Celebrating the Season of Advent FAITH AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH AT WOODBRIDGE, VA Rev. Andra D Etta Hoxie, Pastor The Right Reverend William P. DeVeaux Presiding Prelate The Reverend Dr. Goodwin Douglas Presiding Elder
The Call to Worship (based on Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11) Minister: We come to worship Christ Congregation: Who proclaims good news to the poor, binds up the broken-hearted, frees the prisoner and comforts those who mourn. Minister: We come to worship Christ Congregation: Who bestows a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy Instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. Minister: We come to worship Christ Congregation: Who rebuilds ancient ruins and restores broken places. Everyone: We come to worship Jesus Christ, our LORD! Liturgy by: Phil Whyte, Church of Scotland The Summary of the Decalogue Matthew 22:37-40 (New King James Version) Hear what Christ our Savior says: 37 Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. The General Confession Almighty God, Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, maker of all things, judge of all men; We acknowledge and bewail our manifold sins and wickedness, which we, from time to time, most grievously have committed, by thought, word, and deed, Against thy Divine Majesty, provoking most justly thy wrath and indignation against us. We do earnestly repent, And are heartily sorry for these our misdoings; the remembrance of them is grievous unto us. Have mercy upon us, Have mercy upon us, most merciful Father; for thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ's sake, forgive us all that is past; and grant that we may ever hereafter serve and please thee In newness of life, to the honor and glory of thy Name; Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. The Doxology 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. Amen. The Affirmation of Faith 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 Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried. The third day He arose 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 Spirit, the Church Universal, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sin, the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. Amen. The Lord s Prayer Our Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; But deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, For ever and ever. Amen.
Hope THE FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT INTROIT: AME Hymnal No. 112 We ll walk in the light, beautiful light, Come where the dewdrops of mercy are bright, Shine all around us by day and by night, Jesus the Light of the world Liturgist: Today is the first Sunday of Advent, the Sunday of Hope. Congregation: Our hope is in God, and in his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the One appointed by God to be judge of all things. He is the One through whom God has promised to save and redeem His people. Liturgist: We light this candle today to remind us that He is our hope and the hope of the world. We thank God for the promises He has made to us and for the light, He has brought into the world. The First Candle is lit Liturgist: Let us pray. O God of Hope, Emmanuel, God with us we pray that You send Your light into our hearts. Help us to be ready for the day and the hour of Christ s final appearing. Live in us and help us to live in You. By the power of the Holy Spirit, transform us so that our worship, our celebration, our time of preparation, may be pleasing unto You both now and forevermore. Amen. INTROIT: AME Hymnal No. 112 Peace THE SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT We ll walk in the light, beautiful light, Come where the dewdrops of mercy are bright, Shine all around us by day and by night, Jesus the Light of the world. Liturgist: Today is the Second Sunday of Advent - the Sunday of Peace. Congregation: Our peace is found in God and in His Son, Jesus Christ. John the Baptizer and all the prophets reminded us, that to receive peace we must be prepared for it. Liturgist: We light this candle today to remind us that Christ is the Prince of Peace, the one promised from the beginning of the world. We thank God for the hope He gives us and for the peace He bestows. The First and Second Candles are lit Reader: Let us pray. O God of Peace, Emmanuel, we pray for You to send your light into our hearts. Help us to be ready for the day and the hour of Christ s appearing. Work in our hearts at this time and help us prepare ourselves for the peace that Christ brings - the inner peace that tells us that we are united with You and the consuming peace that will come when Christ returns to judge the world. Bless our worship that it may be pleasing unto You, and bless us that we may prove to be Your faithful servants. Amen.
Joy THE THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT INTROIT: AME Hymnal No. 112 We ll walk in the light, beautiful light, Come where the dewdrops of mercy are bright, Shine all around us by day and by night, Jesus the Light of the world. Liturgist: Today is the third Sunday of Advent - the Sunday of Joy. Congregation: Our joy is in God and in God s Son Jesus Christ. Like peace, joy is a gift from God. It overtakes us and fills us when we remember what God has done and what God has promised to do. Liturgist: We light this candle today to remind us that Christ came, and is coming again, so that all people might have a rich and abundant life. We thank God for the hope that Christ gives us, for the peace, Christ bestows, and for the joy, Christ pours into our hearts. The First, Second, and Third Candles are lit Liturgist: Let us pray. O God of Joy, Emmanuel, send Your light into our hearts at this time. Help us to be ready for the time of Christ s appearing. Fix our hearts and our minds upon those things You have done and those things that You have promised to do that we may have the joy You have promised. As we worship You, strengthen us so that we may always do Your will and so bless You and the world You have made. Amen. Love INTROIT: AME Hymnal No. 112 THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT Hark the herald angels sing, Jesus the Light of the world: Glory to the newborn King, Jesus the Light of the world. (Refrain): We ll walk in the light, beautiful light, Come where the dewdrops of mercy are bright, Shine all around us by day and by night, Jesus the Light of the world. Reader: Today is the fourth Sunday of Advent, the Sunday of Love. Reader: Jesus shows us God s perfect love. He is God s Perfect Love in human form. Those who believe in Christ and live in Christ, live in love. Love transforms and perfects all things. It never ends. Reader: We light this candle today to remind us that God is love. We thank God for hope God gives us, for the peace God bestows, for the joy God pours into our hearts, and for the love that redeems us and shows us the way. The First, Second, Third and Fourth Candles are lit Reader: Let us pray. O God of Love, Emmanuel, send your light into our hearts at this time. Help us to be ready for the time of Christ s appearing. Grant that we may so dwell in Christ that his Perfect Love fills our entire being. Make our worship a time to celebrate your Love and make us ready to show that Love to the whole world both today and forevermore. Amen.
THE FIRST SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS Hymn: AME Hymnal No. 112 Hark the herald angels sing, Jesus the Light of the world: Glory to the newborn King, Jesus the Light of the world. (Refrain) We ll walk in the light, beautiful light, Come where the dewdrops of mercy are bright, Shine all around us by day and by night, Jesus the Light of the world. Liturgist: As we light these candles today, we thank God for hope God gives us, for the peace God bestows, for the joy God pours into our hearts, and for the love of Christ that redeems us and shows us the way Congregation: We thank God for God s gift of Jesus, the Christ. We thank God that through Christ, light has come into the world and made it possible for us to see, and in seeing, to rejoice. His truth, His love, His very self, transforms all who receive him. The First, Second, Third, Fourth and the Christ Candles are lit Liturgist: Loving God, Emmanuel, we thank You for being with us - for sending Your Son to walk with us and to lead us. Grant that the hope, the peace, the joy, and the love of which we have heard and spoken of throughout Advent may be fully realized in us as we worship and serve You through Christ Jesus our Lord, this both now, in the New Year, and forevermore. Amen. Adapted and reprinted with the permission of The Reverend Dr. Calvin H. Sydnor III, 20th Editor of The Christian Recorder, The Official Newspaper of the African Methodist Episcopal Church All rights reserved.
HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD Chris Tomlin How great is our God, sing with me How great is our God, and all will see How great, how great is our God THERE IS NO ONE ELSE LIKE YOU Terry MacAlmon You deserve the glory, And the honor Lord, we lift our hands in worship As we lift your Holy name (Repeat) The splendor of a King, clothed in majesty Let all the earth rejoice All the earth rejoice He wraps himself in Light, and darkness tries to hide And trembles at His voice Trembles at His voice How great is our God, sing with me How great is our God, and all will see How great, how great is our God Age to age He stands And time is in His hands Beginning and the end Beginning and the end Chorus: For You are great, You do miracles so great There is no one else like You There is no one else like You (repeat) 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. O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free, Thine own from Satan's tyranny From depths of Hell Thy people save And give them victory o'er the grave Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel, Shall come to thee, O Israel. AMAZING GRACE The Godhead Three in One Father Spirit Son The Lion and the Lamb The Lion and the Lamb Name above all names Worthy of our praise My heart will sing How great is our God How great is our God, sing with me How great is our God, and all will see How great, how great is our God Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me I once was lost, but now am found Was blind but now I see When we ve been there ten thousand years bright shining as the sun We ve no less days to sing God s praise Than when we first begun Praise God, praise God, praise God, praise God Praise God, praise God, praise God Praise God, praise God, praise God, praise God Praise God, praise God, praise God
ORDER OF WORSHIP Introit & Meditation The LORD is in His holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before Him. Habakkuk 2:20 The Doxology Call to Worship Worship Medley & Hymns Invocation The Advent Litany Read Responsively LITANY INTROIT: AME Hymnal No. 112 We ll walk in the light, beautiful light, Come where the dewdrops of mercy are bright, Shine all around us by day and by night, Jesus the Light of the world The Scripture Reading The Summary of the Decalogue & Affirmation of Faith Welcome & Acknowledgements Praise Interlude The Sermon The Call to Christian Discipleship The Sacrament of Holy Communion First Sunday Only The Benediction Our Faith Family thank you for worshiping with us today. We pray that something that was said or done brought a measure of cheer, comfort and inspiration to encourage you on your journey and remind you of God s grace. You are also invited to join us for our midweek refreshing on Wednesdays, 5:30-5:45 a.m. Toll-free: 760-569-7676; Code 113055#. Our website is http://faithamemission.com. We are also on Twitter and Facebook. Our telephone number is 800-472-8427. We ve been blessed by your presence and look forward to worshiping with you again as God gives opportunity. Again, thank you. Because of God s grace, I am Rev. Andra D Etta Hoxie Pastor