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Fourth
Sunday
of EASTER
Good Shepherd's Sunday
April 13, 2008
11:00 am
THE GATHERING
PRELUDE
Psalm Preludes, op. 32,
#3 Herbert
Howells
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you
are
with me; your rod and your staff they comfort me.
—Psalm 23:4
*HYMN
8
Praise to the Living
God
Diademata
*CALL TO
WORSHIP
Abigail G. Henderson
One: Blessed is our God always, now and ever,
and unto the ages. Amen
Many: O Heavenly One, Comforter, Spirit of Truth,
who art everywhere and
fillest all things.
One: Treasury of Blessings, and Giver of Life:
come and abide in us,
and cleanse us from every
impurity,
and save our souls, O Good
One.
In peace, let us pray to God.
Many: Lord, have mercy.
One: For the peace that is from above and for the
salvation of our souls…
Many: Lord, have
mercy.
One: For the peace of the whole world;
for the welfare of God’s
holy churches,
and for the union of all …
Many: Lord, have mercy.
One: For peace between friend and stranger,
for peace within our own
souls,
for peace between enemies …
Many: Lord, have mercy.
One: In anticipation of the peace God promises,
let us practice it among
ourselves.
Shalom, Salaam, Pax, Peace!
Peace be with you.
Many: And also with you and with all who are in this house.
*A SIGN OF OUR UNITY AND RECONCILIATION
Please greet those around you wishing them Shalom, Salaam, or Peace!
WORDS OF WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
THE GIFT OF THE WORD
ANTHEM
The Lord Is My
Shepherd
John Rutter
Olaf Boenisch, oboe
The Lord is my shepherd; therefore can I lack nothing. He shall feed me
in a
green pasture, and lead me forth beside the waters of comfort. He shall
convert my soul and bring me forth in the paths of righteousness, for
his
Name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of
death, I
will fear no evil; for thou art with me; Thy rod and thy staff comfort
me.
Thou shalt prepare a table for me against them that trouble me; Thou
hast
anointed my head with oil and my cup shall be full. But thy loving
kindness
and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; And I will dwell in
the
house of the Lord for
ever.
—Psalm 23
SCRIPTURE
The 23rd Psalm or the Shepherd’s Psalm
Pamela Roberts
*HYMN
247
My Shepherd Is the Living God
Consolation
(Children and teachers may leave for their Church School classes.)
SERMON
Safe and
Secure
Nancy S. Taylor
*HYMN
252
Savior, like a Shepherd Lead
Us Bradbury
OUR MINISTRY OF PRAYER
*CALL TO
PRAYER
Quinn G. Caldwell
One:
God be with you
Many: And
also with you.
One:
May the peace of Christ dwell in your hearts.
Many:
Christ is our peace, our light, and our hope.
One:
Let us pray. (please be seated)
PASTORAL PRAYER & SILENT PRAYER
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.
PRAYER
RESPONSE
Sheep May Safely
Graze
J.S. Bach
Olaf Boenisch, oboe
OFFERING OURSELVES AND OUR GIFTS
CALL TO THE OFFERING
OFFERTORY ANTHEM My Shepherd
Will Supply My Need
Calvin Hampton
Nathan Rifenburg, baritone;
Carrie Cheron, mezzo-soprano
My shepherd will supply my need; Jehovah is his name;
In pastures fresh he makes me feed, beside the living stream.
He brings my wandering spirit back when I forsake his ways,
And leads me for his mercy’s sake in paths of truth and grace.
When I walk through the shades of death, thy presence is my stay;
One word of thy supporting breath drives all my fears away.
Thy hand, in sight of all my foes, doth still my table spread;
My cup with blessings overflows; thy oil anoints my head.
The sure provisions of my God attend me all my days;
O may thy house be my abode and all my works thy praise.
There would I find a settled rest, where others go and come;
No more a stranger or a guest, but like a child at home.
—Isaac Watts (paraphrase of Psalm 23)
*SONG OF
PRAISE
Lasst Uns Erfreuen
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Christ the Word in flesh born low; Alleluia! Alleluia!
Praise Holy Spirit evermore; One God, Triune, whom we adore.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen!
*PRAYER OF
DEDICATION
Abigail G. Henderson
*HYMN
55
Rejoice, You Pure in
Heart Marion
*BIDDING TO MISSION AND
BENEDICTION
Nancy S. Taylor
CHORAL
BENEDICTION
Consolation
You bring my wandering spirit back when I forsake your ways,
And lead me for your mercy’s sake in paths of truth and grace.
—Isaac Watts, alt.
POSTLUDE Wer nur den lieben
Gott lässt walten, BWV 642 J.S. Bach
“If you but trust in God to guide you”
TODAY AT OLD SOUTH
Welcome to Old South Church in Boston. Our faith is over 2000 years
old, but our thinking is not! Old South opens its doors to the city, to
tourists from
near and far, to the needy, to an array of building users, and to a
congregation (of members, friends, and family—both the curious and the
committed) who call this their church home. Join us for fellowship and
refreshments in Gordon Chapel immediately following worship.
Today’s scripture reader, Pamela Roberts, and husband Scott McInturff
are
longtime members of the church, having been at Old South for over twenty
years.
The flowers today are given by Elizabeth and Betty Pitcher in thanks
for the
impending springtime weather!
Today’s Call to Worship is adapted from the Middle East Council of
Churches.
More than thirty volunteers are extending hospitality to visitors and
parishioners. In addition, over twenty volunteers sing in the choir,
while
others teach in the Church School. If you’re interested in volunteering
for
hospitality tasks, please call Betty Smith at 781/721-7777; to sing
with the
choir, call Harry Huff at 617/425-5146; to learn about the church
school,
call Tricia Hazeltine at 617/536-1970.
Wearing name tags is a great way to facilitate community and make
newcomers feel welcomed. If you don’t see a tag with your name on it,
let us
know—there will be one waiting for you next Sunday!
CD recordings of today’s service may be obtained by calling Jessica
Goodknight at 617/536-1970 or emailing <reception@oldsouth.org>.
Sunday
sermons and worship services are also available on the Web and as
podcasts at <www.oldsouth.org>.
Today, immediately following worship, all who are interested in a tour
of
the Sanctuary are invited to meet Docent Mary Hunter at the front of the
Sanctuary.
Large print bulletins and hearing assistance devices
are available at the Front Desk.
NOTES ON TODAY’S MUSIC
Much of the terrain of Israel is rough, hilly and stony, with precious
little ground suitable for agriculture. Olives, vines and fig trees are
grown on hillsides here and there; otherwise it is land for sheep and
goats.
Therefore, throughout the time of the Bible, the shepherd was a familiar
figure of the Judean uplands.
The image of God as a shepherd can be found throughout the Old
Testament:
“Give ear, O shepherd of Israel, you that lead Joseph like a flock”
(Psalm
80:1); “Yahweh is our God, and we are the people of God’s pasture, the
sheep of God’s hand” (Psalm 95:7); “He shall feed his flock like a
shepherd: He shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his
bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young” (Isaiah 40:11);
“Thus saith the
Eternal God: I, I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will
make
them to lie down. I will seek the lost…and bring back the strayed”
(Ezekiel
34:15-16a). The prophet Isaiah presaged Christ’s passion with ovine
imagery:
“Like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before
its
shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.” Isaiah likewise
compared
humans to sheep in the same chapter: “All we like sheep have gone
astray; we have all turned to our own way” (Isaiah 53:6-7).
It is not surprising that
this recurrent depiction is carried over
into the New Testament: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays
down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11); “If a shepherd has a hundred
sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the
ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went
astray?” (Matthew 18:12);
“He had pity on the crowds because they were as sheep without a
shepherd”
(Matthew 9:36); “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s
good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32); “I will strike the
shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered” (Mark 14:27); “Our Lord
Jesus,
the great shepherd of the sheep” (Hebrews 13:20).
The Fourth Sunday of Easter
has traditionally been observed as Good
Shepherd Sunday. In celebration of this symbol of comfort, the Old South
Choir will present various settings of Psalm 23 during the service. John
Rutter’s The Lord Is My Shepherd is excerpted from his 1985 Requiem.
Calvin Hampton’s setting of Isaac Watts’ poetic paraphrase is excerpted
from the cantata, Live or Die—A Celebration of Life, which is dedicated
to gay and
lesbian victims and survivors of the Holocaust. We as a congregation
will
sing a contemporary version of Watts’ text to a beautiful Appalachian
folksong.
For centuries classical
composers have employed the oboe to
represent shepherd music, its pungent, yet lyrical tone reminiscent of a
pastoral scene. We are pleased to welcome Olaf Boenisch, a research
fellow
at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, as our oboist today, to help evoke the
sonic landscape for our pastoral music.
OLD SOUTH CHURCH IN
BOSTON
MINISTERS, OFFICERS AND
STAFF
Nancy
S. Taylor, Senior Minister ~ Quinn G. Caldwell, Associate Minister
Harry L. Huff, Minister of
Music
~
James W. Crawford, Senior Minister
Emeritus
Calvin Genzel, Wedding
Outreach
Minister ~
Janet Butler, Wedding
Coordinator
Ken Orth, Healing Prayer
Service
Minister
Robert W. Brown, Ministerial
Intern ~
Abigail G. Henderson, Field
Education Intern
Mark S. Burrows, Theologian in
Residence
Patricia Hazeltine, Church
School Director ~ Rolanda Ward, Youth Worker
Carolyn Davis, Director, Old
South Preschool
George Sargeant, Assistant
Organist & Choir Director
Willie Sordillo, Jazz
Service Music Director
Peter Coulombe, Director, Old
South Ringers
Amy Budka & Phil Stern,
Children’s Music Directors
Wayne Davis, Moderator v
Pamela
Holland, Clerk ~
James Monsma,
Treasurer
Phil Stern, Chair, Board of
Trustees ~ Susan T. Campbell, Historian
Diane Gaucher, Senior
Deacon ~ Vicki A. Newman, Pledge Secretary
Helen McCrady, Senior Church
Administrator
Amy Perry, Administrative
Assistant v Rosemary Clarke, Accountant
Elias Perez, Senior Sexton v
Ozo
Nwodo & Robert Blenman, Sextons
Jessica Goodknight, Rubia
Reyes
& Jim McDonnel, Receptionists
www.oldsouth.org v 617/536-1970
A NOTE ON THE INCLUSIVE
DIMENSIONS OF GOD’S GRACE
Old South Church in Boston, in
the name of its host, Jesus Christ, and
in the spirit of Christ’s invitation carved into the stone of this
church’s portico, “Behold I Set Before You an Open Door,” welcomes all
who seek to know God.
Following the One who we
believe
is Sovereign and Savior, we affirm
that each individual is a child of God, and recognize that we are
called to be like one body with many members, seeking with others of
every race, ethnicity, creed, class, age, gender, marital status,
physical or mental ability, sexual orientation, gender identity, and
gender expression to journey together toward the promised realm of God.
We invite everyone to join in
the common life and mission of our
reconciling community through participation and leadership in this
congregation, and by fully sharing in the worship, rites and sacraments
of this church.
As we all move forward with
the
work of this church, we commit
ourselves to making justice and inclusivity a reality in this
congregation and in the world. On the threshold of Christ’s open
door, we rely upon the healing, unconditional nature of God’s love and
grace to be our help and guide.
Old
South
Church
645
Boylston St. Boston, MA 02116
(617)536-1970
Tel (617)536-8061 Fax
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