ST. LUKE'S UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST

DECEMBER 1, 2024                                                                                  

FIRST SUNDAY IN ADVENT

SILENT MEDITATION: “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon                      you” (Isaiah 60:1)

GATHERING MUSIC  

GREETING  

PRELUDE "Advent Processional"                                       

Anna Laura Page

CONGREGATIONAL HYMN No. 211 “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” (vs 1,2,4)               

VENI EMMANUEL

O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel
that mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear.

Refrain: Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

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 its ways to go. (Refrain)

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. (Refrain)

CALL TO WORSHIP

One:  Before the majesty of God, we gather to worship.

All:     In humble imagination, we welcome a new visitation of God’s presence.

One:  Before the strength of God, we bow down.

All:     In hesitant anticipation, we listen for God’s message of hope.

One:  Before the mercy of God, we lift our hearts.

All:     In quiet expectation, we come to hear God’s promise.

CALL TO CONFESSION

PRAYER OF CONFESSION (Unison)

God of Great Mystery, we confess that our sense of wonder has been dulled. Our anticipation has grown cold. We are too weary to even watch for your coming among us. Awaken our hearts and souls, nurture the hope that lies buried within us. Shine your light upon us and forgive us, that we may wait with patience and readiness as your promise draws near. Amen

ASSURANCE OF PARDON
 

GLORIA PATRI

Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen. Amen.

LIGHTING THE ADVENT CANDLE: HOPE

All: God of darkness and light, God of hope and fear, in this candlelight,

       show us that the power of hope silences doubts and fears. Take this

       light, small but mighty, and magnify it within us until our hope

       chases away all shadows cast over our lives, our community, our

       nation and our world. Amen

MOMENTS WITH MINNIE

PASTORAL PRAYER and 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 sins as we forgive those
who sin against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever.  Amen.

SPECIAL MUSIC "I Wonder as I Wander"                                     

Arr.  Otis Skillings

SCRIPTURE: Romans 13:8-14

SERMON: "Are You Awake?"

CONGREGATIONAL HYMN No. 216 “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming”                                

ES IST EIN ROS

Lo, how a Rose e’er blooming from tender stem hath sprung!
Of Jesse’s lineage coming, as those of old have sung.
It came, a floweret bright, amid the cold of winter, when half spent was the night.

Isaiah ‘twas foretold it, the Rose I have in mind;
with Mary we behold it, the Virgin Mother kind.
To show God’s love aright, she bore to us a Savior, when half spent was the night.

O Flower, whose fragrance tender with sweetness fills the air,
dispel in glorious splendor the darkness everywhere.
True man yet very God, from sin and death now save us, and share our every load.

STEWARDSHIP REFLECTION
CALL TO STEWARDSHIP  
THE BEAUTY OF SHARED GIFTS "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming"                      

Arr.  Mark Hayes

CELEBRATING STEWARDSHIP — DOXOLOGY
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise God, all creatures here below;
Praise God above, ye heavenly host:
Creator, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

PRAYER OF DEDICATION (In Unison)       

Generous God, we joyously bring our offerings to you with gratitude and faith. May we be ever awake and watchful for opportunities to make a difference, to help others become aware of your presence, to value life in all its fullness, and to learn to care. We dedicate these gifts and the living of our lives to your Spirit for these purposes. Amen

SACRAMENT OF HOLY COMMUNION

The Invitation

Affirmation and Renewal of Faith

We believe in God:

                Who has created and is creating,

                Who has come in Jesus,

                The Word made flesh,

                To reconcile and make new,

                Who works in us and others by the Spirit.

  We trust in God.

  We are called to be the Church:

                To celebrate God’s presence,

                To love and serve others,

                To seek justice and resist evil,

                To proclaim Jesus,

                Crucified and risen,

                Our judge and our hope.

In life, in death, in life beyond death,

                God is with us.

We are not alone.  Thanks be to God.

                                                                     United Church of Canada

Words of Institution

Sharing the Sacrament

Prayer of Thanksgiving (Unison)

God of Hope, you have made us one in the body of Christ. You have nourished our hope at this table.  Now send us forth to prepare the way for the coming of Christ into our world.  May others see in our lives the hope of your salvation and rejoice. Amen

CONGREGATIONAL HYMN No. 196 “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus”                                   HYFRYDOL                                    

Come, thou long expected Jesus, born to set thy people free;
from our fears and sins release us, let us find our rest in thee.
Israel's strength and consolation, hope of all the earth thou art;
dear desire of every nation, joy of every longing heart.

Born thy people to deliver, born a child and yet a King,
born to reign in us forever, now thy gracious kingdom bring.
By thine own eternal spirit rule in all our hearts alone;
by thine all sufficient merit, raise us to thy glorious throne.

BENEDICTION  

POSTLUDE "Rise Up, Shepherd, and Follow"                                 

Arr.  Mark Hayes

The Liturgist today is Dianne Emily.

Thank you to Carol Lyon for accompanying the hymns.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

HOLIDAY HELPERS
We are again participating in the Independence School District’s Holiday Helper Campaign.
We will collect money through Sunday, December 1st.
The donations will go to families in need that aren’t helped by other programs.
A family from our congregation will be matching all our gifts up to $500.
Look for a Holiday Helper can in the sanctuary.
 

FOOD WAGON
We are collecting Holiday foods for the food wagon (in the east coat closet). Any types of dressing mixes, cranberries, canned vegetables, etc. are appreciated. All of the food will be donated to Community Services League. We will collect the foods through December 8th.
 

90th BIRTHDAY CELBRATION
Help Ron Ritter celebrate his 90th Birthday on
December 1st,  immediately following worship. (No gifts please)

SAVE THE DATES
There are many things coming up that you want to add to your calendars.
More details will be put in the bulletin and Glimpse closer to time.

CHRISTMAS PAGEANT
This year’s Christmas Pageant will be on December 15th, during worship. Plan to attend to experience the
Christmas story and traditions from around the world, through the eyes, voices and laughter of children.
 

CHRISTMAS EVE CANDLELIGHT SERVICE
The Christmas Eve Candlelight Service will be Tuesday, December 24th, at 7:00 PM in person or virtual.
Invite a friend to this very special Christmas Eve Worship Service.

NEW YEAR’S WORSHIP AND BREAKFAST
Let’s celebrate the end of 2024 and the beginning of 2025 with breakfast, fellowship and worship with your
church family on December 29th. Breakfast at 9:30 followed by worship at 10:45 AM.

CHECK IN, SHARE AND COMMENT If you are worshiping in person, please “Check-in” on Facebook, then, share the service, comment on it and like it. You are encouraged to have your device out during the service. If the music inspires you, tell Matthew and Margie by commenting about how wonderful it was or say thank you. If the sermon speaks to you, comment with how it touched you. If there is a great story during Children’s Moment or a kid makes you laugh, comment and tell what it was. If someone makes a comment, reply to them. We encourage you to connect with those online as well as in person. If you are worshiping online, share and comment on the service. Comment on the things listed above, reply to and/or like other people’s comments. It is so important to stay connected & these are simple ways to do that.

INSTAGRAM Use this QR code to follow St. Luke’s UCC on Instagram!

WEEKLY ACTIVITIES 

10:45 AM Online & In person Worship followed by in person fellowship

Monday—Friday, 9:45 AM Live with Pastor Paul in Windows Facebook Group

Monday & Wednesday, 6:30 PM NA Meeting

Wednesday, 9:30 AM ABC Quilting For more information about any of these, please email the church office at stlukes@stlukesuccindep.org

GIVING OPTIONS If you wish to make a donation to St. Luke’s, there are several options available: 1. Check mailed to church office at 727 N. Main, Independence, MO 64050 2. Internet donation – you may now donate from a secure site by clicking on the Give Now button on the website.   3. Electronic funds transfer – your offering can be automatically deducted from your checking or savings account. To sign up, click here.  After completing the form, contact the church office stlukes@stlukesuccindep.org for instructions. 4. Vanco Mobile App - download the free app on Google Play or the App Store. Enter St Lukes (without punctuation) as the church name Select St. Luke's United Church of Christ in Independence. From there you can create an account and use the app for donations. 5.  Text the word GIVE to 816-312-5053 and you will be directed to a secure site for giving. CONNECT If you are visiting today we would love to connect with you. Text

CONNECT to 816-312-5053 or use the QR code to the right.

PHOTO/VIDEO POLICY May it be understood that any pictures/videos taken during any church event may be used for promotion. Church events, including but not limited to, worship services may be broadcast live on Facebook. If you are not in agreement with this notify the church office.