Praise Music
“O Come O Come Emmanuel”
Music
Welcome and Announcements
Sharing our Good News
Prayers for Others in Need
Thoughts for Advent
During this second week of Advent, we pause to remember who God is and what He has done for us. When our lives are hurried, we only have the chance to focus on our to-do lists. Making space in our schedules for prayer and meditation helps us to better see God at work in our lives and in our world.
As we prepare our hearts for the celebration of Jesus’ arrival as a gift to all humanity, let’s stir up in our hearts and homes a sense of anticipation. May God’s spirit transform the days leading up to Christmas into a time of holy anticipation; preparing our hearts, as we faithfully await the chance to celebrate the arrival of our king.
Lighting the Advent Candle of Love
Call to Worship
Philippians 1:7-12
It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. And this is my prayer: That your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.
Special Music
How Deep the Father’s Love for Us (Fernando Ortega)
Music
Invocation
Love Comes to His People
Luke 1:39-45
At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she 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!”
Special Music
Sing for the King
Music
Sharing the Love of God
Our Challenge for the Season
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. (1 John 4:7-12.)
At Christmas we are reminded by the Christ child of how accessible God has made himself to us. A baby is born in Bethlehem. This is no ordinary birth nor ordinary child - for this is the promised Messiah, the Emmanuel or “God with us”.
Message
Activity
Share an idea of how to show love to one another in our congregation
Offering Our Tithes and Gifts to the Lord
For the fruit of all creation, thanks be to God.
For God’s gifts to every nation, thanks be to God.
For the plowing, sowing, reaping, silent growth while we are sleeping,
Future needs in earth’s safekeeping, thanks be to God. For the harvests
Of the Spirit, thanks be to God. For the good we all inherit, thanks be
To God. For the wonders that astound us, for the truths that still confound
Us, most of all that love has found us, thanks be to God.
Collection of Tithes and Offerings
Blessing Upon the Offering
Hymn
Come Thou Long Expected Jesus (Celtic Worship)
Music
Benediction
We welcome our guests and visitors today. Please come worship with us again!