Bulletin

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DECEMBER 22 ORDER OF WORSHIP

PRELUDE

WELCOME

SONG
“Infant Holy, Infant Lowly”

CALL TO WORSHIP *                                             
One: In this weary world,
All: we sing of joy.
One: In this fragile world,
All: we lift each other up.
One: In this beautiful world,
All: we look for God.
One: In this tender world,
All: we hold onto hope.
One: This is the invitation of faith. So in this time of worship, may we sing, lift up, look for, and hold onto our with-us God.
All: With hope in our hearts, amen!

ADVENT CANDLE LIGHTING: LOVE
SONG
“He Came Down”
He came down that we may have joy;
He came down that we may have joy;
He came down that we may have joy;
hallelujah forevermore. (x2)

OPENING SONG *
“People Look East” (#202)
People, look east. The time is near
of the crowning of the year.
Make your house fair as you are able,
trim the hearth and set the table.
People, look east and sing today:
Love, the Guest, is on the way.

 Furrows, be glad. Though earth is bare,
one more seed is planted there.
Give up your strength the seed to nourish,
that in course the flower may flourish.
People, look east and sing today:
Love, the Rose, is on the way.

 Stars, keep the watch. When night is dim,
one more light the bowl shall brim,
shining beyond the frosty weather,
bright as sun and moon together.
People, look east and sing today:
Love, the Star, is on the way.

Angels announce with shouts of mirth
him who brings new life to earth.
Set every peak and valley humming
with the word, the Lord is coming.
People, look east and sing today:
Love, the Lord, is on the way.

CALL TO CONFESSION *

PRAYER OF CONFESSION *
One: Gracious God, you paint pictures of what could be,
All: but we declare those visions impossible.
One: You speak of the lion lying down with the lamb,
All: but we spout skepticism and uncertainty.
One: You dream of a more just day,
All: but we poke holes in the plan, unable to fathom that horizon.
One: Forgive us for losing sight of hope.
All: Forgive us for assuming that what we see is all there is.
One: Open up our hearts to see the world as you see it.
All: Open up our hearts to risk hope, to dream dreams, and to not be afraid of either. With gratitude we pray, amen.

WORDS OF FORGIVENESS *
One: Friends, no matter what you hold onto, and no matter what you let slip through your hands, God is holding onto you. That good news will never change. So hear and believe the good news of the Gospel: Today is a new day. Today, we have reason to hope. Today, we are forgiven. And the same will be true tomorrow.
All: Thanks be to God for a love like that. Amen.

GLORIA *
Gloria, in excelsis Deo!
Gloria, in excelsis Deo!

PASSING THE PEACE *

OFFERING

DOXOLOGY
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
praise Christ, all people here below;
praise Holy Spirit evermore;
praise Triune God, whom we adore.
Amen.

CHILDREN’S TIME

SONG
“God's Love Made Visible”
by Dave Brubeck

SCRIPTURE (Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:46-55)

SERMON

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
One: Holy God, we come to you today feeling tenderhearted. We are tenderhearted because life is hard. Our spirits are bruised from the ups and downs, from the onslaught of disappointment, fear, and grief. In the midst of this tenderness, how do we risk hope? How do we hold onto you? With honesty on our tongues, we come to you today, God, to ask for your help. Show us how to hope. Draw near to the most vulnerable places in our lives, to the places where hope feels out of reach. Draw near to our depression and anxiety, to our addictions and sorrows.
All: Draw near to the problems that feel impossibly big. Draw close to the places where hope seems out of reach. And as you do, show us how to dream a better dream. When the night feels long, point us to the candles.
One: When the world feels empty, fill us with bread from this Table. When grief threatens to capsize our boat, allow us to laugh. When we feel alone in our loss, surround us with community. In the ups and downs of this tenderhearted world, show us how to hope.
All: Show us how to live like Mary and Joseph, for they were courageous enough to believe the angel’s words. They were courageous enough to believe that change could come. Give us the courage, the vulnerability, and the wisdom to risk the same.
One: With all the tenderhearted hope we can muster, we join our voices together to pray the words your son taught us to pray, saying…

LORD’S PRAYER
All: 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 debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.

CLOSING SONG *
“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” (#211, verses 1-4)
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.

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]

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]

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]

CLOSING MESSAGE *

POSTLUDE

*Rise in body or spirit