:: Download the 12.27.2015 Worship Study Guide and Sermon Notes
:: Download the 12.27.2015 Bulletin
:: Download the 12.27.2015 Sermon Audio
image :: Little Creatures, Dmitri Pryahin (2013, Russian)
Preparation for Worship :: God’s People
“The thread which binds the whole Bible story together is emphatically not the history of an idea but the history of a people…calling a people to Himself, that they may be with Him and that He may send them forth.” (Lesslie Newbigin)
“The resurrection of Jesus is the ultimate sign that our salvation comes only when we cease trying to interpret Jesus’ story in the light of our history, and instead we interpret ourselves in the light of His.” (Stanley Hauerwas)
Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs for Sunday December 29 include ::
:: Joy to the World (Isaac Watts, 1719) CHART [bandcamp track=258610291 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]:: Doxology (Thomas Ken, 1709) CHART [bandcamp track=2257784892 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Away in a Manger (Anonymous, 1885) CHART [bandcamp track=3207541258 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Go, Tell it On the Mountain (Traditional American) CHART [bandcamp track=391303091 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Hark, the Herald Angels Sing (Charles Wesley, 1739) CHART [bandcamp track=1263242955 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]
Call to Worship :: Isaiah 25:8-9
He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of His people He will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken. It will be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him, that He might save us. This is the LORD; we have waited for Him; let us be glad and rejoice in His salvation.”
Old Testament Reading :: Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Prayer of Confession
Holy Lord, You have prepared Your salvation in the presence of all peoples. Yet, we confess that we have not followed the light of Your Word. We have not been consoled by Your presence, and have sought comforts of our own design. We have not sought Your will, or trusted Your Good News to be good. We have failed to rejoice at Your Son’s coming and refused His peace on earth. We have hoped for little from You, And the very thoughts of our hearts are revealed in the light of the glory of Your great mercy toward us. Forgive our unbelief, and renew us by Your Holy Spirit that we might eagerly worship You, that we may watch and wait and once more find the Gospel of our Savior, Jesus Christ, to be our greatest joy. Amen.
Words of Encouragement :: Galatians 4:4-7
When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
Sermon :: I Peter 2:9-10
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.