Bulletin

CHIMING OF THE HOUR Westminster Chimes Handbell Choir's

ANNOUNCEMENTS Linda Robison

PRELUDE Star of Wonder Handbell Choir

CALL TO WORSHIP Advent (UMH 201) Rev. Lynnette Sills

Merciful God, you sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation. Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may celebrate aright the commemoration of the nativity, and may await with joy the coming in glory of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, One God, for ever and ever. Amen.

GREETING AND OPENING PRAYER (The Abingdon Worship Annual 2024) Rev. Lynnette Sills

God of our deliverance, you meet us in our need. You fill the valleys of our insecurities with hope and bring low the mountains of our pride and conceit. As we await your Son and the glory of your salvation, guide our feet in the ways of peace. Amen.

LIGHTING OF THE ADVENT CANDLE: PEACE (See insert) Linda Robison & Congregation

Lighting of the Advent Candle: The Candle of Peace

Liturgist: In 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)

Pastor: We who gather today also seek comfort and peace, yet we are unsatisfied with ideas of peace that tell us to keep quiet and go with the flow. We long for real peace, true peace, just peace.

Congregation: We wait as people who yearn for peace that bears the fruit of community, equity, and flourishing for all.

Liturgist: We light these candles as a sign of God’s shocking hope and just 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 together to worship and glorify God. Amen.

*HYMN Hark the Herald Angels Sing 240

PSALTER Psalm 85:8-13 (UMH 806) Linda Robison

Let me hear what God will speak, for the Lord will speak peace to his people, to his faithful,

to those who turn to the Lord in their hearts.

Surely salvation is at hand for those who fear the Lord, that glory may dwell in our land.

Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other.

Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, and righteousness will look down from the sky.

The Lord will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase.

Righteousness will go before the Lord, and make God’s footsteps a way.

*AFFIRMATION OF FAITH Affirmation of Faith: A Modern Affirmation (UMH 885) Linda Robison

Where the Spirit of the Lord is,

there is the one true church, apostolic and universal,

whose holy faith let us now declare:

We believe in God the Father,

infinite in wisdom, power, and love,

whose mercy is over all his works,

and whose will is ever directed to his children’s good.

We believe in Jesus Christ,

Son of God and Son of man,

the gift of the Father’s unfailing grace,

the ground of our hope,

and the promise of our deliverance from sin and death.

We believe in the Holy Spirit

as the divine presence in our lives,

whereby we are kept in perpetual remembrance

of the truth of Christ,

and find strength and help in time of need.

We believe that this faith should manifest itself

in the service of love,

as set forth in the example of our blessed Lord

to the end

that the kingdom of God may come upon the earth. Amen.

*GLORIA PATRI (UMH 70) Congregation

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Amen.

CHILDREN’S MOMENT Rev. Lynnette Sills

We set aside this time for Children’s Moment when we have children with us.

PRAYER OF THE PEOPLE Rev. Lynnette Sills

Canticle of Zechariah (UMH 208)

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who has come to set the chosen people free.

The Lord has raised up for us a mighty Savior from the house of David.

Through the holy prophets, God promised of old to save us from our enemies,

from the hands of all who hate us;

To show mercy to our forebears and to remember the holy covenant.

This was the oath God swore to our father Abraham:

To set us free from the hands of our enemies, free to worship without fear,

holy and righteous in the Lord’s sight, all the days of our lives.

And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare the way,

To give God’s people knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins.

In the tender compassion of our God the dawn from on high shall break upon us,

To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,

and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

We pray these things and pray now the prayer you taught us to pray.

Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name,¡

Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread;

And forgive us our trespasses, as we

forgive those who trespass

against us. And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil,

For thine is the kingdom, and the power and

the glory forever. Amen.

–Pray for all who are dealing with devastation and loss after Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton. Pray for all of the helpers who are working to restore power and provide clothing, shelter and assistance.

Continue to pray for the people of Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, and Haiti and all places experience conflicts and war. Pray for there to be peace and for war to cease. Pray for leaders to seek wisdom. Pray for an end to violence and bloodshed. Pray for all people in all nations to seek and to be instruments of peace.

-Unspoken requests for our families and friends who may need prayer support, who are going through various life transitions, who have loved ones with physical or mental health issues, those in abusive relationships.

- For those in need of treatment for depression/anxiety.

- For those who grieve for loved ones who have passed.

- Those who are in transition and contemplating lifestyle changes - moving, retiring, furthering their education.

--Gratitude for the Comfort Shawl ladies who provide shawls for so many.

-Prayers for families in domestic violence situations

-Caregivers needing help caregiving and for all receiving health care treatment.

--Caregivers of little children, adult children, parents and friends.

Pray for: Diane Aden & Family, Anna, Rockie Alexander, Judy Banks, Fred Beiers, Ron Bennett, Susan Berry, Clara Biswas & Family, Davis Blackwelder, Sabine Boots, Bill Bowman, Sam Bowman, Terrye Broyhill, Walter, Hilary & Mars Bunn, Brandon, Franz, Eloise and Aidan Call, Margaret Cannon, Rhonda Carpenter, The Cashion Family,Cathy, Liz Chase, Jimmy Chatman, Michelle Chromey, Claire, Beth Cochran, Betty Cochran, Breanna Cochran, Pat Cowan, Judy Cruse, Dona Jean Dacey, Mark Dacey, Gordon & Karen Davidson, Tim & Cathy Dean, Tracie Dubek, Kathleen Edberg & Jim Schrader, Sandra Forney, Roy Greene & Family, Teresa Greene, Jennifer & Percy Hargett, Ben Harvey, Leewyn Hatch, Debbie & Larry Hedgepath and family, Bobby Henson, Charlotte Holly, Bob Hudson, Hilda, Jason, Charlie Jones, Julia and Chris, Juliet, Margaret Kell, Sarah Kim, Mike Kraft, Siri Larson, David Lawson, Sherrill Lawson, Family of Carol Lee, Sarah Lee, Sam Lilly and wife, Liz, Sandra Maier, Maria, Jan Markey, Dennis and Melony Martin, Maureen, Melissa, Jerry Miller, Dell Morgan, Ashley Mould, Betty Neal, Bob & Jo Oliver, Adam Palmer, David Palmer, Salley Parker,Alice Payne, Carie Perez, Bob Reynolds, Luke Rimel, Cathy Ruth, Stephen Sacks, Family of Jay Sealy, Charleigh Self, Cindy Shouck, Bonnie Stewart, Family of Mary Aden Stuch, Richard Tendam, Bill Vehorn, John Vines, Wade, George Wallace, Linda Waters, Wendy, Hal Wishon & Kim Wishon, Kairos Prison Ministry,

Ministry Missionaries: The Wollin Family (our missionary partners in Albania)

Long Term Prayer Needs Mary Armitage, Donnie Andrews, Keith Andrews, Fred Beiers, Susan Bennett, John Bogwicz, Austin Bradley, Rick Campbell, Beth Cochran, Mary Count, Molly Forrester, Patty Gilleland and Mark Gilleland, Mary Glenn, Hazel Griffiths, Pat Hart, Mary Hartsoe, Noah Homan, Alice Logue, Nicole Meyers, DelindaMetcalf, Betty Milam, Christy O’Neill, June Palmer, Sherry Palmer, Erika Potter, Jim Steward, Annalise Strasel

UMC Armed Forces Prayer List: Ruairidh (Rory Coull), Landon Farley, James Henson Jr., Kevin Mott, Harrison Turnage

OFFERTORY PRAYER (The Abingdon Worship Annual 2024) Rev. Lynnette Sills

As you rescued your people of old, rescue us over and over again, Mighty One. As you purified the saints like a refiner’s fire, purify our lives this day and bless the gifts we bring before you now. Through our offering, may those who sit in darkness find their way into the light of your loving arms. Amen.

OFFERTORY ANTHEM Deep Peace Chancel Choir

DOXOLOGY 94

Praise God from whom all blessings flow; Praise God all creatures here below;

Alleluia! Alleluia!

Praise God the source of all our gifts! Praise Jesus Christ, whose power uplifts!

Praise the Spirit, Holy Spirit! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

SCRIPTURE Malachi 3:1-4, Luke 3:1-6 (NIV) Linda Robison

(Malachi 3:1-4) “I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty.

2 But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, 4 and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years.

(Luke 3:1-6) In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene— 2 during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 4 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:

“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.
5 Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low.
The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth.
6 And all people will see God’s salvation.’”

Liturgist: The Word of God for the people of God.

People: Thanks be to God.

MESSAGE The Weary World Rejoices: Peace When It Doesn’t Seem Possible Rev. Lynnette Sills

*CLOSING HYMN Let There Be Peace on Earth 431

*BENEDICTION (The Abingdon Worship Annual 2024) Rev. Lynnette Sills

May your love overflow in mercy and compassion, as you walk in the ways of Christ.

May we produce a harvest of righteousness as we live as Christ’s disciples to the glory of God.

Let us go in peace.

POSTLUDE My Dancing Day Handbell Choir

*Please stand as you are able.

Many thanks to Wanangwa Hartwell and the handbell choir for their music this morning.

Cover page photograph: “Wheat Jesus” billboard, Colby, Kansas.

Audio-visual team: Lynn Montgomery and Bob Montgo)