Indoor Worship at 7:30 Pm

Home , There Was Jesus

Farragut Presbyterian Church ______

11:00 a.m. Worship Service

rd 3 Sunday of Advent

Sunday, December 13, 2020

~The Gathering~

Greeting Rev. Matt Nieman

Prelude Tami Newsom, keyboard

Hymn Longing for Light, We Wait in Darkness Christ, Be Our Light Dr. Angela Batey, solo

Longing for food, many are hungry. Longing for water, many still thirst. Make us your bread, broken for others, share until all are fed. Christ, be our light! Shine in our hearts. Shine through the darkness. Christ, be our light! Shine in your church gathered today.

Leader: During Advent we celebrate that God comes to his people. Jesus is the One-who-comes; Jesus is the One-who-rules; Jesus is the One-who-was-promised.

People: We worship him!

Leader: Jesus shines as the One-who-was-promised.

People: Let the light shine!

Call to Worship

The Spirit of the Lord is with us. The time of God’s favor has come. Pray for the gift of joy from God: Shine in our lives, Lord Jesus Christ. Let us worship God.

Opening Song “O Come, All Ye Faithful” John F. Wade arr. Craig Duncan

Prayer of Confession

God our Maker, we confess that we are not ready to meet you. You send your Spirit to release us, yet we remain captivated by sin. You stand among us in Christ Jesus, yet we claim we do not know you. Forgive us, God of grace. Make us holy; make us whole. Keep us safe and sound until the day of your coming; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Declaration of Forgiveness

*Passing of the Peace

~The Word~

Prayer for Illumination

Lord, open our hearts and minds by the power of your Holy Spirit, that as the Scriptures are read and your Word is proclaimed, we may hear with joy what you say to us today. Amen.

Scripture Readings: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 Psalm 126

The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Sermon “Like Those Who Dream” Rev. Matt Nieman

~The Response~

Affirmation of Faith - from Romans 8:22-25

We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons and daughters, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what one already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

Anthem There Was Jesus Beathard/Smith/Williams

Call for the Offering

Prayers of Thanksgiving and Intercession

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.

~The Sending~

Closing Song Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus Charles Wesley arr. Rain for Roots

Charge and Benediction

If you would like the church office to record your attendance here today, you can:

• scan this QR Code and click on the generated google doc link or • go to https://forms.gle/4frMSP5wWS33g7Td6 or • email the church office at [email protected]

Prayers for Our Church Family Beth Allen, Phill and Judith Bradbury, Denise Damelio, Cathy Dorman, Billie Fain, Faye Greenlaw, Ron Griffith, Judy Ireland, Bill and Sue Lester, Liz Preston, Deena Ramey, Dee Robinson, Kathryn Robinson, Connie Rutenber, Dorean Stuewe, Steve Tinder, Trish Turner, Hazel West, George White

Military Joshua Meador, Stephen Peterson, Kevin Shelton, David Sparks, Mark Wurth

Mission Workers Mark Hare and Jenny Bent – Costa Rica Carlton “Cobbie” and Dessa Palm – Philippines

Bereaved Krista Belding and family in the passing of her mother The family of FPC member Sarah Wilbanks

Sunset Gap Christmas:

FPC is once again stepping up to provide gifts and clothing for children living in impoverished areas of Sevier and Cocke counties.

All gifts should be gift wrapped with the child's name and tag number included and delivered back to the church by TODAY. If you still have a gift to deliver, please contact Debbie Long.

Presbyterian Women are collecting hats, gloves, mittens and scarves for infants to adults through TODAY for Sunset Gap, which has been hit hard with the pandemic and loss of area jobs. The donated items will go on the Gap’s “Mitten Tree” and will be available at no cost to the folks. Items will be delivered to the Gap when the Christmas gifts are taken later this week. Look for the red container in the narthex to hold your contributions. Please contact Beth White with any questions.

Our annual Service of Lessons and Carols will be released TODAY at 6:00 p.m. and can be found on the FPC YouTube Channel and our website, www.fpctn.org.

The Service of Lessons and Carols is a traditional seasonal service of scripture and music. It is a very special and intimate service celebrating the true meaning of the season and will feature Knoxtet, an area professional ensemble, as well as members of our congregation. We hope you enjoy this very special service!!

The FPC Merry Mask Makers would like to thank the entire congregation for their continued support of the mask fundraiser for new medical equipment for Fellowship Hall. As a result of everyone’s generous donations – the Merry Mask Makers have raised over $1000 to date for this good cause! Don’t forget that masks of all shapes, sizes, and colors are available at a table in the Narthex. The masks are separately bagged and marked with the size – and new ones are added weekly. Masks are $5 each and you can leave a donation in the box provided. Don’t hesitate to contact Jenny Trussell, [email protected], if you need to make a custom order (no bulk orders please) or have questions about masks. Thanks to all for your generosity!

Shepherd of Hope Food Pantry: Thanks to your generous donations, the pantry served almost 300 guests during the month of November during the 2 regular pantry days and the school voucher day. This is a record and double the usual number of guests served during the holidays. Because of the special item donations from the three participating churches, each guest received a Thanksgiving bag filled with food items they might not have been able to purchase themselves. FPC donations made a huge difference!

Pantry needs for Christmas are: • Boxed Scalloped/Au Gratin Potatoes • Large boxes of Jell-O (any flavor) • Regular Ground Coffee (any size – avoid flavored coffee) • Tea – Regular bags for hot or cold tea (avoid flavored teas)

The pantry will be open December 7 and 21 for the regular guests and on the 17th for the school voucher program. Once again, guests will receive a special Christmas bag and participating churches are providing the contents. In addition to the above-mentioned items, the pantry can always use cereal, canned meats, boxed dinners, soups, peanut butter, jelly, cooking oil, bars of soap, toothpaste, deodorant and laundry detergent. Bring your donated items to the church and place them in the grocery cart in the narthex.

Many thanks to all the dedicated FPC volunteers who work at the pantry. If you would like to volunteer your time for this worthy cause, please contact Betty Nicholls, 865/724-5031 or [email protected].

Christmas Joy Special Offering: God is with us! God saw the great needs of the world and offered the perfect gift; a gift that brought God and humanity closer together. God’s perfect gift to us – Jesus Christ! One of the names given to Jesus according to Matthew’s Gospel is Emmanuel, “God is with us.”

The final Special Offering for 2020 is the annual Christmas Joy Offering which will be collected between now and December 20. This offering assists current and retired church workers and their families and provides education assistance at Presbyterian-related schools and colleges equipping communities of color. Specially designated envelopes will be available in our pews and on the welcome desk in the connector.

Persons who are not in attendance in person can make a contribution by sending a check to the church indicating the purpose to support the Christmas Joy offering. You may also give by going to www.fpctn.org and click on the e-giving section of our website.

We invite you to join us

Christmas Eve Outdoor Worship at 5:00 p.m. (bring a chair) Indoor Worship at 7:30 p.m. (bring a mask)

To make sure we can safely social distance in the sanctuary, we ask that you let us know in advance that you plan to attend the 7:30 service. You may pre-register at https://tinyurl.com/y2hcxd66 or use your phone to scan the adjacent QR code and click on the generated link. The 7:30 service will also be live-streamed and posted on the church’s website at www.fpctn.org.

This Week at FPC!

Sun, Dec 13 9:00 (indoor) and 11:00 a.m. (outdoor) Sunday Worship 10:00 a.m. Called Meeting of Session/FH or Rm A 6:00 p.m. Youth Group/Fellowship Hall 6:00 p.m. Lessons and Carols/www.fpctn.org Mon, Dec 14 10:00 a.m. Chair Yoga/Zoom 11:00 a.m. Lectio Divina/Zoom 7:00 p.m. Christian Education Committee/Zoom Tues, Dec 15 3:00 p.m. 4-H Club/Fellowship Hall 7:00 p.m. Administration Committee/Zoom Thurs, Dec 17 **** **** CEP Closed for Winter Break 8:00 a.m. Men’s Bible Study/Narthex 10:00 a.m. Covenant Group/Room A 7:00 p.m. Thursday Night Bible Study/Zoom Fri, Dec 18 7:00 p.m. Gentle Yoga Class/Zoom

Sunday School at 10:05 a.m.

Class Room Topic Youth and Zoom/ Join Mason Warren, Director of Family Pastor and Library Ministries, for this unique Advent journey Matt’s into the story of The Nutcracker. We will be Class exploring the book The Gift of the Nutcracker through the lens of faith and how the iconic tale can help us understand God’s greatest gift of the Christ child and the kingdom Christ came to build. Adult Bible Room A We use The Present Word. Our winter Study Class lesson book looks at God’s call throughout the New Testament as a way to explore our own calls. The three units focus on Jesus’ heritage (Matthew), Jesus’ call (other Gospels), and faithful women (a mix of Gospels and Epistles). Within the overall theme, each lesson stands alone, and we’d love to have you join us any week you’re able. Monday Fellowship This class is studying A New Reformation, Connection Hall by author Rob Fuquay. This book will introduce you to the life of Martin Luther and two important themes of the Reformation he sparked: the centrality of Scripture and the power of God’s grace.

Holiday Decorations

If you would like to help us offset the cost of decorating the church for the holidays by making a contribution in honor or memory of a loved one, just fill out this form and include your check made payable to Farragut Presbyterian Church, with “Holiday Decorations” designated in the memo line. Place your check and this form in the offering basket, drop them off in the church office, or mail them to the church. The cost per poinsettia is $10.00, however, your gift may be in any amount. An insert will be included in the Christmas Eve bulletin listing the donations. I am making a gift towards holiday decorations, to the Glory of God, and:

Please Print Clearly

In Honor/Memory of (Circle One)

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Donated by:

I am including my payment of $______with: □ cash □ check #______.