First Parish Church, Congregational On the Village Green

Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts

Rev. Dr. Mark Boyea, Minister

Dr. Herman Weiss, Director of Music and Organist

978-526-7661

office.fpchurch@gmail.com

www.firstparishchurch.org

MORNING WORSHIP CELEBRATION

Sunday, January 12, 2020, 10:00 AM

ORGAN PRELUDE: Prelude in C# Minor – J. S. Bach (1685-1750)

WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

CALL TO WORSHIP

Leader: This the day. This is the time.

People: Let us open our heads, hands, hearts and spirits to God.

HYMN: “Arise, Your Light Is Come” (Please Stand)

NCH #164 Black

OPENING PRAYER (together) Holy One, as we begin this New Year, we thank You for blessing us with everything we need

to live as You call us to; to live full, spirit-filled lives. You have given us everything we need

to be your hands, feet, head, heart and voice in the world.

Help us to use what You have blessed us with wisely and well; generously and joyfully. Help

us to leave behind the possessions, beliefs and demands that keep us from hearing and

responding to the places and people You are trying to lead us to – to the new and different

roads You are trying to call us to travel individually and together.

We pray all this in the name of the One who has come; the One who calls us to join him on

the road that leads to the fullness of life You want for all people – our Brother, Teacher and

Leader, Jesus. And so together we say to You now, O God, the words he gave us…

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 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, the power and the glory forever. Amen.

GLORIA PATRI: (Please Stand) 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

ANTHEM: Now Let Us All Praise God and Sing

Gordon Young (1919-1998)

Now let us all praise God and sing Our great redeemer's praise;

That we may all with one accord Our joyful voices raise.

Sing Alleluia!

All ye servants of the Lord, Praise Him forever,

Sing Jehovah's mighty power, Praise Him forever.

Sing of His righteousness, Praise Him forever.

So let us all praise God and Sing Our great Redeemer's praise;

That we may all with one accord Our joyful voices raise.

Sing Alleluia!

MORNING PRAYER

Joys and Concerns

Silent Prayer

Pastoral Prayer

INVITATION TO OFFERING

OFFERTORY ANTHEM: Canon of Praise

Johann Pachelbel (1653-1706), arr. Hal Hopson (1933) All within me bless the Lord, all within me bless His holy name.

O hear, you righteous, know that the Lord is good.

With truth, with hope, He crowns with truth.

DOXOLOGY: (Please Stand) Praise God from whom all blessings flow, Praise God all creatures here below, Praise God

above ye heavenly host, Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

PRAYER OF DEDICATION (together) (Please Stand) O God, we thank You for all You have blessed us with. May these gifts then, be a blessing to

others. And may we ourselves be a blessing to You, each other, and to Your people in need,

so no one travels their road in this world alone.

Amen.

THE GOSPELS: Matthew 2:1-12 (New Revised Standard Version)

2 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the

East came to Jerusalem, 2 asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews?

For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.”

3When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him;

4and calling

together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the

Messiah was to be born. 5They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written

by the prophet: 6‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

for from you shall come a ruler

who is to shepherd my people Israel.’”

7Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the

star had appeared. 8Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the

child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him

homage.” 9When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star

that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10

When

they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy.

11On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and

paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold,

frankincense, and myrrh. 12

And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they

left for their own country by another road.

MESSAGE: “Regifting Season” (Part 2 in our January Message Series,

“20/20 Vision”)

MOMENT OF MEDITATION

HYMN: “Breathe on Me, Breath of God” (Please Stand)

NCH #292 Black

The “Removal of the Flame, which symbolizes the Spirit of God accompanying

us out into the world.

BLESSING (Please Stand)

CHORAL RESPONSE (Please Stand)

ORGAN POSTLUDE: Fugue in C

Dieterich Buxtehude (1637-1707)

* * * * *

Please join us for hospitality at this time.

Today’s Reader and greeter is John Feuerbach.

Our Deacons are Ann Heslop and John Feuerbach.

Today’s Message (Sermon) is the second part of a four-part January

series titled “20/20 Vision”, dedicated to considerations for our

individual and spiritual community’s growth in the year ahead.

Readers and Greeters are always needed, to volunteer speak to the

Deacons, or you can also sign up online.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0c4caba822a1f49-diaconate

Listening devices are available for those in need; they are at the back of

the Sanctuary. Feel free to address a Deacon should you need help.

Welcome to all who are new to our worship. To join our mailing list

please fill out a “Welcome Card” to place in the collection plate or

contact office.fpchurch@gmail.com , 978-526-7661 ext 1.

FPCC CARE TEAM Have you shared the experience?

We support FPC families with meals, rides, & visits through

times of illness and loss. Please contact Janet Groth at

janbythesea244@gmail.com if you would like to share your

ideas, time, and talents with the FPC Care Team.

SNOW CANCELATION INFORMATION:

1) During the Week: If a snow/ice storm is bad enough for school to be

canceled in Manchester, the church office will be closed.

2) On Sunday: If a major snow/ice storm occurs on Sunday morning (or

late Saturday night), the pastor and the point person of deacons will decide

by 8:30 am on Sunday morning whether or not to cancel worship. The pastor

will then post the cancelation on the church website and on WBZ (radio and

TV) and will send out an email to the church list.

SEASIDE PARISH KNITTERS Meeting the 1st & 3rd

Thursdays, of the month (Jan. 16) 3-5 PM, in the Chapel

Conference Room. We all love to knit/crochet, but more

importantly we have been rewarded with helping others by

sharing our handwork. We would love to have you join us!

PARENTS’ NETWORK Join us today, Sunday,

January 12 at 11:30 AM in the Chapel conference

room for our next Parents’ Network session and meet

First Parish’s new minister, Mark Boyea. Mark, who has extensive

experience teaching, coaching, and counseling children, youth and teens,

is eager to meet our families and find out how the church can support

you and your children. With all the challenges facing parents and

children, he would like to help expand our Christian Education programs

to offer a safe, supportive environment for our children to thrive without

the pressures they face in our hectic, social-media driven society. He

also would like to help us further develop the Parents' Network to offer

caring, thoughtful programming (i.e., positive parenting suggestions) to

help parents navigate the increasingly stressful world we face. We hope

you can join us on the 12th. A light lunch will be provided.

BOOK GROUP Meeting on Monday, January 27. We

will be discussing “Nutshell” by Ian McEwan. We will be

hosted by Mary Ellen Cook at 23 Harold St., Manchester at

6:30. Book group is open to everyone!

Trudy has betrayed her husband, John. She's still in the marital home —

a dilapidated, priceless London townhouse—but John's not

there. Instead, she's with his brother, the profoundly banal Claude, and

the two of them have a plan. But there is a witness to their plot: the

inquisitive, nine-month-old resident of Trudy's womb. Told from a

perspective unlike any other, Nutshell is a classic tale of murder and

deceit from one of the world’s master storytellers. Amazon

RSVP to Mary Ellen Cook, jerris01@comcast.net or 978-500-0018 for

planning purposes.

Looking forward to February, we will be discussing, “Gift from the

Sea” by Anne Morrow Lindbergh on Monday, February 24 at 6:30 PM

at Liz Loomis’ home. RSVP to Liz at loomisliz@hotmail.com or 978-

704-9722.

Book Group is a time for church members as well as non-church goers

to come together and engage with one another, build relationships, and

share in discussion of books that are of interest to people of various

backgrounds. We have fun visiting, discussing the book and sharing

stories. Each month is a new host, who provides light snacks, beverages

and dessert but only once a year!!!! The host then chooses the book for

the next month.

BROWN BAG LUNCH on Friday, January 31. We

will be making brown bag meals for Action Emergency

Homeless Shelter, the last Friday of the month. Can

you help? Needed: Donations of food, volunteers to

make the sandwiches and a volunteer to deliver the meals to to help

online https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0c4caba822a1f49-brown6

The next meeting of the Jordan Peterson Discussion

Group will be at 7:30 pm in the First Parish

Chapel on Monday, January 20, 2020. The topic

will be Lecture 10 of the Biblical Series, Abraham

Father of Nations. As time permits, we may also spend a few minutes

covering material from Lecture 9 which we did not have time for in the

last session As usual, no preparation is required; clips of the video

lecture will be provided as a springboard for discussion. However, if you

would like to view the full lecture ahead of the discussion, both the

video and the transcript may be viewed here:

https://www.jordanbpeterson.com/transcripts/biblical-series-x/

(You can also just google JORDAN PETERSON BIBLICAL X

TRANSCRIPT!)

All programs are self contained, so if you haven't come previously or

recently, you will have no problem joining in! This group is open to the

public, so please feel free to invite anyone you think might be interested.

If you have any questions, contact Richard Smith (978-590-7497) or

Steve Carhart (978-407-8454).

OFFERING ENVELOPES Available in the

Narthex. See Mary Ellen Cook if you haven’t been

assigned a set.

FAT TUESDAY PANCAKE Save the Date:

First Parish Church invites you to join us for:

Dinner February 25, 5-7 PM, In the Chapel (2

Chapel Lane, behind Santander Bank). Come enjoy

Mardi Gras music, make masks and beads, enter a

pancake-eating contest, play Fat Tuesday games, and experience a

blessing and brief spiritual reflection by our new minister Rev. Dr. Mark

Boyea. This is a great, FREE event for families and residents of all ages.

All are welcome! The COA van will be available for pickup, Call 978-

526-7500 to arrange.

WEEKLY BIBLE STUDY Thursdays, 4:00 to 5:30

PM, at home of Vin Terrill, 37 Beach Street. All are

welcome to join us!

THIS WEEK:

Monday

7:00 PM BOT

Tuesday

10:00 AM COA Zumba

12 Noon Al-Anon

Wednesday

11:00 AM COA Yoga

7:30 PM Choir Rehearsal

Thursday

10:00 AM Health Clinic

3:00 PM Seaside Knitters

4:00 PM Bible Study

Friday

8:00 AM Yoga

Saturday

9:00 AM Yoga Carla Mattioli

Sunday

10:00 AM Worship

5:00 PM Top Givers Gathering

You can find more information about First Parish Church

Congregational, Manchester by the Sea @

firstparishchurch.org fpcmanchesterbythesea

firstparishhurchmanchesterma