Order of Worship 12-31-23
SERVICE FOR THE LORD’S DAY
1st Sunday of Christmas
12/31/23 Ten Thirty in the morning
Minister: Reverend Aaron Ochart
Liturgist: Briana Mayfield
Please silence all cell phones.
Bold face indicates congregational participation.
Please stand, in body or spirit
THE PEOPLE ARE GATHERED IN
PRELUDE
PROCESSIONAL HYMN [*Blue #23][GTG#113]
Angels We Have Heard on High
1 Angels we have heard on high, sweetly singing o’er the plains,
and the mountains in reply echoing their joyous strains.
Glo-ria in excelsis Deo! Glo-ria in excelsis Deo!
2 Shepherds why this jubilee? Why your joyous strains prolong?
What the gladsome tidings be
which inspires your heavenly song?
Glo-ria in excelsis Deo! Glo-ria in excelsis Deo!
3 Come to Bethlehem and see him whose birth the angels sing;
come adore on bended knee Christ, the Lord, the newborn King.
Glo-ria in excelsis Deo! Glo-ria in excelsis Deo!
WORDS OF WELCOME
CALL TO WORSHIP Col. 3:15, 16
ONE: Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts;
MANY: let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Heavenly God, when Jesus was baptized by John in the wilderness, you claimed him as your son. Claim us as your children, inheritors of your glorious kingdom. Amen.
HYMN [*Blue #38][GTG#123] It Came Upon The Midnight Clear
1 It came upon the midnight clear, that glorious song of old,
from angels bending near the earth, to touch their harps of gold:
“Peace on the earth, good will to all, from heaven’s all-gracious King”:
the world in solemn stillness lay, to hear the angels sing.
2 Still through the cloven skies they come, with peaceful wings unfurled,
and still their heavenly music floats o’er all the weary world:
above its sad and lowly plains they bend on hovering wing,
and ever o’er its Babel sounds the blessed angels sing.
3 Yet with the woes of sin and strife the world has suffered long;
beneath the heavenly hymn have rolled two thousand years of wrong;
and we at war on earth hear not the tidings that they bring;
O, hush the noise and cease the strife to hear the angels sing!
4 And you, beneath life’s crushing load, whose forms are bending low,
who toil along the climbing way with painful steps and slow,
look now, for glad and golden hours come swiftly on the wing:
O, rest beside the weary road, and hear the angels sing.
5 For lo, the days are hastening on, by prophets seen of old,
when with the ever-circling years shall come the time foretold,
when peace shall over all the earth its ancient splendors fling,
and the whole world give back the song which now the angels sing.
REPENTANCE
CALL TO CONFESSION
SILENT CONFESSION
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
God of grace and truth, in Jesus Christ you came among us as light shining in the darkness. We confess that we have not welcomed the light, or trusted good news to be good. We have closed our eyes to glory in our midst, expecting little, and hoping for less.
Forgive our doubt, and renew our hope, so that we may receive the fullness of your grace, and live in the truth of Christ the Lord. Amen.
ASSURANCE OF PARDON
GLORIA PATRI [Blue#579[ [GTG581]
Glory 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. Amen.
THE WORD READ AND PROCLAIMED
SCRIPTURE [Pew Bible NT 34 or32] Mark 1:1-20
The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,
“See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way;
the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight,’”
John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.
Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.
ONE: The Word of the Lord
MANY: Thanks be to God
SERMON “The Beginning of the Good News” The Rev. Aaron Ochart
RESPONSE
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH From the Brief Statement of Faith
In life and in death we belong to God. Through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, we trust in the one triune God, the Holy One of Israel, whom alone we worship and serve. We trust in Jesus Christ, Fully human, fully God.
Jesus was crucified, suffering the depths of human pain and giving his life for the sins of the world. God raised this Jesus from the dead, vindicating his sinless life, breaking the power of sin and evil, delivering us from death to life eternal.
We trust in God, whom Jesus called Abba, Father. In sovereign love God created the world good and makes everyone equally in God’s image …, of every race and people, to live as one community. But we rebel against God; we hide from our Creator. Ignoring God’s commandments, we violate the image of God in others and ourselves, accept lies as truth, exploit neighbor and nature, and threaten death to the planet entrusted to our care. We deserve God’s condemnation. Yet God acts with justice and mercy to redeem creation.
We trust in God the Holy Spirit, everywhere the giver and renewer of life. The Spirit justifies us by grace through faith, sets us free to accept ourselves and to love God and neighbor, and binds us together with all believers in the one body of Christ, the Church.
With believers in every time and place, we rejoice that nothing in life or in death can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. Amen.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
RECEIVING OF TITHES AND OFFERINGS
OFFERTORY
DOXOLOGY [GTG#606]
Praise God from whom all blessings flow.
Praise God, all creatures here below.
Praise God above, ye heavenly host;
praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
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 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.
HYMN [*Blue #29][GTG#136] Go, Tell it on the Mountain
Refrain: Go, tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere;
go, tell it on the mountain that Jesus Christ is born!
1 While shepherds kept their watching o’er silent flocks by night,
behold, throughout the heavens there shone a holy light. [Refrain]
2 The shepherds feared and trembled when lo! above the earth
rang out the angel chorus that hailed our Savior’s birth. [Refrain]
3 Down in a lowly manger the humble Christ was born,
and God sent us salvation that blessed Christmas morn. [Refrain]
PARTING PRAYER
Holy One, as you have come to dwell among us, show us how to live as your faithful people, sharing the good news of your grace with all; through Christ, your Word made flesh. Amen.
CHARGE AND BENEDICTION
RESPONCE [*Blue #29][GTG#136] Go, Tell it on the Mountain
Refrain: Go, tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere;
go, tell it on the mountain that Jesus Christ is born!
POSTLUDE
*Note: the hymn lyrics in the bulletin and on the projection screen are from the Glory To God Hymnal (© 2013 Westminster John Knox Press), which we are transitioning to. Words in the “Blue” Presbyterian Hymnal (© 1990) in your pew may differ slightly.
Participating in today’s service are Rev. Aaron Ochart, Pastor; Louise Ochart, CE Leader; Kelly Cuppett, Music Director. Appreciation to Dennis Lauland. Mike Fortin, and David Garland for the video production of today’s service.
The Scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Used by Permission. All Rights Reserved.
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STAFF |
Church Office 504.888.1375
Playschool Office 504.888.1378
The Reverend Aaron Ochart – Head of Staff
Louise Ochart – Christian Education Leader
Kelly Cuppett – Music Director
Lauren Crisler – Playschool Director
Stephanie Galliano – Playschool Admin. Asst.
For more information, visit our website at www.JohnCalvinChurch.org
or find us @JohnCalvinMetairie on
Announcements 12-31-23
Announcements:
ZOOM BOOK STUDY: We plan on continuing the weekly Zoom book studies after the new year. Please fill out the form in the bulletin to let us know your preferences for the start date and book to study. The study will remain on Thursdays from 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM.
DEVOTIONALS FOR THE NEW YEAR: Start the new year off right, now is a great time to order your devotional for 2024. Here is this week’s suggestion: Seeking Aliveness: Daily Reflections on a New Way to Experience and Practice the Christian Faith By Brian McLaren “The quest for aliveness is the heartbeat that pulses through the Bible . . . It’s why we gather, celebrate, eat, abstain, attend, practice, sing, and contemplate.”
Based on his book We Make The Road By Walking, Brian D. McLaren presents a 52-week devotional to inspire and activate you in your spiritual journey. If you’re a seeker exploring Christianity, if you’re a long-term believer feeling downtrodden, if your faith seems to be a lot of talk without much practice, here you’ll find a reorientation from a fresh and healthy perspective.
Brian D. McLaren shows everything you need to explore what a difference an honest, living, growing faith can make in your life and in our world today. Through 52 weeks of thoughtful readings, SEEKING ALIVENESS gives an overview of the message of the whole Bible and guides you through a rich study of interactive learning and personal growth.
PLAYSCHOOL FUNDRAISER: It’s time for the playschool Little Caesar Fundraiser. Grab a brochure from the table in the narthex, with instructions. Then order some delicious treats and support the playschool at the same time.