1. Proclaiming the Gospel and Making Disciples
Welcome!
P: When God made Israel His chosen people, He set up the sacrificial system in which people would come to the temple for forgiveness and a priest would intercede for the people and offer sacrifices for their sins.  Our priest is the High Priest of eternity, Jesus Christ.  He intercedes for us before the Father.  As we begin our worship service, today, we confess our sins before the Lord. 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.
(a time of silence to reflect and personally confess our sins)
C: Heavenly Father, we confess that we have sinned against You and against our neighbor.  In our weakness, we have given in to temptation instead of following Your commands.  We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen
P: The Lord has heard your cry for mercy.  Jesus is our High Priest.  He did not offer a sacrifice of an animal.  He offered Himself, the perfect Lamb of God, as our one true sacrifice.  One perfect sacrifice for the forgiveness of all sins. Therefore I announce unto you the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.  In His stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C: Amen.
Songs of Praise and Worship Come Thou Long Expected Jesus (vs 1)
Angels We Have Heard On High
Emmanuel, Hollowed Manger Ground
Old Testament Reading -  Isaiah 53:1-3
Who has believed our message     and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? He grew up before him like a tender shoot,     and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,     nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by mankind,     a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces     he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.
Epistle Reading -  Hebrews 4:14-16
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.
Children's Message
(Children dismissed to Children's Church)
Sermon Hymn - O Little Town of Bethlehem
Sermon - Prepare for the Coming of Our Savior
Luke 1:26-38
In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary.  The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."
Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.  But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid,Mary; you have found favor with God.  You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.  He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob's descendants forever; his kingdom will never end."
"How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"
The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.  Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month.  For no word from God will ever fail."
"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May your word to me be fulfilled." Then the angel left her.
Offering  (Children return during offering)
Prayers
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, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits 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 Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. 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 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 and the power and the glory forever and ever.  Amen
Words of Institution
PeaceP: The peace of the Lord be with you all.
C: And also with you.
P: We greet each other in the peace of Christ.
Distribution
Prayer
Benediction
Closing Song - He Has Come For Us (God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen)
Announcements
(Service Ends)
Clean Up

2. invocation

3. confession and forgiveness

4. pastor
We have come here today to worship the Lord. In worship we hear the Word of God, we receive God's blessings, and respond with thanks and praise. We begin by seeking God's blessing of forgiveness.

5. pastor
He has promised to remove the guilt and shame of our sin through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. 

6. P: The Lord is merciful and gracious; slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
C: He will not always scold, nor will he keep his anger forever.
Psalm 103:8-12

7. P: He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to what we have done wrong.

8. C: For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our sins from us.

9. P: Let us confess our sins to the Lord
P: Let us confess our sins to the Lord. (a time of silence to reflect and personally confess our sins)

10. P: Heavenly Father, C: Heavenly Father, P: I have done things that were wrong. C: I have done things that were wrong.

11. P: I have been mean to others. C: I have been mean to others
P: I have been mean to others. C: I have been mean to others. P: I have not obeyed my parents. C: I have not obeyed my parents.

12. P: I have not obeyed You, God. C: I have not obeyed You, God
P: I have not obeyed You, God. C: I have not obeyed You, God. P: I have not always trusted You. C: I have not always trusted You.

13. P: But I am very sorry. C: But I am very sorry. P: Please forgive me
P: But I am very sorry. C: But I am very sorry. P: Please forgive me. C: Please forgive me.

14. P: I love You very much. C: I love You very much
P: I love You very much. C: I love You very much. P: And I know You love me, too. C: And I know You love me, too.

15. P: God has heard your apology. He loves you very much
P: God has heard your apology. He loves you very much. God has told us that when we believe and trust in Him, He makes us His children.

16. P: As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our sins from us. He has told me to tell you that you are forgiven. So, as His servant I forgive you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

17. C: Amen.

18. I Am Free

19. Through You, the blind will see. Through You, the mute will sing
Through You, the dead will rise.
Through You, all hearts will praise

20. Through You, the darkness flees. Through You, my heart screams
I am free

21. I am free to run
(I am free to run)
I am free to dance
(I am free to dance)

22. (I am free to live for You)

23. I am free to run
(I am free to run)
I am free to dance
(I am free to dance)

24. (I am free to live for You)

25. Through You, the blind will see. Through You, the mute will sing
Through You, the dead will rise.
Through You, all hearts will praise

26. Through You, the darkness flees. Through You, my heart screams
I am free

27. I am free to run
(I am free to run)
I am free to dance
(I am free to dance)

28. (I am free to live for You)

29. First Reading
Jeremiah 1:4-5

30. The Lord's message came to me:
"Before I made you in your mother's belly,
I knew you.
Before you were born,
I chose you for a special work.
I chose you to be a prophet to the nations."

31. children’s message

32. children of the heavenly father

33. Children of the Heavenly Father Safely in His bosom gather;
Nestling bird nor star in heaven
Such a refuge e’er was given.

34. In His holy courts they flourish.
God His own doth
tend and nourish;
In His holy courts they flourish.
From all evil things
He spares them;
In His mighty arms
He bears them.

35. Making us heirs with Your Son. “Abba Father”, now we call You.
Precious children,
You have called us.
Making us heirs with Your Son.
“Abba Father”, now we call You.
In Your presence, we now come.

36. Neither life nor death shall ever From the Lord His children sever;
Unto them His grace He showeth,
And their sorrows all he knoweth.

37. Making us heirs with Your Son. “Abba Father”, now we call You.
Precious children,
You have called us.
Making us heirs with Your Son.
“Abba Father”, now we call You.
In Your presence, we now come.

38. Though he giveth or He taketh, God His children ne’er forsaketh;
His the loving purpose solely
To preserve them pure and holy

39. Second Reading - Jeremiah 1:6-8
Epistle Reading - James 1:16-18

40. Then I said, "But, Lord God, I don't know how to speak
Then I said, "But, Lord God, I don't know how to speak. I am only a child.
"But the Lord said to me,
"Don't say, 'I am only a child.
'You must go everywhere I send you
and say everything I tell you to say.
Don't be afraid of anyone.
I am with you, and I will protect you."
This message is from the Lord.

41. children’s message

42. Special Music by the Youth Choir: "Ask, Seek, Knock"
(Children dismissed to Children's Church)

43. offering

44. Who You Say I Am

45. Who am I that the highest King Would welcome me
I was lost but He brought me in
Oh His love for me

46. Who the Son sets free,
Oh is free indeed
I'm a child of God,
Yes I am

47. Free at last He has ransomed me His grace runs deep
While I was a slave to sin
Jesus died for me
Yes He died for me

48. Who the Son sets free,
Oh is free indeed
I'm a child of God, Yes I am
In my Father's house,
There's a place for me

49. I am chosen
Not forsaken
I am who You say I am
You are for me
Not against me

50. I am who You say I am

51. Who the Son sets free,
Oh is free indeed
I'm a child of God, Yes I am
In my Father's house,
There's a place for me

52. Who the Son sets free,
Oh is free indeed
I'm a child of God, Yes I am
In my Father's house,
There's a place for me

53. sermon Love Overcomes Shame Sermon Hymn - O Come, O Come Emmanuel
Sermon - God's Light Comes Into Our Darkness
John 1:1-13
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."
Offering  (Children return during offering)
Prayers
Nicene Creed
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of His Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made; who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried. And the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures and ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father. And He will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead, whose kingdom will have no end. And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets. And I believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church, I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins, and I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. 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 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 and the power and the glory forever and ever.  Amen
Words of Institution
PeaceP: The peace of the Lord be with you all.
C: And also with you.
P: We greet each other in the peace of Christ.
Distribution
Prayer
Benediction
Closing Song - Joy to the World
Announcements
(Service Ends)
Clean Up

54. Sermon Reading –
1 Cor. 12:31—13:13

55. Now eagerly desire the greater gifts.
And yet I will show you the most excellent way.
If I speak in the tongues[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.

56. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

57. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.

58. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

59. prayers

60. 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, died and was buried.
apostles' creed

61. He descended into hell. The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
apostles' creed

62. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.
Amen.
apostles' creed

63. 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 and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen
the Lord’s prayer

64. words of
institution

65. peace Pastor: The peace of the Lord be with you all. Congregation:
And also with you.
We greet each other in the peace of Christ.
peace

66. distribution

67. prayer

68. benediction

69. Marvelous light

70. Into marvelous light I'm running Out of darkness, out of shame
By the cross you are the truth,
You are the life, You are the way

71. Your kindness wakened me, wakened me from my sleep, now
I once was fatherless,
a stranger with no hope
Your kindness wakened me,
wakened me from my sleep, now
Your love it beckons deeply,
a call to come and die
By grace now I will come.
Take this life, take your life

72. death has lost its sting From the grave you've risen victoriously.
Sin has lost its power,
death has lost its sting
From the grave you've risen victoriously.

73. Into marvelous light I'm running Out of darkness, out of shame
By the cross you are the truth,
You are the life, You are the way

74. My dead heart now is beating, Your breath fills up my lungs,
now I'm free, now I'm free

75. My dead heart now is beating, Your breath fills up my lungs,
now I'm free, now I'm free

76. death has lost its sting From the grave you've risen victoriously.
Sin has lost its power,
death has lost its sting
From the grave you've risen victoriously.

77. Into marvelous light I'm running Out of darkness, out of shame
By the cross you are the truth,
You are the life, You are the way

78. Lift my hands and spin around See the light that I have found
Oh the marvelous light, marvelous light

79. Lift my hands and spin around See the light that I have found
Oh the marvelous light, marvelous light

80. Into marvelous light I'm running Out of darkness, out of shame
By the cross you are the truth,
You are the life, You are the way

81. Into marvelous light I'm running Out of darkness, out of shame
By the cross you are the truth,
You are the life, You are the way

82. Proclaiming the Gospel and Making Disciples
Have a great day!