January 5, 2025

St. Paul’s mission for January is the Marian House Kitchen. Since 1985, the Marian House Kitchen, a non-profit agency, has been serving people who are hungry in downtown Colorado Springs. Their kitchen offers hot, nutritious meals 365 days a year to anyone who comes to their doors, free of charge. Meals are specifically nutritionally balanced, because the agency recognizes that for many of the people they serve, this is their only meal of the day.
The Kitchen’s guests include struggling families, seniors on a fixed income, the working poor, veterans, people with disabilities, unsupported teens, and those who are homeless. Anyone who is hungry is welcome to share a meal and receive friendly attention from volunteers.
The Marian House Marketplace food pantry opened Feb.1, 2021, to address food instability gaps due to other providers closing. Clients can shop for essentials to provide a balanced nutritious meal plan for the month.
Marian House believes: “Food can be so much more than calories. Food can be a portal for work. Food can be family stability. Food can be health, and as it always has been at Marian House, it can be love.”
You can make monetary donations at stpaulscs.org/giving. You may also write a check to St. Paul’s UMC and add Marian House Kitchen to the memo line.
Thank you for your generosity.

Each communion Sunday thereafter we will have a basket for those who feel called to give above and beyond their pledge. This "second-mile" giving will help fund the pastor's discretionary fund, which helps meet community needs as they arise, such as gas, lodging, clothing, etc. Feel free to bring your spare cash and change to help make a change in the lives of those in need.

5:00p Youth Group at St. Paul's UMC
Monday
6:30p Jubilee Bell Rehearsal
7:00p Vocal Fusion Rehearsal
7:30p Peak Experience Barbershop Chorus

January Events

Office closed 1/1
1/11 9:00 am Undecking the Halls

Gathering

Prelude
Cynthia Hibbetts

Welcome
Rev. David Petty

Crossing the Threshold

Threshold Moment

CLM Twinkle Gordon: Our journey to Bethlehem was all about the places “on the way.” In this week after Christmas, we may feel like “whew… we did it, we’ve arrived.” But we have one more stop to consider–Persia. Why Persia? Because the “wise ones from the East” go back to their homeland… likely Persia. After we come to pay homage to the Christ Child, our life journey continues in our own home lands!

Rev. David Petty: As we approach the beginning of a new year, we often take stock of our lives and spend time in contemplation and discernment. This continuing story of the birth of Christ also involves inquiry. Three wise “seekers” came to visit the newborn Christ, guided by a new star they had noticed. On this last day of our series, we ask ourselves, what are we seeking? Where is our attention focused? What new stars may be calling to us? Will we just go back into routines of life or will we take this moment to understand more deeply how we can “return anew?”

Opening Prayer
Rev. David Petty

Leader: Holy and Living God, we pray for all who seek.
Too often, we we are seeking things that do not satisfy.
Give us wisdom to pursue what really matters as this new year approaches.
Call us to a “turning”–following your Star of Wonder.
Call us to “re-turn” toward your purposes for us.
Remind us that our longing and our waiting are wrapped in your care.
Draw us to a more simple and humble existence in which
our treasures are defined by the hope, peace, joy, and love
we feel and also give away.
We pray this in the name of your Son,
Jesus, the Christ, the Savior of Our Lives. Amen.
Let this be a marker of assurance that we are moving in a faithful direction:
God is with us every step of our way toward your Kin-dom.
Jesus has been born into our lives.
The Spirit is transforming us in this place.

*Opening Hymn
We Three Kings
v. 1,2,5 UMH #254

1. We three kings
of Orient are;
bearing gifts we
traverse afar,

field and fountain,
moor and mountain,
following yonder star.

Refrain
O star of wonder,
star of light,
star with royal beauty bright,
westward leading,
still proceeding,
guide us to thy perfect light.

2. Born a King
on Bethlehem’s plain,
gold I bring
to crown him again,

King forever,
ceasing never,
over us all to reign.

Refrain
O star of wonder,
star of light,
star with royal beauty bright,
westward leading,
still proceeding,
guide us to thy perfect light.

5. Glorious now
behold him arise;
King and God
and sacrifice:

Alleluia, Alleluia,
sounds through
the earth and skies.

Refrain
O star of wonder,
star of light,
star with royal beauty bright,
westward leading,
still proceeding,
guide us to thy perfect light.

Hymn Sing
202-250 of the hymnal

Passing of the Peace

Mystery Box

A Word of Inspiration

Scripture Reading
Matthew 2:1-12
CLM Twinkle Gordon

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, magi from the east came to Jerusalem asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star in the east and have come to pay him homage.” When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him, and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written by the prophet: ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah, for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.’”

Then Herod secretly called for the magi and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” When they had heard the king, they set out, and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen in the east, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

Prayer for Illumination

Leader: May the words of my mouth,
People: and the meditations of all of our hearts
All: be acceptable in your sight, O Lord our rock and our redeemer.
Psalm 19:14

Message
Persia: A Place of Return
Rev. David Petty

Guided Prayer, Silent Prayer, The Lord’s Prayer
CLM Twinkle Gordon

We begin our prayer time today remembering that when we need guidance the most, we can turn to God in prayer. Today we are guided by the sense that Christ is our Home.

God of Hope, we come to you today longing for your presence in our lives and with all those who suffer–in body, mind, or spirit. We pray this day for…

God of Joy, we come to you today so deeply grateful for celebrations, triumphs, and even small steps toward the lives we seek and the world we desire. We pray this day for…

Holy God of Peace and Love, we know you are near. We know that every step along the way to Bethlehem in this Advent season was a step closer to renewed life in Jesus, the Christ. We know that your Spirit resides within us, growing day by day into the fullness of the Kin-dom. In this moment, we pause in silence, marking your presence with awe and asking you to fill us and guide us along our journey into the new year.

Moments of Silence

Amen.

May we live by the prayer you taught us…
   
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.
Lead us not
into temptation
but deliver us from evil.

For Thine is the Kingdom,
and the Power
and the Glory forever.
Amen

Giving Back

Introduction to the Offering  
CLM Twinkle Gordon

Offering

Prayer of Thanksgiving  
Rev. David Petty

*Doxology
Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow
UMH #94

Praise God, from whom
all blessings flow;
Praise God, all creatures
here below:
Alleluia! Alleluia!

Praise God, the source
of all our gifts!
Praise Jesus Christ,
whose power uplifts!

Praise the Spirit,
Holy Spirit!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Communion
Rev. David Petty

Invitation
 
Whether your journeys are by choice or by necessity, each one requires a moment of pause to nourish body and spirit. We cannot move forward into new places, into new stories, without the sustenance that makes life possible. There is no way to navigate the difficulties that arise on the way without a connection to the One who gives us life. Jesus knew this when he gathered the disciples for a meal that would come to sustain a movement on its way throughout the ages.
And he offers that same meal to us now. Won’t you pause for a while at this table set for you?
 
Great Thanksgiving
 
Pastor: The God of Hope be with you.
People: And also with you.
Pastor: Lift up your hearts!
People: We lift them up to the Lord!
Pastor: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
People: It is right to give our thanks and praise.
 
Pastor: It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to give thanks to you, Almighty God, creator of heaven and earth. Especially on this road to Bethlehem, we remember that like the first breath of all things born, you formed each of us in your image and breathed into us the breath of life.  When we forget this connection of life with you, when we think we travel alone and the journey is too hard, you never leave us. You guide us and protect us every step of the way as you did with our spiritual ancestors, making the promise of presence more real than we could have imagined.
 
And so, with your people on earth and all the company of heaven, we praise your name and join their unending hymn:
 
People: Holy, holy, holy, Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.
 
Pastor: Holy are you, and blessed is your Son Jesus Christ. By your Spirit, he was born to offer hope to the poor and those poor in spirit; peace to the captive and those imprisoned by fear; joy to the despairing and those who mourn; and love to the lonely and those disparaged by the world. He was born into a world that needed to hear the good news that the time had come when you would save your people. Just as Bethlehem offered a warm place to lay his infant head, as an adult he offered healing and wholeness and hospitality to all.
By the baptism of his suffering, death, and resurrection, you gave birth to your church, delivered us from slavery to sin and death, and made with us a new covenant by water and the Spirit. When the Lord Jesus ascended, he promised to be with us always, in the power of your Word and Holy Spirit.
 
Pastor: On the night in which he gave himself up for us, he took bread, gave thanks to you, broke the bread, gave it to his disciples, and said: “Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” Friends, I invite you to a daily “journey pause” at your home tables in this season of Advent/Christmas, for it is good to pause in the midst of the hustle and bustle. At the beginning of your meal, take a breath, lift your plate, look around the table if there are others alongside you, or if not, imagine Jesus with you, and say this: “Grateful to be on the journey with you!” Will you take a look around you here … and repeat that now?

People: “Grateful to be on the journey with you!”
 
Pastor: When the supper was over, he took the cup, gave thanks to you, gave it to his disciples, and said: “Drink from this, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant, poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”  
Likewise friends, I invite you in this season at your tables, at the end of your meals, to raise your glasses, take a breath, look around the table if there are others alongside you, or if not, imagine Jesus with you, and say this, “Grateful to be on the journey with you!” Will you take a look around you here … and repeat that now?

People: “Grateful to be on the journey with you!”
 
Pastor: And so, in remembrance of your mighty acts in Jesus Christ, we offer ourselves as a holy and living sacrifice, in union with Christ’s offering for us, as we proclaim the mystery of faith.
 
People: Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again.
 
Pastor: Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here and wherever we are on our journeys of life. Pour out your Spirit on these gifts of bread and wine. Make them be for us the sustenance of Christ’s presence on the way so that we may be for the world the presence of Christ, redeemed by his love. By your Spirit make us one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world, until Christ comes in final victory and we feast at his heavenly banquet. Through your Son Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit in your holy church, all honor and glory is yours, almighty God,
now and forever.
 
People: Amen.
 
We Set Off
Guide: We have checked the signs and markers to make sure we are moving in a faithful direction. With hope, we move on towards Bethlehem, knowing that the Light of Christ shines through the night. We are not alone. The powers that would keep some down and out are not the final word. The story continues, and we will proclaim it in our lives. Hope, not fear, perseveres.

 Hymn Sing
UMH# 202-250

*Closing Hymn
Go Tell It on the Mountain
UMH #251
WORDS: John W. Works, Jr., 1907 (Lk. 2:8-20)

Refrain
Go, tell it on the mountain,
over the hills
and everywhere;
go, tell it on the mountain,
that Jesus Christ is born.

1. While shepherds kept
their watching
o’er silent flocks by night,
behold throughout
the heavens
there shown a holy light.

Refrain
Go, tell it on the mountain,
over the hills
and everywhere;
go, tell it on the mountain,
that Jesus Christ is born.

2. The shepherds
feared and trembled,
when lo! above the earth,
rang out the angel chorus
that hailed
the Savior’s birth.

Refrain
Go, tell it on the mountain,
over the hills
and everywhere;
go, tell it on the mountain,
that Jesus Christ is born.

3. Down in a lowly manger
the humble Christ was born,
and God sent us salvation
that blessed
Christmas morn.

Refrain
Go, tell it on the mountain,
over the hills
and everywhere;
go, tell it on the mountain,
that Jesus Christ is born.

*Benediction
Rev. David Petty

And now as you go forth from this place, know that all the places you encounter in the world
will contain signs and markers of God’s work among us.  So keep your senses alert, your perception wide, and your heart open to new discoveries along the way.

Postlude
Cynthia Hibbetts