First Sunday after Christmas, December 29
“A Young John Wesley (1703–1791), Preaching” - John Russell
Join us as we reaffirm our baptismal covenant in a traditional Wesley liturgy. Pastor Peter will lead the service.
Our Adult Choir and Praise Team are taking the week off after their busy time preparing for Christmas Eve, so music this week will feature Elizabeth Miller on organ and a solo rendition of “All is Well” from Wesley Vaughn. We will sing songs of good cheer from the hymnal, including “Sing We Now of Christmas” and “Go, Tell It on the Mountain.”
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Order of Worship
Prelude: “Joy to the World” - arr. Held; Elizabeth Miller, organ
Invocation
Leader: We gather in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
All: Amen.
Confession
Leader: Scripture attests that if we say we have no sin, then we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, God who is faithful and just will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
All: Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole hearts; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.
Absolution
Leader: Almighty God in his mercy has given us his Son to die for you and on account of Christ forgives all your sins. As a called and ordained servant of Christ, and by his authority alone, I declare unto you the entire forgiveness of all your sins in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Enjoy your forgiveness!
Opening Hymn: “Sing We Now of Christmas” - United Methodist Hymnal #237
Sing we now of Christmas, Noel, sing we here!
Hear our grateful praises to the babe so dear.
Sing we Noel, the King is born, Noel!
Sing we now of Christmas, sing we now Noel!
Angels called to shepherds, "Leave your flocks at rest,
Journey forth to Bethlehem, find the child so blest."
Sing we Noel, the King is born, Noel!
Sing we now of Christmas, sing we now Noel!
In Bethlehem they found him; Joseph and Mary mild,
Seated by the manger, watching the holy child.
Sing we Noel, the King is born, Noel!
Sing we now of Christmas, sing we now Noel!
From the eastern country came the kings afar,
Bearing gifts to Bethlehem, guided by a star.
Sing we Noel, the King is born, Noel!
Sing we now of Christmas, sing we now Noel!
Gold and myrrh they took there, gifts of greatest price;
There was never a stable so like paradise.
Sing we Noel, the King is born, Noel!
Sing we now of Christmas, sing we now Noel!
New Year’s Prayer
O God, Searcher of all our hearts, you have formed us as a people and claimed us for your own. As we come to acknowledge your sovereignty and grace, and to enter anew into covenant with you, reveal any reluctance or falsehood within us. Let your Spirit impress your truth on our inmost being, and receive us in mercy, for the sake of our Mediator, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Announcements
Reaffirmation of the Baptismal Covenant
Leader: Brothers and sisters in Christ: through the Sacrament of Baptism, we are initiated into Christ’s holy Church. We are incorporated into God’s mighty acts of salvation and given new birth through water and the Spirit. All this is God’s gift, offered to us without price. Through the reaffirmation of our faith we renew the covenant declared at our baptism, acknowledge what God is doing for us, and affirm our commitment to Christ’s holy Church. On behalf of the whole Church, I ask you: Do you renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness, reject the evil powers of this world, and repent of your sin?
People: I do.
Leader: Do you accept the freedom and power God gives you to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves?
People: I do.
Leader: Do you confess Jesus Christ as your Savior, put your whole trust in his grace, and promise to serve him as your Lord, in union with the Church which Christ has opened to people of all ages, nations, and races?
People: I do.
Leader: According to the grace given to you, will you remain faithful members of Christ’s holy Church and serve as Christ’s representatives in the world?
People: I will.
Leader: Let us join together in professing the Christian faith as contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. Do you believe in God the Father?
People: I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
Leader: Do you believe in Jesus Christ?
People: I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, is seated at the right hand of the Father, and will come again to judge the living and the dead.
Leader: Do you believe in the Holy Spirit?
People: I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.
Thanksgiving Over the Water
Leader: The Lord be with you.
People: And also with you.
Leader: Eternal Father: When nothing existed but chaos, you swept across the dark waters and brought forth light. In the days of Noah you saved those on the ark through water. After the flood you set in the clouds a rainbow. When you saw your people as slaves in Egypt, you led them to freedom through the sea. Their children you brought through the Jordan to the land which you promised.
People: Sing to the Lord, all the earth. Tell of God’s mercy each day.
Leader: In the fullness of time you sent Jesus, nurtured in the water of a womb. He was baptized by John and anointed by your Spirit. He called his disciples to share in the baptism of his death and resurrection and to make disciples of all nations.
People: Declare Christ’s works to the nations, his glory among all the people.
Leader: Pour out your Holy Spirit, and by this gift of water call to our remembrance the grace declared to us in our baptism. For you have washed away our sins, and you clothe us with righteousness throughout our lives, that dying and rising with Christ we may share in his final victory.
People: All praise to you, Eternal Father, through your Son Jesus Christ, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns for ever. Amen.
Offering of the People; Offertory: “Greensleeves” - arr. Vaughan Williams; Elizabeth Miller, organ
Doxology: Hymnal #94
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise him, 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!
Prayer of Dedication
Our Father, accept these gifts of our commitment. Use the money to work your good will for the world. Let your Spirit hallow our work just as you hallow the bread and the wine; that in the use for which we bring them, they may be true signs of your gift of new life to us, and of our offering to you of our bodies and hopes.
As the grain was scattered upon the mountains and is gathered into one loaf, gather your church from the corners of earth to your one kingdom. And as the cup is one cup poured for all, pour us out as one gift to the world. In his name who is your gift and our hope, to be one God with you and the Spirit we here invoke, now and forever. Amen.
Scripture Reading: Luke 2:41-52
Now every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. 42And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival. 43When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. 44Assuming that he was in the group of travelers, they went a day’s journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends. 45When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. 46After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48When his parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, ‘Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.’ 49He said to them, ‘Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?’ 50But they did not understand what he said to them. 51Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart.
52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor.
Sermon: Rev. Peter Kwon
Response to the Word: “All is Well” - Hayes; Wesley Vaughn, solo
Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper
Invitation to the Table
The Peace
Leader: Therefore, as pardoned people of God let us exchange signs of peace with one another.
Preface and Sanctus
Leader: The Lord be with you.
People: And also with you.
Leader: Lift up your hearts.
People: We lift them to the Lord.
Leader: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
People: It is right to give our thanks and praise.
Leader: It is indeed right and salutary that we should at all times and in all places offer thanks and praise to you, O Lord, Holy Father, through Christ our Lord. And so, with the Church on earth and the whole company of heaven, we praise your name and join their unending hymn…
All: Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest!
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest!
Words of Institution
The Ministry of the Church
All: Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
The Lord’s Prayer
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, for ever and ever. Amen.
Distribution
Communion Music: “Still, Still, Still” - Biery; Elizabeth Miller, organ
Closing Hymn: “Go, Tell It on the Mountain” - United Methodist Hymnal #251
Go, tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere;
Go, tell it on the mountain, that Jesus Christ is born.
While shepherds kept their watching o'er silent flocks by night,
Behold throughout the heavens there shown a holy light.
Go, tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere;
Go, tell it on the mountain, that Jesus Christ is born.
The shepherds feared and trembled, when lo! above the earth,
Rang out the angel chorus that hailed the Savior’s birth.
Go, tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere;
Go, tell it on the mountain, that Jesus Christ is born.
Down in a lowly manger the humble Christ was born,
And God sent us salvation that blessed Christmas morn.
Go, tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere;
Go, tell it on the mountain, that Jesus Christ is born.
The Blessing
Postlude: “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” - arr. Burkhardt; Elizabeth Miller, organ