Online Worship for January 17, 2021

Welcome to Church of the Holy Cross’s live streaming worship service for January 17, 2021. Feel free to follow the service text by scrolling down, or you may download and print the service in PDF format below.

Online Worship, January 17, 2021
Second Sunday after Epiphany

Rev. Eric S. Anderson, Pastor

WE GATHER TO WORSHIP GOD

Welcome                                                                                 Rev. Eric S. Anderson

Prelude: His Eye Is On The Sparrow—Gabriel, arr Whitworth  Kayleen Yuda

Call to Worship: based on 1 Corinthians 6:12-20                    Gloria Kobayashi

Leader: Because of the power of Christ, we can say, “All things are lawful for me,” and it will be true.
People: We cannot say, however, that all things benefit me, or benefit anyone else.

Leader: Our bodies are part of the body of Christ. We have joined with the very spirit of the Lord.
People: Our care for our bodies is also care for the body of Christ. Our health is the health of the Lord.

Leader: Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, which we have from God, not from ourselves.
People: We were made free by Christ, therefore we will glorify God with our bodies.

Invocation: based on Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18                                      Gloria Kobayashi

You have searched us and known us, O God. You know our heavy-lidded eyes at nightfall, you know how eagerly we greet the morning. From mauka to makai, you know all our ways. You hem us in, behind and before and all about, and it fills our souls with wonder. What is the breadth of your thoughts, O God? How vast they must be! We try to count them, but we might as well count the grains of sand. As we come to the end, we are still with you, and so we worship. Amen.

Hymn Duet #164 Arise, Your Light is Come                            Eric Anderson
                                                                                                Doug Albertson
                                                                                                Movement led by Genie Phillips

Scripture: 1 Samuel 3:1-20                                                      Gloria Kobayashi

Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord under Eli. The word of the Lord was rare in those days; visions were not widespread. At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his room; the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was. Then the Lord called, “Samuel! Samuel!” and he said, “Here I am!” and ran to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” So he went and lay down. The Lord called again, “Samuel!” Samuel got up and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. The Lord called Samuel again, a third time. And he got up and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. Now the Lord came and stood there, calling as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” Then the Lord said to Samuel, “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make both ears of anyone who hears of it tingle. On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. For I have told him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them. Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be expiated by sacrifice or offering forever.” Samuel lay there until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the Lord. Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli. But Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.” He said, “Here I am.” Eli said, “What was it that he told you? Do not hide it from me. May God do so to you and more also, if you hide anything from me of all that he told you.” So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. Then he said, “It is the Lord; let him do what seems good to him.” As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was a trustworthy prophet of the Lord.

John 1:43-51

The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!” Nathanael asked him, “Where did you get to know me?” Jesus answered, “I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.” Nathanael replied, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus answered, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.” And he said to him, “Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”

Story/Sermon: Angels, Please                                                 Rev. Eric S. Anderson

Pastoral Prayer                                                                       Rev. Eric S. Anderson

Please join me in 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 debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever and ever. Amen

Instrumental Anthem: Pastorale BWV590 2nd movement—Bach
                                                                                                Kanako Okita

Call to Offering                                                                       Gloria Kobayashi
We invite you to an offering. We have been called through the Holy Spirit to be part of the people of Christ, to be part of the community of Church of the Holy Cross. We share in the healing and care of this church, of the neighborhood of Hilo, and indeed in the world as a whole. We do this with daily labor, with prayer, and with common work supported by your gifts. Please send your offering through the mail in an envelope sent to 440 West Lanikaula Street, Hilo, Hawai’i, 96720, or give online at holycrosshilo.com/donate. Let us pray together:

Offertory Prayer
We have seen some of your glory, O God. We have seen it in the sparkling stars, in the tossing waves. We have heard it in birdsong and falling water. We have felt it in the moving breeze and the soft touch of human compassion. May we be part of showing your glory, O God, in today’s gifts, declaring once more your love as we share our own. Amen.

Anthem: #163 Many Are the Lightbeams                                 Eric Anderson
                                                                                                Doug Albertson
                                                                                                Movement led by Genie Phillips

Announcements                                                                      Rev. Eric S. Anderson

Benediction                                                                             Rev. Eric S. Anderson

Postlude: Postlude — Franck                                                    Kayleen Yuda

Permissions
Arise, Your Light is Come!
Lyrics by Ruth Duck
Text: © 1992, GIA Publications, Inc.
Streamed by permission. ONELICENSE #A-735890

Many Are the Lightbeams
Contributors: Olle Widestrand, David Lewis
Tune: © 1974, Olle Widestrand
Text: Anders Frostenson, © 1972, AF-Foundation Hymns and Song, Verbum; English tr. by David Lewis
Streamed by permission. ONELICENSE #A-735890

                                                            Dates to Remember
Today, January 17 – Deacons Meeting after worship via Zoom                                       

Minister                                            Rev. Eric S. Anderson
Moderator                                        Woody Kita
Lay Reader                                       Gloria Kobayashi
Chapel Decorations                          Joyce Nakamoto
Choir Accompanist                          Kanako Okita
Choir Director                                  Doug Albertson
Organist                                            Kayleen Yuda
Hand Bell Director                           Anna Kennedy
Childcare Coordinator                     Evonne Shioshita
Movement Leader                            Genie Phillips
Projected Imagery                            Sue Smith
Web Master                                      Ruth Niino-DuPonte  

This week at the Church of the Holy Cross

• Bible Study with Pastor Eric: Tuesdays, 3:00 p.m. via Zoom
• Online Song – Wednesdays, 11:00 a.m. online
• Community Concert — 2^nd & 4^th Fridays, 6:00 p.m. online