gasping round-eyed in the light.

Quote for Reflection:

Though we cannot think alike, may we not love alike?

May we not be of one heart, though we are not of one
opinion? Without all doubt we may. Herein all the
children of God may unite, notwithstanding these small
differences. These remaining as they are, they may
forward one another in love and good works .... I dare not
presume to impose my mode of worship on any other.
John Wesley

-We Gather as Gods PeopleHYMN

Gather Us In

2236

CALL TO WORSHIP
based on Psalm 27
The Lord is our light and our salvation
Whom shall we fear?
The Lord is our light;
We refuse to walk in darkness.
The Lord is our salvation;
We refuse to walk in fear.
When pestilence stalks the land, when jobs are scarce,
When the sound of war drums come too close for comfort,
We refuse to walk in darkness; we refuse to walk in fear!
The Lord is our light and our salvation
Whom shall we fear?
HYMN

The Summons

2130

PASSING THE PEACE

YOUNG PEOPLES MESSAGE
TAIZ

Nothing Can Trouble

2054

OPENING TO GOD
Garnaas-Holmes
Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.
Matthew 4.18-20

We already know how to weave a net,

strands whose meaning is in each other.
We know how to fling away what is in our hands,
let it fall and disappear, how to trust the unseen,
reach into depths, receive from below.
We've seen what it is to be raised up,
hauled into a higher world beyond our life,

We've already answered, already gone.

Still, unseen shoals of fish move through the deep.
A silvery listening happens beneath us,
flashes briefly, recedes.
There is always the voice calling us on,
and the One within, calling,
the One who throws himself into the deep,
calling us to sail on an even more invisible wind,
to let go and to go,
to be led, to be lured:
not farther, but closer, deeper,
to let ourselves be woven and flung.
Even in this day's dreary average
there is always the voice, calling us to follow.

-We Listen for Gods WordEPISTLE LESSON

1 Corinthians 1:10-18
I have a serious concern to bring up with you, my friends,
using the authority of Jesus, our Master. I'll put it as urgently
as I can: You must get along with each other. You must learn
to be considerate of one another, cultivating a life in common.
I bring this up because some from Chloe's family brought a
most disturbing report to my attentionthat you're fighting
among yourselves! I'll tell you exactly what I was told: You're
all picking sides, going around saying, "I'm on Paul's side," or
"I'm for Apollos," or "Peter is my man," or "I'm in the
Messiah group."
I ask you, "Has the Messiah been chopped up in little pieces
so we can each have a relic all our own? Was Paul crucified
for you? Was a single one of you baptized in Paul's name . . .
God didn't send me out to collect a following for myself, but
to preach the Message of what he has done, collecting a
following for him. And he didn't send me to do it with a lot of
fancy rhetoric of my own, lest the powerful action at the
centerChrist on the Crossbe trivialized into mere words.
The Message that points to Christ on the Cross seems like
sheer silliness to those hellbent on destruction, but for those
on the way of salvation it makes perfect sense.
(The Message paraphrase)

GOSPEL LESSON
Matthew 4:12-23
Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he
withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and made his home in
Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and
Naphtali, so that what had been spoken through the prophet
Isaiah might be fulfilled:
Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali,
on the road by the sea, across the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles
the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light,
and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death
light has dawned.
From that time Jesus began to proclaim, Repent, for the
kingdom of heaven has come near.
As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers,
Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a
net into the seafor they were fishermen. And he said to
them, Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.
Immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went
from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee
and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee,
mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left
the boat and their father, and followed him.
Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues
and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing
every disease and every sickness among the people.

-We Respond to Gods WordREFLECTION

HYMN

Pony

Lord, You Have Come to the Lakeshore

344

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE & THE LORDS PRAYER

SHARING OF GIFTS & DOXOLOGY

-We Scatter to ServeANNOUNCEMENTS

BENEDICTION

Birthdays & Anniversaries

January 24 - Audra Drury

Essex Eats Out Schedule

Jan 27 - EUMC
Feb 3 - 1st Congregational
Feb 10 - Holy Family Feb 17 - St. James
Feb 24 - EUMC

Announcements

The Essex/Jericho/Underhill Food Shelf is in need of Vegetables (no

green beans please though!), Soup, Peanut Butter, Tuna, Mac &
Cheese, Baked Beans.

Calendar

Mon, 23 Jan: Monday Companions at Eves 7:00 pm.

Discuss ch. 1-13 of Confessions of X by Suzanne Wolfe.
Tue, 24 Jan: Office Hours
Phoenix Books: 10:00 to noon
Church: noon-1:30 pm
Mansfield Bible Study 2:00 pm
Thu, 28 Jan: Thursday Companions in Parlor, 2:00 pm.
Discuss Paul Was Not a Christian by Pamela Eisenbaum
Fri, 27 Jan: WOWW luncheon - 11:30 AM at Erica's in Fairfax.
If you wish to carpool, call Vickie at 879-7515.
Essex Eats Out at EUMC 5:30 pm. Free Health
Screenings available!
Sat, 28 Jan: Cabin Fever Potluck & Game Night, 6 pm
1 Feb-3 Feb: Mitchell will be at Board of Ordained Ministry interviews
Sat, 4 Feb: Coptic Orthodox Worship at Dormition Church, 8:30 am
Memorial Service for Helen Downey. 11:00 am.
Sun, 12 Feb: All-Church Meeting after worship
Mon, 6 Feb: Monday Companions at Eves 7:00 pm.
Discuss ch. 14-26 Confessions of X by Suzanne Wolfe.
Wed, 8 Feb: Green Mountain Nursing Home Service 2:30 pm.
Thu, 16 Feb: Food Shelf Set Up, 6:30 pm GSLC
Sat, 18 Feb: Food Shelf Distribution 9:30 am GSLC

We take prayer seriously at Essex United Methodist Church.

We dont pray because we think God is absent and needs cajoling.

We dont pray because we think God is a celestial Santa Claus.

We pray because that is how humans begin to discern Gods will.
We pray because prayer changes us; prayer opens us up
more and more to Gods grace and the movement
of Gods Spirit in our hearts, our community, our world.

Below are people, places, & concerns that folk have lifted up.
Please keep them in your prayers at home.

Fishing for Folk

Please call or email the church office to add to the prayer list.

Ongoing Prayers
Brooks Family
Michael Parker
Jill & Doug Griffin
Stan Komecki
Jenna Roy
Paul
Robin
Jaylene
D.J.
Chris
Anne
John Bartlett
Judy & Diezela
Matthew C.
Brenda
Tim
Lenore
Ralph & LeeAnn
Arlitha
Donna Douglas
Callie
Keenan

Lifted Up Last Sunday

Paula - concerns
Donna - Larrys sister, Gert
Donna - Kirk
Donna - Jason
Donna - surgery this week
Nancy - friends with adult children
who have addictions
Kathryn - mother-in-law, Janice,
aging
Kathryn - sister-in-law & family,
struggling with loss of Bob
Kathryn - kids returning this week
to college
Healing for Judy McD. & Wendy W
Stricklands, strength & healing
Healing for Donna H.

Essex Center United Methodist Church

essex_umc@comcast.net
tel. 878-8304
www.essexumc.com
Ministers: the entire congregation
Lay Leader: Joshua Knox
Equipping Pastor: Rev. V. Mitchell Hay
cell tel. 881-3268 (feel free to call)
mitchellhay@comcast.net
Office Manager: Heidi Evans
Organ: Kathryn Parker
Piano: June Packard
Guitar: Richard Randazzo
Song Leader: Dana Thomas
Projection: Sam Evans
Greeters - Ron & Linda Deming
Ushers - Chuck & Jeremy LaClair, Jody Heffernan

Essex Center
United Methodist Church
Third Sunday after Epiphany 2017