I don't think Christmas is necessarily about things. It's about being good to one another. It's about the Christian ethic. It's about kindness.

Transcription

1 ( Crypt, Siena used with permission by Holly Hayes.) I don't think Christmas is necessarily about things. It's about being good to one another. It's about the Christian ethic. It's about kindness. Carrie Fisher December 20, :15 a.m.

2 The Colonial Church in Prairie Village United Church of Christ Christmas Cantata Sunday Worship Service 1 Please silence your electronic devices in preparation for worship. * Please rise in body or spirit We Gather as God s People Gathering Music Divinum mysterium Held Bell Choir Prelude Let Heaven and Earth Sing Gloria arr. Edwards Welcome and Announcements (Please sign and pass pew pads and fill out Prayer Request cards you may have. You can place the Prayer Request cards in the offering plates later in the service.) A Moment to Lay Your Burdens Down * Opening Hymn #129 Good Christian Friends, Rejoice * Advent Love Candlelighting Call to Worship Leader: Elizabeth was barren with no hope for a child, but then a baby filled her womb. The presence of new life filled her with hope. People: May the light of Christ fill us with hope. Leader: Elizabeth did not know why Mary came rushing through her doors, but the leap of her unborn child filled her with the knowledge of the Lord. The knowledge of the Lord filled her with peace. People: May the light of Christ fill us with peace. Leader: John the Baptist, while in the womb of his mother, expressed the joy of generations to come. The faith of Mary filled the unborn babe with joy. People: May the light of Christ fill us with joy.

3 Leader: In a moment filled with hope, in a moment filled with peace, in a moment filled with joy, Mary opens her mouth to sing, My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior... Mary rejoices in the God who loves the oppressed; Mary rejoices in the God who loves hungry. Mary a maiden, Mary unseen by the powerful of the world, is filled with the light and made powerful by a God bent on overturning the world with a teenage girl and newborn babe. People: Like the first disciple Mary, let the light of Christ fill us with love. 2 Call to Offering and Offertory The Son of God is Come (Our weekly offering includes food collected to help fill local pantries.) Dupre * Doxology What Child Is This (#148 verses 3 and 1) So bring him incense gold and myrrh; Come humbly to revere him; The King of kings salvation brings; Let faithful hearts draw near him. This, this is Christ the King, Whom shepherds seek and angels sing; Haste, haste to bring him praise, the babe, the son of Mary! * Prayer of Dedication God of Love, we are grateful for these gifts of the congregation. Bless the lives of those who will be served by these gifts, for they have chosen a life of service in your church. May we be blessed by the giving of these gifts, knowing they will help support our Veterans of the Cross as they seek rest in retirement or solace in the midst of a crisis. In the name of the One who died so we may live, Jesus Christ. Amen. * Sharing God s Welcome (Greet everyone in the hope of peace and friendship.) Children s Conversation (Children of all ages are welcome to come forward to the chancel steps. Following the Conversation, children are welcome to remain to worship or to participate in our Sunday School.) This little light of mine, I m gonna let it shine, this little light of mine, I m gonna let it shine, this little light of mine, I m gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

4 We Hear a Word from God 3 A Word in Music A Noel Celebration Sounds and Stories of Christmas (Created by Lloyd Larson; Music by Lloyd Larson, Marty Parks, and Jay Rouse) Sing Noel! Monologue: Zechariah Traditional English and French Carols Frank Robertson Prepare the Way Monologue: Mary Camille Breckenridge Traditional French Melody Lo, How a Rose E er Blooming Traditional German Carol Monologue: Joseph Dan Lu Manger Carol Traditional Polish Carol Monologue: Shepherd Missy Flachsbarth Noel Festival Traditional African, French and English Carols Monologue: Simeon Dianne Starcke Noel! Christ the Lord Is Born Marty Parks Monologue: Wise Man Shea Zellweger What Child Is This? Traditional English Carol Monologue: Pastor Aaron Roberts A Noel Celebration (Finale) John Wade (Cantus Diversi) Felix Mendelssohn (The music for today s cantata was a gift made possible by a special donation to our music program.)

5 We Depart to Serve 4 * Benediction and Postlude Christmas Eve/Sarajevo/12 24 O Neill & Oliva Liturgist: Joan GIlson Advent Candlelighters: Jim, Jeni, Willa, and Lyda Cosgrove Videographer: Geoff Robinson Worship Graphics Operator: Miles Roberts Children s Conversation: Shea Zellweger Greeter: Mary Pelton Head Usher: Linda Moses Ushers: Stacy Lybarger, Linda Moses Leonore and Ed Rowe

6 5 Our 10:00am Thursday morning Bible Study is going to do something special in these couple weeks before Christmas. If you would like to take part in the study, simply come on Thursdays or signup for the group via infellowship from the church website. Week 2 The Science of Destiny Last week, we discussed the theological ideas of predestination and election. Classically understood, neither idea is in opposition to free will, nor do they really deal with the concept of fate. As Christmas approaches (Yes, we are meeting on Christmas Eve.), we celebrate the holy experience of God in a living person, Jesus of Nazareth, and we prepare for what is called the second coming. This implies that there is a concept of destiny at work. The physics of space time also indicate that time, as we humans experience it, is an illusion. We re going to consider this in our conversation. Read Matthew chapter 24. Watch The Illusion of Time at 8b8FM Does God exist within our experience of time, or does God exist beyond space time? Or both? (This is the gift of thinking of God in terms of Trinity.) How big is your God? How you answer these questions matters a great deal for how you pray. It matters how you understand your relationship with God.

7 6 Tom and Honey Barnekoff In memory of Carl Migliazzo Terry and Diane Brown In memory of great grandparents In honor of grandchildren Nadine and Charles Colbert In memory of Bob Colbert, Alice and Willie Voegeli Jack Davis In memory of Mr. and Mrs. H. Darling and Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Davis Barrie and Nicholas Herbst In memory of Sally Snail (Mom/Grandma) and Phyllis Jackson (Mother in law/grandma) Howard, Sally, Stacy and Hayden Huggins In memory of Gordon and Shirley Huggins and Marty Puckett Mary Baumgart and family In memory of Norm Baumgart In honor of my family Jane Cammack and family In memory of Hobart Cammack The Cosgroves In memory of Stephanie Schmidt Art and Marianne Foster In memory of our parents George Hixon s family In memory of George C. Hixon The Huggins Family Ray and Mary Grace Morgan

8 7 The James Jackson family and Ruth Wollenberg In memory of Glen Wollenberg Anne Mann In memory of Russell G. Mann Linda Moses In celebration of Colonial s music department Tim and Donna Owens In honor of our children and grandchildren Deloras Pemberton In memory of Beaty Pemberton Susie Stroud In memory of my dear husband, Tom, and our daughter, Teresa Marion Taylor In memory of my parents, my brother and Russell and Betty Waesche Cheri VanOrman In memory of my mother, Dorothy VanOrman Jane and Jim Whiles In honor of Sadie Rowland, Amelia and Elena The Lafferty family In memory of Digby and Libby Lafferty Donna Magee In memory of Lee Travis Magee Dorothy Mulford In memory of Newton and Marguerite Dilley, Lynn Mulford and Michael Mulford Jan Parkinson and family In memory of Marsha Parkinson Frank Robertson In memory of Harvey Robben Esther Sunderland In memory of Jim Sunderland Tim Taylor In honor of Marion Taylor Lin Vaughn In memory of John Vaughn Bruce and Martha Wofford In memory of our parents Wayne and Phyllis Yost In memory of all loved ones passed

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