PROVIDENCE CHURCH

December 18, 2022

 

Welcome

Passing of the Peace: Though we are separated by distance our hearts are one in Christ. The peace of Christ be with you!  And also with you!

 

Lighting of the Advent Candle

 

Doxology

Praise God from whom all blessings flow,

Praise him all creatures here below,

Praise him above, ye heavenly host;

Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

Amen

 

Carol of the Children (John Rutter) – Children’s’ Musical Offering

One for the star in the sky over Bethlehem;

Two for the hands that will rock him to sleep;

Three for the kings bringing gold, bringing myrrh, bringing incense;

Four for the angels that watch over his bedside.

 

Blue for the robe of the sweet Virgin Mary;

White for the dawn of the first Christmas Day;

Red for the blood that he shed for us all on Good Friday;

Black for the tomb where he rested till Easter.

 

Lullaby! See Jesus asleep;

Angels and shepherds their watch on him keep:

Lullaby! He soon will awake,

For the oxen are stirring and morning will break.

 

One for the star in the sky over Bethlehem;

Two for the hands that will rock him to sleep;

Three for the kings bringing gold, bringing myrrh, bringing incense;

Four for the angels that watch over his bedside.

 

And one for the heart,

one for the heart,

One for the heart that I give as my offering to Jesus.

 

Call to Worship:   Isaiah 40:3-8

Leader:  A voice cries:   In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;

make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

 

Congregation:  Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low;

the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain.

 

Leader: And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together,

for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

 

Congregation:  A voice says, “Cry!”  And I said, “What shall I cry?”

All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field.

 

Leader:  The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the Lord blows on it;

surely the people are grass.

 

All:  The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.

 

Songs of Praise:

It Came Upon a Midnight Clear (Edmund Sears, 1850; tune Richard Willis, 1850) (#200)

It came upon a midnight clear, that glorious song of old,

From angels bending near the earth to touch their harps of gold:

“Peace on the earth, good will to men, from heav’n’s all-gracious King”;

The world in solemn stillness lay to hear the angels sing.

 

And ye, beneath life’s crushing load, whose forms are bending low,

Who toil along the climbing way with painful steps and slow,

Look now! For glad and golden hours come swiftly on the wing:

O rest beside the weary road, and hear the angels sing.

 

For lo, the days are hastening on, by prophet bards foretold,

When with the ever-circling years comes round the age of gold;

When peace shall over all the earth its ancient splendors fling,

And the whole world give back the song which now the angels sing.

 

Away in A Manger (Anon., Philadelphia, 1885; tune W. Kirkpatrick, 1895) (#204)

Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,

The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head;

The stars in the sky looked down where he lay,

The little Lord Jesus, asleep on the hay.

 

The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes,

But little Lord Jesus no crying he makes;

I love thee, Lord Jesus! Look down from the sky,

And stay by my cradle till morning is nigh.

 

Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask thee to stay

Close by me forever, and love me, I pray;

Bless all the dear children in thy tender care,

And fit us for heaven, to live with thee there.

 

Infant Holy, Infant Lowly (Polish carol) (#216)

Infant holy, infant lowly, for his bed a cattle stall;

Oxen lowing, little knowing Christ the babe, is Lord of all.

Swift are winging, angels singing, noels ringing, tidings bringing:

Christ the babe is Lord of all, Christ the babe is Lord of all.

 

Flocks were sleeping: shepherds keeping vigil till the morning new

saw the glory, heard the story, tidings of a gospel true.

Thus rejoicing, free from sorrow, praises voicing, greet the morrow:

Christ the babe was born for you, Christ the babe was born for you.

 

 

Confession/Assurance       

 

 

Respond in Praise: 

 

Song of Mary (Choir) (Patricia Mock & Faye Lopez, lyrics; Music by Fay Lopez, incorporating Rachmaninoff’s “Vocalise”)

My soul exalts the Lord, my God,

And my spirit rejoices in praise to God my Savior.

For He has chosen me, the handmaid of the Lord.

 

Age to age generations will call me blessed,

For the favor the Mighty One has shown to His servant,

For He has honored me, the handmaid of the Lord.

 

In His goodness, His kind compassion,

He sends the Promised One the vow to pay.

In remembrance of His great mercy,

The Holy One has done great things for me,

O magnify His holy name.

 

My soul magnifies the Lord, my God,

And my spirit rejoices in praise to God my Savior.

For He has chosen me, the handmaid of the Lord. Amen.

 

 

 

Scripture Reading:    Luke 1:26-38

 

Birth of Jesus Foretold

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary.   And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”   But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.   And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.   And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.   He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.  And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

 

And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

 

And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.   And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.   For nothing will be impossible with God.”   And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

 

This is the Word of the Lord.   Thanks be to God!

Sermon:     “Angels Pointing the Way”                       Rev Rick Sawyer                                                                                                 

 

Hymn of Dedication

Angels We Have Heard on High (Traditional French carol) (#214)

Angels we have heard on high, sweetly singing o’er the plains,

And the mountains in reply echo back their joyous strains.

Glo—ria in excelsis Deo,

Glo—ria in excelsis Deo.

 

Shepherds, why this jubilee? Why your joyous strains prolong?

Say what the glad tidings be, which inspire your heav’nly song?

Glo—ria in excelsis Deo,

Glo—ria in excelsis Deo.

 

Come to Bethlehem and see him whose birth the angels sing;

Come, adore on bended knee Christ the Lord, the newborn King.

Glo—ria in excelsis Deo,

Glo—ria in excelsis Deo.

 

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 debts as we forgive our debtors.

Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil:

for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory.  Amen

 

Hymn of Thanksgiving

The First Noel (Traditional English carol)

The first Noel, the angel did say,

was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay;

In fields where they lay keeping their sheep,

on a cold winter’s night that was so deep.

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,

Born is the King of Israel.

 

They look-ed up and saw a star

shining in the east, beyond them far;

And to the earth it gave great light,

and so it continued both day and night.

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,

Born is the King of Israel.

 

Then let us all with one accord

sing praises to our heav’nly Lord,

that hath made heav’n and earth of naught,

and with his blood mankind hath bought.

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,

Born is the King of Israel.

 

Benediction 

 

KNOW

Welcome to Providence Church! We are glad that you are here, joining us in person or via Zoom!.

Sunday School:   Adult and Youth Sunday School is at 11:15. Paula Rhodarmer will be teaching.   Will/Christina are leading a study in Exodus.  Children’s Sunday School – K-3 downstairs and 4-6 upstairs at the end of the hall.

Fellowship Time: Between the end of our worship service and before SS

Children of all ages are invited to participate in the entire service of worship.  Childcare for children up to 6 years of age, in our downstairs Christian Ed wing (on the left) at the end of the hallway.

Giving: Have you ever wondered why we don’t “pass the plate” at Providence? It starts with the meaning of our name and the heart we have. Providence means that God is ordering and providing everything we need. Our heart is a response of gratitude for God’s provision, first in the Incarnation and second, in the new life we have in Christ because of His death and resurrection. We believe that God “will supply all our needs according to His riches in glory”. And so we leave it to the Holy Spirit to move on the hearts of our people to share God’s abundance in their lives, also in the life of the community of God’s people: the church. As this year comes to a close, consider God’s goodness and abundance to you and share that in the advancement of the gospel through the local church.

Year-End Giving:  Year-end giving for the 2022 calendar year will be available via the  offering plate through December 26th.  Year-end giving for 2022 via the mail must be postmarked December 31st or before to count towards 2022 givings.  Year-end giving can also be dropped off at Bruce Kingshill’s office before December 31st to count towards 2022  givings. Please turn in any reimbursement requests to Linda by December 26th.

Christmas Eve Service:  December 24 at 5pm

Christmas Day Service:  December 25 at 9:45am,  no Sunday School

New Year’s Day Service: January 1, 2023 at 9:45am, no Sunday School

 

 

GROW

Women’s Prayer Group – 10:15am Tuesday mornings, contact Linda Roberts,  828) 506-3101

Men’s Prayer Group – 6:45am Thursday mornings, contact Sam Mitchell,        (828) 734-1392

 

GO

Prayer Requests:    Let’s remember and pray for people struggling with grief and depression, especially during Christmas.

For Mercy and Grace:  Bill Silverthorne, Robbie Hargrove

Praise:  LuAnn is recovering well