( Judah and Tamar by Horace Vernet used with permission of the Public Domain.) It is crucial to remember that, for the church, the care of the poor cannot be separated from the worship of God. Stanley Hauerwas www.colonialucc.org November 29, 2015 913 362 7735 10:15 a.m.
The Colonial Church in Prairie Village United Church of Christ Tamar s Story Sunday Worship Service in the series The Foremothers of Jesus 1 Please silence your electronic devices in preparation for worship. * Please rise in body or spirit We Gather as God s People Gathering Music Wachet auf, ruft, uns die Stimme J.S. Bach Welcome and Announcements (Please sign and pass pew pads and fill out Prayer Request cards you may have. You can place the Prayer Request cards in the offering plates later in the service.) A Moment to Lay Your Burdens Down * Opening Hymn #421 We Gather Together * Advent Candlelighting Call to Worship Leader: This is the day we begin our journey to the Child, His Mother and the manger. People: May we kindle God s light together as we journey on. Leader: It is a journey shrouded in a fading sun and a growing uncertainty as the world turns cold. And we journey anyway. People: May we kindle God s light together as we journey on. Leader: We journey because we are drawn to God s light at the end: it is God s promise, borne into our lives. People: May we kindle God s light together as we journey on. Leader: This is the day we begin our journey. May we kindle God s light within us, together, as we journey on. All: Amen. Lighting the Advent Candle of Hope
* Advent Song of Praise ( (#115 verse 3; tune Winchester New) Clean up your hearts, lay down the way, for God approaches day by day; Prepare for such a worthy heir, for such a guest your house prepare. * Prayer of Hope Good and gracious God, God of darkness and light, God of hope and fear, help us take one step closer to you, toward the joy of unity with you. In this candle light, show us that the power of hope silences doubts and fears. Take this light, small but mighty, and magnify it within us until our hope chases away all shadows around our church, our community, our nations, and our world. Amen. * Sharing God s Welcome (Greet everyone in the hope of peace and friendship.) Children s Conversation (Children of all ages are welcome to come forward to the chancel steps. Following the Conversation, children are welcome to remain to worship or to participate in our Sunday School.) This little light of mine, I m gonna let it shine, this little light of mine, I m gonna let it shine, this little light of mine, I m gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine. 2 We Hear a Word from God A Word in Music Star of Advent Pepper Choplin A Word Proclaimed Pastor Aaron Roberts Matthew s Genealogy of Jesus Matthew 1:1 16 A record of the ancestors of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham: Abraham was the father of Isaac. Isaac was the father of Jacob. Jacob was the father of Judah and his brothers. Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar. Perez was the father of Hezron. Hezron was the father of Aram. Aram was the father of Amminadab. Amminadab was the father of Nahshon. Nahshon was the father of Salmon. Salmon was the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab. Boaz was the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth. Obed was the father of Jesse. Jesse was the father of David the king.
David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been the wife of Uriah. Solomon was the father of Rehoboam. Rehoboam was the father of Abijah. Abijah was the father of Asaph. Asaph was the father of Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat was the father of Joram. Joram was the father of Uzziah. Uzziah was the father of Jotham. Jotham was the father of Ahaz. Ahaz was the father of Hezekiah. Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh. Manasseh was the father of Amos. Amos was the father of Josiah. Josiah was the father of Jechoniah and his brothers. This was at the time of the exile to Babylon. After the exile to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel. Shealtiel was the father of Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud. Abiud was the father of Eliakim. Eliakim was the father of Azor. Azor was the father of Zadok. Zadok was the father of Achim. Achim was the father of Eliud. Eliud was the father of Eleazar. Eleazar was the father of Matthan. Matthan was the father of Jacob. Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary of whom Jesus was born, who is called the Christ. Tamar s Story after the Death of Judah s Two Oldest Sons Genesis 38:11 26 Judah said to Tamar his daughter in law, "Stay as a widow in your father's household until my son Shelah grows up." He thought Shelah would die like his brothers had. So Tamar went and lived in her father's household. After a long time, Judah's wife the daughter of Shua died. Then, after a period of mourning, he and his neighbor Hirah the Adullamite went up to Timnah, to those who were shearing his sheep. Tamar was told, "Your father in law is now on his way up to Timnah to shear his sheep." So Tamar took off the clothing she wore as a widow, covered herself with a veil, put on makeup, and sat down at the entrance to Enaim on the road to Timnah, since she realized that although Shelah had already grown up, she hadn't been given to him as a wife. Judah saw her and thought she was a prostitute because she had covered her face. He turned to her beside the road and said, "Let me sleep with you," because he didn't know she was his daughter in law. She said, "What will you give me for sleeping with you?" He said, "I will give you a kid goat from my flock." She said, "Only if you give me some deposit, as security to guarantee that you will send it." He said, "What kind of deposit should I give you?" And she said, "Your seal, its cord, and the staff in your hand." 3
He gave these to her, slept with her, and she became pregnant by him. Then she got up, left, and took off her veil, dressing once again in the clothing she wore as a widow. Judah sent the kid goat with his neighbor the Adullamite so he could take back the deposits from the woman, but he couldn't find her. He asked the locals of that place, "Where's the consecrated worker who was at Enaim on the road?" But they said, "There's no consecrated worker here." So he went back to Judah and said, "I couldn't find her. The locals even said, 'There's no holy woman here.'" Judah said, "Let her keep everything so we aren't laughed at. I did send this kid goat, but you couldn't find her." About three months later, Judah was told, "Your daughter in law Tamar has become a prostitute and is now pregnant because of it." And Judah said, "Bring her out so that she may be burned." When she was brought out, she sent this message to her father in law, "I'm pregnant by the man who owns these things. See if you recognize whose seal, cord, and staff these are." Judah recognized them and said, "She's more righteous than I am, because I didn't allow her to marry my son Shelah." (Express your thoughts via social media at #ColonialUCC.) 4 We Respond with Thanksgiving and Prayer * Hymn #106 My Heart Sings Out with Joyful Praise Call to Offering and Offertory Awake, Hear the Call of Watchmen (Our weekly offering includes food collected to help fill local pantries.) Dupre * Doxology What Child Is This (#148 verses 3 and 1) So bring him incense gold and myrrh; Come humbly to revere him; The King of kings salvation brings; Let faithful hearts draw near him. This, this is Christ the King, Whom shepherds seek and angels sing; Haste, haste to bring him praise, the babe, the son of Mary!
* Prayer of Dedication Gracious God, bestow upon our gifts your great blessing. For those who need them most, may they be the symbol of hope we wish to bear into this world. In giving them, strengthen our hope as we anticipate the birth of all hope, grace, and glory. Amen. Time of Prayer Prayers of the People Believing that each joy and/or concern expressed is indeed a prayer, after each expression, the Pastor will say: Lord, in your mercy. And the people may respond: Hear our prayer. Praying in Silence Our Lord s Prayer ( Our Father is the traditional way this prayer begins. You are invited to use whatever name for God you find most meaningful (Father, Mother, Creator, God, etc.). These names for God create a beautiful chorus.) 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. 5
We Depart to Serve 6 * Hymn #129 Good Christian Friends, Rejoice (Original words onscreen) * Renew Our Covenant (Turn towards the center aisle as we bless one another with the promise of our covenant.) We covenant with the Lord and with one another and do bind ourselves in the presence of God to walk together in Christian Love. We seek to worship God in spirit and in truth and to love our neighbors as ourselves. With God s help we will honor Colonial Church in our conduct, support its program, and extend the influence of Christ throughout the world. * Congregational Song of Blessing #809 God Be With You God be with you, God be with you, God be with you till we meet again. O God be with you, God be with you, God be with you till we meet again. * Benediction and Postlude Wachet auf III. Finale Wold Liturgist: Mariam Flemming Advent Candlelighters: Linda Moses and Michelle Turpen Videographer: Geoff Robinson Worship Graphics Operator: Hayden Huggins Children s Conversation: Ancel Neuburger Greeters: Heather, Benjamin, Tessa and Nora Brasel Head Usher: Elizabeth Uppman Ushers: Chester Bender, Chucho Marquez, Elizabeth Uppman
7 Our 10:00am Thursday morning Bible Study is doing something new this fall. We are going to do sessions with the Kerygma Discovering the Bible curriculum. Even if you cannot make the sessions, we re going to put the readings in our weekly study guide. If you would like to take part in the study, simply come on Thursdays or signup for the group via infellowship from the church website. Keep the simple point in mind: our primary purpose is not simply learning information about the Bible. It is hearing God speak. Discovery 29 The Hope Read each passage and make notes on each. Matthew 25:31 46, The Last Judgment Mark 13:1 37, Watch! Romans 8:18 39, The Future Glory 1 Corinthians 15:5 58, Victory in Christ 1 Thessalonians 4:13 5:11, Be Ready! The Revelation 1:1 20, John s Vision The Revelation 21:1 6, All Things New! The Revelation 22:1 7, Jesus is Coming Soon!
8
9
10
11