Sunday Dec. 1, 2024

Joy To the World

Verse 1

Joy to the world the Lord is come

Let earth receive her King

Let ev'ry heart prepare Him room

And heav'n and nature sing

And heav'n and heav'n and nature sing

Verse 2

Joy to the earth the Savior reigns

Let men their songs employ

While fields and floods

Rocks hills and plains

Repeat the sounding joy

Repeat repeat the sounding joy

Verse 3

No more let sins and sorrows grow

Nor thorns infest the ground

He comes to make His blessings flow

Far as the curse is found

Far as far as the curse is found

Verse 4

He rules the world with truth and grace

And makes the nations prove

The glories of His righteousness

And wonders of His love

And wonders wonders of His love

Advent Candle Lighting: Hope

Isaiah 9

Reader 1:

The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned.

Reader 2:

For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given,
    and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called...

1. Wonderful Counselor

2. Mighty God,

3. Everlasting Father

4. Prince of Peace.

Songs

O Come All ye Faithful

Verse 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

Chorus 1

O come let us adore Him

Christ the Lord

Verse 2

Sing choirs of angels

Sing in exultation

O sing all ye bright

Hosts of heav'n above

Glory to God all

Glory in the highest

Verse 3

Yea Lord we greet Thee

Born this happy morning

Jesus to Thee be all glory giv'n

Word of the Father

Now in flesh appearing

O Holy Night

O holy night the stars are brightly shining
It is the night of our dear Saviour's birth
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
Till He appeared
And the soul felt its worth

The thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
And yonder breaks a new and glorious morn

Fall on your knees
Oh hear the angel voices
O night divine
O night when Christ was born
O night divine
O night O night divine

Truly He taught us to love one another
His law is love and His gospel is peace
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother
And in His name
All oppression shall cease

Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we
Let all within us praise His holy name

Christ is the Lord
Oh praise His name forever
His power and glory
Evermore proclaim
His power and glory
Evermore proclaim

Fall on your knees
Oh hear the angel voices
O night
O night when Christ was born
O night divine
O night O night divine

O Come O Come Emmanuel

Verse 1

O come O come Emmanuel

And ransom captive Israel

That mourns in lonely exile here

Until the Son of God appear

Chorus 1

Rejoice rejoice Emmanuel

Shall come to thee O Israel

Verse 2

O come Thou Dayspring come and cheer

Our spirits by Thine advent here

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night

And death's dark shadows put to flight

Verse 3

O come Thou Wisdom from on high

And order all things far and nigh

To us the path of knowledge show

And cause us in her ways to go

Verse 4

O come Desire of nations bind

All peoples in one heart and mind

Bid envy strife and quarrels cease

Fill the whole world with heaven's peace

Teaching:

Ruth 1

1 In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land, and a certain man of Bethlehem in Judah went to live in the country of Moab, he and his wife and two sons. 2 The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion; they were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there. 3 But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4 These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. When they had lived there about ten years, 5 both Mahlon and Chilion also died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband.

6 Then she started to return with her daughters-in-law from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the country of Moab that the Lord had considered his people and given them food. 7 So she set out from the place where she had been living, she and her two daughters-in-law, and they went on their way to go back to the land of Judah. 8 But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back each of you to your mother’s house. May the Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me.9 The Lord grant that you may find security, each of you in the house of your husband.” Then she kissed them, and they wept aloud. 10 They said to her, “No, we will return with you to your people.” 11 But Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters. Why will you go with me? Do I still have sons in my womb that they may become your husbands? 12 Turn back, my daughters, go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. Even if I thought there was hope for me, even if I should have a husband tonight and bear sons, 13 would you then wait until they were grown? Would you then refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, it has been far more bitter for me than for you, because the hand of the Lord has turned against me.” 14 Then they wept aloud again. Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her.

15 So she said, “Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” 16 But Ruth said,

“Do not press me to leave you,
    to turn back from following you!
Where you go, I will go;
    where you lodge, I will lodge;
your people shall be my people
    and your God my God.
17 Where you die, I will die,
    and there will I be buried.
May the Lord do thus to me,
    and more as well,
if even death parts me from you!”

18 When Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more to her.

19 So the two of them went on until they came to Bethlehem. When they came to Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them, and the women said, “Is this Naomi?” 20 She said to them,

“Call me no longer Naomi;
    call me Mara,
    for the Almighty has dealt bitterly with me.
21 I went away full,
    but the Lord has brought me back empty;
why call me Naomi
    when the Lord has dealt harshly with me
    and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?”

22 So Naomi returned together with Ruth the Moabite, her daughter-in-law, who came back with her from the country of Moab. They came to Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.

Communion:

Head up to the front to take communion.
Return to your seat and reflect on the following questions:
- What areas of life do you need to be more honest with God? Where do you need his hope?

Benediction:

Move among us, Spirit,
and gather us together with you.
Take our many selves—
our lives, our loves, our ideas,
our questions, our speech, our silence—
and unite us as your people.
Give us the gifts of presence, transformation and guidance,
so that even as we dream your dreams and see your visions,
we may be able to witness to your presence
in our common life.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.—(2 Corinthians 13:14)

Amen.

Jared KingNovember 30, 2024