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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 preach in the chapel as well. We hope you can join us!
Princeton University Chapel, February 12, 2023 – 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: Partita on “Detroit” by David Hurd (b. 1950)
Welcome and Announcements by Dean Boden
*Hymn No. 67, Let Me Enter God’s Own Dwelling
*Call to Worship by Becky Schad
*Invocation
Reading: Deuteronomy 30:15-20
See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. If you obey the commandments of God that I am commanding you today, by loving God, walking in God’s ways, and observing God’s commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess. But if your heart turns away and you do not hear, but are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall perish; you shall not live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, loving God, obeying God, and holding fast to God; for that means life to you and length of days, so that you may live in the land that God swore to give to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
Anthem: O Ye that Love the Lord by Samuel Coleridge Taylor (1875-1912)
O ye that love the Lord, see that ye hate the thing which is evil: the Lord preserveth the souls of His saints; He shall deliver them from the hand of the ungodly.
Psalm 97:10
Reading: Matthew 5:21-37
“You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire. So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.”
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell. It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”
“Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to God.’ But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is God’s footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great Sovereign. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.”
Sermon: “Heart Trouble” by Dean Thames
*Hymn No. 493: O Jesus, I Have Promised
Prayers of the People by Natalie Harvey. 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, 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, arr. Nolan Williams, Jr. (b. 1969)
“I will do a new thing in you; Whatever you ask for, whatever you pray for, nothing shall be denied,” saith the Lord.
*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: Lord, Make Me an Instrument by M. Roger Holland, II
Text attributed to St. Francis of Assisi
*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 - to be said by all: 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. 43, Love Divine, All Loves Excelling, Beecher
*Benediction
Voluntary: Variations on “Laßt uns erfreuen” by Denis Bédard (b. 1950)
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; Dr. Nicole Aldrich, Director of Chapel Music; Eric Plutz, University Organist; Elizabeth Powers, Chapel Administrator; Natalie Harvey and Becky Schad, Seminary Interns; 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. If you are interested in making a contribution toward Sunday flowers in the chapel as a memorial please contact Liz Powers for details at 258-3048.
Every Sunday of every month the congregation is invited to bring non-perishable food items to be donated to Arm in Arm. The offering this morning will go to Womanspace, Inc., a nonprofit agency providing an array of services to women in crisis in the Mercer County, New Jersey area.
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 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 composers: Samuel Coleridge-Taylor was a British composer whose father was a native of Sierra Leone and a descendent of freed slaves from the United States. At age 15, Coleridge-Taylor entered the Royal College of Music, where he studied composition with Charles Villiers Stanford. Coleridge-Taylor was greatly influenced by several Americans he met in his travels: the poet Paul Laurence Dunbar, the Fisk Jubilee Singers, W.E.B. Du Bois, and Frederick Douglass, among others. Especially after meeting Dunbar, he became more interested in his African heritage, leading to works such as the African Romances, the African Suite, and Toussaint l’ouverture. His best-known work is the cantata Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast, based on the epic poem The Song of Hiawatha by Longfellow.
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.
M. Roger Holland is a Teaching Assistant Professor in music and religion at the University of Denver, where he also directs the university’s Spirituals Project. He serves as Liturgical Music Consultant for the Archdiocese of New York Office of Black Ministry, and he also works as editor of the In Spirit and Truth music series published by GIA Publications, which reflects the aesthetic of Black Catholic worship. A conductor, pianist, and singer as well as a composer and lecturer, Holland holds music degrees from Westminster Choir College and the Manhattan School of Music along with a Master of Divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary.
All week—Chapel Choir auditions. All members of the campus community--faculty, staff, undergrad and grad students, and their families and friends--are welcome to join us. Auditions continue through February. Visit www.princetonchapelchoir.com/audition to learn more and to schedule an appointment. Contact director Nicole Aldrich with any questions ([email protected] or 609-258-3654).
Calendar:
Today, February 12, 2023: 1:30 p.m. Hallelujah Church @ Princeton, Murray-Dodge Hall, Room 104 — A service of exciting worship, inspiring music, and a place of grace where love, hope and faith come alive.
Wednesday, February 15, 2023: 12:00 noon—Hour of Power, Murray-Dodge Hall 104—an interdenominational weekly Christian service of praise, prayer, music, and proclamation.
8:00 p.m. —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 16, 2023—12:30 p.m.—After Noon Concert Series—The concerts are free and all are invited. The performer will be Theodore Davis, St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church, Baltimore, Maryland.
Sunday, February 19, 2023—11:00 a.m. University Chapel Service. The preacher will be Rev. Dr. Kenyatta Gilbert. A lunch with the preacher will be held in the sanctuary immediately following the service.