Worship - December 25, 2011

Long Green Valley Church of the Brethren
Long Green & Kanes Rds., near Glen Arm, Md.
December 25, 2011
Worship 10:00 am Sunday School 11:10am

Christmas Day

"And because you (in Christ) are children of the Lord, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’ So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God."
(Galatians 4:6-7)

Announcements
Prelude

Call to Worship

*Hymn "O come, all ye faithful" 212

*Lighting the Christ Candle

*Prayer of Invocation

Scripture Galatians 4:4-7

Message "Mr. Funnytalk's Story" (mp3)

*Hymn "Joy to the world" 318

Scripture Luke 2:22-40

Sharing a joy, a concern, a word of testimony or praise
(please be brief, and aware of God's listening presence)

Hymn "Love came down at Christmas" 208

Prayer of the People

Hymn (vs. 1 & 4) "Angels we have heard on high" 197

Responsive Scripture Reading Isaiah 61:10-62:3

Responding with our Tithes and Offerings

Offertory
(Please sign the attendance pad and pass it on)

*Hymn "Good Christian friends, rejoice" 210

*Benediction

*Postlude

*Rise in body or in spirit

#'s are from Hymnal: A Worship Book

Worship leaders - see basic guidelines

Call to Worship

(before proceeding, light the
four outer Advent candles)

One: Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens;
praise him in the heights!

All: Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his host!

One: Kings of all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth!

All: Young men and women alike, old and young together!

One: Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted, his glory is above earth and heaven.

All: Let this lighted Christ candle remind us of the glory of our Savior!

(motion people to rise and then light
the central Christ candle as we sing:
"O come, all ye faithful" #212)

by Tim Harvey, moderator
Annual Conference Church of the Brethren
also pastor of Central Church of the Brethren
Church of the Brethren Living Word Bulletin
Anchor/Wallace, Sleepy Eye MN 56085, "The Living Word Series"

Prayer of Invocation

We worship you today, Jesus. We acknowledge that while we can do and make many things, you have created all things, and as your disciples we honor you as our Savior and Lord. Touch our hearts today; revive us, that we might forever and ever worship you, on earth, and in heaven. Amen.

Pastoral Prayer

written closer to the time (if not at the moment)

Responsive Scripture Reading
Isaiah 61:10-62:3

One: I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my whole being shall exult in my God;

All: for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

One: For as the earth brings forth its shoots, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up,

All: so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations.

One: For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest,

All: until her vindication shines out like the dawn, and her salvation like a burning torch.

One: The nations shall see your vindication, and all the kings your glory; and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will give.

All: You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.

text from the New Revised Standard Version,
copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the
National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Responding with our Tithes and Offerings

I remember dressing up for a Christmas play as a child. I must have been clothed as one of the wise men, for I recall having misplaced my offering of gold somewhere. “I don’t have it,” I whispered loudly off-stage to the lady who was guiding us through this drama. What happened next is lost in the recesses of my brain.

In the words of the prophet Isaiah, we are clothed “with the garments of salvation,” we are covered “with the robe of righteousness.” Many are the times, in the drama of our lives, when we may wonder what we have to offer. We may forget what we have already been given, the good news misplaced. Lost in the recesses of our brain may be the memory of who God has created us to be. “I’m not good enough,” we may whisper to ourselves. “I don’t have it.”

Oh, but the truth is otherwise. On this Christmas day, remember and rejoice. Let your whole being exult in God. There is a reason you have come this hour, instead of staying at home. Like Simeon and Anna, you are here to witness. Let your light shine as radiant as the Son. Know that the good news which God has planted within you will grow and flower in due season. As a sign of that promise, I invite you to respond just now with your Christmas offering… Please pray with me.

Loving God, out of your great love for the world, you have given us so much. We respond by offering these gifts and our lives to spread the Good News of Jesus' birth. We pray that you will empower us with your Spirit to be faithful witnesses like Simeon and Anna, praising your name now and forever. Amen

Ushers?

prayer (only) by Rev Moira Laidlaw, Uniting Church in Australia

Benediction

Depart now in peace, for your eyes have seen the salvation
which God has prepared for all people.
Grow in strength and wisdom
and bring forth a harvest of righteousness and praise.

And may God smile upon you and make you strong and wise;
May Christ Jesus share his inheritance with you freely;
And may the Holy Spirit open your eyes to the presence of God’s Messiah.