Welcome
Thank you so much for joining us! The following page will take you through the order of worship for this Sunday.
If you are new, welcome! We also want to invite you to learn more about us. You can do so by selecting the button below.
If you are new, welcome! We also want to invite you to learn more about us. You can do so by selecting the button below.
A few tips for parents:
- Plan for your time – read through the guide and prepare the room where you are gathering
- Make your time joyful – have fun!!!
- Remember, it’s primarily about a relationship, not a task to scratch off
- Have your kids participate in age and maturity appropriate ways – reading, singing, etc.
Time of Reflection
“Something about the name Jesus
Something about the name Jesus
It is the sweetest name, I know”
~“Something About the Name Jesus” by Rance Allen (1948-2020)
“We deserved death, wrath, and hell forever…. Jesus drank our hell.”
~Conrad Mbewe, Zambian pastor
“When we were dispersed like scattered sheep, and lost in the labyrinth of the world, Christ gathered us together again, that he might bring us back to himself.”
“Holiness is not a merit by which we can attain communion with God, but a gift of Christ, which enables us to cling to him, and to follow him.”
~John Calvin (1509-1564), French theologian, pastor and reformer
“The grace of God is love freely shown towards guilty sinners, contrary to their merit and indeed in defiance of their demerit. It is God showing goodness to persons who deserve only severity and had no reason to expect anything but severity…. [G]race means so little to some…, because they do not share the beliefs about God and man which it presupposes.”
“Grace is free in that it is self-originated, and of proceeding from One who was free not to be gracious.”
~J.I. Packer (1926-2020), English-born theologian
“It is the dogma that is the drama – not beautiful phrases, nor comforting sentiments, nor vague aspirations to loving-kindness and uplift, nor the promise of something nice after death – but the terrifying assertion that the same God who made the world lived in the world and passed through the grave and gate of death. Show that to the heathen, and they may not believe it; but at least they may realize that here is something that a man might be glad to believe.”
~Dorothy Sayers (1893-1957), English writer and poet
Something about the name Jesus
It is the sweetest name, I know”
~“Something About the Name Jesus” by Rance Allen (1948-2020)
“We deserved death, wrath, and hell forever…. Jesus drank our hell.”
~Conrad Mbewe, Zambian pastor
“When we were dispersed like scattered sheep, and lost in the labyrinth of the world, Christ gathered us together again, that he might bring us back to himself.”
“Holiness is not a merit by which we can attain communion with God, but a gift of Christ, which enables us to cling to him, and to follow him.”
~John Calvin (1509-1564), French theologian, pastor and reformer
“The grace of God is love freely shown towards guilty sinners, contrary to their merit and indeed in defiance of their demerit. It is God showing goodness to persons who deserve only severity and had no reason to expect anything but severity…. [G]race means so little to some…, because they do not share the beliefs about God and man which it presupposes.”
“Grace is free in that it is self-originated, and of proceeding from One who was free not to be gracious.”
~J.I. Packer (1926-2020), English-born theologian
“It is the dogma that is the drama – not beautiful phrases, nor comforting sentiments, nor vague aspirations to loving-kindness and uplift, nor the promise of something nice after death – but the terrifying assertion that the same God who made the world lived in the world and passed through the grave and gate of death. Show that to the heathen, and they may not believe it; but at least they may realize that here is something that a man might be glad to believe.”
~Dorothy Sayers (1893-1957), English writer and poet
Opening Prayer
(select someone from your group to open your service in prayer)
Call to Worship
Psalm 18:1-6 (ESV)
LEADER: I love you, O Lord, my strength.
PEOPLE: The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
LEADER: I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.
PEOPLE: The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of destruction assailed me;
LEADER: The cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.
ALL: In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.
LEADER: I love you, O Lord, my strength.
PEOPLE: The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
LEADER: I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.
PEOPLE: The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of destruction assailed me;
LEADER: The cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.
ALL: In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.
Songs & Liturgy
(sing as a group and/or sing along to recorded versions)
COME, THOU LONG EXPECTED JESUS
(Charles Wesley, 1744)
(Charles Wesley, 1744)
Come, Thou long expected Jesus
Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel’s strength and consolation,
Hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.
Joy to those who long to see thee,
Dayspring from on high appear;
Come, thou promised Rod of Jesse,
Of Thy birth we long to hear!
O’er the hills the angels singing news,
Glad tidings of a birth;
“Go to Him, your praises bringing;
Christ the Lord has come to earth.”
Come to earth to taste our sadness,
He whose glories knew no end;
By His life He brings us gladness,
Our Redeemer, Shepherd, Friend.
Leaving riches without number,
Born within a cattle stall;
This the everlasting wonder,
Christ was born the Lord of all.
Born Thy people to deliver,
Born a child and yet a King,
Born to reign in us forever,
Now Thy gracious Kingdom bring.
By Thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By Thine all sufficient merit,
Raise us to Thy glorious throne.
PUBLIC DOMAIN
Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel’s strength and consolation,
Hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.
Joy to those who long to see thee,
Dayspring from on high appear;
Come, thou promised Rod of Jesse,
Of Thy birth we long to hear!
O’er the hills the angels singing news,
Glad tidings of a birth;
“Go to Him, your praises bringing;
Christ the Lord has come to earth.”
Come to earth to taste our sadness,
He whose glories knew no end;
By His life He brings us gladness,
Our Redeemer, Shepherd, Friend.
Leaving riches without number,
Born within a cattle stall;
This the everlasting wonder,
Christ was born the Lord of all.
Born Thy people to deliver,
Born a child and yet a King,
Born to reign in us forever,
Now Thy gracious Kingdom bring.
By Thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By Thine all sufficient merit,
Raise us to Thy glorious throne.
PUBLIC DOMAIN
Psalm Meditation: Psalm 18:20-30 (ESV)
LEADER: The Lord dealt with me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.
PEOPLE: For I have kept the ways of the Lord,
and have not wickedly departed from my God.
LEADER: For all his rules were before me,
and his statutes I did not put away from me.
PEOPLE: I was blameless before him,
and I kept myself from my guilt.
LEADER: So the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
PEOPLE: With the merciful you show yourself merciful;
with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
LEADER: With the purified you show yourself pure;
and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
PEOPLE: For you save a humble people,
but the haughty eyes you bring down.
LEADER: For it is you who light my lamp;
the Lord my God lightens my darkness.
PEOPLE: For by you I can run against a troop,
and by my God I can leap over a wall.
LEADER: This God—his way is perfect;
the word of the Lord proves true;
he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.
LEADER: The Lord dealt with me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.
PEOPLE: For I have kept the ways of the Lord,
and have not wickedly departed from my God.
LEADER: For all his rules were before me,
and his statutes I did not put away from me.
PEOPLE: I was blameless before him,
and I kept myself from my guilt.
LEADER: So the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
PEOPLE: With the merciful you show yourself merciful;
with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
LEADER: With the purified you show yourself pure;
and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
PEOPLE: For you save a humble people,
but the haughty eyes you bring down.
LEADER: For it is you who light my lamp;
the Lord my God lightens my darkness.
PEOPLE: For by you I can run against a troop,
and by my God I can leap over a wall.
LEADER: This God—his way is perfect;
the word of the Lord proves true;
he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.
Advent Reading
(If you would like to follow along with the Advent Readings – with or without candles – you can do so by reading the Advent Explanation and this week’s Advent Readings below. You may find an Advent wreath diagram here.)
A Word of Explanation:
For many centuries Christians have used the Advent Wreath to remember and celebrate the coming of Christ. The word advent simply means “coming” or “arrival”. With the Advent Wreath, we celebrate not only the birth of Christ 2000 years ago, but also our rebirth in Him through faith. And we look forward with anxious anticipation toward his Second Advent for us.
Week 2 Readings:
Isaiah 40:1-5
Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins. A voice of one calling: “In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
John 3:16-17
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
Candle Instructions (optional)
As you light the first and second purple candles, say “This candle reminds us of the promise of peace through Jesus Christ. We have peace with God through the forgiveness of our sins.”
Sing (a cappella)
A Word of Explanation:
For many centuries Christians have used the Advent Wreath to remember and celebrate the coming of Christ. The word advent simply means “coming” or “arrival”. With the Advent Wreath, we celebrate not only the birth of Christ 2000 years ago, but also our rebirth in Him through faith. And we look forward with anxious anticipation toward his Second Advent for us.
Week 2 Readings:
Isaiah 40:1-5
Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins. A voice of one calling: “In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
John 3:16-17
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
Candle Instructions (optional)
As you light the first and second purple candles, say “This candle reminds us of the promise of peace through Jesus Christ. We have peace with God through the forgiveness of our sins.”
Sing (a cappella)
O COME, O COME, EMMANUEL
(Latin Hymn, trans. John M. Neale. Music by Thomas Helmore)
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 depth of hell Thy people save
and give them vict’ry o’er the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel!
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
PUBLIC DOMAIN
(Latin Hymn, trans. John M. Neale. Music by Thomas Helmore)
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 depth of hell Thy people save
and give them vict’ry o’er the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel!
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
PUBLIC DOMAIN
Sharing
(as a lead into the Prayer Time, as a group share how you are feeling and what you are learning; below are suggested questions)
Prayer Time
(You may have an open time of prayer or select someone to pray)
- Pray for our church’s short and long-term meeting place needs, that God would give us favor in the eyes of those in authority and that He would give us provision that would go far beyond all that we could ask or imagine.
- Pray for our world – that the good news of Jesus Christ would flourish and that many would come to know God genuinely and personally.
- Pray for those experiencing racial injustices; specifically, that God would bring hope, reconciliation, and restoration through the good news of His Son.
- Pray for those in authority at every level in our country, that they would govern wisely and justly.
Listen to Sermon
“Walking with God: A Case Study from the Life of Joseph, Jesus’s Earthly Father”
preached by Pastor Don Willeman
preached by Pastor Don Willeman
Song of Response
(sing as a group and/or sing along to recorded versions)
THE WONDERFUL CROSS
(Chris Tomlin, Isaac Watts 1707, J.D. Watt, Jesse Reeves)
(Chris Tomlin, Isaac Watts 1707, J.D. Watt, Jesse Reeves)
When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of Glory died
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.
See from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down;
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?
(CHORUS)
Oh the wonderful cross,
Oh the wonderful cross,
Bids me come and die and find
That I may truly live.
Oh the wonderful cross,
Oh the wonderful cross,
All who gather here by grace
Draw near and bless Your name.
Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were an offering far too small;
Love so amazing so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.
(CHORUS)
©2000 worshiptogether.com songs, Six Steps Music CCLI#1791178
On which the Prince of Glory died
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.
See from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down;
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?
(CHORUS)
Oh the wonderful cross,
Oh the wonderful cross,
Bids me come and die and find
That I may truly live.
Oh the wonderful cross,
Oh the wonderful cross,
All who gather here by grace
Draw near and bless Your name.
Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were an offering far too small;
Love so amazing so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.
(CHORUS)
©2000 worshiptogether.com songs, Six Steps Music CCLI#1791178
Confession of Faith
The Apostles’ Creed (circa 5th Century)
LEADER: Christian, what do you believe?
CONGREGATION: I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
the 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, dead, and buried;
He descended into hell*.
The third day He arose again from the dead;
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
from thence he shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit;
the holy catholic** church; the communion of saints;
the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting.
Amen.
*i.e. suffered under the judgment of God for His people
**i.e. “universal”
LEADER: Christian, what do you believe?
CONGREGATION: I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
the 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, dead, and buried;
He descended into hell*.
The third day He arose again from the dead;
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
from thence he shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit;
the holy catholic** church; the communion of saints;
the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting.
Amen.
*i.e. suffered under the judgment of God for His people
**i.e. “universal”
Sharing Time
(have everyone share one thing that struck them from the sermon)
Closing Meditation
Psalm 18:31-32, 49-50 (ESV)
LEADER: For who is God, but the LORD?
PEOPLE: And who is a rock, except our God?—
LEADER: The God who equipped me with strength
PEOPLE: And made my way blameless.
LEADER: For this I will praise you,
O Lord, among the nations,
and sing to your name.
ALL: Great salvation he brings to his king,
and shows steadfast love to his anointed,
to David and his offspring forever.
LEADER: For who is God, but the LORD?
PEOPLE: And who is a rock, except our God?—
LEADER: The God who equipped me with strength
PEOPLE: And made my way blameless.
LEADER: For this I will praise you,
O Lord, among the nations,
and sing to your name.
ALL: Great salvation he brings to his king,
and shows steadfast love to his anointed,
to David and his offspring forever.
Benediction
(The leader or individual should read this aloud relishing in the confident assertion that Christ has conquered.)
Luke 12:29-32
LEADER: Do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you. Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
PEOPLE: Amen!
Luke 12:29-32
LEADER: Do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you. Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
PEOPLE: Amen!