First Sunday of November 29, 2020

The St. Paul’s family welcomes you as we worship God together. We strive to be full, active, conscious participants in our liturgical life together. The Procession of Light and Hope

HYMN 211 “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” Veni Emmanuel A cantor sings the first phrase, then all join in singing 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.

LIGHTING OF THE Isaiah 2:4-5 God shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord! The first candle is lit as a symbol of Christ our Hope. May the light sent from God shine in the darkness to show us the way of salvation.

HYMN 211 “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” Veni Emmanuel verses 2 - 4 O come, thou Wisdom from on high, and order all things far and nigh; to us the path of knowledge show, and cause us in her ways to go. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel. O come, O come, great Lord of might, who to thy tribes on Sinai’s height in ancient times once gave the law in cloud and majesty and awe. O come, thou Root of Jesse’s tree, an ensign of thy people be; before thee rulers silent fall; all peoples on thy mercy call.

GREETING Light and peace, in Jesus Christ our Lord! Thanks be to God! Bless the Lord, who forgives our sins. God’s mercy endures for ever.

COLLECT Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. The Sacrament of Holy Baptism Haley and Derek Deas present their daughter Evelyn Margaret Deas born September 9, 2019

HYMN “Christ, When For Us You Were Baptized,” verse 1 Caithness Christ, when for us you were baptized, God’s Spirit on you came, As peaceful as a dove, and yet as urgent as a flame. Members of the household of faith, I commend this child to your love and care, whom this day we recognize as a member of the family of God. With God’s help, will you so order your lives after the example of Christ, that Evelyn Margaret, surrounded by steadfast love, may be established in the faith, and confirmed and strengthened in the way that leads to life eternal? If so, say, We will! We will!

HYMN “Christ, When For Us You Were Baptized,” verse 4 Caithness Baptize us with your Spirit, Lord, your cross on us be signed, That likewise in God’s service we may perfect freedom find. The Ministry of the Word PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION Open our hearts and minds, O God, by the power of your Holy Spirit, so that, as the Word is read and proclaimed, we may hear with joy what you say to us this day. Amen.

FIRST LESSON Isaiah 64:1-9 O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, so that the mountains would quake at your presence as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil to make your name known to your adversaries, so that the nations might tremble at your presence! When you did awesome deeds that we did not expect, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence. From ages past no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who works for those who wait for him. You meet those who gladly do right, those who remember you in your ways. But you were angry, and we sinned; because you hid yourself we transgressed. We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy cloth. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. There is no one who calls on your name, or attempts to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have delivered us into the hand of our iniquity. Yet, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand. Do not be exceed- ingly angry, O Lord, and do not remember iniquity forever. Now consider, we are all your people. The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

PSALM 80:1-7, 16-18 Hear, O Shepherd of Israel, leading Joseph like a flock; shine forth, you that are enthroned upon the cherubim. In the presence of Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, stir up your strength and come to help us. Restore us, O God of hosts; show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved. O Lord God of hosts, how long will you be angered despite the prayers of your people? You have fed them with the bread of tears; you have given them bowls of tears to drink. You have made us the derision of our neighbors, and our enemies laugh us to scorn. Restore us, O God of hosts; show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved. Let your hand be upon the man of your right hand, the son of man you have made so strong for yourself. And so will we never turn away from you; give us life, that we may call upon your Name. Restore us, O Lord God of hosts; show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. SECOND LESSON 1 Corinthians 1:3-9 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind-- just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you-- so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

You are invited to sing the hymn.

HYMN 730 “O Day of God, Draw Nigh” St. Michael # ™ œ ˙ œ œ œ ™ & œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙ 1. O day of God, draw nigh in beau - ty and in power; 2. Bring to our trou - bled minds, un - cer - tain and a - fraid, 3. Bring jus - tice to our land, that all may dwell se - cure, 4. Bring to our world of strife thy sov - ereign word of peace, 5. O day of God, draw nigh as at cre - a - tion's birth;

# œ œ ™ & œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙ come with thy time - less judg - ment now to match our pres - ent hour. the qui - et of a stead - fast faith, calm of a call o - beyed. and fine - ly build for days to come foun - da - tions that en - dure. that war may haunt the earth no more, and des - o - la - tion cease. let there be light a - gain, and set thy judg - ments on the earth.

GOSPEL Mark 13:24-37 Jesus said, “In those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory. Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. “But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.” The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

You are invited to join in saying Psalm 19:14. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer. Amen.

SERMON “Keep Awake” Dr. Rev. Jeff McDonald Responses and Offerings All stand.

THE APOSTLES’ CREED I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth; And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried; the third day he rose from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

All sit.

PRAYER

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 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, the power, and the glory for ever. Amen.

PEACE The peace of the Lord be always with you. And also with you. All exchange signs and words of God’s peace with any who are around you, saying “peace be with you,” and offering a wave, open palms, or palms over your heart.

REGISTRATION OF ATTENDANCE AND ANNOUNCEMENTS You may register your attendance and make your offering by going to the St. Paul’s website at www.stpaulshouston.org/live-stream or to the St. Paul’s app. If you are interested in becoming a member of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, or just want to find out more about what it means to be a United Methodist Christian, please speak with a member of our clergy. Information on how to stay connected with the St. Paul’s community can be found on the St. Paul’s website and Facebook page. The Offering of tithes and gifts is a vital element of worship—our acknowledgment of the abundance of God’s blessings in our lives. Please take this time to log on to stpaulshouston.org/give to make your regular offering or to set up a recurring stewardship gift.

OFFERING “This Is the Truth from Above” Ralph Vaughan Williams Keaton Brown, Baritone This is the truth sent from above, the truth of God the God of love. Therefore don’t turn me from your door, but hearken all both rich and poor. The first thing which I do relate is that God did man create. The next thing which to you I’ll tell, woman was made with man to dwell. Then, after this, ‘twas God’s own choice to place them both in Paradise, There to remain, from evil free, except they ate of such a tree. And they did eat, which was a sin, and thus their ruin did begin. Ruined themselves, both you and me, and all of their posterity. Thus we were heirs to endless woes, till God the Lord did interpose. And so a promise soon did run, that he would redeem us by his Son. And he in love to us behaved, to show us how we must be saved. And if you want to know the way, be pleased to hear what he did say.

DOXOLOGY Conditor alme siderum # # ‰ j œ œ œ j ™ & œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ To God the Fa - ther, God the Son, and God the Spi - rit, ree in One,

## & œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙ praise, ho - nor, might and glo - ry be from age to age e - ter - nal - ly.

HYMN 213 “Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates” Truro ™ ## ™ j ™ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ™ & ˙ œ œ ˙ œ œ ˙ œ œ œ œ ˙ ˙ ˙ 1. Li up your heads, ye might - y gates; be - hold, the King of glo - ry waits; 2. Fling wide the por - tals of your heart; make it a tem - ple, set a - part 3. Re - deem - er, come, with us a - bide; our hearts to thee we o - pen wide; 4. y Ho - ly Spir - it lead us on un - til our glo - rious goal is won;

# ™ ™ # ˙ ˙ ˙ œ œ œ œ œ ˙ œ ˙ ˙ œ œ & œ œ œ ˙ ˙ w the King of kings is draw - ing near; the Sav - ior of the world is here. from earth - ly use for heaven's em - ploy, a- dorned with prayer and love and joy. let us thy in - ner pres - ence feel; thy grace and love in us re - veal. e - ter - nal praise, e - ter - nal fame be of - fered, Sav - ior, to thy name!

BENEDICTION

VOLUNTARY “Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme,” BWV 645 Johann Sebastian Bach (“Sleepers wake, the voice is calling”)

Lighting of the Advent Candle: Brett Chiquet, Michael Pirics, and their daughter Henley. Reader: Brad Harmes New Members: We welcome Taylor and Adam Alonso with their daughter Amelia, and Elizabeth and Dylan Heckeroth with their daughter Harper into the St. Paul’s family.

Permissions O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. Words: translated from 9th century Latin. Music: Veni Emmanuel, 15th century French; arr. and harm. by Thomas Helmore (1854). Public Domain. O Day of God, Draw Nigh. Words: R. B. Y. Scott (1937). Public Domain. Music: St. Michael, “Genevan Psalter” (1551); arr. by William Crotch (1836). Public Domain. Creator of the Stars at Night, verse 4. Words: Latin, 5th-10th cent. Public Domain. Music: Conditor Alme Siderum, Sarum plainsong, c. 9th centl, mode IV. Public Domain. Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates. Words: Georg Weissel, 17th cent.; transl. by Catherine Winkworth (1855). Public Domain. Music: Truro, “Psalmodia Evangelica” (1789). Public Domain. Permission to podcast/stream the music in this service obtained from One License with license #A-729097. CHILDREN’S ACTIVITIES. Stay in touch via the St. Paul’s Kids Facebook page (www.facebook.com/KidsOfSPUMC) and the e-letter for St. Paul’s Kids and families. To ensure receiving the e-letter, contact Rev. Kate Flint via [email protected]. Also contact her for the GROW and Joyful Noise Zoom connections. Children’s Choirs: To register your child for choir, please visit www. stpaulshouston.org/childrenschoirs. For more information please contact Anna Teagarden via ateagarden@stpaulshouston. org. The day-by-day children’s schedule is as follows: Sundays: • Children’s Sunday School: All classes, age 3 through 5th grade, meet on Zoom 9:45-10:45 am for GROW and Joyful Noise assemblies followed by age-level groups. Check this week’s Children’s Ministry e-letter for the Zoom links. Contact Rev. Kate Flint for details at [email protected]. Children’s Choirs: • Wesley Singers (Grades 1-2). Not meeting this week due to Thanksgiving holiday. • Choristers (Grades 3-8). Not meeting this week due to Thanksgiving holiday. • Treble Choir. Wednesdays at 5:30 pm • One-on-One Voice for Life lessons. Contact [email protected] YOUTH ACTIVITIES. The Youth are gathering on Sundays and throughout the week via Zoom. To learn more, email Tiffin, tiffin@stpaulshouston. org or Oksana, [email protected]. The day-by-day schedule follows: Sundays: Sunday School. 10 am via Zoom Tuesdays: Girls Bible Study. 6:30 pm on the Labyrinth Wednesdays: H.O.T. (Hang Out Time). 7 pm via Zoom

Today at St. Paul’s Ordinary Life. 9:30 am. To watch, visit www.ordinarylife.org/live-stream-broadcast. Advent Study - The Journey: Walking the Road to Bethlehem by Adam Hamilton, Sundays, November 29 - December 20, at 9:45 am. For more information and to access the group study, email Mary Linda Portner at [email protected]. St. Paul’s Epworth League (Young Adults) Sunday School class. Sunday mornings via Zoom. To connect with this Sunday School class, email Jim Bankston at [email protected]. Most other Sunday School Classes are meeting on Sundays at 9:45 or 10 am via phone or video conferencing. Check with your class leaders or visit www.stpaulshouston.org/stayconnected for more information. Blood Drive at St. Paul’s, today from 9 am to 1:15 pm in the Activity Center. To register, visit www.commitforlife.org/donor/ schedule/drive. A Meditation in Scripture and Chant for Advent, today at 6 pm. Similar in style to a service of Lessons and Carols, this webcast service, recorded completely in candlelight, includes traditional readings for Advent, interspersed with plainchant of the Great Advent Antiphons sung by soloists. Music will also include virtual choir hymns sung by the St. Paul’s Choir and St. Paul’s Treble Choir. Join us at www.stpaulshouston.org/stream.

This Week at St. Paul’s Morning Prayer. Available on YouTube each Monday morning through the remainder of the week. You can use this 15-minute guide for your practice of Morning Prayer any of the days of the week. To access: www.stpaulshouston.org/worship. Tai Chi. Mondays and Wednesdays at 9 am via Zoom. To connect, email [email protected]. Compline: A Weekly Service of Evening Prayer. Mondays at 8:30 pm. The service of Compline includes responses, psalms, scripture, a hymn, and an opportunity to pray. Our time of evening prayer will be live via Zoom and will not be available on YouTube or the St. Paul’s stream after the service. To access the zoom link, visit www.stpaulshouston.org/worship. Tuesday Lectionary Bible Study led by Rev. Paul Richards-Kuan. Tuesdays at noon, meeting virtually via Zoom. To connect, email [email protected]. Midweek Message. Available Wednesday mornings. These 15-minute devotions on YouTube by St. Paul’s pastors look ahead to the scripture for the following Sunday. To access: www.stpaulshouston.org/worship. Men’s Lectionary Bible Study with Rev. Dr. Jeff McDonald. Wednesdays at 7:30 am via Zoom. To connect, email bharmes@ gmail.com. Thursday Women’s Lectionary with Rev. Barbara Robberson. Thursdays at 8:30 am via Zoom. To connect, email bjmcmah@ swbell.net. Her|meneutics. 1st and 3rd Thursday at 6:30 pm via Zoom. Gather with a community of women who are committed to maturing spiritually and cultivating a network of support and belonging. This season the group is working through Willie Jennings’ commentary on Acts, sharing at each gathering a spiritual practice centered around implicit bias. For more information, sign up for the newsletter by contacting [email protected] or email Rev. Karyn Richards-Kuan at krichards- [email protected]. The Chimes (Thursdays) and the Friday Pastor’s Message. To receive these weekly email messages, email Donna Adair at [email protected]. Disaster Recovery Team - Repair Damaged Homes, Saturday December 5, 8am - 3pm. Volunteers are asked to help repair damaged homes of vulnerable Houstonians. Any skill level welcome, all equipment provided. For details and signup, visit www.stpaulshouston.org/recovery, or you can contact Rev. Paul Richards-Kuan for more information. Good Gifts Market Hosted by Westbury UMC, Saturday, December 5, at 11 am. Westbury UMC has invited St. Paul’s to be a part of their virtual Good Gifts Market via Zoom. Vendors are primarily fair trade businesses and organizations that help people in need. If you’d like to attend, please RSVP by visiting www.westburyumc.org/goodgiftsmarket. Upcoming Service of Holy Communion, Sunday, December 6, at 4 pm: • Online Communion will take place via Zoom. To prepare and participate in the sacrament, gather a candle, simple bread or cracker, and a beverage. The gathering will open at 3:45pm , 15 minutes prior to this online service. To access, visit www.stpaulshouston.org/worship • Outdoor/In-Person Communion will take place on the Jones Plaza. For those who are interested, we will gather in- person to worship and celebrate Holy Communion - rain or shine. Space is limited; please reserve your spot by visiting the link found at www.stpaulshouston.org/joy (St. Paul’s page dedicated to Advent and Christmas). Please read the details on safety, seating, and how reserve your space. Amazing Parents Amazing Kids, Sunday, December 6. For parents whose children have developmental, emotional, medical, or learning differences, this is a time of connection and mutual support. 1pm via Zoom. To connect, email [email protected]. (Meets first Sunday of the month) St. Paul’s Single Moms Circle. Tuesday, December 8, 8:30- 9:30 pm. To connect, email [email protected]. (2nd and 4th Tuesdays) Healing of Racism Circle, Friday, December 18, at 10 am. For more information or to obtain the meeting link, email Helen via [email protected]. (Meets 3rd Fridays.) Service of the Longest Night: An Interfaith Memorial for Those Who Experienced Homelessness, Monday, December 21, at 11 am via Zoom. St. Paul’s will host this interfaith memorial accessible through a Zoom webinar. Please register by visiting the link found at www.stpaulshouston.org/joy. Service of the Longest Night: Evening Prayer, Monday, December 21, at 6 pm via Zoom. On the longest night of the year, it is our tradition to hold space for one another’s sadness and grief through this quiet meditative service.

Ways to Love Your Neighbor Donate to the Emergency Aid Coalition (EAC). Latest urgent needs: children’s shoes and winter items, especially beanies and gloves of all sizes, and men’s jeans and shoes. Always welcome are peanut butter crackers, granola bars, Vienna sausage, fresh fruit (bananas and oranges), and fruit cups. Drop off donations at 5401 Fannin, M-F, between 9am and 1 pm. Also, shop the EAC Amazon wish list: https://a.co/3b79tEQ. If you have a question about Amazon delivery, call Marian Bryant at 832-859-1065. SEARCH Homeless Services. Sign up to help SEARCH with various, constantly shifting serving opportunities. To sign up, email Rev. Paul Richards-Kuan via [email protected].