Then he began to say to them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." 22All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, "Is not this Joseph's son?" 23He said to them, "Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, 'Doctor, cure yourself!' And you will say, 'Do here also in your hometown the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.'" 24And he said, "Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet's hometown. 25But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land; 26yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. 27There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian." 28When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. 29They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. 30But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way.

 

 

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