Berwyn Presbyterian Church

Fifth Sunday after Epiphany

Sunday, February 7, 2021                                10:30 am

 

THE GATHERING

 Let all enter worship in a spirit of prayer.

Please remember to turn off your cell phones for worship.

Prelude“In Every Age”     Janet S. Whitaker

Ringing of the Hour 

Prelude“I’m Gonna Eat at the Welcome Table”African-American spiritual

Welcome                         Rev. Laura Hollister

                       Call to Worship                         Gwen Mufor       Leader:   Let us worship and sing praises to God, 

      People:    For the Lord is gracious and worthy of praise! 

      Leader:   God gathers the outcasts and heals the brokenhearted. 

      People:   God gives the stars their names and makes grass grow on the hills. 

Leader:Let us hope in God’s steadfast love

People:And worship God together! 

Hymn GG 65 “Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah”

Call to Confession                 

Prayer of Confession                         

O God you bring healing to our lives and comfort to our hearts. Forgive us, O Lord, when we contribute to the things that break your heart. You would have us share our gifts with the world, but we keep our resources close and our minds closed. You would have us live in faithful community, but we isolate ourselves and eye our neighbors with mistrust. You would have us see all people as our siblings, but we try to separate ourselves from anyone whose existence challenges our comfort. Forgive us, O God, by your grace, and free us to be agents of your healing. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Declaration of Forgiveness

                     

The Peace               

      Leader:  May the peace of the risen Christ be with you always. 

      People:  And also with you.

(Please share the peace with a few neighbors.)

Welcome Song    “You’re Welcome in the Name of the Lord” Trad’l Cameroonian

You’re welcome in the name of the Lord, you’re welcome in the name of the Lord,

For we see in you the glory of the Lord, you’re welcome in the name of the Lord.

We love you in the name of the Lord (repeat)

THE WORD

Prayer for Illumination       

                                                                           

Psalm 103

Bless the Lord, O my soul,and all that is within me,bless his holy name.Bless the Lord, O my soul,and do not forget all his benefits—who forgives all your iniquity,who heals all your diseases,who redeems your life from the Pit,who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,who satisfies you with good as long as you liveso that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

The Lord works vindicationand justice for all who are oppressed.He made known his ways to Moses,his acts to the people of Israel.The Lord is merciful and gracious,slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.He will not always accuse,nor will he keep his anger forever.

He does not deal with us according to our sins,nor repay us according to our iniquities.For as the heavens are high above the earth,so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;as far as the east is from the west,so far he removes our transgressions from us.As a father has compassion for his children,so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him.For he knows how we were made;he remembers that we are dust.

As for mortals, their days are like grass;they flourish like a flower of the field;for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,and its place knows it no more.But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlastingon those who fear him,and his righteousness to children’s children,to those who keep his covenantand remember to do his commandments.

The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.Bless the Lord, O you his angels,you mighty ones who do his bidding,obedient to his spoken word.Bless the Lord, all his hosts,his ministers that do his will.Bless the Lord, all his works,in all places of his dominion.Bless the Lord, O my soul.

Hear what the Lord is saying to the Church!Amen

1 Cor. 9:16-23

If I proclaim the gospel, this gives me no ground for boasting, for an obligation is laid on me, and woe to me if I do not proclaim the gospel! For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward; but if not of my own will, I am entrusted with a commission. What then is my reward? Just this: that in my proclamation I may make the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my rights in the gospel.

For though I am free with respect to all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) so that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law) so that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.

This is the word of the Lord!Thanks be to God!

Children’s Message                            Rev. Laura Hollister

2 Cor. 12:1-11

It is necessary to boast; nothing is to be gained by it, but I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. I know a person in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows. And I know that such a person—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows— was caught up into Paradise and heard things that are not to be told, that no mortal is permitted to repeat. On behalf of such a one I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses. But if I wish to boast, I will not be a fool, for I will be speaking the truth. But I refrain from it, so that no one may think better of me than what is seen in me or heard from me, even considering the exceptional character of the revelations. Therefore, to keep me from being too elated, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me, but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong. I have been a fool! You forced me to it. Indeed you should have been the ones commending me, for I am not at all inferior to these super-apostles, even though I am nothing.

This is the word of the Lord!Thanks be to God!

Isa. 40:21-31

Have you not known? Have you not heard?Has it not been told you from the beginning?Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?It is he who sits above the circle of the earth,and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers;who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,and spreads them like a tent to live in;who brings princes to naught,and makes the rulers of the earth as nothing.

Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown,scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth,when he blows upon them, and they wither,and the tempest carries them off like stubble.

To whom then will you compare me,or who is my equal? says the Holy One.Lift up your eyes on high and see:Who created these?He who brings out their host and numbers them,calling them all by name;because he is great in strength,mighty in power,not one is missing.

Why do you say, O Jacob,and speak, O Israel,“My way is hidden from the Lord,and my right is disregarded by my God”?Have you not known? Have you not heard?The Lord is the everlasting God,the Creator of the ends of the earth.He does not faint or grow weary;his understanding is unsearchable.He gives power to the faint,and strengthens the powerless.Even youths will faint and be weary,and the young will fall exhausted;but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,they shall mount up with wings like eagles,they shall run and not be weary,they shall walk and not faint.

Hear what the Lord is saying to the Church!Amen

SermonPower to the Weak

Sharing of Concerns

The Lord’s Prayer (traditional)

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.  

Announcements                                     Rev. Laura Hollister

Hymn GG 314“Longing for Light, We Wait in Darkness”

THE SACRAMENT OF THE LORD’S SUPPER

The Great Prayer of Thanksgiving

The Lord be with you.

 Lift up your hearts.

 Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

And also with you.

We lift them to the Lord.

It is right to give thanks and praise.

Breaking of the Bread

  Communion of the People

Communion Prayer

THE THANKSGIVING

Call for the Offering             Gwen Mufor

Prayer of Dedication   

               THE SENDING

 

Hymn GG 620“Praise My Soul, the King of Heaven”

Benediction                                             

Congregational Response    “He Has Done Great Things for Me”    Shirley Berkeley

Postlude   “Jesus Is a Rock in a Weary Land”  Traditional 

Thank you for joining us online today. We are delighted for the opportunity to worship God with you.  Please feel at home and join us again. Visitors are encouraged to drop us a line at our church website: https://berwynpresbyterianchurch.net, or to write to the church email address: berwyn.office@gmail.org. We would love to be in touch. 

Leading Worship Today:

Rev. Laura Hollister, Pastor

Dr. Gabriel Ruiz-Bernal, Music Director 

Gwen Mufor, Worship Associate

Supporting Worship Today:

Zandra Brown, camera

Faithyn Chukundah, Facebook moderator

Bruce Murray, soundboard

Members of the Choir (recorded music)

Hymns and lyrics reprinted in this bulletin are the property of the respective copyright holder(s).

Hymns and lyrics are reprinted with permission under CCLI license #A-2918022. All rights reserved.  

Permission to stream music in this service obtained from CCLI license #A-20900318. All rights reserved.  

All scripture readings are from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) Bible.

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BERWYN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

6301 Greenbelt Road, Berwyn Heights, MD 20740

 Website: www.berwynpresbyterian.net  ▪  Email: berwyn.office@gmail.com

Music: http://berwynmusic.com