Worship Order for
Sunday |
Long Green Valley Church of the Brethren
Long Green & Kanes Rds., near Glen Arm, Md.
December 13, 2015
Worship 10:00 am
Sunday School 11:10am
Third Sunday of Advent
In a loud voice Elizabeth exclaimed: “Blessed are
you among women,
and blessed is the child you will bear!
But why am I so
favored, that
the mother of my Lord should come to me?
As soon as the sound
of your greeting reached my ears,
the baby in my womb
leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the
Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”
(Luke 1: 42-45, NIV) |
Beginning with Praise
(9:50 am)
“An Advent Song”
(back of bulletin)
Announcements
Prelude
*Call to Worship
*Hymn
(vs. 1 & 3) “O come,
O come, Immanuel”
172
*Lighting the Advent
Candles
*Hymn
(vs. 2-3) “Good
Christian friends, rejoice”
210
*Opening Prayer
Scripture
Philippians 4:4-7
Sharing
a joy, a concern, a word of testimony or praise
(please be brief, and aware of God's listening presence)
Hymn
(vs.
3) “It
came upon a midnight clear”
195 Pastoral
Prayer
Returning
our Tithes and Offerings
Offertory
(Please sign the attendance pad and pass it on)
Hymn
(vs.
4) “It
came upon a midnight clear”
195
Gospel
Story
Luke 1:26-38
Hymn
“The angel
Gabriel”
180
Gospel
Story
Luke 1: 39-56
Response
“An Advent Song”
(back of bulletin)
Message
“Joy-full” (mp3)
*Hymn
“My
soul proclaims with wonder”
181
*Benediction
*Postlude
*Rise in body or in spirit #'s are from Hymnal:
A Worship Book
Worship leaders - see basic
guidelines |
Call to
Worship
(1 & 2 stand at the bottom of the steps, each with a microphone)
1 - So sing, Daughter Zion!
2 - Raise the rafters, Israel!
1 - Daughter Jerusalem, be happy! celebrate!
2 - God has reversed his judgments against
you and sent your enemies off chasing their tails.
1 - From now on, God is Israel’s king, in
charge at the center.
2 - There’s nothing to fear from evil ever
again!
1 - Jerusalem will be told: “Don’t be afraid.
2 - Dear Zion, don’t despair.
1 - Your God is present among you, a strong
Warrior there to save you.
2 - Happy to have you back, he’ll calm you
with his love and delight you with his songs.
(3 speaks from the back of the sanctuary with a microphone.)
3 - “The
accumulated sorrows of your exile will dissipate.
I, your God, will get rid of them for you.
You’ve carried those burdens long enough.
At the same time, I’ll get rid of all those
who’ve made your life miserable.
I’ll heal the maimed;
I’ll bring home the homeless.
In the very countries where they were hated
they will be venerated.
On Judgment Day I’ll bring you back home—
a great family gathering!
You’ll be famous and honored all over the world.
You’ll see it with your own eyes—
all those painful partings turned into reunions!”
1 - God’s Promise.
2 - God’s Promise.
(pause to indicate scripture is completed, then:)
1 - As we sing the first and third verses of
“O come, O come, Immanuel,”
2 - #172
in your hymnal,
1 - all children are invited to come forward
2 - to continue preparing our sanctuary for
Advent.
Zephaniah
3:14-20
from
The Message.
Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002.
Used by permission of
NavPress Publishing Group
|
Lighting
the Advent Candles
|
(As the congregation sings the first and third verses of
“O come, O come, Immanuel,” the children come forward and
are led by _______ in this week’s decorating. One child is
sent to the back of the sanctuary and processes forward
during the second verse with a lit Christmas eve candle,
and stands beside the Advent wreath. When the hymn comes
to a close, the other children pause their preparation
work and stand where they are.) |
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1 - Today is the third Sunday of Advent.
2 - We re-light the first Advent candle.
(child re-lights the front candle)
1 - In the darkness, there is the light of
“Hope.”
2 - Speak that word aloud, in one voice.
All -
“Hope”
1 - We re-light the second Advent candle.
(child re-lights the right candle)
2 - In the darkness, there is the light of
“Love.”
1 - Speak that word aloud, in one voice.
All -
“Love”
2 - We light the third Advent candle.
(child lights the left, pink candle)
1 - In the darkness, there is the light of
“Joy.”
2 - Speak that word aloud, in one voice.
All -
“Joy”
1 - Now rise in body or spirit.
2 - Stand, if you are able.
1 - With a song, invite those around you into
the light of joy.
2 - Sing verses two and three of
“Good Christian friends,
rejoice,” #210 in your hymnal.
|
(children continue their sanctuary preparation work,
joined by the candle-lighter. If not done by the end of
the hymn, they again pause where they are for the prayer,
continuing quietly during the scripture reading that
follows,) |
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Opening
Prayer
Most holy and most generous God, you have more laughter in store
for us than we can ever imagine. As we step one more week closer
to Christmas, convey us from the trivial to the profound, from
worry to eagerness, from brief pleasures to that divine joy which
nothing on earth or in heaven can ever subdue. Through Jesus
Christ our Savior. Amen!
by Bruce Prewer, Uniting Church in Australia,
from Resources: Based on the Revised Common Lectionary.
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Philippians 4:4-7
1 - Rejoice in the Lord always;
2 - again I will say, Rejoice.
1 - Let your gentleness be known to everyone.
2 - The Lord is near.
1 - Do not worry about anything,
2 - but in everything
1 - by prayer and supplication
2 - with thanksgiving
1 - let your requests be made known to God.
2 - And the peace of God,
1 - which surpasses all understanding,
2 - will guard your hearts
1 - and your minds
2 - in Christ Jesus.
scripture 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
|
Pastoral Prayer
written closer to the time (if not at the
moment)
|
Returning
our Tithes and Offerings
Jesus once told a story about a shepherd who cared so much about
one lost sheep that he left the rest of his flock to search for
it. And when that lost sheep was found, he picked it up with joy
and carried it back on his shoulders. Can you imagine? Jesus
added, “there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over
ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance”
(Luke 15:7). That reveals a
bit of God’s economic plan, by the way. From our point of view,
it’s the survival of the fittest, let the least and lost fend for
themselves. Protect what you’ve got at all costs. But where is the
joy in that? Where is the laughter? All that remains is a clenched
fist, not a full heart.
Ponder this as you return your offering.
Ushers?
|
Luke
1:26-38
N – Narrator, G – Gabriel, M – Mary, C
– Congregation
N - 26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was
sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to
a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of
David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And he
came to her and said,
G - “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”
N - 29 But she was much perplexed by his words
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.30 The
angel said to her,
G - “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And
now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will
name him Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be
called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him
the throne of his ancestor David. 33 He will
reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there
will be no end.”
N - 34 Mary said to the angel,
M - “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”
N - 35 The angel said to her,
G - “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most
High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be
holy; he will be called Son of God. 36 And now,
your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son;
and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. 37 For
nothing will be impossible with God.”
N - 38 Then Mary said,
M - “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me
according to your word.”
N - Then the angel departed from her.
C - “The
angel Gabriel” 180
scripture 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
|
Luke
1:39-56
N – Narrator, M – Mary, E – Elizabeth,
C – Congregation
N - 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,
E - “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.”
N - 46 And Mary said,
M - “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.”
C - “An Advent Song”
N - 56 And Mary remained with her about three
months and then returned to her home.
scripture 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
|
(listen
to the music - mp3)
Lyrics & music
© 2015
Steve Engle
Church of the Brethren Living Word Bulletin
Brethren Press.
www.brethrenpress.com
Anchor/Wallace, Sleepy Eye MN 56085,
"The Living Word" Series
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Benediction
Surely it is God who saves us.
Let us
trust and not be afraid,
for the Lord is our strength and shield,
and has become our salvation. Draw water with joy from
the springs of salvation. Thank the Lord; call on God’s name;
proclaim
God’s deeds among the peoples;
declare that God’s name is exalted. Sing to the
Lord, who has done glorious things;
proclaim
this throughout all the earth. Shout and sing for joy, city of
Zion,
because the holy one of Israel is great among you.
adaptation of
Isaiah 12:2-6
from the
Common English Bible
Copyright © 2011 by Common
English Bible
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