Renewal. If there was ever a year that we needed to turn the calendar and take a breath of renewal, 2020 was it. It’s been a difficult year for all of us. And the difficulty and stress reaches into our clergy too. It’s been a long time since Pastor Jim had a break away from the demands of leading our church. When the Conference suggested that all Greater NJ clergy receive a two week break at the beginning of the year, our Staff-Parrish Relations team fully concurred. 
During these two weeks, Bishop John Schol (the presiding bishop of our Greater NJ Annual Conference) produced worship service videos which can be used by the local churches on January 3 and January 10. This post presents the bishop’s message during the January 3 service.
Epiphany
We are in the season of Epiphany. January 6 is twelve days after Christmas, and it’s the date where the arrival of the Magi (“wise men”) is traditionally celebrated. But beyond a date, Epiphany is an awakening/ an awareness of God’s presence. In a sense, God’s “Star” is always shining over us, ready to lead us into a deeper relationship with Him. Our Shepherd is ever ready to guide us on to the paths where our Creator needs us to be. An epiphany is a moment where we see and understand God in a deep and powerful way.
GNJAC Bishop John Schol speaking at PUMC on 11/17/13)
In his message, Bishop Schol describes the epiphanies he’s had in his own life. He makes the point that God has an epiphany waiting for You… we just need to be constantly awake to “connect the dots” and to recognize what He wants us to see.
The following video is an entire worship service (including communion) which was meant to be used “as needed” during the clergy renewal on Sunday January 3.
The presentation is arranged as shown below. Use the time markers to select parts of the video, or just click “Play” and watch the entire service…
00:00- 05:45 Welcome & opening song: “Here I Am to Worship”
05:45- 06:55 Opening Introductions (Bishop Schol)
06:55- 08:20 Prayer (Hector Burgos)
08:20- 11:53 Announcements and comments (invest)
11:53- 14:30 Children’s Message (Bishop Schol)
14:30- 18:03 Scripture readings (Ezekiel 1:1, 28 and Matthew 2:1-12)
18:03- 40:00 Sermon, “Your Epiphany” (Bishop Schol)
40:00- 55:40 Communion service
55:40- 57:00 Closing music and benediction
“Your Epiphany, You’re Epiphany”…
This video was the first of a two part series for a two week “Clergy Renewal Period.” The Conference provided it for use on the first of these two weeks (1/3/21), but we chose to use it in our 10:15 AM service for the second week (1/10/21). The second part was not presented in church, but it’s available here. To see the second part, click this button: Epiphany- Part 2
What is YOUR Epiphany?
Share what this message has meant to you. The Conference arranged a series of virtual “Small Groups” to let you dig deeper into discovering your own epiphanies. Small Groups for each service were formed on Zoom for each week’s service (Jan 3, and Jan 10).
The Small groups were conducted via Zoom on the Wednesday after the service:
- Week 1: Wednesday Jan. 6- 9:30 AM and 6:30 PM
- Week 2: Wednesday Jan. 13- 9:30 AM and 6:30 PM
For Zoom login links and further details, visit this page on the Greater NJ Annual Conference website: GNJ Small Groups
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For more about Worship at PUMC, click this button: Worship
