A Christmas Carol

December 5, 2021
Pastor Stacy Dickson
Worship

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Service of Worship

Christmas Pastorale on the Choral, “From High Heaven”
Arr. A. Hanlein
Public Domain

Opening Prayer
Can you hear? A voice is heard in the darkness, the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Make way! Level the valleys! Straighten the paths! Prepare the way for his coming: The coming of the Lord! God, your servant cries out to us: Repent; turn and be restored. Can you hear? God, open the ears of our souls to hear your word of salvation. God, on the second Sunday of Advent, open wide our hearts and our minds to see, feel, hear, and know the salvation of our God. Amen.

(Literature and Liturgy)

Opening Hymn — #211 O Come, O Come Emmanuel

1. O come O, come, Emmanuel,
and ransom captive Israel,
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear.

Refrain
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel.

2. 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.

Refrain

3. 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.

Refrain

4. 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.

Refrain

O Come O Come Emmanuel (Veni Emmanuel)
Henry Sloane Coffin | Laurence Hull Stookey | Thomas Helmore
© Words: 1940, 1943, 1981, 1989 The United Methodist Publishing House
Music: Public Domain
Used by Permission. CCLI License # 656051

Lighting the Advent Candle

Joys and Concerns, Pastoral Prayer

Pastoral Prayer
Your season comes, Lord. Come once again, and feed your flock like a shepherd. Come once again, and gather up the children, the oppressed, the sick, the lonely, the humble, and the rejected of the earth. Turn our hearts to the least of your children, for if we lose them, we become lost. Reconcile us to you and to those we have hurt. At this Advent, join us together with neighbors, with strangers, and especially with our own household. Bring us to your light in our time of darkness, through your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

(Ministry Matters)

For those who are called and able, gifts and tithes can still be made through online giving, by mailing them in, and by dropping them off to the office through the secure mail slot to the left of the double door entry to the church hallway.

Offertory — Hani

Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus
Arr. Rowland Hugh Prichard
Public Domain

Advent Doxology

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…

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

Doxology for Advent
Thomas Ken | Dean McIntyre
© United Methodist General Board of Discipleship
Used by Permission

Offertory Prayer

God of mercy and grace, we pray that the gifts we offer this morning might be used to bring some compassion to the chaos that is our world. We give these gifts in love, hoping they will heal some of the hurting; and as they do, make the crooked road straight for the coming of the Christ. May the hills that separate us from sisters and brothers be made flat and may the valleys of our isolation be raised up, so we will be ready to welcome the Christ as one. In that holy name, we pray. Amen.

Scripture Reading — Matthew 17:1-13 (NRSV)

1 Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. 2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. 3 Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4 Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, Ia will make three dwellingsb here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 5 While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, “This is my Son, the Beloved;a with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. 7 But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Get up and do not be afraid.” 8 And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.

9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, “Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.” 10 And the disciples asked him, “Why, then, do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” 11 He replied, “Elijah is indeed coming and will restore all things; 12 but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but they did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man is about to suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them about John the Baptist.

Sermon — Pastor Stacy Dickson
A Christmas Carol

Communion Blessing

Closing Hymn — #534 Be Still My Soul

1. Be still, my soul: the Lord is on your side.
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;
leave to your God to order and provide;
in every change he faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: your best your heavenly friend
through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

2. Be still, my soul: your God doth undertake
to guide the future as He has the past.
Your hope, your confidence let nothing shake;
all now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know
the Christ who ruled them while he dwelt below.

3. Be still, my soul: the hour is hastening on
when we shall be forever with the Lord,
when disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past,
all safe and blessed we shall meet at last.

Be Still My Soul (Finlandia)
Jane Laurie Borthwick | Jean Sibelius | Kathrina Amalia von Schlegel
Public Domain

Benediction

A voice cries out: Prepare for God’s arrival! Make the road straight and smooth, a highway fit for our God. Fill in the valleys, level off the hills. Smooth out the ruts and clear out the rocks. For our God is coming! Go to be ready, go to be at peace and go to be a blessing. Amen.

Postlude – Hani