South Roanoke United Methodist Church

The season after the Epiphany is a season of Ordinary Time, which includes eight Sundays this year. It is ordinary in that it stands between the two great church year cycles of Advent-Christmas-Epiphany and Lent-Easter-Pentecost, and has no central theme. The first Sunday focuses on the Baptism of Christ and the last Sunday on the Transfiguration. 

BAPTISM OF THE LORD                                                          JANUARY 8, 2006 

As Christ cares, we care… We care about all people.
We care about worship… We care about learning.
We care about service… We care about You.
We are a community of Faith growing in God’s Grace.

9:00 A.M. PRAISE SERVICE
Led By Graceful Praise 

8:50 a.m.-Gathering Songs
9:00 a.m.-Greeting and Singing
Sharing of Joys and Concerns
Children’s Time
Scripture
Sermon
Prayer and Lord’s Prayer
Offering and Special Music
Congregational Reaffirmation of the Baptismal Covenant
Singing
Benediction

ORDER OF SERVICE-11:00 A.M. 

+ Indicates the people standing

ENTRANCE 

Words of Welcome, Registration of Attendance and Announcements          Bill Davidson
     (We encourage all of our worshipers to please sign the registration pad as it is passed
      along the pew; visitors are requested to also list their address. After it has been
       passed, please return it to the center aisle. If you wish to join this church by letter of
       transfer or profession of faith, please check “wish to join” on the  registration pad.)
Gathering Music                                   Adagio in E Major                                    Bridge
+The Opening Prayer 253                                                                 Baptism of the Lord
     Father in heaven, at the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan you proclaimed
      him your beloved Son and anointed him with the Holy Spirit. Grant that all who
      are baptized into his name may keep the covenant they have made, and boldly
      confess him as Lord and Savior, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and
       reigns, One God, in glory everlasting. Amen.    
+Processional Hymn  605      Wash, O God, Our Sons and Daughters       Beach Spring 

PROCLAMATION AND RESPONSE

Sharing of Joys and Concerns
     -Ross Jeffries     -Phil Leslie     -Keith Newcomb     -Steve Hamed Family
     -Mary Ragland Family     -Jack Wimmer
Children’s Time
                         (Children leave for Children’s Church. See * below)
+Psalter  761   (with response)                 Psalm 29                  Cheryl Harrison-Davidson
+The Gloria Patri  70
+Hymn  611                      Child of Blessing, Child of Promise                         Stuttgart
The Old Testament Lesson (O.T. pg 1)                                                       Genesis 1:1-5
     Pastor:   This is the Word of the Lord.
     People: Thanks be to God.
The Lesson from the Book of Acts (N.T. pg. 139)                                         Acts 19:1-7
     Pastor:   This is the Word of the Lord.
     People: Thanks be to God.
Anthem                            Praise and Thanksgiving Be to God                           Yardley
The Gospel Lesson                                                                                      Bill Davidson
     (N.T. pg. 34)                                                                                           Mark 1:4-11
     Pastor:    The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
     People:  Thanks be to God.   
Sermon                “Remember Your Baptism and Be Thankful”                Bill Davidson
Pastoral Prayer
The Lord's Prayer                                                                                   Hymnal, No. 895
     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, forever. Amen.
Offering of Tithes and Gifts to God's Work
    Offertory Prayer 
    Offertory                                  Little Prelude in G Minor                                  Taylor
+Doxology                                                                                               Hymnal, No. 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!
Congregational Reaffirmation of the Baptismal Covenant  50 

SENDING FORTH

+Hymn 347                                         Spirit Song                                          Spirit Song
+Benediction
+Postlude

+Indicates the people standing

The Altar Flowers Are Given
TO THE GLORY OF GOD
In Honor of Family Members’ January Birthdays
By the Joppich Family

THOSE SERVING TODAY:
  Ushers:   Captain-Gary E. Tegenkamp, W. R. Clemmer, Jr., Ellie Clark, Jeff Huffman,
                 J. Patrick Budd, Brett Marston 

*CHILDREN (AGES 3 through 1st GRADE), may meet the acolyte to recess to Children’s Church. Please ask your child to line up behind the acolyte who will lead all children out together. After the worship service, parents must pick up their child in the Children’s Department; children will not be allowed to leave the room until their parents arrive. 

WELCOME! We're glad to have all who have joined us for this time of worship. Especially to our guests and visitors, we welcome you to South Roanoke and to our fellowship. We invite those who have no church home to make South Roanoke your church and add your witness to ours. 

NEXT WEEK’S SERMON, Spiritual Illusion, will be based on Psalm 139 and John 1:43-51. Please read and study these texts this week.  

THE NEW FLOWER CALENDAR FOR 2006 is on the bulletin board by the church parlor. If you would like to remember or honor a loved one by placing flowers on the altar, please sign up on the calendar as soon as possible to reserve your special date. JANUARY IS COMPLETELY VACANT. WE NEED SOME PEOPLE TO SIGN UP SO WE WILL HAVE FLOWERS ON THE ALTAR EACH SUNDAY. 

MEETINGS THIS WEEK:
     12:00 p.m. today—Charge Conference
       7:00 p.m., Monday, January 9—Council on Ministries
THE STAFF-PARISH RELATIONS COMMITTEE originally scheduled for this evening has been rescheduled to Sunday, January 22 at 7:30 p.m. 

THE AFTERCARE SOCIAL CLUB will meet on Tuesday, January 10 to go shopping at WalMart. If you would like more information regarding our Social Club call bonnie dayton, 981-0237. 

DUE TO HEALTH REASONS the Hawaiian Luau for January for the Adult Fellowship Group has been postponed. Join the group on Thursday, January 19 at 12:00 noon in the Fellowship Hall to watch the comedy video, Smiling with the Saints, by “The Swann” (Dennis Swanberg). Box lunches from Heavenly Ham will be our meal. Cost is $8.00 per person. When you sign up to attend don’t forget to select your lunch choices on the form next to the signup sheet. 

DEADLINE FOR ARTICLES for the February issue of the Tower Times is January 15. Send articles to Joe Kennedy, or email to joesrumc@aol.com. Articles can be sent at any time prior to the deadline. 

THE FRIENDSHIP CIRCLE will meet on Tuesday, January 10, at 10:30 a.m. in the Wimmer Classroom. All women in the church are invited to attend. 

WE EXPRESS OUR CHRISTIAN SYMPATHY to Rhonda Hamed and family in the recent death of her husband, Steve. Also, to Mary Ragland and family in the recent death of Mary’s brother. 

SOUTH ROANOKE CHURCH-AS CHRIST CARES, WE CARE. We celebrate the generosity of God’s people for others in need through funds contributed and received above and beyond our church budget in 2005:
  Tsunami Relief                                     $  4,916.00
  2005 Lenten Offering                           $15,980.00
  Hurricane Relief                                   $  6,891.00
  Earthquake Relief                                 $  2,985.00
  Red Cross (In honor of Penny)             $  2,062.00
  2005 Advent Offering                           $  7,982.00
  2005 Advent Angel gifts                        $11,835.00
  Pastor’s Discretionary Fund assistance  $  5,245.00
  2005 Scholarship                                  $  2,000.00
  TOTAL                                               $59,896.00
Thanks be to God! 

CONGRATULATIONS TO PEARL FU! Our own Pearl Fu has been selected to receive the Local Hero award in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. presented by Community School. The selection committee at Community School was very impressed with all that Pearl has done and continues to do toward acceptance and celebration of all cultures and heritages. She will receive this honor on January 13 at Talmadge Hall on the campus of Hollins University. 

PIZZAS ARE COMING! Mark your calendars now for February 4, 2006. The Wesley Class will be making pizzas Super Bowl Weekend. Sales have already begun. See any Wesley Class member to make your purchase. 

BUILDING A STRONGER FAITH” will be the theme for study in the Wimmer Class during January. Based on “The Great House of God” by Max Lucado, it will be led by Doug Newman as follows: Jan. 8, “Where Trust Begins,” Jan. 15, “Discovering God’s Will for My Life,” Jan. 22, “Grace: Learning to Live Together,” Jan. 29, (announced later). All are invited. 

GULF MISSION TEAM INFORMATION SESSION: An information session for anyone interested in participating in hurricane recovery efforts in the Gulf Coast region will be held on Saturday, January 28, 2006, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. at Shady Grove church in Mechanicsville. More information and a registration form is available on the Conference website at vaumc.org>>Ministries>>UMVIM. 

I N    M E M O R I A M 

Steve Hamed
January 1, 2006

 ______________________________

January 8, 2006    Baptism of the Lord        Remember Your Baptism and Gen. 1:1-5; Ps. 29; Acts 19:1-7; Mk. 1:4-11           Be Thankful!  

Wind and water.  These are the images that spring from the pages of the Scriptures today as the texts for this Sunday called the Baptism of the Lord are read!  From the breath of God that creates the world out of nothingness according to the book of Genesis to the rushing Jordan in which John baptizes Jesus, the Bible recounts for us the wonderful and gracious act of God through wind and water today.  

Unfortunately images of wind and water are much too close to us just now, bringing memories of tsunami, hurricane, flood, and destruction of the past year.  We have no trouble identifying wind and water as acts of God in our more recent experience.  It’s just so much more difficult for us to imagine God using these elements in acts of wonder and grace.  So the Bible would invite you and me to take a step back today from the more recent, immediate experiences of life and hear the Word of God.  The Scripture calls us this morning to focus our attention on the act of God through wind and water called baptism.  

Wind and water—signs of the baptism Jesus brought.  Water a sign of the cleansing power of love; wind the symbol of the Holy Spirit claiming you as God’s own and transforming you into a child of God.  Baptism is the celebration of the act of God that took you in, claimed you, and secured your place in the family of God.  It is the act of God that seals your heart and fortifies your soul for all that life may bring.  That’s what we remember and that’s what we celebrate today on this day we commemorate the Baptism of our Lord.  

That’s why we United Methodists believe that baptism is not something that we do, it is something that God does.  At baptism you don’t have to do a thing but receive the love of God and be claimed as God’s child forever.  Now when you are old enough to make mature decisions for yourself the church does invite you to say “yes” to God on your own through the process and act of confirmation when you first declare your faith in Christ before the congregation.  But when the church invites you to remember your baptism the church is not asking you to remember the first time you said “yes” to God but to remember that God has already said “yes” to you.   

That’s the act of God through wind and water that the Scripture calls you to remember today:  the cleansing water of love and the sealing of your heart by the Holy Spirit.  Remember your baptism and be thankful.  You are baptized!  That means something.  That act of God has power, staying power for living life today and forever.  

We need to hear this today because so many events have occurred recently that are more often than not referred to as acts of God.  This is so close to us today that one might wonder what really does happen when God acts.  I must confess to you that I have heard a great deal lately about what God is doing.  At a mining disaster one can only imagine the tremendous challenge the clergy community faced in responding to the needs of family and friends.   I have every reason to believe the clergy on the scene there in West Virginia provided exceptional pastoral care in the most difficult of circumstances, but in the midst of that very difficult situation they were really struggling with theology.  I heard more than once from clergy on the scene that God is in control of everything, everything that happens is according to God’s divine plan, and everything works together for good to those who love God.    Then there was the suggestion that God has particular influence in the health of foreign heads of state for very definite political reasons.  It certainly raises the question as we hear the Bible today speak of acts of God through wind and water what is it, exactly, that God does.  

Brothers and sisters, you don’t have to declare that God directly causes every bad and evil thing that happens in order to believe that God is sovereign.  The Bible has no need to depict God as a cosmic puppeteer to proclaim the truth of divine providence.  Those who are baptized only need to look to the cross to understand the ultimate act of God that overcomes all evil and suffering and death.  In our baptism we are joined with our Lord’s own baptism of suffering, death, and resurrection that leads to a new victorious life.  That is the act of God that has real power.  

This morning the church will bless the water of baptism and make it again available to all here this morning who have been baptized.  As the water of baptism touches your brow and you hear the words, “Remember your baptism and be thankful” we are not baptizing you all over again, for one is baptized but once.  Nor is this moment of worship designed to be a mere memory jogger.  No, this is not merely an experience to help you remember that you once had water applied to you.  It is a sign for you that God keeps promises and never lets you go.  

There are this morning adults, young people, and children who have not yet come to the church for baptism.  Today I believe the church says at least two things to you:
     1)     God loved you long before you were born and God loves you now.  God does not
            start loving someone at their baptism.  The church would have you claim with all
            that you are God’s love for you and for your children today.
     2)   The church invites you to consider baptism as the next step in your faith journey.
            The church especially invites you to bring your children even your littlest children
             before God for baptism that the whole church might celebrate with you God’s love
             for them and join with you more fully in preparing them for that moment in their
             lives when they will say “yes” to God for themselves.  If God would lead you to
             seek baptism for yourself, for you children, or if this service today brings questions
             to your mind about what baptism is all about, I would invite you to be in touch with
             me or Rev. Cheryl.  

So when the Word of God calls up images of wind and water in the act of God today you and I for just a moment this morning are lifted above earthly and time-bound memories of natural disaster or personal loss and raised to a higher spiritual plane of hope.  When the church calls you to remember your baptism this morning, you are not invited to a moment in the distant past that may well be beyond your memory, but you are called to claim again that act of God that named you God’s own child.  When you feel the baptismal water upon your forehead and its coolness is sustained by the gentle breeze as you return to your place, may that water, may that wind help you remember and be thankful.  Remember God loves you and be thankful God named you as God’s own.  

William G. Davidson