Ascension –Mural on graffiti wall in Bristol, England

First Congregational Church of

Evanston
United Church of Christ
An Open and Affirming Church
Founded 1869

Sunday, May 12th 2024 | 10 o’clock in the morning

Seventh Sunday of Eastertide
 ORDER OF WORSHIP
Responses in italics may be spoken out loud.
Please rise, in body or in spirit, places marked by an asterisk (*).

Prelude Hail the Day That Sees Christ Rise Hal H. Hopson
Introit Hail the Day that sees Christ Rise Williams/Wesley
Words of Welcome
*Call to Worship
Most High God, we are witnesses to the life of Jesus Christ:260-alleluia
written in sing
260-alleluia the to.mus,
sing Law, promised
to.mus, Page11 by the
Page
prophets, sung by the psalmists; given in love for the world,260-alleluia
risen fromsing
theto.mus,
dust ofPage
death,
1 lifted up in
heavenly glory.
JESUS CHRIST:
Let our lives JESUS CHRIST:
proclaim ASCENSION
Christ's AND
life.
ASCENSION AND REIGN
Wrap us in your power and presence so we may worship
REIGN

260
260
you always,JESUS
continually blessingANDyour name; through Jesus Christ our Savior, who lives and
Alleluia! Sing
CHRIST: ASCENSION
Alleluia!
REIGN
Sing to
to Jesus
Jesus
260 jj œœ ˙˙œto œJesus
reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit
Opening Hymn b 33
Alleluia! Sing #260˙
to Jesus
œ
&b 34 ˙˙˙ œœ ˙œ .. œj œ ˙œ œ œœœ œœœ œœœ œœœ ˙œ˙œ œœ œœœœ ˙˙˙ œœœœ œ˙œ˙ œœ œœœœ
& b 4 ˙ œ ˙œ œ
Alleluia! Sing
& 4 ˙˙ œœ ˙œ . œ œœ œ œ œœ œœ œœ œœ œ œ œ ˙˙ œœ œ˙ œ œœ
1 Al - le - lu - ia! Sing to Je - sus; his the scep - ter, his the
1 Al - le - lu - ia! Sing to Je - sus; his the scep - ter, his the
2 Al - le - lu - ia! Not as or - phans are we left in sor - row
Al- -lele - - lulu - - ia!
1 23Al ia! Not toas Jeor -- phans
Sing are we scep left in his sor - row
Al - le - lu - ia! Bread of an - sus; gels, his
here the
on earth- ter,
our food, theour

j
3 Al - le - lu -
2 4AlAl- -lele- -lulu - - ia!ia! Bread
Not of an - gels, here on earth our food, our
King ase - orter- phans
- nal, are
Lord we
om -left
nip - ino - sor
tent- row

œœ œ˙œ˙.. œjœj œœœ œœ œœœ œœ

ia! we

œœ œ œœ ˙ œœ ˙˙ œœ œœ œ œœ
? b 343 ˙˙˙˙
4 Al - le -
3 Al - le - lu - ia! lu - ia! King ofe - an
Bread ter- -gels,
nal, here
Lord on
omearth
- nip our
- o - food,
tent our
we

? œœœ œ˙ . œ œœ œœœ œœœ œœœ ˙˙ œœœ ˙˙˙ œœ œœœ œœœœ œœœ

œœœ œœ œœ
4 Al - le - lu - ia! King e - ter - nal, Lord om - nip - o - tent we

? b b 434 ˙˙ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ œ
& bb ˙ . ˙ œ ˙œ . œjj œœ ˙˙œ œ œœ œ œ œ ˙œ˙ œœ ˙˙ œœ
&b ˙ . ˙˙ œœ ˙œ . œj œ ˙œ œ œ œœ œœ œœ ˙œ œœ œœœ ˙˙ œœ
& ˙ . ˙˙ œœ ˙œ . œ œœ œ œ œœ œœ œœ œœ œ œ œ ˙˙ œœ
throne; Al - le - lu - ia! his the tri - umph, his the vic - to -
throne; Al - le - lu - ia! his
now; Al - le - lu - ia! the tri - umph, his
he the vic - to -
is near us; faith be - lieves nor
now;
throne;
stay; Al
Al- --lele
Al le - -- lulu
lu - -- ia!
ia!
ia! he
his
here theis
the near
tri
sin us;
- -umph,
ful faith the
his
flee be - lieves
to nor-
vic - from
you to

jœ œ œ œ œ œ
stay;
now; Al - le - lu -
AlAl- -lele - - lulu - - ia! ia! here
he the
isof sin
near - ful
Mar - us; flee
faith to you
be - lieves from
nor

.. ˙˙ œœ œ˙. œj œ œœ œ œ œœ œœ œœ ˙˙ œœœœ ˙˙˙

œ œœ
own; ia! born y, earth your foot - stool,

˙ . ˙ œ . œj
own; Al- -lele - - lulu - - ia! ia! born of Mar- -fuly, earth your foot -from
stool,

? ˙ .
stay; Al here the sin flee to you

?b˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ œ œœ œ œ œ ˙ œœ
? b b ˙˙ .. ˙˙ œœœ œ˙ . œ œœ œ œœ œœ œœœ œœ œœœ ˙ œœ ˙˙
own; Al - le - lu - ia! born of Mar - y, earth your foot - stool,

œ
& b œ œ œœ ˙ . ˙˙œ œ œ˙œ œ œœ ˙ œ œ œœ
œ œœœ
& œ˙˙ œ œœ ˙ . ˙œ œ œœ œ˙ œ œœ œ˙œ œ œœ œœœ œœ
b
. œHark!œœ The
& b œ˙ ry œ œœ a - ˙lone! œ ˙songsœ œœof ˙œpeaceœœ - ful
œ œœ œœ
œ Zi - œœœ
on
ry a - lone!
ques - tions how. Hark!
Though The songs from
the cloud of peace - ful
sight Zi - him,
re - ceived on
ques
ryday - tions how.
ato- lone!
day. Though the
In - The
Hark! cloud
ter - songs from
ces - ofsor, sight re
friend- ful
peace -
of Zi ceived
sin him,
-- ners,
on

? b œœœ œ œ œœ œœ
day to how.
day. In
As - the
ter --cloud
ces - from
sor, friend of sin - ners,

œœ ˙˙˙.... ˙˙
heaven your throne. with in the veil you en - tered,

œ œœœ œ˙ œœ œœ ˙˙
ques - tions Though sight re - ceived him,

œœ œœ œœ œ
heaven your

œœ
throne. As with - in the veil of you sin en -- ners,
tered,

œ
day to day. In - ter - ces - sor, friend

? œ œœ ˙˙˙.. ˙ œ˙ œœ œœœ
? b b œœ œœœ œœ œ œœ œœœ
heaven your throne. As with - in the veil you en - tered,

œ œ˙ œ œœ ˙ œœ
 JESUS CHRIST: ASCENSION AND REIGN

& b ˙˙ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œ˙ . ˙ œ˙ œ œ œ˙ œ œœ
œ
thun - der like a might - y flood: “Je - sus out of
when the for - ty days were o’er, shall our hearts for -
earth’s re - deem - er, hear our plea where the songs of

˙ œ ˙ œ œ œ œœ ˙œ
? b œ˙ œ œœ œ̇ œ œ œ
robed in flesh, our great high priest; here on earth both

œ . œ
˙. J œ
œ ˙ œ ˙. ˙.

& b œœ œœ œœ œ˙ œ œ œ œœ ˙œ œ œœ œœ œœ œœ ˙˙ œœ ˙ .
ev - ery na - tion has re - deemed us by his blood.”
get his prom - ise: “I am with you ev - er - more”?
all the sin - less sweep a - cross the crys - tal sea.

œ ˙ œ ˙.
? b œ˙˙ . œ œ œ œ
priest and vic - tim in the eu - cha - ris - tic feast.

œ
œ˙ œ œ œœ œ œ˙ œ œ ˙.
œ œ œ œ œ ˙ œ

*Responsive Prayer of Confession

When Jesus ascended, the disciples looked up into the heavens and wondered what
came next. Let us be lifted up as we seek to be faithful even if imperfect witnesses to
God’s glory and Christ’s mission. Let us read responsively.
God of heights, lift us up;
We are crawling in the mire of everyday routine.
God of the heavens, lift us up;
We are overwhelmed with the attention required by the things of this earth.
God of the stars, lift us up;
We cannot see past the clouds of “truth” that some would have us believe.
God of the sun, lift us up;
We are dazzled by the false jewels of society.
God of the moon, lift us up;
We are taxed by other’s demands for us to shine for them.
God of the universe, lift us up;
We want to stretch and breathe and see and be awe-struck. God of heights, lift
us up.
*Words of Grace and Mercy
From generation to generation, God’s love overcomes human sinfulness. God is
committed to fresh starts and new creations. This is good news!
In Jesus Christ we are forgiven!
*Prayer Response
(Hymn 327, stanza 3)
Eternal are thy mercies, Lord; eternal truth attends thy word:
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Thy praise shall sound from shore to shore,
till suns shall rise and set no more.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
First Scripture Luke 24: 44-53
*Greeting of Peace
Announcements
Anthem Now Let Us All Praise God and Sing Gordon Young

Now let us all praise God and sing our great Redeemer's praise; that we may
all with one accord our joyful voices raise. Sing alleluia! All ye servants of the
Lord, praise Him forever, sing Jehovah's mighty power, praise Him forever.
Sing of His righteousness, praise Him forever. So let us all praise God and
sing our great Redeemer's praise; that we may all with on accord our joyful
voices raise. Sing alleluia!
(Gordon Young)
686-god of our.mus, Page 1
Sermon Scripture Acts 1: 1-11
CELEBRATING TIME
Sermon “God of All Generations”Rev. Wayne MacPherson
*Hymn God ofGod of Our
Our Life #686 Life 686
& b 44 ˙˙ œœ œœ ˙˙ .. œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ ˙˙ .. œ ˙˙ ˙˙ ww
œ
1 God of our life, through all the cir - cling years, we trust in thee.
2 God of the past, our times are in thy hand. With us a - bide.

˙. œœ œ ˙˙ .. œœ ˙ ˙ ww
? 4 ˙˙ œœ œœ ˙ . œœ œœ œ
3 God of the com - ing years, through paths un - known we fol - low thee.

b4 œ œ ˙ ˙

& b ˙˙ œœ œœ ˙˙ .. œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ # ˙˙ .. œ ˙˙ ˙˙ ww
œ
In all the past, through all our hopes and fears, thy hand we see.
Lead us by faith to hope’s true prom - ised land. Be thou our guide.

˙.
? ˙˙ œœ œœ ˙ . œœ œ œ œ ˙
˙˙ . œœ ˙ ˙˙ ww
When we are strong, Lord, leave us not a - lone. Our ref - uge be.

b œ œ œ œœ .

& b ˙˙ œœ œœ ˙œ œ ˙˙ œ œœ œœ œœ ˙˙ ..
œ
With each new day, when morn - ing lifts the veil,
 ˙.
? ˙˙ œœ œœ ˙ . œœ œ
œ
œ œ
œ œ œœ
˙
˙˙ . œœ ˙ ˙˙ ww
b .

& b ˙˙ œœ œœ ˙œ œ ˙˙ œ œœ œœ œœ ˙˙ ..
œ
With each new day, when morn - ing lifts the veil,
With thee to bless, the dark - ness shines as light,

˙˙ ˙˙ ..
? ˙ œœ œœ ˙œ œ œœ œœ œœ œ
Be thou for us in life our dai - ly bread,

b œ

˙
& b œœ ˙ ˙˙ ˙˙ .. œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ ww
we own thy mer - cies, Lord, which nev - er fail.
and faith’s fair vi - sion chang - es in - to sight.

œ ˙˙ ˙ œ œ
˙ œ œ ˙œ œ œ œ
our heart’s true home when all our years have sped.

? œ œ œ
ww
b œ œ
Invitation to Offering O All Ye People, Clap Your Hands Tom Tremain
This text was created for the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Shadyside Presbyterian Church in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, by its pastor. He wrote these words especially for this tune, originally composed
for John Henry Newman’s text “Lead, Kindly Light.”
ed. Carl Johnegen
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
O all ye people,
TEXT: clap
Hugh Thomson Kerr,your
1916, alt.hands, and with triumphant voices sing: no force the
MUSIC: Charles Henry Purday, 1860; harm. John Weaver, 1986
mighty
SANDON
10.4.10.4.10.10
powerText
withstands of God,
© 1928 F. M. Braselman, thePresbyterian
ren. 1956 universal BoardKing. He
of Christian shall opposing nations quell, and with
Education
(admin. Westminster John Knox Press)
success our
Music battles
Harm. fight;
© 1990 Hope shall
Publishing fix the place where we must dwell, the pride of Jacob, his
Company

delight. God is gone up, our Lord and King, with shouts of joy and trumpet's sound: to him
repeated praise sing, and let the cheerful song go round. (Tate &
Brady from the psalms of David, 1696)
6/4/13
*Doxology
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Christ, all people here below;
Praise Holy Spirit evermore;
One God, Triune whom we adore. Amen.
*Prayer of Dedication
We dedicate these gifts, our lives, and all that we have to the work of life, of
love, of peace, and of justice. Receive our gifts and lead us in wisdom and
courage. Amen.
Prayers of the People - Pastoral Prayer - Silent Prayer
Prayer of Our Savior
Our Creator, 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 debts as we forgive our debtors. 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.
 JESUS CHRIST: ASCENSION AND REIGN

265 Jesus Shall Reign Where’er the Sun

## 2
*Closing Hymn Jesus Shall Reign Where’er the Sun #265

& 2 ˙ œœ œœ ˙˙ œœ œœ ˙˙ œœ œœ ww ˙˙ œœ œœ
1 Je - sus shall reign wher - e’er the sun does its suc -
2 To him shall end - less prayer be made, and prais - es
3 Peo - ple and realms of ev - ery tongue dwell on his
4 Bless - ings a - bound wher - e’er he reigns: the pris - oners

? # # 22 ˙˙ œœ œœ ˙˙ ˙œ œ ˙˙ œ˙ # œ w ˙˙ œœ œœ
5 Let ev - ery crea - ture rise and bring hon - ors pe -

## œ
& ˙ ˙œ ˙ œ ˙˙ ww ˙˙ œœ œœ œ œœ œ˙
˙ œ œ œ
ces - sive jour - neys run; his king - dom stretch from
throng to crown his head; his name, like sweet per -
love with sweet - est song, and in - fant voic - es
leap to loose their chains; the wea - ry find e -

œœ œ œ˙ œ œ˙ œ
cu - liar to our King; an - gels de - scend with

? ## ˙ œ˙ œ ˙˙ ˙˙ w ˙˙
w œ

## œ ˙œ .
& œ œ œ œ w ˙˙ œ œ . œJ œ œœ ˙˙ ˙˙
˙ œ œ w œ ww
shore to shore, till moons shall wax and wane no more.
fume, shall rise with ev - ery morn - ing sac - ri - fice.
shall pro - claim their ear - ly bless - ings on his name.
ter - nal rest, and all who suf - fer want are blest.

œœ œœ .. œœ œœ œœ ˙ ˙
songs a - gain, and earth re - peat the loud A - men!

? # # œ œœ ˙œ œ w ˙˙ œ ww
w J ˙

*Benediction and Blessing

Choral Response The Grace Richard

Shephard turning their messianic language to New
This hymn is a classic example of how Isaac Watts Christianized the Psalms, in this case Psalm 72:5–19, by
Testament equivalents. The tune was at first nameless and
anonymous, but is now called by the address of the supposed composer.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Postlude Crown with Your Richest Crownsarr. Mary McDonald
TEXT: Isaac Watts, 1719, alt.
MUSIC: Attr. John Hatton, c. 1793
DUKE STREET
LM
Worship Credits and Sources:
Call to Worship – Presbyterian Church (USA), Prayers for Ascension Day
Prayer of Confession from “Before the Amen: Creative Resources for Worship,” Maren C. Tirabassi
and Maria I. Tirabassi, editors.

Music Permissions Prelude on "Llanfair". Setting: Hal H. Hopson. © 2006, Hope Publishing Co. All rights
reserved. Podcast with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-735926. All rights reserved. Hail the Day That
Sees Christ Rise. Music: Robert Williams; Harmonization: John Roberts; Words: Charles Wesley. Public
Domain. Alleluia! Sing to Jesus. Music: Rowland Hugh Prichard, 1831, alt; Words: William Chatterton Dix,
1866, alt. Public Domain. From All That Dwell Below the Skies. Music: Geistliche Kirchengesang,
1623, alt.; harm. Ralph Vaughan Williams, 1906; Words: Stanzas 1, 3, Issac Watts, 1719. Public
Domain. Now Let Us All Praise God and Sing. Words and Music: Gordon Young. © 1956, Galaxy Music
Corporation. A division of ECS Publishing. All rights reserved. Reprinted and Podcast with permission under
ONE LICENSE #A-735926. All rights reserved. God of Our Life. Music: Charles Henry Purday, 1860; harm.
John Weaver, 1986. © 1990, Hope Publishing Company. Words: Hugh Thomson Kerr, 1916, alt. © 1928, F.M.
Braselman, ren. 1956, Presbyterian Board of Christian Education (admin. Westminster John Knox Press). All
rights reserved. Reprinted and Podcast with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-735926. All rights
reserved. O All Ye People, Clap Your Hands. Music: Thomas Tremain; Words: Nahum Tate and Nicholas
Brady (From A new version of the psalms of David, 1696). Editor: Carl Johengen. © 2024, St. James Music
Press. Used with permission. License #23508. Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow. Music:
Genevan Psalter, 1551; Words: Thomas Ken, 1695, 1709. Public Domain. Dix. Music: Conrad Kocher.
Setting: Hal H. Hopson. © 2016, Hope Publishing Company. All rights reserved. Podcast with permission under
ONE LICENSE #A-735926. All rights reserved. Jesus Shall Reign Where'er the Sun. Music: Attr. John Hatton,
c. 1793; Words: Isaac Watts, 1719; alt. Public Domain. The Grace. Music: Richard Shephard. © 2011, St.
James Music Press. Used with permission. License #23508. Crown Him with Many Crowns. Music: George J.
Elvey. Setting: Mary McDonald. © 2016, Lorenz Publishing Co., a division of The Lorenz Corporation. All
rights reserved. Podcast with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-735926. All rights reserved.
Sunday Morning Service Roles:
Deacons: Lay Reader
- Dona Nunn -
- Eda Uca
- Jansen Krei

Livestream/Tech Support: Sunday School

- Gary Hardesty - Thekla Metz
- Julie Captain - Robert Benirschke
Want to volunteer and get more involved in Sunday services? See the sign-up sheet in
the back of the sanctuary or contact Mahdia at mahdia@firstchurchevanston.org

Support Hilda’s Place in 2024

There are 4 Saturday’s left in 2024 to fulfill our provide meals to clients
at Connections for the Homeless/Hilda’s Place. Volunteers are now
welcome to serve the meals you make at home. Or, you can continue
to drop off individual containers or arrange for food delivery from a local
restaurant. Hilda’s Place provides serving utensils, plates, cups, napkins, etc. and we
simply provide the food. It’s a great way to interact with participants directly, see the
shelter space, and eat in community with our neighbors. Children are welcome to join
you as long as they are supervised.

Here are the remaining dates for 2024:

August 3 | September 7 | November 2 | December 7

Please contact Julie Captain with any questions or to sign up. Thank you for sharing
God’s love and your compassion in this special way!

Our biweekly Zoom Bible study is back!

The next meeting will be May 15 at 7:30 p.m. contact Pastor
Jason or email Mahdia for a Zoom link.

Pastor Jason is leading us through a study of Acts, the New

Testament book that traces the birth and development of the early
church. Contact Pastor Jason for more information!
Welcome to First Congregational Church of Evanston, UCC

We are glad you chose to be with us on this Sunday

morning! And we want you to know that no matter who you
are, or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome
here!

Childcare is provided in the downstairs nursery for infants

and children to age 4. The space at the back of the
Sanctuary available for our families. Children K-6 are invited to Sunday School in the
First Congregational Community Center after the Children’s Message.

Visitors: We are delighted that you are joining us for worship. Please sign the
Welcome Book at the back of the sanctuary. We invite our visitors to include your
name, address and email so that we might acknowledge your visit with a card. All are
welcome to join us after services in the fellowship space for refreshments and
conversation.

Babies and Toddlers: Little ones enrich our community and add vibrancy to our
congregation. Please don’t fret about coos or cries during the service. All ages are
welcome here. Visit our rocking chair area to find books & coloring pages for use
during the service, or you are welcome to drop off infants to 4 year-olds with our
Nursery
Supervisor.

Children: Young people are invited to come forward for the Children’s Message during
worship. Afterwards, children in grades K-6th are welcome to walk with our teacher
team to our Sunday School classroom at the Community Center, 1/2 block down
Hinman Ave. At the end of the service, leaders bring children back to the sanctuary to
join their families for fellowship time. Adult visitors are welcome to accompany their
children to Sunday School. Connect with Rev. Liz Jones if you have any questions.

Use this QR Code to check out events and ongoing programming at FCCE.
 WELCOME to First Congregational Church of Evanston
Mission Statement
We express God’s love in action, compassion, and justice.

Open and Affirming Statement

As an inclusive congregation, we welcome all faith experiences and family types; we are
an open and affirming community of faith who welcome and celebrate differences of age,
ability, race, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and national origin.

Immigrant Welcoming Statement

We commit to take actions consistent with the values and resources of our community to
oppose xenophobia and to protect undocumented immigrants from deportation and the
hardships such deportation will cause them and their families.

First Congregational Church of Evanston, UCC

Sanctuary: 1445 Hinman Avenue (at Grove Street)
Mailing address: 1417 Hinman Avenue, Evanston, IL 60201
Phone: 847-864-8332 | Email: info@firstchurchevanston.org
Website: www.firstchurchevanston.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/firstcongregationalchurchofevanston/

Church Staff
Rev. Jason W. Coulter, Senior Minister jason@firstchurchevanston.org | ext.21
Matthew Hogan, Music Director matthew@firstchurchevanston.org | ext. 23
Mahdia Lynn, Church Administrator mahdia@firstchurchevanston.org | ext. 22
Rev. Liz Jones, Minister of Communications & Community Life |
liz@firstchurchevanston.org
Dave Canfield, Student Pastor | dave@firstchurchevanston.org
Jordan Griffin, Justice Fellow | jordan@firstchurchevanston.org
Kelly Tran, Nursery Supervisor
Julie Captain, Moderator | Chris Krei, Vice-Moderator

Chancel Choir Quartet

Cara Collins, soprano | Christina Adams, alto
Michael Brauer, tenor | Joseph Roberts, bass

Please join us immediately following today’s service for fellowship & refreshments

To make a donation to First Congregational Church you may do so during the

offering, or you may make an electronic donation through the church website
by using this QR Code. Thank you for your generosity!