Farragut Presbyterian Church

Transcription

1 Farragut Presbyterian Church Fourth Sunday of Advent December 24, :00 a.m. The service of worship begins with the music of the organ. Through its power and brilliance, may you feel the majesty and glory of God; in its quietness, God s peace. Young worshipers are encouraged to pick up a children s worship bag available in the narthex prior to the service. Nursery care is available in the Education Wing. ~The Gathering~ Greeting Rev. Matt Nieman Prelude Carol of the Bells arr. M. Riley Jackson Sharp, cello ~ Tami Newsom, piano

2 Lighting of the Advent Wreath Scott and Debby McKinney Hymn Christ Be Our Light from Glory to God Christ, Be Our Light Leader: People: On this fourth Sunday of Advent, we light the candle of love. Even in the wilderness God s love reaches us. It does not rescue us from danger, from fear, from hunger, from thirst, from the scorching sun, or the fall of night. It follows us into the dark, and there it burns brightest. Risen Christ, Light of the world, shine in the darkness, and show us the way. Call to Worship Bless the Lord with me, for God is great. The Mighty One has done great things. Pray for the gift of love from God: Shine in our lives, Lord Jesus Christ. *Hymn #23 Angels We Have Heard on High Gloria

3 *Prayer of Confession God our Maker, we confess that we are not ready to meet you. You offer us a place in your house, yet we find no room for you in our lives. You invite us into your eternal realm, yet we fail to welcome others. Forgive us, God of grace. Let your word of life be with us so that we may truly believe that nothing is impossible with you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Please continue in silent prayer *Kyrie Lord, Have Mercy Upon Us Picardy *Declaration of Forgiveness *The Response #23 (refrain) Angels We Have Heard on High Gloria *The Peace The Peace of Christ be with you. And also with you.

4 ~The Word~ Anthem Silent Night arr. S. DeFord Joey Nieman, soloist Prayer for Illumination Astonishing God, send your Holy Spirit upon us as we await the coming of your Son. Fill us with good things that we may conceive your reign on earth and glorify you according to your Word; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen. New Testament Reading Romans 16:25-27 The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Psalm 89 Dr. Angela Batey, cantor Daw Your love, O Lord, for ever will I sing; from age to age my mouth will proclaim your faithfulness. For I am persuaded that your love is established for ever; you have set your faithfulness firmly in the heavens. (R) I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have sworn an oath to David my servant; I will establish your line for ever, and preserve your throne for all generations. (R) You spoke once in a vision and said to your faithful people: I have set the crown upon a warrior and have exalted one chosen out of the people. I have found David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him. (R) My hand will hole him fast and my arm will make him strong. No enemy shall deceive him, nor any wicked man bring him down. I will crush his foes before him and strike down those who hate him. My faithfulness and love shall be with him and he shall be victorious through my Name. (R) I shall make his dominion extend from the Great Sea to the River. He will say to me, You are my Father, my God, and the rock of my salvation. (R) A Moment with the Children (11:00) Rev. Matt Nieman Gospel Reading Luke 1:34-45 The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ. Sermon Possibility Rev. Matt Nieman

5 *Affirmation of Faith ~The Response~ What does it mean that Jesus will come again to judge the living and the dead? Like everyone else, I too must stand in fear and trembling before the judgment seat of Christ. But the Judge is the one who submitted to judgment for my sake. Nothing will be able to separate me from the love of God in Christ Jesus my Lord. All the sinful failures that cause me shame will perish as through fire, while any good I may have done will be received with gladness by God. Adapted from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Study Catechism, Question 48 Anthem Wexford Carol arr. Peter Niedman Chancel Choir Good people all, this Christmas time, Consider well and bear in mind What our good God for us has done In sending his beloved son With Mary holy we should pray, To God with love this Christmas Day In Bethlehem upon that morn, There was a blessed Messiah born. The night before that happy tide The noble Virgin and her guide Were long time seeking up and down To find a lodging in the town But mark right well what came to pass From every door repelled, alas As was foretold, their refuge all Was but a humble ox's stall. Near Bethlehem did shepherds keep Their flocks of lambs and feeding sheep To whom God's angel did appear Which put the shepherds in great fear Prepare and go, the angels said To Bethlehem, be not afraid For there you'll find, this happy morn A princely babe, sweet Jesus, born. With thankful heart and joyful mind The shepherds went the babe to find And as God's angel had foretold They did our Saviour Christ behold Within a manger he was laid And by his side a virgin maid Attending on the Lord of Life Who came on earth to end all strife. There were three wise men from afar Directed by a glorious star And on they wandered night and day Until they came where Jesus lay And when they came unto that place Where our beloved Messiah lay They humbly cast them at his feet With gifts of gold and incense sweet.

6 The Offering Offertory The Cradle Callahan *Response #592 Doxology Old Hundredth *Prayer of Dedication Prayers of Thanksgiving and Intercession The Lord s Prayer (...forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors...) ~The Sending~ *Hymn Love Has Come Bring a Torch

7 *Benediction *Congregational Response #48 Isaiah twas foretold it Es ist ein Ros Isaiah twas foretold it, The rose I have in mind, With Mary we behold it, The virgin mother kind. To show God s love a-right She bore for us a Savior, When half spent was the night. *Postlude Sing We Now of Christmas Callahan Tami Newsom, organ *We invite you to stand as able. Welcome to Farragut Presbyterian Church! We are glad you have joined us for worship today. Please register your presence in the friendship folders located at the end of each pew. We invite you to join us for coffee and fellowship after worship today in the narthex. Reader: Lucy Fleming Acolytes: Jacob Nieman, Joey Nieman, Dawson Sweetland

8 Join us tonight for Christmas Eve Candlelight Services with communion at 6:30 and 11:00 p.m. REMINDER: There will be ONE SERVICE next Sunday, December 31 at 10:00 a.m. and no Sunday School Offering Envelopes: Numbered offering envelopes are ready for pick up in the narthex. Reminder: 2017 donations must be received by December 31, 2017 in order to be posted as a contribution in If your 2017 donation is mailed, it MUST be postmarked by 12/31/17. Thank you for your continued support of FPC.

9 This Week at FPC! Sun, Dec 24 Mon, Dec 25 Tues, Dec 26 Fri, Dec 29 10:00 a.m. Sunday Worship 6:30 11:00 **** **** 6:30 7:00 p.m. p.m. *** *** p.m. p.m. Christmas Eve Service/Sanctuary Christmas Eve Service/Sanctuary OFFICE CLOSED/Merry Christmas! OFFICE CLOSED/Christmas Holiday Boy Scout Pack Leaders/Room 2 TGIF Gentle Yoga Class/Room A Sunday School 9:45 a.m. Class Room Topic Children Youth Adult Bible Study Class Monday Connection Pastor Matt s Class Moving Meditation Chair Yoga Class Education Wing Education Wing Room A Parlor Library Room 3 in Education Wing Pre-K and Elementary classes use Whirl, where children practice reading the Bible and discerning what God is saying to them thru a fun DVD enhanced curriculum. On break until 01/07/18 Youth will use Connect, a quirky DVD series which launches students into discussions of reading the Bible from a Reformed perspective. On break until 01/07/18 We use The Present Word. This winter s study focuses on Faith in Action, and will help us see the many dimensions of Christian faith and how they are expressed in our lives, church, and service to others in the world. We are currently studying a short series of videos on the Dead Sea Scrolls and their relationship to our modern versions of the Bible. Later in January, we will be starting the PBS video series, God in America. This course introduces and analyzes the spiritual content of top films from the 1980s through the 2010s, opening viewers up to a conversation about life, faith, and God. This beginner chair yoga class modifies traditional yoga poses so they can be done while seated in a chair, or standing while using a chair for balance. This class will begin with prayer and end with spiritual meditation.

10 Prayers for Our Church Family Mike Agee, Candice Blake, Judith and Phill Bradbury, Jewell Countiss, Brian Davison, Stuart Daw, Billie Fain, Dan Greaser, Tyrone and Margo Gregory, Marge Griffith, Frank and Margo Guess, Karen Jones, Ron and Jeanette Mann, Jim Meador, John Montgomery, Kirk Morris, Bryan Nunley, Dale and Judy Rogers, Betsy Starr, Steve Tinder, Trish Turner, Wayne Walls, Linda Wert, Melody White For a complete prayer list that includes friends and family, or to join our prayer group, please contact the church office. Military Joshua Meador, Stephen Peterson, Kevin Shelton, David Sparks, Chase Sterling, Mark Wurth Mission Workers Mark Hare and Jenny Bent Haiti Carlton Cobbie and Dessa Palm Philippines Bereaved The family of Pat Woods, Emily Sweetland s grandmother Birth We welcome Micaiah Lucille Plummer, daughter of Cassi and Paul Plummer. She joins her 4 older siblings in Boone, Iowa. Proud grandparents are David and Debbie Long.

11 Farragut Presbyterian Church 209 Jamestowne Blvd. Farragut, TN Phone: Fax: Website: Church Office Hours: Monday Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Praising God, Serving Others, Growing in Faith Pastor Rev. Matthew Nieman Director of Youth and Children s Ministries. Katina Sharp Director of Music...Dr. Angela L. Batey Associate Director of Music...Tami Newsom Office Administrator...Dawn Zilles Bookkeeper....Lori Corbett Children s Enrichment Program Director......Beth Hallman Treasurer...John Begovich Financial Secretary.. Tom Koch Stephen Ministry....Deena Ramey