Gathering Music
“O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing” – Charles Wesley, Mark A. Miller
O for a thousand tongues to sing
my great Redeemer’s praise,
the glories ever echoing
the triumphs of God’s grace!
the triumphs of God’s grace!
My gracious Savior and my God,
assist me to proclaim,
to spread through all the earth abroad
the honors of thy name.
the honors of thy name.
You speak, and listening to your voice,
new life the dead receive;
The mournful, broken hearts rejoice,
the humble poor believe.
the humble poor believe.
O for a thousand tongues to sing (echo)
O for a thousand tongues to sing (echo)
O for a thousand tongues to sing (echo)
O for a thousand tongues to sing (echo)
Jesus! The name
that charms our fears,
that bids our sorrows cease;
‘tis music in the sinner’s ears,
‘tis life, and health, and peace.
‘tis life, and health, and peace.
Glory to God and love and praise
Be ever, ever giv’n!
By all the saints in every age
The church in earth and heav’n!
The church in earth and heav’n!
O for a thousand tongues to sing
my great Redeemer’s praise,
the glories ever echoing
the triumphs of God’s grace!
God’s grace!
Call to Worship
(adapted from Joannna Harader, Spacious Faith)
Faith Gatwiri
Leader: The word of God came to Jonah.
All: The word of God comes to us.
Leader: Go
All: despite your fears.
Leader: Go
All: despite your judgments.
Leader: Speak
All: the truth of God.
Leader: Love
All: your neighbor, your enemy, and yourself.
Leader: Forgive
All: as you have been forgiven.
Leader: Repent
All: and turn toward God.
Leader: Receive
All: grace upon grace
overflowing from the fullness of God.
Amen.
Opening Song
“When There’s Trust In the Room” – John Thornburg, Mark A. Miller
Poem
“For those Who Have Far to Travel, A blessing for Epiphany”
By Jan Richardson
HaYoung Kang
If you could see
the journey whole,
you might never
undertake it,
might never dare
the first step
that propels you
from the place
you have known
toward the place
you know not.
Call it
one of the mercies
of the road:
that we see it
only by stages
as it opens
before us,
as it comes into
our keeping,
step by
single step.
There is nothing
for it
but to go,
and by our going
take the vows
the pilgrim takes:
to be faithful to
the next step;
to rely on more
than the map;
to heed the signposts
of intuition and dream;
to follow the star
that only you
will recognize;
to keep an open eye
for the wonders that
attend the path;
to press on
beyond distractions,
beyond fatigue,
beyond what would
tempt you
from the way.
There are vows
that only you
will know:
the secret promises
for your particular path
and the new ones
you will need to make
when the road
is revealed
by turns
you could not
have foreseen.
Keep them, break them,
make them again;
each promise becomes
part of the path,
each choice creates
the road
that will take you
to the place
where at last
you will kneel
to offer the gift
most needed—
the gift that only you
can give—
before turning to go
home by
another way.
Scripture Reading – Jonah 3:1-10
Dobyo Amos
1The word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time, saying, 2“Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you.” 3So Jonah set out and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly large city, a three days’ walk across. 4Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s walk. And he cried out, “Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” 5And the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and everyone, great and small, put on sackcloth.
6 When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. 7Then he had a proclamation made in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: No human being or animal, no herd or flock, shall taste anything. They shall not feed, nor shall they drink water. 8Human beings and animals shall be covered with sackcloth, and they shall cry mightily to God. All shall turn from their evil ways and from the violence that is in their hands. 9Who knows? God may relent and change his mind; God may turn from fierce anger, so that we do not perish.”
10 When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that God had said he would bring upon them; and God did not do it.
Leader: The Word of God for the people of God.
All: Thanks be to God.
Anthem
“There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy”
Seminary Choir
Sermon “Where in the story?”
Dean Edwin Aponte
Musical Response
Sacrament of Holy Communion
Dean Edwin Aponte
Servers: Alison Johnson, Adrian Deepak
Great Prayer of Thanksgiving for Epiphany
(adapted from Rev. Tom M. Shuman)
Leader: God be with you!
People: And also with you!
Leader: Lift up your hearts.
People: We lift our hearts, overwhelmed with grace.
Leader: People of the Star: offer your songs of joy and thanksgiving to God.
People: We will sing our praises to the one who reveals hope and joy into the world.
Leader: In that first moment, you spoke,
Radiant God,
and the light of creation
transformed the thick 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.
We could have lived
in grace and peace with you.
But we were drawn away,
overwhelmed with cheap imitations.
The prophets were sent
to tell of your gifts
of joy and peace,
but we were drawn instead
to power and achievement.
Yet, in a 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:
Holy, holy, holy, God of starry nights and bright dawns!
Hosanna in the highest!
Hosanna in the highest!
Holy are you, God of redemption,
and blessed is Jesus Christ, our Savior.
As we prepare to journey with Christ again and always,
we speak of that mystery called faith:
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.
Holy One of stars and sinners,
send down your Spirit of hope
upon those gathered around this Table,
and on the gifts of the bread and the cup,
that they might make us
your faithful and loving children.
Feed us with the bread of hope,
that when we leave,
we will travel another road,
to defend the weak,
to speak for the voiceless,
to assist those cast aside.
Refresh us with the sweet nectar of grace,
so we, overwhelmed with joy,
would go forth
to enter the houses
of the strangers in our midst;
to enter the despair
of the lonely and forgotten;
to enter the hearts
of everyone we meet.
Amen.
This is the bread of life and hope.
This is the cup of joy and salvation.
Come, let us eat and drink together.
Blessing
Dean Edwin Aponte
Sending Song
“We’re Marching to Zion” – Isaac Watts & Robert Lowry
- Come, we that love the Lord,
and let our joys be known;
join in a song with sweet accord,
join in a song with sweet accord
and thus surround the throne,
and thus surround the throne.
Refrain:
We’re marching to Zion,
beautiful, beautiful Zion;
we’re marching upward to Zion,
the beautiful city of God. - Let those refuse to sing
who never knew our God;
but children of the heavenly King,
but children of the heavenly King
may speak their joys abroad,
may speak their joys abroad.
(Refrain) - The hill of Zion yields
a thousand sacred sweets
before we reach the heavenly fields,
before we reach the heavenly fields,
or walk the golden streets,
or walk the golden streets.
(Refrain) - Then let our songs abound,
and every tear be dry;
we’re marching through Emmanuel’s ground,
we’re marching through Emmanuel’s ground,
to fairer worlds on high,
to fairer worlds on high.
(Refrain)
Drew Theo Chapel 