Worship Bulletins
Hampstead Congregational Church
March 7, 2021
Third Sunday of Lent
No Matter Who You Are or Where You Are on Life’s Journey,
You are Welcome Here!
Order of Worship
Introit "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross"
HCC Choir
Greetings and Announcements
Passing of the Peace of Christ
Prayer of Invocation Rick Little
Eternal God, help us to look and listen for Your handwriting and Your voice wherever we are this morning. Connect our temporary praise to your timeless rhythms, your ageless melodies, your everlasting joyful noise. Guide us now to focus upon You, knowing that in You,
our distractions become new possibilities for action.
Breathe life into our praying, our speaking, our listening, our singing, that all these activities might become more than they are. In Jesus, we pray, Amen.
Children’s Moment
Scripture Reading: Exodus 20: 1-17
The Message Translation
God spoke all these words:
I am God,
your God,
who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of a life of slavery.
No other gods, only me.
No carved gods of any size, shape, or form of anything whatever, whether of things that fly or walk or swim. Don’t bow down to them and don’t serve them because I am God, your God, and I’m a most jealous God, punishing the children for any sins their parents pass on to them to the third, and yes, even to the fourth generation of those who hate me. But I’m unswervingly loyal to the thousands who love me and keep my commandments.
No using the name of God, your God, in curses or silly banter; God won’t put up with the irreverent use of his name.
Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Work six days and do everything you need to do. But the seventh day is a Sabbath to God, your God. Don’t do any work—not you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your servant, nor your maid, nor your animals, not even the foreign guest visiting in your town. For in six days God made Heaven, Earth, and sea, and everything in them; he rested on the seventh day. Therefore God blessed the Sabbath day; he set it apart as a holy day.
Honor your father and mother so that you’ll live a long time in the land that God, your God, is giving you.
No murder.
No adultery.
No stealing.
No lies about your neighbor.
No lusting after your neighbor’s house—or wife or servant or maid or ox or donkey. Don’t set your heart on anything that is your neighbor’s.
Sermon Rev. Kathy Youzwak
Anthem “More About Jesus Would I Know”
HCC Choir
Celebration of Holy Communion
Invitation to Communion--reflecting on the Ten Words of the Exodus
God brought us to
this table, a place safe from human slaveries.
We shall not treat our traditions like gods, or make idols of a particular
Bread and Cup.
We will not imply that a sacrament shared at a kitchen table is less real
than any other, for that is to misuse God’s name.
We remember that this virtual experience is worship, and keep it holy. Just
because we can retrieve laundry to fold, and then fold it, we don’t. Working
twenty-four-seven is too like a parable of morning-after the bigger barn
project, and there is no beatitude, ‘Blessed are the multitaskers.’
This virtual time is a sabbath to God. This sacrament’s consecration is in
the story that stretches back to beyond the light years of light years.
We honor the communion of saints and name the ones precious to each of us
personally, and then acknowledge those we do not know who have passed into
grace, especially those who do not look like us, speak our language, love as we
love, worship as we do – for their heritage is our heritage and the future of
their children is our future.
We set down this sacred offering, confessing our complicity in things that
kill, that betray, that steal (even if it legal), and committing to a
reconciliation as real as this Bread and Cup.
We will not bear false news of our neighbors, or share, re-post, or re-tweet
it, nor will we doom scroll God’s Spirit within us.
We will not covet last year’s service or next year’s service. We will not
covet a communion hymn in a time when we do not sing. We will not covet another
community’s sophisticated technical platform or those who gather in person. We
will not covet any other experience of the Body of Christ or the Cup of
Blessing than the one we are sharing now.
Words of Remembering
In Lent we come
to remember that there is a time not to eat the stones
even when it seems useful, and there is a time for a meal scented
with the uneconomical joy of a broken alabaster jar.
We remember that Jesus suggested in Bethany that one bowl with one selection
is a good meal, but served a hillside picnic with so many leftovers, their
gathered abundance could be shared with others.
We remember that Jesus turned over tables in the Temple and we confess that our
church tables, practices, plans and programs, should be overturned, until our
house be one of prayer and our table serve compassion to those most vulnerable.
And we remember that Jesus Christ sitting among those whose feet he had
washed at the Passover table, anticipated betrayal and desertion, pain and even
death, but made a new Covenant of blessed bread and poured wine on a global
table, inviting us always to share from our brokenness and grace.
Prayer of Consecration (from Psalm 19)
O God, the sky speaks your glory and deep space
your creation. Daybreak announces hope and starlight sings
rest in a language that needs no translation but joy. Nothing is hidden from
you, and you make no barriers for human understanding. We are revived,
enlivened, warned and comforted. Beyond even the bright and sweet parables of
our lives, you free us from definitions of relationship based in dominion and
being dominated and you lead us to words of reconciliation and grace. So
reconciled, we pray –
Let the Bread of our mouths
and the Cup upon which our hearts meditate be acceptable to you, O God, at this ordinary table and in our lives of redeeming.
For we join together and pray,
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.
Sharing of the Elements
Let us at many tables receive the gift of God, the Bread of Heaven for we come to Christ in the Bread we share.
Let us in many places receive the gift of God, the Cup of Blessing, for we come to Christ in the Cup we share.
Prayer of Thanksgiving
O Holy One, we come to you with our weariness and hope. We thank you for the rest and strength of this Communion so that we may re-turn our tables to service in the world and hear your words of guidance every day and every night, through Christ our Lord, Amen.
Call for
Concerns & Celebrations
Pastoral Prayer
Call to Offering
Prayer of Dedication
Receive these gifts, Holy One, sanctify them by your Spirit. Drive away any ill motives and accept, we pray, our humble offering. Amen.
Hymn of Going Forth “Lord, Make Me More Holy”
Benediction
May the holy wisdom of
God
Guard your ways and guide your paths.
May the living truth of God
Enlighten your hearts and open your minds.
And may the living Spirit of God
Give you life, and life to the full, Amen.
Prayer of Invocation: http://www.myredeemerlives.com/prayers.html Copyright 2020, Faith Education, Innovation and Formation Ministry Team Benediction: Literature & Liturgy. https://jesusscribbles.wordpress.com/ (Faith INFO), United Church of Christ, 700 Prospect Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44115-1100. Permission granted to reproduce or adapt this material for use in services of worship or church education. All publishing rights reserved.
Announcements…
Fuel Assistance Donation-- Despite the pandemic, we still need to heat our church buildings to keep
our church staff and outreach groups warm.
We also need to heat the sanctuary Sunday mornings for our live-streaming
services. Therefore, we graciously ask you to consider a heat donation this
winter. Perhaps you could include a heat donation with your pledge donation
this month. Your Operations Team thanks
you.
NEW! Steeple Lighting Dedication Cards—Our steeple can be lit in honor of a person, occasion, or in memory of a loved one. We now have Steeple Lighting Cards that can be given to the person/family you are honoring! This card makes a great gift and opportunity to let someone know you care. The steeple can be lit for a suggested donation of $5/day or $25/week. For more information, or if you are interested in lighting the steeple, please contact the main office.
Lenten Discussion Groups—You are invited to join a Lenten discussion group! They
meet online on Monday evenings at 6:30pm and Tuesday mornings at 10:30am. The
booklet "Living Well Through Lent 2021" guides our discussions on how
to listen well. If you are interested in joining, please let Pastor Kathy know,
or look at this past Wednesday’s Weekly Word for the links to join.
- 61 Main Street
- Hampstead
- New Hampshire
- 03841
(603) 329-6985
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