Prepare for God’s party
3rd Sunday of Advent
“Rejoice always,” begins the reading from 1 Thessalonians. Isaiah and the psalmist make clear that God is turning our mourning into laughter and shouts of joy. “All God’s children got a robe,” go the words of a spiritual. It is not so much a stately, formal, pressed outfit as it is a set of party clothes, clothes we are happy to wear. We receive that robe in baptism, and in worship we gather for a foretaste of God’s party.
Worship Liturgy
WORSHIP VIDEO
Learning Resources
Watch the worship service for this week here.
Worship Liturgy
GATHERING
Prelude Sounds of Grace
Welcome Hayden
Bell Ringing
Prayer and Lighting of the Advent Wreath (Reader) for lighting three candles
Opening Song
Invocation
P: Blessed be God, Father, ☩ Son, and Holy Spirit, whose forgiveness is sure and whose steadfast love endures forever. C: Amen
P: Together let us prepare for the advent of our God. By honestly and humbly confessing that we have not lived as God desires.
Silence is kept for reflection.
P: Loving and forgiving God,
C: we confess that we are held captive by sin. In spite of our best efforts, we have gone astray. We have not welcomed the stranger; we have not loved our neighbor; we have not been Christ to one another. Restore us, O God. Wake us up and turn us from our sin. Renew us each day in the light of Christ. Amen
P: People of God, hear this glad news: by God’s endless grace your sins are forgiven, and you are free— free from all that holds you back and free to live in the peaceable realm of God. May you be strengthened in God’s love, ☩ comforted by Christ’s peace, and accompanied with the power of the Holy Spirit.
C: Amen
Prayer of the Day Pr D+
Stir up our hearts, Lord God, to prepare the way of your only Son. By his coming strengthen us to serve you with purified lives; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen
Peace
WORD
Reading – Old Testament
Gospel
Children’s Time
Message
Message Hymn
Prayers of the Faithful
Offering
SENDING
Final Blessing
Dismissal
Postlude
Readings & Psalm
Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11
Righteousness and praise flourish like a garden
Psalm 126
The Lord has done great things for us. (Ps. 126:3)
1 Thessalonians 5:16-24
Kept in faith until the coming of Christ
John 1:6-8, 19-28
A witness to the light
Artist Eric Nuzum, Integrity’s Hosanna! Music
Celebrate Holy Communion together “virtually”.
Please join with other worshipers and the pastors for this Sunday’s Communion service at 11:00 on ZOOM via computer, tablet or smart phone.
You simply need to have ready your own wine, grape juice, or apple juice as you choose, in a separate glass for each person. And have a piece of bread of your choice, or wafer, or cracker as you choose.
If you didn’t receive an email to join us this Sunday, you may find the ZOOM login information to login by entering your name and email in the green form.
Learning Resources
Learn more with the additional resources in this post. Click through this post to find the materials.
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Offerings of Thanksgiving
While we are keeping physical social distance, there are still options for you to continue bringing your offerings to God and support the ministries of Grace.
Giving Options:
- Mail a check to church address below
- Online bill pay through your bank
- Online giving – Orange button
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord!
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Acknowledgments:
We thank the following for today’s flowers: