P R O V I D E N C E P R E S B Y T E R I A N C H U R C H Order of Worship D E C E M B E R 2 5, 2 0 1 1 WELCOME PRELUDE CALL TO WORSHIP * Minister: Come and worship! Worship Christ the Incarnate King! All: For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. H YMNS * O Come, All Ye Faithful ADESTE FIDELES O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant, O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem; Come, and behold him, born the King of angels; : O come, let us adore him, O come, let us adore him, O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord. Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation, Sing, all ye citizens of heaven above; Glory to God, glory in the highest; Yea, Lord, we greet thee, born this happy morning; Jesus, to thee be all glory given; Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing; Angels We Have Heard on High GLORIA Angels we have heard on high, sweetly singing o er the plains, And the mountains in reply, echoing their joyous strains. : Gloria, in excelsis Deo! Gloria, in excelsis Deo! Shepherds, why this jubilee? Why your joyous strains prolong? What the gladsome tidings be, which inspire your heavenly song? Come to Bethlehem and see, Christ Whose birth the angels sing; Come, adore on bended knee, Christ the Lord, the newborn King. PRAYER OF I NVOCATION AND ADORATION* Rev. Ronnie Rowe
CONFESSION OF FAITH Westminster Shorter Catechism, Questions 17, 20, 21 & 22 Minister: What happened to man in the fall? All: Man fell into a condition of sin and misery. Minister: Did God leave all mankind to die in sin and misery? All: From all eternity and merely because it pleased Him God chose a people to have everlasting life. These He freed from sin and misery by a covenant of grace and brought them to salvation by a redeemer. Minister: Who is the redeemer of God s chosen ones? All: The only redeemer of God s chosen is the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, who became man. Minister: How did Christ, the Son of God, become man? All: Christ, the Son of God, became man by assuming a real body and a reasoning soul. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary, who gave birth to Him; yet He was sinless. SONG OF PRAISE Gentle Mary Laid Her Child TEMPUS ADEST FLORIDUM Gentle Mary laid her child lowly in a manger; There he lay, the Undefiled, to the world a stranger. Such a babe in such a place, can he be the Savior? Ask the saved of all the race who have found his favor. Angels sang about his birth, wise men sought and found him; Heaven s star shone brightly forth, glory all around him. Shepherds saw the wondrous sight, heard the angels singing; All the plains were lit that night, all the hills were ringing. Gentle Mary laid her child lowly in a manger; He is still the Undefiled, but no more a stranger. Son of God of humble birth, beautiful the story; Praise his name in all the earth, hail the King of glory! PUBLIC CONFESSION OF SIN Minister: Let us confess our sins before our righteous and holy God. All: Most Holy and Merciful Father, if you, O Lord, kept a record of our sins, who could stand? In our weakness we have failed to keep your law, and our thoughts and actions do not reflect the goodness of Your character. But in You, we find forgiveness. Like a father shows compassion to his children, You have mercy on those who fear You. Renew us by Your Spirit, that we may follow Your commands and proclaim Your reign of love, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. PRIVATE CONFESSION OF SIN two
ASSURANCE OF PARDON Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 2 Corinthians 5:17 I NTERCESSORY AND OFFERTORY PRAYER Ruling Elder, Mr. Howard Luber ANTHEM How Bright Appears the Morning Star PPC CHOIR J. KUHNA U Arr. John Leavitt How Bright appears the Morning Star, With mercy beaming from afar; The host of heaven rejoices. O Righteous Branch, O Jesse s Rod! You Son of Man and Son of God! We, too, will lift our voices: Jesus, Jesus, holy, holy, yet most lowly, Draw Thou near us; Great Emmanuel, come and hear us. Rejoice, you heavens, and earth reply: With praise, all people fill the sky, For this His incarnation. Incarnate God, put forth Your power, Ride on, ride on, great Conqueror, Till all know your salvation. Amen, Amen! Alleluia, alleluia! Praise be given evermore by earth and heaven. SCRIPTURE READING* Luke 2:1-11 1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. 8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. 10 And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. SERMON A Savior is Born Rev. David Rea Three
H YMN OF RESPONSE* God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen GOD REST YE MERRY God rest ye merry, gentlemen, let nothing you dismay, Remember Christ our Savior was born on Christmas Day; To save us all from Satan s power when we were gone astray. : O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy; O tidings of comfort and joy. From God our heavenly Father a blessèd angel came; And unto certain shepherds brought tidings of the same; How that in Bethlehem was born the Son of God by name. Fear not, then, said the angel, Let nothing you afright, This day is born a Savior of a pure Virgin bright, To free all those who trust in Him from Satan s power and might. WORDS OF I NSTITUTION Rev. Rob Hamby T HE LORD S T ABLE All those who trust in Christ alone for their salvation, are baptized, and belong to a Bible believing church are invited to partake of the Lord s Supper together, feeding on the grace of God by faith. If you have not put your trust in Christ, please allow the elements to pass you by and take this opportunity to meditate on the meaning of the Gospel. A word to parents: Baptized children are invited to the table after they have made a profession of faith and been received as communing members by the Session of the church to which their parents belong. Please hold the bread, and we will partake together. Please drink the cup as you receive it. The outer ring is grape juice and the inner rings are wine. During the bread What Child is This GREENSLEEVES What child is this, who, laid to rest, on Mary s lap is sleeping? Whom angels greet with anthems sweet, while shepherds watch are keeping? This, this is Christ the King, whom shepherds guard and angels sing: Haste, haste to bring him laud, the babe, the son of Mary. Why lies he in such mean estate, where ox and ass are feeding? Good Christian, fear; for sinners here the silent Word is pleading. Nails, spear shall pierce him through; the cross be borne for me, for you: Hail, hail the Word made flesh, the babe, the son of Mary. So bring him incense, gold, and myrrh; come, peasant, king, to own him; The King of kings salvation brings, let loving hearts enthrone him. Raise, raise the song on high, the virgin sings her lullaby: Joy, joy for Christ is born, the babe, the son of Mary. Four
During the cup Amid the Winter s Snow PPC CHOIR ARR. D. LANZ See amid the winter s snow, Born for us on earth below, See, the gentle Lamb appears, Promised from eternal years. Hail that ever blessed morn, Hail redemption s happy dawn, Sing through all Jerusalem: Christ is born in Bethlehem. Say, you holy shepherds, say, Tell your joyful news today. Why have you now left your sheep On the lonely mountain steep? As we watched at dead of night, There appeared a wondrous light; Angels singing Peace on earth Told us of the Savior s birth. PRAYER OF T HANKSGIVING CLOSING H YMN* Joy to the World! ANTIOCH Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth, receive, her King, Let ev'ry heart, prepare him room and heaven and nature sing, And heaven and nature sing, and heaven, and heaven and nature sing. Joy to the world, the Saviour reigns, let men, their songs employ While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains repeat the sounding joy, Repeat the sounding joy, repeat, repeat the sounding joy. He rules the world with truth and grace, and makes the nations prove The glories of his righteousness and wonders of his love, And wonders of his love, and wonders, wonders of his love. BENEDICTION* Minister: May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Five
ANNOUNCEMENTS Celebration of Birth! We rejoice with Rachel and Stephen Breeding in the birth of their son, John "Jack" Charles Breeding. Jack was born on December 15th at 10:32am. He weighed 7lbs, 2oz and was 19 inches long. If you would like to provide a meal for the Breeding family, please visit the members page of the PPC website and click on the Family Meals link to sign up! Holiday Sunday School Schedule There will be no Sunday school classes (church wide) on January 1st. All classes will resume on January 8th. Volunteers Needed for the Greeting Committee We are in need of volunteers to welcome our visitors and members when they come to PPC. This is a wonderful way to display the warmth and love of our church and to meet new people! If you are interested in serving as a greeter, or would like more information, please email Debi Nelson (deborah.nelson3452@sbcglobal.net). Volunteers Needed for Coffee Committee We are in need of volunteers for the coffee/hospitality table. This committee prepares the coffee and the treats for church on Sunday morning. If you are interested in serving our church on this invaluable committee, please contact Janet Lewis at janlew47@yahoo.com. Ladies Spring Bible Studies We are offering the Bible Study, A Covenant of Love: The Ten Commandments at three different times (see below). Through looking at God's law, we will study some of the core truths about who God is, his love for us, and how we are created to live to his glory. This will be a study that will draw you to love the Lord more, and will apply directly to everyday life. All are welcome to attend any study. Monday Nights, 7:30 pm Taught by Trish Luber in the home of Lily Garrett (9925 Hathaway, 75220), beginning January 23. Contact Trish if you plan to attend (htluber@tx.rr.com) Tuesday Mornings, 7:00 am Taught by Alyson Averitt in her home (6805 Sperry St, 75214), beginning January 24. Contact Alyson if you plan to attend (alysonaveritt@yahoo.com) Wednesday Mornings, 9:30 am Co-taught by Trish Luber and Alyson Averitt at the church building with childcare, beginning January 25. If you plan to attend, contact Alyson at alysonaveritt@yahoo.com and be sure to let her know if you will bring your child to childcare during this study. six