Welcome
Thank you so much for joining us! The following page will take you through the order of worship for this Sunday.
If you are new, welcome! We also want to invite you to learn more about us. You can do so by selecting the button below.
If you are new, welcome! We also want to invite you to learn more about us. You can do so by selecting the button below.
A few tips for parents:
- Plan for your time – read through the guide and prepare the room where you are gathering
- Make your time joyful – have fun!!!
- Remember, it’s primarily about a relationship, not a task to scratch off
- Have your kids participate in age and maturity appropriate ways – reading, singing, etc.
Time of Reflection
“The Son is the Father’s All.”
~Athanasius (c. 196-373 AD), North African theologian and church leader
“God cannot be Word-less, for the Word is God. Here then is a God who could never be anything but communicative, expansive, outgoing. Since God cannot be without this Word, he simply could not ever be reclusive.”
~Michael Reeves, president of Union School of Theology (Oxford)
“All praise to Thee, eternal Lord,
Clothed in a garb of flesh and blood;
Choosing a manger for a throne,
While worlds on worlds are Thine alone.”
“This is that mystery which is rich in divine grace unto sinners: wherein by a wonderful exchange, our sins are no longer ours but Christ’s; and the righteousness of Christ is not Christ’s but ours. He has emptied himself of his righteousness that he might clothe us in it, and fill us with it: and he has taken our evils upon himself that he might deliver us from them.”
~Martin Luther (1483-1546), German pastor-reformer
“God had one son on earth without sin, but never one without suffering.”
~St. Augustine (354-430), bishop in North Africa
“Being heard is so close to being loved that for the average person, they are almost indistinguishable.”
~David Augsburger in Caring Enough to Confront
“…the mystery…that Almighty God would come down…in the person of Jesus Christ and became one of us…. There is really nothing like that incredible social inversion of Almighty God coming here and living with us and dying with us.”
~Anne Rice, author of The Vampire Chronicles
~Athanasius (c. 196-373 AD), North African theologian and church leader
“God cannot be Word-less, for the Word is God. Here then is a God who could never be anything but communicative, expansive, outgoing. Since God cannot be without this Word, he simply could not ever be reclusive.”
~Michael Reeves, president of Union School of Theology (Oxford)
“All praise to Thee, eternal Lord,
Clothed in a garb of flesh and blood;
Choosing a manger for a throne,
While worlds on worlds are Thine alone.”
“This is that mystery which is rich in divine grace unto sinners: wherein by a wonderful exchange, our sins are no longer ours but Christ’s; and the righteousness of Christ is not Christ’s but ours. He has emptied himself of his righteousness that he might clothe us in it, and fill us with it: and he has taken our evils upon himself that he might deliver us from them.”
~Martin Luther (1483-1546), German pastor-reformer
“God had one son on earth without sin, but never one without suffering.”
~St. Augustine (354-430), bishop in North Africa
“Being heard is so close to being loved that for the average person, they are almost indistinguishable.”
~David Augsburger in Caring Enough to Confront
“…the mystery…that Almighty God would come down…in the person of Jesus Christ and became one of us…. There is really nothing like that incredible social inversion of Almighty God coming here and living with us and dying with us.”
~Anne Rice, author of The Vampire Chronicles
Opening Prayer
(select someone from your group to open your service in prayer)
Call to Worship
Isaiah 9 (ESV)
LEADER: The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
PEOPLE: Those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
on them has light shone.
LEADER: For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
PEOPLE: And the government shall be upon his shoulder,
LEADER: And his name shall be called
PEOPLE: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
LEADER: Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
PEOPLE: To establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
LEADER: The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
LEADER: The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
PEOPLE: Those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
on them has light shone.
LEADER: For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
PEOPLE: And the government shall be upon his shoulder,
LEADER: And his name shall be called
PEOPLE: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
LEADER: Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
PEOPLE: To establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
LEADER: The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
Children's Christmas Program
(watch this year's special Children's Program below)
Advent Reading
(If you would like to follow along with the Advent Readings – with or without candles – you can do so by reading the Advent Explanation and this week’s Advent Readings below. You may find an Advent wreath diagram here.)
A Word of Explanation:
For many centuries Christians have used the Advent Wreath to remember and celebrate the coming of Christ. The word advent simply means “coming” or “arrival”. With the Advent Wreath, we celebrate not only the birth of Christ 2000 years ago, but also our rebirth in Him through faith. And we look forward with anxious anticipation toward his Second Advent for us.
Week 4 Readings:
Luke 1:26-38
In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.
But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”
“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.”
“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.
Candle Instructions (optional)
As you light the first and second purple candles, the third pink candle, and the final purple candle, say “This candle reminds us of the promise of joy through the coming King, the Prince of Peace.”
Sing (a cappella)
A Word of Explanation:
For many centuries Christians have used the Advent Wreath to remember and celebrate the coming of Christ. The word advent simply means “coming” or “arrival”. With the Advent Wreath, we celebrate not only the birth of Christ 2000 years ago, but also our rebirth in Him through faith. And we look forward with anxious anticipation toward his Second Advent for us.
Week 4 Readings:
Luke 1:26-38
In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.
But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”
“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.”
“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.
Candle Instructions (optional)
As you light the first and second purple candles, the third pink candle, and the final purple candle, say “This candle reminds us of the promise of joy through the coming King, the Prince of Peace.”
Sing (a cappella)
O COME, O COME, EMMANUEL
(Latin Hymn, trans. John M. Neale. Music by Thomas Helmore)
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 come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Thou Key of David, come
And open wide our heav’nly home
Where all Thy saints with Thee shall dwell –
O come, O come, Emmanuel!
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel!
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
PUBLIC DOMAIN
(Latin Hymn, trans. John M. Neale. Music by Thomas Helmore)
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 come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Thou Key of David, come
And open wide our heav’nly home
Where all Thy saints with Thee shall dwell –
O come, O come, Emmanuel!
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel!
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
PUBLIC DOMAIN
Sharing
(as a lead into the Prayer Time, as a group share how you are feeling and what you are learning; below are suggested questions)
Prayer Time
(You may have an open time of prayer or select someone to pray)
- Pray for our church’s short and long-term meeting place needs, that God would give us favor in the eyes of those in authority and that He would give us provision that would go far beyond all that we could ask or imagine.
- Pray for our world – that the good news of Jesus Christ would flourish and that many would come to know God genuinely and personally.
- Pray for those experiencing racial injustices; specifically, that God would bring hope, reconciliation, and restoration through the good news of His Son.
- Pray for those in authority at every level in our country, that they would govern wisely and justly.
Listen to Sermon
“God Incarnate”
preached by Pastor Don Willeman
preached by Pastor Don Willeman
Song of Response
(sing as a group and/or sing along to recorded versions)
JOY TO THE WORLD
(Isaac Watts, 1719)
(Isaac Watts, 1719)
Joy to the world! The Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And heav’n and nature sing, and heav’n and nature sing,
And heav’n, and heav’n and nature sing.
Joy to the earth! The Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy, repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.
No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found, far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as the curse is found.
He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love, and wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders of His love.
PUBLIC DOMAIN
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And heav’n and nature sing, and heav’n and nature sing,
And heav’n, and heav’n and nature sing.
Joy to the earth! The Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy, repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.
No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found, far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as the curse is found.
He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love, and wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders of His love.
PUBLIC DOMAIN
Confession of Faith
Adapted from Article 2 of the Thirty-Nine Articles
LEADER: What do you confess regarding Jesus Christ and His incarnation for you?
CONGREGATION: The Son, which is the Word of the Father,
begotten from everlasting of the Father,
the very and eternal God, and of one substance with the Father,
took Man’s nature in the womb of the blessed Virgin, of her substance:
so that two whole and perfect Natures, that is to say, the Godhead and Manhood,
were joined together in one Person, never to be divided,
whereof is one Christ, very God, and very Man;
who truly suffered, was crucified, dead, and buried, to reconcile his Father to us,
and to be a sacrifice, not only for original guilt, but also for actual sins of men.
LEADER: What do you confess regarding Jesus Christ and His incarnation for you?
CONGREGATION: The Son, which is the Word of the Father,
begotten from everlasting of the Father,
the very and eternal God, and of one substance with the Father,
took Man’s nature in the womb of the blessed Virgin, of her substance:
so that two whole and perfect Natures, that is to say, the Godhead and Manhood,
were joined together in one Person, never to be divided,
whereof is one Christ, very God, and very Man;
who truly suffered, was crucified, dead, and buried, to reconcile his Father to us,
and to be a sacrifice, not only for original guilt, but also for actual sins of men.
Sharing Time
(have everyone share one thing that struck them from the sermon)
Benediction
(The leader or individual should read this aloud relishing in the confident assertion that Christ has conquered.)
Luke 12:29-32
LEADER: Do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you. Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
PEOPLE: Amen!
Luke 12:29-32
LEADER: Do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you. Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
PEOPLE: Amen!
Worshipping God through Giving
God has called us to be generous. He has entrusted this earth and all that is in it to us, but it is, ultimately, His! The Father gave what was most precious to Him, His own Son, in order to die for our sins. He has given to us abundantly beyond all that we could possibly ask or imagine! He is a benevolent and generous Giver! So, we give.
First, we want to remind you to continue your regular giving to CRC. This supports the ongoing work and ministry here in the Upper Valley and around the world through our missions support. Second, please consider giving to our Benevolence Fund, which supports local community care, both inside and outside the church. This is vitally important right now! As we see needs sprouting up around the community, we want to be positioned to extend a loving hand of support to those in need.
Giving Numbers
Budgeted Giving YTD: $617,100
Actual Giving to Date: $530,196
Difference: (-$86,904)
Missions Giving YTD: $112,266
updated as of 11/30
First, we want to remind you to continue your regular giving to CRC. This supports the ongoing work and ministry here in the Upper Valley and around the world through our missions support. Second, please consider giving to our Benevolence Fund, which supports local community care, both inside and outside the church. This is vitally important right now! As we see needs sprouting up around the community, we want to be positioned to extend a loving hand of support to those in need.
Giving Numbers
Budgeted Giving YTD: $617,100
Actual Giving to Date: $530,196
Difference: (-$86,904)
Missions Giving YTD: $112,266
updated as of 11/30