Worship Bulletin

November 30, 2025

First Sunday of Advent  
Hanging Of The Greens Service  

WE GATHER TOGETHER FOR WORSHIP

A Christmas Bells Overture/ Handbell Choir

Children's Moment With The Pastor

The Advent Wreath - Hope

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 appears
Rejoice, rejoice Emmanuel  
Shall come to Thee, O Israel  

O come, Thou Dayspring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here  
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night  
And death’s dark shadows 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 vic’try o’er the grace  
Rejoice, rejoice Emmanuel  
Shall come to Thee, O Israel  

Litany Of The Greens

Leader: In the days to come, the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raise above the hill; all the nations shall stream to it.  
All: Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that God may teach us God’s ways and that we may walk in God’s paths.  
Leader: With what shall we come to God’s house?  
All: Bring branches of cedar and holly, bring evergreens and a pine tree, hang wreaths and garlands.  
Leader: How shall we prepare for the coming of the Lord?  
All: Make the church fragrant with the smell of living things and our holy play.  
Leader: What should we do to prepare for the coming of our Hope?  
All: With acts of hanging greens and listening to the words of prophets and seers, let us make our hearts and this space a place of inward and outward preparation for the One who comes to bring us Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. For the Messiah who gives us second birth.     

Wreaths, Garland and Greens

The Colors Of Winter/ Chancel Choir

The Christmas Tree

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  
By Thine own eternal Spirit, rule in all our hearts alone  
By Thine all-sufficient merit, raise us to Thy glorious throne  

The Chrismons

O Little Town Of Bethlehem

O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie  
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by  
Yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting Light  
The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight  

How silently, how silently the wondrous gift is giv’n!  
So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of His heav’n.  
No ear may hear His coming, but in this world of sin  
Where meek souls will receive Him, still the dear Christ enters in  

O holy Child of Bethlehem descend to us, we pray  
Cast out our sin and enter in, be born in us today  
We hear the Christmas angels the great glad tidings tell  
O come to us, abide with us, our Lord Emmanuel  

The Lights Of Christmas

O Come All You Unfaithful

O come all you unfaithful  
Come weak and unstable  
Come know you are not alone 
O come barren and waiting ones  
Weary of praying  
Come see what your God has done  

Christ is born, Christ is born  
Christ is born for you  

O come, bitter and broken  
Come with fears unspoken  
Come taste of His perfect love 
O come, guilty and hiding ones
There is no need  
To run, see what your God has done  

He’s the Lamb who was given  
Slain for our pardon  
His promise is peace for those who believe  
He’s the Lamb who was given  
Slain for our pardon  
His promise is peace  
For those who believe  

So come though you have nothing  
Come He is the off’ring  
Come see what your God has done  

The Poinsettia

Scripture Reading

Isaiah 40:3-5  A voice cries out:  “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.  Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”  

Luke 24:44   Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.”  

Sermon: Isaiah's Vision

Blessing Of Our Tithes And Offerings

Musical Offering/ Marilyn Tovy, Steve Jones

Doxology

Praise God from whom all blessings flow  
Praise God all creatures here below  
Alleluia, alleluia  
Praise God the source of all our gifts  
Praise Jesus Christ whose power uplifts  
Praise the Spirit, Holy Spirit  
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia  

Affirmation Of Faith

I believe in God, the Creator,  
who spoke order out of chaos,  
who formed humanity to bear His image,  
and who refused to abandon His world when we chose another way.  
I believe the prophets told the truth,
that a servant would come,  
a child would be born,  
a light would rise on those who walked in darkness, 
and that God Himself would draw near to redeem us.  
I believe in Jesus Christ,
the promised Son,
the fulfillment of the story the Torah set in motion,  
the hope Isaiah saw from a great distance.  
He is Immanuel, God with us,  
born so that creation might be made new.  
I believe He came once in Bethlehem,  
He is present with us now,  
and He will come again in glory and peace.  
We believe we are His people,
living in the tension of already and not yet,  
waiting with expectation,
trusting the promises,  
preparing the way,  
and watching for the dawn
He has sworn will rise.  
This is our hope.  
This is our faith.  
This is our Advent.
Amen.  

Angels We Have Heard On High

Angels we have heard on high, sweetly singing o’er the plains  
And the mountains in reply, echoing their joyous strains  

Shepherds why this jubilee, why your joyous strains prolong  
Say what may the tidings be, which inspire your heav’nly song  

Glo-ria, in excelsis Deo  
Glo-ria, in excelsis Deo  

Come to Bethlehem and see Him whose birth the angels sing  
Come, adore on bended knee, Christ the Lord, the newborn King  

See within a manger laid Jesus Lord of heav’n earth  
Mary, Joseph, lend your aid, with us sing our Savior’s birth   

Christian Benediction

Hear, O followers of Christ: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.  
We will love the Lord our God with all our heart,
with all our soul, and with all our strength.  
As Jesus taught, we will love our neighbors as ourselves:  
showing mercy, seeking justice, walking humbly, and offering grace.  
We will hold these words in our hearts and let them shape our lives.  
We will teach them to our children, and speak of them in our homes
and wherever we go.  
We will surround ourselves with reminders of God’s love— 
 in what we choose, in what we say, and in how we live.  
For this is the way of Christ. This is the way of life.