Welcome
To
Christ church
United church of Christ
SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICE
247 SOUTH MARKET STREET
ELIZABETHTOWN, PA 17022-2419
NURSERY CARE PROVIDED
HANDICAP ACCESSIBLE
WORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
"O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord, our maker! For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hands. "Psalm 95:6 Everyone is invited to join us in Christian worship, the glad response by individuals through heart, soul, strength and mind!
The service is a celebration of the good news of God's love for all the world. It is based on scriptural text which is supported by prayers, confession, musical offerings by soloists, ensembles and instrumentalists. There is a special children's message for all children.
Two services of worship at 9:00am and 10:30am, with church school at 9:00
10:00am - FELLOWSHIP TIME -This social time offers refreshments and an opportunity to get better acquainted. Fellowship time is held in the meeting room. All are welcome!
The summer schedule will begin June 2, 2008 . The fall/winter/spring worship service will resume September 7, 2008.
Special Children's Bulletins are available for children up to 12 years old during worship, also. Infant care is provided.
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THE SERVICE
Just as our year from January to December is divided into seasons, our church year recognizes different seasons also :
ADVENT - We prepare our hearts for the birth of Jesus Christ.
CHRISTMAS -We celebrate the birth of Christ.
EPIPHANY - During this season we joyfully “show forth” and tell about the birth of Christ.
LENT - In the Lenten season we think about the ways that we could become more like Christ.
EASTER - We joyfully celebrate Jesus’ resurrection and the gift of life everlasting.
ACENSION - In this season we recognize the completion of Jesus' “earthly" work.
PENTECOST -This is the longest season of the church year when we recognize the gift of the Holy Spirit and the beginning of our Christian Church Look for the season at the top of your bulletin!
SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICE
This is a time to sit quietly, to pray, to focus On why we are here and to prepare ourselves for worship. We ask that as people enter the sanctuary, that they are courteous to those already seated.
It is during this time that the pastor or worship leader shares coming events, directions for worship, prayer needs and concerns and good news in our church family. As we hear the pastor or other persons speak, we stop talking with one another and prepare our minds and bodies to listen to God speaking to us through the other parts of the worship.
This is a musical time in worship when we listen to a special piece of music being played...
Sometimes by the organ or the piano
Sometimes by the organ and the piano
Sometimes by the bell choir
Sometimes by other musical instruments
The music may be festive or it may be music that allows us to meditate. Whatever instrument is used, it is to draw our ears and hearts to praise God who is praised in Psalm 150, where the writer records.. "Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance: praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with clanging cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!" (NRSV).
Listen for the tower bell to ring!
This is done by a child who is called the "acolyte". An acolyte means -one who assists in worship. The youth comes out from the sacristy, with a burning staff and lights the candles on the altar and in the candelabras. The two candles on the altar are lit first representing the divine Jesus and the human Jesus. We are reminded that Christ ...who is called the "Light of the World" has come into our place of worship to guide our thoughts and speech and actions. He does this with the help of the Holy Spirit. ..who is also pictured as a flame in the book of Acts
“Sing a new song to the Lord; Sing His praise, all the world “ (Isaiah 42:10)
This is a time when all of us sing praise to God. Many times this is a hymn that tells why we are worshiping or may introduce a theme to our worship service. Sometimes this hymn reminds us of God's beauty around us. We stand for this hymn because standing helps us to remember that we are not just to watch and listen, but we are to act in worship...standing, holding the hymnal, opening our mouths, and using our voices.As we sing the Processional Hymn, we will note the choir and the pastors moving to their places of worship “A person who sings, prays twice!”
This is either said by the pastor/leader or by the congregation to remind us that we are gathered in the name of the Trinity - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -the basis of our faith.
We share words that say we are God's family and that we are ready to worship God. As we have been reminded of God's presence, we are now invited to act -we are "called to worship".
David has written in Psalm 95: "0 come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord, our maker! For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. " (NRSV)
CALL TO CONFESSION AND CONFESSION OF SIN
Sometimes, we all do the wrong things, so that we need to ask God to forgive us. We are invited to confess our sins together as family. Our confession is an important way to be honest with ourselves and with God. As God’s family we also tell God we are sorry that we have not done enough to help all the people in God’s world. When we say “AMEN” at the end, it means “so be it”. We are saying that this is our prayer to God. Watch for other places where we say “AMEN’ in worship. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.” Just as a daily shower gives a body a fresh start, this prayer of confession can give a spirit a fresh start on a daily basis.
This is a universal cry for sinners that have been passed down through the centuries. The words are based on Psalm 51:3 and Matthew 15:25.
Following the prayer of confession and kyrie, The pastor/leader reminds the congregation of God’s Promise that when we confess the things that we do wrong That God will forgive us.We kneel during the confession and other prayers because it helps us to be humble. Jesus set the example -look at the stained glass window where Jesus is praying.
The children come forward to share more good news of God”s love for us. This is usually a “shorter version” of the sermon for the day filled with questions, responses and challenges for the youth.
We welcome and dedicate infants to God during this sacrament as God receives the little ones into God’s kingdom. When adults are baptized they are asked to confess their faith and join the fellowship of Christians. Water is used three times to represent inner cleansing in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Communion or the Lord’s Supper or the Eucharist is an important part of our worship time. During the celebration of this sacrament, we remember the sacrifice that Jesus made for us. We model our service on the actions of Jesus at the Last Supper with his disciples...taking the bread and cup, giving thanks over the bread and cup, breaking the bread, and giving the bread and cup. We commune 10 times during the year.
What a happy time this is for us as we introduce and welcome people into our church family. We love to grow and have people share in the good news of Jesus Christ! Encourage your friends and neighbors to come worship with you.
Occasionally during our church year we give thanks for the .special gifts of leadership that people of all ages provide. We make a promise to support them as they guide us in making decisions for the church, in our Christian Education and our music.
We always read scripture when we worship because without the Bible we would not know who God is... who Jesus is...and how we are to live as Christians. Many times the pastor will repeat part of the scripture in the sermon. Sometimes the whole congregation participates in the reading of the scripture. Always listen for key persons and words. There are Bibles at the end of the pews so that you may follow along as the scriptures are being read. Your word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path Psalm 119:105
This has been sung by Christians for nearly 2000 years. We sing glory and praise to God as we are grateful for his word in the scriptures…and as we prepare to listen to the pastor explain those scriptures
This is a time of hearing... hearing what the pastor or minister believes God has asked him or her to tell us. The sermon is a time of listening to God speak through another person... one who has studied the Bible readings for the day and who wants to share ideas from their heart and mind. We ask God to help us listen to these words so that we can better understand how God wants us to live today.
Listen how the words of this hymn help us to sing about what was said in the sermon. Hymns are for speaking, listening , and Reflecting. They allow us to offer thanksgiving and praise to God.
We say together the Apostles Creed... our earliest creed...or our United Church of Christ Statement of Faith... WHAT WE BELIEVE AS A CHURCH FAMILY. It is an act of worship as old as the church.
Music is sung and played at this time in the service. Perhaps the adult choir sings...perhaps a younger choir sings...sometimes the handbells will play...sometimes people will dance. Instruments may be used with the singing. Whatever is sung, and whoever sings, it is a special piece of music that helps us think about and appreciate God who created us, and his Son who loves us, and the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives.This music is presented as an offering to God...God is the audience.
The church at prayer is the church at work. The pastoral prayer is a prayer of the church and of the people. We thank God...we ask God's help in our daily needs...we pray for the healing of people that we love and know... we pray for understanding as we listen...we pray for God's blessings.This prayer is usually introduced by a greeting used among Christians from ancient times. "The Lord be with you...And with you also...Let us pray."
Many times we end this prayer by praying together our 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 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"
We give gifts of time, talent and money to God in different ways. At this time, people called "ushers" pass our brass offering plates around to each person so that we can give money to help to keep the church doors open... to help to pay for things we use in Church School... and to help other people. We give because God has given us so many good things, we give back to him some of what he has given us... we show our gratefulness. While the ushers are walking down the aisles, there is usually special music being sung or played by people who are offering their time and talents to God using their musical skills. Money is a symbol of the offering of ourselves to God.
The commission is a challenge to us to leave the service and carry out our Lord’s word and presence in our daily lives.
A benediction is another word for blessing. A blessing is said in the belief that God is with every member of the congregation as they leave the church building. The benediction reminds you that you are a Christian, a disciple of Jesus Christ. It is also a way of saying goodbye to one another in our church family.
This is a sung response that can be As simple as an Amen or as long as a sung benediction. It can direct our thoughts to taking Christ with us in our daily lives
This is a piece of music played by the organist or instrumentalists as we leave our time of worship. It is usually loud and joyful to "send us out" into the world to serve others and to love God by what we say and do during the week.
I always bring me
sometimes happy, sometimes sad
sometimes rushed, sometimes bored
sometimes despairing, sometimes hopeful
sometimes anxious, sometimes content
I always bring me
You always bring you
Sometimes confident, sometimes scared
Sometimes silly, sometimes serious
Sometimes guilty, sometimes forgiven
Sometimes open, sometimes closed
You always bring you
I always bring me, you always bring you
the real me, the real you
wonderful
imperfect
warm
callous
broken
whole
worthy
unworthy
the real me, the real you
I always bring me, you always bring you
And together we
hear the Word
speak words of faith
eat the bread
drink from the cup
confess our sins
hear assuring words
pray for others
pray for ourselves
give thanks to God
are thankful for each other
What we bring is made new
when I bring me, the real me
you bring you, the real you
when we bring ourselves
with each other
before God
in worship
and give what we bring to God
who makes it new