Greetings friends and family,
The link to the Order of Worship appears under "Read More>"
Order of Worship - Sunday, December 20, 2020
Prelude Lo How A Rose Ere Blooming Johannes Brahms
Welcome
Announcements
Call To Worship
Leader: Now is the time of watching and waiting.
People: The time of pregnant expectation of new life.
Leader: Now is the season of hope unfolding.
People: The dark winter season when hope is waiting to be born.
Leader: Let us come before God with receptive and willing spirits.
People: May our souls magnify God’s name and may our spirits rejoice in God our Savior!
All: Rejoice! God comes to bring the birthday of life and hope. Amen.
Opening Carol “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear” #218
It came upon the midnight clear,
That glorious song of old,
From angels bending near the earth,
To touch their harps of gold:
"Peace on the earth, goodwill to men,
From heaven's all-gracious King."
The world in solemn stillness lay,
To hear the angels sing.
Still through the cloven skies they come,
With peaceful wings unfurled,
And still their heavenly music floats
O'er all the weary world;
Above its sad and lowly plains,
They bend on hovering wing,
And ever o'er its babel sounds
The blessed angels sing.
And ye, beneath life's crushing load,
Whose forms are bending low,
Who toil along the climbing way
With painful steps and slow,
Look now! for glad and golden hours
come swiftly on the wing.
O rest beside the weary road,
And hear the angels sing!
For lo!, the days are hastening on,
By prophet seen of old,
When with the ever-circling years
Shall come the time foretold-
When peace shall over all the earth
Its ancient splendors fling,
And the whole world send back the song
Which now the angels sing
Lighting of the Advent Candle
Reader One: We live on the brink every day. We stand on the threshold between this world and the
next one. We live and move between the ordinary and divine, between the mundane and the mystery.
Too often, we forget to look up and see the angels in our living room. We forget that the love we give
and live is a sign of eternity, God with us, right now. We forget that company is coming.
Reader Two: Luke tells us that God’s favor came to a girl, an ordinary girl. It might have been you or
your daughter; it might have been the girl down the street or your grandchild. But the messenger of
God came and greeted her and said, “The Lord is with you.” What a gift and a promise: Emmanuel,
God is with us.
Reader One: We light these candles with peace in our hearts for the promise of proximity, the
nearness of God. Even when we forget to listen, to lean into that presence, God is as close as our
own breath. This, in a confused and confusing world, is a peace that passes all understanding. It is
the peace that knows that company is coming.
Reader Two: O Come, O Come Emmanuel.
Advent Candle Song vs. 4 #2090
Light the Advent candle, four:
Think of joy forever more;
Christ Child in a stable born,
Gift of love that Christmas morn.
Candle, candle, burning bright, shining in the cold winter night;
candle, candle burning bright, fill our heart with Christmas Light.
Offertory Prayer
Gracious and Generous God: We offer our gifts to you, knowing full well we have devoted so much
more energy into finding the gifts for our families and much less on the gifts we offer to you. You gave
Mary, an unmarried girl, a Son so the world might have a Savior. Her response was so simple: “Here I
am, the servant of the Lord; let it be according to your word.” May her affirmation of faith and
obedience be the gift we offer this day. In Christ, we pray. Amen. (Luke 1:26-38).
Scripture 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16
7:1 Now when the king was settled in his
house, and the LORD had given him rest from
all his enemies around him,
7:2 the king said to the prophet Nathan, "See
now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark
of God stays in a tent."
7:3 Nathan said to the king, "Go, do all that you
have in mind; for the LORD is with you."
7:4 But that same night the word of the LORD
came to Nathan:
7:5 Go and tell my servant David: Thus says
the LORD: Are you the one to build me a
house to live in?
7:6 I have not lived in a house since the day I
brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to
this day, but I have been moving about in a
tent and a tabernacle.
7:7 Wherever I have moved about among all
the people of Israel, did I ever speak a word
with any of the tribal leaders of Israel, whom I
commanded to shepherd my people Israel,
saying, "Why have you not built me a house of
cedar?"
7:8 Now therefore thus you shall say to my
servant David: Thus says the LORD of hosts: I
took you from the pasture, from following the
sheep to be prince over my people Israel;
7:9 and I have been with you wherever you
went, and have cut off all your enemies from
before you; and I will make for you a great
name, like the name of the great ones of the
earth.
7:10 And I will appoint a place for my people
Israel and will plant them, so that they may live
in their own place, and be disturbed no more;
and evildoers shall afflict them no more, as
formerly,
7:11 from the time that I appointed judges over
my people Israel; and I will give you rest from
all your enemies. Moreover the LORD declares
to you that the LORD will make you a house.
7:16 Your house and your kingdom shall be
made sure forever before me; your throne shall
be established forever.
Special Music Medley: O Sanctissima (O Thou Joyful Day) - Sicilian Hymn
I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day - H.W. Longfellow / J.B. Calkin
Scripture Luke 1:26-38
1:26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was
sent by God to a town in Galilee called
Nazareth,
1:27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name
was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's
name was Mary.
1:28 And he came to her and said, "Greetings,
favored one! The Lord is with you."
1:29 But she was much perplexed by his words
and pondered what sort of greeting this might
be.
1:30 The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid,
Mary, for you have found favor with God.
1:31 And now, you will conceive in your womb
and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus.
1:32 He will be great, and will be called the
Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will
give to him the throne of his ancestor David.
1:33 He will reign over the house of Jacob
forever, and of his kingdom there will be no
end."
1:34 Mary said to the angel, "How can this be,
since I am a virgin?"
1:35 The angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will
come upon you, and the power of the Most
High will overshadow you; therefore the child to
be born will be holy; he will be called Son of
God.
1:36 And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old
age has also conceived a son; and this is the
sixth month for her who was said to be barren.
1:37 For nothing will be impossible with God."
1:38 Then Mary said, "Here am I, the servant
of the Lord; let it be with me according to your
word." Then the angel departed from her.
Sermon Company Is Coming: Waiting on the Threshold
Moment of Reflection
Special Music A Spiritual Christmas
Joys and Concerns
Pastoral Prayer
The Lord’s Prayer
Closing Carol Joy to the World vs. 1, 2, 4 #246
Joy to the world, the Lord is Come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare him room,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing.
Joy to the world, the Savior reigns!
Let all their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding you,
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.
He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of his righteousness,
And wonders of his love,
And wonders of his love,
And wonders, wonders of his love.
Benediction
Receive the benediction. In all your Advent preparations, remain watchful with your eyes on Christ,
whose birth in a manger is but a promise of his coming again in glory. And may the blessing of God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit be with you now and forever. Amen.
Postlude Fantasy on The First Noel arr. Robert J. Hughes
No comments:
Post a Comment