ORDER FOR WORSHIP
FIRST SUNDAY IN ADVENT
PRELUDE Sean Cotty
SALUTATION AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
* PASSING OF THE PEACE
* GLORIA PATRI (pew card)
* CALL TO WORSHIP Laura and Armand Agasian
I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his Word I hope.
My soul waits for the Lord, more than those who watch for the morning.
There is no darkness with you, O Lord.
Restore us, O LORD God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved!
* HYMN No. 134 The King of Glory Comes
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.
Come, Lord Jesus, our light and life.
Until that day, let us walk in the light of the Lord.
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Lord God, our lives are filled with sin.
We forget our neighbor’s needs and do not love you above all else.
We need a Savior.
Help us to be ready for Jesus in our own hearts.
O come, O come, Savior of the world.
(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.
JUNIOR SERMON
ANTHEM: Lo, How a Rose e'er Blooming M. Praetorius
Lo, how a rose e'er blooming from tender stem hath sprung!
Of Jesse's lineage coming As men of old have sung.
It came a flow'ret bright amid the cold of winter,
When half-spent was the night.
Isaiah 'twas foretold it, The Rose I have in mind,
With Mary we behold it, The Virgin Mother kind.
To show God's love aright she bore to us a Savior,
When half-spent was the night.
PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION
Father in heaven,
Our hearts desire the warmth of your love,
And our minds are searching for the light of your Word.
Increase our longing for Christ, our Savior,
And give us the strength to grow in love,
That the dawn of his coming
May find us rejoicing in his presence
And welcoming the light of his truth. Amen.
SCRIPTURE READINGS:
Isaiah 64:1-9 p. 606
1 Corinthians 1:3-9 p. 926
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
SERMON Yearning for the Presence of God Rev. Blaine Crawford
* CONFESSION OF FAITH:
Apostles’ Creed (pew card)
OFFERING OURSELVES AND OUR GIFTS
Offertory: There's a Light A-Comin' David Lantz III
There's a Light a-comin' to our darkness,
There's a Light a-comin' our way.
There's a Light a-comin' to our darkness,
Come, O Light, and shine today.
There's a King a-comin' for His kingdom,
There's a King a-comin' to stay.
There's a King a-comin' for His kingdom,
Come and show the way.
Brighter than the rising sun,
The Son of God is near.
To free us from our human sin,
We wait for midnight, midnight clear.
There's a Joy a-comin' from the heavens,
There's a Joy a-comin' to earth.
There's a Joy a-comin' from the heavens,
Come, O Joy, we long for your birth.
* The Doxology (pew card)
* Prayer of Dedication
SACRAMENT OF HOLY COMMUNION
* Remembering with Love and Hope (pew card)
Invitation
Communion Prayer
Sanctus (pew card)
Mystery of the Faith:
Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.
Words of Institution
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
Lord’s Prayer (pew card)
Prayer Response Hear Our Prayer, O Heavenly Father
Hear our prayer, O heavenly Father,
For the Redeemer's sake. Amen.
* HYMN No. 133 O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
* BENEDICTION
Response God Be With You
God be with you till we meet again;
if life's perils should confound you,
God will put his arms around you;
God be with you till we meet again.
POSTLUDE
Announcements
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.
Crawford Holiday Party: Saturday, December 9, from 3:00-6:30 p.m.
Blaine and Brittnee Crawford invite the congregation to the parsonage (across the street from the sanctuary) for a holiday open house. Drop in as you are able. There will be plenty of food and holiday cheer!
WCC December luncheon and program: Saturday, December 9, 1:00 pm.
Sandwiches and salads by Marino Bros. and Christmas cookies by all of you. Program will be the Sweet Adeline’s, a female barbershop harmony group. Please bring a friend to this wonderful afternoon of fellowship.
White Christmas Service: Sunday, December 17, 11:00 a.m.
This year, Church on the Hill will be collecting gifts for children, 12 and under, affiliated with three separate organizations. At the back of the sanctuary and in Gessner Hall, you will find tags with the ages of children. If you wish to give a gift, take the tag, purchase a gift for the child, (please try to keep the cost around $15) and bring the gift back on December 17. Please do not wrap the gift; place it in a shopping bag with the tag affixed to it. During the worship service, you will have the opportunity to present your gift at the front of the sanctuary.
Prayer List
Rosario Calco, Jose, Gracinda and David Cerqueira, Rosemarie Dappio, Dombrowski family, Joan Dwyer, 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