First Presbyterian Church
Order of Worship

Order of Worship

December 15, 2024 - 10 a.m. EST

Prelude - Good Christian Friends, Rejoice (arr. Marcel Dupré)

Ringing of the Church Bell

Invitation to Worship
Wendy McCormick

One: Magnify the Lord who has done great things. God is mindful of the least and the last.

All: We praise the one who builds up the poor and casts down the powerful.

One: A child is coming who will turn the world upside down. Let us be like his mother and worship while we wait.

All: We worship God, who performs mighty deeds and gives voice to the outcast.

Hymn 121 - O Little Town of Bethlehem

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.

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.

How silently, how silently,
the wondrous gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts
the blessings of his 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.

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!

Lighting of the Advent Candle
Nora Carrington, Jack Fallon, and Lydia Sturgeon

God, we sometimes have a hard time looking ahead. We worry about what we have forgotten, or what we have done wrong, or what we have not done at all. Help us to let go of the past and look forward, trusting in the new things you are doing all the time. We give you thanks for the joy of this season and for all the ways we can bring joy while we wait.

Response 92 - While We Are Waiting, Come

While we are waiting, come;
While we are waiting, come;
Jesus, our Lord, Emmanuel,
While we are waiting, come.

With power and glory, come;
With power and glory, come;
Jesus, our Lord, Emmanuel,
While we are waiting, come.

Come, Savior, quickly come;
Come, Savior, quickly come;
Jesus, our Lord, Emmanuel,
While we are waiting, come.

Sharing the Peace

Welcome and Announcements

Scripture Reading - Micah 5:2-5a
J. David Rinehart, liturgist

Anthem - Cold December Flies Away (Catalonian carol, arr. Daniel Schreiner)
The Angel Choir
Joy Hire, director
Meredith Needham, piano

Word with Children
Jenni Whitford

Scripture Reading - Luke 1:26-35, 46-55

Sermon

Hymn 100 - My Soul Cries Out with a Joyful Shout

My soul cries out with a joyful shout
that the God of my heart is great,
And my spirit sings of the wondrous things
that you bring to the one who waits.
You fixed your sight on the servant’s plight,
and my weakness you did not spurn,
So from east to west shall my name be blest.
Could the world be about to turn?

My heart shall sing of the day you bring.
Let the fires of your justice burn.
Wipe away all tears,
For the dawn draws near,
And the world is about to turn.

Though I am small, my God, my all,
you work great things in me.
And your mercy will last from the depths of the past
to the end of the age to be.
Your very name puts the proud to shame,
and those who would for you yearn,
You will show your might, put the strong to flight,
for the world is about to turn.

My heart shall sing of the day you bring.
Let the fires of your justice burn.
Wipe away all tears,
For the dawn draws near,
And the world is about to turn.

From the halls of power to the fortress tower,
not a stone will be left on stone.
Let the king beware for your justice tears
every tyrant from his throne.
The hungry poor shall weep no more,
for the food they can never earn;
These are tables spread, ev’ry mouth be fed,
for the world is about to turn.

My heart shall sing of the day you bring.
Let the fires of your justice burn.
Wipe away all tears,
For the dawn draws near,
And the world is about to turn.

Though the nations rage from age to age,
we remember who holds us fast:
God’s mercy must deliver us
from the conqueror’s crushing grasp.
This saving word that our forbears heard
is the promise that holds us bound,
’Til the spear and rod be crushed by God,
who is turning the world around.

My heart shall sing of the day you bring.
Let the fires of your justice burn.
Wipe away all tears,
For the dawn draws near,
And the world is about to turn.

Affirmation of Faith (unison)

My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my savior. For God looks favorable on the lowly. The mighty one has done great things for me, and holy is his name. God’s mercy is for those who stand in awe of him from generation to generation. God shows strength and scatters the proud in the imaginations of their hearts. God brings down the powerful and lifts up the lowly. God fills the hungry with good things and sends the rich away empty. This is our God. Amen.

Prayers of the People

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 debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

Offering

Offertory - ’Twas in the Moon of Wintertime (arr. Thomas Keesecker)

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Response 144 (v. 4) - In the Bleak Midwinter

What can I give him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb.
If I were a wise man, I would do my part;
Yet what can I give him: give my heart.

Prayer of Dedication

Hymn 146 - Gentle Mary Laid Her Child

Gentle Mary laid her child
lowly in a manger;
there he lay, the undefiled,
to the world a stranger.
Such a babe in such a place,
can he be the Savior?
Ask the saved of all the race
who have found his favor.

Angels sang about his birth;
wise men sought and found him;
Heaven’s star shone brightly forth,
glory all around him.
Shepherds saw the wondrous sight,
heard the angels singing;
all the plains were lit that night;
all the hills were ringing.

Gentle Mary laid her child
lowly in a manger;
he is still the undefiled,
but no more a stranger.
Son of God, of humble birth,
beautiful the story;
praise his name in all the earth;
hail the King of glory!

Charge and Benediction

Postlude - Angels We Have Heard on High (arr. Wayne L. Wold)
Philip Everingham

Permission to podcast/stream the music in this service has been obtained from ONE LICENSE with license A-722069.