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Rosedale
Presbyterian Church
A Member of the St. James Town Ecumenical Coalition
Statue of Isaiah, Piazza di Spagna, Rome
Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany
February 8, 2015 – 10:30 am
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GATHERING
PRELUDE
Prelude and Fugue in D minor by J. T. Krebs
WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
HYMN #287
O God whose fire lit the stars
(The Book of Praise, navy blue book)
CALL TO WORSHIP (standing)
O Lord, you have searched me and known me.
You know when I rest and when I wake.
You discern my thoughts from afar.
You search out my path and are acquainted with all my ways.
Search me, O God, and know my heart.
Lead me in the way everlasting.
PRAYER OF APPROACH (standing and in unison)
Loving and eternal God,
we praise you for the peace of this place of worship.
We pray that the demands of everyday life
may be set aside as we come before you this day.
May we be filled with wonder at the mysteries of creation –
earth, sea and sky, the beauty of life and the diversity of your people.
We praise you for calling us to look beyond our own concerns –
to become a community of peacemakers and bridge builders.
We praise you for the prayer of Jesus that your people
would be one, called to set aside pride and arrogance
that we might serve your Church and your world.
In our worship, may your spirit of healing and unity
draw us together to know the peace that passes all understanding,
through Christ our Lord. Amen.
CALL TO CONFESSION (seated)
Let us now with a sincere heart and humble voice,
seek the forgiveness of God
Lord, have mercy upon us
Christ have mercy upon us
Lord have mercy upon us
O God, make clean our hearts within us
And let thy Holy Spirit dwell in us.
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PRAYER OF CONFESSION (seated)
A MOMENT OF SILENCE FOR QUIET PRAYER
ASSURANCE OF PARDON
THE LORD’S PRAYER
THE WORD OF GOD
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION (seated and in unison)
God, source of all light, by your Word you give light to the soul.
Pour out upon us a spirit of wisdom and understanding,
that hearing your Word we may follow your way of peace and love.
Amen.
OLD TESTAMENT Isaiah 40:21–31
Reader: The Word of the Lord
All: Thanks be to God
RESPONSIVE PSALM 147:1–11 (Burgundy Book, Refrain 1)
HYMN #307 God of the sparrow, God of the whale
TIME WITH CHILDREN
TRIO Great Lord God! Thy Kingdom Shall Endure
by G. F. Handel (sung by Hannah Tarder-Stoll,
Alessia Naccarato, Mikhail Shemet)
Great Lord God! Thy Kingdom shall endure forever more.
Lord God! Thy kingdom shall endure forever more.
GOSPEL Reader: All: Luke 4:13–21
The Word of the Lord Thanks be to God
HYMN #716
Pray for the wilderness
SERMON The Comforting Prophet
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THE RESPONSE TO GOD
THE OFFERING
ANTHEM To Thee, O Lord by Sergei Rachmaninoff
arr. A. M. Henderson
To Thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul,
My God, I trust in Thee,
To Thee, O Lord, do I lift my soul,
My God, I trust in Thee.
Lord, to Thee do I lift up my soul.
– Psalm 25: 1
PRESENTATION OF THE OFFERING (standing – Book of Praise #830)
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.
PRAYER OF DEDICATION (standing and in unison)
Gracious God,
may we listen to the needs and dreams of the world.
May we follow Christ’s way of compassion and justice.
May we be generous in body, mind and spirit
to the glory of Christ our Lord. Amen.
PRAYERS OF THANKSGIVING AND INTERCESSION
THE DISMISSAL
HYMN #585
Christ you call us all to service
THE COMMISSIONING & BENEDICTION (standing)
CHORAL AMEN
Three-Fold by Orlando Gibbons
POSTLUDE
The God of Abraham Praise arr. by Hal H. Hopson
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We invite you to remain in the sanctuary following the Benediction to
listen to the Postlude. If you wish to leave, we invite you to do so quietly.
Refreshments will be served in the Great Hall.
Reader: Anne Donaldson-Page
Greeter: Ruth Brunzema
Coffee Hour Hosts: Joyce and John Morden
Offering Last week’s offering & mail-in support Church Operating portion
Presbyterians Sharing portion Other
Last week’s Sunday worship attendance
$3,982
$2,797
$ 560
$ 625
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
The violets in the sanctuary today are placed in loving memory of
Violet Donaldson by her family.
This morning we welcome the Reverend Dr. Charles Fensham, Knox
College Professor of Systematic Theology, to lead in worship. Charles
was born in Stellenbosch, South Africa. He was ordained in 1982 in
South Africa and served as Pastor in Congregations in South Africa and
also taught at the University of South Africa. During the 1980’s, Charles
ministered in inter-cultural youth work in France, Switzerland and
the South Pacific. After involvement in the anti-Apartheid movement
in South Africa, Charles moved to Canada in 1988 and ministered in
two congregations in Southern Ontario. In 2008 Charles published,
“Emerging from the Dark Age Ahead: The Future of the North American
Church.” His latest book is “To the Nations for the Earth: A Missional
Spirituality.”
Know something about God’s love? Interested in faith formation? We
need you! Share your experience with children and youth at Rosedale
by volunteering to help in the nursery or Sunday school. No experience
necessary and curriculum is provided. It takes a small amount of planning
time during the week, and less than one hour on Sunday morning. If you
have a partner that you would be more comfortable teaching with, ask
them too! Contact Heather Roberts or Jen Bell at education@rpcc.ca, or
see us at coffee hour!
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Name Tags Please remember to wear your nametag so that we are able
to greet one another by name. If you need a new nametag, please contact
Brooke Alyea in the Church Office (office@rpcc.ca).
Offering Envelopes are available for pick up in the hallway outside the
Lounge. If you have not previously had offering envelopes and would like
a set for 2015, please contact the Church Office (office@rpcc.ca).
The Bridge and Scrabble Group will meet on Thursday, February 19th.
This is a casual, friendly group which welcomes newcomers. Tea and
coffee will be served at 12:30 pm. Play begins at 1:00 pm.
Movie Night on Friday, February 27th at 6:30 pm featuring the film “The
Judge.” Hank Palmer (Robert Downey Jr) is a successful defense attorney
in Chicago, who is getting a divorce. When his brother calls with the news
that their mother has died, Hank returns to his childhood home to attend
the funeral. Despite the brittle bond between Hank and the Judge (Robert
Duvall), Hank must come to his father’s aid and defend him in court.
Here, Hank discovers the truth behind the case, which binds together the
dysfunctional family and reveals the struggles and secrecy of the family.
There will be a showing at 4:30 pm in the Lounge followed by dinner and
discussion. Sign-up sheets for dinner, or to borrow the DVD are available
at Coffee Hour.
Congregational Art Show and Sale – March 7-8 Calling all amateur
artists! Do you love to paint or make art as a hobby? Is photography
the expression of your artistic talent? Is your child a budding artist? We
would love to have you share it with us at the upcoming art show at RPC
in order that we may spotlight the work of all our “unknown” artists! We
will be hosting an Art Show and Sale on March 7th and 8th. There will
be a reception on the evening of March 7th from 7:00 – 9:00 pm, and
the show will continue on Sunday, March 8th, after worship and through
the afternoon. If you are interested in participating in this show, please
contact the Church Office (office@rpcc.ca) or Wes Denyer (wesdenyer@
rogers.com).
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k Upcoming Events k
Board Meeting Tuesday, February 10, 6:30 pm
The Bridge and Scrabble Group Thursday, February 19, 12:30 pm
Movie Night (The Judge)
Friday, February 27, 6:30 pm
(Movie showing at 4:30 pm)
MUSIC
Handel’s majestic counterpoint is in evidence in Great Lord God! arranged
for three voices and keyboard by John Carlton. It begins with a solo low
voice, which is then contrasted by the two upper voices. Following this,
dramatic three-part counterpoint ensues continuing to the end of the
work, punctuated occasionally by powerful exclamations of “Lord, God!”
and “Great, Lord God”.
To Thee, O Lord (Тебе поем) is an English adaptation of the twelfth
of the twenty-movement Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, Op. 31. The
Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is the primary worship service of
the Eastern Orthodox Church. Rachmaninoff composed his setting of
this liturgy in July 1910, writing it in Church Slavonic, the language of
Orthodox Church. Following its first performance in Moscow the piece
fell into obscurity after being deemed too “modernist” for church use.
Rachmaninoff (1873-1943) was the last of the great Russian Romantic
composers. Although he made his name as a pianist and as a composer
for the piano, his two unaccompanied choral works (The Liturgy of St.
John Chrysostom, and the All-Night Vigil) are sacred works of the highest
order. To Thee, O Lord is a straight forward but representative piece,
featuring rich and largely homophonic writing.
The organ music today features an opening Prelude and Fugue by J. T.
Krebs, (1690-1762) one of Bach’s finest organ and composition students.
The Postlude is a hymn arrangement on a traditional Yigdal (a Jewish
hymn) known as “Leoni”. The melody was arranged into a hymn tune
(see BP 331) by Meyer Lyon in 1770. Lyon was a singer at Covent Garden
until departing for Jamaica where he became the first chazzan (cantor) for
the English and German Synagogue in Jamaica. Perhaps the first verse of
this hymn was the inspiration for American organist Hal Hopson’s grand
setting:
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The God of Abraham praise,
who reigns enthroned above;
Ancient of Everlasting Days,
and God of Love;
Jehovah, great I AM!
by earth and heaven confessed;
I bow and bless the sacred name
forever blest.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Crieff Hills Retreat and Conference Center warmly welcomes you to join
us at 10:30am on Thursday February 26th for our Manna Day, “Breaking
the Holy Huddle,” with Rev. Joel Sherbino. We will explore how to reach
out into our community so that church becomes more than simply a
building, but a way of life. Please call ahead to register at 1-800-8841525. Cost for the day is $20.00 and includes lunch. Crieff Hills is the
national conference centre of the Presbyterian Church in Canada and
is located just south of Guelph. See www.crieffhills.com for further
information.
CONTACTS
Rosedale Presbyterian Church 129 Mount Pleasant Road, Toronto,
Ontario M4W 2S3 • Phone: (416) 921-1931• Fax: 416-921-7497
E-mail: office@rpcc.ca• Website: www.rpcc.ca
Office Hours Minister Music Director
Christian Education Co-ordinator Church Administrator
Church Officer Wednesday to Friday, 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
THE REV. WES DENYER
wesdenyer@rogers.com (416) 271-2233 (cell)
DR. ALLAN BEVAN allanbevan@cogeco.ca
JENNIFER BELL education@rpcc.ca
BROOKE ALYEA office@rpcc.ca
MARC ROBERTS
co@rpcc.ca (647) 770-9343
Our Mission We witness to Christ in our spiritual vitality and in our social involvement by
nurturing all in the Christian life, communicating the gospel to our community, and inspiring
faithful devotion & service
Our Vision We seek to be a vital, growing community of faith, with a glad and generous heart,
that shares the blessings of the Christian life.
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