Marshall Presbyterian Church
January 10, 2021, Baptism of the
Lord
Carol Ann West, Pianist
Rev. Melissa Upchurch, Pastor
ASSEMBLING IN GOD’S NAME
wELCOME
* CALL TO WORSHIP (from Psalm 148)
One: The voice of the Lord is powerful and full of majesty.
All May the
Lord bless us with God’s peace!
One: The voice
of the Lord proclaimed Jesus
as God’s beloved.
All: In our
own baptisms, we are claimed
as God’s beloved.
* Opening Prayer
* HYMN Red Hymnal #288 We Three Kings
CALL TO CONFESSION
UNISON PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Merciful God, we confess that we are estranged from
you
and from one another. We treat others as strangers or enemies rather
than as people created in your image and fellow children of God. We exploit the earth as though it were our possession
rather than a gift entrusted to our care and a reflection of your image and
glory…silent prayers of confession…Forgive us our sins and
transform us by your Spirit so that we live “see-through lives” as people who have
been baptized as your own children. Amen.
* ASSURANCE OF PARDON
One: Friends, hear the good news of the gospel and
of Jesus’ solidarity in his own baptism by John
with all who have been immersed in baptismal
waters, repenting of their sin. God has forgiven us
of our sins and set us on new paths. Let us
remember our baptisms and trust in God’s mercy to restore our right standing as
God’s own.
All: Thanks
be to God. Amen!
* Gloria Patri
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.
Amen.
* PASSING THE PEACE
Special MUSIC
THE Scriptures
Old
Testament: Genesis 1:1-5 See bulletin
Psalm: 29 “
Epistle: Acts 19:1-7 “
Gospel: Mark 1:4-11 “
One: The
Word of God for the people of God!
All: Thanks be to God!
Message: Rev. Melissa Upchurch
* AFFIRMATION OF FAITH (from A Brief Statement of Faith)
We trust in God the Holy Spirit, everywhere the
giver and renewer of life. The Spirit
justifies us by grace through faith, sets us free to accept ourselves and to
love God and neighbor, and binds us together with all believers in the one body
of Christ, the Church. The same Spirit
who inspired the prophets and apostles rules our faith and life in Christ
through Scripture, engages us through the Word proclaimed, claims us in the
waters of baptism, feeds us with the bread of life and the cup of salvation,
and calls women and men to all ministries of the Church.
* HYMN Purple Hymnal #484 Congregation’s Choice
SHARING JOYS AND CONCERNS
Prayers of the People
Sharing the Gifts of
God
Offertory
*Doxology (ca. 1500s)
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.
*Prayer of dedication And thanksgiving
O God, in our baptisms we have been named and claimed as your covenant people, connected deeply with you, with one another and with the earth. May these gifts be used as a witness to your love, peace and justice at work in the world, renewing the face of the earth.
GOING FORTH IN GOD’S NAME
Purple Hymnal #375 Shall We Gather at the River
*INVITATION
*CHARGE
*BENEDICTION
Genesis 1:1-5 – Common English Bible (CEB)
World’s creation in seven days
11When God began to create
the heavens and the earth —
2the earth was without shape or form, it was
dark over the deep sea, and God’s wind swept over the waters— 3God said, “Let there be light.” And so light
appeared. 4God saw how good the light
was. God separated the light from the darkness. 5God
named the light Day and the darkness Night. There was evening and there was
morning: the first day.
Psalm 29 – New Revised
Standard Version (NRSV)
The Voice of God in a Great
Storm
A Psalm of David.
1Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings,
ascribe
to the Lord glory and strength.
2Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name;
worship
the Lord in holy splendor.
3The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
the
God of glory thunders,
the
Lord, over mighty waters.
4The voice of the Lord is powerful;
the
voice of the Lord is full of majesty.
5The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
the
Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
6He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,
and
Sirion like a young wild ox.
7The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire.
8The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
the
Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
9The voice of the Lord causes the oaks to whirl,
and
strips the forest bare;
and
in his temple all say, “Glory!”
Acts 19:1-7 – Common English Bible (CEB)
Paul in Ephesus
191While Apollos was in
Corinth, Paul took a route through the interior and came to Ephesus, where he
found some disciples. 2He asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit
when you came to believe?”
They
replied, “We’ve not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
3Then he said, “What
baptism did you receive, then?”
They
answered, “John’s baptism.”
4Paul explained, “John baptized with a baptism by which people showed they were changing their hearts and lives. It was a baptism that told people about the one who was coming after him. This is the one in whom they were to believe. This one is Jesus.” 5After they listened to Paul, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in other languages and prophesying. 7Altogether, there were about twelve people.
Mark 1:4-11 ‒ New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
4John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. 8I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
The Baptism of Jesus
9In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. 11And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
WHAT’S GOING ON AT MPC?
Thursday, January
14, 6:30 p.m. via Zoom : Session
Sunday, January 31,
after worship: Annual Congregational
meeting; alt. date Feb. 7 after worship
Tuesdays, 1-3
p.m.: Neighbors in Need
6:30 p.m.: NA
No Gentle Faith Class this
week
Fridays, 7 p.m. AA
Contact Barbara Zimmerman if you would like to buy tickets toward a quilt raffle to benefit Laurel Community Center. The quilt is queen size and was made by Barbara’s sister Kathryn Zimmerman! More about price during announcements.
Marshall Presbyterian
Church, 165 S. Main Street, Marshall, NC 28753
Tel. 828 649 3622 / Pastor’s
hours by appointment.
www.marshallpres.org or visit us on
Facebook!
Worship
liturgy by Roger Gench, © Presbyterian Outlook, 2020.
