A Service of Worship for
January 17, 2021

Make a career of humanity. 
Commit yourself to the noble struggle for equal rights. 
You will make a better person of yourself, 
a greater nation of your country, 
and a finer world to live in.

It is not enough to say 'We must not wage war.'
 It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it. 
We must concentrate not merely on the negative expulsion of war, 
but the positive affirmation of peace.

Martin Luther King, Jr.
Worship notes are included at the bottom of this page and in the Worship Order located at the link below.
With this link you can make a donation to Covenant through PayPal or a credit card. 
Adult Education - TODAY,  9AM
​This Sunday Ben Ball will lead us in an exercise of using our own life experience in thinking theologically.

​​Zoom link is available on the Online Gatherings page on our website: https://www.covenanthouston.org/covenant-gatherings.html
Full worship service video:
COFFEE TIME Gathering on Zoom
Today, 11AM
We will begin as a large group and discuss the elements of worship we find particularly meaningful. After that, we will transition into “rooms" for coffee time. 
​Log in details on the Online Gatherings page. 
Prelude
"Prelude in A Major" by J. S. Bach; Patrick Parker, organ. 

​Call to Worship

Opening Sentences
We face some difficult days ahead, 
but don’t let anybody tell you 
America hasn’t seen worse. 
Our foremothers and fathers faced 
far greater odds with far fewer resources. 
It’s our time now. 
Arm in arm, 
we’re moving forward together,
not one step back.

​Scripture Lesson: Mark 1:4-11

​Music
"Deep River" arranged by Donald P. Moore; The Covenant Singers, Fran Avera Conducting.

​Time for Children

Confession
Unison Confession
We must pray for peace.
but we must also use our minds as rigorously to plan
for peace as we have used them to plan for war.
We must pray with unceasing passion for racial justice,
but we must also use our minds.
And employ every resource of our bodies and souls
to bring an end to racial injustice.
We must pray unrelentingly for economic justice,
but we must also work diligently to bring into being
those social changes that make for a better distribution of wealth within our nation and in the undeveloped nations of the world.
No problem is solved when we idly wait for God
to take full responsibility.
​
​Proclamation
​Music
"MLK" words and Music: U2 arr. Bob Chilicott. The Covenant Singers; KT Tilford, tenor; Fran Avera, conducting.
​
​Prayer
Gracious God,
A prayer of thanks as we celebrate the vision and courage of Martin Luther King Jr., and the humility of John the Baptist. 

We’ve had our eyes opened and we cannot unsee the truths in front of us:
the truth of continued racial injustice in our country,
the truth of those who would claim to be Christian and love Jesus yet perpetuate lies and hatred,
the truth of what some call the “greatest healthcare system in the world” repeatedly failing hundreds of thousands of people.

The truth that this IS who we are. This IS America. 

While we struggle with these truths, we must also recognize that if we did not see them with our own eyes, we might still be blinded to them. We might still believe the falsehoods we tell ourselves to feel better, to maintain our comfortable life.

Thank you, God, for showing us the painful truth. Again.
Thank you for opening our eyes. Again.
Thank you for granting us the ability to see and be humble and courageous.
​Thank you for the examples of bravery of those who have come before us. 
These are gifts from you, but it is up to us to use them. 
Amen.
- Jodi Bash

​Invitation
​
​Prayer of Dedication
We bring our prayers for an end to white supremacy.
We bring our prayers for our nation and for our democracy.
We bring our prayers for a just and peaceful end to the mob attack that has happened in and around our capitol building.
We bring our prayers for an end to the absolute insanity of these days.
We bring our prayers for an end to the sedition.
We bring our prayers for the soul of our nation as we endure - and inflict - so much trauma.
In this season of Epiphany, may we find new light to lead us out of this chaos. Amen.    ​

Doxology

Affirmation of Faith
The Christian gospel is more than a transcendent reality, 
more than “going to heaven when I die,
to shout salvation as I fly.” 
It is also an immanent reality
—a powerful liberating presence 
among the poor right now in their midst, 
“building them up where they are torn down 
and propping them up on every leaning side.” 
The gospel is found wherever people struggle for justice, 
fighting for their right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Benediction

Postlude
"Toccata in F Major" by J. S. Bach; Patrick Parker, organ.
Worship Notes

The worship leader is KT Tilford.

The prelude is played by Patrick Parker, organ.

The Call to Worship is from In Wisdom’s Path by Jan Richardson.

The Opening Sentences are by Rev. Dr. William Barber.

“Deep River” is sung by The Covenant Singers, directed by Fran Avera from 1-22-2017.

The Unison Confession is by Martin Luther King, Jr.

“MLK” is sung by The Covenant Singers, directed by Fran Avera from 1-15-2017.

The Prayer of Dedication was adapted from Rev. Dr. Stacey Simpson Duke. 

The Affirmation of Faith is from The Cross and the Lynching Tree by James Cone.

The postlude is played by Patrick Parker, organ.

Additional Links:
Poor People’s Campaign: 14 Policy Priorities to Heal the Nation: A Moral and Economic Agenda for the First 100 Days
https://actionnetwork.org/forms/14-policy-priorities-to-heal-the-nation-a-moral-and-economic-agenda-for-the-first-100-days?source=facebook&&fbclid=IwAR17dJnBwjj57IeHJE9qU-3ejMDf5bin5OFzns0NP-_Vr3Dky66mssFOpSM

Christians Against Christian Nationalism: https://www.christiansagainstchristiannationalism.org/statement
Sunday schedule for today: 
9:00 - Adult Education with Zoom
10:00 - Worship via videos on the Worship Page
11:00 - Transition from worship to coffee time with Zoom

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