First Presbyterian church of Weedsport
Fourth Sunday of Advent
December 22, 2024
Rev. Brian Copeland
WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS Liturgist
PRELUDE
CALL TO WORSHIP (Responsive) Liturgist
In this weary world,
we sing of joy.
In this fragile world,
we lift each other up.
In this beautiful world,
we look for God.
In this tender world,
we hold onto hope.
This is the invitation of faith.
So in this time of worship,
may we sing, lift up, look for, and hold onto our with-us God.
With hope in our hearts, amen!
HYMN #525 Here I Am Lord
Candle Lighting Liturgy (Responsive)
One: In a weary and worn world, how do we begin again?
Where do we start?
All: Let us begin with tenderness.
Let us begin with our hearts on our sleeve. Let us begin from a place of vulnerability and hope.
Let us begin with love.
One: Yes, let us start with love.
Today we light the candles of hope, peace, joy, and love.
All: May the warmth of these lights be our cornerstone.
May the truth in these lights help us begin again.
One: May it be so! Amen.
CALL TO CONFESSION Liturgist
Friends,
Hope can feel slippery.
One moment we may believe that change will come, that good will win, that the suffering of today will not be the suffering of tomorrow.
The next moment we can receive word of more gun violence, of more mudslinging,
or yet another missile headed toward a group of humans.
Hope can feel slippery.
Fortunately for us, God’s grace is not.
No matter what we are able to hold, God is able to hold onto us.
So trusting that God’s grace does not let us go, join me in the prayer of confession:
PRAYER OF CONFESSION (Unison) Liturgist
Gracious God,
You paint pictures of what could be,
but we declare those visions impossible.
You speak of the lion lying down with the lamb,
but we spout skepticism and uncertainty.
You dream of a more just day,
but we poke holes in the plan, unable to fathom that horizon. Forgive us for losing sight of hope.
Forgive us for assuming that what we see is all there is.
Open up our hearts to see the world as you see it.
Open up our hearts to risk hope, to dream dreams,
and to not be afraid of either.
With gratitude we pray, amen.
SILENT PRAYERS OF CONFESSION MAY BE OFFERED
WORDS OF FORGIVENESS (Responsive) Liturgist
Friends,
No matter what you hold onto,
and no matter what you let slip through your hands, God is holding onto you.
That good news will never change.
So, hear and believe the good news of the Gospel:
Today is a new day.
Today, we have reason to hope. Today, we are forgiven. And the same will be true tomorrow.
Thanks be to God for a love like that. Amen.
SPECIAL MUSIC
CHILDREN’S TIME (Children may leave to go to Sunday School after Children’s Time.)
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION Liturgist
Holy God,
The stories of Advent are stories many of us have heard before. We’ve arranged the nativity scenes.
We’ve read the children’s books.
We’ve seen the movies.
We’ve sung the songs.
But as we come to your scripture this morning,
we pray: help us begin again.
Clear the distractions from our minds.
Center us in this space.
Move through the protective barriers we surround ourselves with and speak to us here and now.
We are listening. We are hopeful.
Amen.
First Scripture Reading: Micah 5:2-5a Liturgist
2But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah,
who are one of the little clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to rule in Israel,
whose origin is from of old,
from ancient days.
3Therefore he shall give them up until the time
when she who is in labor has brought forth;
then the rest of his kindred shall return
to the people of Israel.
4And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great
to the ends of the earth;
and he shall be the one of peace.
Second Scripture Reading: Luke 1:39-55 Rev. Brian Copeland
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Mary Visits Elizabeth
39 In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, 40 where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit 42 and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 43 And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? 44 For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be[a] a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”
Mary’s Song of Praise
46 And Mary[b] said, “My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has looked with favor on the lowly state of his servant.
Surely from now on all generations will call me blessed,
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name;
50 indeed, his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
52 He has brought down the powerful from their thrones
and lifted up the lowly;
53 he has filled the hungry with good things
and sent the rich away empty.
54 He has come to the aid of his child Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
55 according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”
The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Sermon Rev. Brian Copeland
Hymn #31 Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH (Unison)
We believe in a God who gives us reason to hope, a God who fills our nights with stars,
who follows winter with spring,
who dwells with and among us.
We believe that this God has dreams for creation, dreams of justice like a mighty stream
and swords that will be beaten into plowshares.
Therefore, we push cynicism aside. We risk vulnerability.
We hold onto hope,
and we declare:
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”
JOYS AND CONCERNS
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE AND THE LORD’S PRAYER
INVITATION TO THE OFFERING (Offering plates are on the front and back tables. Offering plates are not passed.)
PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING
HYMN #9 O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
CHARGE AND BLESSING
POSTLUDE
Reminders;
Dec. 24 – Christmas Eve service, 7 p.m.
Jan. 2 – Blood Drive, 1-6 p.m.
Jan. 12 – Session and Committee meetings following worship
Jan. 26 – Congregational meeting and Installation of Officers
Christmas Poinsettias
In celebration of Christmas by Mike and Lori Anna
In memory of beloved parents by Jim and Marcia Baker
In celebration of Jesus’ birth and hope, peace, and joy by Deb Dennis
In memory of Jacobus Fey by Linda Fey
In loving memory of my husband Mike by Donna Glowacki
In loving memory of Aunt Phoebe Bibbens by Donna Glowacki
In loving memory of my brother Eddy Goodwin by Donna Glowacki
In memory of Bob Hook, Charlie Kreplin, and Cliff Hickok by Amy, Jeff, Jacob, and Noah Hickok
In celebration of the true gift of Christmas, Jesus Christ, by the Rooker family
In memory of Eric Willis, Harold, Eleanor, and Roger Sturgis by Roger and Linda Willis
