December 22, 2024
Third Sunday of Advent
Love
Prelude
Kathy Shrader
The Call of the Bells
Bringing Forth the Flame of Hope
Welcome & Announcements
Felicia Thomas
RISE Christmas Eve Service
Kemper Knoll Farm, 2 pm
We will gather in Darlene Kemper’s barn at 2 pm (ish) for a relatively brief worship experience and Christmas Eve fun! Some seating will be available, but you’re welcome to bring a chair, too. Though we will be in the barn, please dress to stay warm, bring blankets, etc! And feel free to invite all of your friends and loved ones!
Call to Worship
(Bold text = All read)
Something stirs deep within us…
Longing
Hope
A thirst for joy
Hunger for peace
Yearning for blessing
We know deep within that our hopes and fears
Will be met by angel songs and baby sighs
It is Advent…
A season of waiting
A season of hope and peace
A season of joy and love
Come, Lord Jesus, come!
Opening Hymn
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel - UMH #211
O come, O come, Emmanuel,
and ransom captive Israel
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, thou Wisdom from on high,
and order all things far and nigh;
to us the path of knowledge show
and cause us in her ways to go.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, O come, great Lord of might,
who to thy tribes on Sinai's height
in ancient times once gave the law
in cloud and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, thou Root of Jesse’s tree,
an ensign of thy people be;
before thee rulers silent fall;
all peoples on thy mercy call.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel.
Joys and COncerns
Felicia Thomas & Pastor Gordon Meriwether
Congregational Prayer
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy kingdom come, thy will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and 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.
Hymns for a Baby Boy
Brent Holl
“Rejoice, Rejoice”
~Marty Haugen
Awake! Awake and greet the new morn,
for angels herald its dawning.
sing out your joy, for soon he is born,
behold! the Child of our longing.
Come as a baby weak and poor,
to bring all hearts together,
he opens wide the heav’nly door,
and lives now inside us forever.
To us, to all in sorrow and fear,
Emmanuel comes a-singing,
his humble song is quiet and near,
yet fills the earth with its ringing;
Music to heal the broken soul
and hymns of loving kindness,
the thunder of his anthems roll
to shatter all hatred and blindness.
In darkest night his coming shall be,
when all the world is despairing,
as morning light so quiet and free,
so warm and gentle and caring.
Then shall the mute break forth in song,
the lame shall leap in wonder,
the weak be raised above the strong,
and weapons be broken asunder.
Rejoice, rejoice, take heart in the night,
though dark the winter and cheerless,
the rising sun shall crown you with light,
be strong and loving and fearless.
Love be our song and love our prayer,
and love, our endless story,
may God fill ev’ry day we share
and bring us at last into glory.
“The Virgin Mary”
~West Indian Carol
The Virgin Mary had a baby boy (x3)
And they say that His name is Jesus.
He come from the glory,
He come from the glorious kingdom.
He come from the glory,
He come from the glorious kingdom.
Oh yes, believer! Oh yes, believer!
He come from the glory,
He come from the glorious kingdom.
The angels sang when the baby born (x3)
And they say that His name is Jesus.
He come from the glory,
He come from the glorious kingdom.
He come from the glory,
He come from the glorious kingdom.
Oh yes, believer! Oh yes, believer!
He come from the glory,
He come from the glorious kingdom.
The shepherds came where the baby was born (x3)
And they say that His name is Jesus.
He come from the glory,
He come from the glorious kingdom.
He come from the glory,
He come from the glorious kingdom.
Oh yes, believer! Oh yes, believer!
He come from the glory,
He come from the glorious kingdom.
The wise men came where the baby was born (x3)
And they say that His name is Jesus.
He come from the glory,
He come from the glorious kingdom.
He come from the glory,
He come from the glorious kingdom.
Oh yes, believer! Oh yes, believer!
He come from the glory,
He come from the glorious kingdom.
“Gabriel’s Message”
~Sabine Barin-Gould
The angel Gabriel from heaven came,
his wings as drifted snow, his eyes as flame.
"All hail," said he, “thou lowly maiden Mary,
most highly favor’d lady." Gloria!
"For known as blessed mother thou shalt be,
all generations laud and honor thee.
Thy son shall be Immanuel by seers foretold,
most highly favor’d lady." Gloria!
Then gentle Mary meekly bowed her head,
"To me be as it pleaseth God," she said.
"My soul shall laud and magnify his holy name."
Most highly favor’d lady, Gloria!
Advent Reflections
Laura Douglass
Personal Reflection
Lighting of the Advent Candles - Hope, Peace, and Joy
SCRIPTURE READINGs
Isaiah 12:2-6 (NRSV)
2 Surely God is my salvation;
I will trust and will not be afraid,
for the Lord is my strength and my might;
he has become my salvation.”
3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. 4 And you will say on that day:
“Give thanks to the Lord;
call on his name;
make known his deeds among the nations;
proclaim that his name is exalted.
5 Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously;
let this be known in all the earth.
6 Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion,
for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.”
Zephaniah 3:14-20 (NRSV)
14 Sing aloud, O daughter Zion;
shout, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart,
O daughter Jerusalem!
15 The Lord has taken away the judgments against you;
he has turned away your enemies.
The king of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;
you shall fear disaster no more.
16 On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:
“Do not fear, O Zion;
do not let your hands grow weak.
17 The Lord, your God, is in your midst,
a warrior who gives victory;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will renew you in his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing
18 as on a day of festival.”
I will remove disaster from you,
so that you will not bear reproach for it.
19 I will deal with all your oppressors
at that time.
And I will save the lame
and gather the outcast,
and I will change their shame into praise
and renown in all the earth.
20 At that time I will bring you home,
at the time when I gather you;
for I will make you renowned and praised
among all the peoples of the earth,
when I restore your fortunes
before your eyes, says the Lord.
Centering Hymn
O Little Town of Bethlehem - UMH #230
O little town of Bethlehem,
how still we see thee lie!
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
the silent stars go by.
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
the everlasting light;
the hopes and fears of all the years
are met in thee tonight.
For Christ is born of Mary;
and gathered all above,
while mortals sleep, the angels keep
their watch of wondering love.
O morning stars, together
proclaim the holy birth,
and praises sing to God the King,
and peace to all on earth.
How silently, how silently,
the wondrous gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts
the blessings of His heaven.
No ear may hear His coming,
but in this world of sin,
where meek souls will receive Him still,
the dear Christ enters in.
O holy Child of Bethlehem,
descend to us, we pray;
cast out our sin and enter in;
be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels,
the great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us,
our Lord Emmanuel!
Message
Chris Zepp
Where Hopes and Fears Meet
Offering
Invitations
One of our core values is, "God gives to us, so we give back." We're called to give as a joy-filled response to what we've been given. Your financial gifts make a tremendous difference in the lives of God's beloved in Harrisonburg and beyond. Whether it's helping to make sure children in our community have enough to eat, helping to respond to the mental health crisis in our community, or providing much needed backing for the operating costs of our spaces and staff — your gift is a part of God's dream and we are grateful for everyone who partners with us on this journey!
Offertory
Kathy Shrader
Doxology - UMH #95
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow
Praise him all creatures here below
Praise him above, ye heavenly host
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Amen.
Closing Hymn
Joy to the World - UMH #246
Joy to the world; the Lord is come;
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare him room,
And Heav'n and nature sing (x3)
Joy to the world, the Savior reigns,
Let all their songs employ,
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains,
Repeat the sounding joy (x3)
No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make his blessings flow
Far as the curse is found (x3)
He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of his righteousness,
And wonders of his love (x3)
Benediction & Meal Blessing
Postlude
Kathy Shrader
REMEMBER - YOU ARE A GIFT!
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