January 1, 2023 at 10 am

Many ways to worship Masks are optional. The Service will be on Pete's facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/peter.allen.5070276 and on HCC's YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel

Hingham Congregational Church, Hingham MA, in the afternoon. Bulletins and Announcements are posted on the website at: https://hccucc.com/b-a/

HELLO HCC KIDS! TODAY: One room school house Church school will resume its regular schedule on January 8th!

Fellowship Hour: Hale Hall following worship Hingham Congregational Church United Church of Christ Hingham, Massachusetts An Open and Affirming Congregation Aa Second Sunday of Christmastide January 1, 2023 aaaaaa Welcoming Covenant In the name of God and Jesus Christ, the Hingham Congregational Church welcomes all who seek to know and worship God, and invites everyone to join in our mission through participation and leadership of the congregation. As a community of faith, we take seriously the biblical call to love God and our neighbors as ourselves, and recognize that, although we are many members, we are one. ❖ We celebrate the uniqueness of everyone. ❖ We rejoice in our diversity of views and understandings of our shared faith. ❖ We affirm relationships based on love, commitment, and mutual respect. ❖ As is stated in our by-laws, we strive for righteousness, justice and peace. It is with this spirit and the love of God that we openly welcome all persons, inclusive of every race, ethnicity, class, age, gender, physical or mental ability, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, and inclusive of any others, to journey with us as we move forward with the work of this church in the world.

Order of Worship

Prelude Good Christian Men Rejoice J.S. Bach

Ringing of the Sabbath Bell

Welcome and Announcements

Moment of Silence and Lighting of Candles

Call to Worship

Leader: Shout to God your praises!

All: Sing to the Holy One the joy of this new day!

Leader: Divine power and justice call out to us.

All: God’s transforming love beckons us.

Leader: Come, let us worship God, whose light bursts forth into our darkness.

All: Let us praise the One who brings us home.

*Hymn Hark! The Harold Angels Sing PH (red) #120

Hark! the herald angels sing, "Glory to the newborn King;

Peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!"

Joyful all ye nations rise, Join the triumph of the skies;

With the angelic host proclaim, "Christ is born in Bethlehem!"

Hark! the herald angels sing, "Glory to the newborn King!"

Christ, by highest heaven adored; Christ, the everlasting Lord!

Late in time behold him come, Offspring of the Virgin's womb.

Veiled in flesh the God-head see; Hail the incarnate Deity,

Pleased as man with men to dwell, Jesus, our Emmanuel.

Hark! the herald angels sing, "Glory to the newborn King!"

Hail the heaven-born Prince of peace! Hail the Sun of righteousness!

Light and life to all he brings, Risen with healing in his wings,

Mild he lays his glory by, Born that man no more may die,

Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth.

Hark! the herald angels sing, "Glory to the newborn King!"

*Opening Prayer (unison) (Nancy Townley, alt.)

God of hope and light, you emblazon your good news across the skies, the great starry night of Jesus’ birth, sung by angels, celebrated by shepherds, witnessed by animals. You have given to us a new chance, a reminder of your continual love for us. Be with us in our worship, we pray. Guide our thoughts, our lives, our spirits. Heal and restore us...

(silence)

*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.

*Please feel free to pray as you wish. We respect tradition — and we welcome images of the Divine that are diverse and inclusive.

*Words of Hope

*Christmas Response Gloria in excelsis Deo,

Gloria in excelsis Deo

*Passing of the Peace

Special Music Away in the Manger W.J. Kirkpatrick

Paul Cappers, soloist

Children’s Message Lisa Bundy, Director of Christian Education

The children bring their offering forward as the congregation sings:

You are the seed that will grow a new sprout,

You’re the star that will shine through the day.

You are the yeast and a small grain of salt, a beacon to glow in the night.

Go, my friends, go to the world, proclaiming love to all:

Messengers of my forgiving peace, eternal love.

After the Children’s Message, children and teachers may go to Pre-K room for their activity..

*Hymn aaaaaaaaaaaa Once, in Royal David's City aaaaaa NCH (black) #145

Once in royal David's city stood a lowly cattle shed,

Where a mother laid her baby in a manger for a bed:

Mary was that mother mild, Jesus Christ her little child.

Jesus came to earth from heaven, who is God and Head of all,

Sheltered in a rustic stable, cradled in a common stall;

With the poor and meek and lowly lived on earth our Savior holy.

And through all this wondrous childhood Jesus honored an doveyed,

Loved and watched the tender mother whose strong arms in a cradle made.

So, like Jesus, we should be serving God obediently.

Jesus is our childhood's pattern, daily like us lived and grew,

Jesus, little, weak, and helpless, tears and smiles and comfort knew.

Jesus felt the pain of sadness, and the joyous lift of gladness.

We at last shall meet our Savior, fount of God's redeeming grace,

For that child so dear and gentle reigns within a glorious place;

Leading all god's children on to the heaven where saints have gone.

Sharing the Mission and Ministry of the Church

Invitation to the Offering

Musical Offering O Jesu So Sweet J.S. Bach

Paul Cappers, soloist

Presentation of the Offering and the Doxology

Praise God from whom all blessings flow,

Praise God, all creatures here below,

Praise God above, ye heavenly host:

Creator, Christ, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

Prayer of Dedication

Ministry of the Word

Scripture Reading: Matthew 25:31-46 aaaaaaa Pat Ells, Liturgist

The Judgement of the Nations

‘When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” Then he will say to those at his left hand, “You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.” Then they also will answer, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?” Then he will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.” And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.’

Sermon: Decisions, Decisions! Rev. Dr. Peter W. Allen

Piano Meditation

Prayers of the People

Joys & Concerns -- Pastoral Prayer -- Silent Prayer

*Hymn In the Bleak Midwinter PH (red) #128

In the bleak midwinter, Frosty wind made moan,

Earth stood hard as iron, Water like a stone;

Snow had fallen, snow on snow, Snow on snow,

In the bleak midwinter, Long ago.

Our God, heaven cannot hold him, Nor earth sustain;

Heaven and earth shall flee away When he comes to reign;

In the bleak midwinter A stable place sufficed

The Lord God almighty, Jesus Christ.

Angels and archangels May have gathered there,

Cherubim and seraphim thronged the air;

But his mother only, in her maiden bliss,

Worshipped the beloved with a kiss.

What can I give him, poor as I am?

If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;

If I were a wise man, I would do my part;

Yet what I can I give him - Give him my heart.

Congregational Commissioning (unison)

As we leave this place of worship, let us work to create Christ’s realm of love, justice, and peace.

May we live as the Holy One requires:

doing justice,

loving kindness,

and walking humbly with our God. Amen.

Benediction

Choral Response

Postlude Christmas Fantasy R.M. Stults

Janet Cappers, Organ

Deacons of the Day: Ellen Rathke and Pat Ells