"Go to the Light"

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BULLETIN FOR STREAMING SERVICE

PRAYER FOR PEACE  |||  Peace Prayer of Saint Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace: where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.  O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.

PRELUDE  |||  Behold, Rise Up, Go Tell!  |||  Mark Hayes  |||  (based on three Christmas spirituals.)

*CALL TO CONTINUING WORSHIP   |||  based on Psalm 67:1-4

Let God grant us grace and bless us;

let God make his face shine on us,

so that your way becomes known on earth,

so that your salvation becomes known among all the nations.

Let the people thank you, God!

let all the people thank you!

Let the people celebrate

and shout with joy because you judge the nations fairly and guide all nations on the earth.

*HYMN 150  |||  As With Gladness Men of Old   |||  Dix

*PRAYER OF CONFESSION

Merciful God, we confess that we have not loved you with our whole heart. We have failed to be an obedient church. We have not done your will, we have broken your law, we have rebelled against your love. We have not loved our neighbors, and we have refused to hear the cry of the needy. Forgive us, we pray. Free us for joyful obedience; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

     (silent prayer)

Amen. 

*DECLARATION OF FORGIVENESS

Hear the good news! Who is in a position to condemn? Only Christ, and Christ died for us, Christ rose for us, Christ reigns in power for us, Christ prays for us. Anyone who is in Christ is a new creation. The old life has gone; a new life has begun.

In Jesus Christ we are forgiven. Thanks be to God!

*THE GLORIA 

MOMENT WITH OUR CHILDREN  |||  Rev. Dudley J. Elvery

WELCOME AND CHURCH COMMUNICATIONS

WE HEAR GOD’S WORD

PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION

FIRST SCRIPTURE READING  |||  Jeremiah 31:7-14  |||   CEB

⁷The Lord proclaims: Sing joyfully for the people of Jacob; shout for the leading nation. Raise your voices with praise and call out: “The Lord has saved his people, the remaining few in Israel!” ⁸I’m going to bring them back from the north; I will gather them from the ends of the earth. Among them will be the blind and the disabled, expectant mothers and those in labor; a great throng will return here. ⁹With tears of joy they will come; while they pray, I will bring them back. I will lead them by quiet streams and on smooth paths so they don’t stumble. I will be Israel’s father, Ephraim will be my oldest child. ¹⁰Listen to the Lord’s word, you nations, and announce it to the distant islands: The one who scattered Israel will gather them and keep them safe, as a shepherd his flock. ¹¹The Lord will rescue the people of Jacob and deliver them from the power of those stronger than they are. ¹²They will come shouting for joy on the hills of Zion, jubilant over the Lord’s gifts: grain, wine, oil, flocks, and herds. Their lives will be like a lush garden; they will grieve no more. ¹³Then the young women will dance for joy; the young and old men will join in. I will turn their mourning into laughter and their sadness into joy; I will comfort them. ¹⁴I will lavish the priests with abundance and shower my people with my gifts, declares the Lord.

SPECIAL MUSIC  |||  Christ Be Our Light!   |||  Mark Hayes

SECOND SCRIPTURE READING   |||  John 1:1-18 CEB

1 In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. ²The Word was with God in the beginning. ³Everything came into being through the Word, and without the Word nothing came into being. What came into being ⁴through the Word was life, and the life was the light for all people. ⁵The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness doesn’t extinguish the light. ⁶A man named John was sent from God. ⁷He came as a witness to testify concerning the light, so that through him everyone would believe in the light. ⁸He himself wasn’t the light, but his mission was to testify concerning the light. ⁹The true light that shines on all people was coming into the world. ¹⁰The light was in the world, and the world came into being through the light, but the world didn’t recognize the light. ¹¹The light came to his own people, and his own people didn’t welcome him. ¹²But those who did welcome him, those who believed in his name, he authorized to become God’s children, ¹³born not from blood nor from human desire or passion, but born from God. ¹⁴The Word became flesh and made his home among us. We have seen his glory, glory like that of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. ¹⁵John testified about him, crying out, “This is the one of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is greater than me because he existed before me.’” ¹⁶From his fullness we have all received grace upon grace; ¹⁷as the Law was given through Moses, so grace and truth came into being through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸No one has ever seen God. God the only Son, who is at the Father’s side, has made God known.

The Word of the Lord

Thanks be to God!

SERMON  |||  "Go to the Light"  ||| Rev. Dudley J. Elvery

WE RESPOND TO GOD’S WORD

*HYMN 145   |||  What Child Is This?  |||  Greensleeves

*AFFIRMATION OF FAITH  |||  The Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic Church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting.  Amen.

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE

OFFERING OF OUR GIFTS

Just as the Magi came bearing gifts, we come bearing gifts. Just as the Magi’s gifts declared their worship of you, our gifts proclaim our devotion and worship of you. Amen.

OFFERTORY   |||   Fantasy on "We Three Kings"  |||   Patti Drennan

*DOXOLOGY 606  |||  Old Hundredth

          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.

*PRAYER OF DEDICATION

See in our gifts our loyalty to you. We commit ourselves to both show forth and work for your kingdom to come in our midst and around the world. Amen.

SEALING OF THE WORD

INVITATION TO THE LORD’S TABLE

GREAT PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING

The Lord be with you.

          And also with you.

Lift up your hearts.

          We lift them up to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

          It is right to give our thanks and praise.

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. 

WORDS OF INSTITUTION

SHARING OF THE MEAL

All who believe in Jesus Christ as Lord, regardless of age or denomination, are invited to partake in the Sacrament of Communion. 

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION

Loving God, as the Magi came to your Son, we gave come to his table today. As they left and went their way, changed people, we leave today changed and empowered as your people. Amen.

WE GO IN GOD’S NAME

*HYMN 151  |||  We Three Kings of Orient Are  |||  Kings of Orient

*PRAYER OF BLESSING  |||  from St. Patrick

We arise today through the strength of heaven;

Light of the sun, Splendor of fire,

Speed of lightning, Swiftness of the wind,

Depth of the sea, Stability of the earth,

Firmness of the rock.

We arise today through God's strength to pilot us;

God's might to uphold us, God's wisdom to guide us,

God's eye to look before us, God's ear to hear us,

God's word to speak for us, God's hand to guard us,

God's way to lie before us, God's shield to protect us,

God's hosts to save us afar and anear,

Alone or in a multitude.

Christ shield me today against wounding

Christ with me, Christ before me,

Christ behind me, Christ in me,

Christ beneath me, Christ above me,

Christ on my right, Christ on my left,

Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,

Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,

Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,

Christ in the eye that sees me, Christ in the ear that hears me.

We arise today

Through the mighty strength of the Lord of creation. Amen.

POSTLUDE   |||  Mary Ann Wenzelman   |||  David Kidwell

Rev. Dudley J. Elvery II, Interim Pastor

Mrs. Mary Ann Wenzelman, Interim Organist/Pianist

Worship Liturgist: Laura Dillman

Usher: Charlene Hansen, Bob James, Eleanor Steiner

SCRIPTURES IN WORSHIP – Next Sunday we will be reading Isaiah 43:1-7 and Luke 3:15-22.

PRAYER CHAIN – If you want prayer requests included on the prayer chain, contact Shirley Armistead at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..