Christ Presbyterian Church

Worship Service

A Place for New Beginnings

January 14, 2024

Facebook Live: @christpc
Call and Listen: 351-888-7756
Sanctuary Parking Area: FM105.3
 Welcome to Sunday Worship Service
Second Sunday after Epiphany
January 14, 2024 10:00AM
* Please stand if you are able.

Prelude
Welcome and Announcements
One: The Peace of Christ be with You.
All: And also with You.
GATHERING AROUND THE WORD

Call to Worship
One: Before we were born, God knew us.
All: God knit us together in the womb.
One: God searches out our paths, and tracks us along our way.
All: So we praise God, for we are fearfully and wonderfully made.
One: There is nowhere we can go where God is not with us.
All: How wonderful are all God’s works! Let us worship God together.
Prayer of Adoration
God ever creating, ever loving, ever leading, You are stillness when we are
frantic; You are truth when we are perplexed. You give us freedom when
fear takes hold; You send light when we have lost our way. You are love
when we feel lonely and empty; You give us energy when we are ready to
reach out. We praise you, Creator, Christ, Spirit, for all that you are, all that
you have been, and all that you will be for us. In our worship we offer you
our love and loyalty, here and now, now and always. Amen.

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*Hymn
As with Gladness Men of Old
As with gladness men of old
did the guiding star behold;
as with joy they hailed its light,
leading onward, beaming bright;
so, most gracious Lord, may we
evermore be led to thee.
As with joyful steps they sped,
Savior, to thy lowly bed,
there to bend the knee before thee,
whom heaven and earth adore;
so may we with willing feet
ever seek thy mercy seat.
As they offered gifts most rare
at thy manger, rude and bare,
so may we with holy joy,
pure and free from sin’s alloy,
all our costliest treasures bring,
Christ, to thee, our heavenly king.
Holy Jesus, every day
keep us in the narrow way;
and when earthly things are past,
bring our ransomed souls at last
where they need no star to guide,
where no clouds thy glory hide.

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Prayer of Confession
God of mystery and mercy, You came to offer us love, but we confess we
sometimes resist in the ways we live. You came to reconcile all people,
but we often nurse grudges and fail to repair relationships. Forgive who
we have been, amend who we are, and direct who we shall be, through
Jesus Christ who reaches out to us from the manger and the cross. Amen.
Silent Confession
Assurance of Pardon
*Affirmation of Faith 1 Corinthians 13:4-13
I believe Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or
arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or
resentful; 6 it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. 7 It
bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8
Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for
tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. 9 For we
know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; 10 but when the complete
comes, the partial will come to an end. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like
a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an
adult, I put an end to childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly,
but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know
fully, even as I have been fully known. 13 And now faith, hope, and love
abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.
Special Music
God Will Provide
Solo – Susan Taylor
PROCLAIMING THE WORD

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Prayer of Illumination
Reading from the Old Testament
Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18
O Lord, you have searched me and known me. 2 You know when I sit down and
when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away. 3 You search out my path
and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. 4 Even before a word
is on my tongue, O Lord, you know it completely. 5 You hem me in, behind and
before, and lay your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is so high that I cannot attain it. 13 For it was you who formed my inward parts;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and
wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well. 15 My frame
was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in
the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes beheld my unformed substance. In your
book were written all the days that were formed for me, when none of them as
yet existed. 17 How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the
sum of them! 18 I try to count them—they are more than the sand; I come to the
end—I am still with you.
The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version (National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, 1989)

Reading from the New Testament

2 Corinthians 8:1-7
We want you to know, brothers and sisters, about the grace of God that has been
granted to the churches of Macedonia; 2 for during a severe ordeal of affliction,
their abundant joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of
generosity on their part. 3 For, as I can testify, they voluntarily gave according to
their means, and even beyond their means, 4 begging us earnestly for the
privilege of sharing in this ministry to the saints— 5 and this, not merely as we
expected; they gave themselves first to the Lord and, by the will of God, to us, 6
so that we might urge Titus that, as he had already made a beginning, so he
should also complete this generous undertaking among you. 7 Now as you excel
in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in utmost eagerness, and in our
love for you—so we want you to excel also in this generous undertaking.
The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version (National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, 1989)
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One: This is the Word of the Lord.
All: Thanks be to God!
Family Choir
Glorify Thy Name
Father, we love you,
we worship and adore you,
glorify thy name in all the earth.
Glorify thy name,
glorify thy name,
glorify thy name in all the earth.
Jesus, we love you,
we worship and adore you,
glorify thy name in all the earth.
Glorify thy name,
glorify thy name,
glorify thy name in all the earth.
Spirit, we love you,
we worship and adore you,
glorify thy name in all the earth.
Glorify thy name,
glorify thy name,
glorify thy name in all the earth.
Reading from the Gospel
John 1:43-51
The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him,
“Follow me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
45 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.” 46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of
Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47 When Jesus saw Nathanael
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coming toward him, he said of him, “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no
deceit!” 48 Nathanael asked him, “Where did you get to know me?” Jesus
answered, “I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.” 49 Nathanael
replied, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” 50 Jesus
answered, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree?
You will see greater things than these.” 51 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.”
The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version (National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, 1989)

One: This is the Gospel of the Lord.

All: Thanks be to God!
Sermon Rev. William Cowfer
“Come And See”
RESPONDING TO THE WORD
Hymn
It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
It came upon the midnight clear,
that glorious song of old,
from angels bending near the earth,
to touch their harps of gold:
“Peace on the earth, good will to all,
from heaven’s all-gracious King”:
the world in solemn stillness lay,
to hear the angels sing.
And you, beneath life’s crushing load,
whose forms are bending low,
who toil along the climbing way
with painful steps and slow,

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 look now, for glad and golden hours
come swiftly on the wing:
O, rest beside the weary road,
and hear the angels sing.
For lo, the days are hastening on,
by prophets seen of old,
when with the ever-circling years
shall come the time foretold,
when peace shall over all the earth
its ancient splendors fling,
and the whole world give back the song
which now the angels sing.
Invitation to Giving
Offertory
*Doxology
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
Prayer of Dedication
Prayers of the People
The Lord’s Prayer
GOING OUT INTO THE WORLD

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*Hymn
Joy to the World
Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her king;
let every heart prepare him room,
and heaven and nature sing,
and heaven and nature sing,
and heaven, and heaven and nature sing.
Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!
Let all their songs employ,
while fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
repeat the sounding joy,
repeat the sounding joy,
repeat, repeat the sounding joy.
He rules the world with truth and grace,
and makes the nations prove
the glories of his righteousness
and wonders of his love,
and wonders of his love,
and wonders, wonders of his love.
Benediction
Postlude

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 ANNOUNCEMENTS
**Please join us for coffee fellowship today in Parlor after worship.**
Adult Education
Rev. Jim Glenn is leading a Bible study on the book of Romans. The class is on
Tuesdays at 10:00 AM in the pantry room next to the office. Hope to see you
there.
Wednesday Night Take-Out Dinner
Take-out meals will be available for delivery or pickup at 4:45 PM on
Wednesdays. The cost per meal is $10. This week’s menu is salad, pork loin,
mashed potatoes, green beans, apple sauce, and cheesecake. If interested in
receiving a meal, please contact June Sanchez at 727-409-4199 or the church
office at 727-584-8695. The delivery area is limited.
CPC Night Out on The Town
Join us on Thursday January 18th at 5 PM for dinner at Hibachi Buffett at
410 Missouri Ave N, Largo. If interested, please contact the church office at
727-584-8695 or Chad Bender at 727-304-7577 by Monday January 15th make
a reservation.
Neighborhood Ministries
* To help support our food ministries you can make financial contribution
to the “Neighborhood Funds.”
The Neighborhood Food Program distributes bags of groceries on Wednesdays
from 5PM to 6PM. These bags provide additional food items to supplement
caring for the families in need. Food items can continue to be dropped off on
Sunday mornings and placed in the wheeled grocery cart or at the church office.
Pak-a-Snack has resumed providing food bags to students at Anona
Elementary.

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Ways to support your church in tithes and offerings
1. Online at www.largocpc.org
2. Through Vanco Mobile Faith Engagement App on
Apple or Android devices
3. Mail a gift directly to the church or drop in office mail
slot
4. Use the bill pay option through your bank
5. Scan the QR code to the right using your phone

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 Our Vision:
To know God and to make Him known.

Our Mission:
We are a community of people committed to serve Jesus Christ,
empowered by the Holy Spirit, in the love of God,
and called to make that love real.

Our Core Values:

Seeking to be like Christ
Bringing the Good News to our world
Worshiping the Living God
Teaching and learning God’s Word
Supporting and serving one another.

CHRIST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

Phone: 727-584-8695 • Fax: 727-585-1079 • 3115 Dryer Ave, Largo FL 33770
www.LargoCPC.org • email: Office.largocpc@gmail.com •
Office Hours: Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday 9 AM – 11:30 AM or by appointment.
Pastor Cowfer will be in the office on Tuesdays and most Thursdays from 9:00 AM – 12:00PM,
if you would like to reach him, please call 727-434-2768 or the church office.

Pastor Rev. William Cowfer email: Cowferwj@gmail.com

Secretary Sarah Reeves email: Office.largocpc@gmail.com
Director of Music Steven Radeck email: StevenRadeck@gmail.com
Custodian June Sanchez email: JuBug616@aol.com
All songs used by permission CCLI #863215 and streaming CPSL 139714, Expiration date 7/31/2024
FYI - Video and audio equipment are used for the livestreaming & recording of the worship service.

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