The Worship of God The First Sunday of 1 January 2017 at Ten o’clock in the morning Heaton Hall in The Round

Inspired by the radical hospitality of , we welcome and affirm all people into the life of the Church regardless of gender, age, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, physical limitation, educational background, economic situation, or religious belief.

The Community Gathers Before God

The Prelude “Joy to the World” arr. Lloyd Larson

The Opening Song “From Far Away We Come” Gian Carlo Menotti (1911-2007) Todd Geer, Vince DeLap, Dan Compton, tenors

The Welcome The Reverend Chrissy Tatum Williamson

*The Hymn of Praise Congregation “We Three Kings of Orient Are” Kings of Orient We three kings of Orient are; bearing gifts, we traverse afar field and fountain, moor and mountain, following yonder star.

Refrain: O, star of wonder, star of night, star with royal beauty bright, westward leading, still proceeding, guide us to thy perfect light.

Born a King on ’s plain, gold I bring to crown him again, King forever, ceasing never over us all to reign. (Refrain)

Frankincense to offer have I; incense owns a Deity nigh; prayer and praising, voices raising, worshiping God on high. (Refrain)

Myrrh is mine: its bitter perfume breathes a life of gathering gloom; sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying, sealed in the stone-cold tomb. (Refrain)

Glorious now behold him arise, King and God and sacrifice; Alleluia, alleluia! Peals through the earth and skies. (Refrain)

*The Prayer of Invocation

The Invitation to Silent Confession The Prayer of Confession The Reverend Joseph D. Aldrich O God, We confess that we that we make our lives complicated by refusing to listen to the messages of truth we hear daily. We think we have all the answers and will not reach out for help. Forgive us when we do not recognize truth in our midst. Forgive us when we hide behind barriers that separate us from one another. Help us to see the world as you see it, a world that can live in peace. Amen.

The Assurance of Pardon Leader: Friends, hear this good news. Truly, God can do what we cannot. People: In Jesus Christ we are forgiven and set free.

*The Passing of the Peace Leader: The peace of Christ be with you all. People: And also with you.

All are invited to stand and share the peace of Christ with one another.

The Scripture Matthew 2:1-12 (NRSV adapted) In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.’” Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, , and . And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

The Quartet “Have You Seen a Child the Color of Wheat?” Gian Carlo Menotti

Todd Geer, Vince DeLap, Dan Compton, tenors; Corey Lovelace, soprano

The Meditation The Reverend Chrissy Tatum Williamson “Foreign Strangers and the Gift of Another Way”

The Church at Prayer

The Lord’s Prayer Our Father/Mother in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth, as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen. The Music at the Offering “Angels’ Carol” John Rutter (b. 1945) Anna Judge, soprano

*The Doxology Old Hundredth O Glorious God, to you we bring All that we are as offering; Spirit of love, among us dwell; Come, Jesus, our Emmanuel. Amen. (Text: Paula Meador Testerman)

*The Prayer of Dedication

*The Closing Hymn “Go Tell It on the Mountain” Go Tell It on the Mountain Refrain: Go, tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere, go, tell it on the mountain that Jesus Christ is born.

While shepherds kept their watching o’er silent flocks by night, behold throughout the heavens there shone a holy light. (Refrain)

The shepherds feared and trembled when lo! above the earth rang out the angel chorus that hailed our Savior’s birth. (Refrain)

Down in a lowly manger the humble Christ was born, and God sent us salvation that blessed Christmas morn. (Refrain)

The Benediction

Leading worship today with The Reverend Chrissy Tatum Williamson, Minister of Faith Formation, is The Reverend Joseph D. Aldrich, Associate Minister.

Worship through music is led by Charlotte C. Judge, Associate Director of Music, and Todd Geer, Artist in Residence.

The audio technician is Eric Roberts. The webcast technician is John Bambach. THE MYERS PARK BAPTIST CHURCH COVENANT We, the members of the Myers Park Baptist Church, are a people on a journey of faith. By God’s grace we are experiencing God’s love through Jesus Christ and in the community of the faithful. We are discovering in this experience our freedom to become new creatures and our responsibility to be faithful stewards of our lives and of this world.

We will be open to all new light, strengthened by God and each other in our faith. We will sustain a critical examination of Scripture, belief and ritual as interpreters of God’s active presence in the world. We will accept controversy as a reality of life together and an opportunity for growth toward maturity. We covenant to be a community of God’s new creation and affirm that we are open to all and closed to none.

We covenant to nurture this church as a community of faith and as an instrument for reconciliation in this world: by worship, by Christian education, by the dedication of our personal and material resources and by all the other ways we express the significance of our lives with God and one another.

We covenant together to be priests celebrating God’s presence in community and in the world, believing we are participants in God’s kingdom on earth.

THE 2016-2017 BOARD OF DEACONS Janet Miller, Chair • Jay Rivers, Chair-Elect • Bob Thomason, Secretary Class of 2017 Class of 2018 Class of 2019 Active Life Deacons Kathy Bahnson Judy Bratton Robert Barfield Bonnie Banks Nancy Culp Leslie Clark Bob Bishop Dick Cornwell Scott Haenni Koren Cranford Cindy Clemens Gloria Gibson Richard Harris Lalla Dabbs Tara Harris Ed Hinson Patsy Kinsey Dave Dougherty Ann Hester Barbara Linney Debby Love Doug Driggers Jane Huddle Jane Lucas Regan Miller Charlie Elberson Elaine Johnson Ted Lucas Cathryn Rivers Susan Salvin Jill Kinney Barbara Mishoe Chris Skardon Cherrie Shoemaker MaryAnn Largen Carol Pearsall Tobie Steele Cam Wester Ted Phillips Richard Pearsall Steve Woodard Chris William Jay Rivers Todd Rubenson Becky Rizzo Bob Thomason Tillie Tice Dan White

1900 Queens Road • Charlotte, North Carolina 28207-2582 704.334.7232 • www.mpbconline.org • CCLI License #1864926

MINISTERS As priests to one another, all members of the congregation are ministers. Some are called out for particular places of service:

The Reverend Mr. W. Benjamin Boswell, Senior Minister The Reverend Mr. Joseph D. Aldrich, Associate Minister Sharon Bremer, Director of Stewardship Mariah B. Currin, Director of New Member Ministry Allen Davis, Interim Director of Youth Ministry Belinda Geuss, Director of Through-The-Week School Charlotte Judge, Associate Director of Music Cher Lindblom, Director of Outreach Dr. Matthew Manwarren, Organist The Reverend Mr. Barry Zane Metzger, Church Administrator Frances L. Morrison, Minister of Music The Reverend Ms. Carrie Veal, Minister of Children The Reverend Ms. Chrissy Tatum Williamson, Minister of Faith Formation Jenny Yopp, Director of The Cornwell Center J Printed on recycled paper