Event details

SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICE

Sunday, 11am, Princeton University Chapel

Join us for Sunday Worship Service in the University Chapel with Rev. Alison L. Boden, Dean of Religious Life and of the Chapel at Princeton University. Music by the Princeton University Chapel Choir with Nicole Aldrich, Director of Chapel Music and of the University Chapel, and Eric Plutz University Organist.

*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

For those unable to attend in person, this service will be live streamed on the ORL YouTube page available through this link.

The bulletin for this service is below.

Princeton University Chapel, February 13, 2022, Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany

You are invited to rise, in body or spirit, for those parts of the service marked with an asterisk (*)

Invitatory:  Jesus Christus, unser Heiland, BWV 666;  Herr Jesu Christ, dich zu uns wend, BWV 655; Jesus Christus, unser Heiland, BWV 665 by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)

Welcome and Announcements:  Dean Thames

*Hymn No. 50:  I Sing the Praise of Love Almighty (St. Petersburg)

*Call to Worship

*Invocation

Reading:  Jeremiah 17:5-10 Thus says God: cursed are those who trust in mere mortals and make mere flesh their strength, whose hearts turn away from the Almighty.  They shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when relief comes.  They shall live in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land.  Blessed are those who trust in God, whose trust is the Almighty.  They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream.  It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit.   The heart is devious above all else; it is perverse—who can understand it?  I the Almighty test the mind and search the heart, to give to all according to their ways, according to the fruit of their doings.

Anthem:  Blessed Are the Pure in Heart by Henry Walford Davies (1869-1941)    Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see our God; the secret of the Lord is theirs, their soul is Christ’s abode.  Still to the lowly soul He doth Himself impart, and for His cradle and His throne chooseth the pure in heart.  John Keble (1792-1866)

Reading:  Luke 6:17-26    He came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon.  They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured.  And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them.  Then he looked up at his disciples and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.  “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled.  “Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.  “Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man.  Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.  “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.  “Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry.  “Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep.  “Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.

Sermon:  “Search Engine of the Heart” by Dean Boden

*Hymn No. 180:  Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit (Annika’s Dance)

Prayers of the People: Otis Byrd, Jr

(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.

Choral Response:  I Will Do a New Thing by Audrey Byrd (b. 1969) and arranged by Nolan Williams, Jr.     “I will do a new thing in you; whatever you ask for, whatever you pray for, nothing shall be denied,” saith the Lord. (Audrey Byrd)

*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:  I Would Be True by Undine Smith Moore (1904-1989)    I would be true, for there are those who trust me;I would be pure, for there are those who care; I would be strong, for there is much to suffer; I would be brave, for there is much to dare!  I would be friend of all, the foe, the friendless; I would be giving, and forget the gift; I would be humble, for I know my weakness; I would look up and laugh and love and lift!  Howard A. Walter (1833-1918)

*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. 314:  Community of Christ (Leoni)

*Benediction

Voluntary:  Gaudeamus by Sidney Campbell   (1909-1974)

Black History Month Music Series:  In February, the Chapel Choir features music by Black composers in various genres.  Our goal is to venture off the well-worn path of choral arrangements of traditional spirituals into a more complex musical world.  We recognize that Black history is far more expansive and vibrant than the centuries of slavery and oppression in the United States.  Black history is rich and varied, spans the globe over millennia, and has stories to tell of joy and liberation, not just struggle.  This month we will share some of these stories, and we recommit to our goal of including historically marginalized composers throughout the year.  About today’s featured composers:  Arranger Nolan Williams, Jr., is a multi-faceted creator who “uses his art to commemorate, educate and uplift.”  His body of work includes Grammy-nominated songwriting projects; choral/orchestral works premiered by the National Symphony and Philadelphia Orchestras; and cultural programming developed with the Smithsonian Institute, the U.S. State Department, and the Embassies of India and South Africa.  Williams’s work as a resident in Social Practice at the Kennedy Center REACH led to the creation of Stirring the Waters Across America, a multimedia concert highlighting key events of the Civil Rights movement.  Undine Smith Moore is often called the “Dean of Black Woman Composers.”  She studied piano, organ, and music theory at Fisk University, a historically Black institution, and earned a Master of Arts in Teaching at Columbia University.  While a faculty member at the Virginia State University Department of Music, she founded the university’s Black Music Center, which brought leading Black composers, lecturers, and other musicians to the college.  Many of Moore’s compositions and arrangements were written for her own students, drawing from spirituals and other songs she learned as a child.  The piece we sing today, “I Will Be True,” is an original work, a gem of simplicity and beauty unified by a two-note descending motive.

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 Princeton Nursery School.  Princeton Nursery School is a small, private, non-profit, educational childcare facility that provides for the developmental needs of children between the ages of 2 ½ and 5 years.  Founded in 1929, its mission has been to provide a positive and supportive preschool experience for families at an affordable cost.

Calendar:

Today, February 13, 2022, 1:30 p.m., Murray-Dodge Hall, Hallelujah Church @ Princeton - a service of exciting worship, inspiring music, and a place of grace where love, hope and faith come alive. 

Wednesday, February 16, 2022 , 12:00 noon, Murray-Dodge Hall, Hour of Power - an interdenominational weekly Christian service of praise, prayer, music, and proclamation. 

Wednesday, February 16, 2022, 8:00 p.m., University Chapel, Jazz Vespers - featuring the Jazz Vespers duo Audrey Welber, saxophonist/clarinetist, and Adam Faulk, pianist, and members of the chapel choir.  This is a service of music, prayer and meditation.

Thursday, February 17, 2022, 12:30 p.m., University Chapel, After Noon Concert - the performer will be Manuel Piazza, Yale University.

Friday, February 18, 2022 , 8:00 p.m., University Chapel, B A C H: The Leipzig Chorales - University Organist Eric Plutz will perform the complete Leipzig Chorale Preludes from the last decade of Bach’s life.  Reworked by the composer during his time in Leipzig (hence their title), these varied works show the master composer at the height of his powers.

Sunday, February 20, 2022, 11:00 a.m., University Chapel, Sunday Worship Service - the preacher will be Rev. John Mack.

For additional information please visit chapel.princeton.edu or call 609-258 3047.

February Preaching Schedule

Sunday, February 6, Pádraig Ó Tuama, former leader of the Corrymeela Community

Sunday, February 13, Rev. Alison L. Boden, Ph.D., Dean of Religious Life and of the Chapel at Princeton University

Sunday, February 20, John Mack '00, Ford Family Director of Athletics, Princeton University.

Sunday, Februry 27, Rev. Alison L. Boden, Ph.D., Dean of Religious Life and of the Chapel at Princeton University