Worship service for December 5, 2021

ADVENT SUNDAY 2

Dare to imagine God’s Peace and Embrace

Prelude

Comfort, comfort Ye My People (arr. Robert J. Powell)

Cold December Flies Away (Busarow) —Verlene Garber, organ

In Dulci Jubilo (Rucker)

Ding, Dong, Merrily on High (DeWitt)— Chancel Bells, Verlene Garber, director

*Hymn—O Come, O Come, Immanuel— Verses 1, 4, 6, 7—VT 210

Gathering

Land Acknowledgement— Ada Schmidt-Tieszen

Welcome and Call to Worship

Introit—Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord—Matthew Schloneger

Advent Candle Lighting— Adah Hodge

       Leader:         We light a candle of peace.

                              And we imagine:

       People:         God’s tender mercy, God’s compassion.

        Leader:        We light the candle of peace and know God’s embrace of peace.

*Hymn— Hope is a Candle (verses 1,2)—VT 211

Confession and Assurance

*Hymn—Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus—VT 218

Hearing God’s Word

Children’s Conversation—Carol Flickinger

Scripture—Luke 3:1-6; Philippians 1:3-11

Special Music—Comfort Ye (The Messiah)—Handel—Matthew Schloneger

Sermon—Embraced as a Child—Nathan Koontz

Responding

*Hymn of Response—Come and Fill Our Hearts—VT 52

Prayers of God’s People

*Sending Song—For the Healing of the Nations—VT 705

Benediction

Postlude—O Come, O Come Immanuel (arr. Robert Ivy)—Chancel Bells

Thank you to the Worship Decoration Committee:  Judy Friesen, Kathy Stucky, Susie Swartley, and Brenda Turner

The Advent Candle Lighting reading and the Confession and Assurance is from Leader Magazine, Mennonite Church USA

The bulletin cover is from SALT Project Inc.  SALT is a not-for-profit production company dedicated to the craft of visual storytelling.

Land Acknowledgement compiled by Florence Schloneger from words by Mark Charles and VT #878 

As we do on the first Sunday of each month,  

  we acknowledge that we worship  

  on the land of the Kanza, Osage, and Wichita.   

We thank them for their care and respect for this land      

  and acknowledge the injustice of their forced removal. 

We ask the Spirit to heal our histories 

  and find new paths of right relationships with them 

  and all of creation.