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COMMUNITY NEWS

OPENING PRAYER

CHIMING OF THE HOUR

PRELUDE

LIGHTING OF ADVENT CANDLE
O God, we light the fourth candle of Advent. We hear your angel Gabriel and witness the faith of Mary, whose song was a prayer that would uplift those who were downtrodden. Her lyrics shattered the proud and called the world to change. She would bear within her the promised child, Jesus, the Light of the World. This Advent, we respond to God’s beckoning to us as well. Amen

OPENING HYMN Hark the Herald Angels Sing – 214
Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King:
peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!”
Joyful, all ye nations, rise,
join the triumph of the skies;
with the angelic hosts proclaim,
“Christ is born in Bethlehem!”
Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King”

Christ, by highest heaven adored,
Christ, the everlasting Lord,
late in time behold him come,
offspring of the Virgin’s womb:
veiled in flesh the Godhead see;
hail the incarnate Deity,
pleased with us in flesh to dwell,
Jesus, our Immanuel.
Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King”

PEACE and GREETINGS

OFFERING   Your offerings sustain the work of the church, especially in this time. If you are able, please make a contribution online here on the website. You can also mail a check to the church.

ANTHEM Chennault Stevenson

READING Luke 1:39-45
In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leapt for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.’
May we be blessed by the reading of this Word. Amen

MESSAGE – Rev Jennifer Sanders, Beloved Community Coordinating Pastor

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
Let us pray together! We share our prayers of joy and thanksgiving; prayers of concern or sorrow; and prayers for the world and its people.

We end each prayer by saying “This is my prayer” and then together we will affirm that “This is our prayer.” If you are online, you may also write a prayer in the chat section – or send it before or after worship here.

CLOSING HYMN O Come All Ye Faithful – 199
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!
Refrain: 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 heav’n above!
Glory to God, all glory in the highest!
Refrain

Yea, Lord, we greet Thee, born this happy morning;
Jesus, to Thee be all glory giv’n!
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing!
Refrain

BENEDICTION

POSTLUDE

Scripture translation from the New Revised Standard Version. Hymns from the African American Heritage Hymnal. Liturgy adapted from UCC Worship Ways