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First Parish Church, Congregational On the Village Green
Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts
Awaken to the Light and Love of God; Be a Joyful Beacon to Our World
Rev. Dr. Marlayna Schmidt, Interim Pastor
Dr. Herman Weiss, Director of Music-Organist
978-526-7661
www.firstparishchurch.org
MORNING WORSHIP SERVICE
Sunday, November 3, 2019, 10:00 AM
Twenty First Sunday after Pentecost
PRELUDE: Soul, Adorn Thyself with Gladness
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
ANNOUNCEMENTS
CALL TO WORSHIP: Responsive Reading (Based on Psalm 104)
Leader: Bless the Lord, O my soul; how excellent is your
creation!
Response: You send the springs into the valleys; they flow
between the mountains.
Leader: All the beasts of the field drink their fill from them,
Response: and the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
Leader: Beside them the birds of the air make their nests
Response: and sing among the branches.
Leader: You water the mountains from your dwelling on high;
Response: the earth is fully satisfied by the fruit of your works.
Leader: You make grass grow for flocks and herds
Response: and plants to serve humankind;
Leader: That they may bring forth food from the earth,
Response: and wine to gladden our hearts, Leader: O Lord, how manifold are your works!
Response: in wisdom you have made them all;
All: The earth is full of your creatures.
*HYMN: “All Things Bright and Beautiful” PH #478 blue
OPENING PRAYER: O God, give us humility to thank You for the
creation of animals, who can show affection which sometimes puts us to
shame. Deepen our respect for these your creatures, of whom we are the
guardians. Bless those whose pictures adorn the altar and whose love
we carry in our hearts. May we return to them the joy they so freely
give to us. Forgive us when we act in ways that let them down, and give
us a sense of responsibility towards all your creation, that we may live in
harmony with our fellow creatures and the earth. We pray in Jesus’
name…
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: 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: Holy is the True Light – Gerald Near (1942-) Holy is the true light, and passing wonderful,
Lending radiance to them that endured in the heat of conflict.
From Christ they inherit a home of unfailing splendor,
Wherein they rejoice with gladness evermore.
SCRIPTURE READING: Genesis 1:24-31 24
And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping
things and wild animals of the earth of every kind.” And it was so. 25
God made the wild
animals of the earth of every kind, and the cattle of every kind, and everything that creeps
upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good. 26
Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let
them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle,
and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the
earth.” 27
So God created humankind in his image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them. 28
God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and
subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over
every living thing that moves upon the earth.” 29
God said, “See, I have given you every plant
yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you
shall have them for food. 30
And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to
everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every
green plant for food.” And it was so. 31
God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it
was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
*HYMN: “God of the Sparrow” NCH #32 black
HOMILY FOR ALL AGES: “Caring for All God’s Creatures”
MOMENT OF MEDITATION
STEWARDSHIP TESTIMONY David Lumsden
OFFERTORY ANTHEM: O Clap Your Hands
Gordon Young (1919-1998) O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph.
For the Lord most high is terrible; He is a great King o’er all the earth.
God is gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.
Sing praises to God, Alleluia!
*DOXOLOGY: 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
SERVICE OF HOLY COMMUNION (The bread in the middle of the plates is gluten free, the cup is non-alcoholic
grape juice.)
Call to the Table and Communion Prayer (There will be time, during the prayer, to bring our joys and concerns before
God.)
Words of Institution
Sharing of the Bread and Cup
Prayer of Thanksgiving: in unison
Loving and gracious God, thank you for this holy meal. Thank
you for Jesus and his all-inclusive love for humanity. Thank
you for this day in which we worship and serve you. Amen.
*HYMN: “Let Us Talents and Tongues Employ” NCH #347 black
*[The “Removal of the Flame”, which symbolizes the Spirit of God accompanying
us out into the world]
*BENEDICTION
*CHORAL RESPONSE
POSTLUDE: Maestoso Johann Erasmus Kindermann (1616-1655)
* * * * *
After the service join us for hospitality.
The greeter and lay reader is Bethany Woods.
The Deacons are Paul Gudonis and Jan Marshall.
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 [email protected] , 978-526-7661 ext 1.
OUR NOVEMBER MISSIONS project is the Council on
Aging Bags and College Freshman Boxes. Lists are in the
Narthex for both items and can be put in bins in the narthex
or outside the church office by November 12th. There are
20 COA bags and 6 freshman boxes. This mission is
sponsored by Women’s Fellowship, Missions and open to
the entire church. Any questions please ask Nancy Klebart or Mary
Ellen Cook. Anyone wishing to help pack the bags and boxes please
come Thurs., Nov 14 at 10 AM in the Conference Room. Everyone
welcome!
Meeting Monday, November 25 at 6:30 PM at Joanne
Hadaegh’s home, 29 Hickory Hill Rd. Manchester.
The book for discussion is “Last Christmas in Paris” by
Hazel Gaynor and Heather Web. Paulette Jiles. August 1914. England
is at war. As Evie Elliott watches her brother, Will, and his best friend,
Thomas Harding, depart for the front, she believes—as everyone does—
that it will be over by Christmas, when the trio plan to celebrate the
holiday among the romantic cafes of Paris. But as history tells us, it all
happened so differently…Evie and Thomas experience a very different
war. Frustrated by life as a privileged young lady, Evie longs to play a
greater part in the conflict—but how?—and as Thomas struggles with
the unimaginable realities of war he also faces personal battles back
home where War Office regulations on press reporting cause trouble at
his father’s newspaper business. Through their letters, Evie and Thomas
share their greatest hopes and fears—and grow ever fonder from
afar.goodreads
Please RSVP to Joanne 413-221-4518 or [email protected] for
planning purposes.
In place of reading a book in December, we will gather for a potluck
dinner and Yankee Swap (bring a wrapped used book!) Meeting
Monday, December 30 at 6:30 PM at Nancy Peterson’s home, 111
Chebacco Rd. Hamilton. Please RSVP to Nancy at 508-284-0883 or
Book group is open to everyone! 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.
SEASIDE PARISH KNITTERS Meeting the 1st & 3rd
Thursdays, of the month (Upcoming meeting November
7th
& 21st !) 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!
WEEKLY BIBLE STUDY Thursdays, 4:00 to 5:30 at
the home of Vin Terrill, 37 Beach Street In
keeping with our usual practice, we will be studying the
scripture texts for the following Sunday’s
worship. Format of the study is as follows: we begin with sharing joys
and concerns, we have a time of prayer (where people are free to pray
silently or out loud), and then 2 volunteers read the text out loud, while
we all notice which words the Spirit draws our attention to. (This way of
reading Scripture is called “Lectio Divina.”) We each have the
opportunity to share with others the words “speak” to us, as well as ask
questions about the text. We also discuss how the text might apply to our
lives today. The study is led by Rev. Marlayna. All are welcome to join
us! Email or call Rev. Marlayna for more information.
“MAKING SENSE OF THE CROSS” BOOK
DISCUSSION GROUP In the introduction to his book,
“Making Sense of the Cross,” Luther Seminary Professor
David Lose raises many questions, including these: “How
should we regard the cross? Is it a sad tragedy that we
should grieve? Is it the moment of God’s victory and
redemption that we should celebrate?...what kind of God
would require such a gruesome death to achieve
redemption?” And then he says, “By the time you are done [reading this
book], you should not only understand what other Christians have said
about the cross, but also what you believe about this central symbol and
element of our faith.” If you have ever asked any of these questions and
haven’t quite yet found answers that are completely satisfactory, you
might enjoy exploring this book with your fellow church members.
Rev. Marlayna will be leading a 6 week book discussion group on
Saturday mornings from 10:30 to 11:45 starting on Saturday, October
5th and running through Saturday, November 9th. Even if you can only
come to 1 or 2 sessions, you are welcome to attend.
The next Jordan Peterson Discussion Group will
be at 7:30 pm in the First Parish Chapel Monday,
November 4. The topic will be lecture 7 of the
Biblical Series, Walking with God: Noah and the
Flood. No preparation is necessary; 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, it may be found
here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gFjB9FTN58&t=2749s All
programs are self contained, so if you haven't come previously or
recently, please come! 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 me (978-407-8454).
Our Annual Fund Drive 2020 will be ongoing in November with
the grand finale on Pledge Sunday on November 24. Please look
for your letter in the middle of the month and reflect on what
your church means to you. Bring pledges on Pledge Sunday to be blessed
and celebrated with cake! Thank you in advance.
Upcoming events can be found on our website
(www.firstparishchurch.org ) under “News” and “Calendar”
THIS WEEK:
Monday
6:30 PM Book Group
7:30 PM Manchester Singers
Tuesday
10:00 AM COA Zumba
12 Noon Al-Anon
Wednesday
11:00 AM COA Yoga
7:30 PM Choir Rehearsal
Thursday
4:00 PM Bible Study
Friday
8:00 AM Yoga
Saturday
10:30 AM Making Sense of the Cross
Sunday
10:00 AM Worship
The CE committee is organizing a Middle School
Youth Group. We have 12 children in middle school
associated with the church who would be eligible -
and their friends are welcome to participate. Ethan
Richards, an Endicott student who leads the Christian Community, a
student group at Endicott, was recommended to Marty Farmer by the
Interfaith Minister at Endicott College as an excellent choice for a youth
group leader for us. He attended the Parents’ Network meeting in
October and subsequently the CE committee offered him the job of
managing the Middle School Youth Group activities. We intend to start
with a Friday evening “Movie Night” program at least once per month.
In addition to Ethan, Erica Williams and Dyani Sands, who currently
offer Christian Childcare in the chapel on Sundays, are happy to
participate so that we have at least two young adults (with CORI
certification) who can be there each time. All three college students
plan to attend the Parent’s Network this Sunday after church. We hope
the parents of all the middle school children will support this effort and
we invite you to come to the Parents’ Network on Sunday, November
3rd, to meet the students and discuss the optimal Youth Group
schedule. While CE has some ideas, we are eager to brainstorm with
parents. Plans for future Parents’ Network programs will be discussed,
including updates on engagement with the school and Public Safety. The
meeting will be at 11:30 in the conference room and a light lunch will be
provided. As always, all parents are welcome, including the empty
nesters!
