December 2, 2018 11 am F S A
1100 Newton Road, Raleigh, NC 27615 (919) 847 0579 Pastor Philip Kiecker (919) 539 2218 Precious Lambs Early Learning Center (919) 847 2650 A special welcome to our visitors! We're glad to have you with us this morning. We pray that your spiritual life will be nourished through Word and song. WE LOVE FAMILIES! Your children are welcome in our service no matter how much noise they make. Thanks for bringing them to hear the message of Jesus. NURSERY: There is a staffed nursery after the Children s Message. Have your children meet the nursery workers in back after the lesson is over. You can pick them up in the fellowship hall after worship. INFANT ROOM: Down the hallway, first door on the left, is an infant room with a live broadcast of the service. RESTROOMS: Located in back and in the fellowship hall. CONNECT WITH US: Please fill out the connection card located in the back of the pew in front of you with as much information as you feel comfortable. Thank you for worshipping with us. FELLOWSHIP: Please join us for snacks and fellowship after the service. It s a great opportunity to get to know our family a little better (and for us to get to know you)! INFO AREA. Say hi to Pastor after worship, ask questions about our church community, and grab information to look at later. Follow Us on Social Media @GatherToGarden Gethsemane Church Raleigh Music reprinted under OneLicense.net A 713877 & CCLI #11171526 All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc. 2
Opening Song Here I Am to Worship (please stand) Light of the World, you stepped down into darkness, opened my eyes, let me see. Beauty that made this heart adore you, hope of a life spent with you. So, here I am to worship, here I am to bow down, Here I am to say that you re my God. And you re altogether lovely, altogether worthy, altogether wonderful to me. King of all days, oh so highly exalted, glorious in heaven above. Humbly you came to the Earth you created, all for love s sake became poor. And I ll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon that cross. And I ll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon that cross. 3
We Confess Our Sins and Hear God s Promise of Forgiveness 1 P: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you. C: And also with you. P: Brothers and sisters, we have come into the presence of God, who created us to love and serve him as his dear children. But we have disobeyed him and deserve only his wrath and punishment. Therefore, let us confess our sins to him and plead for his mercy: C: Merciful Father in heaven, I am altogether sinful from birth. In countless ways I have sinned against you and do not deserve to be called your child. But trusting in Jesus, my Savior, I pray: Have mercy on me according to your unfailing love. Cleanse me from my sin, and take away my guilt. P: God, our heavenly Father, has forgiven all your sins. By the perfect life and innocent death of our Lord Jesus Christ, he has removed your guilt forever. You are his own dear child. May God give you strength to live according to his will. C: Amen. P: In the peace of forgiveness, let us praise the Lord. 1 1 John 1:9 says, If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just and will forgive us all our sins. So the Pastor assures our believing hearts of God s promise forgiveness of sins. 4
Song of Praise Here I Am to Worship (Refrain) So, here I am to worship, here I am to bow down, Here I am to say that you re my God. And you re altogether lovely, altogether worthy, altogether wonderful to me. Prayer of the Day P: Let us pray: Stir up your power, O Lord, and come. Protect us by your strength and save us from the threatening dangers of our sins; for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. C: Amen. (be seated) 5
The Lesson Genesis 3:1-15 3 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the L God had made. He said to the woman, Did God really say, You must not eat from any tree in the garden? 2 The woman said to the serpent, We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die. 4 You will not certainly die, the serpent said to the woman. 5 For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. 6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. 8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the L God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the L God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the L God called to the man, Where are you? 10 He answered, I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid. 11 And he said, Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from? 12 The man said, The woman you put here with me she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it. 13 Then the L God said to the woman, What is this you have done? The woman said, The serpent deceived me, and I ate. 6
14 So the L God said to the serpent, Because you have done this, Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. 15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel. Psalm of the Day Psalm 107 1 Give thanks to the L, for he is good; his love endures forever. 2 Let the redeemed of the L tell their story those he redeemed from the hand of the foe, 3 those he gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south. 10 Some sat in darkness, in utter darkness, prisoners suffering in iron chains, 11 because they rebelled against God s commands and despised the plans of the Most High. 12 So he subjected them to bitter labor; they stumbled, and there was no one to help. 13 Then they cried to the L in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. 14 He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness, and broke away their chains. 7
The Gospel John 3:19-21 (please stand) 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God. P: This is the Good News of our Lord! C: Praise be to you, O Christ! (be seated) After the children's lesson, a staffed nursery is available. Meet the nursery workers in back, and they will take the kids to the playroom. You can pick them up at any time. 8
Song of the Day Waiting Here for You If faith can move the mountains, Let the mountains move. We come with expectation, Waiting here for you, waiting here for you. You re the Lord of all creation, And still you know my heart; The Author of Salvation, You ve loved us from the start. Waiting here for you, With our hands lifted high in praise. And it's you we adore, Singing: alleluia. You are everything you ve promised; Your faithfulness is true. And we're desp rate for your presence; All we need is you. Singing: alleluia, alleluia. Singing: alleluia, alleluia. And it's you we adore, Singing: alleluia. Singing: alleluia. 9
The Message The Light Shines...against the Darkness Genesis 1:31 31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. To God, very good means Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the L God had made. He said to the woman, Did God really say, You must not eat from any tree in the garden? About the serpent: Genesis 3:6 7 6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. The gateway to a host of dark things: 10
Genesis 3:15 15 God said to the serpent, I will put enmity between you and the woman; between your offspring and hers. The seed will crush your head, though you will strike his heel. A note on Hebrew grammar: John 1:4 5 4 In Jesus was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. Jesus is the that overcomes darkness. Jesus is the that overcomes death. What Now? Overcome holiday darkness with. 11
We Confess Our Faith in God (please stand) The Apostles Creed 2 (be seated) I believe in God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. This offering goes to support the ministry done here at Gethsemane. Please pass in your Connection Cards. Give online @ GatherToTheGarden.com/give Connect online @ GatherToTheGarden.com/connect 2 As we speak these words, we join with Christians throughout the centuries who have confessed the truths taught in Scripture with these words. 12
(please stand) Prayer of the Church Spoken by the Pastor The Lord s Prayer 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 trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen. 13
Closing Prayer and Blessing P: Almighty God, we thank you for teaching us the things you want us to believe and do. Help us by your Holy Spirit to keep your Word in pure hearts that we may be strengthened in faith, guided in holiness, and comforted in life and in death, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. C: Amen. P: Brothers and sisters, go in peace. Live in harmony with one another. Serve the Lord with gladness. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord look on you with favor and give you peace. C: Amen! (be seated) 14
Closing Song My Lighthouse In my wrestling and in my doubts In my failures you won't walk out Your great love will lead me through You are the peace in my troubled sea You are the peace in my troubled sea In the silence, you won't let go In the questions, your truth will hold Your great love will lead me through You are the peace in my troubled sea You are the peace in my troubled sea My lighthouse, my lighthouse Shining in the darkness. I will follow you My lighthouse, my lighthouse I will trust the promise You will carry me safe to shore Safe to shore, Safe to shore, Safe to shore I won't fear what tomorrow brings With each morning I'll rise and sing My God's love will lead me through You are the peace in my troubled sea You are the peace in my troubled sea Fire before us, you're the brightest You will lead us through the storms Fire before us, you're the brightest You will lead us through the storms Fire before us, you're the brightest You will lead us through the storms Fire before us, you're the brightest You will lead us through the storms 15
WEEKLY ANNOUNCEMENTS Flowers on the altar are given to the glory of God in celebration of Kim Wittig s birthday. Bible Basics is the perfect class for newcomers and if you want to refresh your faith. Sessions are Mondays from 7 9p & Saturdays from 10a Noon. Contact gardenpastor@gmail.com if interested. Small Groups will be meeting throughout the preparations for Christmas. Sign up now at GatherToTheGarden.com/growth groups to find a group near you. Christmas at the Garden. Check out the various Christmas events that are on the way over the next couple of weeks. Go to GatherToTheGarden.com/christmas atthe garden. Poinsettias! For the next 2 weeks, poinsettias will be available for purchase. A sign up sheet is in the hallway for anyone wanting to beautify our altar for Christmas. Ten red poinsettias have been ordered and they will be $8.95 each. Checks can be made out to GELC flower fund. Thanks to those who served this week... December 2, 2018 Music 9 am... Linda Buzard Music 11 am... Carol Carson Ushers 9am... Mike Carson, Billy Rueckert Ushers 11am... Mike Wittig, Tanner Wittig Nursery 9am... Autumn Anderson Nursery 11am... Adriel Sciortino, Delaney Dupree Fellowship 9am... Jenni Spangenberg, Barbara Gellatly Fellowship 11 am... Anne Gibson, Charlie Schultz Counters... Randy & Janell Pool Keep in touch with everything coming up! egazette: www.gathertothegarden.com/keep in touch.html Calendar: www.gathertothegarden.com/calendar.html Volunteer Schedule: www.gathertothegarden.com/volunteers.html Don t forget to Check into Gethsemane on Facebook! It s a great way to let friends know about our Savior & the work he s doing here. 16