Sunday Worship Service
SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICE
Sunday, 11am, Princeton University Chapel
Join us each Sunday for worship in the University Chapel, led by the dean and the associate dean of religious life and of the chapel, that draws students, faculty, staff, and townspeople together to hear God’s word, to sing God’s praise, to lift up the University in prayer. Each season, marvelous guest preachers are invited to preachin the chapel as well. We hope you can join us!
*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. Registration is required for contact tracing purposes. Face coverings are optional in most University spaces, with some exceptions. Details may be found here.
Register in advance through this link
Princeton University Chapel – May 15, 2022 – Fifth Sunday of Easter
*You are invited to rise, in body or spirit, for those parts of the service marked with an asterisk.
Invitatory - Prelude and Fugue in G, BWV 541 by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750); There is a Balm in Gilead and Steal Away arranged by Gilbert Martin (b. 1941)
Welcome and Announcements - Dean Thames
*Hymn No. 17 - To You, O God, All Creatures Sing (Lasst uns erfreuen)
*Call to Worship - Dean Boden
*Invocation
Reading - Psalm 148
One - Praise God! Praise God from the heavens; praise God in the heights! Praise God, all the angels; praise God, the host!
All - Praise God, sun and moon; praise God, all you shining stars! Praise God, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens!
One - Let them praise the name of God, who commanded and they were created. God established them forever and ever; God fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed.
All - Praise God from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps, fire and hail, snow and frost, stormy wind fulfilling God’s command!
One - Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars! Wild animals and all cattle, creeping things and flying birds!
All - Sovereigns of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth! Young men and women alike, old and young together!
One - Let them praise the name of God, whose name alone is exalted; God’s glory is above earth and heaven.
All - God has raised up a horn for the people, praise for all the faithful, for the people of Israel who are close to The Holy One. Praise God!
Anthem - I Will Arise (Restoration) arranged by Alice Parker and Robert Shaw - I will arise and go to Jesus, He will embrace me in His arms. In the arms of my dear Saviour, Oh! there are ten thousand charms. Teach me some melodious sonnet sung by flaming tongues above, praise the mount, I’m fixed upon it. Mount of Thy redeeming love. come, thou fount of ev’ry blessing, tune my heart to sing Thy grace. Streams of mercy never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise. - Joseph Hart, Robert Robinson
Reading - Acts 11:1-18 - Now the apostles and the believers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also accepted the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him, saying, “Why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?” Then Peter began to explain it to them, step by step, saying, “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. There was something like a large sheet coming down from heaven, being lowered by its four corners; and it came close to me. As I looked at it closely I saw four-footed animals, beasts of prey, reptiles, and birds of the air. I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat.’ But I replied, ‘By no means, Lord; for nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ But a second time the voice answered from heaven, ‘What God has made clean, you must not call profane.’ This happened three times; then everything was pulled up again to heaven. At that very moment three men, sent to me from Caesarea, arrived at the house where we were. The Spirit told me to go with them and not to make a distinction between them and us. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house. He told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Joppa and bring Simon, who is called Peter; he will give you a message by which you and your entire household will be saved.’ And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as it had upon us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ If then God gave them the same gift that God gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?” When they heard this, they were silenced. And they praised God, saying, “Then God has given even to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life.”
Sermon - “Where the Wild Things Are” by Dean Thames
*Hymn No. 530 - God Our Author and Creator (Jefferson)
Prayers of the People – Dean Thames
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 - Gloria Patri et Filio (Taizé community) - Glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
*Exchange of the Peace
One - The peace of God be always with you.
All - And also with you.
Offertory Sentence
Music at the Offering - How Can I Keep from Singing? By Robert Lowry and arranged by Don Michael Dicie - My life flows on in endless song, above earth’s lamentation, I hear the real though far-off song that hails a new creation. No storm can shake my inmost calm, while to that rock I’m clinging. It sounds an echo in my heart, how can I keep from singing? What though the tempest loudly roar, I know the truth, it liveth, what though the darkness ‘round me close, songs in the night it giveth. No storm can shake my inmost calm, while to that rock I’m clinging, it sounds an echo in my heart, how can I keep from singing? The peace of Christ makes fresh my heart, a fountain ever springing, all things are mine since I am his, how can I keep from singing? No storm can shake my inmost calm while to that rock I’m clinging, since love is Lord of heav’n and earth, how can I keep from singing? - Robert Lowry
*Doxology - 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. 308 - At the Font We Start Our Journey (Westminster Abbey)
*Benediction
Voluntary - Trumpet Tune in A by David N. Johnson (1922-1987)
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 benefit LALDEF, the Latin American Legal Defense and Education Fund. Based in Trenton and serving Mercer County, LALDEF is a grassroots nonprofit organization formed to defend the civil rights of Latin Americans and facilitate their access to health care and education, as well as to advance cross-cultural understanding in the Mercer County area. In recent months, they have been very active in helping our neighbors to understand their rights regarding immigration and deportation.
Calendar of Events
- Worship Service, Sunday, May 22, 2022, 10am - The preacher will be 50th Reunion Preacher Rev. Jim Antal ’72.
All events are in the University Chapel unless otherwise stated. For more information, please visit chapel.princeton.edu or call 609-258-3047
Preaching Schedule - All services are on Sunday at 11am in the University Chapel unless otherwise noted.
April 24, 2022 – Guest preacher, Rev. Dr. Traci C. West, Professor of Christian Ethics and African American Studies at Drew University Theological School, Madison, NJ
May 1, 2022 – Rev. Alison L. Boden, Ph.D., Dean of Religious Life and of the Chapel at Princeton University
May 8, 2022 –“Student Recognition Sunday” The preacher will be Thomas Hontz ’22, the winner of the Rev. Dr. Joseph C. Williamson Student Sermon Competition.
May 15, 2022 – Rev. Dr. Theresa S. Thames, Associate Dean of Religious Life and of the Chapel at Princeton University
May 22, 2022 at 10am – Guest Preacher from the 50th Reunion Class of 1972 – Reunions Weekend. Please note this is the first Sunday of the Summer Schedule when the service begins at 10am throughout the summer months.
