Sunday Worship Service
SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICE
Sunday, 11am, Princeton University Chapel
Join us for worship in the University Chapel with preacher Rev. Alison L. Boden, Ph.D., Dean of Religious Life and of the Chapel at Princeton University. With guest musicians Karen Christianson GS, organist and Laura Dwyer, flute.
*All persons, including members of the broader community, are welcome to attend this event if they are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 if over age 12. Face coverings must be worn at all times by everyone over age 2. Registration is required for contact tracing purposes.
Register in advance through this link
The bulletin for this service is below.
Princeton University Chapel, The First Sunday After the Epiphany, January 9, 2022
You are invited to rise, in body or spirit, for those parts of the service marked with an asterisk (*)
Invitatory: Andante espressivo from Grand Sonata in E-flat, Op. 22 by Dudley Buck (1839-1909); Schmücke dich, o liebe Seele, BWV 654 byJohann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) with Karen Christianson GS, organist
Welcome and Announcements: Dean Boden
*Hymn No. 51: Oh Sing a Song of Bethlehem (Kingsfold)
*Call to Worship: Dean Thames
*Invocation
Reading: Isaiah 43:1-7 - But now thus says God, who created you, O Jacob, who formed you, O Israel: do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you. Because you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you, I give people in return for you, nations in exchange for your life. Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you; I will say to the north, ‘Give them up’, and to the south, ‘Do not withhold; bring my sons from far away and my daughters from the end of the earth - everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.’
Solo: Suite Antique (Aria) by John Rutter (b. 1945) with Laura Dwyer, flute
Reading: Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 - As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, “I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
Sermon: “Through Water and Fire” by Dean Boden
*Hymn No. 167: Mark How the Lamb of God’s Self-Offering (Rendez À Dieu)
Prayers of the People
(If there are prayer requests that you would like to share, please raise your hand.)
After each petition:
One: God of love and mercy,
All: Hear our prayer.
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 trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
Musical response: Sonata in E flat Major (Siciliano) by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) with Laura Dwyer, flute
*Exchange of the Peace
One: The peace of God be always with you.
All: And also with you.
(The people may exchange the peace with one another.)
Offertory Sentence
Music at the Offering: Ashokan Farewell by Jay Ungar (b. 1946) with Laura Dwyer, flute
*Doxology: (Sung to the tune of hymn no. 27) Lasst uns erfreuen Praise God from whom all blessings flow, praise God all creatures here below, alleluia, alleluia. Praise God above ye heavenly hosts, Creator, Christ, and Holy Ghost, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
*Prayer for Princeton: O Eternal God, the source of life and light for all peoples, we pray you would endow this University with your grace and wisdom: give inspiration and understanding to those who teach and to those who learn; grant vision to its trustees and administrators; to all who work here and to all who bear her name give your guiding Spirit of sacrificial courage and loving service. Amen.
*Hymn No. 287: Come, Teach Us, Spirit of Our God (Murray)
*Benediction
Voluntary: Te Deum Laudamus (Fantasia), Op. 116 by Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924) with Karen Christianson GS, organist
Guest Organist Karen Electra Christianson is the Arthur Mendel PhD Fellow in Musicology at Princeton University, with a research focus in music cognition. Her approach to music cognition is informed by her background as both a musician and a scientist, having formally trained in organ performance, musicology, and biology. As a concert organist, Karen has performed at prestigious venues in North America and Europe, including the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City, Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, Metropolitan United Church in Toronto, the Salzburg Cathedral in Austria, and the Munich Cathedral (Frauenkirche) in Germany. Karen has performed extensively in England, including at Durham Cathedral, Gloucester Cathedral, Coventry Cathedral, Norwich Cathedral, Ely Cathedral, Westminster Cathedral, and twice at Westminster Abbey, where she gave her London debut in 2013 at age 17. She has also been featured in regional and national radio broadcasts in the USA, including "From the Top" on National Public Radio. Karen completed her undergraduate degree in molecular biology and music at Harvard College, where she served as President of the Harvard Organ Society for three years. She was awarded the Frank Knox Memorial Fellowship from Harvard to complete her Master’s degree in Music at Durham University (UK), where she served as Organ Scholar for Hatfield and St. Chad’s College Chapels. Before starting at Princeton in the fall, she worked for two years as a computational biologist at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard researching cellular signaling in cancer and neural cell models.
University Chapel Staff: The Rev. Alison L. Boden, Ph.D., Dean of Religious Life and of the Chapel; The Rev. Dr. Theresa S. Thames, Associate Dean of Religious Life and of the Chapel; Nicole Aldrich, Director of Chapel Music and of the Chapel Choir; Eric Plutz, University Organist; Elizabeth Powers, Chapel Administrator; Otis Byrd, Jr. Seminary Intern; Edgar Gomez, Sexton; Lisa McGurr, Sexton
The University Chapel is a welcoming community of faith. We gather to sing God's praises, to hear God's living Word, to seek justice, and to proclaim God's love for all people. Every Sunday of every month the congregation is invited to bring non-perishable food items to be donated to Arm in Arm. If you are interested in making a contribution toward Sunday flowers in the chapel as a memorial please contact Liz Powers for details at 609-258-3048. The offering this morning will go to the Southern Poverty Law Center. The Southern Poverty Law Center is a nonprofit organization that combats hate, intolerance and discrimination through education and litigation. The Center also sponsors the Civil Rights memorial, which celebrates the memory of those who died during the Civil Rights Movement.
Calendar: Sunday, January 16, 2022, 11:00 a.m., University Chapel Service. Martin Luther King Service of Recommitment. The preacher will be Rev. Michael A. Waldron, Jr.
For additional information please visit chapel.princeton.edu or call 609-258 3047
January Preaching Schedule
January 9 - Rev. Alison L. Boden, Ph.D., Dean of Religious Life and of the Chapel at Princeton University.
January 16 - Michael A. Walrond Jr., Senior Pastor of First Corinthian Baptist Church (FCBC) in Harlem, New York - MLK, Jr. Service of Recommitment
Janaury 23 - Rev. Dr. Theresa S. Thames, Associate Dean of Religious Life and of the Chapel at Princeton University.
January 30 - Rev. Alison L. Boden, Ph.D., Dean of Religious Life and of the Chapel at Princeton University.
