11:00 am - First Methodist

MAIN STREET WORSHIP
February 1, 2015
11:00 a.m.
LIFE OF THE CHURCH
*HYMN
“…to comprehend what is the breadth and length and height and depth of God.”
Ephesians 3:18
PRELUDE Partita on “If you will trust in God to guide you,” William Albright
Jay Whatley, Organist
INTROIT
Arise, Shine
Sanctuary Choir
Dr. Terry Morris, Director of Music
THE GATHERING
Dr. Steve Wende
Dan Forrest
Rev. John Onstott
*GREETING
*HYMN
O Worship the King
O worship the King, all glorious above,
O gratefully sing God's power and God's love;
Our Shield and Defender, the Ancient of Days,
Pavilioned in splendor, and girded with praise.
#73
O tell of God's might, O sing of God's grace,
Whose robe is the light, whose canopy space,
Whose chariots of wrath the deep thunderclouds form,
And dark is God's path on the wings of the storm.
Seek Ye First
Seek ye first the kingdom of God
And His righteousness;
And all these things shall be added unto you.
Allelu, alleluia!
*FAITHFUL GIVING
THE WORD IN SONG
COMMUNION MUSIC
Laudate Dominum
W. A. Mozart
Chelsea Wilburn, Soloist
Translation:
Praise the Lord, all nations; praise Him, all people. For He has bestowed
His mercy upon us, and the truth of the Lord endures forever.
The Lord is My Light
Sanctuary Choir
Courtney
Ephesians 3:14-19
This is the Word of the Lord! Thanks be to God!
THE LORD’S PRAYER
Matthew 6:9-13
arr. Malotte
Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done in 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.
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise God, all creatures here below; Alleluia! Alleluia!
Praise God, the source of all our gifts!
Praise Jesus Christ, whose power uplifts!
Praise the Spirit, Holy Spirit! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
MESSAGE
Meditation on a Danish hymn:
Jonathan Reuss
O Jesu, än de dina (Around you, Oh Lord Jesus, your own you gather)
Jay Whatley, Organist
Kristen Jones
Director of Missions
*DOXOLOGY
Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail,
In Thee do we trust, nor find Thee to fail;
Thy mercies how tender, how firm to the end,
Our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend.
*CONGREGATION RESPONSE
Lamb of God
Your only Son, no sin to hide, but You have sent Him from Your side,
To walk upon this guilty sod, and to become the Lamb of God.
O Lamb of God, sweet Lamb of God, I love the holy Lamb of God!
O wash me in His precious blood – my Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.
Communion will be brought to you so that all may partake of the Sacrament in unison
and unity. If you would like a gluten free communion wafer, please notify an usher.
Man does not live by bread alone,
But by every word,
That proceeds from the mouth of God,
Allelu, alleluia!
*THE WORD IN SCRIPTURE
Rev. Ann Spears
Leader: Sisters and brothers, all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of
God. We did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but we have
received a spirit of adoption. Let us then confess our sin with the freedom of
children who know how deeply we are loved.
People: Merciful God, your creatures cry – creation groans – but we turn
away; we surround ourselves with noise. We are quick to excuse ourselves
from responsibility: we are young; we are old; we are tired; we are busy. Lifegiving God, wash us clean. Restore our imaginations and our hearts. Let your
courage and compassion flow through our veins until we love with abandon
and our hands reach out in blessing, for the creation waits with eager longing
for the revealing of the children of God. Amen.
Leader: Sisters and brothers, hear the word of the Lord. In the life, death, and
resurrection of Jesus, God says unequivocally; irrevocably: you are my own; you
are forgiven, and I need you to be about my business in the world.
SHARING OF COMMUNION
Ask, and it shall be given unto you;
Seek, and ye shall find.
Knock, and the door shall be opened unto you.
Allelu, alleluia!
Thy bountiful care, what tongue can recite?
It breathes in the air, it shines in the light;
It streams from the hills, it descends to the plain,
And sweetly distills in the dew and the rain.
*CHRIST’S INVITATION
#405
Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here, and on these gifts of bread and wine. Make
them be for us the body and blood of Christ that we may be for the world the body of
Christ, redeemed by his blood. By your Spirit make us one with Christ, one with each
other, and one in ministry to all the world, until Christ comes in final victory, and we feast
at his heavenly banquet. Through your Son Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit in your holy
Church, all honor and glory is yours, almighty Father, now and for ever.
Amen.
Page 182, N.T. Pew Bible
Dr. Steve Wende
Fear Not:
A Heart as Big as God’s
GREAT THANKSGIVING
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts!
We lift them up to the Lord!
Let us give thanks to the Lord, our God!
It is right to give our thanks and praise!
It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to give thanks to you,
Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth. And so, with your people on earth and
all the company of heaven we praise your name and join their unending hymn:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your
glory. Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest!
On the night before He went to the cross, our Lord took bread, gave thanks to you,
broke the bread, gave it to His disciples, and said: “Take, eat: this is my body which is
given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” When the supper was over, Jesus took
the cup, gave thanks to you, gave it to His disciples, and said: “Drink from this, all of
you; this is my blood of the new covenant, poured out for you and for many for the
forgiveness of sins. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
And so, in remembrance of these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ, we offer ourselves in
praise and thanksgiving as a holy and living sacrifice, in union with Christ’s offering
for us, as we proclaim the mystery of the faith:
Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.
*SENDING FORTH
Rev. Charles Thompson
*SUNG RESPONSE
#529
How Firm a Foundation
Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,
For I am thy God, and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen and help thee, and cause thee to stand
Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.
POSTLUDE
Fanfare–Toccata on LYONS
Jay Whatley, Organist
Paul Laubengayer
* Please stand, as you are able.
ACOLYTES
Lindsey Harris, Jr.
Austin Ishee
CLERGY ON-CALL
Rev. Kaitlyn Bowie, 832.668.1800, option 7
•
Service of Healing in the Chapel, 12:05 p.m.
•
Assisted Listening Devices are available from the sound console.
•
iPads, tablets and cell phones are welcome! Take notes and text points
from the message to your friends. Just put your device on “silent.”
WORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
First Methodist provides multiple environments for relevant, powerful
worship. At our Downtown location, the traditional service (Main Street) is at
11:00 a.m., with more liturgical worship (Formal) at 8:45 a.m., Hispanic worship at
11:00 a.m. on the fourth floor, and the alternative service (The Source) at 11:11
a.m. on the sixth floor. At our Westchase location, the 10:30 a.m. service is
contemporary, with traditional worship at 9:15 a.m. and Hispanic worship at noon.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
FIRST METHODIST HOUSTON AT WESTCHASE
Invite your friends who live in west Houston to visit our Westchase Campus at the
corner of Beltway 8 and Westpark!
COME AND SERVE YOUR CHURCH ON SUNDAYS!
Make 2015 your year to get involved! There are many ways you can help on Sundays
or during the week or from home. Contact Volunteer Coordinator Carolyn Harris at
[email protected] or leave a message for her at the church telephone number
832-668-1800.
UNITED METHODIST MEN VALENTINE’S DAY BREAKFAST
Saturday, Feb. 14th Methodist Men will present their annual Valentine’s Day
Extravaganza for the Ladies of First! All ladies of First Methodist are most cordially
invited for a complimentary breakfast, traditional Valentine’s flowers, an inspirational
talk by keynote speaker Allen Houk, hymn singing, devotional and Christian
fellowship. The festivities will begin at 7:30 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall and all the
men and ladies of First are invited. A wonderful time will be had by all!
NEW DISCIPLE CLASSES FOR SPRING
The Disciple I and IV class schedules are out! Disciple IV will meet Wednesday
evenings starting Feb. 4, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. in Room 405, and will cover the Gospel of
John and the Book of Revelation. Disciple I will meet Sundays, 12:30 – 2:00 p.m. in
LL-9. This is a survey course on the New Testament. Lunch is available for purchase.
Contact Harry Collins, [email protected] for more information.
WOMEN
First Place 4 Health Bible Study meets Wednesdays at noon.
Divas (Women’s Sunday School Class) is currently studying Jonah: Navigating a Life
Interrupted by Pricilla Shirer.
LET’S READ BOOK CLUB
Join us Monday, Feb. 2 at 11:30 a.m. on the 5th Floor when Linda Calvert will review
The Turning by Davis Bunn. Bring your lunch! The church will provide beverages.
MISSIONS
2015 is here! Where will you go with God? More information about the 2015 mission
trips to Eagle Pass, Nicaragua, Thailand, Cuba and Honduras can be found online at
fmhouston.com. We would love to have you as part of one of these teams.
Volunteers needed in Port Houston! We are currently looking for regular volunteers
for our kids and youth programs. No Spanish is required! If God is calling you to serve
in Port Houston and you can commit to volunteer on a regular basis, please contact
Kathrin Meier at 832.343.8105 or [email protected].
Neighbors in Action is hosting a shoe drive for the children and teens of Port Houston
Feb. 1-15. Athletic shoes are most needed – cleats are accepted too. They are looking
for all sizes – children’s and adults. Shoes can be dropped off at the Downtown Campus
(2nd Floor) and other locations in the Heights. For more information, contact Jennifer
McClure at 713-818-2317 or Meredith Sipes at 713-426-3244.
Looking for Mobile Home for Single Mom. Neighbors In Action is looking for a
mobile home for a single mom of three children. If you have a mobile home that you
could sell NIA for a special price or if you know of anybody who sells trailers, please
contact us at [email protected] or call at 832 343 8105!
FIRST METHODIST LUNCH BUNCH
Have you ever wanted to try a new restaurant but didn’t way to go by yourself? Lunch
Bunch meets the 3rd Wednesday of every month. We will visit Pico’s Mex-Mex, 3601
Kirby Drive, on Feb. 18. To carpool, meet at the church at 11:00 a.m., or meet us at the
restaurant for an 11:30 a.m. lunch. Make your reservation by Monday, Feb. 9 with Judy
Saenz, 832.668.1836 or [email protected].
CHILDREN
Main Street Kids is seeking part time nursery assistants who are available to work a
flexible ten hour per week schedule (weekends/nights/days). Candidate must have a
heart for Christ and love to teach children, be dependable and flexible. Prior experience
working with children is required. Contact Nydia at [email protected].