​ 
Candle Light Christmas Eve Lessons and Carols  planning script
 
We gather quietly while the bells or other soft music plays
 
O Night Divine          Jubilaires
 
Spoken Prelude:   Jeremiah 31:29-34New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
 
Opening Prayer
Creator-Christ-Holy Spirit, Three in One God, tonight we come hungry to hear the ancient and enduring tale of power.  In the backs of our minds we may be worried about sour grapes tomorrow if presents are not perfect, food not just what everyone wants, and conversation too controversial.  But here, leading us on, is your salvation promise. You will save us from ourselves, if we listen, if we lean into your presence.  So fill us with words of righteousness that overcome worry, inspire us with the covenant of light and love that finds pleasure in justice.
Guide us into your light,  Living One. AMEN
 
Music A Star Shone Bright                                                            Worship and Praise 3051. Verses 1,2,4
 
Introduction to the story: Luke 1: 1-4 (CEB)
 
Candle of Promise
Scripture: Luke 1: 5-25 (CEB)
Music:     The First Noel,                                          UMH 245 verses 1,2,4 
 
Candle of Covenant
Scripture: Luke 1: 26-38
Music:     What Child Is This?                               UMH 219 Verses 1 & 2
 
Candle of Peace
Scripture: Luke 1: 39-45
Music: Hark the Herald Angels Sing                UMH 240 Verses 1 & 2
 
Candle of Hope
Scripture: Luke 1: 46-55
Music:  Love Came Down at Christmas   UMH 242
 
Candle of Love  
Scripture: Matthew 1: 18-25
Music:          Josephs Lullaby  (solo)
 
Candle of Joy
Scripture: Luke 2: 2-20
Music medley:  Away In A Manger                                     UMH 217 verses 1,2
                                    Angels We Have Heard on High     UMH 238 verses 1,4
                                    Go Tell It On the Mountain                                   UMH 251 refrain, verse 3, refrain
Candle of Justice  
Scripture: Isaiah 61: 1-4
                  Music:                       Gesu Bambino (solo)
Evening Offering
 
Candle of Christ                    A Responsive reading of John 1: 1-5, 10-14.
 
One: In the beginning was the Word
                  and the Word was with God
                  and the Word was God.
ALL: The Word was with God in the beginning.
 
One: Everything came into being through the Word,
                  and without the Word
                  nothing came into being.
What came into being
                   through the Word was life. 
ALL: and the life was the light for all people.
 
One: The light shines in the darkness,
                  and the darkness doesn’t extinguish the light.
The light was in the world,
                  and the world came into being through the light,
                  but the world didn’t recognize the light.
ALL: The light came to his own people,
                  and his own people didn’t welcome him.
 
One: But those who did welcome him,
                  those who believed in his name,
                  he authorized to become God’s children,
                  born not from blood
                  nor from human desire or passion,
                  but born from God.
ALL: The Word became flesh
                  and made his home among us.
                  We have seen his glory…. full of grace and truth.
 
Pastoral Prayer
 
Lighting the night
 
Music:                       Silent Night                                                                   UMH 239
                   Night of Silence.   
                   Joy to the World.                                                         UMH 246
 
Benediction
 
You are invited to hear the story of Three Wise men and two Kings on Epiphany Sunday, January 6 at 8:30 or 10:30. AM.
 
 
Preparation:
 
Seven Advent (purple or blue) candles and a Christ Candle (white) and lighter.
 
Room Lighting is at half strength.  Reduce further as Silent Night begins and individual candles are lit.  Bring light to full strength with Joy to the World.
 
Voices:
                                                                                                                                              Voice 1 Zechariah                                                                                                                  Voice 2 The voice of the angel/Gabriel 
                                                               Voice 3 Elizabeth
                                                                                                                        Voice 4 Mary                                                                                                             Voice 5 Joseph
We gather quietly.   (There may be soft centering music)
Prelude: Jeremiah 31:29 34 (NRSV) read by Pastor or Narrator
In those days they shall no longer say: “The parents have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.” But all shall die for their own sins;
the teeth of everyone who eats sour grapes shall be set on edge.
The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt— a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband,[a] says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, “Know the Lord,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.
 
 
Opening Prayer                                                                                                                     Creator Christ Holy Spirit, Three-in-One God, tonight we come hungry to hear the ancient and enduring tale of power. In the backs of our minds we                        may be worried about sour grapes tomorrow if presents are not perfect,         food not just what everyone wants, and conversation too controversial.      But here, leading us on, is your salvation promise. You will save us from            ourselves, if we listen, if we lean into your presence. So fill us with words      of righteousness that overcome worry, inspire us with the covenant of       light and love that finds pleasure in justice. Guide us into your light, Living     One. AMEN
Music A Star Shone Bright                              Worship and Praise 3051 Verses 1,2,4             
Introduction: Luke 1: 1 4 (CEB) read by Pastor or Narrator
Many people have already applied themselves to the task of compiling an account of the events that have been fulfilled among us. They used what the original eyewitnesses and servants of the word handed down to us. Now, after having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, I have also decided to write a carefully ordered account for you, most honorable Theophilus [that is, “God Lover”]. I want you to have confidence in the soundness of the instruction you have received.
Candle of Promise Luke 1: 5 25 (CEB)
Voice 1 (man’s/Zechariah): During the rule of King Herod of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah. His wife Elizabeth was a descendant of Aaron. They were both righteous before God, blameless in their observance of all the Lord’s commandments and regulations. They had no children because Elizabeth was unable to become pregnant and they both were very old. One day Zechariah was serving as a priest before God because his priestly division was on duty. Following the customs of priestly service, he was chosen by lottery to go into the Lord’s sanctuary and burn incense. All the people who gathered to worship were praying outside during this hour of incense offering. An angel from the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw the angel, he was startled and overcome
 
with fear. The angel said,
Voice 2 (angel): “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah. Your prayers have been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will give birth to your son and you must name him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many people will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the Lord’s eyes. He must not drink wine and liquor. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before his birth. 16 He will bring many Israelites back to the Lord their God. He will go forth before the Lord, equipped with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will turn the hearts of fathers[a] back to their children, and he will turn the disobedient to righteous patterns of thinking. He will make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
Voice 1: Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure of this? My wife and I are very old.” The angel replied,
Voice 2: “I am Gabriel. I stand in God’s presence. I was sent to speak to you and to bring this good news to you. 20 Know this: What I have spoken will come true at the proper time. But because you didn’t believe, you will remain silent, unable to speak until the day when these things happen.”
Voice 1: Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they wondered why he was in the sanctuary for such a long time. When he came out, he was unable to speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he gestured to them and couldn’t speak. When he completed the days of his priestly service, he returned home. Afterward, his wife Elizabeth became pregnant. She kept to herself for five months, saying,
Voice 3 (Elizabeth)
“This is the Lord’s doing. He has shown his favor to me by removing my disgrace among other people.”
Music: The First Noel,                                   UMH 245 verses 1,2,4 
 
Candle of Covenant Luke 1: 26 38
Voice 2 (Angel) When Elizabeth was six months pregnant, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a city in Galilee, to a virgin who was engaged to a man
 
named Joseph, a descendant of David’s house. The virgin’s name was Mary. When the angel came to her, he said,
Voice 2: “Rejoice, favored one! The Lord is with you!” She was confused by these words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. The angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Mary. God is honoring you. Look! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and he will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of David his father. He will rule over Jacob’s house forever, and there will be no end to his kingdom.”
Voice 4 (Mary) Then Mary said to the angel, “How will this happen since I haven’t had sexual relations with a man?” The angel replied,
Voice 2:  “The Holy Spirit will come over you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the one who is to be born will be holy. He will be called God’s Son. Look, even in her old age, your relative Elizabeth has conceived a son. This woman who was labeled ‘unable to conceive’ is now six months pregnant. Nothing is impossible for God.”
Voice 4: Then Mary said, “I am the Lord’s servant. Let it be with me just as you have said.” And the angel left her.
Music:             What Child Is This?               UMH 219 Verses 1 & 2
 
Candle of Peace Luke 1: 39 45
Voice 3 (Elizabeth) Mary got up and hurried to a city in the Judean highlands. She entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. With a loud voice she blurted out, “God has blessed you above all women, and he has blessed the child you carry. Why do I have this honor, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. Happy is she who believed that the Lord would fulfill the promises he made to her.”
Music: Hark the Herald Angels Sing            UMH 240 Verses 1 & 2
 
Candle of Hope Luke 1: 46 55
Voice 4 (Mary)  Mary said, “With all my heart I glorify the Lord!
In the depths of who I am I rejoice in God my savior.
God has looked with favor on the low status of his servant. Look! From now on, everyone will consider me highly favored because the mighty one has done great things for me. Holy is his name.
God shows mercy to everyone, from one generation to the next,
who honors him as God.
God has shown strength with his arm.
God has scattered those with arrogant thoughts and proud inclinations.
God has pulled the powerful down from their thrones and lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty handed. God has come to the aid of his servant Israel, remembering his mercy, just as he promised to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to Abraham’s descendants forever.” Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months, and then returned to her home.
Music:   Love Came Down at Christmas   UMH 242
 
Candle of Love Matthew 1: 18 25
Voice 5 (Joseph) This is how the birth of Jesus Christ took place. When Mary his mother was engaged to Joseph, before they were married, she became pregnant by the Holy Spirit. Joseph her husband was a righteous man. Because he didn’t want to humiliate her, he decided to call off their engagement quietly. As he was thinking about this, an angel from the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because the child she carries was conceived by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you will call him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” Now all of this took place so that what the Lord had spoken through the prophet would be fulfilled:
Look! A virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, And they will call him, Emmanuel.
(Emmanuel means “God with us.”)
 
When Joseph woke up, he did just as an angel from God commanded and took Mary as his wife. But he didn’t have sexual relations with her until she gave birth to a son. Joseph called him Jesus.
Music:      Josephs Lullaby  (solo)
 
Candle of Joy Luke 2: 2 20
Voice 5 In those days Caesar Augustus declared that everyone throughout the empire should be enrolled in the tax lists. This first enrollment occurred when Quirinius governed Syria. Everyone went to their own cities to be enrolled. Since Joseph belonged to David’s house and family line, he went up from the city of Nazareth in Galilee to David’s city, called Bethlehem, in Judea. He went to be enrolled together with Mary, who was promised to him in marriage and who was pregnant. While they were there, the time came for Mary to have her baby. She gave birth to her firstborn child, a son, wrapped him snugly, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the guestroom.
Nearby shepherds were living in the fields, guarding their sheep at night. The Lord’s angel stood before them, the Lord’s glory shone around them, and they were terrified.
Voice 2 The angel said, “Don’t be afraid! Look! I bring good news to you—wonderful, joyous news for all people. Your savior is born today in David’s city. He is Christ the Lord. This is a sign for you: you will find a newborn baby wrapped snugly and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great assembly of the heavenly forces was with the angel praising God. They said, “Glory to God in heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors.”
Voice 5 When the angels returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go right now to Bethlehem and see what’s happened. Let’s confirm what the Lord has revealed to us.” They went quickly and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. When they saw this, they reported what they had been told about this child. Everyone who heard it was amazed at what the shepherds told them. Mary committed these things to memory and considered them carefully. The shepherds returned home, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. Everything happened just as they had been told.
 
Music Medley: 
Away In A Manger                            UMH 217 verses 1,2
Angels We Have Heard on High      UMH 238 verses 1,4
Go Tell It On the Mountain UMH 251 refrain, verse 3, refrain
 
 
Candle of Justice Isaiah 61: 1 4

Voice 1 The Messiah speaks and we bear witness
The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me;
he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners;
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn;
to provide for those who mourn in Zion—
to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit. They will be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the Lord, to display his glory. They shall build up the ancient ruins,
they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities,
the devastations of many generations.
 
 
 
Evening Offering This evening’s offering is dedicated to helping neighbors in our community when they are in need of emergency assistance.
Music              Gesu Bambino (solo)
 
Candle of Christ
A Responsive reading of John 1: 1 5, 10 14. Pastor or Narrator
One: In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with Godd, and the Word was God.
ALL: The Word was with God in the beginning.
One: Everything came into being through the Word, and without the Word
nothing came into being. What came into being
through the Word was life.
ALL: and the life was the light for all people.
One: The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness doesn’t extinguish the light. The light was in the world,
and the world came into being through the light, but the world didn’t recognize the light.
ALL: The light came to his own people,
and his own people didn’t welcome him.
One: But those who did welcome him,
those who believed in his name,
he authorized to become God’s children, born not from blood
nor from human desire or passion,
but born from God.
ALL: The Word became flesh
and made his home among us.
We have seen his glory.... full of grace and truth.
Pastoral Prayer
Lighting the night
 
Music:                         Silent Night                                       UMH 239
             Night of Silence.   
             Joy to the World.                                          UMH 246
 
Benediction
You are invited to hear the story of Three Wise men and two Kings on Epiphany Sunday, January 6, 2106! 

Week 1: Hope

Song Leader:  Why did he come?
ALL:     He came down that we may find hope (3x)
             Hallelujah forever more.

Reading

With one voice the people called out, “Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock! You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth.”[1]
Then through the prophets God sent hope:
By Jeremiah -  “I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.” [2]
By Isaiah – “He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead the mother sheep. “[3]
By Ezekiel-” I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them, he shall feed them and be their shepherd.” [4] 

The first candle is lit

One:  With hope we wait for the coming shepherd.
ALL:  The one who is and has been our shepherd, and who is coming still.



Week 2:  Love

Song Leader:  Why did he come?
ALL:     He came down that we may have love (3x)
            Hallelujah forever more.

Reading

To a young woman God’s message came.  She would bear the son to save the world.  And she sang, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.

He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever." [5]

The second candle is lit

One:  With love we watch Christ coming, son and friend, shepherd and lamb.
ALL: With love we anticipate the one whose love saves us.



Week 3: Joy

Song Leader:  Why did he come?

ALL:     He came down that we may have joy (3x)
            Hallelujah forever more.

Reading

Whenever people have recognized God’s powerful love, joy erupts.

The Psalmist sings, “Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then it was said among the nations, ‘The LORD has done great things for them.’

The LORD has done great things for us, and we rejoiced.

Restore our fortunes, O LORD, like the watercourses in the Negeb.

May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy.

Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves.  [6]


The third candle is lit


One: With joy we remember God’s powerful love.

ALL: And celebrate Jesus Christ’s joyful embodiment of love.

 


Week 4:  Peace

 

Song Leader:  Why did he come?

ALL:     He came down that we may have peace (3x)
            Hallelujah forever more.

Reading

From ancient days God has called leaders to shepherd the people;
Cyrus, who was called “ my shepherd, to carry out all my purpose”;[7]
David, who was called  from tending the nursing ewes and brought him to be the shepherd of his people.[8] And the coming shepherd king of whom Micah declared “and he shall be the one of peace. [9]

The fourth candle is lit

One: Lord, Shepherd your people with your staff,
                  the flock that belongs to you[10]
ALL: Shepherd us with your strong peace and purpose.


[1] Psalm 80: 1


[2] Jeremiah 3:15


[3] Isaiah 40:11


[4] Ezekiel 34: 23


[5] Luke 1:46b-55


[6] Psalm 126: 2-6


[7] Isaiah 44:28


[8] Psalm 78:71


[9] Micah 5:5


[10] Micah 7:14

This half day retreat (2 and 1/4 hours) was created for Brunswick United Methodist Church in Maine by its Council of Ministries:  Tara Robertson, Darren Joyce, Lori Umberhind, & Corley Byras, Rev. Karen L. Munson, and Music Director Shari Tarleton.  The event brought together worshipers from 2 weekly services, traditional and contemporary to get to know each other, themselves, and the ministries of the congregation.

       We feel small and weak, but we are gathered together to signify the power of              God who transforms death into life. That is our hope, that God is doing the impossible:   changing death to life inside of each of us, and that perhaps, through our community, each one of us can be agents in the world of this transformation of brokenness into wholeness, and of death into life.   -Jean Vanier

Prep:  
*Invite each group or ministry in the church to prepare a trifold display and one page information sheet before hand for the Ministry Fair. 
*Choose a simple Spritual Gifts inventory to introduce. 
*Place in bulletins:  names tags, index card, Mr Potato head puzzle piece with a "getting to know you" question on the back (see below). 

Worship   
Theme: “”Body of Christ

Gathering Music  “We Are The Body of Christ”  

Greeting  As we worship and fellowship today, let us keep our eyes and ears open to God’s particular gifts in each other.

Call to worship from 1 Corinthians 12: 1-11, by KL Munson
Leader:  Come and learn, God’s gifts await.   
ALL:  We come, ready to receive.
Leader: Turn away from “false gods,” silent and demanding.

ALL:  We turn toward God, from whom all blessings flow.

Leader: Come, celebrate the many gifts of the one Spirit.

ALL:  We come rejoicing in many ministries and one Lord.

Leader:  Come, learn and celebrate the Spirit’s activity in our midst.

ALL: We come to see each other’s gifts, to celebrate each other’s ministries.

Leader: Come to the connection Christ is creating

ALL:  We come to hear wisdom, to seek knowledge,

           to share faith, to witness miracles in the making.

Leader: Come, bless the one LORD, from whom all gifts and grace flow.

ALL:  We come.


Music                         Gather Us In    TFWS 2236

Children’s message  “When the Body Works Together”  
    Would you please turn your imaginations on?  
     I want you each to imagine that you are one big ear.  Nothing else, just an ear, all of us. Are you imagining that you are a big ear?  OK.  Now please walk to the back of the room, as an ear.  Can you get there?  What's the problem.  (We don't have any feet or legs). Oh, ok.  Then lets each imagine that we are a foot, a great big foot.  Are you imaging what it would feel like to be a big foot? Now, big feet, tell me what I'm saying. (whisper a message).   What's wrong?  Why can't you hear, big feet?  


You need ALL the parts of your body don't you?  You need all the parts to work together, just like sports teams need all the parts of a team to work together. 
Churches are like that too.  Every single person here, and the people who aren't here today, is essential.  The great teacher, Paul of Tarsus, called that "being the Body of Christ."  One of the things churches do is help each person discover what gifts God is giving them and how to share it.  


Here's an example of how the Body of Christ worked together here.  Some years ago, the people in the church saw (with the eyes) that the church needed some new facilities.  They listened to each other (with their ears), and thought about it (with their brains) and got to work (with their hands and other gifts) and found a way to build.  To do that they had to borrow money.  We've been paying back that money.  This spring, the church decided to finish paying it back so that more money would be available for ministry.  And today we get to celebrate the vision form those years ago, and the persistance of the years between, and the "get it done" of the past month.  We get to tear up the mortgage becuase we don't need it any more.


Mortgage disposal  -"Frst Tear" Peggy Weinzetl (final Campaign helper)  

Welcome, worship is our love offering to God!

Preparations:  Gather a bible, 4 candles and something to light them with.

This week in MOSAIC worship, the children will be bringing the Christmas Story to life.  If you have children at home (or adults who aren’t afraid to play) consider getting out a pile of bathrobes and scarves and suiting up to act out Matthew 1-2.  The first part of Matthew isn’t action packed, but it will give you a chance to talk about your own family tree.



Music to gather and inspire our thoughts:

Carol:                     There’s a Song in the Air                              

Call to Worship

L:  This is the moment to prepare,
P:  to receive the good news of Christmas.
L:  This is the day to wait,
P:  for joy is about to fill us to overflowing.
L:  This is the time to celebrate,
P:  as we listen to the Dream,
     as we welcome the Birth,
     as we embrace the Love of our God.

Lighting of the Advent Wreath

Reader:  
Do not be afraid, salvation is at hand. God is about to do a mighty thing.                                                                            Joseph’s dream of God’s promise will soon be our reality.
God’s promised Messiah will be none other than Emmanuel, God with us.
We light the fourth Advent candle in hope of the coming Emmanuel, God in the flesh.
God’s healing of human brokenness comes by way of God taking on human flesh.

                                      Light three candles

Reader: Come, Lord Jesus.
All: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Amen.

Advent Song          Vs.3  The Faith We Sing # 2090.

Light the advent candle, four: Think of joy forever more;
Christ Child in a stable born, gift of love that Christmas morn.
Candle, candle, burning bright, shining in the cold winter night;
Candle, candle, burning bright, fill our hearts with Christmas light.

Unison Prayer                  by Ruth Duck, U.S.A.
ALL:    In the advent season, when the past has fled, unasked,
            away and there is nothing left to do but wait
           God, shelter us.
           Be our surrounding darkness;
           be the fertile soil out of which hope springs in due time.
           In uncertain times, help us to greet the dawn and labor on, love on,
           in faith awaiting your purpose hid in you
           waiting to be born in due time.  Amen. 

Silence

Words of Assurance

Reader: 
         God who is shelter surrounds us with the Spirit of hope.
         Christ who is coming shines light at the edge of darkness.
         Know that the Lord is God, it is God who made you,
         and God who is with you.

If you are worshipping with others, exchange signs of Christ’s peace.

Entering God’s Word Together:

The Gospel According to Matthew 2: 1-15

The Wise Men recognized God’s call through a star.  What’s your sign of God’s call?

If you opened up your treasure chest, what would you find to offer to Christ? 

This call takes the wise men and the holy family far from their homes. Have you ever felt the gospel drawing you away from what’s comfortable? 

Morning Message        Christmas Blender                  by Jeremy Wayland

Music for Meditation  Carol of the Epiphany  by John Bell

Praying Together

Receive God’s gift of time to be in prayer, offering God any burdens or joys that you are aware of for yourself, others, the world. Don’t rush.  Receive silence as well as words.  God has all the time in the world for you!

Then join in praying with Jesus:
      Our Father, who 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 trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory for ever.  AMEN                                                                                 

Sharing gifts and self: 

If you are worshiping with others, take turns naming God’s spiritual gifts that you recognize in each other.  Make sure that everyone has a gift named! If you are worshipping by yourself, take a few minutes to name the gifts you recognize in at least 3 people you know. Next, name gifts that God has placed in your life this day.

 2 Sundays of storms are wrecking havoc on end of the year budgeting. 
   You can help us catch up via the church’s paypal link: http://www.umcbrunswick.org/giving.html  

Prayer of Thanksgiving:
   We offer our gifts to the one who gives us all things.
   We offer our lives to the one gave us life.
    To God,  Creator, Christ, and Spirit, one
   We bring our offering of thanks and praise.  Amen

Witnessing to God’s Grace at Work

 *Call, email, or text at least one person to share God’s love.

 *Think about whether you know someone in your neighborhood or church who might appreciate being checked on in the storm.

 *Don’t forget to check the Grace Notes (updated on the web site) for what’s going on!  http://www.umcbrunswick.org/grace-notes-e-news-and-monthly-newsletters.htm

Our Church’s work:

The United Methodist Church is….
Helping students sing the way from fear to healing for Arapahoe High School in Colorado.

The United Methodist Church is…..
 A listening presence in places of pain. “I had grown men crying on my shoulder, saying that their sons and daughters were students at Arapahoe,” said the Rev. Ryan Canaday, associate pastor at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Highlands Ranch. “We had one family where the wife was a teacher at Columbine and the husband is a math teacher at Arapahoe, so for them it was a double whammy.”

The Methodist Church is  ….
Supporting recovery in the Philippines and Oklahoma from typhoon and tornado

The United Methodist Church is….
Leading “No More Malaria”, partnering with the United Nations and the Global fund to mitigate malaria in Africa.

The United Methodist Church…is supplying leadership to address world problem:  Bishop Thomas Bickerton, chairperson of the executive committee for Imagine No Malaria says, "Today there's a 3-year-old who's going to be bitten by a tiny bug, and, in 48 hours, she is going to die. She's the reason I do what I do. To make the world a healthy place for every child has everything to do with what Mr. Wesley intended us to do."

The United Methodist Church is……
Providing Child Friendly spaces in Syrian Refugee Camps.

Preparation for Worship:  Gather a bible, 3 candles  (if you do not have an advent wreathe at home) and something to light them with.

Welcome!  Worship is Our Love Offering to God!

Gathering. 

Music to gather and inspire your thoughts:

            Carol: It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
            Contemporary: Hope was Born this Night
Call to Worship            by Thom Shuman

When our hallelujahs have shattered into pieces:
our God comes!  Singing new songs to us.
When hope lies in tatters at our feet:
Our God comes!  To mend our brokenness with love.
When we think we need to wait:
Our God comes!  To reign forever in our hearts.

 
Opening prayer
O God, whose will is justice for the poor and peace for the afflicted,
Let your herald’s urgent voice pierce our hardened hearts and announce the dawn of your kingdom. Before the advent of the One who baptizes with the fire of the Holy Spirit, let our complacency give way to conversion, oppression to justice, and conflict to acceptance of one another in Christ.

We ask this through the One whose coming is certain, whose day draws near: your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, Who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. AMEN

Lighting the Third Advent Candle                                    by Ben Gosden

Reader:   (May also be read by different voices alternating lines)

Good news, God is filling the hungry with good things!
Good news, God is lifting up the lowly!
Good news, God is about do his mightiest work!
He will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth from all nations.
We light the third Advent candle remembering that God’s Promised One
comes to comfort all who are afflicted
and to afflict all who might be too comfortable.

Light three candles

Come, Lord Jesus.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Amen.


Advent Song          Vs.3  The Faith We Sing # 2090.

Light the advent candle, three: Think of heavenly harmony
Angels singing “Peace on Earth” at the blessed Savior’s birth.
Candle, candle, burning bright, shining in the cold winter night;
Candle, candle, burning bright, fill our hearts with Christmas light.

Sharing God’s Word
Scripture Readings: Isaiah 35: 1-10, James 5: 7-10
                                  The Gospel according to Matthew 1: 18-25

Reader:  God’s word for God’s people
All:  Thanks be to God.

Music for Meditation: A Strange Way to Save the World.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGsarig0V2c

Entering God’s Word Together:

            Put yourself in Joseph’s shoes.

            How might you react to a heavenly messenger’s appearance?

            Who speaks in this passage? 

            What does God need Joseph to do?

            Why does Joseph agree?

 Morning Message      "What a Man's Got to Do."     by Karen L. Munson

Praying Together

            Receive God’s gift of time to be in prayer, offering God any burdens or joys that you are aware of for yourself, others, the world. Don’t rush.  Receive silence as well as words.  God has all the time in the world for you!

Then join in praying with Jesus:

            Our father, who art in heaven, hollowed be thy name.
            Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven.
            Give us this day our daily bread.
            Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us,
            and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
            For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.  AMEN.

Sharing gifts and self: 
If you are worshiping with others, take turns naming God’s spiritual gifts that you recognize in each other.  Make sure that everyone has a gift named! If you are worshipping by yourself, take a few minutes to name the gifts you recognize in at least 3 people you know. Next, name gifts that God has placed in your life this day.

Prayer of Thanksgiving                        by Thom Shuman
It is your nature to be holy, and gracious in the giving of Jesus,
your Child, our salvation.
He comes to the barren places, so life might blossom in us.
He comes into our brokenness, so we might be made whole.
He comes into our silence, telling us of your miracles of grace and hope.
He went into our death, and comes forth bringing resurrection for all.
As we prepare to celebrate his birth and to journey with him once again,
we thank you for giving in Jesus. AMEN

Witnessing to God’s Grace at Work Going Forth to Serve and Share
 *Call, email, or text at least one person to share God’s love.
 *Think about whether you know someone in your neighborhood or church who might
appreciate being checked on in the storm.

 *Don’t forget to check the Grace Notes (updated on the web site) for what’s going on!  http://www.umcbrunswick.org/grace-notes-e-news-and-monthly-newsletters.html

This litany was adapted for Brunswick United Methodist Churche from a sermon by Rev. Dr. Joanne Cox, a Learning and Development Coordinator for the London region, and associate minster at Westminster Central Hall with added excerpts from Joel 2, Haggai.  By Karen L. Munson on the occasion of BUMC’s 25th year in the Church Road sanctuary.  Set to slides of past and present ministries with question mark set as multiple voice parts (2-5) start. 


One:  And the Lord said,  I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.

One: Thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider how you have fared.  Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored.

All: And the Lord stirred up the spirit of the leaders, of the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and worked on the house of the Lord of hosts, their God.

 

One: I was glad when they said to me,   “Let us go to the house of the Lord!”

One: And the people went to give thanks to the name of the Lord.

One: Peace be within your walls, and security within your towers.”

All:  For the sake of my relatives and friends I will say, “Peace be within you.” For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your good.

One: In our day we hear that the church is declining, that the church has not enough good news to share.

All: But today we bear witness to God’s goodness everyday and to hope born anew in Christ.

We tell ourselves that we are tired, that the best years are behind us.

All: God responds, The Spirit is breathing life into dry bones. It is time for our young people to dream and our older folk to see visions.

One: The gospel does not invite us to work towards decline and a narrative of failure. It calls us to a resurrection life – life lived in all its fullness – for the benefit of all who do not yet know or live this abundant life.

All: What if church didn’t only happen on a Sunday?

One: What if church is a community of people who are committed to their discipleship and their relationships with each other.

2. What if there are people who are brave enough to pray for each other – even standing on street corners or sitting at the bar; as their lives accidentally brush up against each other?

3. People who are able to cry.

4.  And laugh.

5.  And hope.

One: People who are bold enough to be creative, to experiment and to be expectant about meeting with God, wherever, whenever, with whomever.

2. People who love scripture and tell stories.

3. People who are willing to serve and give sacrificially because it is their heart’s desire.

4. What if church is a group of people committed to each other and to God?  People who know that they cannot live this life on their own, and who seek out the best and the worst opportunities to be with others.

5.  What if church is about living in a global world, where the size of the rainforest and the temperature of the sea matters? What if church is about bringing into existence a world where there is no malaria, HIV or cancer? Where the medicine is given freely to those in need.

One: Where justice becomes the plumb line for all our decision-making. And where people act out of abundant grace and generosity.

2. What if church is about loving the lonely and the hurting and the hurtful? People who are judged as worthless.

3. What if church is about discovering those things of beauty and worth and value that define the whole of humanity?

One: What if church acted with the prophetic impulse that says all this is because of Jesus – the author and the perfector of our faith? The powerful movements of Christian history have proved again and again, that when we face challenging tasks with deep prayer and faith in God, God will grant us the power to move forward.  And all God’s people said, “AMEN.”AMEN

        O God, our help in ages past,

         our hope for years to come,

         our shelter from the stormy blast,

         and our eternal home.

Let us name what we hope for…….._

        Under the shadow of thy throne,

         still may we dwell secure;

         sufficient is thine arm alone,

         and our defense is sure.

 

         Before the hills in order stood,

         or earth received her frame,

         from everlasting, thou art God,

         to endless years the same.

 
Let us name what we count on………..

       A thousand ages, in thy sight,

         are like an evening gone;

         short as the watch that ends the night,

         before the rising sun.

 

        Time, like an ever-rolling stream,

         bears all who breathe away;

         they fly forgotten, as a dream

         dies at the opening day.

Prayer:  Oh God, we remember.  Not everything, but we do remember.

              We remember others who gathered around the table with us.

                   friends who provided your shelter in life’s storms

                  and celebrated with us along life’s journey.

            We remember the beauty we have witnessed in your world.

            We remember that our short lives are cradled in your eternal life.

            Forgive us when we forget that you are the author, the reader,

                   and the end of our lives.  _

             Free us for joyful participation in life as our hope in Christ

                   leads us to you.  AMEN