Wednesday Evening Prayer – December 23, 2020 Adapted from Presbyterian Book of

5:30 pm Meeting ID: 842 7252 2469 Password: FPUC

7:00 pm Meeting ID: 898 4848 6291 Password: FPUC

7:45 pm Meeting ID: 898 4848 6291 Password: FPUC

Opening Sentences Stay with us, Lord, for it is evening Luke 24:29 and the day is almost over. Let the heavens be glad and let the earth rejoice, Ps. 96:11, 13 for the Lord comes to judge the earth, to judge the world with justice and the nations with truth.

THANKSGIVING FOR LIGHT The Lord be with you. And also with you. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give our thanks and praise. We praise you, O Lord our God, ruler of the universe, by whose word the shadows of evening fall. Your wisdom opens the gates of morning; your understanding orders the changes of time and seasons; your will controls the stars as they travel through the skies. You are the creator of both night and day, making light recede before darkness, and darkness before light. You cause day to pass, and bring on the night, setting day and night apart. You are the Lord of hosts. Living and eternal God, rule over us always, to the end of time. Blessed are you, O Lord, whose word makes evening fall. Amen.

Psalm 96 1Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth. 2Sing to the LORD, bless the name f the LORD; proclaim God’s salvation from day to day. 3Declare God’s glory among the nations and God’s wonders among all peoples. 4For great is the LORD and greatly to be praised, more to be feared than all gods. 5As for all the gods of the nations, they are but idols; but you, O LORD, have made the heavens. 6Majesty and magnificence are in your presence; power and splendor are in your sanctuary. 7Ascribe to the LORD, you families of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD honor and power. 8Ascribe to the LORD the honor due the holy name; bring offerings and enter the courts of the LORD.

9Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness; tremble before the LORD, all the earth. 10Tell it out among the nations: “The LORD is king! The one who made the world so firm that it cannot be moved will judge the peoples with equity.” 11Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea thunder and all that is in it; let the field be joyful and all that is therein. 12Then shall all the trees of the wood shout for joy at your coming, O LORD, for you come to judge the earth. 13You will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with your truth. Ever-living God, the heavens were glad and the earth rejoiced when you sent your Son, the incarnate Word, to dwell with us. Help us to proclaim your glory to those who do not know you, until the whole earth sings a new song to you, with your Son and the Holy Spirit one God, now and forever. Amen.

Psalm 97 1The LORD reigns; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of the isles be glad. 2Clouds and darkness surround the LORD, righteousness and justice are the foundations of God’s throne. 3Fire goes before the LORD, burning up enemies on every side. 4Lightnings light up the world; the earth sees and trembles. 5The mountains melt like wax before the Lord of all the earth. 6The heavens declare your righteousness, O LORD, and all the peoples see your glory. 7Confounded be all who worship carved images and delight in false gods! Bow down before the LORD, all you gods. 8Zion hears and is glad, and the cities of Judah rejoice, because of your judgments, O LORD. 9For you are the LORD, most high over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods. 10You who love the LORD, hate evil! God guards the lives of the saints and rescues them from the hand of the wicked. 11Light dawns for the righteous, and joy for the honest of heart. 12Rejoice in the LORD, you righteous, and give thanks to God’s holy name.

O God, you clothe the sky with light and the ocean depths with dark- ness. You work your mighty wonders among us. Give us new and honest hearts, that we may hate evil and love justice; and let us see the dawn of your glory in the face of your only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

Psalm 98 1Sing a new song to the LORD, who has done marvelous things, whose right hand and holy arm have won the victory. 2O LORD, you have made known your victory, you have revealed your righteousness in the sight of the nations. 3You remember your steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God. 4Shout with joy to the LORD, all you lands; lift up your voice, rejoice, and sing.

5Sing to the LORD with the harp, with the harp and the voice of song. 6With trumpets and the sound of the horn shout with joy before the king, the LORD. 7Let the sea roar, and all that fills it, the world and those who dwell therein. 8Let the rivers clap their hands, and let the hills ring out with joy before the LORD, who comes to judge the earth. 9The LORD will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with equity. Lord God, we sing to you a new song, for your victory is ever new. In the resurrection of Christ you have given us a glimpse of your future, and in your victory over death you have shown us how we shall over- come the last enemy. As the seas roar and the hills sing together, we too will praise you for your great triumph, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.

Gospel: :57-66

The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Silence follows for reflection on the meaning of the scripture. The scripture may be briefly interpreted, or a nonbiblical reading may be read.

Canticle of Mary ; Luke 1:46–55 My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for you, Lord, have looked with favor on your lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed: you, the Almighty, have done great things for me and holy is your name. You have mercy on those who fear you, from generation to generation. You have shown strength with your arm, and scattered the proud in their conceit, casting down the mighty from their thrones and lifting up the lowly. You have filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.

You have come to the aid of your servant Israel, to remember the promise of mercy, the promise made to our forebears, to Abraham and his children forever.

THANKSGIVING AND INTERCESSION Let my prayer rise before you as incense, O Lord, Ps. 141:2 the lifting of my hands as an evening sacrifice. Merciful God, we praise you that you give strength for every weakness, forgiveness for our failures, and new beginnings in Jesus Christ. Especially we thank you for your great love for the whole world . . . the plants and animals that provide our food . . . those who support us in times of suffering . . . accomplishments that are pleasing to you . . . expressions of love unexpected or undeserved . . . Individual prayers of thanksgiving may be invited, asking: “People of God, for what else do we give thanks?” Almighty God, you know all needs before we speak our prayers, yet you welcome our concerns for others in Jesus Christ. Especially we pray for Baptist, Disciples of Christ, Pentecostal, and free churches . . . victims of tragedy and disaster . . . those who are captive or in prison . . . those who weep with the grieving . . . reconciliation with our enemies . . . Individual prayers of intercession may be invited, asking: “People of God, for what else do we pray?” There may be silent prayer. Protect your people, O God, and keep us safe until the coming of your new dawn and the establishment of your righteous rule. By your Holy Spirit, stir up within us a longing for the light of your new day, and guide us by the radiance of Jesus Christ your Son, our risen Lord. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

Hymn “In the Bleak Midwinter ” (words and music on next page) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzqYMd9uVp0 DISMISSAL May the Lord, who is our peace, 2 Thess. 3:16 give us peace at all times and in every way. Amen. Bless the Lord. The Lord’s name be praised. A sign of peace may be exchanged by all.

Please note there will be no Bible Study this Thursday Dec. 24th! Thursday Bible Study – Join Pastors Bruce & Carolyn at 9:00 a.m. on Thursdays. Pastors Bruce & Carolyn Gillette will take turns leading a new Bible Study based on the coming Sun- day's biblical lessons. The Thursday Bible will be done in Zoom. Email Pastor Bruce Gillette at [email protected] for the Zoom link.

Christmas Eve at FPUC: Join us this Thursday, December 24, Christmas Eve, when our congregation will gather on Zoom for a traditional-yet-new celebration of Christ’s birth:

8:00 p.m.Come early and enjoy a Fellowship Time; on Zoom, we will have opportunities to talk with friends who are near and far. Zoom ID: 817 689 1196. Passcode: FPUC

8:15 p.m.Enjoy some slides of beautiful church decorations.

8:30 p.m.Christmas Eve Candlelight Worship Service Our worship service begins with carols as the prelude (one verse each).Christmas Eve Candlelight Worship Service - Pastor Bruce Gillette’s sermon will be “The Best Christmas Gift Ever.”The Virtual Chancel Choir will sing "The First Noel/Pachelbel's Canon" arranged by Michael Clawson, and the Offertory will be "And the Glory of the Lord" by George Frederick Handel from the choir’s Heavenly Music CD. The Prelude will be some beloved Christmas carols.Eve

Prep for “Silent Night” by Candlelight: This year, we will celebrate Christmas Eve in our homes, remembering that Christ’s light is sent out into our communities, through each one of us

1). Please have a candle or other small light available for each person to hold during the sing- ing of our closing hymn, “Silent Night.” The electric candles in the Advent gift bag are great (make sure the batteries are good if you have been using it).

2). You will be invited to dim your lights and light your candle, as you sing this beloved hymn (practice ahead of time).

3). Please print off ahead of time the words to Silent Night (most of us do not know all of the hymn's verses) and looking at it on your computer will light up your room when we are trying to have everyone sing it be candlelight.

4.) Please leave your video on for this service.

Share an Invitation: Because this celebration will be on Zoom, this is an opportunity to share in worship with loved ones who are nearby and far away.Please invite family and friends!

Sunday after Christmas: We will be blessed with the amazing musical gifts of Jordan Dove for our December 27 worship service. The sermon will be a reading by several people, led by Pastor Carolyn Gillette, of the wonderful story of “The Other Wise Man” by Henry Van Dyke. On this last Sunday of 2020, there is no better place to be than with your church family for our worship service, giving thanks to God’s abiding pres- ence in what has been a very difficult year for many people, and praying for a better coming year for all. Zoom: 819 4028 9108. Password: FPUC

Sunday Worship Service is at 10:00 a.m. on the First Presbyterian Union Church in Owego. Email Pastor Bruce Gillette at [email protected] for the Zoom link.

Presbyterian Book of Common Worship Daily Prayer

1994 Edition Free online as a PDF of the whole Presbyterian Book of Common Worship (1993 edi- tion), starting on page 491 https://bookoforder.info/Book-of-Common-Worship.pdf

Leather bound book 1994 edition ($25.37) Amazon or PCUSA Store

2018 Edition Leather bound book of 2018 edition ($35.00) Amazon or PCUSA Store

Kindle of 2018 edition ($15.99) Amazon or PCUSA Store

App for iPhone, 2020 edition ($2.99) https://apps.apple.com/us/app/daily-prayer-pc-usa/id568520697?ls=1