Firelands Presbyterian Church

www.firelandschurch.org
January 16, 2022
2626 East Harbor Road Port Clinton, OH 43452
419-734-6211 https://www.facebook.com/firelandschurch
Pastor Roberta Bella 513-253-6360 bobbie.bella@gmail.com
 Welcome to Firelands Church, a community of believers gathered by the Holy Spirit and committed to
serving God and growing together in Jesus Christ.
We invite all of our worshippers to stay for fellowship following the service
so that we might become better acquainted.

THE ORDER OF THE LITURGY

*Those who are able are invited to stand.

GATHERING

Prelude Spirit of God, Descend on My Heart.

Morecambe/ Hayes

Welcome and Announcements

*Call to Worship
Open hands, providing the bounty of creation:
So do we know God our Creator.
Open hands, nailed to the cross in love:
So do we know God our Savior.
Open hands, extended to us in friendship:
So do we know God's presence and Spirit.
Let us worship God with open hearts and open hands,
Holding back nothing; offering all.

*Opening Prayer
Lord, our world, our lives need a miracle. We are tired of the hurts and heartaches inflicted on so
many. We are discouraged in the face of injustice, war, poverty, and indifference. We need you to
gently stir the waters of our souls, to awaken the colors and the flavors hidden deep within us. We
need to be reminded, to recognize what you, in your extravagant love have given us, and to use
these gifts to love those around us extravagantly. We need a miracle today, Lord. Fill us with the
stuff – peace, love, patience, kindness, justice, mercy – of miracles and help us to joyfully indulge in
your wondrous work; to the glory of Christ our Lord. Amen.

*Hymn “Praise Ye the Lord, the Almighty” Hymnal #35

Call to Confession
Our God does not deal in half measures. Out of God’s fullness we receive grace upon saving grace.
Confidently, let us confess our sins against God and neighbor:
Prayer of Confession
God of goodness and grace, your Son Jesus poured out his life that we might know fullness of joy. Yet
we are hesitant to taste the new wine he offers. We live in poverty shunning his abundance. We
prefer to do things for ourselves, and trust that we know what is best. Pursuing our own desires, we
turn from you and wonder why we feel empty. Forgive us, O God, our foolish ways, our reluctance to
revel in your grace. Fill us again. May your grace spill over into our lives, so that we may gratefully
accept what you offer, obediently follow in joy, and live in celebration of Christ our Lord, to his honor
and glory. Amen.

Silent Confession

Words of Assurance
The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting. As far as heavens are above the earth, so
great is God’s love for those who fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has God
removed from us our our sin. Brothers and sisters, let us believe the good news of the gospel! In
Christ Jesus we are a forgiven people. This is God’s glory! Amen!

*Response: You Are Forgiven Hymnal #447

We are forgiven. We are forgiven.
Thanks be to God. Thanks be to God.
We are forgiven. We are forgiven.
Thanks be to God. Thanks be to God.

WORD

Prayer for Illumination

God of abundant life, nourish us by your word and fill us with your Spirit, that we may grow in faith
and love, serve in wisdom and grace, and live in joy and peace; to the glory of Christ our Lord. Amen.

First Lesson 62:1-5

For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until her vindication
shines out like the dawn, and her salvation like a burning torch. The nations shall see your
vindication, and all the kings your glory; and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of
the Lord will give. You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the
hand of your God. You shall no more be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed
Desolate; but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her, and your land Married; for the Lord delights in
you, and your land shall be married. For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your
builder marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.

Second Lesson: John 2:1-11

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus
and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus
said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what concern is that to you and to
me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Now
standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or
thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. He
said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.” So they took it. When the
steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the
servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom and said to him,
“Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become
drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.” Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of
Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God!

Sermon

Musical Interlude Silence deSilva

*Affirmation of Faith (from A Brief Statement of Faith)

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. 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 into hell. On the third day he rose
again from the dead. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father
Almighty. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. 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. Amen.

The Prayers of the Church

*Hymn “Amazing Grace, How Sweet the Sound” Hymnal #649

COMMUNION
INVITATION
Friends, this is the joyful feast of the people of God! In days to come people will travel from north
and south, and east and west, to sit together at table in the Kingdom of God.
The Kingdom: that glorious realm where love reigns, where no one is lost, nothing is broken, and
there is always room at the table.
This is the Lord’s table. Our Savior invites all those who trust in him to share in the feast which he has
prepared. Let us offer God our grateful praise.

Great Thanksgiving
Majestic and eternal God, it is truly right and our greatest joy to give you thanks and praise. With
your voice of power and love you shattered the silence of chaos as you spoke the language of
creation.
Your Word sang in the morning, and stars filled the heavens; mountains rose in glory; seas roared in
celebration; valleys and pastures grew lush with life.
Your Spirit breathed life into those shaped in your image, filling our souls with joy and grace. We
wandered from you, doubting your good love yet you never abandoned us. You sent prophets to call
us home; and when we got in over our heads in debt to sin and death, Jesus came, to redeem our
lives. Filled with your glory, he emptied himself to become one of us. Knowing the heartache of
loneliness, he became the friend of all; recognizing the power of sin and death, he followed them to
Calvary, leaving them behind in an empty grave.
Remembering all your gracious acts in Jesus Christ, we take from your creation this bread and this
wine and joyfully celebrate his dying and rising, as we await the day of his coming. With thanksgiving
we offer our very selves to you to be a living and holy sacrifice, dedicated to your service. Here at
this table of goodness and grace, pour out your Spirit, O God, upon these your gifts and upon the
children adopted into your heart, that the bread we break and the cup we bless may be the
communion of the body and blood of Christ. By your Spirit make us one with Christ and one with all
who share this feast, united in ministry in every time and place.
In the broken bits of the bread may we be made whole. In the taste of salvation's joy may we be
renewed in our calling; and when, in the mystery of your heart, it comes to pass that we are
gathered around the feast prepared for us in eternity, we will join our hands and hearts, crying with
one voice, ‘holy, holy, holy!’ all glory and honor are yours, almighty God, now and forever. Amen. †

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, the
power and the glory, forever. Amen.
Words of Institution
Our Lord Jesus, on the night of his arrest, took bread, offered thanks to God, broke it, and gave it to
his disciples, saying: “Take, eat. This is my body given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the
same way he took the cup, saying: “This cup is the new covenant sealed in my blood, shed for you for
the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this in remembrance of me.” Every time we eat
this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim the saving death of our risen Lord, until he comes again.

Communion of the People

Prayer
Gracious, generous Lord, we give you thanks, for you have gathered us at your table, called us your
beloved, and fed us your body and blood. So nourished, transform us to be your body in the world,
and fortify us with your Spirit, that we may serve you and our neighbor in faithfulness and joy, now
and forever. Amen.

SENDING

*Hymn “Immortal, Invisible God Only Wise” Hymnal #12

*Charge
Go out in joy. Walk in faith. Witness to the truth of the gospel. Be the good news. Be love in a world
of hate, grace in a world of get even. Shine a light in the darkness, and build together the kingdom
that comes.

*Benediction
May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the comfort and challenge of God the
Holy Spirit surround, sustain, and uphold us all this day and every day. Amen.

*Benediction Response See Back Page

Postlude The Spacious Firmament Haydn/Parks

† Adapted, Lectionary Liturgies, Thom Shuman
 Ministers in This Sunday’s Service
Preacher: Rev. Bobbie Bella
Reader: Dick Dietz
Musician: Susan Larcey
Greeter: Bill Umlauf
Fellowship host(s): TBD
Deacon of the Month: Dennis Walls
Ministers in Next Sunday’s Service
Preacher: Rev. Bobbie Bella
Reader: Karen Dietz
Musician: Susan Larcey
Greeter: Sally Wahlers
Fellowship host(s): TBD
Deacon of the Month: Dennis Walls

Prayer Concerns
Christopher Longaker, Chuck & Pam Coykendale, Eric Pott, John McLaughlin, Judy, Sally, Janet Miller, Tom
Heimann, Dick Dietz, and Bill Sharp.
If you have a name to add to the prayer list, please contact the office. Names remain on this list for up to one
month unless they are resubmitted.

THIS WEEK AT FIRELANDS

Today Sunday School 9:30 AM
WORSHIP 10:30 AM followed by Fellowship
Monday Office open 10:30-2:30
Tuesday Dulcimer Group 2:00-4 PM
Wednesday Office open 10:30-2:30
10:30 -noon Wednesday Bible Study (large meeting
room)
11:00 Stein Hospice Healing Hearts (conference room)
Thursday
Friday Office open 10:30-2:30
6:00 Dinner out at 1812 Restaurant
Saturday
Next Sunday School 9:30 AM
Sunday WORSHIP 10:30 AM Followed by Fellowship
The Church Office is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings 10:30-2:30 unless
otherwise noted on the calendar above and/or the calendar on the firelandschurch.org
website.

Pastor Bobbie is available in the office on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 9:30 AM -4:30
PM
 Firelands Family Dinner Out
Our first Firelands Family Dinner for 2022 will be held January 21 at 6:00 PM at 1812.Vicki Wheatly
will need to give Kevin an estimate so the cut off date is January 19 for planning purposes. A sign up
sheet is on the gathering table. Any questions please contact Vicki Wheatley at 440.227.8284.
Thanks!!!

Bad Weather Cancellation

If Ottawa County is in a level 2 or 3 on any Sunday morning this winter, Session voted that Church is
automatically canceled. No need to check for announcements on TV or Radio.

Special Request
In regards to many now viewing our facebook service, it has been brought to our attention that
Our video church service begins with the playing of the piano prelude and the video service ends after the
postlude. Those who are watching from home and those who tune in while traveling notice people moving
about the sanctuary and often hear loud talking before and after the service.
To present a reverent video atmosphere and to assist those in the Firelands sanctuary who would like to
observe a few minutes of quiet meditation before and after our worship services:
We ask that you come in and remain seated quietly while the prelude is being played.
For the same reasons, we ask that you remain seated and listen reverently as the postlude is played after the
service.
Thank You all