Fourth Sunday of Advent: PEACE

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1 VANCE MEMORIAL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 905 National Road, Wheeling, West Virginia Church Telephone: (304) Fax: (304) vancechurch.org Fourth Sunday of Advent: PEACE Christmas Season: Advent through Epiphany from Hope to Joy: God s Light breaking into the Darkness! December 3, 2017 thru February 11, 2018 [Transfiguration Sunday] December 24, :00 a.m. Lectionary Selections of Scripture for this Sunday: 2 Samuel 7:1-11,16 ~ Luke 1:46b-55 Romans 16:25-27 ~ Luke 1:26-38 The MISSION of Vance Memorial Presbyterian Church (USA) is to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ with everyone through Worship, Prayer, Education, Fellowship, and Mission Outreach. 1

2 Gathering around God s Word PROCESSIONAL HYMN Christ Be Our Light, GtG 314 v.2 CHIMES GREETINGS and ANNOUNCEMENTS Please sign and pass the fellowship pad to the inside aisle. ADVENT CANDLE LIGHTING Seabright-Bermudez Family The PEACE Candle A Candle Is Burning * Please ALL join in singing. A candle is burning, a candle of joy, A candle to welcome brave Mary's new boy. Our hearts fill with wonder, and eyes light and glow, As joy brightens winter like sunshine on snow. OPENING PRAYER God of Angels and of sheep: God of the poor and the meek: in these final days preparing for Christmas, let us hold Your peace. Quiet us so we may hear where New Life is struggling to be born! Slow our rush so we may hear the gentle sound of angel s wings whispering words of love and peace. Open our hearts to the wonder of Emmanuel God with us! Amen! CALL to WORSHIP responsively Leave your darkness at the door. The season of light is dawning. It is a time of celebrating. The birth of hopes, The flame of compassion, The cradle of wonder, The bud of peace. The darkness is fading. We are finished with waiting. Bring in the season of light! OPENING HYMN of PRAISE In The Bleak Midwinter, PH 36 or GtG 144 2

3 CONFESSION and time of Self-examination Faithful God, we know that You are always there to guide us, yet we often make plans without listening to You, discovering that our human agenda can drown out our ability to hear Your will for us. We repent of these faults and turn to You in love. Forgive our offenses and pardon our sins, that our lives may magnify your holy name forever. [take time for personal reflection and confession] SILENT PRAYER of CONFESSION And all of God s children say: Amen! responsively SUNG RESPONSE My Soul in Stillness Waits, GtG 89, v.4 GLORIA PATRI PASSING the PEACE of CHRIST May the Peace of Christ be with you! And also with you! HYMN of PREPARATION WINNER of the Favorite Advent/Christmas Hymn/Carol LOTTERY Encountering God s Word PRAYER for ILLUMINATION unison ~from Luke 1:52-53 Holy God, Your love is magnified in the gift of Your Son, whom You so freely share with us. Bless these gifts that we offer to lift up the lowly and fill the hungry in your coming reign of justice and peace; in Jesus name we pray, amen. CHILDREN S MESSAGE PEACE: The Wise Men** ** Instead of one long Children s Christmas Pageant, the children will participate with one act per week focusing on a different set of characters of the Christmas story. This week is the Wise Men. Miss Jane The CHORAL ANTHEM My Heart, Your Bethlehem with O Little Town of Bethlehem Ruth Elaine Schram and David Gaines 3

4 Will You have a place to lay Your head on the night of Your holy birth; a crown, or a robe of royal thread, as Your life begins on earth? Though some will not receive You, or know just who You are, I will prepare a place for You, a home within my heart. I ll make my heart Your Bethlehem, where You, O Lord, can enter in. Shine Your light, let Your life in me begin, and make my heart Your Bethlehem. O holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us, we pray. Cast out our sin and enter in; be born in us today! Though some will not believe You are the Savior born for them, I will prepare a place for You; my heart, your Bethlehem. How silently, how silently the wondrous gift is giv n. So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of His heav n. Though some will not receive You, or know just who You are, I will prepare a place for You, a home within my heart. I ll make my heart Your Bethlehem, where You, O Lord, can enter in. Shine Your light, let Your life in me begin, and make my heart Your Bethlehem. Make my heart Your Bethlehem! SCRIPTURE READING Luke 1:26-38 page 56-57of the New Testament in our pew Bibles 26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin s name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you. 29 But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 30 The angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end. 34 Mary said to the angel, How can this be, since I am a virgin? 4

5 35 The angel said to her, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. 36 And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God. 38 Then Mary said, Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word. Then the angel departed from her. The Word of God Thanks be to God! MORNING MESSAGE Peace Avoidance Pastor John Responding to God s Word OFFERING and DEDICATION PRAYER unison ~from Luke 1:52-53 Holy God, your love is magnified in the gift of your Son, whom you so freely share with us. Bless these gifts that we offer to lift up the lowly and fill the hungry in your coming reign of justice and peace; in Christ s name. Amen. The OFFERTORY SECOND CHANCE LOTTERY DOXOLOGY CLOSING PRAYER and Our LORD S PRAYER unison Surprising God, Your Word set wonder in motion. Like Mary, we are filled with amazement that You have found favor with us and that You choose to be present to the world through us. We join Mary in giving birth to hope, to love, to peace for all creation, in all corners of the world. We praise You for the gift of your Son, whom we follow, and Whose prayer we now pray together: 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! 5

6 Taking God s Word out, into our Worlds CLOSING HYMN Canticle of the Turning, GtG 100 v. 4 BENEDICTION BENEDICTION RESPONSE VANCE CHOIR POSTLUDE Please stand if able. PH=Presbyterian Hymnal (Blue); CH=Celebration Hymnal (Red) GTG=Glory to God (screen or insert) 10:00 a.m. Service of Worship regularly broadcast over WKWK-FM 97.3 * "A Candle Is Burning" is a song by Sandra Dean (1986) and is found in Voices United, the hymn book of the United Church of Canada. The tune is "Away in A Manger" [tune: CRADLE SONG]. The words are reproduced here with permission. Sandra Dean lives in Ottawa, Canada and is Director of Music at Southminster United Church. She is delighted to share the song with you. Our worship liturgy [often somewhat edited] and the prayers, which can be found on one of the insert pages, are reprinted by permission of Westminster John Knox Press from Feasting on the Word Worship Companion, copyright Selections of Scripture for Next Sunday s Service: The First Sunday After Christmas December 31, 10:00 a.m. Isaiah 61:10-62:3 ~ Psalm 148 ~ Luke 2:22-40 Galatians 4:4-7~ Matthew 13-23; 19:13-15 NOTE: Tonight we will celebrate our Candlelight, Lessons and Carols 7 p.m. Come early at 6:30pm and enjoy the Christmas goodies our Hospitality Team has prepared! 6