Second Sunday after Epiphany
Baptism of Christ Sunday
9:00 a.m. (Order of Worship) in Old South Church Chapel
&
11:00 a.m. Service in Santuary
(Order of Worship below)
A Congregation of the United Church of Christ
The Old South Church in Boston
Gathered 1669
GATHERING
PRELUDE Light in the Darkness Tif in Veldele
Old South Ringers arr. Margaret R. Tucker
Take Me to the Water Spiritual,
Rebecca O’Brien, soloist arr. Harry L. Huff
Take me to the water to be baptized.
Here comes another one to be baptized, amen!
Here comes another one all dressed in white, amen!
Jesus saved me, bless His name.
Take me to the water to be baptized.
*HYMN 8 Praise to the Living God Diademata
*CALL TO WORSHIP (adapted from Isaiah 43:1-5) Abigail G. Henderson
One: Now thus says the Lord,
the one who created you,
the one who formed you:
Right Side: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you.
Left Side: I have called you by name; you are mine.
Right Side: When you pass through the waters, I will be with you.
Left Side: And through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you.
Right Side: When you walk through fire, you shall not be burned,
Left Side: And the flame shall not consume you.
One: For I am the Lord your God, your savior,
who will not leave you alone—
not even when you want me to.
Because you are precious in my sight,
Right side: And honored,
Left Side: And I love you.
One: Now let us worship the God of Jesus Christ.
For thus says the Lord:
Right Side: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you.
Left Side: Do not fear, for I am with you.
All: Do not fear, for you are mine.
*A SIGN OF OUR UNITY AND RECONCILIATION
We invite you to greet those around you, wishing them
“peace” or “the peace of Christ.”
WORDS OF WELCOME
BELL ANTHEM Children of the Heavenly Father
Tryggare kan ingen vara, arr. Lorie Line/Kevin McChesney
Old South Ringers
Mary Goff, flute
THE SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM
INTRODUCTION AND ADDRESS Nancy S. Taylor and Quinn G. Caldwell
Jack Thomas Mullaly
Son of John and Elizabeth Mullaly
Jack’s Godparents are Sarah Burns and Hugh Deery
LITANY OF BAPTISM
One: We are gathered to present Jack Thomas to the church and to dedicate
him to God. What can we affirm about him?
Many: That he is a child of God and made in the image of God.
One: As Jack grows in our congregation, how will he know that he is a
child of God, made in God’s image?
Many: We will give him our love and include him in the life and ministry
of this congregation.
One: How will he learn of the Christian faith?
Many: Through our education programs and by our lives, we will tell him
about Abraham, the father of our faith; about Sarah, the
mother of Isaac; about Moses and Miriam who led our ancestors out of
bondage; about Ruth’s example of faithfulness; about the Jewish hope for a
messiah; about Mary and Joseph’s openness to mystery; about the Savior,
Jesus; and about the history of the church as the people of God.
One: And what, in turn, will we expect of him?
Many: We look forward to sitting with him at the Lord’s Table, sharing
with him the costs and joys of discipleship, learning and growing with him
in the Christian pilgrimage, and declaring with one voice our faith in God
and God’s son, Jesus.
One: Do you, John and Elizabeth, parents, and Sarah and Hugh, Godparents,
assume your primary responsibility for fulfilling these expectations by
growing with this child in the Christian faith, helping him to become a
faithful member of the church of Jesus Christ, and by offering him the
nurture and support of the Christian church?
Parents & Godparents: With the help of God, we happily and genuinely accept
this serious duty.
One: And do you, the Old South congregation, pledge to work toward
creating and maintaining a nurturing and challenging Christian
environment for this child?
Many: We do, for he belongs to us as well.
One: Then, may God be with us.
Many: God help us. Amen.
THE PRAYER AND ACT OF BAPTISM
CONGREGATIONAL WELCOME Lois Harvey, Deacon
We rejoice in God’s empowering love, freely given to each and all. We
welcome you, newly baptized, into the circle of love in Christ’s church. We
promise to pray for you, to seek the depths of faith with you, to support
you, and to love you. We covenant with you to love God with all our hearts,
minds, souls, and strength, and our neighbors as ourselves. Amen.
HYMN OF BAPTISM 325 Child of Blessing, Child of Promise Stuttgart
(Children and teachers may leave for their Church School classes.)
THE GIFT OF THE WORD
SCRIPTURE Matthew 3:13-17 Tread Strickland
(Pew Bible, page 3, New Testament)
SERMON Quinn G. Caldwell
*HYMN 522 I Love to Tell the Story Hankey
OFFERING OURSELVES AND OUR GIFTS
*CALL TO PRAYER Nancy S. Taylor
One: God be with you
Many: And also with you.
One: Lift up your hearts.
Many: We lift our hearts to God.
One: Let us pray. (The congregation may be seated.)
PASTORAL PRAYER
PRAYER OF OUR SAVIOR
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 Amen Ned Rorem
CALL TO THE OFFERING
OFFERTORY ANTHEM A Voice Came from Heaven Calvin Hampton
A voice came from heaven, saying, “You are my Son, my Beloved,
with whom I am well pleased.”
–Matthew 3:17
*PRAYER OF DEDICATION Abigail G. Henderson
*HYMN Great Work Has God Begun in You Puer Nobis
Nascitur
See page 6
BENEDICTION Quinn G. Caldwell
POSTLUDE Chorale Prelude on Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern
Max Drischner
Today, immediately following the postlude, all who are interested in a tour
of the Sanctuary are invited to meet Docent Barbara Neale at the front of
the Sanctuary.
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, Tread Strickland, joined Old South in 2004 with
his partner Mark. Tread serves as a hospitality volunteer and rings with the
Old South Ringers.
The flowers today are given by Jean Degnon in gratitude for all of God’s
blessings.
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>.
NOTES ON TODAY’S MUSIC
Today we celebrate the baptism of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, even as
we welcome Jack Mullaly into the Old South Church family through the waters
of baptism. The Biblical story of Christ’s baptism is recorded in all four
Gospels: Matthew 3, Mark 1, Luke 3, and John 1. The Scriptures tell us that
Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan River, desiring to be
baptized. When Jesus came up from the water, the heavens opened suddenly,
and the Holy Spirit descended like a dove and alighted upon Him. A voice
then came from heaven and said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am
well pleased.” This miraculous event marks the first revelation of the Holy
Trinity, since all three Persons were made manifest together: the human
Jesus, the dove of the Holy Spirit, and the voice of God.
The theme of “manifestation” is also expressed in Scripture with the symbol
of light. The prelude begins as the Old South Ringers play Light in the
Darkness, the inspiration for which comes from Isaiah 9:2, “the people who
walked in darkness have seen a great light,” and also from a Chinese
proverb, “it is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.” The
tune is based on a Yiddish folk song, and is subtitled Light One Candle to
Watch for Messiah. The prelude continues with an African-American spiritual
in which the singer pleads to be taken to the water to be baptized, just as
Jesus did of John.
In honor of our baptism today of a small child, the Old South Ringers will
also play a setting of the beloved Swedish hymn Children of the Heavenly
Father written in 1855 by Lina Sandell. The text of the hymn (found at #487
in The New Century Hymnal) speaks of God’s never-failing, all-encompassing
love, mercy and providence, and likens it to a parent’s love and caring.
This is a poignant parallel with God’s tribute to His own Son, “with whom I
am well pleased.”
The offertory anthem is an evocative setting of Christ’s baptism, as
recorded in Matthew. Calvin Hampton utilizes a lilting 5/8 meter to portray
the lapping water of the Jordan; the later repetitions of “my beloved” seem
to convey the effect of ripples, as when a pebble is cast in a river,
producing concentric circles in the water.
OLD SOUTH CHURCH IN BOSTON
MINISTERS, OFFICERS AND STAFF
Nancy S. Taylor, Senior Minister ~ Quinn G. Caldwell, Associate Minister
James W. Crawford, Senior Minister Emeritus
Harry Lyn Huff, Minister of Music
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 Sargent, Assistant Organist
Willie Sordillo, Jazz Service Music Director
Peter Coulombe, Director, Old South Ringers
Amy Budka & Phil Stern, Children’s Music Directors
Jeff Makholm, Moderator ~ David Clark, Clerk ~ James Monsma, Treasurer
Dwight Crane, 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 ~ Rosemary Clarke, Accountant
Elias Perez, Senior Sexton ~ Ozo Nwodo & Robert Blenman, Sextons
Jessica Goodknight, Rubia Reyes & Jim McDonnel, Receptionists
www.oldsouth.org - 617/536-1970