The First Sunday Of Advent

Transcription

1 FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH A Place To Belong The First Sunday Of Advent Sunday, November 27 th, :00 a.m.

2 FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH Welcome to our morning worship service. If you are a visitor today, we invite you to complete one of the blue Visitor Cards in the pew rack and place it in the offering plate toward the end of our worship service. This will help us to get to know you better! A nursery is available for infants and toddlers and is located in the lower hall, as are the washrooms. If you wish to have a hard of hearing headset or cushion, please speak to one of our ushers who will be happy to obtain these items for you. FBC is a Scent Free Zone: for the health and comfort of all our congregants, please refrain from wearing perfumes, scented hairsprays or like products. The sanctuary is a holy place, a place of refuge, where we come apart from the world and our daily responsibilities, in order, together, to meet with the God whom we know best in Jesus Chri Please silence cellphones, pagers, watches and other electronic devices. As we prepare ourselves for worship, please speak softly, move slowly and allow each one present t Ushers: Greeters: Gordon Magel (Head Usher) Sanctuary: Susan Cowen & Christine Henry Rick Roland Balcony: L. McPherson & L. Snook Diane Zimmer Elevator: Lynn Taylor AV Ministry: Kevin Rich Service of Worship Sunday, November 27 th, 2011 First Sunday of Advent 11:00 a.m. *Indicates congregation is invited to stand as able* Music for preparation and reflection is for quiet meditation. Music for Gathering JuBELLation Dwelling Place Christa Walsh & Friends Morning Chimes Mark Anderson *The Introit The Advent of Our God Congregation The Advent of our God with eager hearts we greet; And we must praise Him in this hour with hymns and carols sweet All glory to the Son, who comes to set us free; With Father, Spirit, ever One through all eternity. Welcome Mark McKim 1

3 Reflective Moment Christa Walsh & Friends THE APPROACH: THE PRAISE AND WORSHIP OF GOD Call to Worship John Nelson Prayer Invocation or The Collect *Carol of Praise (vs. 1 & 2) #27 (The children will proceed to the front of the church during the singing of this hymn.) Lighting of the First Advent Candle Wayne Wilson & Gayle Meyer *Carol of Praise (vs. 3 & 4) #27 (The children will proceed to the lower hall for their own worship service.) Gift of Music Christa Walsh & Friends CONFESSION OF SIN Call to Confession John Nelson Confession of Sin Assurance of Pardon Gift of Music THE WORD OF GOD READ Sanctuary Choir Old Testament Lesson: Isaiah 64:1-5a (O.T. 694) Loreen Frost Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 2:1-6 Leader: Why do the nations conspire, Congregation: And the people plot in vain? Leader: The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and His anointed, saying, Choir:, and cast their cords Leader: He who sits in the heavens laughs; Congregation: The Lord has them in derision. Leader: Then He will speak to them in His wrath, and terrify them in His fury, saying, All: My king on Zion, M 2

4 *Gloria Patri #623 Congregation Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost: As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, Amen. New Testament Lesson: John 14:1-6 (N.T. pg. 108) Loreen Frost Reader: This is the word of the Lord! People: Thanks be to God! THE WORD OF GOD PROCLAIMED *Carol of Preparation #347 Sermon The Prophecy Candle Mark McKim RESPONSE TO THE WORD AND RETURN TO THE WORLD *Carol of Response (Copyright 2009 Carolyn Winfrey Gillette. Used by permission.) Creation waits Your loving hand to bring in what will be. When things we trust in shift and shake and sorrows multiply,, The One who judges us will be no stranger but a Friend. So by Your S re bringing forth: May we seek justice, end despair, and work to heal the earth. e in Your reign. Congregational Life and Ministry Joel Russell-MacLean Call To 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. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen. Our Gifts & Offerings Advent Meditation JuBELLation *Response Of Praise O Come Let Us Adore Him Congregation 3

5 O come let us adore Him, O come let us adore Him, O come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord. Benediction the glory, Christ the Lord. Mark McKim Choral Benediction O Little Town of Bethlehem Congregation 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. Music For Celebration November 20 th, 2011 Worship Attendance Combined Morning Worship Service Christa Walsh & Friends Please join us in the lower hall for coffee, tea, juice, cookies and fellowship. November 27: Congregational Meeting Luncheon December 4: Set up for Christmas together dinner will be taking place. OFFERING ENVELOPES Church offering envelopes are now available in mailboxes in the front foyer. There are 26 packets of envelopes remaining. Sanctuary Choir envelopes are also there. These will not be mailed out so please be sure to pick them up. If you did not receive envelopes but would like them please call the church office as soon as possible at ext 0 We express our sympathy and condolences to Carol Hepting and family on the passing of Carol s father Rev. Kenneth Fisher on November 19 th in Regina. The funeral was held on November 22 nd at the Victoria Avenue Funeral Home with Pastor Lois Munholland officiating. 4

6 First Baptist Church Christmas Banquet Sunday, December 4 5:00 p.m. Join in an evening of fun, family and friends as we celebrate the birth of Jesus According to the first letter of your last name please bring: A H L T G Jellied Salad or Fruit Tray K Sliced Dessert S Vegetables (brought in a serving dish) Z Salad (dressing on the side) Phone Donna Kish ( ) if you can help with organizing the kitchen, set up or clean up, making potatoes or dressing, etc. A free will offering will be received. If you are attending please fill out the form below and place it in the offering plate: Name: Number of people attending: I will be bringing: 5

7 Joy In The Journey Saturday Seminars at F.B.C. Were you there on November 5 th?. Second Step Of The Journey: le Will you come January 28 th? Saturday 10:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. Date and time: Monday, December 12 at 6:00 p.m. Speaker: Reverend Henry Friesen Cost: $ plus tip Good food, fellowship and great carol singing Come and bring a friend Contact: Ray Silzer at Christmas Concerts and Services at First! December 4 2:30 & 7:30 p.m. Luther College Candlelight Service December 9 7:30 p.m. Cantate Youth Choir Concert December 10 7:30 p.m. Vivace Choral Ensemble Concert December 11 7:00 p.m. Christmas Glory Concert December 14 7:00 p.m. Christmas Remembrance Service December 18 11:00 a.m. Fuller Brass Special Music December 24 6:00 p.m. Christmas Eve Candlelight Service December 25 11:00 a.m. Christmas Day Service REMEMBER TO MARK THESE DATES ON YOUR CALENDAR Are you buying Christmas Cards this year? Buy 8 cards for $10.00 from the Gideons and provide a New Testament for 3 people. See Hilary Ryan to purchase your package of cards. 6

8 Would you like to commemorate a special person this Christmas Season? Please donate a poinsettia to beautify our Sanctuary in December. Bring or send $15.00 to the church office, or place an envelope into the offering plate with the name of the person(s) you want remembered. Please try to have this in by Sunday, December 4 th. You can collect your plant to take home on Christmas Day. to get to know more people in the congregation by co-ordinating volunteers for greeting at the main door. Please call or Hilary Ryan ( hmryan@sasktel.net) for a job description and help in getting started. Congratulations to Sarah Toews who won the Duke of Community Assistance. Presented to Sarah by the Lieutentant Governor, Sarah was the only winner from Regina. December 5 th, 6:30 p.m., th Avenue Your Mission Commission is finding out more about this organization that started out as a soup kitchen and now provides a growing list of services that include meals, clothing, shelter, housing, children and youth programming Anyone is welcome to join us in discovering how God is at work. To find out more go to Coming up: Annual Christmas Holiday Meal For community members that may not have the opportunity the celebrate on their own. Friday, December 23, 11:30 a.m. 2:00 p.m. Good News Chapel, 1380 Elphinstone St. To volunteer at this meal or any of the daily meals, or in any other capacity call

9 1. SPECIAL CHRISTMAS SERVICES Christmas Eve Candlelight Service Saturday, December 24, 6:00 p.m. Readings*Communion An evening for the whole family to celebrate the coming of the Christ Child, Emmanuel! Come and hear the telling of the Christmas Eve Story Christmas Spirit by attending this reflective and inspiring service! Sunday, December 18 Carol Singing*Choir*Special Music by Maria & Natalie Fuller, Fuller Brass, Matt Field and more! Sunday, December 25 Christmas Morning Service Carol Singing*Pastor Joel Speaking*Special Music by the Nelson Family. 2. JUBELLATION RINGERS We are looking for an additional 3 ringers to join us in If you are interested, please speak to Pastor John Nelson ASAP 3. A REMINDER Choir will start up on Thursday, January 12 th and will be in the loft for the January 15 th service. There will be NO CHOIR rehearsals December 15, 22, 29 or January 5. HERE WE COME A WASSAILING! Mark your calendars for an evening of caroling followed by hot chocolate and goodies. All ages welcome: bring yourself, bring a friend, come with family. Friday, December 16 th, location to be announced, details to follow! Contact Pastor Joel if you are interested in attending. 8

10 FIRST SUNDAY IN ADVENT This Sunday is the first Sunday of advent, a four week period preceding time when we look back to the first coming or advent of Jesus at Bethlehem nearly 2000 years ago, and look forward to the day when He will come again, intended as a time for quiet reflection, self-examination and preparation what we have come to expect of the weeks leading up to Christmas with everyone rushing about exhausted from shopping, baking, sending Christmas cards and all the rest. There are many helpful customs and traditions associated with Advent. One of these is the Advent Wreath. This is a horizontal evergreen wreath with for candles, and usually a fifth, white candle in the centre. Starting with the First Sunday of Advent, the lighting of one of the candles is accompanied by a Scripture reading Bible reading and prayers. An additional candle is lit during each subsequent week until; by the last Sunday of Advent all four candles are lit. The final, white, Christmas Eve worship service. The actual origin of the use of the Advent wreath is obscure. Some suggest it was originally a pagan symbol, reinterpreted and adapted as a Christian symbol. Regardless of the origins, it is now clearly a Christian symbol. The wreath is round, having no beginning or ending, reminding us of God who, likewise, has no beginning or ending, for God is eternal. The lighted candles remind us that the Bible repeatedly d Frequently the different candles on an Advent Wreath are assigned different names. The pattern of those names varies from place to place and church to church. By focusing week by week on these different names, we will be led to reflect on the meaning of the term used as it is found in Scripture. This year, here at First Baptist church, we will give each of the candles a different name, century, the Messiah who would set things to rights. Even in the midst of situations where there seemed very little reason to be hopeful, the great Jewish prophets reminded Hope often seems to be missing in our western society. What does Christianity have to say about hope to a culture which is cynical, suspicious and jaded? 9

11 MONDAY 7:30 P.M. VIVACE REHEARSAL LOWER HALL TUESDAY 10:00 A.M. STAFF MEETING BOARD ROOM 5:00 P.M. TNT LOWER HALL 6:00 P.M. ADULT DISCUSSION GROUP LIBRARY 6:00 P.M. JUBELLATION SANCTUARY WEDNESDAY 8:00 A.M. PRAYER BREAKFAST - LOWER HALL 4:00 P.M. QUIZZING LIBRARY THURSDAY 4:00 P.M. NFICC YOUTH GROUP YOUTH CENTRE 7:00 P.M. SANCTUARY CHOIR SANCTUARY SATURDAY 10:00 A.M. DEACONS MEETING BOARD ROOM 12:00 P.M. HOMEWORK HELP GROUP YOUTH CENTRE 2:00 P.M. NFICC YOUTH GROUP YOUTH CENTRE SUNDAY 9:30 A.M. LEARNING FOR LIFE VARIOUS AREAS 11:00 A.M. COMBINED MORNING WORSHIP SERVICE SANCTUARY 12:00 P.M. EXALTATION REHEARSAL MUSIC ROOM Anyone requesting prayer for himself or herself, a loved one or a friend, please contact Eileen Hutton with the information. FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH STAFF Rev. Dr. Mark G. McKim, Sr. Minister (ext 22) Rev. Dr. George Baxter, Minister Emeritus Rev. John Nelson Jr., Assoc. Minister (ext 29) Rev. James Frost, Custodian Pastor Joel Russell-MacLean, Assoc. Minister (ext 25) Siyoum Zemichael, Assistant Custodian Krista Johnstone, Financial Administrator (ext 26) Dr. Mark Anderson, Organist Erin Angus, Administrative Assistant (ext 0) Christa Walsh, Pianist DIACONATE/TRUSTEES Prof. Norma Bailey-Holtslander Chair Prof. Annabel Robinson Vice Chair Murray Wolfe Secretary Derrick Bellows Treasurer Martha Pauls Member Carolyn Lowther Member Reade Holtslander Member Erwin Ziolkowski Honourary Dr. Esther Wiens Member FIRST KAREN BAPTIST CHURCH STAFF Rev. Leng Nawn Thang (ext 32) Rev. Eh Tha Wah (ext 32) Rev. Zabiak Cung Biaka (ext 32) (ext 32) OUR MINISTRY PARTNERSHIPS Youth For Christ (James Clifford) Katepwa Lake Camp (Rev. Walter Willford) Urban Adventure (Rebecca Haugen) First Baptist Place First Baptist Church CONTACT Victoria Avenue, Regina SK, S4P 0S4 First Baptist Church Fax Number main_fbcregina@sasktel.net OFFICE HOURS Monday to Thursday 9:00 a.m. 4:00 p.m. Friday Closed 10