REDEEMER UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
January 29, 2023
Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany
Processional: “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name”
Invocation: Good morning and welcome!
Quiet your hearts, beloved of God, for God is speaking to you with love. Rest your spirits, struggling ones, for God will surround you with peace. Open your lives to God’s power and presence and do not be afraid. God is with us, now and for all time. AMEN.
Call to Worship
L: Wonderful is the God of Christ, who gathers the poor of the earth.
P: Glorious is our God, who wipes away the tears of sorrow.
L: Wonderful is the God of Christ, who gives inheritance to the meek.
P: Glorious is our God, who satisfies the hunger of the just.
L: Wonderful is the God of Christ, who gives mercy to the merciful.
P: Glorious is our God, who gives vision to the pure in heart.
L: Wonderful is the God of Christ, who adopts the peacemakers.
P: Glorious is our God, who lifts high the persecuted.
L: Wonderful is the God of Christ, who finds the lost.
P: Glorious is our God, who awakens the dead.
Words of Welcome and Parish News:
* Gathering Hymn: “Trust and Obey” UMH 467
Silent meditation and prayer:
Prayer Focus: Following Jesus
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 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.
Scripture Readings:
Matthew 5:1-12 The Beatitudes
5 When Jesus[a] saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 And he began to speak and taught them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely[b] on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Choir Anthem: “How Great is Our God”
Message “Blessed Are” Rev. Marshall Murphy Jr
The Beatitudes is still a mission for the church to embrace. There are people marginalized in this world. How do the words in the “Sermon on the Mount” move your spirit today? There are many opinions today regarding how people are living in the world today. The Beatitudes is a reminder of the human condition that people live in every hour and day. This sermon from Jesus looks into the conditions that people struggle with humanity. Many are living with hope for the verses: Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted and 6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. May this manifest in their lives. People are looking for the power of love to wrap them in a protective shield which would stop the harm and hurt that runs rapid and deep in many families, neighborhoods, and communities. This Sermon on the Mount is still a vital message from Jesus to the people. When we become aware of events that change the human condition in a negative way, we must seek this sermon as a motivational call for righteousness.
Offertory Prayer: God of all blessings, your beloved son teaches all we need to know to claim the life you’ve hoped for us.
Offertory Music “Rejoice in God’s Saints “
*Doxology: UMH 95
*Unison Prayer of Dedication
We bring to you our gifts, which are the result of your blessings, help us to remember who Jesus called truly blessed! We pray in the name of our teacher and savior. Amen.
*Closing Hymn: “Jesus is All the World to Me” UMH 469
Sending Forth
Blessed in the midst of God’s love
Blessed in the midst of our world
Blessed in what we feel, see, and do.
Blessed even in the times we find it hard to see the blessing.
Even then we can know ourselves as the children of God.
Especially then we can know see and feel God’s presence in our lives.
Blessed God’s love in our lives given by the One who came to save.
Blessed are you in the name of Christ
Recessional Thou My Vision with Center
(Please remain seated to meditate and reflect on the music)