Prelude: Joyful, Joyful

GREETING
Amelia Hamiter (she/her/hers)

One: The Lord be with you.

Many: And also with you.

PREPARATION

CALL TO WORSHIP

One: Our call to worship this morning comes from the pastor, activist, theologian, and educator, Howard Thurman. When the song of the angels is stilled,

Many: When the star in the sky is gone, When the kings and princes are home, When the shepherds are back with their flocks,

One: the work of Christmas begins:

Many: To find the lost, To heal the broken, To feed the hungry,

One: To release the prisoner, To rebuild the nations, To bring peace among the people,

All: To make music in the heart.

Song

Joy To The World

Song

Hark The Herald

Song

Angels We Have Heard On High

CONFESSION

One: Join me now in praying today’s prayer of confession.

All: God of grace and truth, in Jesus Christ you came among us as light shining in darkness. We confess that we have not welcomed the light, or trusted good news to be good. We have closed our eyes to glory in our midst, expecting little, and hoping for less. Forgive our doubt, renew our hope, and help us receive the fullness of your grace, living in the evidence of Emmanu-el, “God with us.”

WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT

One: Friends, believe that the good news is truly good: In Jesus Christ, you are forgiven and invited into the fullness of Christmas joy!

Many: Thanks be to God!

PASSING THE PEACE

One: The peace of Christ be with you all. 

Many: And also with you.

Song

O Come Let Us Adore Him

READING - Luke 17:11-21

SERMON
Rev. Emily McGinley (she/her/hers)

OFFERING

OFFERING PRAYER

All: O God, may we go forward into the coming year confident of your guidance and your love binding us together. Receive these gifts, and the service of our lives as signs of our thanksgiving. May everything we do, in word and deed, reflect our gratitude for the gift of Jesus, our Savior and Lord, in whose name we pray. Amen.

GIVE HERE

MUSICAL OFFERING

Light Of The World

RITUAL OF TURNING

One: Please rise in body or spirit. I invite you now to pray with your body. Together, let us remember the four expectations of Advent: Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. In the season of Christmastide, we celebrate these expectations and look with renewed anticipation for how they are fulfilled in in Jesus. We begin with the assurance of Emmanuel, God-With-Us, and the hope that God’s presence brings:

Child rings a prayer bowl.

One: God, our ever–present HOPE who guides our path: You hem us in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon us.

Many: Because you are our help, we sing in the shadow of your wings. We cling to you; your right hand upholds us. Whether we turn to the right or to the left, our ears will hear a voice behind us, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

Child rings a prayer bowl.

One: We turn to the east [right] and remember that our PEACE comes from a merciful and gracious God: 

Many: Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Child rings a prayer bowl.

One: We turn to the south [rear] and remember the LOVE of God’s compassion: As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.

The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children.

Child rings a prayer bowl.

One: And over all these things let us put on LOVE, which is the perfect bond of unity. The peace of Christ be in your hearts—a peace into which we have been called in one body. With gratitude, we remember God’s love which rings across the ages: 

Many: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. Do not be afraid, for I am with you.

One: Friends, the promise of Christmas is that God is with us in every way and in that presence is where we find our hope, peace, joy, and love. This is a promise not only for today but for all the days to come.

Song:

All Glory Be To Christ 

COMMUNION

AFFIRMATION OF FAITH - Apostles Creed

All: I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of 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. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again 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.

GREAT THANKSGIVING

One: The Lord be with you.
Many: And also with you.

One: Lift up your hearts!
Many: We lift them up to the Lord!

One: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
Many: It is right to give our thanks and praise.

PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING

SANCTUS

WORDS OF INSTITUTION

One: Together we proclaim the mystery of the faith:

Many: Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.

PRAYER OF CONSECRATION

PASTORAL PRAYER

One: God of the Hope born at Christmas, newly alive among us in fragile flesh, we pray for persistence and tenderness as we cross from what has been into what is still becoming.

Many: Make your warming Presence known to all who carry loneliness, grief, or quiet despair. Draw near to those whose hearts feel heavy at year’s end, and bless all who reach toward one another in large ways and small.

One: Encourage and protect all who act in solidarity with the lonely, the sick, the imprisoned, and the oppressed. Strengthen those who choose compassion when indifference would be easier, and courage when fear would feel safer.

Many: We give thanks for all who labor for justice and equity: for those who speak truth in the streets and in quiet rooms, for those who resist the harm we inflict upon your good creation, for those who imagine a more generous future and invite us into the hard, holy work of helping it take shape.

All: God of the manger, God of the stranger, move the hearts of those entrusted with power to act for the common good, to protect life, and to ease suffering where only they can. Soften hearts hardened by fear, apathy, or hatred, and awaken responsibility where silence allows harm. As we step into a new year, revitalize us. Empower us to be your Presence in the world—to offer help where we can, to rest when we must, and to trust that even small acts of love are held by you. Amen.

THE LORD'S PRAYER

All: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial, and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen.

One: Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us;
Many: Therefore, let us keep the feast.

Distribution of the Bread and Cup

Song

What Child Is This

Song

Go Tell It

WORDS OF WELCOME

Many: Loving God, whose Word has come among us in the Holy Child of Bethlehem: may the light of faith illuminate our hearts and shine in our lives; through him who is Christ the Lord. Amen.

DISMISSAL

One: Let us go forth to serve the world as those who love our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Many: Thanks be to God!

One: Go, in God’s Peace