The snowy weather this week reminded of the snow, ice, and inconveniences that greeted us right before Christmas in 2022.
 
We were so excited to have a new baby in the family that year. I had purchased her first Madame Alexander doll. A soft-bodied creation, the right size for almost one-year-old Freya to hold and cuddle. A Lego village with at least 800 pieces for Tad. A telescope for Briar, safely packed in a box the size of a small piano.
 
But Christmas passed and New Year’s too and the gifts all sat in our living room unopened because they didn’t make it to their destinations. The weather and illness and blended family arrangements played havoc with our plans to visit children and grandchildren. We had to let it go…we would see them soon. And we’ve learned over time to be content with what is. We had many pleasures of the season to enjoy and were most thankful for the blessings which have came our way.
 
Do you remember the Christmas of 2022? All day long on the 23rd and 24th, I received texts and calls from church and neighbors and family reporting various problems being encountered due to the severe winter weather. On Christmas Eve I joked that some of you deserved extra credit for coming out on such a frightfully cold night, knowing you would be returning to a cold house or a cold house with frozen water pipes or a cold house with frozen water pipes and no electricity.
 
But, for those moments together, all was calm, all was bright.
 
In the moments following Jesus’ birth, all was calm, all was bright. The gospel writers have told us that Mary swaddled and fed her newborn son with tender care and Joseph guarded their safety. Stabled beasts and grazing sheep filled the place with pungent warmth. Lowing cattle and cooing doves sang lullabies to the newborn babe, a straw-filled manger for his bed.
 
And all was calm. All was bright.
 
But, not for long. Just a few days after singing Silent Night, the glow of candlelight on our faces, we come to Matthew’s story of terror and furtive flight.
The world into which Jesus is born is full of brokenness. The stain of human sin is all over the world God created and called “good.”
 
Real life involves pain and suffering. Not one of us is spared. Evil is real and every generation faces a Herod or two.
 
Back in December of 2013, the world watched with horror the atrocities taking place in Syria. The war produced record numbers of refugees…people fleeing for their lives. According to Unicef, one Syrian baby was born in a refugee camp every hour. The weather was bitterly cold and an outbreak of polio further threatened everyone. The need for medical care, food, clothing, and shelter overwhelmed relief organizations.
 
More than one million Syrian children in that year were declared refugees. Children. Children whose grandparents might have given them presents in some other year. Children whose parents and grandparents may have taught them to sing carols or entrusted little hands to place the Christ child in the family nativity set.
 
When all was calm and all was bright.
 
Rachel wept for the children of Israel. Who is weeping now?
 
Who is weeping for the young and the old and the sick and the bombed out in Gaza and Ukraine? Who weeps for those Central and South Americans who risk everything to find solace somewhere? Who weeps for the neglected and abused on our own blocks? Who weeps for all our brothers and sisters in California who have lost so much?
 
Who weeps that all is not calm. All is not bright.
 
Pastor Sharon Blezard says, in a sense, we are all refugees…aliens in a foreign land, a place that is not our ultimate home. Years ago, at the Beverly Hills Church, one of the beloved members told me about the song he wanted sung at his funeral. “This World is Not My Home.” I assured him that this world had benefitted by his presence and not to plan on leaving it anytime soon. He complied but we did eventually have to let him go to that other world, to the tune of his requested song.
 
The truth is, he had it right. We, who call ourselves Christian, are citizens of that other realm as surely as we are citizens of this one. We dwell in tension between discipleship and culture, faith and fantasy…the temporal and the eternal. Such is the story of faith.
 
Jesus escaped the death Herod sought for him. Thank you, God.  But, the powers of the Roman Empire and the powerful religious leaders of his day would seek to destroy Jesus for the duration of his brief life.
 
Sharon Blezard reminds us that most of us have some insulation against the harshness of life. We have family, or work, or a faith community to support us.
 
Jesus, as far as we know, never married. Although his mother, Mary, seems to have been present for the entirety of his life, we hear little of a relationship with Joseph, the man who raised him, who taught him the faith and a trade.
 
We don’t think Jesus had any children and we know he owned no property and depended on the hospitality of others for room and board.  Jesus, we are told, had no place to lay his head.
 
And yet, this infant king we celebrate, who grew in wisdom and stature, full of grace and truth, was God incarnate. The Savior of the world, Emmanuel, God-with-us, walking around in skin and bones. He modeled a way of life that lifted up the refugees and dispossessed, the needy, the un-loved and the un-lovely, all to usher in the reign of peace.
 
Jesus established the kingdom of heaven right here on the earth…laid out for us the possibility that all un-holy terrors of might and fright may be vanquished by selfless love and sacrifice.
 
If you have never heard me say this before, hear it now, on the first Sunday we gather in the new year, the world should not be divided over love and who deserves our help. The country should not be divided over love and who deserves our care. And the church, for heaven’s sake, should not be divided over love and being the hands, feet, and heart of Jesus Christ when people are in need.
 
So, on this 3rd Sunday after Christmas, as we sit among the season’s beauty, we acknowledge the disasters suffered by God’s children around the globe and right now in California. See the plight of today’s refugees, for so many have nowhere to go, no comforts, no work, and precious little hope. Weep for the children…and their mothers and fathers.  Pray for all those who are being called on to help. For those who are responsible for providing services. For all those in positions of authority, that they may work together to meet the peoples’ needs. Respond if you are moved to help.
 
But don’t stop there.
 
Set your intentions on hope, peace, joy, and love. Bow your knee, your head, and your heart, and lift them to God and God will fill you with purpose and power and praise for the Word made flesh, who came that we might live, never only for ourselves, and never only for Christmas and its innumerable blessings, but for its Christ.
 
May you be richly blessed in the days and months ahead.  Amen.
 

​Prelude
 
*Call to Worship      Isaiah 60:1-3
Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
Nations shall come to your light
and rulers to the brightness of your rising.       
 
*Hymn    132    Good Christian Friends, Rejoice!
 
Prayer
Eternal God,
A thousand years in your sight are like a watch in the night.
as you have led us in days past, so guide us now and always,
that our hearts may learn to choose your will, and new resolves be strengthened.
Forgive what we have done that denies our devotion to you.
and forgive us for failing to do kindness in your name.
Set us free to love and serve you in this new year,
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever. Amen.
 
*Hymn   Take, O Take Me As I Am
Assurance of Forgiveness                              Romans 8:34
Hear the good news!
Who is in a position to condemn? Only Christ and Christ died for us, Christ rose for us, Christ reigns in power for us, Christ prays for us.
The old life is gone and a new life has begun.
This is our peace.  Amen.
 
Old Testament Reading   Ecclesiastes  3:1-13
 
Time With Our Young Disciples
 
Gospel Reading      Matthew 2:13-23
 
The Morning Message    Ring Out, Wild Bells
 
*Hymn   Away In a Manger
*Affirmation of Faith             The Apostles’ Creed  p. 35
*Hymn   581   Gloria Patri
 
Sharing Our Joys and Concerns
Pastoral Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer
 
Presenting Our Tithes and Offerings
Offertory
*Hymn    Christmas Doxology
Glory be to God the Father.
Glory be to Christ the Son.
Glory to the Holy Spirit.
Glory to the Three-In-One.
Here we offer to you gladly all the gifts that you impart,
as we glory in your presence giving from a grateful heart.
 
*Prayer of Dedication
 
*Hymn   123    It Came Upon the Midnight Clear, verses 1,4, and 5
 
*Blessing
Go now, and bear witness to the light so others might believe.
Since you are chosen in Christ,
live before him in love, holy and blameless.
Live with hope in Christ, for the praise of his glory.
And may God fill the earth with peace;
may Christ give you grace upon grace from his fullness;
and may the Holy Spirit, the pledge of your inheritance,
lead you on straight paths where you will not stumble.  Amen.   Laughingbird.net
 
*Postlude

Prelude
Welcome and Announcements
Minute for Mission-Christmas Joy Offering
 
Lighting the Advent Wreath, the Candle of Love       Betty Dennison
 
Reader :
O Lord, open our lips and our mouths shall proclaim your praise.
The mountains and the hills shall break forth in singing and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
For behold, our Lord and Ruler is coming to reign forever.  (Isaiah 55:12)
 
Today is the fourth Sunday in Advent and we light the candle of Love.
It was out of God’s love for us that he sent Jesus to live among us, born into a home and family, sharing our life, with all its joys and challenges.
 
Scripture says: “We love because God first loved us.” (1 John 4:19)
We learn this first as infants. Mary swaddled and fed and comforted the baby Jesus, in the same way as our parents comforted us. In their arms our fears are subdued, our cries quieted, our needs met. From our earliest days, we receive love, and in time, we come to return it.  
As we grow, in faith and experience, love compels us to do those things that exhibit the kingdom of heaven to the world.   
 
 The Apostle Paul said love never ends and of all God’s gifts, the greatest is love. Our hope for you this Christmas is that you are assured of God’s love, a love that never ends.
 
Prayer
Holy One, our hearts yearn for the warmth of your love,
and our minds search for the light of your Word.
Increase our longing for Christ our Savior,
and strengthen us to grow in love,
that at the dawn of his coming
we may rejoice in his presence
and welcome the power of his truth.  Amen.
 
*Hymn 133   O Come, All Ye Faithful
 
Prayer of Confession
God of grace,
You chose the Virgin Mary, full of grace, to be the mother of our Lord and Savior.
Though we have sinned and failed both you and our neighbors, we place ourselves before you in penitence, that you may fill us with your grace.
Like Mary, may we rejoice in your salvation, and in all things, embrace your will, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
 
Hymn 698    Take, O Take Me As I Am
 
Assurance of Forgiveness
God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. This is our Good News. This is our peace. Alleluia! Amen.
 
First Reading   Isaiah 7:10-17
 
Time With Our Young Disciples
 
Gospel Reading   Luke 1:26-38     
Morning Message
 
“We are all called to be Mothers of God, for God is always waiting to be born.” These are the words of Meister Eckart, 13th century philosopher.
 
Theologian Nancy Rockwell says, “She enters our Decembers with an angel, gloriously winged, who honors her. The moment is spellbinding. We are entranced by the arrival of this woman, Mary, on the stage of Christmas and in the story of God.”
 
I’ve spent considerable time lately looking at images of Mary-paintings, sculptures, old and archived, new and freshly created in photographs, digital art, and in a gazillion pictures on Pinterest. I’ve researched the Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Cloisters, the Met’s museum of medieval art. I was looking for a special sculpture I saw while visiting the Cloisters years ago. It was mounted on a wall. I was surprised by it and stood before it for a long time. Baby Jesus, plump and content, in the arms of his young, laughing mother.
 
There is an endless inventory of human interpretations of the central female figure of the Christian faith, the Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus, the one that some like to call, “the God-bearer.”
 
The images come in all forms and shapes: Marys representing the world’s races and cultures. I have a collection of nativity sets.
 
I’m always on alert for new ones or old ones that show up in new places. One day I was browsing the Habitat for Humanity Restore and spied a tiny nativity. I recognized the small unfired clay figures, hand-painted, and distinctively Peruvian. I have a few of the same type at home. I love the simple form and the expressions on the tiny faces. They were a mix of uncertainty and mirth.
 
And that’s one definition of joy for me: uncertainty and mirth. Surprise. Kind of like a bride and groom on their wedding day-excited, eager, a little uncomfortable in their formal clothes, expectations high, taking a courageous step into a season, a lifetime we hope, that is largely unknown. A step that is motivated and empowered and energized by love.
 
Surprised by Joy: the Shape of My Early Life, is the title of C. S. Lewis’s autobiography.
Lewis’s purpose in writing this book was not primarily historical. It was to identify and describe the events surrounding his accidental discovery of, and consequent search for, the phenomenon he labled, “Joy.”
 
“Joy” was his best translation of the German word, sehnsucht, or longing, in English. This joy was so intensely good and so ecstatic it could not be explained in words. He just knew it when it happened.
 
He says he was struck with what he called “stabs of joy” throughout his life.
Lewis eventually discovers the true nature of joy, born of the unconditional love of God. This discovery leads to an overwhelming conversion experience from atheism to Christianity.
 
Lewis writes that this sense of joy is like a signpost to those lost in the woods, pointing the way, and that its appearance is not as important “when we have found the road and are passing signposts every few miles.”
 
Lewis’s life was consumed by learning, though he did participate in civic endeavors. He also served in the armed forces as a young man. His mother gave him a love of reading. She taught him Latin at a young age. He was devastated by her death when he was only nine years old.
 
In his late teens, he shed the Christianity in which he had been raised, studied widely, and declared himself to be an atheist. But, still, there was something unresolved troubling him.
 
He continued his quest for joy. He called it the “inconsolable longing for the real Desirable.” As a child, his joy came though reading, writing, and drawing. In his youth, he discovered Wagner’s Ring Cycle and Norse mythology. As he matured, he realized that pleasure did not equate with joy, neither physical nor aesthetic, nor music, poetry, or intellectual gratification.
 
Lewis studied in public and private schools, eventually studying with a private teacher in preparation for Oxford. His teacher, Mr. Kirkpatrick, was an atheist, a rationalist, and a logician. Under his tutelage, Lewis read great works in their original languages.
 
It was a dear friend, Arthur, who urged him to read books written in English. He read the Brontes, Jane Austin, Donne, Milton, Spenser, Yeats, and others, including George MacDonald.
He began to revise some of his worldviews. Ultimately, George MacDonald, the Scottish author and theologian, gave him glimpses of something other than the material world, the world that is neither seen nor felt but stirs in the human heart.
 
“Unde hoc mihi.” Unfamiliar with that phrase? Me, too. It’s Latin. I had to look it up and found this meaning: “And whence is this to me?” Or, “And why is this granted to me?”
 
These are the very words exclaimed by Elizabeth upon Mary’s arrival at her home. Surprised by joy. As Mary was surprised, honored, and yet terrified, not quite believing that God should come to her, conceive his Son through her, bear a Savior into the world through her body and through her humility. She asks, “And why is this granted to me?”
 
Lewis writes, “As I was reading, two-thirds into George MacDonald’s autobiography, these words leapt out: “Unde hoc mihi?” And why is this granted to me? In the depth of my intellect, all this was given to me without asking, even without consent.” Just like Elizabeth. Just like Mary.
 
Lewis describes this moment, this epiphany, as “holiness.” He was converted from atheism to belief in God. Lewis said he was the “ most reluctant convert in all England.” He hated authority, he had a deep need for independence, and was unsure of the one he called, “the Transcendental Interferer.”
 
To accept the Incarnation brought God near. He wasn’t so sure he wanted God all that close. But when Lewis finally came to faith, he said he submitted to divine humility, the Incarnation, Emmauel. God with us. Born in humility and love.
 
I learned of Lewis’s story first in the beautiful and stirring movie, “Shadowlands.” Here was a man whose life had been devoted to intellectual pursuits. A bachelor of many years. If he had once believed in God, he had set that belief aside, probably a result of his mother’s death.
 
Like many of us, Lewis may have concluded that getting close to others involved way too much risk, too much pain. But, when God pried his heart open, he found the earthly example of God’s love for us: the love of another. In Lewis’s case, it was Joy Davidman, an American author, whom he married. Their time together was much too short, but, for a time, Clive Staples Lewis knew and lived and celebrated love.
 
C.S. Lewis is often quoted in Christian circles. He was known for his prolific writing in defense of the faith, and, of course, the Narnia stories enjoyed by all ages. The words are beautiful and poignant. I looked for an appropriate quote for this day, the fourth Sunday in Advent, the Sunday of Love:
 
Here is what I found:
“Once in our world, a stable had something in it that was bigger than our whole world.”
The Last Battle” (1956)
May you all find that stable this year.   Merry Christmas.  Amen.                       
 
 
 
*Hymn  113  Angels We Have Heard On High
 
*Affirmation of Faith         From A Brief Statement of Faith  
We trust in Jesus Christ, fully human, fully God.
Jesus proclaimed the reign of God,
preaching good news to the poor and release to the captives,
teaching by word and deed
and blessing the children, healing the sick, and building up the brokenhearted,
eating with outcasts, forgiving sinners, and calling all to repent and believe the gospel.
Unjustly condemned for blasphemy and sedition, Jesus was crucified, suffering the depths of human pain and giving his life for the sins of the world.
God raised this Jesus from the dead, vindicating his sinless life, breaking the power of sin and evil, delivering us from death to life eternal.
 
*Hymn  581     Gloria Patri 
          
Sharing Our Joys and Concerns
Pastoral Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer
Presenting Our Tithes and Offerings including the Christmas Joy Offering
Offertory
*Hymn   Christmas Doxology (To the tune of Infant Holy, Infant Lowly)
Glory be to God the Father, glory be to Christ the Son.
Glory to the Holy Spirit, glory to the Three-in-One.
Here we offer to you gladly all the gifts that you impart,
as we glory in your presence, giving from a grateful heart.
 
*Prayer of Dedication
In gratitude for grace given, we offer our thanks and praise:
For this season and all its blessings.
For life and health and family and friends, we give you thanks.
For the witness of this congregation through the generations.
For the love and support of one another,
For the privilege of reaching out to others in Jesus’ name,
For the work of our denomination in the Christmas Joy Offering, and the ministry of Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, in relieving suffering near and far.
In all these things, we lift our voices, prepare our homes, welcome loved ones, and show kindness to those in need. In the name of Jesus, coming to us as a helpless babe, who died that we might live.  Amen.
 
*Hymn   119   Hark! The Herald Angels Sing!
 
*Blessing
Go now, and celebrate God’s love all your days.
Give to Christ Jesus the obedience of faith,
offering yourself as the servant of the Lord
and allowing God’s Word to be fulfilled in you.
And may the only wise God establish you forever.
May the mysteries of Christ be conceived within you.
And may the Holy Spirit strengthen and encircle you.  Amen.
 
*Postlude

​Prelude
Welcome and Announcements
 
Lighting the Candle of Joy      The Moore Family
Reader 1:
The Apostle Paul wrote these words to the early Christians:
“Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say, rejoice!
Let your gentleness be known to everyone.
The Lord is near.
Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God, that surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:4-7)
 
Reader 2:
Today is the third Sunday in Advent. It is known as Gaudete (Gow-day-tay) Sunday. That’s a Latin word that means, “Rejoice!” Today is sometimes called Rose Sunday. It is set apart from the more somber days of the season by lighting a pink candle amid the purple ones in the Advent Wreath.
Years ago, Advent was a time of quiet preparation, prayer, and fasting. There were no parties, tree lightings, or other festive events. Gaudete Sunday reminds us that even in serious, boring, or troubling times, Jesus is coming to bring joy into our lives. His arrival in the manger in Bethlehem is near, but we haven’t yet reached the moment of his birth. His birth was a sign to people in Bible times, and to us today, that suffering will one day end and the world will be at peace. That is our great good news.
 
Prayer
O God, in ancient December, our ancestors huddled low, yearning for the light of the world.
We wait expectantly, by the light of a small flame, in the holy darkness.
We wait in hope for the coming of our Savior.
We pray for ourselves and all others who yearn for these things, O God:
Where there is darkness, let there be light.
Where there is coldness, let there be warmth.
Where there is doubt, let there be hope.
Where there is guilt, let there be forgiveness.
Where there is sadness, let there be joy.  Amen.
 
 
 
*Hymn  134   Joy to the World! 
 
Prayer of Confession
We come, O God, with thanksgiving and praise. Our anticipation grows as we approach the day of Jesus’ birth. Open our hearts that we may truly receive the gift of your Son, and know the joy of abundant life with you. Guard us from all sinful motives and desires, and forgive our transgressions, so that by following Jesus, we may want for nothing but the joy of our salvation. Through Christ, who comes to make all things new.  Amen.
 
Hymn 698   Take, O Take Me As I Am
 
Assurance of Forgiveness        Isaiah 43:19
God announces:
 “See I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up, do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the desert.”
God is sending his Son, a Savior, to make all things and all people new.
Friends, believe the good news of the gospel. Your sins are forgiven and be at peace.
 
First Reading   Isaiah 35:1-10
 
Time With Our Young Disciples
 
Gospel Reading              Luke 1:39-56
The Morning Message      
 
She could be called a “catbird,” meaning she was light-hearted, cheerful, full of colorful stories, and just a wee bit dangerous. Even at an advanced age and bed-ridden, she could have me in stitches when I visited.
 
She and her husband enjoyed their home. They raised two daughters and  enjoyed raising vegetable and flower gardens in the summers. In fact, it was her husband’s wish that, upon his death, he should be cremated and his ashes scattered in a place we all love- the Ritter Park Rose Garden.
 
When the time came, she contacted the parks offices and made her request to dispose of her husband’s remains at the Rose Garden, only to be told, “I’m sorry, ma’am, it is illegal to dispose of cremains on public property.”
 
Oh, how disappointing. I could feel her grief as she remembered that conversation. It had seemed such a simple request and she would not be able to fulfill it.
 
“So,  how did you dispose of his ashes?” I asked.
 
And with that mischievous twinkle in her eye, she said, “Oh, honey, you can do a lot of things under cover of darkness!”
 
Like I said. A catbird.
 
Rev. Talitha Arnold says in her yard stood a rose bush. It had no business being there, in her opinion. The ground was too hard and was littered with too many rocks. It was impossible to get grass to grow, much less a rose bush. Trash piled up against the fence and people were known to throw bottles of all sorts into the straggly yard. She says the back yard of their Bristol Street house was certainly no rose garden.
 
The rose bush had been the planting of her friend, Joan, when she and her family had moved out of the local housing project and into the small house with the tiny backyard. Joan and her husband had developed a group ministry in the inner city after they both graduated from seminary and became ordained ministers. They had moved into the projects, lived on a minimal salary, and raised their family in one of the most impoverished cities on the east coast. Because of their work and commitment, their home became a sort of gathering place, where people could come for fellowship and support, much like a church.
 
Neighbors came at all hours of the day and night. Some were involved in community projects, and the house served as a meeting place. Others came for counsel, and some for food or a place to sleep.
 
Talitha says the work, the ministry, was hard. Most of the population lived on the edge- on the edge of homelessness, poverty, or the edge of addiction. Racism was prevalent and was particularly challenging. Sometimes the needs were so great and the resources so small. There were times when Joan felt close the edge, too, and despair threatened.
 
Talitha says she thinks that’s why Joan planted the rosebush. It really made no sense in that scrawny backyard. It was a pain to water in the summer and always looked half dead in the winter. But every spring, when it first turned warm, she would go out and dig around it. She would prune, fertilize and work the soil. And every year it gifted her with bright red roses.
 
Whenever life or work got to be too much, Joan would go out and sit by the rosebush that had no business being there. Maybe she hoped to absorb some of its tenacity, its spunk.
 
“The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad. The desert shall rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it shall blossom abundantly.”
 
Isaiah is a long and involved biblical text. Most biblical scholars agree that the 35th chapter of Isaiah is out of place. Like Joan’s rosebush, it doesn’t belong here. The chapters before and after are harsh and mournful. Death and desolation are everywhere.
 
Isaiah must tell people that they had been unfaithful to God and that there were consequences to that infidelity. A foreign nation would come to overtake them and they would be destined to live in captivity. There would be exiles and slaves, “gathered like persons in a pit, shut up in prison.”
 
Not only would the people suffer, so would the land. Once Israel had been the vineyard of the Lord and Judah a pleasant planting. But now, Isaiah says, the hedge is torn down and the vineyard devoured. It is a wasteland overgrown with briers and thorns. Like exiled people marching to captivity, “the earth will stagger like a drunkard, it will fall and not rise again.” Isaiah 24:20
 
That’s the climate of the first 39 chapters of Isaiah, what is known as First Isaiah. Everywhere except chapter 35. Here we find joy, strength, courage, streams running and fountains springing up in the desert. The contrast is so stark, it startles us. It makes about as much sense as  planting a lone rosebush on Bristol Street.
 
And this turn-around is all God’s doing. Scripture doesn’t say the people have changed or repented or reconciled with their neighbor, near or far.
 
But, from Isaiah comes a new word and a new vision of the land that is coming back to life. God will strengthen hands made weak and knees made feeble. That is especially good news for all of us struggling with joint and bone disease.  The blind will see and the deaf will hear. Glory to God! Nothing in the text prepares us for this change. It just happens. Joy bursts forth like the crocus blooming in the desert. God’s joy can’t be stopped. It’s a gift.
 
Today is Gaudete Sunday, or the Sunday of Joy. The third Sunday of Advent we pause to recognize the joy of the season. Years ago, the practice of observing the season of Advent was much like Lent. It was to be set apart for prayer and self-examination. Parties, weddings, and other celebrations were not to be held during this time in order for the faithful to focus more seriously on scripture and prayer and setting one’s spiritual life in order.
 
We aren’t that strict about things any more, but sometimes, in our very busy lives, Advent or ordinary time, we can misplace our joy.  
 
Don’t delay joy. That’s not an original thought. I heard it on Law and Order.
But it fits. I was raised in a family that valued delayed gratification. Nothing wrong with that…unless we just quit dreaming or hoping or acting with any degree of spontaneity because fulfilling those requests are always post-poned.
 
When Talitha was still living at home, a neighbor came to their door one day and handed her mother a bouquet of flowers. “These are for you,” said their neighbor. His wife thought she might like them.”
 
Talitha’s mother was too flustered to invite him in, but she was clearly moved by the gesture. She doesn’t remember any special reason for the flowers other than it was the summer when her brother endured a lengthy hospitalization, and her other brother was getting ready to start college. She knew her mother was under a lot of pressure, feeling a lot of anxiety, as she worried about how her family would function on her meager salary.
 
There was no reason for the flowers but, it was the first and only time the neighbor had called on them and the only time Talitha saw anyone give her mother flowers. It was a moving experience, as she remembers the tears glistening in her mother’s eyes as she thanked the neighbor.
 
Her mother found a vase that she filled with water and added the pretty blooms. She placed them carefully on the coffee table where they stayed for a long time. They brought her joy. For no obvious reason..
 
Has joy surprised you lately? Ever?  Last week was a tough one for me- I came down with a virus that kept me at home for days, some of our members were ill and /or hospitalized. my mother was hospitalized. I couldn’t do some things I wanted to here at the church or at home,  but, my best cheerleader was beside me, reminding me that I was not alone, and yes, he would pick up Chinese donuts when I felt like I could try food. Our puppy, who is typically too independent to snuggle with us, parked her toasty little self on our bed and fell asleep against my leg.  I counted it all as joy. 
 
There are those in this world who would steal our joy, tell us we’re unworthy, threaten to take our liberty, our property, our jobs, our security, our lives. Instead of waking each morning hopeful, looking forward to how the day unfolds, we become fearful or suspicious or hard-hearted.
 
Henri Nouwen was an exceptional human being. He was a Catholic priest who founded a religious community in Canada that housed and nurtured adults with cognitive disabilities. He found deep joy in living on site and sharing his life with those he served. He wrote the following and I share it with you today:
  
“Joy does not come from positive predictions about the state of the world. It does not depend on the ups and downs of the circumstances of our lives. Joy is based on spiritual knowledge that, while the world we live in is shrouded in darkness, God has overcome the world. Jesus says it loudly and clearly: “In the world you will have troubles, but, rejoice. I have overcome the world.”
 
The surprise is not that, unexpectedly, things turn out better than expected. No, the real surprise is that God’s light is more real than all the darkness, that God’s truth is more powerful than all human lies, that God’s love is stronger than death.
 
“The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad.
The desert shall rejoice and blossom,
Like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly,
and rejoice with joy and singing…
They shall obtain joy and gladness,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”
 
May it be so for all of us.
 
 
*Hymn  147  The First Nowell     
 
*Affirmation of Faith    The Apostles’ Creed   p. 35
*Hymn 581   Gloria Patri
 
Sharing Our Joys and Concerns
Pastoral Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer
 
Presenting Our Tithes, Offerings, and Pledges for 2025
Offertory
*Hymn    Christmas Doxology (To the tune Infant Holy, Infant Lowly)
Glory be to God the Father, glory be to Christ the Son.
Glory to the Holy Spirit, glory to the Three-in-One.
Here we offer to you gladly all the gifts that you impart.
As we glory in your presence, giving from a grateful heart.
 
*Prayer of Dedication
Lord God, as Mary presented herself as the means through which your Son would come to earth, we present ourselves, our intentions, our treasure, and our commitments for the coming year, that you may use us to bring the joy of your realm ever closer to the world you created and love. In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.
 
*Hymn 105        People, Look East
 
*Blessing
Go now, for you are chosen and sent in the Spirit.
Pray at all times, be thankful in all circumstances.
Keep what is good, avoid every kind of evil.
To all in need bear witness that the time is come when the Sovereign Lord will save his people.
And may God who gives peace make you holy in every way.
May Christ Jesus clothe you with salvation.
And may the Holy Spirit speak through you with the good news of life everlasting.  Amen.
 
*Postlude

Click here to download printable PDF for December 8, 2024

Prelude
Welcome and Announcements
Lighting the Candle of Peace       Judy Napier 
 
Reader: In the days when God’s people longed for peace, Isaiah declared:
“Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.”  (Isaiah 40:1)
We who gather today also seek comfort and peace, not just for ourselves, but for people in every land. We are impatient with ideas of peace that tell us to be quiet, to wait and see how things will work out. We long for assurances that announce real peace, true peace, just peace.
 
Congregation: We wait as people who yearn for peace that bears the fruit of community, compassion, equity, and flourishing for all.
 
Reader: We light these candles as signs of God’s eternal hope and far-reaching peace. May they be beacons calling us to repent and to live the good news of Jesus Christ as we wait and watch and labor for the day when all people can gather without fear to worship and glorify God.  Amen.
(light 2 blue candles)
 
*Hymn  88    O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, verses 1-4
 
Prayer of the Day
May this eternal truth be always on our hearts:
that the God who breathed this world into being,
placed the stars in the heavens,
and designed a butterfly’s wing,
is the God who entrusted his life
to the care of ordinary people
and became vulnerable that we might know
how strong is the power of Love…
a mystery so deep it is impossible to grasp,
a mystery so beautiful it is impossible to ignore.
May this beauty and mystery work within us, calling us to live full lives- loving, serving, and growing in grace, as we seek and extend forgiveness in Jesus’ name. Amen.
 
*Hymn 698   Take, O Take Me As I Am
Assurance of Forgiveness
Friends, Jesus knows our hearts and our intentions. He is always more willing to forgive than we are to ask for help. With Christ’s help, our misguided steps can be corrected and turned around for good. Believe the good news of the gospel: in Jesus Christ your sins are forgiven. Be at peace.
 
First Reading        Isaiah 11:1-10
 
Time With Our Young Disciples
 
Gospel Reading    Matthew 3:1-12
The Morning Message
 
We lived in Middleport, Ohio, for a few years. On Main Street in a duplex that had once been the Unitarian Church. We liked to say it had been converted. It was a town of churches and small stores. The Post Office, town dentist and a couple of doctors were just down the street. We could see the elementary and junior high schools from our bedroom window. The mayor lived next door.
 
In the summertime, a lot of families lived in travel trailers on the riverbank and when something exciting was happening, they would broadcast by CB radio, “The Delta Queen is going to come by in about an hour.  Better get down here so you won’t miss it.”
 
Sweet. Quaint. Small-town concerns and values. It is woefully depressed now, but, was a great place for us to start our family life. Entertainment was centered around the schools and churches and Little League and the Fourth of July Ox Roast, and the historical society’s Christmas Open House.
 
Our kids were about six and one when we were walking around the neighborhood after dinner one fine night. It was our main form of evening entertainment in those days. Life in a quaint old town made for pretty pictures, but, the sidewalks were in poor condition. Roots and broken pavement made the walk hazardous in any direction. You just learned how to get around them and continue walking.
 
We were navigating our way around the block. Per usual, Katy’s idea of fun was to do everything the hard way, so while Ed and I walked forward, pushing SB in her stroller, Katy walked backward. We kept warning her that she was going to trip and fall, but, she paid us no mind.
 
There was an immovable and imposing obstacle not far ahead. An ancient tree, its branches wide-spread, its equally wide-spread roots just under the sidewalk, pushing up the pavement. You had to find a way around it or your walk was sure to come to an unfortunate end.
 
“Katy, turn around. Turn around. If you don’t turn around, you’re going to run into…”
At that exact moment she turned around but it was too late,
simultaneously smacking her head into the hard, thick bark, and saying in her six-year-old voice, “Tree.”
 
That experience was the first thing I thought of when I read the gospel text for today. It fits. Once again, John the Baptist comes shouting his warning to anyone who would listen, “Repent! Turn around before it’s too late!”
 
Into the beauty and busyness of this holy season, here he comes. Dressed in animal skins with insect legs stuck between his teeth.
 
It’s tempting to try to slip past John and just focus on the sweeter parts of the nativity, but, it’s the second Sunday of Advent and John is here. And John is the last of the prophets, the last of the forerunners of Jesus. So, we must pay attention.
 
The four gospels give us a variety of narratives about the life of Jesus. Only Matthew and Luke tell the story of his birth. But even they differ. Luke gives us shepherds. Matthew gives us magi. Mark and John come empty-handed to the Christmas party.  The first thing they all agree on is John the Baptist. He shows up in all the gospels wearing the same clothes, shouting with the same message:  “Repent. Turn around. For the kingdom of heaven is near! Prepare the way of the Lord!”
 
 It doesn’t matter which gospel you read, if you want to get to Jesus, you have to go past John. John is the last of the prophets. He doesn’t call himself that, but he fits the requirements. He is dressed like Elijah, he sounds like Isaiah, and he is standing in the water that marked the boundary between the wilderness and the Promised Land. In this way, John provides continuity, the bridge with the prophetic tradition.
 
And that’s important, because of his message: Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promise. Jesus is the branch that grows from the root of Jesse. Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is here.
 
So John may look like the prophets of old, but, he comes with a new message.
Much of the prophetic tradition is mechanical in its approach. It reminds me of plane geometry proofs: If we sin, then God will punish us. If we repent, then God will forgive.
 
From Isaiah to Ezekiel to Joel, there is an on-going theme of, “Shape up or else.” The variable is the behavior of human beings. A faithful person falls in line. The infidel strays. Much of the Hebrew Bible repeats that pattern. It’s the story of the faithfulness or faithlessness, of Israel or Judah-but that’s not John’s message.
 
John doesn’t say, “Repent, OR the kingdom will come near.” That would be more in line with prophetic tradition. Isaiah says, “Behold the Day of the Lord comes, cruel both in wrath and fierce anger!”
 
Joel is more descriptive: “The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and terrible day of the Lord come.”
 
When we hear these messages, we might come to believe that the kingdom of heaven is something to be feared, not welcomed. But, John is not announcing a threat. Nor does he say that the kingdom of heaven is a reward.
 
What John is saying is we’ve entered a new reality: The arrival of Jesus Christ is God’s doing. We can choose to be a part of it or not, but, here it comes.
 
Repent is a churchy word. We hear it most often at our time of confession. And, we do repent of our sins. We are heartily sorry, and ask God to forgive us and set us back on the right path. That’s what we say in so many of our Sunday morning liturgies.
 
We’ve recently had the chance to experience this need of repentance at 167 Iroquois Trail. In our region, the past two winters and early springs have been marked by some extreme weather conditions. Like a lot of people, we have had damage to our home. You know the drill: call the insurance agent and take instructions from them. Wait for an inspector to assess the damage. Get bids for repair work and pray your insurance will cover it.
 
We had major roof damage the first winter. We went thru the process and a new roof was installed. All was well. The next year, we had damage to the new roof plus many other places around the exterior of our house. We repeated the process with our insurance people and when the report from the inspector came in, it was like it was referring to someone else’s house, certainly not ours. There was a remark that the HVAC system was dilapidated. We had replaced it less than six months before the storm. The roof was improperly installed and needed overhauling. It was less than a year old. There were remarks about our storage building and fence, neither of which we had indicated a need to repair. So, you know what happened. Ed called and informed the agent that the report was way off and the reasons why. To that, we received a response that we had to repair all the things the inspector dinged or our insurance would be canceled. We’ve been customers for nearly fifty years. So, trust me. There has been a lot of back and forth and it is hard to control your composure and your tongue when repeatedly provoked. I’ve overheard some apologies. But when the call ends, the angst can remain and ruin the day. That’s when there is a need to intentionally turn it around. Turn it off. Repent of the hard feelings. You may not be able to change the situation. You can change your response.
 
Repentance is more than being sorry. In the Greek, it really means to change one’s mind. Biblical scholars refer to it as reorienting, reordering, or re-centering. Resetting.
 
Presbyterian author Anne Lamott once said that most things can be fixed if we just turn them off for a while and back on, including ourselves. I’ve tried it. My phone will reset if I turn it off and let it rest. When I turn it back on, the images that were stuck begin to respond to my touch, my connection to the internet is restored. Most of the time. Sometimes, my screen goes from shades of gray to living color. Kind of like flowers that bloom in the desert, as we are told by the prophets.
 
To simplify it, this is John’s message: We need to stop from time to time. Take our inventory. Reset our priorities, re-order our lives. Take a different way to work or home. See something new. Let go of a pet peeve and turn your attention to a real problem you can do something about. Return to God.
 
The kingdom of heaven wasn’t lost to the idealized past. The kingdom of heaven is not in the glorified future. The kingdom of heaven is here.
 
The kingdom of heaven is just as much with the crew that put up the Christmas light display in the park as it is with the singers who will gather Tuesday night  to practice the cantata as it is with the chaplain who visits patients in the nursing home.
 
The kingdom of heaven can be found in sweet small towns all over the country, in the patrol cars of our law enforcement officers, on the playground of every school, on the docks where all those Christmas treasures are loaded.
 
The kingdom of heaven is with us here and will be with us always.
 
*Dr. Shawnthea Monroe, United Church of Christ.
 
 
*Hymn   113      Angels We Have Heard on High
*Affirmation of Faith   The Apostles’ Creed p. 35
*Hymn   581  Gloria Patri
 
Sharing Our Joys and Concerns
Pastoral Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer
 
Presenting Our Tithes and Offerings
Offertory
*Hymn    Christmas Doxology
Glory be to God the Father, glory be to Christ the Son.
Glory to the Holy Spirit, glory to the Three in One.
Here we offer to you gladly all the gifts that you impart,
as we glory in your presence giving from a thankful heart.
 
*Prayer of Dedication
Most generous God,
you have entrusted us with gifts and asked us to use them in advancing your kingdom.
And so, in this season, we bring our gifts…
and we offer ourselves, our lives, our hopes and fears,
our dollars, and our hours.
We commit ourselves to work for your world, to love and serve and celebrate wherever you call.
We ask your blessing on this church, seeking to follow you in Jesus’ name and in his manner, that our efforts may multiply and we might grow in faith, hope, and love.  Amen.
 
*Hymn 88     O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, verses 5-7
 
Blessing
Go now. Wait and work for the coming of the Lord.
In the wild places prepare a straight path for our God.
Lead lives of holiness and godliness,
Strive to be found at peace,
and speak freely of the Lord’s comfort and promise.
And may God, our shepherd, gather you in loving arms,
may Christ Jesus reconcile justice and peace within you;
and may the Spirit fill you with holy intentions.  Amen.
 
*Postlude

​Prelude
Welcome and Announcements
 
Lighting the Advent Candle of Hope     Bonnie Draper and Nancy McIntosh  
 
Reader 1: Advent is a time of holy expectation. Of waiting. Of preparing for the coming of Christ Child.
For the four Sundays before Christmas, we prepare ourselves by recalling both the prophecies that foretold of Christ’s coming and the gospel stories of his birth. In prayer, we examine our hearts and reflect on our life of faith. We consider the needs of the world, as well as the needs of those close to home. We seek a fresh sense of God’s presence and power for the year ahead.
 
Reader 2: On this first Sunday, we light the candle of hope.
We light this candle as a sign of the coming light of Christ.
The prophet Isaiah announced:
We are preparing ourselves for the days when the nations shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up swords against nation,
neither shall they learn war anymore.  Isaiah 2:4 
 
Reader 1: Prayer
Eternal God, through long generations you prepared a way for the coming of your Son, and by your Spirit, you still bring light to illumine our paths.
Renew us in faith and hope that we may welcome Christ to rule our thoughts and claim our love, as Lord of Lords and King of Kings,
To whom be glory forever.  Amen.
 Book of Common Worship, Westminster, John Knox Press, 1993, Louisville, Ky.
 
*Hymn  82   Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus
 
Prayer of Confession
God of the future, you are coming in power to bring all nations under your rule. We confess that we have not expected your kingdom, for we live casual lives, ignoring your promised judgment. We accept lies as truth, exploit neighbors, abuse the earth, and refuse your justice and peace. In your mercy, forgive us. Grant us wisdom to welcome your way, and to seek things that will endure when Christ comes to judge the world.  Amen.
 
Hymn   698       Take, O Take Me As I Am 
Assurance of Pardon
Surely God is our salvation. We will trust in God and not be afraid, for the Lord God is our Strength and Might. Shout aloud and sing for joy…for great in our midst is the Holy One of Zion, and he will save the people from their sins. Know you are forgiven and live in God’s peace.
 
Old Testament Reading       Isaiah 64:1-9
Time With Our Young Disciples
 
Gospel Reading    Mark 13:24-37
The Morning Message
 
“In my beginning is my end.”
 
These are the words of TS Elliot in Four Quartets. Much of what we believe about God and Jesus is reflected therein: the God who made us will be the God who judges us; Christ is the Alpha and the Omega; the God who created the world out of nothing will at its consummation be “all in all.”
 
So, with ritual cycles. We begin them where we end. The Advent season begins the liturgical year and the lectionary cycle with stories about the end times. In fact, we’ve been visiting those scriptures for a few weeks now. These scriptures say, “Stay awake! Live in expectation!” Watch for the signs of God!” Watch for the signs of the reign of God!” But in our end is our beginning: the signs of God’s reign point us to something new and unfamiliar.
 
The colors for Advent are deep blue or purple. For some, the blue reflects the color of late Autumn’s night, a sky lit by moon and stars. The days are short. The long nights mark the end of the year’s growing season. But the long nights are fertile ground for dreaming- imagine the desert blossoming and sheltering a mother and child; imagine peace prevailing; imagine God all in all. Joseph dreams in this season-of the child to be here soon, whom he is to name Emmanuel, God-with-us.
 
Advent is a perfect time to enrich your experience of the birth of Jesus. Whether it is visiting a museum, or attending a concert, taking a cooking class, reading Christmas stories to your grandchildren, making crafts- whatever it is, find some way to enjoy and appreciate the creative aspect of Christmas. The birth of Jesus has inspired amateurs and masters. It will inspire you.
 
Sometimes we find hope closer to home. Our neighbors across the street have a set of 7 year-old twin grandchildren-a boy and a girl. Their father posts their activities on Facebook and I love to see them. Their arrival was a grand surprise. Their mother was diagnosed with cancer a few years before she married. Her treatment was successful and she moved on with her life. She pursued a good career. She married. She and her husband started a family. They were over the moon about the promise of becoming parents of not one, but two babies. So, every time I see those Facebook posts, I silently give thanks for this tremendous blessing.
 
Maybe you find signs of God’s in-breaking reign in doing for others, helping in a time of crisis, being the friend who listens, or sitting with the suffering, simply bearing witness to their pain.
 
Maybe you work for needed change in a public way. This takes heaps of courage. Last week, during lunch, I learned that Charlie Seay has changed jobs. He is not on patrol any longer for the Barboursville Police Department. He is a Resource Officer for two elementary schools in our community. He is working within the school system to inspire positive student behavior, hoping to prevent some of the behaviors that rob young people of success later on in life.
 
Last night we had run to Kroger for a few staples in case we got snow. I had stayed in the truck with the dog while Ed shopped. When he came back to the truck to load the groceries, I heard a man approach my husband and ask if our Thanksgiving was a nice one. And then he thanked him for looking out for his daughter. The daughter is a high school student and had been in one of Ed’s choirs. They live across the street from my mother and we had watched her grow up. Of course he would be watching out for her. I know that warmed Ed’s heart and it reminded me that even though our kids had flown the nest years ago, he didn’t stop caring about young people.
 
Advent is a fertile time to watch and dream, to look for surprises, to notice Christ-like behavior in others and thank them for it, to go out of your way to demonstrate you care. The world’s needs are great. God is greater.
 
It was for this season that Miriam Therese Winter penned these lovely lines:
Root of Jesse
Rising
From many an ancient prophecy
Promised child
To all who would be reconciled
Breaks through at last.
A virgin shoot accepts
God’s seed
Bows to the Mighty Deed.
One branch
Bears bud, flower, fruit:
Christ blossoms on David’s root.
Lord, you are stem, stalk, tree!
Let your fruit take root in me.
 
 
*Hymn    106   Prepare the Way, O Zion
*Affirmation of Faith      The Apostles’ Creed  p. 35
*Hymn   581   Gloria Patri
 
Sharing Our Joys and Concerns
Pastoral Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer
 
Presenting Our Tithes and Offerings
Offertory
*Christmas Doxology      Tune: Infant Holy, Infant Lowly
Glory be to God the Father, glory be to Christ the Son.
Glory to the Holy Spirit, glory to the Three in One.
Here we offer to you gladly all the gifts that you impart,
as we glory in your presence, giving from a grateful heart.
              Copyright @ 2003 Brenda J. Heard
 
*Prayer of Dedication
Holy One, in this season, we wait in hope and we give in hope:
hope for your coming reign,
hope of your presence with us even now.
Receive our gifts, that they may be used to bring hope to our much-loved community and beyond.  Amen.
 
*Hymn 92     While We Are Waiting, Come
*Blessing
Go now, and let the Lord steer you in the way of truth.
Be on your guard so that you will not be caught up in the anxieties of the world.
Be alert at all times and pray for strength to avoid the obstacles that would keep you from God.
 
*Postlude

Prelude
Welcome and Announcements
 
*Call to Worship      Psalm 100
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness.
Come into God’s presence with a song.
Enter God’s gates with thanksgiving and God’s courts with praise.
Give thanks to God, bless God’s name.
For the Lord is good. God’s steadfast love endures forever;
and God’s faithfulness is sure to all generations.
 
*Hymn  336    We Gather Together to Ask the Lord’s Blessing
 
Litany of Thanksgiving
For the beauty and wonder of your creation, in earth and sky and sea.
We thank you, Lord.
For all that is gracious in the lives of people, revealing the image of Christ.
We thank you, Lord.
For our daily food and drink.
We thank you, Lord.
For minds to think, and hearts to love, and hands to serve.
We thank you, Lord.
For health and strength to work, and leisure to rest and play.
We thank you, Lord.
For the brave and courageous, who are patient in suffering and faithful in adversity.
We thank you, Lord.
For all valiant seekers after truth, liberty, and peace.
We thank you, Lord.
For the communion of saints, in all times and places.
We thank you, Lord, and give you thanks for the great mercies and promises given to us in Christ Jesus our Lord.
To him be praise and glory, with you and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.
 
Prayer of Confession
Holy and merciful God, in your presence we confess our failure to be what you created us to be.
You alone know how often we have sinned
in wandering from your ways,
in wasting your gifts,
in forgetting your love.
By your loving mercy, help us to live in your light
and abide in your ways,
for the sake of Jesus Christ, our Savior.  Amen.
 
Assurance of Pardon
The grace of God overflows for us through Jesus Christ who came into the world to save sinners.
In God’s mercy, we have been forgiven.  Alleluia! Amen.
Hymn      698               Take, O Take Me As I Am
 
First Reading                 Deuteronomy 8:1-18
 
Time With Our Young Disciples
 
Gospel Reading              Luke 12:13-21
Morning Message
 
I have two questions for us to consider today. I raise them every year on Christ the King Sunday:
 
1. Do you choose to live in the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ…or not?
2. How can you make your choice real?
 
I confess that this is not an original idea, but one I heard during a presbytery meeting.
 
I ask these questions, because, we have come to the end of the liturgical year, the very last Sunday. Advent, preparing for the birth of Christ, begins next week. As we move through the months, we celebrate Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter- meeting Jesus at the mileposts of his life- his birth, ministry, death, resurrection. Then comes Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended upon the early believers and the Church was established. Kingdomtide, or Ordinary Time, follows Pentecost and brings us to today. When we get to this Sunday, Christ the King, or Reign of Christ, we are called on to consider the year we’ve traveled, how we have related to Christ, and how we have exhibited his kingdom on earth.
 
Christ the King Sunday also makes us stop to consider our concept of time. The time is surely coming for Christ’s second Advent, though we do not know the day or the hour. But we do know this: time moves forward and our time on earth is finite. We have experienced that in painful ways through the deaths of friends and loved ones. I lost my first and best friend, my cousin, Melody. Many of you have endured a similar loss.
 
Christ the King Sunday may mark the end of the church year, but it does not mark the end of our challenges.  The war in Ukraine continues, the mayhem in Israel/Palestine rages, and their people suffer new atrocities daily. The news from Charleston and Washington doesn’t always inspire confidence. Every trip to the grocery store gets more and more expensive. There is need all around us.
 
But, there is good news. While the past three holiday seasons have come with warnings about travel and the dangers of large gatherings, we aren’t hearing that so much now. Last weekend we saw one of our daughters; families and got to hug three out of four grandchildren. Yesterday our daughter Caroline texted me to ask when I could facetime our grandson, Tad, who is asking questions about Christmas and Hannakah. For me,  it’s like filling up at the emotional fuel station. And I needed that. Like many of you, our family has had some challenges this year. That 6-letter word that strikes terror in all of us, cancer, struck us this year, too. We are reminded  of how fragile and uncertain life is.
 
There is nothing like being in the embrace of your loved ones to be reminded that through it all we are family and love is our creed. Even if the visit is a brief one and the highlight is witnessing the delight of a two year-old feeding baby goats.
 
So, here we are. Christ the King Sunday, the feast day that celebrates the fact that, earthly rulers come and go, and even at the height of their power, they only rule over a very small part of the created universe. Their reign is time-sensitive. It will end. But, Jesus’ reign is eternal and cosmic in its proportions. His platform doesn’t change and there are no maps to tell us who is and who isn’t in Jesus’ district. We all are.
 
Jesus’ realm is founded on the principals of justice and integrity-where those who live according to the values of the Kingdom will feel at home- and those who do not will find it an alien place. Christ knows us, all of us, no matter our circumstances.  And Christ knows that how we live our lives, day in and day out, reveals what kind of person we are.
 
In this text, Jesus identifies people based on their actions, how they live out their days on this earth. Those who do the tasks of Kingdom living-feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned- are acting as though they are ministering to Jesus himself. This shouldn’t have been earth-shaking news. This is what they had witnessed Jesus himself doing.
 
Jesus also said that when they, or we, refuse to help a person in need, we are refusing him. This was a surprise, too, but, it shouldn’t have been.
 
Jesus was teaching, or re-teaching-a fundamental rule of kingdom-living: We are the body of Christ. We are united with him- in life, death, and resurrection. What we do, one for another, builds up, enriches, and heals the body. What we fail to do, when we fail to serve as Christ serves, weakens and diminishes the body.
 
Jesus is a king unlike any ruler of this earth. For which we can truly thank God. Jesus is not a despot who orders his subjects to be at his beck and call. A tyrant who wields insults and inflicts pain to intimidate and control.  Nor does he abandon or betray his people. Ever.
 
No. Jesus, is the king who throws open the doors of his dwelling-place and invites us all in. Jesus welcomes us into the fullness of his life. A life that could compel the friends of a paralyzed man to cut a hole in the roof of a house so he can be lowered into Jesus’ presence. To follow Jesus is to sign up for a life of spiritual adventure.
 
Christ the King Sunday asks us if we will choose kingdom-living in the year ahead.  It asks how  we will  use the gift  and limits of time.
 
This time question has created a sense of urgency for me. Not long ago I learned that a friend of long-standing has been diagnosed with dementia. At a time in life that most of us expect to be enjoying retirement, playing with our grandkids, maybe taking that dreamed-about vacation.
This husband, father and grandfather is losing his memory and losing touch with reality. He has no memory of the many accomplishments of his life and work that improved the lives of those who came seeking his counsel.
 
Instead of more time together, he and his good wife are separated. Not by choice. This is for his safety and security, and his family’s peace of mind. They are devastated. He has some precious grandkids but I don’t know if he is even aware.
 
All this makes me very sad but it prompts me to do whatever I can to be present in the lives of my loved ones for as long as possible…to share moments special and mundane…to make memories, to celebrate milestones…to comfort one another when life turns hard, and it will.
 
Yesterday the women in our family celebrated the upcoming 60th birthday of one our cousins, Kim. It was a grand time altogether. She is the sister to my cousin who died earlier this year. The last time we were together, there were tears and overwhelming sadness. Yesterday was filled with laughter and gratitude and a lot of food. Kim asked for donations for organizations helping the homeless in our community instead of gifts for herself. The results were 20 blankets, socks, hats, gloves, snacks, thermal underwear, emergency tents, and emergency blankets. From 8 women. That’s some pretty good Jesus math.
 
What were your highs and lows this year? Did you acknowledge God in the high moments? How did you cope with the lows? How did that affect your faith?
 
Are there changes you want to make in your life? What steps are you taking toward that? Does someone you love need your help in taking steps toward a better life?
 
What can you do to advance the kingdom?
 
How will you use your time?
 
Will you know the joy of a peaceful heart, deep peace that comes from God?
 
I think we know how 2024 ends. What we don’t know is what the future holds. But we know who holds the future. And we know who holds our hand.
 
*Wellspring of the Gospel
 
 
*Hymn   643   Now Thank We All Our God
 
*Affirmation of Faith   The Apostles’ Creed   p. 35
*Hymn    581   Gloria Patri
 
Sharing Our Joys and Concerns
 
The Sacrament of Communion
Words of Institution~Invitation~Great Prayer of Thanksgiving including the Lord’s Prayer Communion of the People   
The elements will be served by intinction. Please come to the Table to receive the elements. If you prefer, you may be served in the pew.
 
Prayer After Communion
God of abundance, with this bread of life and cup of salvation you have united us with Christ, making us one with all your people.
Now send us forth in the power of your Spirit
that we may proclaim your redeeming love to the world and continue forever in the risen life of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.
 
 
 
Presenting our Tithes and Offerings
Offertory
*Hymn  607   Doxology
*Prayer of Dedication
Gracious, God, your gifts are unending. The smallest of seeds can produce great blessing. With thankful hearts, we offer our gifts and our lives to you that they may bring hope and promise to a world in need. In Jesus’ name and for his realm.  Amen.
 
*Hymn    366   Love Divine, All Loves Excelling
*Blessing            John F. Kennedy
On this day, let us gather in sanctuaries dedicated to worship and homes blessed by family affection, to express our gratitude for the glorious gifts of God; and let us earnestly and humbly pray that he will continue to guide and sustain us in the great unfinished tasks of achieving peace, justice, and understanding among all men and nations, and ending misery and suffering wherever they exist.
Go now in peace, to love and serve the Lord. Amen.
 
*Postlude

​Prelude
*Call to Worship                            
Let us open our minds to God’s teaching
and tune our ear to God’s word.
Let us listen to the stories of the faith of our ancestors;
and share our stories with our children.
We put our trust in God.
We worship the One who gives us life.
 
Prayer of the Day
God of heaven and earth, God of sunrise and sunset, God of the highest mountain and the deepest valley, hear our prayers as we come before you. Declare your message to us and grant us the courage to listen. May our listening turn to action.  May our actions touch the hearts of those who need to hear your voice. We live today and every day confident of your everlasting presence, care, grace, and love. Amen.
 
*Hymn   39   Great Is Thy Faithfulness
 
Call to Confession
The proof of God’s amazing love is this:
While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Because we have faith in him, we dare to approach God with confidence.
 
Prayer of Confession
We confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done and what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart and mind and strength.
We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
In your mercy, forgive what we have been, help us amend what we are,
and direct what we shall be,
that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways,
to the glory of your holy name. Amen.
 
*Take, O Take Me As I Am
Assurance of Forgiveness
Anyone who is in Christ is a new creation. The old life is gone and a new life has begun. Friends, believe the good news of the gospel: our sins are forgiven and we may live this day and every day in peace.
 
Old Testament Reading     Joshua 24:14-25
 
Moments With Our Young Disciples
 
New Testament Reading            Acts of the Apostles 2: 14-22; 36-47
 
The Morning Message
 
*Hymn   14    For the Beauty of the Earth
 
*Affirmation of Faith   The Apostles’ Creed   p. 35
*Hymn  581  Gloria Patri
 
Prayers of the Faithful and the Lord’s Prayer
Presenting Our Tithes and Offerings
Offertory
*Hymn  607   Doxology
*Prayer of Dedication
 
*Hymn   719   Come, Labor On
*Blessing
Go now and follow in the footsteps of those who have gone before us in Christ.
Love the Lord.
Serve God in sincerity and faithfulness.
Teach those who come after you to trust in God.
And may God protect you along the way;
May Christ Jesus keep you alert and prepared.
And may the Holy Spirit fuel the lamp that guides your path.
 
*Postlude

Prelude
Welcome and Announcements
*Call to Worship
Come and worship, you who love the Lord with all your heart,
and with all our souls, and all our minds, and all our strength.
Come into the community of God’s people and worship with the neighbor you do not know:
the stranger seeking welcome,
the hungry, the homeless, the hurting.
Come, and worship, you who love the spirit of the law,
and the One who showed us how to live in kin-dom.
 
Prayer for Veterans
Holy and loving God, we give you thanks for the veterans among us, those living, and the saints who have gone before. Thank you for their service and sacrifice. We thank you for those now serving and ask your protection over them and their loved ones.
Guide us, Lord, as we seek to love our neighbors who are veterans and deal honorably with them. Heal all brokenness and bring us together as your people.
Lead us to work together toward your promised reign, when nation shall not lift up sword against nation, and neither shall we learn war anymore.  Amen.
 
*Hymn   336   We Gather Together to Ask the Lord’s Blessing
 
Prayer of Confession
O God, Rock of our salvation,
you give children to the barren,
and strength to the feeble.
You exalt the poor and lift up the needy.
We praise you from morning to night,
yet we build walls that separate us from you,
from one another,
and from the world.
We place stumbling blocks in the way of goodness and truth.
We are led astray by promises of earthly desires.
We confess our failings,
and seek solace in the source of our joy, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Guide us in our efforts
to encourage one another,
to work together for good in the world you made,
and to prepare for the coming day of the Lord.  Amen.
 
Hymn 698     Take, O Take Me as I Am
Assurance of Forgiveness
Our hearts are sprinkled clean with the water of God’s love.
Through salvation won for us by Jesus Christ, God assures us that we are forgiven, absolved, and released from the sin that binds us. Alleluia! Amen.
 
First Reading     Psalm 78:1-7
Time With Our Young Disciples
Second Reading    Matthew    25:1-13
Morning Message
 
I have been singing an old spiritual all week:
Keep your lamps trimmed and burning,
keep your lamps trimmed and burning,
keep your lamps trimmed and burning,
the time is drawing nigh.
 
In these simple lines, you hear and feel an urgency. Something very significant is anticipated and you wouldn’t want to miss it.
 
Rev. Janet Hunt offers this story from her childhood. I think it gives us a glimpse of what is meant by this parable.
 
“I was in third grade. Our classroom was on the second floor. There were two entries into that classroom. The one we normally used and the one we used for recess. The one we used for recess was actually an old iron fire escape. Without a key, the door only opened from the inside.
It was afternoon in the fall of the year, and we were outside for recess. Normally, I would have been playing with friends in my own class, but the second grade class was having recess at the same time that day. My sister, Martha, was in that class and I got to playing with her. When I looked up again, my class was gone.
 
Now ours was a new teacher, and no doubt, she was still learning how to best corral the energy of 40 eight and nine year olds. Her method for gathering our attention and signaling it was time to go back to our lessons, was to stand in the middle of the playground and hold one hand in the air. We were to make a single file line in front of her and she would lead us inside.
 
I was not the first one to miss it. In fact, just a week before two boys had gotten busy and had not looked up at the right moment. When they realized they had missed it, they went around to the school’s front doors and came in. She sent them back outside and ordered them to sit at the top of the fire escape steps until the end of the school day.
 
That day was my turn. I ran as quickly as my nine year old legs would take me to the top of the stairs. I peered through the window to see my classmates taking off their coats and hanging them on their assigned hooks. I saw our teacher tell them to ignore me…not to open the door to let me in. By the example of others, I knew it would do no good to enter by another way. I was something like those foolish bridesmaids we hear about today. And so I sat on those top steps and waited until the end of the day and I was finally let in.
I was told to sit down at my desk where our teacher told me to make up the work I had missed. I will never understand her surprise that by now I was choking back tears.
 
I offer this now because it ends in a similar way to the parable Jesus tells today. Recalling my third grade experience of being locked out helps me test the point Jesus offers now.
 
But here is my struggle with the words before us today. While the words of the parable end with Jesus telling his listeners to “keep awake,” my sense is that is not really his point. At least not in the way we might normally understand it. For as the story is told, both the wise and foolish girls fell asleep. So it seems to me that “keeping awake” must not be that of a third grader keeping her eyes glued to her teacher so as not to miss her silent signal. But this keeping awake does have to do with being prepared…always aware that the end of “recess” is right around the corner…that the bridegroom could come at any time.”
 
I agree with her statements.  In that way, the waiting has a joyful and life-affirming purpose. That does not seem to be the objective of the new third grade teacher, who was conducting her class in a way that turned punitive if one missed her hand in the air.
 
Jesus is expected…even if he is delayed. And somehow our living should reflect that.
I confess, this is a subject on which I rarely focus. Life is good and life is short. I have always known the love of Jesus and the grace he has lavished on me for over sixty years…through good times and bad…through tragedy and heartache, and yes, in times of temptation and sin. I don’t doubt his presence today. I think very little about the eschaton, or the second advent of Christ.
 
But, each and every Sunday, we stand together and profess our faith that points to a realm beyond this one, where the whole creation is redeemed and we shall see our Savior, Jesus Christ, face to face.
 
So, what do Presbyterians believe about “end things?”
 
This is a very complicated subject and the topic of prolific volumes of Christian thought through the ages. In an attempt to simplify things, the Presbyterian Mission Agency offers this explanation:
 
“The Jesus story is also our story. That Jesus died, was raised, ascended into heaven, and sits on God’s right hand, prefigures our own story. We will follow him. This means our confessions often describe the future of individual Christians by how they tell the story of Jesus. In the earliest confessions it is understood that we are destined, when we die, to follow Jesus into God’s presence.
 
If there is a Presbyterian narrative about life after death, this is it: When you die, your soul goes to be with God, where it enjoys God’s glory and waits for the final judgment. At the final judgment, bodies are ae reunited with souls, and eternal rewards and punishments are handed out. As the Scots Confession notes, final judgment is also “the time of refreshing and restitution of all things.”
 
The core meaning of the Greek word for faith is “trust.” Each section of one of our contemporary affirmations, A Brief Statement of Faith, begins with the words, “We trust.”  As we trust God with our present, we can trust God with our future.
 
A friend of mine was born and raised in a Jewish family. He was faithful. When he went to college, he met a young woman who was Christian. He eventually came to claim the Christian faith himself. He told me that he went to tell his beloved mother that he was becoming a Christian. To which his mother simply said, “Then you be a good one.”
 
I believe that our call is not to fully articulate what the end times will look, sound, or feel like, but to trust both the present and the future to God, a God that would never leave you quivering on the fire escape.
 
 
*Hymn   625  How Great Thou Art
 
*Affirmation of Faith        The Apostles’ Creed
*Hymn 581           Gloria Patri
 
Sharing Our Joys and Concerns
Prayers of the People and the Lord’s Prayer
 
Presenting Our Tithes and Offerings
Offertory
*Hymn  607  Doxology
*Prayer of Dedication
 
*Hymn  8   Eternal Father, Strong to Save
*Blessing
Go out in peace, for the Lord has heard your prayers.
Do not allow anyone to lead you astray.
Hold fast to the hope you have claimed.
Continue to meet together, encouraging one another and provoking one another to put love into action.
And may God be your rock of strength.
May Christ Jesus usher you into God’s presence.
And may the Holy Spirit write the laws of love and life upon your hearts. Amen.
                        
*Postlude

​Prelude
 
*Call to Worship
Holy God of wind and fire,
dance through our worship today.
Holy God of earthquakes and illness,
share our memories, our tears of sadness and loss.
Holy God of creation and new beginnings,
show us again your vision of healing and wholeness
and the promise of life here and in the world to come.
 
*Hymn   326    For All the Saints
 
Opening Prayer
Eternal God, you have knit together your people of all times and places into one communion in the mystical body of our Lord Jesus Christ. Grant us your Holy Spirit that we may be encouraged and strengthened, seeking your forgiveness in our moments or seasons of failure, persevering in our part of faith’s course, until such time as we join the great cloud of witnesses in our eternal home.  Amen.
 
*Hymn  Take, O Take Me As I Am
 
Assurance of Forgiveness
Jesus said, “For the Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”
Friends, believe in the good news of the gospel. Our sins are forgiven. Alleluia! Amen.
 
First Reading    Revelation 21:1-6
 
Time With Our Young Disciples
 
New Testament Reading              Matthew 5:1-12
The Morning Message                 Saints Among Us
Who knows who Saint Dympha is?
 
That’s what I thought. No one. I didn’t either until I read an article by Nadia Bolz-Weber, a Lutheran minister.
 
Nadia says St. Dympha is her favorite saint. In her, we can clearly see the Beatitudes enacted. Dympha was the daughter of a pagan Irish king and his Christian wife in the 7th century.
 
Before her death at the young age of fifteen, Dympha and some other Christian missionaries founded a home for the anxious and mentally ill in Belgium. Reports were positive about the home. Many who suffered from mental and emotional problems became less afflicted having been cared for in the mission.
 
Dympha is officially the patron saint of the anxious, the patron saint of the emotionally disturbed, the patron saint of the mentally ill, and the patron saint of those with neurological disorders.
 
Nadia Bolz-Weber says that with those things to her credit, Dympha seems like just her kind of saint. Nadia’s history makes quite a story. Suffice it to say, she has waged her own mental, emotional and spiritual battles. She suffered from debilitating drug addiction and it seemed she was headed for certain destruction and an early death. But God had other plans and so she clings to the faith of Dympha, with whom she identifies.
 
But today we celebrate All Saints, not just some saints, most of whom will never have a prayer card made with their likeness on it or their name carved on the front of a church.
 
We Presbyterians do not ascribe to the belief that we need special people to intercede for us as if God listens to them more than God listens to us because they are advance placement Christians or something. What we celebrate today is not the superhuman faith and powers of a select few but rather God’s ability to use flawed people to do divine things.
 
We celebrate all on whom God has acted in baptism, sealing them, as Ephesians says, with the mark of the Holy Spirit. We celebrate that God engenders faith within us, and through ordinary acts of love, the Kingdom of Heaven moves closer to earth.
 
We celebrate the great cloud of witnesses who have gone before us, and that the faithful departed are as much a part of the body of Christ as we are.
We are connected to so much faith; so many witnesses; so much courage and sacrifice and adventure and daring and so much trust and so much divine love it is overwhelming.
 
In this turbulent age, when we are always looking for “our” people, we desperately need to hang onto this fact: what connects us in a real and lasting way is not Facebook, or what school we graduated from, what we do in our leisure time, what political party we belong to, or anything other than this truth. We have membership in the body of Christ, the Church with a capital “C.”
 
And even more importantly, what connects us isn’t so much our beliefs about God, or our theology, or our doctrinal positions. No. It’s God and God gathers up all of God’s children into the Church eternal. We are all sinners saved by grace to glorify God and enjoy God forever.
 
So, today, for a little while, let’s remember all the deeply faithful saints through whom the glory of God has been revealed and will be revealed as year succeeds to year.
 
Yesterday dawned bright and sunny, the temperature mild for a November day. Ed suggested we go to the Marshall game and so we did. You all know this-you can’t be anonymous in Huntington, West Virginia. As soon as we found our seats, a couple we’ve known for over forty years sat right in front of us. We chatted for a few minutes, catching up. Then one of them said we were sitting in special seats. The whole row of seats had been occupied for years by a group of church folks who call themselves the Pea Ridge Bible Study. Meeting on Thursday nights for at least forty years. Many of them community leaders, government office holders, teachers and principals, volunteer leaders who guided major charitable organizations like Habitat for Humanity and the Boys and Girls Clubs. They were good and faithful people who worked to make their part of the world shine. They were cheerleaders for hope and optimism. Blessed are the cheerleaders.  Most of them are in heaven now. Saints for sure, although they began that service while still on terra firma.
 
The election is Tuesday. It makes me anxious. We’ve heard the pitches, the speeches, the commercials. I dread each day’s coverage. Why can’t they stay on the high road? Nothing is sacred. Nothing is too vile or vulgar.
 
People speak or write in the most provocative and strident ways possible.  Every situation is somehow seen as the most consequential event in history. We demonize those who disagree with us and sever relationships. Reasonable thinkers know this further divides a conflicted public, but reason is often in short supply.
 
But, we’re experienced enough to know that regardless of the outcome of the election, life will go on. When I doubt that or think that I just don’t have the energy to adapt, change, or cope, I am reminded of the Sunday many years ago, two days before the Presidential election, when I wished I were anywhere other than behind the pulpit. As usual, the Presbyterians were plugged into politics and tension was high.
 
As the prelude began, into the sanctuary marched a woman proudly wearing a John Kerry t- shirt. She sat in her usual place-right up front on the left side.
Simultaneously, another woman marched in to take her place on the right side of the sanctuary wearing a red, white, and blue rhinestone pin that said, “Bush.”
 
And because I always think the worst thing will happen, I prayed my most strident prayer, “Help!”
 
And help came.
 
The two women walked out of the sanctuary together, fussing at each other a little, their very distinct voices rising above the others. They each got cake and coffee during the fellowship time. They sat together, still sparring. Sometime later, I saw them walking out of the church, each with an arm around the other. I think it was their testimony that what binds us together is greater than anything that could divide us.
 
When I am sick and tired of the ugliness in life, and especially in campaigns, I recall that morning. Both of these women are in heaven now, even though they deviled each other in this life. Saints.
 
Saint Dympha was a very young girl when her mother died. Her father was inconsolable. His courtiers decided what he needed was a new wife. But no woman in his kingdom pleased the king. Eventually, someone dared to suggest the unthinkable: the king should marry his daughter.
 
Terrified at the prospect, Dympha fled with some others to Belgium where she established her mission, a home for the mentally and emotionally challenged. She was suffering great anxiety and found meaning in helping others.
 
Unfortunately, Dympha died at fifteen by her father’s hand. That’s another way people become saints-through martyrdom, to give one’s life for one’s faith.
 
People of faith still find themselves in life-threatening situations. And some indeed give their lives for the cause of Christ. But, thanks be to God, death is not the final word.
 
In 1985, as a sign of shared faith and purpose, the General Assembly of the newly re-united Presbyterian Church, adopted the Declaration of Faith. This was a welcome and celebrated accomplishment, as the church worked to heal the split that had deeply divided north from south for over one hundred years.
 
Many scoffed at the idea of re-union, declaring the church irreparably fractured, as good as dead. I would go as far as to say some preferred death to forming a relationship with those they considered infidels.
 
But, the church is the body of Christ and he is very much alive.
 
In part, the Declaration states:
“In the death of Jesus Christ, God’s way in the world seemed finally defeated.
But death was no match for God.
The resurrection of Jesus was God’s victory over death.
Death often seems to prove that life is not worth living, that our best efforts and deepest affections go for nothing.
We do not yet see the end of death.
But Christ has been raised from the dead,
Transformed, and yet the same person.
In his resurrection is the promise of ours.
We are convinced the life God wills for each of us
is stronger than the death that destroys us.
The glory of that life exceeds our imagination,
but we know we shall be with Christ.
So we treat death as a broken power.
Its ultimate defeat is certain.
In the face of death we grieve.
Yet in hope we celebrate life.
No life ends so tragically that its meaning and value are destroyed.
Nothing, not even death, can separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord.
 
Jesus is Lord!
He has been Lord from the beginning.
He will be Lord at the end.
Even now he is Lord.”
 
Glory be to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Amen.
 
 
 
*Hymn   37   Let All Things Now Living
*Affirmation of Faith              The Apostles’ Creed  p.35
*Hymn  581  Gloria Patri
 
Prayers of the Faithful and the Lord’s Prayer                        Romans 6:3-5
This morning we remember family, friends, and loved ones who have joined
 the blessed company of the saints in light during this church year.
When we were baptized into Christ Jesus, we were baptized into his death.
We were buried therefore with him by baptism unto death, so that, as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live a new life.
For if we have been united with Christ in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.     
 
Members of Kuhn Memorial received into the Church Triumphant this year:
Sue Yoak
Other recently departed loved ones and those who have inspired our faith:
Alice Bias
Ben Klusty
Paul Adkins
Marsha Wilson
Jake Sharp
Tyler Blankenship
Braxton McComas
Brody Reynolds
Linda Reid
Jimmy Edmunds
Alice Harold
Dove Vititoe
John and Mattie Morgan
Joy Morgan
George and Lula Wilson
Stan Napier
Jean and John Porterfield
                                                                             
Eternal God, we bless you for the great company of all those who have kept the faith, finished their race, and now rest from their labor. We praise you for those closest to us whom you have received into your presence… and others we name now in our hearts…
We lift our concerns for our community, our nation, and the world, that all may be supplied their daily needs and know the security of freedom, safety, and peace. We pray for those who suffer from illness and other circumstances which prevent them from living whole and blessed lives. We give you thanks for all gifts of healing and compassion offered in your name.
Help us to believe where we have not seen, trusting you to lead us through our years.
Bring us at last with all your saints into the joy of your home, through Christ Jesus who taught us to pray, saying, Our Father… Amen.
 
Presenting Our Gifts of Tithe and Offering
Offertory
*Hymn  607   Doxology
*Prayer of Dedication
 
*Hymn 730    I Sing a Song of the Saints of God  
          
*Blessing
Go out in the confidence that your lives are safe in God.
Keep your hands clean and your hearts pure.
Do not act falsely or deceitfully.
Trust in the Lord, even in the face of death,
and follow in the footsteps of all God’s saints.
And may God keep a protective eye on you;
May Christ Jesus show you his grace and mercy;
And may the Holy Spirit give you a vision of the life of the world made new.
 
*Postlude