For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's , heirs according to promise.

Galatians 3:27-29

The Third Sunday of January 24, 2021 Our Vision

Connecting people to Christ and one another through a community rooted in history and relevant for today

Our Mission

To establish a welcoming community where people Encounter Christ Are Changed by Christ Introduce Christ to others

Our Values

The eternal relevance of scripture. The transforming nature of worship. The power of connectedness. The necessity of dependence on God. The witness of generosity and hospitality. The blessing of children. The priority of a balanced life.

2 Celebrant: I will make you as a light for the nations, People: that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth. Isaiah 49:6

Celebrant: Almighty God to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

God of My Life, to Thee I Call Verse 3 Verse 1 That were a grief I could not bear, God of my life, to Thee I call Didst Thou not hear and answer prayer; Afflicted at Thy feet I fall; But a prayer hearing, answering God When the great water floods prevail Supports me under every load Leave not my trembling heart to fail.

Verse 2 Friend of the friendless and the saint, Where should I lodge my deep complaint? Where but with Thee, whose open door Invites the helpless and the poor!

Chorus Poor though I am, despised, forgot Yet God, my God, forgets me not; text: William Cowper music: Bryan T. Murphy and Benj Pocta And he is safe and must succeed for whom www.redmountainmusic.com The Lord is sure to plead.

Celebrant: The Lord be with you. People: And also with you. Celebrant: Let us pray: Give us grace, O Lord, to answer readily the call of our Savior Jesus Christ and proclaim to all people the Good News of his salvation, that we and the whole world may perceive the glory of his marvelous works; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Ministry Update New Life Family Services

3 The Word of God Genesis 16

1 Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. had a female Egyptian servant whose name was Hagar. 2 And Sarai said to Abram, “Behold now, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. 3 So, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her servant, and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife. 4 And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress. 5 And Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done to me be on you! I gave my servant to your embrace, and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked on me with contempt. May the Lord judge between you and me!” 6 But Abram said to Sarai, “Behold, your servant is in your power; do to her as you please.” Then Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her.

7 The of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, the spring on the way to Shur. 8 And he said, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?” She said, “I am fleeing from my mistress Sarai.” 9 The angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit to her.” 10 The angel of the Lord also said to her, “I will surely multiply your offspring so that they cannot be numbered for multitude.” 11 And the angel of the Lord said to her,

“Behold, you are pregnant and shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, because the Lord has listened to your affliction. 12 He shall be a wild donkey of a man, his hand against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he shall dwell over against all his kinsmen.”

13 So she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “You are a God of see- ing,” for she said, “Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.” 14 Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; it lies between Kadesh and Bered.

15 And Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. 16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.

The Holy Bible, ESV

Reader: The Word of the Lord. People: Thanks be to God. 4 Acts 21:40-22:11

40 And when he had given him permission, Paul, standing on the steps, motioned with his hand to the people. And when there was a great hush, he addressed them in the Hebrew language, saying:

22:1 “Brothers and fathers, hear the defense that I now make before you.”

2 And when they heard that he was addressing them in the Hebrew language, they became even more quiet. And he said:

3 “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God as all of you are this day. 4 I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women, 5 as the high priest and the whole council of elders can bear me witness. From them I received letters to the brothers, and I journeyed toward Damascus to take those also who were there and bring them in bonds to Jerusalem to be punished.

6 “As I was on my way and drew near to Damascus, about noon a great light from heaven suddenly shone around me. 7 And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ 8 And I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And he said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are perse- cuting.’ 9 Now those who were with me saw the light but did not understand the voice of the one who was speaking to me. 10 And I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Rise, and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all that is appointed for you to do.’ 11 And since I could not see because of the brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me, and came into Damascus.

The Holy Bible, ESV

Reader: The Word of the Lord. People: Thanks be to God.

Alleluia (please stand)

Alleluia! Alleluia! Blessed art Thou O Lord God of our fathers Alleluia! Alleluia! You are worthy of praise forever

Tune: Paul Calvin Text: The Anglican Use Gradual

Reader: The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, according to Mark. People: Glory to you Lord Christ.

5 Mark 1:14-20

14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

16 Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”18 And im- mediately they left their nets and followed him. 19 And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. 20 And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.

The Holy Bible, ESV

Reader: The Gospel of the Lord. People: Praise to you Lord Christ.

Repeat the Alleluia

Sermon The Faithfulness of God in the Life of the Patriarchs Rev. Christian Ruch

6 The Nicene Creed

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, visible and invisible. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father; through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, was incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. We believe in one holy catholic* and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

* universal

Prayers of the People

Leader: Lord in your mercy People: Hear our prayer

7 Confession of Sin

(You may kneel or sit during the prayer of confession) Deacon: Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.

People: Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.

Celebrant: Almighty God, our heavenly Father, who in his great mercy has promised forgiveness of sins to all those who sincerely repent and with true faith turn to him, have mercy upon you, pardon and deliver you from all your sins, confirm and strengthen you in all goodness, and bring you to everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Peacei Celebrant: The peace of the Lord be always with you. People: And also with you.

Announcements

Offertory

To give through check or cash, please mail it to Church of the Cross. You may also give online using our website or text "give" to 952-333-4320.

The Doxologyi

Praise God from whom all blessings flow Praise Him all creatures here below Praise Him above ye Heavenly Host Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

8 The Holy Communioni

Celebrant: The Lord be with you. People: And also with you. Celebrant: Lift up your hearts. People: We lift them up to the Lord. Celebrant: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. People: It is right to give him thanks and praise. Celebrant: It is right, our duty and our joy...... Therefore we praise you, joining our voices with Angels and Archangels and with all the company of heaven, who forever sing this hymn to proclaim the glory of your Name:

Celebrant: Holy and gracious Father...... Therefore, we proclaim the mystery of faith: Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.

Celebrant: We celebrate the memorial of our redemption, Father...... By him, and with him, and in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all honor and glory is yours, Almighty Father, now and forever.

Celebrant and People: AMEN.

9 Celebrant: And now, as our savior Christ has taught us we are bold to pray:

Celebrant and People: 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 trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

Celebrant: Alleluia. Christ our Passover has been sacrificed for us; People: Therefore let us keep the feast. Alleluia.

Celebrant: The Gifts of God for the People of God. Take them in remembrance that Christ died for you, and feed on him in your hearts by faith, with thanksgiving.

You will receive communion in your seats. If you haven't, please go to the Gathering Space and take the wafers and juice that you'll need. You may eat the bread and wine at any point during these songs, or right away with the Celebrant.

Please bring the leftover containers to a trash receptacle on your way out.

10 Your Labor is Not In Vain

Verse 1 Your labor is not in vain Though the ground underneath you is cursed and stained Your planting and reaping are never the same But your labor is not in vain

Verse 2 Your labor is not unknown Though the rocks they cry out and the sea it may groan The place of your toil may not seem like a But your labor is not unknown

Chorus For I am with you I am with you I am with you I am with you For I have called you Called you by name Your labor is not in vain

Verse 3 The vineyards you plant will bear fruit The fields will sing out and rejoice with the truth For all that is old will at last be made new The vineyards you plant will bear fruit

Verse 4 The houses you labored to build Isaac Wardell | Paul Zach | Will finally with laughter and joy be filled Wendell Kimbrough The serpent that hurts and destroys shall be killed © Hymns From The Porter's Gate And all that is broken be healed CCLI License # 2536246

11 Holy Holy Holy

Verse 1 Holy holy holy Lord God Almighty Early in the morning Our song shall rise to Thee Holy holy holy Merciful and mighty God in three persons blessed Trinity

Verse 2 Holy holy holy All the saints adore Thee Casting down their golden crowns Around the glassy sea Cherubim and seraphim Falling down before Thee Which wert and art and evermore shalt be

Verse 3 Holy holy holy Though the darkness hide Thee Though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see Only Thou art holy There is none beside Thee Perfect in power in love in purity

Verse 4 Holy holy holy Lord God Almighty All Thy works shall praise Thy name In earth and sky and sea Holy holy holy Merciful and mighty God in three persons blessed Trinity

John B. Dykes / Reginald Heber © Public Domain

12 Celebrant: Let us pray.

People: Eternal God, heavenly Father, you have graciously accepted us as living members of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ, and you have fed us with spiritual food in the Sacrament of his Body and Blood. Send us now into the world in peace, and grant us strength and courage to love and serve you with gladness and singleness of heart; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Celebrant: May Christ, the Son of God, perfect in you the image of his glory and gladden your hearts with the good news of his kingdom; and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you, and remain with you always. Amen.

Leader: Go in peace to love and serve the Lord. People: Thanks be to God. Alleluia.

13 UPCOMING EVENTS

For complete details on church news and events, visit: churchofthecross.org/events

Wednesday Women's Bible Study JAN All women are invited to a twelve-week study of the book of 27 Proverbs. Join us as we connect with one another weekly and 7 PM pursue growth in wisdom together! We'll be meeting on Zoom from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM on Wednesday nights. Please contact Stephanie Bascom ([email protected]) if you are interested, and she will send you a copy of the study along with the Zoom link.

Saturday Discovering the Cross Class JAN This introductory course addresses our church's mission and 30 vision as well as our Anglican heritage. This class is the first 9:30 AM step for anyone to become a confirmed member, but it is open to all who want to learn more about our community. Join us over Zoom from 9:30 AM to Noon. If you're interested in attending, please email [email protected].

Saturday Outdoor Winter Party FEB Please join us for an outdoor, winter party at Valley Park! 13 We will have sledding, winter activities, games, food, and drink 10 AM (all safely provided). Come and enjoy seeing one another. Bring friends and neighbors.

Tuesday Monthly Reading Discussion FEB Our fourth book will be Being Consumed: Economics and 23 Christian Desire, by William Cavanaugh. Tyler Holley will lead 7 PM our discussion over Zoom. To join us, please sign up to attend. Then, you will receive a Zoom link and some questions to consider a few days before our online discussion.

14 ANNOUNCEMENTS

HOW TO GET INVOLVED

Weekly Compline Prayer Time Join us every Thursday night over Zoom for a Compline prayer led by Joel Bascom. Compline is a short prayer service from the Book of Common Prayer that is meant to complete the day. It is typically 10-20 minutes long. You can find the Zoom link on our event's page or in our weekly emails.

Creativity Project for January As you know, last month we experienced the great sorrow of losing two of our beloved and vibrant members. Mel and Sue Awes. Since we cannot yet gather as we'd like to grieve their deaths and honor their tremendously faithful, beautiful lives, let's use this month's Creativity Project to gather as best we can.

This month's prompt is GRIEF & GRATITUDE. Please submit your artwork of any kind through our Creativity Project page by January 31.

We welcome anything you have to share--please do not worry about whether you consider yourself creative. As a church body, this is a moment we can encourage one another in the hope of the resurrection in the face of deep sorrow.

Listen to the 9th Avenue Nine Check out our premiere episode! Join us as Pastor Christian Ruch discusses what 9 albums, one book, and one luxury item, he would want if he was exiled in the church basement for one year. Listen on Apple Podcasts or our website.

Monthly Reading at Cross ~ via Zoom Cross Reads is our new monthly reading group! We will have a new book each month, and we'll meet on Zoom to discuss the content. February is Being Consumed: Economics and Christian Desire by William Cavanaugh. March is Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

15 Staff Christian Ruch - Rector [email protected] Joel Bascom - Pastor of Connecting and Equipping [email protected] Peter Berg - Priest, Pastor of Youth and Adult Ministries [email protected] Annie Birtcil - Office Manager [email protected] Andrea Lang - Pastor of Children's & Family Ministry [email protected] Josh Moon - Priest, Church Planter [email protected] Andene O'Neil - Pastor of Worship Arts [email protected] Cheryl Witham - Deacon, Pastor of Formation [email protected]

Vestry

Elizabeth Carlson [email protected] Kara Eggers [email protected] Becky Galstad [email protected] Sam Hamer [email protected] Matt Huston [email protected] Todd Johnson [email protected] Justin Tennison [email protected]

Church of the Cross 201 9th Ave. North Hopkins, MN 55343 952-933-3686 www.ofthecross.org 16