::  Download the 12.20.2015 Worship Study Guide and Sermon Notes
::  Download the 12.20.2015 Bulletin 
::  Download the 12.20.2015 Sermon Audio 

image :: Angels Appearing Before the Shepherds, Henry Ossawa Tanner (1911, American)

Preparation for Worship :: God is Blessing Us

“O, Source of all Good
What shall I render to You
for the gift of gifts, Your own dear Son, begotten, not created,
my Redeemer, Proxy, Surety, Substitute,
His self-emptying incomprehensible,
His infinity of love beyond the heart’s grasp.
Herein is wonder of wonders:
He came below to raise me above,
was born like me
that I might become like Him.”  (Puritan Prayer)

Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs for Sunday November 29 include ::

:: Doxology (Thomas Ken, 1709) CHART [bandcamp track=2257784892 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]::  Love Came Down at Christmas (Christina Rossetti, 1885) CHART [bandcamp track=3311510953 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone) (John Newton, 1779; Tomlin & Giglio, 2006) [bandcamp track=3958547232 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: In The Bleak Midwinter (Christina Rossetti, c.1872) CHART [bandcamp track=4215802200 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: All Things New (Horatius Bonar, 1846) CHART [bandcamp track=503053927 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Creator of The Stars of Night (7^th Century Latin Hymn) CHART [bandcamp track=2507463581 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Silent Night (Joseph Mohr, 1818) CHART [bandcamp track=2720913592 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Joy to the World (Isaac Watts, 1719) CHART [bandcamp track=258610291 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Our Lord, Come (I Corinthians 16:22; Revelation 22:20) CHART

Call to Worship on the Fourth Sunday of Advent :: Haggai 2:7-8

“In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,” says the LORD Almighty.

Old Testament Reading :: Jeremiah 23:5-6

Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: “The Lord is our righteousness.”

Prayer of Confession :: Book of Common Prayer

Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved You with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent, for the sake of Your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in Your will, and walk in Your ways, to the glory of Your Name. Amen.

Words of Encouragement :: Matthew 1:21

She will give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.

Sermon :: Acts 3:22-26

²² ”Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you. ²³ And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.’ ²⁴ And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days. ²⁵ You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’ ²⁶ God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness.”

::  Download the 12.13.2015 Worship Study Guide and Sermon Notes
::  Download the 12.13.2015 Bulletin 
::  Download the 12.13.2015 Sermon Audio

image :: The Arrival at Bethlehem, Luc-Olivier Merson (1897, French)

Preparation for Worship :: God is Truthful

“My idea of God is not a divine idea. It has to be shattered time after time. He shatters it Himself. He is the great iconoclast. Could we not almost say that this shattering is one of the marks of His presence? The Incarnation is the supreme example; it leaves all previous ideas of the Messiah in ruins.” (C.S. Lewis)

“The eternal Son of God, Who is and remains true and eternal God, took to Himself, through the working of the Holy Spirit, from the flesh and blood of the virgin Mary, a truly human nature so that He might become David’s true descendant, like His brothers in every way except for sin.”  (The Heidelberg Catechism)

Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs for Sunday December 13 include ::

:: Doxology (Thomas Ken, 1709) CHART [bandcamp track=2257784892 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: O Come All Ye Faithful (attr. John Francis Wade, 1743) CHART [bandcamp track=1923573538 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence (Liturgy of St. James, 5^th century) CHART​ [bandcamp track=3666026699 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Amen, Amen (Neil and Kate Robins, 2008) CHART [bandcamp track=3980195636 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: It Came Upon a Midnight Clear (Edmund H. Sears, 1849) CHART [bandcamp track=958843212 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: We Are Going to See the King (Andre Crouch, 1978) CHART >>> AUDIO

:: Our Lord, Come (I Corinthians 16:22; Revelation 22:20) CHART

Call to Worship on the Third Sunday of Advent :: Revelation 1:5-7

To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood and made us a kingdom, priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of Him. Even so. Amen.

Old Testament Reading :: Isaiah 59:15-16,19-20

Truth is lacking,
and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey.

The Lord saw it, and it displeased him
that there was no justice.
He saw that there was no man,
and wondered that there was no one to intercede;
then his own arm brought him salvation,
and his righteousness upheld him…
So they shall fear the name of the Lord from the west,
and his glory from the rising of the sun;
for he will come like a rushing stream,
which the wind of the Lord drives.

 “And a Redeemer will come to Zion,
to those in Jacob who turn from transgression,” declares the Lord.

Prayer of Confession :: Book of Common Prayer

Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved You with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent, for the sake of Your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in Your will, and walk in Your ways, to the glory of Your Name. Amen.

Words of Encouragement :: I Timothy 1:18a

The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.

Sermon :: Acts 3:22-26

²² ”Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you. ²³ And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.’ ²⁴ And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days. ²⁵ You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’ ²⁶ God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness.”

::  Download the 12.6.2015 Worship Study Guide and Sermon Notes
::  Download the 12.6.2015 Bulletin 
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image :: Annunciation, Paolo Veronese (1558, Italian)

Preparation for Worship :: God is Faithful

“Christ calls us brethren and is one of us. How should we be encouraged when we have such a Mediator! ‘Tis one of us that is to plead for us, one that God from love to us has received into His own person from among us.”  (Jonathan Edwards)

“God travels wonderful ways with human beings, but He does not comply with the views and opinions of people. God does not go the way that people want to prescribe for Him…Only the humble believe him and rejoice that God is so free and so marvelous that he does wonders where people despair, that He takes what is little and lowly and makes it marvelous. And that is the wonder of all wonders, that God loves the lowly…. God is not ashamed of the lowliness of human beings. God marches right in.”  (Dietrich Bonhoeffer)

Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs for Sunday December 6 include ::

:: Doxology (Thomas Ken, 1709) CHART [bandcamp track=2257784892 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Gloria (Luke 2:14) CHART [bandcamp track=3705156614 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Come Thou Long Expected Jesus (Charles Wesley, 1744) CHART [bandcamp track=1664620326 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: O Come, O Come Emmanuel (Latin antiphons, 12^th century) CHART [bandcamp track=134275884 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: What Child Is This (W. Chatterton Dix, c.1865) CHART [bandcamp track=3999560521 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: None Other Lamb  (Christina Rossetti, b.1830)  CHART [bandcamp track=798046000 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: In Christ Alone (Getty & Townend, 2002) CHART [bandcamp track=676321818 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: O Come All Ye Faithful (attr. John Francis Wade, 1743) CHART [bandcamp track=1923573538 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Our Lord, Come (I Corinthians 16:22; Revelation 22:20) CHART

Call to Worship on the Second Sunday of Advent :: Luke 21:28

Stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.

Old Testament Reading :: Isaiah 64:1-4

Oh, that You would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains would tremble before You! As when fire sets twigs ablaze and causes water to boil, come down to make Your name known to Your enemies and cause the nations to quake before You! For when You did awesome things that we did not expect, You came down, and the mountains trembled before You. Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides You, who acts on behalf of those who wait for Him.

Prayer of Confession :: Book of Common Prayer

Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved You with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent, for the sake of Your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in Your will, and walk in Your ways, to the glory of Your Name. Amen.

Words of Encouragement :: Hebrews 9:28

Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him.

Sermon :: Acts 3:22-26

²² ”Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you. ²³ And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.’ ²⁴ And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days. ²⁵ You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’ ²⁶ God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness.”

::  Download the 11.29.2015 Worship Study Guide and Sermon Notes
::  Download the 11.29.2015 Bulletin 
::  Download the 11.29.2015 Sermon Audio

image :: The Annunciation, Rajna Nikolić (Serbian)

Preparation for Worship :: For You, From You

“The only Son of God, having become the Son of Man makes many sons of men the sons of God.”  (Augustine)

“He saved us from alongside us.”  (Donald Macleod)

Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs for Sunday November 29 include ::

:: Creator of The Stars of Night (7^th Century Latin Hymn) CHART [bandcamp track=2507463581 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending (Charles Wesley, 1758) CHART [bandcamp track=1316143512 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Love Came Down at Christmas (Christina Rossetti, 1885) CHART [bandcamp track=3311510953 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Let Us Love And Sing And Wonder (John Newton, 1774) CHART [bandcamp track=3505470677 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven (Henry Francis Lyte, 1834) CHART [bandcamp track=170691948 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]::  Come Thou Long Expected Jesus (Charles Wesley, 1744) CHART [bandcamp track=366056780 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Doxology (Thomas Ken, 1709) CHART [bandcamp track=2257784892 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Our Lord, Come (I Corinthians 16:22; Revelation 22:20) CHART

Call to Worship on the First Sunday of Advent :: Romans 13:11

The hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.

Old Testament Reading :: Micah 5:2-5

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”  Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor bears a son, and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites.  He will stand and in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God.  And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.  And he will be our peace.

Prayer of Confession :: Book of Common Prayer

Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved You with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent, for the sake of Your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in Your will, and walk in Your ways, to the glory of Your Name. Amen.

Words of Encouragement :: Zephaniah 3:14-15

Sing aloud, O daughter Zion; shout, O Israel!  Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem!  The LORD has taken away the judgments against you, He has turned away your enemies.  The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; you shall fear disaster no more.

Sermon :: Acts 3:22-26

²² ”Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you. ²³ And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.’ ²⁴ And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days. ²⁵ You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’ ²⁶ God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness.”

::  Download the 11.22.2015 Worship Study Guide and Sermon Notes
::  Download the 11.22.2015 Bulletin 
::  Download the 11.22.2015 Sermon Audio 

image :: The Fallen Jockey, Edgar Degas (c.1896, French)

Preparation for Worship :: Stumbling Stone

“We need a divine operation upon the heart and mind to make us willing to receive into our inmost soul this distasteful Gospel of the grace of God…. Hide not the offence of the Cross, lest you make it of none effect. “ (Charles Spurgeon)

“They did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone.” (Romans 9:32)

Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs for Sunday November 22 include ::

:: Doxology (Thomas Ken, 1709) CHART [bandcamp track=2257784892 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Come Thou Fount Of Every Blessing (Robert Robinson, 1758) CHART [bandcamp track=4015998502 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: All Things New (Horatius Bonar, 1846) CHART [bandcamp track=503053927 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds (John Newton, 1774) CHART [bandcamp track=3647467981 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: My Hope is Built on Nothing Less (Edward Mote, 1834) CHART [bandcamp track=1070234810 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Amazing Grace (John Newton, 1779) CHART [bandcamp track=2203479634 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]

Call to Worship :: Psalm 18:1-3

I love You, O Lord, my Strength. The Lord is my Rock and my Fortress and my Deliverer; My God, my Rock, in whom I take refuge, my Shield, and the Horn of my salvation, my Stronghold. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.

Old Testament Reading :: Isaiah 8:11-15

For the Lord spoke thus to me with his strong hand upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying: “Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. But the Lord of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. And he will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many shall stumble on it. They shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken.”

Prayer of Confession

Gracious Lord, we confess that we have sinned against You in our thoughts, words and deeds. Depending on our own strength, we stumble. Glorying in our own righteousness, we mock You. Turning our faces from You, we desire the things of this world to satisfy us. We repent of our self-pity and pride, our cowardice and sloth, our anger and envy. We pray now, Lord, for You to forgive us; Let us hear Your voice saying: “His blood is your peace, His death is your freedom, His Spirit is your power.” We pray these things in the name of Your most precious Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Words of Encouragement :: Romans 5:6,8

At just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Sermon :: I Peter 2:4-8 

⁴ As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, ⁵ you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶ For it stands in Scripture:

“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,
a cornerstone chosen and precious,
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

⁷ So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,

“The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone,”

⁸ and

“A stone of stumbling,
and a rock of offense.”

They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.