December 22nd, 2024
4th SUNDAY of ADVENT
Find this service at www.graceunitedthornbury.ca/live
Leading us today in Worship:
Minister: Rev. Dr. John G. Smith,
Director of Music: Dr. Christopher Burton
Lay Reader: Shirley Woolner
Leader: regular font ~ All: bold font ~ Sung words: bold italics.
Asterisk * Indicates when the congregation may stand if able.
We Gather
PRELUDE
"Pastorale" from Messiah - G.F. Handel
A Stewardship Moment
Look for a way to show those who are not filled with joy in this season that God loves them.
WELCOME
OUR COMMITMENT to SAFER SPACE & ACKNOWLEDGEMENT of the LAND
We believe all people are made in the image of God and are entitled to dignity and respect. At Grace United Church we try to offer a safer, inclusive and generous space for all who are seeking a faith community. We offer full participation of people of all sexual orientations and gender identities, all races, ages and abilities in the life and work of the ministry.
Grace United Church is situated on the traditional territories of the Anishinaabek, Petun, Huron-Wendat, and Mississauga peoples, located within the boundary of the region of Treaty 18 of 1818. We humbly acknowledge the First Nations, Metis and Inuit peoples of Canada as traditional stewards of the land on which we work and worship and are committed to working actively toward genuine restitution and reconciliation.
LIGHTING the ADVENT CANDLE
Let us turn now to the light of Christ and our Advent Candles.
As we light the first three candles, we remember our prayers for Hope, Peace, and Joy. Now with the fourth Advent candle, we pray for LOVE.
We pray the candle of love will be lit in every child’s heart.
We pray the candle of love will be lit in every person’s heart.
We pray the candle of love may be lit today in our worship,
And radiate a glow of love, a beacon to the world around us.
As we light these candles, let us remember that the birth of the Christ child is still happening. Christ is being reborn in our hearts this very moment.
When this happens, our hearts fill with the depths of God’s love for us.
May it be so! Amen!
CANDLE LIGHTING SONG
“Advent’s Holy Light”
1. As we watch for the dawn of a brighter day,
A candle of hope lights the way.
As we look for the signs of the promised birth,
Of a Saviour who brings heaven to earth:
Lord we are waiting for peace to reign.
Lord, we are listening for love’s refrain.
For hope, peace, and joy and love to unite
In the beauty of wonder of Advent’s holy light.
4. As we watch for the dawn of a brighter day,
A candle of LOVE lights the way.
As we look for the signs of the promised birth
Of a Saviour who brings heaven to earth…
Lord we are waiting for peace to reign.
Lord, we are listening for love’s refrain.
For hope, peace, and joy and love to unite
In the beauty of wonder of Advent’s holy light.
OPENING PRAYER
Loving God, we have reached the turning point of the year.
We have reached the end of days;
now we wait expectantly for the beginning of days.
All of time is present now in this moment:
All that is past and all that is to come, have converged in this moment right now.
We are here, experiencing it, this fulcrum time of the year.
Thank you God, for this time!
We come today with our hearts filling up, and our spirits burning bright.
We have re-lit the fires inside, we have re-ignited our passion and our love for all that is good and kind and loving and life-giving.
We have come through this Advent time with empty hearts and spirits;
Thank you God for re-energizing our lives from the inside out.
As we gather at church today, we celebrate and remember LOVE.
We celebrate the love that surrounds us here.
We celebrate the love that has carried us through our lives.
We celebrate love that is spoken,
and we celebrate love that is woven through actions and gifts.
We remember that Jesus is the primary gift:
His life and love grew out of a manger to become the light and love for our world.
His way of being is our way of being.
His connection to God is our connection to God.
His love for all is our love for all.
These tremendous gifts still leave us at a loss for words.
As we come together in worship and song,
God we pray, let us carry this love of loves, to everyone in our lives.
AMEN
*HYMN: VU #60
“O Come all ye Faithful”
1. O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem:
come and behold him, born the King of angels;
O come, let us adore him, O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord.
2. God of God, light of light,
lo, he abhors not the virgin’s womb;
very God, begotten, not created:
O come, let us adore him, O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord.
3. Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation,
sing, all ye citizens of heaven above;
glory to God in the highest:
O come, let us adore him, O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord.
4. See how the shepherds summoned to his cradle,
leaving their flocks, draw nigh with lowly fear;
we too will thither bend our joyful footsteps;
O come, let us adore him, O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord.
5. Yea, Lord, we greet thee, born this happy morning;
Jesus, to thee be glory given;
word of the Father, now in flesh appearing:
O come, let us adore him, O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord.
We Listen
A Poem for Love (Catherine of Sienna)
I want you to be a tree of love,
grafted into the Word who is love ---
a tree with its roots in deep humility.
If you are a tree of love, sweetly rooted,
you’ll find the fruit of patience and strength at the tips of your branches,
and crowned perseverance nesting within you.
You’ll find peace and quiet and consolation in suffering
when you see yourself conformed with Christ crucified.
And so, by enduring with Christ,
you’ll come with joy from much war into much peace.
Peace! Peace!
Theme Conversation
SCRIPTURE READINGS:
Isaiah 11: 1 – 9 (New International Version)
A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of might,
the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—
and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;
but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
Righteousness will be his belt
and faithfulness the sash around his waist.
The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling together;
and a little child will lead them.
The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
The infant will play near the cobra’s den,
and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.
They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
John 1: 1- 14 (New International Version)
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
RESPONSE
These words from scripture are meant to guide us, nurture us, and teach us.
Thanks be to God!
ANTHEM
“Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming”
14th Century German melody harmonized by M. Praetorius
SERMON: “Into the Silence, Just One Word”
We Respond
*HYMN: VU #64
“O Little Town of Bethlehem”
1. O little town of Bethlehem,
how still we see thee lie!
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
the silent stars go by;
yet in thy dark streets shineth
the everlasting light;
the hopes and fears of all the years
are met in thee tonight.
2. For Christ is born of Mary;
and gathered all above,
while mortals sleep, the angels keep
their watch of wondering love.
O morning stars, together
proclaim the holy birth,
and praises sing to God the King,
and peace to all on earth.
3. How silently, how silently
the wondrous gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts
the blessed gift of heaven.
No ear may hear his coming;
but in this world of sin,
where meek souls will receive him, still
the dear Christ enters in.
4. O holy child of Bethlehem,
descend to us, we pray;
cast out our sin, and enter in;
be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels
the great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us,
our Lord Emmanuel.
INVITATION to the OFFERING
We are in this place to celebrate God together. Let the gifts we give and all that we do be part of that celebration.
PRAYER of DEDICATION of OUR OFFERINGS
Loving God, we give you thanks for the grace and love you show us. As we share and give, may your love be revealed in our lives, in the lives of others, and in the world. Amen.
Donate online: www.graceunitedthornbury.ca, select “Give”
or contact the office by email: accounting@graceunitedthornbury.ca
or phone: 519-599-2438 to arrange a cheque pick-up, or an e-transfer.
Mail: Grace UC, 140 Bruce St. S. PO Box 219, Thornbury, ON N0H 2P0
or Offering Plate at the back of the sanctuary.
Tap your debit card at the door of the church, or Donate to Grace United Church through CanadaHelps.org. Our account is set up with them now and it is easy to register. Tax receipts are given automatically at the time of giving. Care, Prayer, Share
Memories and Blessing Tree
What’s up at Grace?
We Go Out
*HYMN: VU #36
“Angels from the Realms of Glory”
1. Angels, from the realms of glory,
wing your flight o’er all the earth;
ye who sang creation’s story,
now proclaim Messiah’s birth:
come and worship, come and worship,
worship Christ, the newborn King.
2. Shepherds in the field abiding,
watching o’er your flocks by night,
God with us is now residing,
yonder shines the infant Light:
come and worship, come and worship,
worship Christ, the newborn King.
3. Sages, leave your contemplations;
brighter visions beam afar;
seek the great desire of nations;
ye have seen his natal star:
come and worship, come and worship,
worship Christ, the newborn King.
4. Saints before the altar bending,
watching long in hope and fear,
suddenly the Lord, descending,
in his temple shall appear:
come and worship, come and worship,
worship Christ, the newborn King.
*COMMISSIONING
*SUNG BENEDICTION
“Go Now in Peace”
Go now in peace. Never be afraid.
God will go with you each hour of every day,
Go now in faith, steadfast, strong and true,
Know God will guide you in all you do.
Go now in love, and show you believe.
Reach out to others so all the world can see.
God will be there, *within, around, above.
Go now in peace, in faith and in love.
Amen, amen, amen.
*alternate words: watching from above
POSTLUDE
“Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire” - Robert Wells/Mel Tormé, arr. C. Burton
*****
SOURCES: The following are used with permission:
Stewardship Second & Invitation to the Offering & Prayer of dedication of our Offerings from: © 2024 The United Church of Canada/L’Église Unie du Canada. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial Share Alike License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ca. Any copy must include this notice.
Prayers written by Rev. Dr. John Greg. Smith
Catherine of Siena, quoted in Shawn Madigan’s Mystics, Visionaries and Prophets: a Historical Anthology of Women’s Spiritual Writings, Minneapolis: Fortress Press.
HYMNS and SUNG VERSES:
- “Advent’s Holy Light:” Words and music are by Joel Raney © 2024 Hope Publishing Company, all rights reserved. We have purchased the song for our use.
- “O Come All Ye Faithful:” Words: English Translation Frederick Oakeley 1841, et al, French translation Claude Rozier 1950. Music: attributed to John Francis Wade, ca. 1743. Public Domain.
- “O Little Town of Bethlehem:” Words: Phillips Brooks 1868. Music: Lewis Henry Redner 1868. Public Domain
- “Angels from the Realms on High:” Words: James Montgomery. Music: Henry Thomas Smart, alt. Descant: © 1996 Ruth Girard. Words and Music: Public Domain. Descant: Ruth Girard. One License #608577.
“- Go Now in Peace” - Words by Don Besig and Nancy Price © 1988 Harold Flammer Music, Inc. Alternate words used with permission. Reproduced with permission. One License # 608507
Scripture Readings: Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV ® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Prelude: "Pastorale" from Messiah - G.F. Handel
Anthem: “Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming:” 14th Century German melody harmonized by M. Praetorius
Postlude: “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire:” Robert Wells/Mel Tormé, arr. C. Burton
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