Light of Home
Eastern Parkway United Methodist Church
A warm welcome to each worshipper today. We
celebrate you and offer you our friendship and love. We are a congregation of
people who seek to grow spiritually, to become more like Christ in His compassion
and acceptance of everyone while growing more aware of what it really means to
be Christians today.
As a Reconciling Congregation, EPUMC affirms the sacred worth of persons of
all sexual orientations and gender identities and welcomes them into full
participation in the fellowship, membership, ministries, and leadership of the
congregation.
943 Palmer Avenue, Schenectady, NY 12309 / 518-374-4306 epumc943@gmail.com
/ www.easternparkwayumc.com
Welcome to Eastern Parkway United Methodist Church
January 2, 2022
Epiphany
10:00 a.m.
*You are invited to stand in body or in spirit
Prelude
Greeting and Announcements
Mission Statement:
We are a faith community
striving to be, to nurture, and to send forth disciples of Jesus Christ.
Call to Worship
Sing aloud with gladness:
God is
gathering the people!
From the farthest parts of the earth
we come:
All who
struggle; all who labor with new life!
Those who are weeping, God will
console;
Those who get
lost find a clear path home.
Let us worship the God who gathers us!
*Hymn We Three Kings (v 1, 2, 5) #254
We three kings of Orient are
Bearing gifts we traverse afar
Field and fountain, moor and mountain
Following yonder star
O Star of wonder, star of night
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding
Guide us to thy Perfect Light
Glorious now behold Him arise
King and God and Sacrifice
Alleluia, Alleluia
Earth to heav’n replies
O Star of wonder, star of night
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding
Guide us to Thy perfect light
Prayer of Confession:
God of glory, you sent Jesus among us as the light of
the world, to reveal your love for all people. We confess that our sin and
pride hide the brightness of your light. We turn away from the poor; we ignore
cries for justice; we do not strive for peace. In your mercy, cleanse us
of our sin, and pour out the gifts of your Spirit, that, forgiven and renewed,
we may show forth your glory shining in the face of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Written by Austin D. Hill
Assurance
Hear
the Good News: in the name of the Christ child, who is called Emmanuel, God
with us, we are forgiven, loved, and free. Amen.
Scripture Reading Matthew 2: 1-12
The Visit of the Wise Men
2 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea,
wise men[a] from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 asking,
“Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his
star at its rising,[b] and have come to pay him
homage.” 3 When King Herod heard this, he was
frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and calling
together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them
where the Messiah[c] was to be born. 5 They
told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:
6 ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of
Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd[d] my people Israel.’”
7 Then Herod secretly called for the wise
men[e] and learned from them the exact time
when the star had appeared. 8 Then he sent them to
Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have
found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” 9 When
they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star
that they had seen at its rising,[f] until it stopped over the place where
the child was. 10 When they saw that the star had
stopped,[g] they were overwhelmed with joy. 11 On
entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt
down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him
gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And
having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own
country by another road.
Sermon Light of Home
Good morning
friends!
Today we’re
observing two holidays: the new year that just began yesterday, and Epiphany,
which officially happens on January 6th but that we’re observing
today.
I’ve had a
tradition for the last several years that on the first Sunday of the year, I
look up this year’s most popular New Year’s Resolutions. What I find is always
fascinating. Many popular New Year’s Resolutions stay the same for decades at a
time, but every year I have seen at least one new Resolution pop up, and it
says a lot about where we are as a society right now, how our priorities have
shifted, and what we want. Conversely, I also notice former popular Resolutions
dropping off the list, and that says a lot about what we no longer think is
important, what we’ve decided to tolerate for now, or how people have changed
over time.
Here are the 7
most popular New Year’s Resolutions for 2022, according to one research group:
- Exercising more (35%)
- Saving money (44%)
- Paying off debt (27%)
- Losing weight (30%)
- Spending more time with family (28%)
- Travel (19%)
- Reduce stress (22%)[1]
Every year I
see at least one resolution about weight and fitness, and a few about money and
spending. But this is the first year I can remember where I didn’t see “quit
smoking” or “cut back on drinking” anywhere on the list. Could it be that we’re
relying more on those things to cope with the stress of the pandemic? Could it
be that smoking has become much less common, and the people who wanted to quit
in years past succeeded? Could it be that Zoom AA meetings have made it a lot more
convenient to deal with a problematic relationship with alcohol? Whatever the
case, one thing is as true in 2022 as it ever has been: check in with your
friends. Ask your neighbor how you can support them today.
The new
resolution I noticed this year was “reduce stress”. Oh boy. What a year 2021
was. I feel that resolution in my soul. I pray we all work toward it.
In the midst
of my research on New Year’s Resolutions, I also found this delightful collection
of funny New Year’s Resolutions. Here’s the highlight reel, for your
entertainment:
- Order every drink on the Starbucks Menu.
- Flamingo a friend’s yard for their birthday or
an anniversary.
- Stop
drinking your morning coffee AFTER you brush your teeth.
- Perfect
your favorite celebrity impression.
- Learn
the "Thriller" dance by Halloween[2]
Clearly, now more than
ever, we’re seeking opportunities to unwind and rediscover the joy of life. It’s
perfectly reasonable that many of us turn to New Year’s Resolutions to
accomplish that goal. They’re very popular which means your friends will
understand them and you’ll start off January with a lot of support. The
excitement of ringing in the new year can be the perfect energy to drive you
toward a goal. And in general people like the idea of “starting fresh” every
once in a while, and the new year feels like the perfect opportunity. Yet…if we’re
being honest, the vast majority of our New Year’s Resolutions go unfulfilled,
and most of us have forgotten all about them by Valentine’s Day. This reality
is the other piece that brings me back to popular New Year’s Resolutions every
January: they’re a great idea in theory, but they’re not enough. A good coach
will advise you that if you want to reach a goal, it has to be a SMART goal: specific,
measurable, attainable, realistic, and time bound. Many of our New Year’s
Resolutions fail on all 5. But beyond that, maybe we’re shooting for the wrong targets
in the first place.
That’s been true of
people for all of history, as far as I can tell. It was certainly true in Jesus’
day. This week we’re temporarily switching gears from Luke’s account of Jesus’
birth to Matthew’s. Unlike Luke’s story of the census and the long journey on
the donkey and the farm birth because there was no room in the inn, in Matthew’s
story Mary and Joseph live in Bethlehem, and Jesus is born at home like most
children in his day. His birth is met with little fanfare, he’s just a baby. Mary
and Joseph raise little Jesus and go on with their lives. However, this
miraculous birth has caught the attention of three people: Magi from modern day
Asia with a special interest in astrology. They saw a brilliant star show up
one night and immediately decided to follow it no matter where it went.
Two years have passed
since that night. By the time of this morning’s reading Jesus is teething,
throwing daily temper tantrums, and generally terrorizing his parents. I would
love to read THOSE Gospel stories, but unfortunately Matthew doesn’t spend any
time there, which leads me to suspect he didn’t have kids. Anyway, he’s far
more focused on the sociopolitical landscape of Jesus’ birth country: Herod is
King, and Herod is greedy, power-hungry, and narcissistic. Anyone who takes
away a drop of his glory is a threat who must be eliminated. So when the Magi seek
his wisdom, saying they saw a star over his country and are looking for the
great King to whom the star points, Herod uses the Magi. “Sure, my scribes will
find any information you need to locate this King. And hey, when you do find
him, tell me where he is, because I have a little present for him, too.”
Perhaps because they’re strangers in a foreign land, perhaps because they were
astrologers with little political knowledge, or perhaps because they were good
people with pure hearts, the Magi don’t become suspicious of Herod, and they
set out to do what he asked.
They find Jesus, and
they find the source of all light. Finally, after two years on the road, they’re
home. Later in the Gospels Jesus relates parables about the joy of finding a
lost coin, or a lost sheep. Can you imagine the joy of finding a lost baby? God
gives this precious moment to the Magi, because only they, Mary, and Joseph
fully appreciate who Jesus is, and will be. They soak in his glory. Contrary to
popular belief, and the first hymn we sang today, we don’t actually know that
there were three Magi, only that they brought three gifts. This brings us
another of these “toddler Jesus” stories that I wish Matthew had said more
about: Mary and Joseph must have been overwhelmed with gratitude at the gift of
gold, but frankincense isn’t the most practical gift when there’s a little one
in the house, and when they opened the myrrh, an oil used to prepare dead
bodies, I imagine it was then that Mary learned the importance of a gift
registry. No matter, the symbolism isn’t lost on the reader: Jesus is royalty
to those who love him, and worthy of worship, but will not live a long life,
and will be one step ahead of his assassins from this moment on.
It’s a brief moment of
brilliant light. God warns the Magi not to go back to Herod, so they find
another way home. Herod realizes his ruse failed, and darkness descends. He orders
the murder of every boy under 2 in his land, and the holy family flees the only
home they’ve ever known, never to return.
The last two years on
this earth have been no less perilous than Jesus’ infancy and toddlerhood. Soon
we will pass the two-year mark of the first official case of COVID-19 detected
in America. The death toll is immense. The suffering has been greater still.
And in the background of this global pandemic we have faced a sociopolitical
landscape nearly as hostile as First Century Palestine under Herodian rule. In
a few days we observe one year since the siege of the Capitol. Will we find
peace? Will we learn to trust one another, and our democratic process, again? Will
the pandemic ever end, or are we about to learn another letter of the Greek
alphabet when the next covid strain rears its infectious head? I don’t know.
That future is unwritten.
I will venture into 2022
as a follower of Christ, just like the Magi: with purity of heart despite the
horrors I know are out there, and not allowing the darkness of the night sky to
make me lose sight of the brightest star I have ever seen. Even if that light
only shows up in short spurts, it is all we need. We can remember it in harder
times. We can remember how to love one another, even a family in Bethlehem we’ve
never met. We can remember generosity. We can remember steadfast faith, following
a star for two years and not giving up. I pray for a 2022 that will leave the
light on, allowing us all to find our way to Jesus.
Amen.
*Hymn Once in Royal
David’s City (v 1-3)
#250
Once in royal David's city,
Stood a lowly cattle shed,
Where a mother laid her baby
In a manger for His bed:
Mary was that mother mild,
Jesus Christ her little child.
He came down to earth from heaven,
Who is God and Lord of all,
And His shelter was a stable,
And His cradle was a stall;
With the poor and meek and lowly,
Lived on earth our Savior holy.
And through all
His wondrous childhood,
He would honor and obey,
Love and watch the lowly mother,
In whose gentle arms He lay.
Christian children all should be,
Mild, obedient, good as He.
Offertory
*Doxology
*Prayer of Dedication
Time of Prayer and Lord’s Prayer
Lord of bright and abiding Light, you have shown us, in
the person of Jesus your Son, a new way to live. You have poured your light
into the world and have asked us to live in the light rather than run and hide
in the darkness of doubt and despair. You promise to be our light all of our
days and ask us to place our trust in you. The journey in this light is risky.
It means that we will have to be very serious about our service to you, giving
you our best and offering hope and light to others. In this new year, we bring
to you the names and situations of others for whom light seems to be a stranger.
They struggle with ill health, economic hardship, broken and damaged
relationships, loss of loved ones, and anxiety. We place them in your care. Let
your light shine on them, bringing healing and hope. Help us to be bearers of
that light in all that we do; for we ask this in Jesus' Name. Amen.
written by Nancy C. Townley, and posted on the Worship
Connection page of the Ministry Matters website.
Our Father, Mother, Creator God, 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 have trespassed 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.
The Lord’s Supper
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
It is right, and a good and joyful thing,
always and everywhere to give thanks to you,
Almighty God, creator of heaven and earth.
You created light out of darkness and brought forth life on the earth.
You formed us in your image and breathed into us the breath of life.
When we turned away, and our love failed, your love remained steadfast.
You delivered us from captivity, made covenant to be our sovereign God,
and spoke to us through your prophets.
In the fullness of time
you gave your only Son Jesus Christ to be our Savior,
and at his birth the angels sang
glory to you in the highest and peace to your people on earth.
And so, with your people on earth and all the company of heaven
we praise your name and join their unending hymn:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.
Holy are you, and blessed is your Son Jesus Christ.
As Mary and Joseph went from Galilee to Bethlehem
and there found no room,
so Jesus went from Galilee to Jerusalem and was despised and rejected.
As in the poverty of a stable Jesus was born,
so by the baptism of his suffering, death, and resurrection
you gave birth to your Church,
delivered us from slavery to sin and death,
and made with us a new covenant by water and the Spirit.
As your Word became flesh, born of woman, on that night
long ago,
so, on the night in which he gave himself up for us, he took bread,
gave thanks to you, broke the bread, gave it to his disciples, and said:
"Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you.
Do this in remembrance of me."
When the supper was over he took the cup,
gave thanks to you, gave it to his disciples, and said:
"Drink from this, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant,
poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.
Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me."
And so, in remembrance of these your mighty acts in Jesus
Christ,
we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving
as a holy and living sacrifice, in union with Christ's offering for us,
as we proclaim the mystery of faith.
Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again.
Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here,
and on these gifts of bread and wine.
Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ,
that we may be for the world the body of Christ, redeemed by his blood.
By your Spirit make us one with Christ,
one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world,
until Christ comes in final victory, and we feast at his heavenly banquet.
Through your Son Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit in
your holy Church,
all honor and glory is yours, almighty God, now and forever.
Amen.
*Hymn
Light of the World #2204
Benediction
Go in peace; love and care for one another in the name of
Christ;
and may the Spirit of God which filled John and Jesus,
fill your hearts, souls and minds;
may the power of God which upheld them,
strengthen you for each day;
and may the love of God which directed their every action
be your guiding light and your shining star,
both now and forevermore. Amen
written by Rev. Richard J. Fairchild, and posted on
his Kir-shalom website
Postlude
_____________________________________________
Staff
Natalie Bowerman Pastor
Betsy Lehmann Music Director
Joe White Custodian
Cassandra Brown
Nursery
Attendant
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