Sunday Worship Bulletin - Fourth Church

Bulletins are posted on the day prior.

Sunday, November 30
9:30 a.m. Worship Service

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PRELUDE

Sonata II
Felix Mendelssohn
Puer Nobis Nascitur
John Behnke

INTROIT
Prepare the Way of the Lord
Richard Proulx
Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight his paths. Rejoice, the Lord is at hand! Prepare.

DOXOLOGY
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; praise God, all creatures here below; praise God above, ye heavenly host; Creator, Christ, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

CALL TO WORSHIP
One: We gather in preparation
All: for good news is about to be proclaimed.
One: We gather in anticipation
All: for the days of joy are surely coming.
One: We gather in expectation
All: for we are a people of hope.

HYMN

“Comfort, Comfort Now My People”

“Comfort, comfort now my people; tell of peace!” So says our God. “Comfort those who sit in darkness mourning under sorrow’s load. To my people now proclaim that my pardon waits for them! Tell them that their sins I cover, and their warfare now is over.”

For the herald’s voice is crying in the desert far and near, calling us to true repentance, since the reign of God is here. O, that warning cry obey! Now prepare for God a way. Let the valleys rise in meeting and the hills bow down in greeting.

Straight shall be what long was crooked, and the rougher places plain. Let your hearts be true and humble, as befits God’s holy reign. For the glory of the Lord now on earth is shed abroad, and all flesh shall see the token that God’s word is never broken.

PRAYER OF CONFESSION

Holy One, in the coming of Jesus you call us to trust in your promises before they are fully revealed. Yet truthfully we trust in what we can see and experience now. We silence visions that go beyond current thoughts and trends. Instead, we turn toward cynicism, ready for every calamity but unable to see glimmers of the possible. Or we turn to false positivity to insulate ourselves from the suffering of others. Help us, O God, to avoid these hazards. Fill us with the hope that comes from waiting faithfully on you. Now, in silence, we share with you the sin we hold in our hearts and open ourselves to the gift of your consolation . . .

LIGHTING OF THE ADVENT WREATH

HYMN
“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”

O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel, that mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

DECLARATION OF PARDON
One: Friends, believe the good news.
All: In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.

SHARING THE PEACE OF CHRIST
Leader: The peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
People: And also with you.

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TIME WITH CHILDREN

WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

ANTHEM
“E’en So, Lord Jesus, Quickly Come”
Paul Manz
Peace be to you and grace from him who freed us from our sins; who loved us all and shed his blood that we might saved be. Sing Holy, Holy to our Lord, the Lord, Almighty God, who was and is and is to come; sing Holy, Holy Lord. Rejoice in heaven, all ye that dwell within. Rejoice on earth, ye saints below, for Christ is coming, is coming soon, for Christ is coming soon. E’en so Lord Jesus, quickly come and night shall be no more They need no light nor lamp nor sun, for Christ will be their all!

FIRST LESSON
Psalm 122

I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!” Our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem. Jerusalem—built as a city that is bound firmly together. To it the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord. For there the thrones for judgment were set up, the thrones of the house of David. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you. Peace be within your walls, and security within your towers.” For the sake of my relatives and friends I will say, “Peace be within you.” For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your good.

One: The Word of God for the people of God.
All: Thanks be to God.

GLORIA PATRI
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost: as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Amen.

SECOND LESSON
Matthew 24:36–44

But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.

SERMON
Camille Cook Howe

HYMN

“People, Look East”

People, look east. The time is near of the crowning of the year. Make your house fair as you are able; trim the hearth and set the table. People, look east and sing today: Love, the Guest, is on the way.

Furrows, be glad. Though earth is bare, one more seed is planted there. Give up your strength the seed to nourish, that in course the flower may flourish. People, look east and sing today: Love, the Rose, is on the way.

Birds, though you long have ceased to build, guard the nest that must be filled. Even the hour when wings are frozen God for fledging time has chosen. People, look east and sing today: Love, the Bird, is on the way.

Stars, keep the watch. When night is dim one more light the bowl shall brim, shining beyond the frosty weather, bright as sun and moon together. People, look east and sing today: Love, the Star, is on the way.

Angels, announce with shouts of mirth Christ who brings new life to earth. Set every peak and valley humming with the word, the Lord is coming. People, look east and sing today: Love, the Lord, is on the way.

AFFIRMATION OF FAITH

from A Brief Affirmation of Faith (PCUSA)

We trust in Jesus Christ, fully human, fully God. Jesus proclaimed the reign of God: preaching good news to the poor and release to the captives, teaching by word and deed and blessing the children, healing the sick and binding up the brokenhearted, eating with outcasts, forgiving sinners, and calling all to repent and believe the gospel. Unjustly condemned for blasphemy and sedition, Jesus was crucified, suffering the depths of human pain and giving his life for the sins of the world. God raised this Jesus from the dead, vindicating his sinless life, breaking the power of sin and evil, delivering us from death to life eternal.

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

Gifts supporting the ministry and mission of Fourth Church can be made online

OFFERTORY ANTHEM
“In the Beginning Was the Word”
Rosephanye Powell
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

OFFERTORY RESPONSE
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 I can I give him: give my heart.

PRAYER OF DEDICATION
God of our future, we wait with anticipation for the coming of your Son. Yet we know you have already promised and given us abundance. Through our offering may we love generously, enabling the vulnerable to live well. And may we prepare our world for the arrival of your reign. Amen.

HYMN

“Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus”

Come, thou long-expected Jesus, born to set thy people free; from our fears and sins release us; let us find our rest in thee.

Israel’s strength and consolation, hope of all the earth thou art; dear desire of every nation, joy of every longing heart.

Born thy people to deliver, born a child and yet a king, born to reign in us forever, now thy gracious kingdom bring.

By thine own eternal Spirit rule in all our hearts alone; by thine all-sufficient merit raise us to thy glorious throne.

CHARGE AND BENEDICTION

CHORAL BENEDICTION

God Be with You Till We Meet Again
Ralph Vaughan Williams

POSTLUDE
Fanfare
C. S. Lang

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