2nd Sunday in Advent December 8, 2024
Welcome & Announcements
*Call to Worship: Psalm 66:1-12 (pg. 568)
*Opening Prayer …………………………………………….. pg. 2
Advent Reading & Lighting of the Advent Candle
*Confession of Sins …………………….……………............ pg. 2
*Kyrie …………………………………………………….…. pg. 3
*Declaration of Grace …………………………………..…… pg. 3
HYMN --------------------------------------------------------------- # 15
“Comfort, Comfort Ye My People”
Scripture Lessons: 1st Reading: Malachi 3:1-7b (pg. 924)
2nd Reading: Philippians 1:2-11 (pg. 1165)
*The Gospel: Luke 3:1-20 (pg. 1020)
*Response to the Gospel …………………………………..… pg. 3
*Confession of Faith - The Apostles’ Creed ………………... pg. 4
*Gloria Patri …………………………………………………. pg. 4
The Offering
*Response: “Create in Me A Clean Heart O God” ……..….. pg. 17
*Prayers of the Church
HYMN --------------------------------------------------------------- # 26
“What Child Is This”
Sermon: Matthew 2 – “Wisdom is Seeking God”
THE CLOSING HYMN ------------------------------------------- # 97
“I Know That My Redeemer Lives”
*The Lord’s Prayer ………………………………………….. pg. 5
*The Benediction ………………………………..…………... pg. 5
*Three-fold Amen ………………………………...…………. pg. 5
THE DOXOLOGY ……………………………...………….. # 390
Organ Postlude
(* Indicates where congregation should stand if possible)
WE CORDIALLY WELCOME all who have come to worship with us this morning, especially our guests and visitors. May our Father’s mercy in Jesus assure you of the forgiveness of all your sins. If you have not established your church home in our area, we are anxious to share with you all the blessings which God gives us through His Word. We ask that you please sign our guest book, and we hope that you return to worship with us again soon.
Announcements
Monthly hymn #26:
"What Child Is This"
Memory verse:
Hebrews 1:1-2 “Long ago, at many times and in
many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these
last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed the Heir
of all things, through whom also He created the world”
Special music today, Tim Engelland singing "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" by Casting Crowns
FLY Group, Please meet with Steve following the service today.
Community Christmas Celebration event, 7:00 p.m. this evening at Grandview Reformed church in Armour
Thank you for supporting us with the soup supper and going to Colorado next summer. The FLY group.
A Congregational Meeting will be held following the service next week, December 15th, to elect new officers and discuss Pastor’s Salary.
Christmas Tree and Sack donations, please give to Rance or Keith.
WORRY is a conversation you have with
yourself about things you cannot control.
PRAYER
is a conversation you have with God about things He can change.
Pray. Trust. Wait. God will give you peace in your mind. Amen.
This week’s activities:
15th – Sun. – Worship, 9:00 a.m. Sunday School, 10:00
a.m.
~ Muffin Sunday, Ladies K - V
~ Congregational meeting to follow service
~ Christmas caroling, meet at 2:15 p.m.
CHURCH CLEANING: Dec. 9-15 Joyce Sprecher & Nicole Whitney
*Call to Worship: Psalm 66:1-12
66 Shout for joy to God, all the earth;
2 sing the glory of his name;
give to him glorious praise!
3 Say
to God, “How awesome are your deeds!
So great is your power
that your enemies come cringing to you.
4 All
the earth worships you
and sings praises to you;
they
sing praises to your name.”
5 Come and see what God has done:
he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man.
6 He turned the sea into dry land;
they passed through the river on foot.
There did we
rejoice in him,
7 who rules by
his might forever,
whose eyes keep watch on the nations—
let not the rebellious exalt themselves.
8 Bless our God, O peoples;
let the sound of his praise be heard,
9 who has kept our soul among the living
and has not let our feet slip.
10 For
you, O God, have tested us;
you have tried us as silver is
tried.
11 You brought us
into the net;
you laid a crushing burden on our backs;
12 you let men ride over our
heads;
we went through fire and through water;
yet you
have brought us out to a place of abundance.
1st Reading: Malachi 3:1-7b
3 “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. 2 But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord. 4 Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.
5 “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts.
6 “For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. 7 From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’
2nd Reading: Philippians 1:2-11
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. 7 It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8 For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
*The Gospel: Luke 3:1-20
3 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, 2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 4 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way
of the Lord,
make his paths straight.
5 Every
valley shall be filled,
and every mountain and hill shall be
made low,
and the crooked shall become straight,
and the
rough places shall become level ways,
6 and
all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”
7 He said therefore to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. 9 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
10 And the crowds asked him, “What then shall we do?” 11 And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.” 12 Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” 13 And he said to them, “Collect no more than you are authorized to do.” 14 Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.”
15 As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ, 16 John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
18 So with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people. 19 But Herod the tetrarch, who had been reproved by him for Herodias, his brother's wife, and for all the evil things that Herod had done, 20 added this to them all, that he locked up John in prison.