20151220 Order of Worship
Prelude
Welcome/Announcements
Call to
Worship
Not in the mighty places of power,
but in little Bethlehem,
in a room out back:
The
Messiah is coming.
Not born in nobility and wealth,
but of Mary and Joseph,
who pondered and planed wood:
The
Messiah is coming.
Not announced by prophets, priests, and
kings,
but by two women,
who were the first to know:
The
Messiah is coming.
Nothing will be impossible for God,
but when and where we least expect it,
look among the straw and the stars:
The
Messiah is coming.
Hymn – Rejoice Give Thanks verses 1&2,
Brian Wren
Refrain:
Rejoice, give thanks for God is
near us,
Loving, true, and kind,
And the peace of God in Jesus
Christ
Will guard our heart and mind.
1. Turn on the porch light,
Dazzle the dark night.
God is coming soon.
God is coming soon
Through someone, somehow,
Next year, here and now,
Midnight, morning, noon.
So don’t be tempted or distracted
By the daily grind,
And the peace of God in Jesus Christ
Will guard our heart and mind.
Refrain
2. Just like a snowplow,
Scraping a road now,
Prophets clear the way.
Prophets clear away
Our shame and sadness,
Blame and business,
Calling us to pray.
In love’s great furnace we’ll be
burnished,
Rescued and refined,
And the peace of God in Jesus Christ
Will guard our heart and mind.
Refrain
Lighting the
Advent Candle
(Begin with the first three
candles lit.)
The Gospel
of Luke tells how Mary meets her cousin Elizabeth:
When
Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting,
the child
leaped in her womb.
And
Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit
and
exclaimed with a loud cry,
“Blessed are
you among women,
and blessed
is the fruit of your womb.” (Luke
1:41-42)
God speaks
in many ways:
through
dreams, visions, new ideas,
and the
kicking of a child not yet born.
We light our
fourth candle,
asking that
we may hear God’s call
in our body,
mind, and spirit.
(Light the fourth candle.)
Living
Christ, give us faith to trust you,
hope to
follow you,
love to live
you,
and wisdom
to know you.
We trust you, we love you, we praise
you. Amen.
Hymn –
Rejoice, Give Thanks, verse 3
Refrain
3. Here is a newsbreak
Healing our heartache:
Christ will bring us home!
Christ will bring us home,
Where no one’s outcast,
And we’ll have at last
Freedom and shalom.
In hope we’re living, let thanksgiving
All our fears unwind,
And the peace of God in Jesus Christ
Will guard our heart and mind.
Refrain
A Time With
Young Disciples
First
Reading – Micah 5:2-5
But you, Bethlehem of Ephrathah,
of the clans of Judah, are no poor relation—
From your people will come a Ruler
who will be the shepherd of My people, Israel,
Whose origins date back to the distant past,
to the ancient days.
of the clans of Judah, are no poor relation—
From your people will come a Ruler
who will be the shepherd of My people, Israel,
Whose origins date back to the distant past,
to the ancient days.
So God will abandon Israel
only until the now-laboring mother gives birth,
And then those of His people who survive
will be gathered back together with the rest of Israel.
And he will stand and feed his flock in the power of the Eternal One,
with the majesty of the name of the Eternal, his True God.
And they will live in safety, for his greatness will extend to the farthest parts of the earth.
He will be our peace.
only until the now-laboring mother gives birth,
And then those of His people who survive
will be gathered back together with the rest of Israel.
And he will stand and feed his flock in the power of the Eternal One,
with the majesty of the name of the Eternal, his True God.
And they will live in safety, for his greatness will extend to the farthest parts of the earth.
He will be our peace.
Response
This is the
Word of God for the people of God, to which God’s people respond:
Thanks be to God.
Hymn – UMH
#230 O, Little Town of Bethlehem
O little
town of Bethlehem,
how still we see thee lie;
above thy deep and dreamless sleep
the silent stars go by.
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
the everlasting light;
the hopes and fears of all the years
are met in thee tonight.
how still we see thee lie;
above thy deep and dreamless sleep
the silent stars go by.
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
the everlasting light;
the hopes and fears of all the years
are met in thee tonight.
For Christ
is born of Mary,
and gathered all above,
while mortals sleep, the angels keep
their watch of wondering love.
O morning stars together,
proclaim the holy birth,
and praises sing to God the king,
and peace to all on earth!
and gathered all above,
while mortals sleep, the angels keep
their watch of wondering love.
O morning stars together,
proclaim the holy birth,
and praises sing to God the king,
and peace to all on earth!
How
silently, how silently,
the wondrous gift is given;
so God imparts to human hearts
the blessings of his heaven.
No ear may hear his coming,
but in this world of sin,
where meek souls will receive him, still
the dear Christ enters in.
the wondrous gift is given;
so God imparts to human hearts
the blessings of his heaven.
No ear may hear his coming,
but in this world of sin,
where meek souls will receive him, still
the dear Christ enters in.
O holy Child
of Bethlehem,
descend to us, we pray;
cast out our sin, and enter in,
be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels
the great glad tidings tell;
o come to us, abide with us,
our Lord Emmanuel!
descend to us, we pray;
cast out our sin, and enter in,
be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels
the great glad tidings tell;
o come to us, abide with us,
our Lord Emmanuel!
Second
Reading – Luke 1:39-55
Mary immediately got up and
hurried to the hill country, in the province of Judah, where her cousins
Zachariah and Elizabeth lived. When Mary entered their home and greeted
Elizabeth, who felt her baby leap in her womb, Elizabeth was filled with the
Holy Spirit.
Elizabeth shouted praises, “You are blessed, Mary, blessed among
all women, and the child you bear is blessed! And blessed I am as well, that the
mother of my Lord has come to me! As soon as I heard your
voice greet me, my baby leaped for joy within me. How
fortunate you are, Mary, for you believed that what the Lord told you would be
fulfilled.
And Mary sang, “My soul lifts up the Lord!
My spirit celebrates God, my Liberator!
For though I’m God’s humble servant,
God has noticed me.
Now and forever,
I will be considered blessed by all generations.
For the Mighty One has done great things for me;
holy is God’s name!
From generation to generation,
God’s lovingkindness endures
for those who revere Him.
My spirit celebrates God, my Liberator!
For though I’m God’s humble servant,
God has noticed me.
Now and forever,
I will be considered blessed by all generations.
For the Mighty One has done great things for me;
holy is God’s name!
From generation to generation,
God’s lovingkindness endures
for those who revere Him.
God’s arm has accomplished mighty
deeds.
The proud in mind and heart,
God has sent away in disarray.
The rulers from their high positions of power,
God has brought down low.
And those who were humble and lowly,
God has elevated with dignity.
The hungry—God has filled with fine food.
The rich—God has dismissed with nothing in their hands.
To Israel, God’s servant,
God has given help,
As promised to our ancestors,
remembering Abraham and his descendants in mercy forever.
The proud in mind and heart,
God has sent away in disarray.
The rulers from their high positions of power,
God has brought down low.
And those who were humble and lowly,
God has elevated with dignity.
The hungry—God has filled with fine food.
The rich—God has dismissed with nothing in their hands.
To Israel, God’s servant,
God has given help,
As promised to our ancestors,
remembering Abraham and his descendants in mercy forever.
Response
This is the
Word of God for the people of God, to which God’s people respond:
Thanks be to God.
*Call to
Confession
In the world, and in this season,
there are many claims on our lives. We
take this time to remember that Christ has claimed us as his own. We acknowledge before God and one another
that we have not followed Jesus Christ with all our heart and mind and
strength. Trusting in God's grace, let
us pray.
*Confession
God
our Savior, we ask for your mercy.
Though
we have heard Mary's song,
we
still seek security in pride and power and possessions.
Though
we know your story, we resist the costs of following you.
We
pass by those considered lowly in this world.
We
turn away from hungry people who still wait to be filled.
Forgive us, we pray. Help us to work for the justice you
intend.
Make
us messengers of the peace you bring.
As
we wait for you, turn our apathy into acts of love and service.
We
pray in the name of Jesus Christ, Emmanuel.
Amen.
*Assurance
of Pardon
Friends, God is for us and not
against us. For that very reason, God
sent the Son into the world--not to condemn the world, but that the world might
be saved through him. Believe the good
news: In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven!
*Hymn – The
Lowly Will Be Lifted Up, by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette (tune CAROL, UMH #218)
The lowly will be lifted up, the humble
will arise,
And hungry homes will overflow with all that God supplies.
And hungry homes will overflow with all that God supplies.
O God, we sing of blessedness as we await Christ's
birth;
May we who know abundant love reach out to love your earth.
May we who know abundant love reach out to love your earth.
As Mary sang her thanks and praise, we
sing of living Bread.
May we reach out to share Christ's life till all the world is fed.
May we reach out to share Christ's life till all the world is fed.
It's living Bread we gladly share, and
bread for bodies, too.
Remind us, when we feed the poor, we're giving food to you.
Remind us, when we feed the poor, we're giving food to you.
+Please Pass
the Peace of Christ+
God, you uphold the cause of those who
hunger, long-oppressed.
May we your church seek justice here, and share your blessedness.
May we your church seek justice here, and share your blessedness.
In many ways, you bless your world with
good and wondrous things;
And so with Mary, we proclaim, "With joy my spirit sings."
And so with Mary, we proclaim, "With joy my spirit sings."
Prayer Time
Sharing Joys and Concerns
Pastoral Prayer
Lord’s Prayer
Choral
Cantata – Images of Adoration, Pepper
Choplin
1. Beautiful
Candlelight
2. Beautiful
Christmas, Beautiful Child
3. Little Bitty
Babe in a Manger
4. Forever
Evergreen
5. Red is the
Color of Love
6. We have Seen
the Star!
7. As We Bow
Before the King --
As the choir sings, please bring your
offering as we “Journey to the Manger”. Please
choose a chrismon, a symbol of Jesus Christ, and place it on the tree before
returning to your seat.
Dedication
of the Offering
You deliver us, O God, from
exile, separation, and despair
into communion with each other,
with you, and with your good news.
We thank you for all that draws
us close together,
astounding us with lives
transformed by gratitude.
Accept our gifts as signs of our
gratitude for what you give us every day
and as honor to your presence in
our world;
for the sake of those who stand
in need
and Jesus Christ, who saves us.
Amen.
8. Celebrate
the Child!
Benediction
Postlude
