Round Hill Community Church

ORDER OF SERVICEFebruary 21, 2016 2nd Sunday in Lent

PRELUDE Prière à Notre Dame Léon Boëllmann

WORDS OF WELCOMEINTROIT

CALL TO WORSHIPLeader: As we gather for worship we give thanks for the enduring

realities of life.

All: We have come to affirm that life is a gift, that the gift is good, and that it comes from God.

Leader: We are gathered to renew our hope in Jesus Christ, as we travel life’s long journey.

All: We find God in the paths of our present and past, but we also trust in God’s love in our future.

Leader: The same God guides us all the way, every day of our lives, and beyond life.

*HYMN No. 21 Let the Whole Creation Cry

*OPENING PRAYER Spirit of energy and change, in whose power Jesus was anointed

to be the hope of the nations;be poured out also upon uswithout reserve or distinction,that we may have confidence and strength

to plant your justice on the earth, through Jesus Christ, Amen.*The congregation is invited to stand

*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,and the power, and the glory,forever and ever. Amen.

*GLORIA PATRIGlory 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.

CHILDREN’S MESSAGE Linda SeaverChildren may now leave for Church School.

ANTHEM Be Thou My Vision Parker

SCRIPTURE LESSON Luke 11: 1-10

Jesus was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” He said to them, “When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us. And do not bring us to the time of trial.”And he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.’ And he answers from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs. “So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

SERMON The School of Prayer The Rev. Dr. Ed Horstmann

*HYMN No. 575 Come and Find the Quiet Center

OFFERINGInvitationAnthem Stabat Mater Rossini (The grieving Mother stood beside the cross weeping where her son was hanging)

*Doxology 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. Amen.

*Hymn O Beautiful for Spacious Skies O beautiful for spacious skies, for amber

waves of grain, for purple mountainmajesties above the fruited plain!

America! America! God shed full graceon thee, and crown thy good with servanthood

from sea to shining sea.

PASTORAL PRAYER

*HYMN No. 5 O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing

CHURCH PRAYEROur Heavenly Father, shed forth thy blessed spirit upon all our lives. Make each one of us an instrument in thy hands for good. Purify our hearts, strengthen our minds and bodies, fill us with Christian love. Let no pride, no self-conceit, no rivalry, no ill will ever spring up among us. Make us earnest and true, wise and prudent, giving no just cause for offense; and may thy holy peace rest upon us this day and every day throughout the coming week, sweetening our trials, cheering us in our work, and keeping us faithful to the end, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

BENEDICTION AND CHORAL RESPONSE

POSTLUDE Agincourt Hymn Dunstable

ROUND HILL COMMUNITY CHURCH MISSION STATEMENTWe, the members of the Round Hill Community Church, a self-governing, non-denominational body, seek to foster a community of faith where people of all ages and backgrounds pursue spiritual growth; where God is worshipped in Word and praised in music; where friends are made and hurts are healed. We seek to be a

community where individuals commit their time and resources to education, fellowship, and to helping those in need among our Church family and in the broader world. We are a church where faith, hope, justice and love are valued, and above all, Jesus is Lord.

ROUND HILL COMMUNITY CHURCH CREEDI believe in God, the one universal Father of all mankind, revealed supremely in Jesus Christ, our Lord, and present with us to guide, comfort and inspire in the Holy Spirit. I believe in the Kingdom of God; and in the mission of the Christian Church to proclaim the Gospel to all the world, exalting the worship of the Lord our God, and laboring for the progress of knowledge, the promotion of righteousness, the reign of peace, and the realization of human brotherhood. United in Christian love, we pray and labor for the coming of the Kingdom, the triumph of righteousness and the life everlasting. Amen.

CHURCH NEWS

Thank you to Deanna and Steve Mulligan for ushering during this morning’s service.

Thank you to the Ines Kingsley and Alice Melly for hosting today’s Coffee Hour. Please join them in the parlor following the service.

Faith Formation

Join us this morning for the next installment of the People of the Book series, when we’ll consider Moses as the leader who didn’t want to lead, the organizer who didn’t know how to organize and the man for the future who himself suffered a troubled past.

This Wednesday, February 24th at 7pm, Kaitlin Roig-DeBellis, former Newtown teacher, critically-acclaimed author of Choosing Hope: Moving Forward from Life’s Darkest Hours and Founder of Classes 4 Classes, will talk about “Choosing Hope: The Power of Choice.” Reception and book signing will follow, with copies available for purchase, thanks to Diane’s Books. Childcare only with advance reservation. Tickets $5, proceeds to benefit Classes 4 Classes. For info/reservations - 203-869-1091.Outreach

On March 6th, guest Barbara McLaughlin, Director of Early Childhood and Parenting Programs at Inspirica, will provide an update on the program which launched January 19th, share volunteer opportunities and the various ways that you can support this organization. A huge thank you to all who regularly support our friends at Neighbor to Neighbor with donations for their community pantry! During February, we are collecting peanut butter and jelly! Please place donations into the food wagon located in the Narthex.

Fellowship

Join us at the RHCC Women’s Gathering on Friday, March 4th at 6pm when we will present a discussion on “Women in China.” Our storytellers will be Sharon Sun, Sally MacSwan, Helen Dixon, Sandy Motland and Helen O’Malley. The presentation will be followed by a Chinese dinner at David Chen Restaurant in Armonk, NY. Reservations required by February 29th. Cost $15.

The Meditation/Stress Reduction Group meets every other Thursday in the Church Meeting Room, from 6:30-7:30 p.m. All are welcome!

Youth Ministry

Round Hill Community House – this Friday, February 26th @ 5:00 pmCozy up by our fireplace and enjoy your favorite movie snacks at the

RHCC FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT!

See flyer below for the upcoming Snow Tubing excursion on February 27th

and sign up today to reserve your spot!!

Easter is Sunday, March 27! Remember a loved one with commemorative flowers on Easter. To have a dedication included in the Order of Service that morning, please complete the form below and return to the office with your donation by Sunday, March 20. Please make checks payable to RHCC.

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2016 Easter Flower Dedication FormDonor’s Name _________________________________________________

Phone ________________________________________________________

Email ________________________________________________________

Donation $__________

Dedication to be listed in Easter Order of Service: (please note: this will be printed verbatim in the bulletin)_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

REFLECTION

Silence is the language of faith. Action – be it church or charity, politics or poetry – is the translation. As with any translation, action is a mere echo of its original, inevitably faded and distorted, especially as it moves farther from its source. There the comparison ends, though, for while it is true that action degrades that original silence, and your moments of meditative communion with God can seem a world away from the chaotic human encounters to which those moments compel you, it is also true that without these constant translations into action, that original, sustaining silence begins to be less powerful, and then less accessible, and then finally impossible.

Christian Wiman, My Bright Abyss

Cover Art:  “Praying Hands” by Albrecht Dürer, executed c. 1508

Senior Pastor: The Rev. Dr. Edward G. HorstmannAssociate Pastor: The Rev. Dan Haugh

Minister Emeritus: The Rev. Dr. Ralph AhlbergMinister of Music: Christopher Kabala

Church School Coordinator: Connie BlundenRound Hill Community Church

395 Round Hill Road, Greenwich, CT 06831203.869.1091 roundhillcommunitychurch.org