Click HERE for a printable version of Order of Worship
Dear Church Family,
We want to share with you the Order of Worship that we will use on the morning of Sunday, February 23, 2025. We will start the service at 10 am.
Please join us in-person or virtually by using either the conference call number, the live stream via Zoom, Facebook, or our website.
We want everyone to have the opportunity to worship. Thank you so much. Welcome to St. Matthew’s UMC!
If you have difficulties with the Facebook link, feel free to join Zoom.
Live-Stream
-
- Meeting ID: 996 0251 9769
- Password: 14900
- St. Matthew’s UMC via Facebook
- St. Matthew’s UMC via Website
Conference Call
- Conference Call Dial-In: +1-301-715-8592
- Enter Access Code: 996 0251 9769 #
- Password: 14900 #
- Then, please wait for the host to begin.
Closed Captioning Available
Worship, classes, and meetings Zoomed now have the capability for closed captioning. The catch is that you must “turn it on”.
To do that, click on the button labeled “More…”. Then in the droplist, click on “Show Subtitles”.
If you need further assistance with this, please contact [email protected]
Sunday, February 23, 2025: The Seventh Sunday after Epiphany
Prelude: A Mighty Blessing —Deborah Holden-Holloway
Welcome
*CALL TO WORSHIP: —Psalm 19: 7-9 & 14
L: The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul;
A: the testimony of the Lord is sure,
giving wisdom to the simple;
L: the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;
A: the commandment of the Lord is pure,
giving light to the eyes;
L: the fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever;
A: the commands of the Lord are true,
and righteous altogether.
L: Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
A: be acceptable in your sight,
O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
*OPENING HYMN:
Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise UMH 103
*OPENING PRAYER: —Book of Common Prayer
Ever-living God,
whose will it is for us to give thanks for all things,
to fear nothing but the loss of you,
and to cast all our care on you who care for us:
Preserve us from faithless fears and worldly anxieties,
that no clouds of this mortal life may hide from us
the light of that immortal love
which you have manifested to us in your Son Jesus Christ;
who lives and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
*ACT OF PRAISE: Gloria Patri UMH 71
Joys & Concerns
Pastoral Prayer & The Lord’s Prayer
RECEPTION OF NEW MEMBERS:
THE BAPTISMAL COVENANT I
RECEPTION INTO THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
Pastor:
Brothers and sisters in Christ:
Through the Sacrament of Baptism
we are initiated into Christ’s holy church.
We are incorporated into God’s mighty acts of salvation
and given new birth through water and the Spirit.
All this is God’s gift, offered to us without price.
PRESENTATION OF NEW CANDIDATES
Pastor:
I present [NAME and/or NAMES] to St. Matthew’s.
RENUNCIATION OF SIN AND PROFESSION OF FAITH
Pastor:
On behalf of the whole church, I ask you:
Do you renounce the spiritual forces
of wickedness,
reject the evil powers of this world,
and repent of your sin?
New Members: I do.
Pastor:
Do you accept the freedom and power God gives you
to resist evil, injustice, and oppression
in whatever forms they present themselves?
New Members: I do.
Pastor:
Do you confess Jesus Christ as your Savior,
put your whole trust in his grace,
and promise to serve him as your Lord,
in union with the church which Christ has opened
to people of all ages, nations, and races?
New Members: I do.
Pastor:
According to the grace given to you,
will you remain faithful members of Christ’s holy church and serve as Christ’s representatives in the world?
New Members: I will.
Pastor:
Do you, as Christ’s body, the church,
reaffirm both your rejection of sin
and your commitment to Christ?
Congregation: We do.
Pastor:
Will you nurture one another in the Christian faith and life and include these persons now before you in your care?
Congregation:
With God’s help we will proclaim the good news
and live according to the example of Christ.
We will surround these persons
with a community of love and forgiveness,
that they may grow in their trust of God,
and be found faithful in their service to others.
We will pray for them,
that they may be true disciples
who walk in the way that leads to life.
Pastor:
Let us join together in professing the Christian faith
as contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments.
Do you believe in God the Father?
Congregation:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
Pastor:
Do you believe in Jesus Christ?
Congregation:
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
[who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven,
is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and will come again to judge the living and the dead.]
Pastor:
Do you believe in the Holy Spirit?
Congregation:
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
[the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.]
RECEPTION INTO THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
Pastor:
As members of Christ’s universal church,
will you be loyal to The United Methodist Church,
and do all your power to strengthen its ministries?
New Members: I will.
Pastor:
As members of this congregation,
will you faithfully participate in its ministries
by your prayers, your presence,
your gifts, and your service?
New Members: I will.
COMMENDATION AND WELCOME
Pastor:
Members of the household of God,
I commend these persons to your love and care.
Do all in your power to increase their faith,
confirm their hope, and perfect them in love.
The congregation responds:
We give thanks for all that God has already given you
and we welcome you in Christian love.
As members together with you in the body of Christ
and in this congregation
of The United Methodist Church,
we renew our covenant
faithfully to participate
in the ministries of the church
by our prayers, our presence,
our gifts, and our service,
that in everything God may be glorified
through Jesus Christ.
Pastor:
The God of all grace,
who has called us to eternal glory in Christ,
establish you and strengthen you by the power of the Holy Spirit,
that you may live in grace and peace.
Passing of the Peace
*HYMN BEFORE SCRIPTURE:
Now the Green Blade Riseth UMH 311
Today’s Epistle reading is taken from Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 15:35-38, 42-50)
35 But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” 36 Fool! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37 And as for what you sow, you do not sow the body that is to be but a bare seed, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. 38 But God gives it a body as he has chosen and to each kind of seed its own body.
42 So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. 43 It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a physical body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 Thus it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 But it is not the spiritual that is first but the physical and then the spiritual. 47 The first man was from the earth, made of dust; the second man is from heaven. 48 As one of dust, so are those who are of the dust, and as one of heaven, so are those who are of heaven. 49 Just as we have borne the image of the one of dust, we will also bear the image of the one of heaven.
50 What I am saying, brothers and sisters, is this: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
The Word of the Lord. THANKS BE TO GOD.
*Please stand as you are able for the Gospel Acclamation
and remain standing for the reading of the Gospel.
*GOSPEL ACCLAMATION: Halle, Hallelujah TFWS 2026
This morning’s Gospel reading is from the Gospel of Luke
(Luke 6:27-38)
Jesus said: 27 “But I say to you who are listening: Love your enemies; do good to those who hate you; 28 bless those who curse you; pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. 30 Give to everyone who asks of you, and if anyone takes away what is yours, do not ask for it back again. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.
32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive payment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. 35 Instead, love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38 give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap, for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.”
The Gospel of the Lord. THANKS BE TO GOD.
Music for Meditation: “Reflection” from Suite for Organ
—Matthew H. Corl (b. 1964)
Children’s Message
Music at the Gradual: Sanctuary
—Thompson & Scruggs, arr. Patricia Sanders Cota
Message — Rev. Marguerite Matthews
Prayer of Thanksgiving
Offertory
Music during the Offertory: On Eagle’s Wings
—Michael Joncas, arr. Douglas Wagner