ORDER FOR WORSHIP
SECOND SUNDAY IN ADVENT
PRELUDE Sean Cotty
SALUTATION AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
* PASSING OF THE PEACE
* SANCTUS (pew card)
* CALL TO WORSHIP Avalos Family
Let me hear what God the LORD will speak,
For God will speak peace to his people, to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts.
Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other.
Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, and righteousness will look down from the sky.
Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land.
* HYMN No. 135 Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus
Advent Candle Lighting
Jesus said, “I am the light of the world; the one who follows me will not walk in darkness but have the light of life.
We light this candle as a sign of the coming light of Christ.
“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness—on them light has shined.” (Isaiah 9:2)
“I will lead the blind by a road they do not know, by the paths they have not known I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground. These are the things I will do.” (Isaiah 42:16)
Come, Lord Jesus, our light and life.
Until that day, let us walk in the light of the Lord.
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Lord Christ, we confess our willingness to be loved but also our reluctance to love.
We confess that we are full of good intentions but weak at keeping promises.
O God, we live as if the light had never defeated the darkness in the world or in us; we ignore the Christ you sent to live among us.
(Silent Prayers of Confession)
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Amen.
ASSURANCE OF PARDON
SUMMARY OF THE LAW
Herein is wisdom.
Glory be to God.
* Gloria Patri (pew card)
JUNIOR SERMON
ANTHEM: Christ the Appletree Sanford E. Scriven
The tree of life my soul hath seen,
laden with fruit and always green;
The trees of nature fruitless be,
Compared with Christ the appletree.
This beauty doth all things excel,
By faith I know, but ne'er can tell
The Glory which I now can see,
in Jesus Christ the appletree.
For happiness I long have sought,
and pleasure dearly I have brought;
I missed of all, but now I see
'Tis found in Christ the appletree.
This fruit doth make my soul to thrive,
it keeps my dying faith alive;
which makes my soul in haste to be
with Jesus Christ the Appletree.
I'm wear'd with my former toil,
here I will sit and rest a while;
under the shadow I will be,
of Jesus Christ the appletree.
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
Lord’s Prayer (pew card)
Response: Write These Words in Our Hearts
Write these words in our hearts,
We beseech you, O Lord.
* HYMN No. 138 Savior of the Nations, Come
Prayer of Illumination
Gracious God,
your vision of peace and wholeness
comes to us in sweeping revelations
and in tiny signs of hope.
Kindle our hearts, that we might be a hopeful people.
Keep us from growing weary of waiting
so that we do not miss the glory of your appearing.
Speak to us, O Lord, for your servants are listening. Amen.
SCRIPTURE READINGS:
Isaiah 40:1-11 p. 581
2 Peter 3:8-15a p. 988
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
SERMON Our Only Comfort Rev. Blaine Crawford
* CONFESSION OF FAITH: The Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 1
Q. What is your only comfort in life and in death?
A. That I am not my own, but belong—body and soul, in life and in death—to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ.
He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood,
and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil.
He also watches over me in such a way
that not a hair can fall from my head
without the will of my Father in heaven;
in fact, all things must work together for my salvation.
Because I belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.
OFFERING OURSELVES AND OUR GIFTS
Offertory: Prepare the Way of the Lord William Rowan
Prepare, prepare the way of the Lord!
Prepare the way! Make straight his path.
Every valley shall be exalted,
every hill made low;
and the crooked shall be made straight,
and the rough places plain.
And the Glory of the Lord,
shall be revealed.
And all mankind shall see it,
shall see it together.
Prepare, prepare the way of the Lord!
Prepare the way! Make straight his path.
* The Doxology (pew card)
* Prayer of Dedication
* HYMN No. 136 On Jordan's Bank the Baptist's Cry
* BENEDICTION
Response: Lord, Let Us Now Depart in Peace
Lord, let us now depart in peace,
who in thy name we are gathered here;
disclose the brightness of thy face,
and be forever near. Amen.
POSTLUDE
Announcements
Cookies Needed
Will you give the Church on the Hill a box of home-baked cookies for the Wassail Hour on Christmas Eve after the Candlelight Service?
Mark the box "Christmas Eve Cookies" and bring it to the kitchen on Christmas Eve before the service or to the Church office during the week. Thank you.
Christmas Eve Candlelight Service - Sunday, Dec. 24, 8pm
Followed by a wassail hour in Gessner Hour. All are invited.
Christmas Morning Communion Service – Monday, Dec. 25, 11am
Church Office and Building will be closed the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day, except for worship services. We will re-open on Tuesday, January 2, 2018.
2018 Offering Envelopes are at the entrance of the church. If you do not see your box and would like one, put your name on the sign-up sheet.
Weekly Calendar
Tuesdays, Bible Study, 7:30 pm, Folensbee Lounge
Wednesdays, Yoga, 7:30 pm, Gessner Hall
Thursdays, Prayer Group, 6:00 pm, Folensbee Lounge
Liturgical Color: Blue
You may notice that this year our paraments for Advent are blue. While the traditional liturgical color for Advent is purple, over the past few decades there has been a growing interest to use blue. In the past, we have used purple for both Advent and Lent, signifying that both of these seasons are times of preparation in the life of the church. The use of blue has been in part to distinguish Advent and Lent from one another. In Advent, we are preparing for the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem and the return of Jesus in the future, at which time he will restore all of creation and make all things new. Thus, this season of Advent is full of hope.
We are so grateful for the gift of these paraments from Messiah Lutheran Church and thankful for Ginny Chan's work in modifying them to fit our space.
Prayer List
Rosario Calco, Jose, Gracinda and David Cerqueira, Rosemarie Dappio, Dombrowski family, Joan Dwyer, Angela Edward, Rosemarie Graffeo, Rev. Jin Han, Lynne Johnson, Robert Keller, Kathy Kissane, Jason Knese, Ginny Marsico, Ann McCaffrey, Denise Moran, Stacey Muller, Joan Pearson, Keith Pearson, Megan Peters, Kook Ryo, Debra & Greg Sparrow and the family of Joan Wagner.