The Order of Worship – December 22, 2024

This is the 357th Day of 2024.
There are 9 days remaining in 2024.

Filled with the Holy Spirit,
we are a people of prayer
committed to love one another
and equipped to share Christ’s love throughout the world.

Advent! – Love

Prelude:

Welcome & Announcements:
This month’s mission focus is Staff Gifts
All of the Bible Studies are at afaithtalk.com
Five Loaves – No meetings for December.
Call to Worship: Rise Up Shepherd and Follow

Lighting of the Love Candle

Responsive Reading:  Luke 1:46b-55
My spirit rejoices in God

^1:46b “My soul magnifies the Lord,
⁴⁷ and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

⁴⁸ for he has looked with favor on the lowly state of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed,
⁴⁹ for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name;
⁵⁰ His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.

⁵¹ He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. 

⁵² He has brought down the powerful from their thrones and lifted up the lowly;
⁵³ he has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty. 

⁵⁴ He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,
⁵⁵ according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

Praise the Lord!

Opening Hymn: O Come, All Ye Faithful…No. 234 (1-2 &6)

Verse 1

O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye, to Bethlehem.
Come and behold him, born the King of angels;
O come, let us adore him, O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord.

Verse 2

True God of true God, Light from Light Eternal,
lo, he shuns not the Virgin’s womb;
Son of the Father, begotten, not created;
O come let us adore him, O come let us adore him,
O come let us adore him, Christ the Lord.

Verse 6

Yea, Lord, we greet thee, born this happy morning,
Jesus, to thee be all glory given.
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing:
O come, let us adore him, O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord.

Affirmation of Faith:
The Apostle’s Creed..No. 881

I believe in God the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth;
and in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord:
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified,
dead,
and buried;
the third day he rose from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
from thence he shall come to judge
the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

Gloria Patri…Page 70

Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen. Amen.

Praise Song: Praise Song: O Little Town of Bethlehem…#230 (F)

Verse 1

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.

Verse 2

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.

Verse 3

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.

Verse 4

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.

Pastoral Prayer
Contact us here to add your concern to our prayer list.

The Lord’s Prayer:

Our Father, 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 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,
forever. Amen.

Anthem: If I Were There

Offertory

Doxology:

Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly hosts;
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen

Children’s Moment & Song
Children’s Song: 

The Friendly Beasts

Verse 1

Jesus, our brother, strong and good,
was humbly born in a stable rude,
and the friendly beasts around him stood,
Jesus, our brother, strong and good.

Verse 2

“I,” said the donkey, shaggy and brown,
“I carried his mother uphill and down,
I carried his mother to Bethlehem town;
I,” said the donkey, shaggy and brown.

Verse 3

“I,” said the cow, all white and red,
“I gave him my manger for his bed,
I gave him hay to pillow his head;
I,” said the cow, all white and red.

Verse 4 

“I,” said the sheep with curly horn,
“I gave him my wool for his blanket warm,
he wore my coat on Christmas morn;
I,” said the sheep with curly horn.

Verse 5

“I,” said the dove, from the rafters high,
“I cooed him to sleep that he should not cry,
we cooed him to sleep, my mate and I;
I,” said the dove, from the rafters high.

Verse 6 

Thus all the beasts, by some good spell,
in the stable dark were glad to tell
of the gifts they gave Emmanuel,
the gifts they gave Emmanuel.

Prayer for Illumination
Lord, open our hearts and minds by the power of your Holy Spirit, that as the Scriptures are read and your Word is proclaimed, we may hear with joy what you say to us today. Amen.

Gospel Reading: Luke 1:39-45
Blessed are you among women

^1:39 In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, ⁴⁰ where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹ When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit ⁴² and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. ⁴³ And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? ⁴⁴ For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy.

⁴⁵ And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”

Leader: The Word of God for the people of God
All: Thanks be to God

New Testament Reading: Hebrews 10:5-10
I have come to do your will

^10:5 Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body you have prepared for me; ⁶ in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. ⁷ Then I said, ‘See, I have come to do your will, O God’ (in the scroll of the book it is written of me).”

⁸ When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), ⁹ then he added, “See, I have come to do your will.” He abolishes the first in order to establish the second. ¹⁰ And it is by God’s will that we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Leader: The Word of God for the people of God
All: Thanks be to God

Sermon Text: Micah 5:2-5a
From Bethlehem comes a ruler

^5:2 But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days. ³ Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has brought forth; then the rest of his kindred shall return to the people of Israel. ⁴ And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth,⁵ and he shall be the one of peace.

Leader: This is the Word of God for the People of God.
People: Thanks be to God.

Sermon:  “Oh Little Town ”

Closing Hymn: Here I Am, Lord…#593 Vs. 1 & 3 (G)

Verse 1

I, the Lord of sea and sky, I have heard my people cry.
All who dwell in dark and sin my hand will save.
I who made the stars of night,
I will make their darkness bright.
Who will bear my light to them? Whom shall I send?
Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord?
I have heard you calling in the night.
I will go, Lord, if you lead me. I will hold your people in my heart.

Verse 3

I, the Lord of wind and flame, I will tend the poor and lame,
I will set a feast for them. My hand will save.
Finest bread I will provide till their hearts be satisfied.
I will give my life to them. Whom shall I send?
Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord?
I have heard you calling in the night.
I will go, Lord, if you lead me. I will hold your people in my heart.

Filled Up and Poured Out

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