Here is the worship guide for Sunday, December 11, 2022.
PDF version of the worship guide to download or print.
The livestream will begin at 10:30 a.m. on our Facebook page or YouTube page.
Welcome and Announcement
Opening Prayer
Hymn: “Our Great God”
Words and music: Fernando Ortega and Mac Powell.
Eternal God, unchanging, mysterious and unknown;
Your boundless love, unfailing, in grace and mercy shown.
Bright seraphim in ceaseless flight around Your glorious throne;
they raise their voices day and night in praise to You alone
Hallelujah! Glory be to our great God!
Hallelujah! Glory be to our great God!
Lord, we are weak and frail, and are helpless in the storm;
surround us with Your angels, and hold us in Your arms.
Our cold and ruthless enemy, his pleasure is our harm.
Rise up, O Lord, and he will flee before our sovereign God.
Hallelujah! Glory be to our great God!
Hallelujah! Glory be to our great God!
Let every creature in the sea and every flying bird,
let every mountain, every field, and valley of the earth,
let all the moons and all the stars in all the universe
sing praises to the living God who rules them by His Word.
Hallelujah! Glory be to our great God!
Hallelujah! Glory be to our great God!
Advent Reading and Candle Lighting
Isaiah 9:1–2 (ESV)
1 But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.
2 The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
on them has light shone.
Zephaniah 3:14–17 (ESV)
14 Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion;
shout, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart,
O daughter of Jerusalem!
15 The Lord has taken away the judgments against you;
he has cleared away your enemies.
The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;
you shall never again fear evil.
16 On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:
“Fear not, O Zion;
let not your hands grow weak.
17 The Lord your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.
Hymn: “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”
Words: Latin Hymn, trans. J. M. Neale, H. S. Coffin.
Music: Plainsong (“Veni 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 by His word our darkness dispel.
O come, Thou Dayspring, come and cheer our spirits by Thine advent here;
disperse the gloomy clouds of night, and death’s dark shadow put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free Thine own from Satan’s tyranny;
From depths of hell Thy people save, and give them victory o’er the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall by His word our darkness dispel.
O come, Desire of Nations, bind all peoples in one heart and mind.
Bid envy, strife, and quarrels cease;
fill the whole world with heaven’s peace.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel has banished every fear of hell.
Hymn: “Of the Father’s Love Begotten”
Words: Aurelius C. Prudentius. Music: Plainsong.
Of the Father’s love begotten, ere the worlds began to be,
He is Alpha and Omega, He the source, the ending He,
of the things that are, that have been,
and that future years shall see, evermore and evermore!
O ye heights of heaven adore Him; angel hosts, His praises sing;
powers, dominions, bow before Him, and extol our God and King!
Let no tongue on earth be silent,
every voice in concert sing, evermore and evermore!
Christ, to Thee with God the Father, and, O Holy Ghost, to Thee,
hymn and chant and high thanksgiving, and unwearied praises be:
honor, glory, and dominion,
and eternal victory, evermore and evermore!
Sermon: “Have Mercy
Jude 17–25 (ESV)
17 But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. 18 They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” 19 It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. 20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. 22 And have mercy on those who doubt; 23 save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.
24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.
Hymn: “Christ, the Sure and Steady Anchor”
Words and Music: Matt Boswell and Matt Papa.
Christ the sure and steady anchor,
in the fury of the storm;
when the winds of doubt blow through me,
and my sails have all been torn.
In the suffering, in the sorrow,
when my sinking hopes are few;
I will hold fast to the anchor,
it shall never be removed.
Christ the sure and steady anchor,
while the tempest rages on;
when temptation claims the battle,
and it seems the night has won.
Deeper still then goes the anchor,
though I justly stand accused;
I will hold fast to the anchor,
it shall never be removed.
Christ the sure and steady anchor,
through the floods of unbelief;
hopeless somehow, O my soul, now,
lift your eyes to Calvary.
This my ballast of assurance,
see his love forever proved.
I will hold fast to the anchor,
it will never be removed.
Christ the sure and steady anchor,
as we face the wave of death;
when these trials give way to glory,
as we draw our final breath.
We will cross that great horizon,
clouds behind and life secure;
and the calm will be the better,
for the storms that we endure.
Christ the shore of our salvation,
ever faithful, ever true!
We will hold fast to the anchor,
it shall never be removed.
Benediction
2 Thessalonians 2:16–17 (ESV)
16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, 17 comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.