Third Sunday After Epiphany
January 21, 2006
9:00 a.m.
&
11:00 a.m. Service (Order of Worship below)
A Congregation of the United Church of Christ
The Old South Church in Boston
Gathered 1669
THE GATHERING
PRELUDE Cortège and Litany Marcel Dupré
HYMN REHEARSAL 402 De colores (in English) De colores
*HYMN 377 Forward Through the Ages St. Gertrude
*CALL TO WORSHIP Tadd Allman-MortonOne: Let us say together the words
of an old Celtic rune of hospitality.
Many: We saw a stranger yesterday.
We put food in the eating place,
drink in the drinking place,
music in the listening place,
and with the sacred name of the Triune God
he blessed us and our house,
our cattle and our dear ones.
One: As the lark says in her song:
Often, often, often
goes the Christ in the stranger’s guise.
*A SIGN OF OUR UNITY AND RECONCILIATIONWe invite you to greet those around you, wishing them
“peace” or “the peace of Christ.”
WORDS OF WELCOME
ANTHEM Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day John GardnerTomorrow shall be my dancing day; I would my true love did so chance
To see the legend of my play to call my true love to my dance.
Refrain Sing, O my love, O my love, my love, my love.
This have I done for my true love.
Then was I born of a virgin pure, Of her I took fleshly substance
Thus was I knit to man’s nature to call my true love to my dance.
Refrain
In a manger laid, and wrapped I was so very poor, this was my chance
Betwixt an ox and a silly poor ass to call my true love to my dance.
Refrain
Then afterwards baptized I was, the Holy Ghost on me did glance.
My Father’s voice heard from above to call my true love to my dance.
GIFT OF THE WORD
SCRIPTURE Psalm 19 Cheri Andes, Lead Organizer
Greater Boston Interfaith
Organization
One: The heavens are telling the glory of God;
Many: and the firmament proclaims God's handiwork.
One: In the heavens God has set a tent for the sun,
Many: which comes out like a beloved from a wedding canopy,
and like an athlete runs its course with joy.
One: Its rising is from the end of the heavens,
Many: and its circuit to the end of them;
and nothing is hid from its heat.
One: The law of God is perfect, reviving the soul;
Many: the decrees of God are sure, making wise the simple;
One: the precepts of God are right, rejoicing the heart;
Many: the commandment of God is clear, enlightening the eyes;
One: the fear of God is pure, enduring forever;
Many: the ordinances of God are true and righteous altogether.
One: More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold;
Many: sweeter also than honey, and drippings of the honeycomb.
One: Let the words of our mouths and the meditations of our
hearts …
Many: be acceptable to you, O God, our rock and our redeemer.
1 Corinthians 12: 12-31a Janet Murphy
*HYMN 398 Shadow and Substance Twilight
(Children may leave for their Church School classes.)
SERMON Disambiguation Nancy S. Taylor
Disambiguation in Wikipedia is the process of resolving conflicts that occur
when a single term can be associated with more than one topic. In many
cases, this same word or phrase is the natural title of more than one
article. In other words, disambiguations are paths leading to different
topic pages that share essentially the same term in their title.
*HYMN 402 De colores (in English) De colores
OFFERING OURSELVES AND OUR GIFTS
*CALL TO PRAYER Quinn G. Caldwell
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
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 Midnight Stars Make Bright the Sky Old South Ringers
PRESENTATION OF THE CHRISTENSON AWARD
CALL TO THE OFFERING
OFFERTORY MUSIC Dance of the Morning Stars Old South Ringers
*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
*HYMN 495 Called as Partners in Christ’s Service Beecher
*BENEDICTION Nancy S. Taylor
POSTLUDE Finale from Symphony VIII Charles-Marie Widor
Immediately following worship you are invited to join Docent Eleanor Jensen.
at the front of the Sanctuary for a tour of the Sanctuary.
TODAY AT OLD SOUTHWelcome 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 the Gordon Chapel after worship.
Today’s scripture readers are Cheri Andes and Janet Murphy. Cheri Andes
serves as Lead Organizer for the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization.
Janet Murphy joined Old South in 2002 and served on Council and the Music
and Children’s Chapel Committees.
The flowers today are given by Sara and Peter Costa in celebration of their
daughter Lucy Costa’a birthday.
Midnight Stars Make Bright the Sky is accompanied by Karen Johnson, flute
soloist.
Today more than twenty volunteers are extending hospitality to visitors and
parishioners. In addition, some thirty volunteers sing in the choir, while
others are teaching in the Church School. If you’re interested in
volunteering for hospitality tasks, please call Betty Smith at 781/721-7777;
to get involved with the choir, call Brian Jones at 617/425-5146; or to find
out more about the church school, call Tricia Hazeltine at 617/536-1970.
Thank you!
Please wear your name tags! This is a great way to facilitate community and
make newcomers feel welcomed. If you don’t see a tag with your name on it,
just let us know—there will be one waiting for you next Sunday!
CD recordings of today’s service may be obtained by calling Rhoda Harding at
617/536-1970 or emailing <reception@oldsouth.org>. Sunday sermons are also
available on the Web and as podcasts at <www.oldsouth.org>.
NOTES ON TODAY’S MUSICMarcel Dupré (1886-1971) was the organist of the great Church of Saint
Sulpice in Paris (a building which is mentioned in The DaVinci Code) where
he continued the venerable French tradition of improvisation and composition
of music well-suited to the famous Cavaille-Coll organ in St Sulpice. Much
of his music is improvisatory in style, although it takes classical forms of
fugue, canon, sonata, and other devices as inspiration for its formal
structure. The Cortège and Litany heard as this morning’s Prelude has two
sections: the first is quiet, and the second begins quietly with a slightly
more energetic theme, after which the two themes are juxtaposed, eventually
bringing the piece to a stirring conclusion.
John Gardner (born 1917) is an English composer who has written symphonies,
chamber music, choral music and many other compositions. One of his
best-known and well-loved works is Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day, which
was written for the choir of St Paul’s Cathedral in London. The music has an
engaging and rhythmic quality which is achieved in part by changing meters
(rhythms), in this case among 4/4, 3/4 and 2/2. An interesting twist is that
the first truly noticeable change in rhythm occurs when the choir reaches
the word “dancing.”
Hart Morris is a prolific contemporary composer of handbell music, having
composed and arranged over one hundred sacred and secular works for bells.
He is the Minister of Music at Asbury United Methodist Church, Tulsa,
Oklahoma. In Dance of the Morning Stars the composer spins an original
melody themed on the brightest stars that still shine while the morning sun
is just breaking through in the East. Midnight Stars Make Bright the Sky is
based on a Chinese tune used by the Chinese Christian Literature Council and
has been incorporated into a hymn of the same name in the Presbyterian
Hymnal. Together these pieces offer a reflection on the light that Christ
brings to the world in this season of Epiphany.
Charles-Marie Widor (1844-1937) was the most famous of all the organists of
Saint Sulpice in Paris and teacher of Marcel Dupré, his successor. Widor’s
Eighth Symphony is a mature work, and of a very different style from his
most famous piece, the Toccata from Symphony V (usually played here on
Easter as the Postlude). After a brief introduction in octaves, the theme,
almost march-like, is heard and often recurs throughout the piece.
CRAWFORD LECTURE SERIES PRESENTS
William R. Herzog II speaking on
“Curses, Foiled Again!
Drama and Melodrama in Red Sox History”
Wednesday, January 31st at 7 pm
Red Sox Door Prizes & Free Admission
Dinner starts at 5:45 pm
($8 per person; $20 for families of three or more)
Dinner is limited to the first 150 people
To RSVP call 617/536-1970
336th Annual Meeting Notice
Sunday, February 4, 2007
By Order of the Church Council,
the Annual Meeting of Old South Church in Boston will take place in Mary
Norton Hall following 11 am. worship on Sunday, February 4, 2007.
Members will elect Officers, Council members, Chairpersons of Standing
Committees, Deacons and Trustees for the ensuing year and transact such
other business as may properly come before it. The slate recommended by the
Leadership Committee is posted in the elevator lobby.
A Luncheon will precede the meeting.
Child care provided in the Blue Room.
OLD SOUTH CHURCH IN BOSTON
MINISTERS, OFFICERS AND STAFF
Nancy S. Taylor, Senior Minister
Quinn G. Caldwell, Associate Minister
Brian Jones, Interim Director of Music and Organist
Patricia Hazeltine, Church School Director
Tadd Allman-Morton, Jeff VonWald, Ministerial Interns
Rolanda Ward, Youth Worker * George Sargeant, Assistant Organist
Peter Coulombe, Interim Director of Old South Ringers
James W. Crawford, Minister Emeritus
Jeff Makholm, Moderator * Lawrence Bowers, Clerk
James Monsma, Treasurer * Dwight Crane, Chair, Board of Trustees
Betty Smith, Senior Deacon * Susan T. Campbell, Historian
Vicki A. Newman, Pledge Secretary
Helen McCrady, Senior Church Administrator
Estelle Ellis, Administrative Assistant v Rosemary Clarke, Accountant
Elias Perez, Senior Sexton * Ozo Nwodo and Robert Blenman, Sextons
Rhoda Harding, Rubia Reyes and Jim McDonnel, Receptionists
Carolyn Davis, Director, Old South Preschool
www.oldsouth.org v 617.536.1970
A NOTE ON THE INCLUSIVE DIMENSIONS OF GOD’S GRACE
The 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, and sexual identity 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.
