Worship Guide
December 19, 2021
Fourth Sunday of Advent
Creating Disciples of Jesus who Transform the World
ENTRANCE WITH PRAISE
Lighting the Advent Candle:
Greetings:
Minister: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you!
People: And also with you!
Special Music: “Breath of Heaven” Stefanie
Centering Words:
The very air we breathe is filled with joyous expectations. The one who has done great things for us is with us now. Glory to God in the highest!
*Call to Worship:
Leader: When Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth, their lives were forever changed.
People: Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and Mary proclaimed faith in God, her savior.
Leader: The children they carried in their wombs heralded expectation and hope for the world.
People: We are heirs of this expectation and hope. We are heirs of this promise of God.
Leader: Come! Let us worship as we pray:
ALL: God of joyous expectation, come to us this day. May the miracles in our lives fill us with wonder. May an encounter with your goodness and grace cause our hearts to leap within us. Receive us into the arms of your mercy, that we may feel you near us and rest secure in your many blessings. Amen.
Hymn: “Away in a Manger”
Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,
the little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head.
The stars in the sky looked down where he lay,
the little Lord Jesus, asleep on the hay.
The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes,
but little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes;
I love Thee, Lord Jesus, look down from the sky
and stay by my cradle til morning is nigh.
Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask thee to stay
close by me forever, and love me, I pray;
bless all the dear children in thy tender care,
and fit us for heaven to live with thee there.
PROCLAMATION OF THE WORD
Words of Assurance
Do not let your hearts be troubled. God will not fail to lift you out of complacency and fill your hearts to overflowing.
Rise in joy and hope, for God’s promises are sure, and Christ’s salvation is at hand.
Thanks be to God. Amen
*Old Testament Reading: Micah 5:2-5
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.
If the Assyrians come into our land
and tread upon our soil,
we will raise against them seven shepherds
and eight installed as rulers.
Leader: This is the Word of God, for the People of God
People: Thanks be to God!
WORD AND RESPONSE
Time with Young Friends: “Jesus Loves Me”
Children’s Message: “Elizabeth and Mary Praise God”
Hymn: “Sing We Now of Christmas”
Sing we now of Christmas
Noel, sing we here!
Hear our grateful praises
to the babe so dear
Sing we Noel, the King is born, Noel!
Sing we now of Christmas, sing we now Noel!
Angels called to shepherds
"Leave your flocks at rest,
journey forth to Bethlehem
find the child so blest."
Sing we Noel, the King is born, Noel!
Sing we now of Christmas, sing we now Noel!
In Bethlehem they found him
Joseph and Mary mild,
seated by the manger
watching the holy child.
Sing we Noel, the King is born, Noel!
Sing we now of Christmas, sing we now Noel!
From the eastern country
came the kings afar,
bearing gifts to Bethlehem,
guided by a star
Sing we Noel, the King is born, Noel!
Sing we now of Christmas, sing we now Noel!
Gold and myrrh they took there,
gifts of greatest price;
there was never a stable
so like paradise.
Sing we Noel, the King is born, Noel!
Sing we now of Christmas, sing we now Noel!
Sermon: “The Blessing of Home” Luke 1:39-55
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.”
46 And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has looked with favor on the lowliness 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.”
RESPONSE TO THE WORD
Special Music “Carol of the Bells” Donna
Prayers of the People : Joys and concerns
Silent Prayer, Pastoral Prayer
THE SACRAMENTS OF HOLY COMMUNION
Invitation, Prayer of Confession and Pardon:
Christ our Lord invites to his table
all who love him,
who earnestly repent of their sin
and seek to live in peace with one another.
Therefore, let us confess our sin before God
and one another.
Merciful God,
we confess that we have not loved you
with our whole hearts.
We have failed to be an obedient church.
We have not done your will,
we have broken your law,
we have rebelled against your love,
we have not loved our neighbors,
and we have not heard the
cry of the needy.
Forgive us, we pray.
Free us for joyful obedience,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Hear the good news:
Christ died for us while we were yet sinners;
that proves God's love toward us.
In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!
In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven.
Glory to God. Amen
The Great Thanksgiving
The Lord be with you
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts
We lift them up to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
It is right, and a good and joyful thing,
always and everywhere
to give thanks to you,
Father Almighty, creator of
heaven and earth.
You formed us in your image and
breathed into us the breath of life.
When we turned away, and our love failed,
your love remained steadfast.
You delivered us from captivity,
made covenant to be our sovereign God,
and spoke to us through your prophets.
And so,
with your people on earth
and all the company of heaven
we praise your name and join their unending hymn:
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord,
God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes
in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
Holy are you, and blessed is your Son
Jesus Christ.
Your Spirit anointed him
to preach good news to the poor,
to proclaim release to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
and to announce that the time had come
when you would save your people.
He healed the sick, fed the hungry,
and ate with sinners.
By the baptism of his suffering,
death, and resurrection,
you gave birth to your church,
delivered us from slavery to sin and death,
and made with us a new covenant
by water and the Spirit.
When the Lord Jesus ascended,
he promised to be with us always,
in the power of your Word and Holy Spirit.
On the night in which he gave himself up for us,
he took bread, gave thanks to you, broke the bread,
gave it to his disciples, and said:
"Take, eat; this my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me."
When the supper was over, he took the cup,
gave thanks to you, gave it to his disciples, and said:
"Drink from this all of you;
this is my blood of the new covenant,
poured out for you and for many
for the forgiveness of sins.
Do this, as often as you drink it
in remembrance of me."
And so,
in remembrance of these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ,
we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving
as a holy and living sacrifice,
in union with Christ's offering for us,
as we proclaim the mystery of faith
Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again.
Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here,
and on these gifts of bread and wine.
Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ,
that we may be for the world the body of Christ,
redeemed by his blood.
By your Spirit make us one with Christ,
one with each other,
and one in ministry to all the world,
until Christ comes in final victory,
and we feast at his heavenly banquet.
Through your Son Jesus Christ,
with the Holy Spirit in your holy Church,
all honor and glory is yours, almighty Father,
now and forever. Amen
And now with the confidence of children of God, let us pray:
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed by thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
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
As we share in the bread of life,
is it not a sharing in the body of Christ.
And as we share in the cup of Salvation,
Is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ.
Moment of Prayer and Meditation
Prayer of Thanks
Eternal God, we give you thanks
for this holy mystery
in which you have given yourself to us.
Grant that we may go into the world
in the strength of your Spirit,
to give ourselves to others,
in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
SENDING FORTH
Hymn: “One Holy Night in Bethlehem”
One holy night in Bethlehem
the air was filled with song.
Angelic voices sang on high
and shepherds piped along:
Sing glory, glory, gloria!
God’s love is given birth!
Be not afraid, Sing gloria,
and peace to all the earth!
Their music echoed through the town
into the stable stall,
where Mary sang a lullaby
and rocked her baby small:
Sing glory, glory, gloria!
God’s love is given birth!
Be not afraid! Sing gloria,
and peace to all the earth!
As Joseph touched the lamb’s soft wool,
and fed the donkey hay,
he whistled his own happy tune
and thanked God for this day:
Sing glory, glory, gloria!
God’s love is given birth!
Be not afraid! Sing gloria,
and peace to all the earth!
Be still, and you will hear tonight
these melodies of old.
Then join your voice in harmony
until the tale is told:
Sing glory, glory, gloria!
God’s love is given birth!
Be not afraid! Sing gloria,
and peace to all the earth!
Benediction