PRELUDE
Call to Worship Herman Bavinck
Pastor: The spiritual and eternal
clothed itself in the form of
the natural and temporal.
People: God Himself, Elohim,
Creator of Heaven and
Earth,
Pastor: The Lord Himself, Yahweh,
God of the covenant,
People: Came down to the level of
the creature, entered into
history,
Pastor: Assumed human language,
emotions, and forms,
in order to communicate
Himself, with all His
spiritual blessings, to
humans.
All: And so to prepare for His
incarnation, his permanent
and eternal indwelling in
humanity, let us open our
hearts and make straight the
Way. Amen.◆
PRAYER of INVOCATION From Rev 22:1-2
SONG of ADORATION
“Angels from the Realms of Glory” CH#259
ADVENT READING
Mimi Russell & Debra Dawsey
This week, we light the Candle of Joy and read from Isaiah 35:1-10
The desert and the parched land will be glad;
the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.
Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom;
it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,
the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;
they will see the glory of the Lord,
the splendor of our God.
Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way;
say to those with fearful hearts,
“Be strong, do not fear; your God will come,
He will come with vengeance; with divine retribution
He will come to save you.”
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened
and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
Then will the lame leap like a deer,
and the mute tongue shout for joy.
Water will gush forth in the wilderness
and streams in the desert.
The burning sand will become a pool,
the thirsty ground bubbling springs.
In the haunts where jackals once lay,
grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.
And a highway will be there;
it will be called the Way of Holiness;
it will be for those who walk on that Way.
The unclean will not journey on it;
wicked fools will not go about on it.
No lion will be there, nor any ravenous beast;
they will not be found there.
But only the redeemed will walk there,
and those the Lord has rescued will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;
everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away.
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Confession & Assurance
SONG of INVITATION
God rest ye merry, gentlemen, let nothing you dismay,
Remember Christ our Savior was born on Christmas Day
To save us all from Satan’s pow’r when we were gone astray.
O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy;
O tidings of comfort and joy.
In Bethlehem, in Judah, this blessed Babe was born,
And laid within a manger upon this blessed morn;
That with His mother Mary, did nothing take in scorn
O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy;
O tidings of comfort and joy.
From God our heavenly Father a blessed angel came
And unto certain shepherds brought tidings of the same;
How that in Bethlehem was born the Son of God by name.
O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy;
O tidings of comfort and joy.
Now to the Lord sing praises all you within this place,
And with true love and brotherhood each other now embrace
This holy tide of Christmas all other doth deface.
PRAYER of CONFESSION
William Wilberforce
Pastor: Dear God, we cast ourselves
at the foot of the cross,
bewailing our exceeding
sinfulness and unprofit-
ableness.
People: We are deeply, most deeply
troubled, especially in
light of Your abundant
mercies.
Pastor: We plead Your precious
promises, and earnestly
pray to You to shed abroad
in our hearts:
People: More love, more humility,
more faith, more hope,
more peace and joy;
Pastor: In short, to fill us with all
the fullness of God, and
make us worthy partakers of
the inheritance of the saints
in light. Then we shall also
be more faithful in all the
relations of this life, in
which we are now so
defective,
All: And our light will shine
before men, and we shall
adorn the doctrine of our
Savior in all things.
Amen.◆
ASSURANCE of PARDON
Hear these words of comfort, spoken through Ezekiel 36:25-27:
“I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleanness, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes.”
Let the story of our Lord’s incarnation remind you that our God does not desire the death of the wicked, but that we repent and be made new. Let the story of his crucifixion and resurrection assure you that IT IS FINISHED—your sins are forgiven and you stand now, washed clean, in the presence of your Lord. Amen. ◆
Life of Worship
PROFESSION of FAITH The Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended into hell.
On the third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
From there shall he come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy Church universal,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen. ◆
OFFERING
DOXOLOGY
PRAYER of DEDICATION
CHILDREN’S CATECHISM
Q29. How can we be saved?
A: Only by faith in Jesus Christ and in His substitutionary
atoning death on the cross.
From The New City Catechism for Kids, ©2018 Crossway Books. Used with permission
PASSING of the PEACE
(Children age 3 through grade 5 may go to Judson Kids.)
PRAYER of INTERCESSION
THE LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father which art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done in 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. ◆
Ministry of the Word
SERMON “Feeble Hands” Isaiah 35:1-6
SONG of RESPONSE CH#255
“Lo! How a Rose E’er Blooming”
BENEDICTION
