The following brief song services were prepared for the Sundays after Epiphany in 1993; the topics were chosen to correspond with the Revised Common Lectionary (Year A) for that season. These song services could be used in the morning service during this portion of the church year, as part or all of a second-service hymn sing, or at any other time in Christian worship (independent from the use of the Lectionary). Selections not in your hymnal could be sung by a small group taught by rote and sung from memory, or printed in the bulletin (with proper copyright permission).
January 10,1993
Be A Servant
Isaiah 42:1-9
Psalm 29
Acts 10:34-43
Matthew 3:13-17
The prophecies of Isaiah contain several "servant songs" that prefigure Jesus' messianic ministry, which was publicly initiated at his baptism. Christ's teaching and ministry is a model for our servanthood.
"Lord, Whose Love in Humble Service" Bayly
Reading: John 13:12-16
"Jesu, Jesu, Fill Us with Your Love" Colvin
"Lord, You Give the Great Commission" Rowthorn
January 17
Be Disciples of the Lord
Isaiah 49:1-7
Psalm 40:1-11
1 Corinthians 1:1-9
John 1:29-42
In both Old and New Testaments, God calls people to service, sometimes by dramatic and sometimes by ordinary means. Jesus called his disciples "to follow me," and Paul reminds us that we are both called and equipped to be saints.
"Jesus Calls Us O'er the Tumult" Alexander
Reading: Mark 8:34-38
"I Have Decided to Follow Jesus"
[WC 576]
"Send Me, Lord"
[UMH 497]
"Forth in the Peace of Christ" Quinn
January 24
Reflect Christ's Light
Isaiah 9:1-4
Psalm 27:1,4-9
1 Corinthians 1:10-18
Matthew 4:12-23
One of the most powerful images in Scripture is Christ as the light of the world. It is Christ who brings light to a darkened world, who provides salvation by the power of his cross, and who calls us to walk in the light of the Word.
"Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Skies" Wesley
Reading: John 1:1-4
"Christ Is the World's True Light" Briggs
"I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light"
[UMH 206,WC 539]
January 31
Be Holy!
Micah 6:1-8
Psalm 15
1 Corinthians 1:18-31
Matthew 5:1-12
Scripture calls us to be holy, to live lives of righteousness toward God and our neighbor. The biblical wisdom theme of "God's blessing on the way of the righteous" is summarized by Christ in the Beatitudes.
"Lord, I Want to Be a Christian" Afro-American Spiritual
Reading: 1 Peter 1:13-16
"Create in Me a Clean Heart"
[Maranatha! Music chorus books, or sing same segment from Psalm 51 in your hymnal]
"Love Divine, All Loves Excelling" Wesley
February 7
To Serve Is To Be Wise
Isaiah 58: l-9a
Psalm 112
1 Corinthians 2:1-12
Matthew 5:13-20
Biblical wisdom and righteousness require compassion for "the poor, the widow, and the orphan" (including our modern refugees). That compassion needs to be expressed in words and deeds that function as powerfully as salt and light.
"What Does the Lord Require" Bayly
"Christ Is Alive! Let Christians Sing"
Reading: Matthew 25:34-40
"Servant Song"
[Scripture in Song, Book 2]
February 14
Obey God's Word
Deuteronomy 30:15-20
Psalm 119:1-8
1 Corinthians 3:1-9
Matthew 5:21-37
God's Word is the light by which Christians are to live, by which we are to experience life as a blessing. That is true for the physical laws that govern this universe as well as for God's moral law to which our obedience is crucial.
"Let All Things Now Living" Davis
Reading: 1 John 2:7-11
"How Blest Are They" Wesley (Psalm 1)
February 21
Glorify the Lord Jesus
Exodus 24:12-18
Psalm 2 or 99
2 Peter 1:16-21
Matthew 17:1-9
The Bible is filled with episodes in which divine acts and human deeds exalt our God; the Transfiguration of Christ is one striking example of such glory. But the Scriptures also call us and the whole creation to bring glory to Jesus with our everyday life.
"To God Be the Glory" Crosby
Reading: Revelation 5:11-14
"In My Life, Lord, Be Glorified"
[WC 537]
"Father, We Love You" Adkins
"All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name" Perronet and Rippon
The hymns in this service were selected from the most recent editions of the following hymnals: The Presbyterian Hymnal (PH), Psalter Hymnal (PsH), Rejoice in the Lord (RL) the Trinity Hymnal (TH), The Worshiping Church (WC), and the United Methodist Hymnal (UMH).
