ROCKY HILL CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST Established 1727 ~ An Open and Affirming Community

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1 ROCKY HILL CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST Established 1727 ~ An Open and Affirming Community December 3rd, 2017 ~ 10:00 a.m. First Sunday of Advent Communion Sunday

2 ~ORDER OF WORSHIP~ We welcome all and extend a special greeting to our guests; our service is enriched by your presence! Please join us in Chapin Hall for fellowship time after worship. The Welcome Table in Chapin Hall offers information about the church and members who can answer your questions. Hearing devices are available for worship ask an usher. Nursery care is available down the hall in Room 4. WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS Please include your full address and phone number as you sign our friendship registration pads, and please wear your nametags. All announcements should be written down and given to the ushers or pastor prior to worship. If you have a prayer request you would like read aloud for today s prayers, please fill out one of the prayer cards found in the friendship registration pads (your name is optional) and be prepared to pass it to the aisles at the time of the offering, when the cards will be collected. PRELUDE He Shall Feed His Flock Like a Shepherd Dave Hall, Cello from The Messiah, G.F. Handel CALL TO WORSHIP Leader We come into God s presence in hopeful anticipation, We await the coming of the Son of God. All: Leader All: The sun may be dimmed, the moon may lose its light, The stars may fall from the sky Still, the Holy Spirit is with us. God sends angels from the four winds, From the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven, we hear Jesus words, Keep awake! Be alert! *HYMN Come, O Long-Expected Jesus NC (Black) 122 * P l e a s e r i s e i n b o d y o r i n s p i r i t. B o l d t y p e d e n o t e s c o l l e c t i v e r e s p o n s e

3 *INVOCATION AND THE LORD S PRAYER God of the four winds, blow your Spirit through this space. From north and south, east and west, we gather to worship your holy name; We belong to you; we are clay in your hands. Open our ears to the sound of your voice echoing through the spheres. Open our eyes to the brilliance of your presence shining in each new day. Open our hearts to the new reign of Jesus Christ come now to earth. We pray this in Jesus name, who taught us to pray, saying, 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. *SUNG RESPONSE NCH 775

4 LIGHTING OF THE FIRST ADVENT CANDLE: HOPE Today the Advent wreath will be lit by the Andonucci family. One: Today is the beginning of Advent-the preparation time for celebrating Christ s birth. We are here because God s promises to our ancestors came true when Jesus was born. God s promise is kept each Sunday when we worship because Christ is in our midst. God will keep the promise to come again in glory. Two: We light this candle to proclaim the coming of the light of God into the world. With the coming of this light there is hope. Because of Christ we not only have hope, but we believe that good is stronger than evil. God wants us to work for good in this world. (The first candle is lit.) Three: O God, we thank you that Jesus brought hope into our world. By the good news of the Bible you are still bringing hope to people. Help us to be ready to welcome Jesus Christ so that we may think good thoughts and do good deeds and so that we may be a people of hope in our world. All: Amen. MESSAGE FOR ALL AGES BAPTISM Today we celebrate and welcome Chevy Alan Verrastro into the United Church of Christ. CHILDREN S RECESSIONAL (Children are invited to depart for S.P.I.R.I.T. Church School) We Will Keep a Place For You by John Corrado

5 SCRIPTURE Isaiah 64:1-12 Pew Bible,OT p.694 SERMON We Are the Clay Rev.Craig L. Cowing *HYMN Lo, How a Rose E er Blooming NC (black)127 OFFERING OF GIFTS Following the receiving of offerings by the ushers, they will collect the prayer request cards. Invitation to the Offering For those who have already given their offering, Giving Cards are available in your pew so that all may participate in the act of the offering. Offertory Anthem The Apple Tree Mark Schweizer The Choir with Victoria Bower, soprano *Doxology Praise God from whom all blessings flow; Praise God, all creatures here below; Praise God for all that love has done; Creator, Christ, and Spirit, One. Am e n *Prayer of Dedication PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH Joys & Concerns

6 Sung Call to Prayer NCH 774 Pastoral Prayer Prayer of Confession Leader: God is peace: the ever-present, ever-loving, ever-compassionate power that governs the world. Like generations before us, we fail in our efforts to live in the peace and harmony God desires. As in Isaiah s time we become unclean and our righteous deeds become as filthy cloths. We alone cannot wipe clean the slate of our transgressions. We fade like leaves and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. People: Yet, we come from you O God; like the potter you fashioned us from clay in your holy image. In these silent moments hear the sighing of our spirits as we lay open our hearts to you. Mold us anew, O God, recreate a right image within us.

7 Silent Prayer Affirmation of Forgiveness Leader: At God s command the heavens open, the mountains quake and love descends as an ever-flowing stream. A light shines in the night and the night cannot endure. Trust that the power that created you in love now forgives and renews you in the same divine spirit. Go forth to proclaim the awesome deeds of our loving God! All: Amen. THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY COMMUNION This church practices open Communion. All are welcome to participate, including children, and regardless of denominational affiliation or church membership. This morning, the congregation will be seated for Communion; the elements (bread and non-alcoholic grape juice) will be brought to each pew. Please wait until all have been served so that we may take the elements together. As you pass the trays to your neighbor, you may use the words The bread of life and The cup of blessing. If you would like to receive gluten-free bread, please raise your hand so that a Deacon may serve you. Invitation Recalling the Story: The Words of Institution Sharing the Bread and the Cup Prayer of Thanksgiving We thank you, Our God, for giving us spiritual food and drink, and eternal life through Jesus your servant. We ask you to be mindful of your church, to preserve us against all evil, and to perfect us in your love, that we may serve you in your world. Amen. Sharing the Peace of Christ Now let us share among us a sign of God s peace. You are invited to share a sign of the reconciling peace of Christ with those around you (a handshake, an embrace, or a non-contact gesture).

8 *HYMN Hail to the Lord s Anointed PH (Red) 105 BENEDICTION *POSTLUDE How Brightly Shines the Morning Star J.C. Bach LITURGIST USHERS COMMUNION SERVERS HOSPITALITY Chris Sheehan Bob Carberry, Lois and Jim Stevens, Wendy Ware Sarah DeGiovanni, Gail Hall, Sue VanNess Rich Pawlich-Pagliccio, Don Pagnucco, Jan LaCava Christina Engle A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols Sunday, December 10, :00 p.m. This special Christmas service is held by Christians around the world to celebrate the story of Christ s coming, in words and music. The service reflects our desire to deepen your experience of Christmas. There is no admission charge, though a free-will offering will be taken to support the Rocky Hill Food Pantry. As always, a lovely reception will follow. We encourage you to share the peace and hope of this lovely service with others. Please share the invitation on Facebook, by phone, in person, or with our postcard invitations. Sincerely, Your Music Committee March of the Toys! Sunday, December 10 at 10am We ll collect unwrapped toys on Sunday, December 10. The toys collected will be brought to the Hartford Seminary where they will be distributed to Hartford area families in need. If you re unable to attend worship on December 10, you may drop off your toy during office hours.

9 ADVENT & CHRISTMAS SEASON WORSHIP & EVENTS Today! Advent Pot Luck Dinner 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. with the whole church and for the whole family! Join us in Chapin Hall for Christmas crafts, carol singing and games. Please bring your favorite dish (appetizer, main course, or dessert) to share. Sunday, December 10-4:00 p.m. A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols. Share in the beautiful story of the birth of Christ as told in word and music. Reception to follow service. Thursday, December 14-7:00 p.m. Blue Christmas Service to acknowledge that the holiday season is difficult for many who suffer from depression or who have experienced loss. Saturday, December 16-10:30 a.m. to 1:30 pm. Annual Cookie Walk. Buy a tin fill it with dozens of amazing homemade cookies for yourself and for others. Sunday, December 24-10:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. Join us in the Sanctuary for Christmas Eve Services as we await the birth of Christ. Sunday, January 7-10:00 a.m. An Epiphany Pageant will be held by the youth during worship. The icon for December is Sandro Botticelli s Madonna of the Book, painted around The original is in a museum in Milan, Italy. An image such as this is obviously not a Byzantine icon, but it was intended as a devotional image. This painting would have been done for a very wealthy client, as Botticelli lavished the most expensive of pigments, ultramarine blue, on Mary s robe. It is called the Madonna of the Book because it depicts Mary reading her devotional prayers while the baby Jesus sits on her lap. Visit anytime for prayer and contemplation in the Weil Chapel. Tom and Doris Schreier Warm Heart Tree Help us decorate the Warm Heart Tree in Chapin Hall with new, donated hats, gloves, mittens, and scarves for all ages. In addition, tube socks for men are also very much needed. Donations will be collected now through January 7 th.

10 SCRIP-SURE What is it? Scrip-sure is a fundraising program for our church, which allows the regular shopping we do at a variety of retailers to generate income for the church. How? Participating retailers sell gift certificates or gift cards to our church at a discount. Church members buy the certificates for full face value and redeem them for full face value, and our church keeps the difference as revenue. Everybody wins! The retailers get our business, and our church gets a regular source of revenue that involves nothing other than what we would all be doing anyway shopping/spending at grocery stores, drugstores, restaurants, gas stations, and many other businesses, including online retailers We have most of the usual cards in inventory for immediate purchase this morning. Here is a partial list of cards typically available: Coffee: Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks Fast food: Boston Market, Chipotle, McDonalds, Panera, Subway, Wendy s Gas: Exxon/Mobil, Shell, Sunoco Grocery: Big Y, Stop & Shop, Trader Joe's, Westside Marketplace, Whole Foods Pharmacy: CVS, Walgreens Restaurants: Bertucci's, Bonefish Grill, Buffalo Wild Wings, Denny's, Olive Garden, On the Border, Outback Steakhouse, Red Lobster Shopping: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bed Bath & Beyond, Home Depot, Kohl's, itunes, L.L. Bean, Lowes, Michaels, Payless Shoes, Target, Toys R Us, Walmart The next ordering deadline for cards that are not kept in inventory will be on Sunday, December 10. Cards ordered by Dec. 10 will be available for pickup on Sunday, Dec. 17. Did you know that you can donate to the Rocky Hill Food Pantry and "Covenant-to-Care for Children" through our scrip program? Your cash/check donations are used to buy gift cards to local groceries (food pantry) or other retail stores (CC). For these donations, we do not retain any profit, so a $1.00 donation effectively buys about $1.07 in groceries or clothing. You may donate at the scrip table in Chapin Hall. Stop by the scrip table in Chapin Hall this morning for a complete listing of available cards, or to have all of your questions answered. Think SCRIP!

11 THIS WEEK AT RHCC D e c e m b e r 3 S u n d a y 10:00am Worship Sanctuary 9:30am Childcare Room 4 10:00am Church School Rms 24,25,26 11:20am L & C Choir 5:30pm Potluck Dinner Chapin Hall D e c e m b e r 4 M o n d a y 7:00pm Women s AA Chapin Hall 7:30pm Bell Choir Sanctuary D e c e m b e r 5 T u e s d a y 7:00pm Boards & Committees Fiorilli, Parlor, Chapin 7:00pm Hearing Voices Room 22 D e c e m b e r 6 7:00pm L&C Choir 7:30pm Choir W e d n e s d a y Sanctuary Sanctuary D e c e m b e r 7 T h u r s d a y 9:30am Music Together Room 22 7:30pm Men s AA Chapin Hall D e c e m b e r 8 F r i d a y 4:00pm Tamil School Rms 22,23,25,26,27 3 Jennifer Cordes 4 John Hummel 6 Marty Rowe 7 Robert Mullins 9 Amy Murk March of the Toys Bring in a new, unwrapped toy on Sun. Dec 10 th! D e c e m b e r 9 9:00am Lessons & Carols Rehearsal S a t u r d a y Sanctuary Bring a friend to our annual Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols Sunday, December10th - 4:00 p.m. A free will offering for the Rocky Hill Food Bank will be collected.

12 Rocky Hill Congregational Church, United Church of Christ 805 Old Main Street Rocky Hill, CT Church Office: / Church Website: rhccucc.org Visit us on Facebook at: O f f i c e H o u r s Monday Thursday 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Friday 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Open and Affirming Statement Because we believe that all people are created in God s image and thus are blessed and loved equally by God, and because love is a unifying and strengthening force within our Christian Faith, We, the members of the Rocky Hill Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, hereby declare ourselves an Open and Affirming Christian community, actively expressing Jesus inclusive embrace of all people. We welcome all who seek to follow Jesus, including persons of every age, gender, race, national origin, faith background, marital status and family structure, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, mental and physical ability, economic and social status, and educational background, to share in the life, leadership, ministry, fellowship, worship, sacraments, responsibilities, blessings and joys of our church family. Jesus teaches us to welcome all God s children into God s covenantal community. As we grow together in faith and love, we will strive to celebrate the diversity in which God has created us. Approved by congregational vote June 2009 Ministry Team Ministers: All the members of the church Pastor: The Rev. Craig L. Cowing ccowing@rhccucc.org Minister for Children and Youth: Georgette L. Huie ghuie@rhccucc.org Minister of Music: Mary DeLibero mary@rhccucc.org Office Manager: Theresa E. Cleary office@rhccucc.org Webmaster: Dave Hall webmaster@rhccucc.org Child Care Provider: Liz Pulling