The Presbyterian Church in Leonia ORGANIZED 1899 AN INCLUSIVE COMMUNITY OF FAITH December 3, 2017 GOD IS CALLING US TO LET OUR LIGHT SHINE BEFORE OTHERS, SO THAT THEY MAY SEE AND GLORIFY GOD. Matthew 5:16 The Rev. Dr. Leah Fowler, Pastor, Renée Guerrero Harris, Organist/Choir Director Patricia Major, Church Administrator 1
1 st Sunday of Advent 3 rd December 2017 10:30 a.m. Preparing for Worship Please silence cell phones. An asterisk (*) in the bulletin means please stand if you are able. Speak in unison at the bold face areas. Newer English speaker? English copies of the sermon are available from the ushers to help you follow along. LARGE-TYPE editions of the Hymnal are available from the ushers, as well as Chinese/English, Spanish/English, Korean/English and Japanese/English Bibles. Nursery care is available in the room adjacent to the rear hallway. Kindergartners to fourth graders remain in worship through the children s sermon; they then may go to the activity period. Parents may also sit with restless children in the Tower room, which is located off the rear of the sanctuary. Children are welcome to remain for the entire service. Sunday School and Adult Classes meet from 9:30 to 10:15 am. GATHERING MUSIC INTROIT Christ, Be Our Light (ALL) Longing for light, we wait in darkness. Longing for truth, we turn to you. Make us your own, your holy people, light for the world to see. Refrain Christ, be our light! Shine in our hearts. Shine through the darkness. Christ, be our light! Shine in your church gathered today. GREETING Rev. Dr. Leah Fowler 2
*CALL TO WORSHIP after Mark 13: 24-37 Gathering as God s People Leader We come into God s presence in hopeful anticipation, We await the coming of the Son of God. Right side The sun may be dimmed, the moon may lose its light, The stars may fall from the sky Leader Left side All Still, the Divine Spirit is with us. God sends angels from the four winds, From the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. We hear Jesus words, Keep awake! Be alert! *INVOCATION *HYMN #104 O Lord, How Shall I Meet You LIGHTING OF THE ADVENT CANDLE Joanne, Allen, Eden and Noelle Terrell RESPONSE #137 He Came Down Verse 3 He came down that we may have peace; (3x s) Hallelujah forever more. CALL TO CONFESSION PRAYER OF CONFESSION As in Isaiah s time we become unclean and our righteous deeds become as filthy cloths. We alone cannot wipe clean the slate of our transgressions. We fade like leaves and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. Yet, You O God, are Father and Mother; like the potter you fashioned us from clay in your holy image. In these silent moments 3
hear the sighing of our spirits as we lay open our hearts to you. Mold us anew, O God, recreate a right image within us. (Moment of Silence) ASSURANCE OF PARDON *HYMN #103 Come Now, O Prince of Peace Come now, O Prince of Peace, make us one body. Come, O Lord Jesus; reconcile all people. Ososŏ Ososŏ, pyong hwa ui im gum Uri ga han mom iruge ha so so. Passing of the Peace Listening for God s Word to Us PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION Speak to us, Awaited One. Speak to us in the watching, the waiting, the hoping, the longing, the sorrow, the sighing, the rejoicing. Speak to us by your Word in these Advent days, and walk with us until the day of your coming. Amen. A READING FROM THE PROPHETS Isaiah 64:1-9 (page 694 or page 849) A READING FROM THE GOSPELS Mark 13:24-37 (page 50 or page 61) The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. CHILDREN S SERMON *HYMN #90 Wait for the Lord Wait for the Lord, whose day is near. Wait for the Lord, be strong; take heart! 4
SERMON It s About Time Rev. Dr. Leah Fowler Responding to God s Word *HYMN #88 Verses 1, 2, 7 O Come, O Come, Emmanuel THE WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS SHARING OF OUR TITHES AND OFFERINGS ANTHEM Invocation for Advent (Price/Besig) Emmanuel, Emmanuel come and bring an end to our darkness. Emmanuel, Emmanuel come and fill our hearts with your light. We watch and wait for You to come according to God s word, to show the way and make us one, and heal our troubled world. Emmanuel, Emmanuel, come and bring an end to our sadness. Emmanuel, Emmanuel, come and fill our lives with your love. Our hearts prepare to welcome You as Savior, Lord, and King. We long to share the hope and truth that You alone can bring. Emmanuel, Emmanuel, come and bring an end to our emptiness. Emmanuel, Emmanuel, Come and fill our hearts, come and fill our lives, Come and fill our world with your peace. *DOXOLOGY for ADVENT-CHRISTMAS Tune of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen Praise God, from whom all blessings flow, On every hill and coast! Praise God above, all angels who comprise the heavenly host! Praise God: Creator, coming Christ, And God the Holy Ghost! O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy! O tidings of comfort and joy! 5
PRAYER OF DEDICATION THE SACRAMENT OF COMMUNION God be with you. And also with you! Lift up your hearts. We lift them up to the Lord! Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give our thanks and praise. The prophets foretold it: the desert burst into bloom. Angelic messengers delivered news: a priest lost his speech; a young woman found her voice. In this season of Advent, the scriptures revive old stories and bring new understandings. In the face of critics and skeptics, our faith cries out, resilient, like a baby from a manger bed. We join the Angel messengers in singing our praise: Tune of Angels We Have Heard on High Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of hosts all praise be given! All your glory fills the earth; All your power fills the heavens. Gloria, in excelsis Deo! Gloria, in excelsis Deo! Blessed is the one who came, Bringing light and love divine. Blessed is the Word who comes In the bread and in the wine. Gloria, in excelsis Deo! Gloria, in excelsis Deo! 6
From that Bethlehem beginning, Jesus, baptized in the Jordan, spent his life serving others that all might know the compassionate attention of a loving God. Today, Jesus serves us yet again. As we gather at this Table he prepares for us, we proclaim the great mystery of our faith: Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again! Prayers of the People and The Lord s Prayer [You are welcome to say the Lord's Prayer (and any prayers) in your mother tongue.] 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. The Bread and the Cup (hold the bread and the cup each until all are served in the pews; then we will eat and drink together) Communion Hymn #347 Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence Prayer after Communion Dear Jesus of Advent, you remain a sacred mystery to us. You have brought Good News for all the people. We will not be afraid, for you are here. Thank you for feeding our hunger with your love which surpasses all our understanding, and for quenching our thirst with your Spirit that never runs dry. Let this meal you shared with us nourish our souls, feed our minds, quench our deepest longings and forgive our transgressions, that we may glorify you every day of our lives. Amen. Going Forth in Dedication and Service *HYMN Keep Your Lamps (see next page) 7
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*THE CHARGE and BENEDICTION Go from this place alert and awake in the spirit of God s peace. We scatter now as people of the four winds: to the north and south, east and west. Go from this place alert and awake in the spirit of God s peace. We go as faithful servants to spread God s love to the ends of the earth. Our liturgist, Philip Wilson, and our reader, Lily VanDeWeert, are helping lead our worship this morning. Communion liturgists are Keyla Garcia, Fumio Ito and Ammal Varky Communion servers are Linda McGarry, Lisa VanDeWeert, Eulalia Cabrera, Venge Nyirongo, and Karen Klinger. The art on the bulletin is by Adam Walker Cleaveland. The liturgy is mostly from Worship Ways, United Church of Christ. USHERS: Lisa VanDeWeert, Judith Nyirongo COUNTERS: Oliva Taylor, David Voreacos NURSERY: Sarah Han GREETER: Susan Dindial 9
We welcome all visitors in the name of Jesus Christ. We invite you to sign the guest register in the entry room and to join us for coffee in the entry room following the service. Readings for Sunday December 10, 2017 Isaiah 40:1-11; Psalms 85:1-2, 8-13 2 Peter 3:8-15a, Mark 1:1-8 USHERS December 10:Fara Razavy,Vicky Li, Keyla Garcia December 17:Susan Dindial, MaryEllen Neu, Virginia Cora December 24: Anne Stebbins, Ammal Varky, Judith Nyirongo COUNTERS December 10:Hyung Shim, Fumio Ito December 17:Olivia Taylor December 24:Pete Shanno, David Voreacos December 31: Hyung Shim, Fumio Ito FLOWERS Month of December-Poinsettias NURSERY December 10: Lisa or Joe VanDeweert December 17: Chris Gajilan December 24: Kristen Richter December 31: Chris Gajilan CALENDAR FOR THE WEEK After Worship Today Monday, 12/4/17 Tuesday, 12/5/17 10 Hanging of the Greens! 3:00 p.m. Japanese Language Service 10:00 a.m. ESL Class 7:00 p.m. ESL Class 10 a.m. ESL Class
Wednesday, 12/6/17 Thursday, 12/7/17 Friday, 12/8/17 Next Sunday 12/10/17 11 9:00 a.m. ESL Class 10:45 a.m. Bible Class 7:30 p.m. Al-Anon Meeting 10:00 a.m. ESL Class 1:00 p.m. ESL Class 7:00 p.m. Bottles & Badges 7:30 p.m. CoFIA Meeting 8:00 p.m. Jazz Jam 9:30 a.m. Sunday School for all 11:45 a.m. ESL Bible Study Rehearsal for Christmas Pageant 4:30 p.m. Community Christmas Holiday Celebration with songs and Santa ANNOUNCEMENTS HANGING OF THE GREENS Today, following worship we will transform our sanctuary to prepare our worship space for Advent and Christmas. Help mount pew candles, raise Christmas trees, hang the Advent wreath, and more. CHRISTMAS COMMUNITY HOLIDAY CELEBRATION On Sunday, December 10 at 4:30 pm, join in singing together seasonal music; Christmas songs, Carols, Hanukkah songs. The event is free and rumor has it that Santa will also be visiting. Holiday food and other items will be available for sale as well as a holiday tricky tray. See flyer in today s bulletin for further details. CHRISTMAS POINSETTIA PLANTS You can help to brighten the church sanctuary for Christmas by the gift of a poinsettia plant. Plants cost $15 and must be ordered no later than Friday, December 15, by filling in the forms on the Ark, in today s bulletin, or calling the church office at 201-944-1358. When ordering your poinsettia, please let us know if you would like it to be in memory of someone or in celebration of a special event. Please make your check payable to the Presbyterian Church marked Poinsettia and let us know if you wish to take your plant(s) home after Christmas, or for us to give it to homebound friends. If you should have any questions or concerns, please see Jane Wilson. or Pat Major in the church office.
WE GIVE TO OTHERS At Christmas, we celebrate a great gift to us, and one of our responses is giving gifts to others. We have three distinct opportunities for such giving through our congregation: The annual Alternative Christmas Gift List. With it, you can support one or more particular ministries. Gift Tags describing the gift requests from the women and children sheltered in the Oelhaf House will be available at the church on Sundays, December 3 and 10. You may purchase one of the indicated gifts and offer it wrapped for Christmas during worship on the 17th. You may also make a donation using the Christmas Offering envelope in your box of weekly envelopes. These gifts will be split between the Presbyterian Joy Offering, which benefits training for racial/ethnic leaders in the Presbyterian Church (USA) as well as supporting retired PC(USA) clergy, and Heading God s Call, a faith-based advocacy group that helps to end gun violence and to build memorials for victims of gun violence. Forms and more information are available on the Ark. CHURCH OFFICE: 201-944-1358 181 Fort Lee Road, Leonia, NJ 07605 Web Site www.leoniapres.org The Rev. Dr. Leah Fowler, pastorleonia@gmail.com Office Administrator, Patricia Major, secretaryleonia@gmail.com 12