Second Sunday of Advent Sunday, December 10, 2017
Visiting? Welcome to First Presbyterian Church! Whether you re visiting from out of town or new to the area, we are glad you are here. If you have any questions about our church, please ask our greeters and ushers (the folks who handed you a bulletin), or visit our website www.firstpresdalton.org. If you would like to know more about our church, fill out a Let s Get Acquainted card and place it in the offering plate during worship. Childcare is available for children (infant-3) in the nursery (Room 109) from 9:15-11:45 a.m.. Preschool-aged children meet in the Joy Makers class during the Sunday School hour (Room 201). During worship we welcome children from this age group to come forward for the Children s Message and then return to their classroom for Worship and Play. All children are welcome to stay throughout worship. In order for our staff and volunteers to care for your children, please fill out a children s ministry sticker for you and your child. Stickers are in the narthex, the Commons, or the nursery. How to Connect Come to worship we re here every week! Fill out a Let s Get Acquainted card and place it in the offering plate to receive information about the church. Ask to join our newsletter list (signup available through the website) to keep up with church events. Contact the office to join a Dinner Group and meet new friends outside the church. Have dinner on us at a Family Night Supper (First Wednesday every month at 5:35 p.m.). Visit concerts, lectures, and other events hosted by the church. Ask about upcoming mission or fellowship opportunities. Come to church early and visit Sunday School (9:15 a.m. every Sunday). Join the church! (Indicate you would like to join on a Let s Get Acquainted Card or speak with the Pastor following worship.) Wi-Fi Free Wi-Fi is available throughout the church. There are two options available: First Pres Guest 2.4 and First Pres Guest 5. Although these will connect to the same network, 2.4 has more strength while 5 has more range. The location of the device will influence which one will automatically connect. The password for the guest network is johncalvin. Announcements Join us for a Lectionary Lunch every Wednesday in Advent at noon in Hollis Hall. Bring a sack lunch and hear a brief message related to Advent from the daily lectionary and see if regular lectionary readings might be a good spiritual practice for you. This afternoon at 2:00 p.m. the DEO Clinic presents Dulcimer Dance. Please see the Midweek News for more information. The Christmas Pageant will take place next Sunday, December 17 during worship. You are then invited to a Congregational Lunch immediately following worship. There is no cost for the lunch, but reservations are required. Please RSVP to the church office if you plan to attend. The Advent Prayer Room is available for you during the Advent Season to find a quiet place to read, reflect and find rest for your spirit during that time of year which is so hurried. The Prayer Room is located in the Bakkum Room, on the second floor of the Martin House and is open on Sunday mornings and weekdays during office hours.
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2017 PRELUDE Choral Prelude on Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BWV 645 J.S. Bach (1685-1750) WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS THE PEACE The peace of Christ be with you. And also with you. THE GREETING At the sound of the bells, please prepare your heart and mind for worship. INTROIT O Sapientia *ADVENT LITANY Gregorian Chant Wesley & Kristen Sanders (from Isaiah 2:4) We light this candle as a sign of the coming light of Christ. Advent means coming. We are preparing ourselves for the days: when nations shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. For all who are weary and carry heavy burdens, For the poor and the hungry, For victims of violence and injustice, For those who are persecuted because of your name, For those who have no voice to sing your praise, For the sake of the creation you love, PRAYER OF INVOCATION God of grace, always faithful to your promises, the earth rejoices in hope of our Savior s coming and looks forward with longing to his return at the end of all things. Prepare our hearts to receive him when he comes, for he is Lord forever. Amen. Cover Art: He, Qi. Annunciation, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN.http://diglib.library. vanderbilt.edu/actimagelink.pl?rc=46111 [retrieved November 27, 2017]. Original source: heqigallery.com. Introit: O Sapientia, quae ex ore Altissimi prodiisti, attingens a fine usque ad finem, fortiter suaviterque disponens omnia: veni ad docendum nos viam prudentiae. Translation: O Wisdom, Which camest forth out of the mouth of the Most High, and reachest from one end to the other, mightily and sweetly ordering all things; Come and teach us the way of prudence. *Where you see this notation, please rise in body or in spirit.
The Meaning of Advent: Advent means coming or arrival. During the season of Advent, we celebrate Christ s coming into the world and watch with expectant hope for his coming again. In its historical origins, the season of Advent was patterned after the season of Lent, a six-week period of penitence and preparation for Easter. Similarly, the four weeks of Advent present an opportunity for communal discernment and personal examination, as the church prepares to celebrate the Nativity of the Lord and looks with hope for Christ s return. -from the website of the PC(USA) *HYMN 104 O Lord, How Shall I Meet You PRAYER OF CONFESSION Valet Will Ich Dir Geben Turner Plunkett (A time of silent prayer and meditation.) God of the future, you are coming in power to bring all nations under your rule. We confess that we have not expected your kingdom, for we live casual lives, ignoring your promised judgment. We accept lies as truth, exploit neighbors, abuse the earth, and refuse your justice and peace. In your mercy, forgive us. Grant us wisdom to welcome your way, and to seek things that will endure when Christ comes to judge the world. Amen. THE KYRIE Kyrie from Missa Emmanuel ASSURANCE OF PARDON Friends, believe the good news of the gospel. In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven. Thanks be to God! R. Proulx (1937-2010) (At this point in the service, we invite preschool-aged children to follow their teachers to the second floor elementary classroom in the Martin House for Worship and Play. ) *RESPONSE OF PRAISE O Come, O Come, Emmanuel O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel, that mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel. THE CHILDREN S MESSAGE LITANY OF PARTING Congregation: God be with you there. Children: God be with you here. Veni Emmanuel
CONGREGATIONAL RESPONSE Away in a Manger Be near me, Lord Jesus; I ask thee to stay close by me forever and love me, I pray. Bless all the dear children in thy tender care, and fit us for heaven to live with thee there. Mueller PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION SCRIPTURE LESSON Isaiah 40:1-11 NRSV 1 Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. 2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid, that she has received from the Lord s hand double for all her sins. 3 A voice cries out: In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. 5 Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken. 6 A voice says, Cry out! And I said, What shall I cry? All people are grass, their constancy is like the flower of the field. 7 The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the LORD blows upon it; surely the people are grass. 8 The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand forever. 9 Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good tidings; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings, lift it up, do not fear; say to the cities of Judah, Here is your God! 10 See, the Lord GOD comes with might, and his arm rules for him; his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. 11 He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms,
Apostles Creed: I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen. 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 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. and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead the mother sheep. This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. ANTHEM O Sleepers, wake! F. Mendelssohn (1809-1847) Sleepers, wake! A voice is calling, It is the watchman on the walls: Thou City of Jerusalem! For lo! The Bridegroom comes! Arise, and take your lamps! Hallelujah! Awake! His Kingdom is at hand! Go forth to meet your Lord! SCRIPTURE LESSON Mark 1:1-8 1 The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. NRSV 2 As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; 3 the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight, 4 John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6 Now John was clothed with camel s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 He proclaimed, The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. 8 I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit. This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. SERMON For Something Completely Different *HYMN 96 On Jordan s Bank the Baptist s Cry *AFFIRMATION OF FAITH THE OFFERING OFFERTORY Rev. Will Scott Winchester New Apostles Creed
*DOXOLOGY Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow Praise God, from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him, all creatures here below. Praise Him above, ye heavenly host. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Old 100th PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING & PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE Hear us as we pray, THE LORD S PRAYER *HYMN 129 Lo, How a Rose E er Blooming *CHARGE AND BENEDICTION *CONGREGATIONAL RESPONSE God Be with You Till We Meet Again God be with you till we meet again; By His counsels guide, uphold you, With His sheep securely fold you; God be with you till we meet again. POSTLUDE Chorale Prelude on Gott, Durch Deine Güte Es Ist Ein Ros Traditional J.S. Bach (1685-1750) Prayers For Catherine Brantley; For Sanford Dover; For Martha Patton, sister of Patricia Rivers, as she recovers from a stroke in Atlanta; For those affected by the storms across the Southeast; For Dick Lowrey, as he deals with Cerebellar Ataxia; For Meccia Little, cousin of Jim and Susan Bisson, in her battle with brain cancer; For expectant mother, Leanna Granillo; For Robert Smalley in his work as moderator of Cherokee Presbytery; For Anne Farrow at Tranquility of Dalton; For Nikki MacMillan, in her work as Cherokee Presbytery Stated Clerk; For Johnnie Bakkum at Summit Place, Beaufort, South Carolina; For Natalie Raygor during her Master of Divinity program, and a continued healthy pregnancy; For Sally Wester at home; For aging parents including Bobbie Anderson s mother, Margaret Patterson; Upcoming Events Sunday, December 10 DEO Clinic Concert 2:00 p.m. Monday, December 11 Morning Prayers 9:30 a.m. Bible Study 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, December 12 Finance Team Meeting 5:15 p.m. Grateful Heart AA Mtg 8:00 p.m. Wednesday, December 13 Coffee with Calvin 7:30 a.m. Saturday Sacks 11:00 a.m. Lectionary Lunch 12:00 p.m. Choir Rehearsal 6:30-8:00 p.m. Sunday, December 17 Sunday School 9:15 a.m Fellowship 10:00 a.m. Worship The Christmas Pageant 10:30 a.m. Congregational Lunch 11:30 a.m. Monday, December 18 Morning Prayers 9:30 a.m. Bible Study 10:00 a.m. Session Meeting 5:30 p.m. Today s music is reprinted with permision from OneLicense.net. A-701960
Volunteer Schedule Worship Date Lay Reader Ushers Open/ Close Flowers Sound Board Deposit 12/10 Turner Plunkett Mike Sarkowski & Tate O Gwin Roger & Peggy Rollins The Flower Team Roger Rollins Mike Sarkowski 12/17 Julie Tharpe TBD Roger & Peggy Rollins The Flower Team TBD Bob Hubbs Children Date Children s Church 12/10 Jo Beth Thompson & Nancy Rhine 12/17 Rob & Michelle Lively Nursery (Asst.) Emma Lively Valerie George Joy Makers Pageant Rehearsal Katie Scott Monthly Communion (January 7) Congregational Care Prep Annelle Scott December Peggy Rollins Servers Rev. Will Scott, Sue Spivey, Pam Partain, & Fran Lewis January Kaye Clark & Betty Steinmetz Contact FPC Phone: 706-278-8161 Rev. Will Scott, Pastor: wscott@firstpresdalton.org Trent Whisenant, Director of Music: twhisenant@firstpresdalton.org Erin Witt, Office Manager: office@firstpresdalton.org Mailing Address: PO Box 489 Dalton, Georgia 30722