December 22, 2019 Season of Advent

God saves sinners. We don’t believe that. We bank our happiness on other things. But, God says to us, “I’m better than you think. Try me!” Most of us know that our problems are deeper than we want to admit. Our problems are persistent. But there is hope. God saves sinners.

SONG: THE FIRST NOEL The First Noel, the Angels did say Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay In fields where they lay keeping their sheep On a cold winter’s night that was so deep.

CHORUS Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel Born is the King of Israel!

They looked up and saw a star Shining in the East beyond them far And to the earth, it gave great light And so it continued both day and night. CHORUS

Then let us all with one accord Sing praises to our heavenly Lord That hath made Heaven and earth of nought And with his blood mankind has bought. CHORUS

CALL TO WORSHIP “Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock. You who are en- throned upon the cherubim, shine forth. Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved!” - PSALM 80

1 SONG: PREPARE HIM ROOM O behold, the mystery now unfolds See the star shine on the virgin foretold Angels sing and light up the sky Hope rings out in a newborn’s cry Swing wide, you ancient gates For Christ is born today!

CHORUS Prepare Him room Prepare Him room Let the King of glory enter in

God with us, the promise has come to be This, the one the prophets were longing to see In the darkness a blazing light To the hungry the words of life His kingdom now is near For those with ears to hear CHORUS

Oh, our hearts, as busy as Bethlehem Hear Him knock, don’t say there’s no room in the inn Through the cradle, cross, and grave See the love of God displayed Now He’s risen and He reigns Praise the Name above all names! CHORUS

SONG: WHAT CHILD IS THIS? What Child is this Who, laid to rest, on Mary’s lap is sleeping? Whom angels greet with anthems sweet while shepherds watch are keeping? This, this is Christ the King, whom shepherds guard and angels sing. Haste, haste, to bring Him laud, the Babe, the Son of Mary.

Why lies He in such mean estate, where ox and lamb are feeding? Good Christian, fear, for sinners here, the silent Word is pleading. Nails, spear shall pierce Him through, the cross be borne for me, for you. Hail, hail the Word made flesh, the Babe, the Son of Mary.

So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh, come peasant, king to own Him The King of kings salvation brings, let loving hearts enthrone Him. Raise, raise a song on high, the virgin sings her lullaby. Joy, joy for Christ is born, the Babe, the Son of Mary.

2 READING “Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwill- ing to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord command- ed him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.” - MATTHEW 1:18-25

CONFESSION AND ASSURANCE Leader: Prepare the way of the Lord! Let us make our confession to God.

All: Lord God, We praise you for sending your light and love—Jesus the Messiah—into this world. We confess that we often live like the light did not defeat the darkness. We confess that we often live as though Jesus is not returning in glorious light. We sometimes confine Christ to parts of our lives and our faith becomes small. We do not joyfully serve and expectantly worship. Forgive us for ignoring Jesus’ light. Prepare us for His return. Help us rejoice in the light, So your grace illumines the dark places of our hearts, our city and our world. Amen.

Leader: The God who promised never to leave us or forsake us, has come to us in Jesus Christ, the light of the world. He binds up the broken-hearted, heals all our infirmities, and relieves our burden of sin. While it is true that we have sinned, It is a greater truth that, in Christ Jesus, we are forgiven. God has shown his love for us in that while we were sinners, Christ died and rose for us. Arise, shine; for his light has come, And the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.

All: Thanks be to God!

3 SONG: O COME, O COME, EMMANUEL O come, O come, Emmanuel, And ransom captive Israel. That mourns in lonely exile here, Until the Son of God appear.

CHORUS Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel, Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free, Thine own from Satan’s tyranny. From depths of Hell Thy people save, And give them victory o’er the grave. CHORUS

O come, our great High Priest, and intercede, Thy sacrifice, our only plea. The judgment we no longer fear, Thy precious blood has brought us near. CHORUS

O Come, Thou King of nations bring, An end to all our suffering, Bid every pain and sorrow cease, And reign now as our Prince of Peace. CHORUS

ANNOUNCEMENTS (see page 8)

Children in Pre-K through 4th grade are invited to Children’s Church. The pastor will in- vite children forward to pray for them and then dismiss them through the back doors of the Sanctuary.. At the end of the sermon, the children will return to join their families for communion.

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE SERMON: Of Grace and Faith - Benjie Slaton “In the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, king of Judah, Rezin the king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah the king of Israel came up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but could not yet mount an attack against it. 2 When the house of David was told, “Syria is in league with Ephraim,” the heart of Ahaz and the heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind. 3 And the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out to meet Ahaz, you and Shear-jashub your son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Washer’s Field. 4 And say to him, ‘Be careful, be quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint because of these two smoldering stumps of firebrands, at the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria ...

4 and the son of Remaliah. 5 Because Syria, with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has devised evil against you, saying, 6 “Let us go up against Judah and terrify it, and let us conquer it for ourselves, and set up the son of Tabeel as king in the midst of it,” 7 thus says the Lord God: “‘It shall not stand, and it shall not come to pass. 8 For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin. And within sixty-five years Ephraim will be shattered from being a people. 9 And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all. 10 Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz: 11 “Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” 12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.” 13 And he said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. 15 He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. 16 For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted. 17 The Lord will bring upon you and upon your people and upon your fa- ther’s house such days as have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah—the king of Assyria!” - ISAIAH 7:1-17 REFLECTION AND RESPONSE In what areas are you most concerned that God will not meet your needs? When you fear, how do you generally respond? How might God be inviting you into a deeper trust of him? CELEBRATION OF COMMUNION

A word about communion. This is a time for all people to seek the Lord. For Christians, Communion (also called the Lord’s Supper or Eucharist which means ‘thanksgiving’) is a time to seek their sav- ior by faith, to be renewed and strengthened for obedience by him, and to commune with him in the bread and the wine. All baptized Christians who have placed their faith in Christ alone and are at peace with their neighbor are welcome. If you are not a Christian, please let the elements pass you by, but use this time to pray and seek God. Similarly, we welcome children, but please only partake once you have publicly proclaimed your faith and been baptized.

5 AFFIRMATION OF FAITH - Apostles’ Creed I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living 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.

*Note: Catholic here means the universal church, all of God’s people at all time and all places gathered as his church WORDS OF INSTITUTION “Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” - MATTHEW 26

Leader: Arise, shine: for your light has come. Let us pray together.

All: O God, you have given us the light of Christ that leads us in the midst of darkness. In this meal, by providing us with the bread and wine, you allow us to see Christ, to be united to him by faith, and to delight in his presence with us. By the power of your Holy Spirit humble our wayward and anxious hearts. And empower us to walk in your light as we wait for the return of our savior. Come quickly Lord Jesus! Amen.

Leader: Christ, our Passover, has been sacrificed for us. These are the gifts of God for the people of God. Take them in remembrance that Christ died for you, and feed on him in your hearts by faith and with thanksgiving. SONG: O HOLY NIGHT O holy night, the stars are brightly shining, It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth. Long lay the world in sin and error pining, Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth. A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices, For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn. Fall on your knees, O hear the angel voices! O night divine, O night when Christ was born! Continued...

6 Humbly He lay, Creator come as creature, Born on the floor of a hay-scattered stall. True Son of God, yet bearing human feature, He entered earth to reverse Adam’s fall. In towering grace, He laid aside His glory, And in our place, was sacrificed for sin. Fall on your knees! O hear the gospel story! O night divine, O night when Christ was born!

Come then to Him Who lies within the manger, With joyful shepherds, proclaim Him as Lord. Let not the Promised Son remain a stranger; In reverent worship, make Christ your Adored. Eternal life is theirs who would receive Him; With grace and peace, their lives He will adorn. Fall on your knees! Receive the Gift of heaven! O night divine, O night when Christ was born! O night, O holy night when Christ was born!

SONG: JOY TO THE WORLD Joy to the world, the Lord is come Let earth receive her King Let every heart prepare Him room And Heaven and nature sing And Heaven and nature sing And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing

Joy to the World, the Savior reigns! Let men their songs employ While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains Repeat the sounding joy Repeat the sounding joy Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy

He rules the world with truth and grace And makes the nations prove The light of His righteousness And wonders of His love And wonders of His love And wonders, wonders, of His love

BENEDICTION Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel.

7 ANNOUNCEMENTS

Kingdom Prayer – Every Friday at 8:30am in the back room at Tasty Donuts.

Christmas Season - Sunday School programs for children and adults will be can- celled on Sunday, December 22 & 29.

Christmas Eve Service - Tuesday, December 24, 5:30pm at the Ooltewah Adventist Church. This will a beautiful and warm service for you and your children to cele- brate the birth of Christ.

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