Connection and Courage: 2023 - Epiphany Sunday January 8, 2023 10:00 AM - Congregational Church of Birmingham United Church of Christ

Congregational Church of Birmingham
      United Church of Christ

  Connection and Courage: 2023

                             Photo by Greg Peterson

        Epiphany Sunday

         January 8, 2023
            10:00 AM

Welcome Visitors! Please take a moment to join us in signing and passing
the Ritual of Friendship books in the pews. We heartily welcome you to this
church family.
You May Contact Rev. Ralph Brown for any pastoral request or emergency by
phone call or text to 586-872-1618.
Prayer Requests? Text Rev. Brown (586-872-1618) by 9:30 AM Sunday for
inclusion in the Sunday morning prayers, and/or by 11:00 AM Sunday to be
included in the Weekly Prayers email.
Get in the Loop! Stay current on CCBUCC news. Contact the church office to
receive our email communications.
View Sunday Worship Live Streams and all previously recorded services at:
https://www.youtube.com/c/CongregationalChurchofBirminghamUCC

OUR WORSHIP IS LIVE STREAMED so those unable to be with us in
person can worship online on our YouTube channel (see link above). We’re
happy to be accessible to everyone and are deeply grateful to CCBUCC
member Chris Hiner for creating the technological set up! Our Media &
Communications Specialist, Daniel Jaros, runs the streaming technology
during the service. We invite others to be trained to monitor the sound and
live chat. Interested in how it works? Observe Daniel and learn the ropes.

SUNDAY SCHOOL: All children (pre-K - 6th grade) are welcome. They will
go to their lessons at the instructed time during the service each Sunday.
Please pick them up from their classrooms at 11:15 AM after worship.

REGISTRATION FORMS: Please complete forms for ALL children & youth
in our programming. The 2-sided form is on a table at the entrance to the
worship area, on our website (www.ccbucc.org), or linked in the Weekly E-
Update MailChimp. Drop forms in Carmel’s mailbox, or email BOTH SIDES
to her at cedirector@ccbucc.org

WORSHIP GUIDE
                         (Bold indicates in unison.)
                        [Live Streaming Begins Here]

PRELUDE              “We Three Kings of Orient Are”        J. H. Hopkins Jr.,
                                                                  arr. Coates

THRESHOLD MOMENT                                               Pastor Ralph

SONG                      “As with Gladness”                      CH #173
 As with gladness sages bold did the guiding star behold;
 as with joy they hailed its light, leading onward, beaming bright;
 so, true Morning Star, may we evermore your splendor see.
 As with joyful steps they sped to that lowly manger bed,
 there to bend the knee before One whom heaven and earth adore;
 so may we with willing feet ever seek your mercy seat.
 As they offered gifts most rare at the manger plain and bare,
 so may we with holy joy, pure and free from sin’s alloy,
 all our costliest treasures bring, Christ, to you from whom they spring.

OPENING LITANY                                    Leslie O’Day-Benyo and All
In Psalm 19 we read:
How clearly the sky reveals God’s glory!
How plainly it shows what God has done!
     Each day announces it to the following day;
     Each night repeats it to the next.
No speech or words are used,
No sound is heard:
     Yet their voice goes out to all the world,
     Their message reaches the ends of the earth.
Let us pray:
God of the stars, whose guidance is always available
     to those who look up and listen, speak to us now.
                                                                   (continued)

Break into our thoughts to reveal the fullness of your love
    that binds all people and all creation
         into one community of being,
    where suffering is lessened by sharing
         and rejoicing is multiplied. Amen.

THE WORD IN SCRIPTURE         Matthew 2:1-2, 9b-11       Leslie O’Day-Benyo
In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, magi
from the east came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been
born king of the Jews? For we observed his star in the east, and have come
to pay him homage.” … and there, ahead of them, went the star that they
had seen in the east, until it stopped over the place where the child was.
When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy.
On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they
knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they
offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
      For the word of God in scripture, for the word of God among us,
           for the word of God within us, THANKS BE TO GOD!

THE WORD IN MUSIC          “Make Us Your Candle”            Martin/Angerman
                           CCBUCC Chancel Choir

                      THE SACRAMENT OF COMMUNION

WELCOME AND WORDS OF REMEMBRANCE                Pastor Ralph, Reader and All
Pastor: In the name of our God, I invite you to join us at this communion
        table. No matter who you are or where you are in your journey of
        faith, you are welcome at this table, a place that an old order of
        worship reminds us is the very center of Christian worship and life;
        a place where we do not only speak of signs and symbols, but
        receive the reality of what these symbols represent. We come to
        this table to be made one with God and with each other.
Reader: This table is not reserved for those who are good. It is not just for
        those who “understand” communion, as if this great mystery could

be understood. It is for all of us who hope to have the love of God
        in our hearts and to share God’s love with others. It is for young
        and old and everyone in between. Come with us to God’s table.
Pastor: On the night of Passover, the most important Jewish holy day,
        Jesus gathered with his friends and with the person who would
        betray him. Jesus shared a meal with all of them. They
        remembered the stories of their faith and their people. Then Jesus
        lifted a loaf of bread and held it until everyone stopped talking.
        He said something like, “I am like this loaf of bread.” He carefully
        broke the bread and served it to them, as if to say, “I want you to
        have this part of me to make you strong. When you eat this,
        remember me.”
Reader: Later, he held up a cup of wine and when they were quiet, he said,
        “I am like this wine. I want my spirit to flow through your bodies,
        filling you with love and with joy. Drink from this cup, all of you.
        Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
Pastor: Let us pray:
All:    Loving God, pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here,
        and on these gifts of bread and fruit of the vine. Make
        them strengthen us in body and spirit so we may walk in
        the way of love and justice and not grow weary. Open us
        to each other and to the world. Make us one in you,
        through Christ, who taught us to pray:

THE PRAYER OF JESUS                                               All People
                   Abba God, your name is holy.
       May your community come and your way be followed
                     on earth as it is in heaven.
                  Give us, today, our daily bread.
          Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.
       Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil.
           For yours is the way, the power and the glory,
                      now and forever. Amen.

SHARING THE SACRAMENT (All elements are gluten free.)
 (All are welcome at this table. As you are invited, open and hold the bread until we
   eat together and the same with the juice. May you hear God’s call in your life.)

RESPONSE               “As We Gather at Your Table”                      NCH #332
                                      (verse 1)                           CCLI #741179

                  As we gather at your table,
                  as we listen to your word,
                  help us know, O God, your presence;
                  let our hearts and minds be stirred.
                  Nourish us with sacred story
                  till we claim it as our own;
                  teach us through this holy banquet
                  how to make Love’s victory known.
Pastor: Take and eat.

RESPONSE               “As We Gather at Your Table”                      NCH #332
                                      (verse 2)                           CCLI #741179

                  Turn our worship into witness
                  in the sacrament of life;
                  send us forth to love and serve you,
                  bringing peace where there is strife.
                  Give us, Christ, your great compassion
                  to forgive as you forgave;
                  may we still behold your image
                  in the world you died to save.
Pastor: Take and drink.

PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING                                         Pastor Ralph and All
Let us give thanks:
  Bountiful God, we give you thanks for feeding us at your table.
       Strengthen our faith, increase our love for one another,
               and send us out into the world full of love
        and ready to help our neighbors near and far. Amen.

TIME WITH CHILDREN                                            Dr. Carmel Tinnes,
                                                  Director of Christian Education

          (Pre-K through 6th grade children may now go to their lessons.)

OUR CONVERSATION “Outside Our Frame of Reference” Rev. Ralph Brown

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE                                                 Pastor Ralph

We Continue to Pray for:
 Barry McBride, continuing to face health challenges with such courage
 Cindy Kyle and family, grieving the death of mother, Annabelle
 David, brother of Paul von Oeyen, gratefully in remission from leukemia,
  and dealing with lingering complications from decreased immunity
 Dotty Hess, Joe Bentley’s sister, fighting pancreatic cancer
 John Lindstrom & Cindy Kyle, as they deal with John's health concerns
 Melissa & Brenda Crook and family, separated from Calliope
 Ralph Pedersen, now living at American House in Rochester Hills
 Ruth Biersdorf, in treatment for cancer
 All victims and refugees of war, violence and natural disasters,
  everywhere
 All who are grieving as they experience the holidays without loved ones,
  especially those lost in the past year
 Paul Whelan, and all those wrongly imprisoned in Russia
 Oxford and Uvalde families, students, teachers, school staff and all
  community members, grieving in the wake of gun violence
 Youth and adults with mental health challenges

OUR GIFTS & SERVICE                                               Pastor Ralph
Your offering is welcomed in support of our ministry and may be made online
at www.ccbucc.org; placed in the offering plate at the entrance to the worship
area (before, during, or after worship); or mailed to us Attn: Treasurer.

SONG                 “Arise, Your Light Is Come”              NCH #164
                              (verses 1, 2 & 4)                CCLI #741179

                  Arise, your light is come!
                  The Spirit’s call obey;
                  Show forth the glory of your God
                  which shines on you today!
                  Arise, your light is come!
                  Fling wide the prison door;
                  Proclaim the captive’s liberty,
                  good tidings to the poor.
                  Arise, your light is come!
                  The mountains burst in song!
                  Rise up like eagles on the wing;
                  God’s power will make us strong.

BENEDICTION                                           Pastor Ralph and All
Please join me in our benediction:
May star-light shine on us in dark moments.
May unexpected wanderers challenge us to find new paths.
May we find wisdom where we do not expect it
     and share God’s love with everyone we meet. Amen.

POSTLUDE                    “Joy to the World”        Cash/Gilder/Tomlin,
                                                           arr. Tornquist

                         [Live Streaming Ends Here]

WE THANK our greeters, ushers, reader, choir, communion helpers, Tech
Team: Daniel Jaros & Chris Hiner, Worship Design Team: Leslie O’Day-Benyo,
Margherita Fisher, Cynthia Martin & John Benyo, and Music Team: Joe
Bentley & Yalan Piao, for all their help with today’s service.

JOYS, CONCERNS & MINISTRY UPDATES                                      Pastor Ralph

           (Please sign and pass the Ritual of Friendship pad in your pew.
                     For the benefit of guests and visitors please
                  remember to wear your name tag. Thank you.)

                       OUR MINISTRY UPDATES

LET’S UN-DECK THE HALLS! Please stick around to help us take down
and store away our Christmas decorations TODAY, Sunday, January 8,
immediately after the worship service. Folks that can climb ladders, carry
boxes, and take ornaments off trees are much sought after. Light snacks
and sandwiches will be provided!

SACRED SPACES TOURS CONTINUE! TWO ADDITIONAL TOURS!
Join us at these interesting sites as we prepare to continue our discussion
of Sacred Spaces.
      We will meet at The Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament (9844
Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI 48202) TODAY, Sunday, January 8, at 12:30
PM. We will gather at the entrance and wait for Mass to conclude (it may
be finished before we arrive).
      Our tours will continue at 11 AM on Saturday, January 14, at the
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Little Flower. We will want to park in
the parking lot that is just off 12 Mile Rd, immediately East of the Church,
and enter the parish through the Heritage Hall to meet our Tour Guide
there. The Heritage Hall entrance is adjacent to that parking lot.

2023 FUNDING PLAN & MEETING: You all should have received an
email yesterday with the 2023 Funding Plan Congregational Meeting Notice,
2023 Funding Plan, and 2023 Funding Plan Narrative. If you did not receive
the email, please call the office on Monday. The meeting and vote will be in
the Sanctuary on Sunday, January 22, after worship. Anyone who still plans
to provide a giving commitment for 2023 is encouraged to let us know of
your intended support. The CCB Funding for Ministry Team thanks all of
you for your generous commitments!

UKRAINIAN EGG WORKSHOPS: SAVE THE DATE & INVITE
FRIENDS! Our Ukrainian Egg making classes will be back this year! Save
time to attend at least one session and invite friends! Sessions are open to
all adults, as well as children in third grade and up with an adult. These
workshops begin on Tuesday, February 28 and run through Saturday,
March 4. Times for the 2-hour workshops have not yet been finalized, so if
you have a preferred time to attend, let Carmel know by emailing her at
cedirector@ccbucc.org.

HELP THE MONTOYA’S GET TO KNOW US! We are compiling a photo
album for Rev. Shane and Shannon Montoya to help them get acquainted
with us. Photographs will be taken in the Sanctuary following worship for
the next several weeks. You can also submit your photographs to Pastor
Ralph at pastor@ccbucc.org.

MINISTRY TEAMS SIGN-UP: Link to the Google sheets sign-up
documents (see link below) for all CCBUCC Ministry Teams throughout the
year. Check for continuing and new opportunities to participate. Access
the document as many times as you wish. Change/update your choices as
needed. Questions? Email Cathy Rupert cathyrupert@hotmail.com. Link
here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-SdAgQsKF_zVLNdWYhS-
UYS8cuhK1U48_GWqE3PH-Bs/edit#gid=0

What’s Happening @ CCBUCC This Week
   Bold indicates CCB and/or UCC related event. Regular font indicates outside usage.

Sunday             9:00 AM       Choir Practice (S)
1/8/23             9:45 AM       Nursery
                  10:00 AM       Worship w/Communion (S and/or YouTube)
                  10:15 AM       Sunday School (classrooms)
                  11:00 AM       Social Hour (FH)
                  11:30 AM       Un-deck the Halls (all spaces)
                  12:30 PM       Sacred Spaces Tour (off-site)
Monday              7:00 AM      Sober Morning AA (AR)
1/9/23             12:00 PM      New Beginnings of Bloomfield Hills AA (AR & FH)
                   7:00 PM       Stephen Ministry Meeting (Zoom)
Tuesday            12:00 PM      New Beginnings of Bloomfield Hills AA (AR & FH)
1/10/23             3:00 PM      Madeleine’s French Patisserie (K & P)
                    8:00 PM      SA Northwest (AR)
Wednesday           7:00 AM      Sober Morning AA (AR)
1/11/23            10:00 AM      New Beginnings Al-Anon (AR)
                   12:00 PM      New Beginnings of Bloomfield Hills AA (AR & FH)
Thursday            9:00 AM      Birmingham Strings (FH)
1/12/23            12:00 PM      New Beginnings of Bloomfield Hills AA (AR & FH)
                    3:00 PM      Madeleine’s French Patisserie (K & P)
                   7:15 PM       Vision Circle Meeting (Zoom)
                    7:30 PM      Nan’s Group Women’s AA (AR & L)
Friday              7:00 AM      Sober Morning AA (AR)
1/13/23            10:15 AM      Yoga Class (AR)
                   12:00 PM      New Beginnings of Bloomfield Hills AA (AR & FH)
                    2:00 PM      Family Farms Cooperative (FH)
Saturday          11:00 AM       Sacred Spaces Tour (off-site)
1/14/23
Sunday             9:45 AM       Nursery
1/15/23           10:00 AM       Worship (S and/or YouTube)
                  10:15 AM       Sunday School (classrooms)
                  11:00 AM       Social Hour (FH)
                    2:30 PM      Hsu Cello Recital (S)
       The complete church calendar is on our website: www.ccbucc.org

A Just World for All

First Sunday after Epiphany                                      January 8, 2023

        Welcome to CCBUCC an “Open and Affirming” Church
We warmly welcome everyone to worship and into the full life and leadership
of the church. Whatever your background - your race, your nationality, your
physical or mental condition, your gender, your sexual orientation - whoever
you are and wherever you come from, we welcome you in love as Jesus Christ
welcomes all. Gathered by the Holy Spirit, may the comfort and challenge of
God’s presence renew and inspire us all throughout the coming week. Again,
welcome!

                            A Stephen Ministry Congregation
                             Contact a Stephen Minister Leader:
                             Dr. Paul von Oeyen 248-646-0837

THE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH OF BIRMINGHAM
1000 CRANBROOK ROAD (@ WOODWARD AVE)
BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MICHIGAN 48304-2725

                                                   PHONE: 248-646-4511
                                               EMAIL: ccbinfo@ccbucc.org
                                           CCB WEBSITE: www.ccbucc.org
                           MICHIGAN CONFERENCE WEBSITE: www.michucc.org
                                   DENOMINATIONAL WEBSITE: www.ucc.org

CHURCH LEADERSHIP & STAFF
Ministers - The Congregation                            Rev. Ralph Brown, Bridge Pastor
Dr. Carmel Tinnes, Director of Christian Education       Dr. Joe Bentley, Choral Director
Dr. Yalan Piao, Accompanist               Daniel Jaros, Media & Communications Specialist
Beth Prevost, Church Administrator       Office Hours: Monday - Friday, 9:00 AM - 3:30 PM