PRESENTATION OF TITHES AND OFFERINGS. OFFERTORY: Chorale Prelude on Lo, How a Rose E er Blooming Johannes Brahms Thomas Russell, organ

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1 Divine Worship 8:30 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. A voice cries: In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. VOLUNTARY: Gigue on Go, Tell It On the Mountain WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS (Isaiah 40:3, ESV) Aaron David Miller CALL TO WORSHIP Mr. Squires (8:30) Mr. Bult (11:15) + HYMN 208: O Come, All Ye Faithful ADESTE FIDELES Trinity Hymnal + INVOCATION AND LORD S PRAYER Our Father, which 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. + THE APOSTLES CREED I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord; Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost; born of the Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven; and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen. + GLORIA PATRI Henry Greatorex 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. CHILDREN S SERMON 8:30 a.m.: Tick, Tock CHILDREN S HYMN 8:30 a.m.: My Times Are in Thy Hand VIGIL Trinity Hymnal, no. 684, stanzas 1 and 4 My times are in thy hand; my God, I wish them there; My life, my friends, my soul, I leave entirely to thy care. My times are in thy hand, Jesus the Crucified; Those hands my cruel sins had pierced are now my guard and guide. CONFESSION OF SIN Mr. Lauten (8:30) Dr. Thomas (11:15) Minister and Congregation Lord God! Eternal and Almighty Father, we acknowledge and confess before your holy Majesty that we are poor sinners, conceived and born in guilt and in corruption, prone to do evil, unable of ourselves to do any good, who, by reason of our depravity, transgress without end your holy commandments. Therefore, we have drawn upon ourselves, by your just sentence, condemnation and death. But, Oh Lord! with heartfelt sorrow, we repent and deplore our offenses. We condemn ourselves and our evil ways, with true penitence, beseeching that your grace may relieve our distress. Be pleased to have compassion on us, O most gracious God, Father of all mercies, for the sake of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. And in removing our guilt and our pollution, grant us the daily increase of the grace of your Holy Spirit, that acknowledging from our inmost heart our own unrighteousness, we may be touched with sorrow that shall work true repentance, and that your Spirit, mortifying all sin within us, may produce the fruits of holiness and righteousness well pleasing in your sight. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Confession of sin from Leading in Worship) SCRIPTURAL ASSURANCE OF PARDON Minister The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. MORNING PRAYER (I Timothy 1:15, ESV) + HYMN: Earth Gave Him No Welcome CRADLE SONG Earth gave him no welcome, no shelter, no home; He slept in a stable, the inn had no room; No bed but a manger, no pillow but hay, No friends but the oxen who watched where he lay. To seek and to rescue the dying and lost, He came to save sinners at infinite cost: Despised and rejected, forsaken was he; Earth gave him no welcome but Calvary s tree. Earth gave him no welcome: sin s night has been long; But soon comes God s morning all glorious with song: Then earth shall not see him rejected again; Triumphant in glory her King comes to reign! PRESENTATION OF TITHES AND OFFERINGS OFFERTORY: Chorale Prelude on Lo, How a Rose E er Blooming Johannes Brahms Thomas Russell, organ + DOXOLOGY OLD HUNDREDTH 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. (During the 11:15 a.m. service, K4 and K5 children may leave for Children s Church. Parents should come for them in the Thornwell Education Building, Room 107.) PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION SCRIPTURE LESSON John 1:19-34 (Pew Bible page 886) SERMON: That You May Believe A Voice in the Boonies Dr. Derek W.H. Thomas PRAYER FOR BLESSING ON THE WORD OF GOD + HYMN 141: God, in the Gospel of His Son GERMANY Trinity Hymnal + BENEDICTION + CONGREGATIONAL RESPONSE Benediction WYCLIFF May the grace of Christ our Savior and the Father s boundless love, With the Holy Spirit s favor, rest upon us from above. VOLUNTARY: Swiss Noël + Congregation Standing Evening Worship 6:00 p.m. Unchanging Grace for Uncertain Times Union with Christ I Peter 2:21-25 Dr. Gabriel N.E. Fluhrer Louis-Claude Daquin New Year s Eve Communion Service: Tomorrow evening, Monday, January 31, during our New Year s Eve Worship Service at 6:00 p.m., we will gather together to celebrate the Sacrament of the Lord s Supper. The day ahead of us, therefore, is one in which we prepare for a joyful gathering at the table of our Lord Jesus Christ. Note: Gluten-free bread for communion will be available in the Narthex prior to the service. Also, white envelopes for the Deacons Fund taken in association with communion are available in the pews.

2 Sermon Notes A Voice in the Boonies John 1:19-34 Dr. Derek W.H. Thomas Welcome We extend our cordial greetings to all who are visiting us today and hope that you will join us again for worship. We ask our guests to sign the Friendship Register along with members of the congregation and to give us an address so that we can send you information about the First Presbyterian Church. The flowers in the Sanctuary are given to the glory of God and in memory of my beloved wife, Gelene Alderman Duncan Ellsworth, and in honor of my 105 -year-old mother, Augusta Mae McDonald Ellsworth, by Carl A. Ellsworth and the Ellsworth family. THE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH Columbia, South Carolina Est Worship at First Things to consider Thank you for turning off cell phones during the worship service. Please leave any food or drink outside of the Sanctuary. Those who have been detained are asked to take their places either during the first hymn or during the organ interlude following the singing of the Gloria Patri. The 8:30 a.m. worship service is broadcast on WISW 1320 AM and at 11:00 a.m. Sundays. All services are available on live streaming audio at The Audio Ministry provides CDs of today s 8:30 a.m. service in the Narthex after the 11:15 a.m. service. All sermons preached by our ministers are available from the church website at If able, please make room in your pews for others. This helps the ushers as they seat people. The Sanctuary is equipped with a hearing assistance system. Please ask deacons for a receiver. First Presbyterian Church uses two hymnbooks. Trinity Hymnal is the blue hymnbook, and The Hymnbook is the red hymnbook. Nurseries for children to the age of four are provided in the Thornwell Education Building. A quiet room with a live video feed of the service is available in Thornwell, Room 113. There, mothers may attend to the needs of their children. Ministry Staff Dr. Derek W.H. Thomas, Senior Minister Dr. Brad A. Anderson, Director of Youth Ministry Chad Barrett, Finance and Operations Rev. Bryan F. Bult, Minister to the Elderly Nate Cesky, Assistant Director of College Ministry Dr. Daniel B. Cole, Director of Music Ministry Barbara Diller, Congregational Nurse Dr. Gabriel N.E. Fluhrer, Minister of Discipleship David Henderson, Director Young Adult and College Ministry Beth Ann Hurst, Assistant Director of Youth Ministry Hannah Lampman, Director of Children s Ministry Rev. David H. Lauten, Minister of Congregational Care Joshua Madsen, Assistant Director of Youth Ministry Rev. Neal R. Mathias, World Missions Director Thomas Russell, Assistant Director of Music Ministry Rev. Josh A. Squires, Minister of Counseling Hannah Stevenson, Assistant Director College Ministry Patricia Stoker, Assistant Director of Youth Ministry Richard Wolford, Executive Chef Emily Woodard, Director of Women s Ministry First Presbyterian Church 1324 Marion Street Columbia, South Carolina Office (803) Fax (803) info@firstprescolumbia.org Lord s Day, December 30, :30 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night. (Psalm 92:1,2) 1324 Marion Street, 29201

3 O Come, All Ye Faithful O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant, O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem; Come and behold him born the King of angels; O come, let us adore him, O come let us adore him, O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord. God of God, Light of Light; Lo, he abhors not the Virgin s womb: Very God begotten not created; O come, let us adore him, O come let us adore him, O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord. Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation, Sing, all ye citizens of heav n above; Glory to God in the highest; O come, let us adore him, O come let us adore him, O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord. Yea, Lord we greet thee, born this happy morning: Jesus, to thee be all glory giv n; Word of the Father, late in flesh appearing; O come, let us adore him, O come let us adore him, O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord.

4 8:30 A.M. My Times Are in Thy Hand My times are in thy hand; my God, I wish them there; My life, my friends, my soul, I leave entirely to thy care. My times are in thy hand, Jesus the Crucified; Those hands my cruel sins had pierced are now my guard and guide.

5 Confession of Sin Congregation: Lord God! Eternal and Almighty Father, we acknowledge and confess before your holy Majesty that we are poor sinners, conceived and born in guilt and in corruption, prone to do evil, unable of ourselves to do any good, who, by reason of our depravity, transgress without end your holy commandments. Therefore, we have drawn upon ourselves, by your just sentence, condemnation and death. But, Oh Lord! with heartfelt sorrow, we repent and deplore our offenses. We condemn ourselves and our evil ways, with true penitence, beseeching that your grace may relieve our distress. Be pleased to have compassion on us, O most gracious God, Father of all mercies, for the sake of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. And in removing our guilt and our pollution, grant us the daily increase of the grace of your Holy Spirit, that acknowledging from our inmost heart our own unrighteousness, we may be touched with sorrow that shall work true repentance, and that your Spirit, mortifying all sin within us, may produce the fruits of holiness and righteousness well pleasing in your sight. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

6 Earth Gave Him No Welcome Earth gave him no welcome, no shelter, no home; He slept in a stable, the inn had no room; No bed but a manger, no pillow but hay, No friends but the oxen who watched where he lay. To seek and to rescue the dying and lost, He came to save sinners at infinite cost: Despised and rejected, forsaken was he; Earth gave him no welcome but Calvary s tree. Earth gave him no welcome: sin s night has been long; But soon comes God s morning all glorious with song: Then earth shall not see him rejected again; Triumphant in glory her King comes to reign!

7 John 1:19-34 And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who are you? 20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, I am not the Christ. 21 And they asked him, What then? Are you Elijah? He said, I am not. Are you the Prophet? And he answered, No. 22 So they said to him, Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself? 23 He said, I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as the prophet Isaiah said. 24 (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) 25 They asked him, Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet? 26 John answered them, I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, 27 even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie. 28 These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing. 29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I

8 said, After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me. 31 I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel. 32 And John bore witness: I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. 34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.

9 God, in the Gospel of His Son God, in the gospel of his Son, Makes his eternal counsels known; Where love in all its glory shines, And truth is drawn in fairest lines. Here sinners of a humble frame May taste his grace, and learn his name; May read, in characters of blood, The wisdom, pow r, and grace of God. The pris ner here may break his chains; The weary rest from all his pains; The captive feel his bondage cease; The mourner find the way of peace. Here faith reveals to mortal eyes A brighter world beyond the skies; Here shines the light which guides our way From earth to realms of endless day. O grant us grace, almighty Lord To read and mark your Holy Word; Its truths with meekness to receive, And by its holy precepts live.

10 Benediction May the grace of Christ our Savior And the Father s boundless love, With the Holy Spirit s favor, Rest upon us from above.