Dec 21st, 2008 Worship Service
Leader: Prophet Isaiah said: "A virgin shall conceive and bear a son".
People: You shall call him Emmanuel. which means "God is with us".
Leader: He will be born of the line of David and of his kingdom there will be no end.
People: You shall call him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.
Leader: In Him all the promises made from the beginning of time to the end shall come true.
People: By him the fullness of God's love shall shine upon the whole world.
Lighting of Fourth Advent Candle The PITTAs
Leader 1: Last Sunday we lit the candle of joy. We light it and the candles of hope and peace again as we remember that Christ will come again and bring us everlasting peace and joy. (a person lights the candles of hope, peace, and joy)
Leader 2: The fourth candle of Advent is the Candle of Love. It's light is meant to remind us of the love that God has for us.
Leader 1: Jesus shows us God's perfect love. He is God's love in human form. The bible says that "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life."
Leader 2: Love is patient, love is kind and envies no one. Love is never boastful or conceited, rude or selfish. Love is not quick to take offense, it keeps no records of wrongs, it does not gloat over other people's troubles, but rejoices in the right, the good, and the true. There is nothing that love cannot face, there is no limit to its faith, to its hope, to its endurance. Love never ends.
Leader 1: We light this candle today to remind us of how God's perfect love is found in Jesus.
Light the Fourth Candle
*Opening Hymn: ‘O Come, All Ye Faithful’ RCH#145
*Opening Prayer(in unison):
Almighty God our loving Father, our spiritual pilgrimage brings us here this evening, we remember our childhood and the excitement this season brings, we remember our hopes and fantasies, we remember the gifts and candies, dinners with family, the exchange of greetings and the good times, we have seen the shepherds, the sheep and cattle, the wise men and Bethlehem, like them we too come with open minds this morning to give our best to You. As music of Your birth fills the air, elates our emotions we pray that Christmas will come to our hearts too, as we remain in Your presence and hear Your word, sing your praises and pray to You, we ask that the joy of Jesus will fill our hearts and lives, we ask that Your holy Word will distill deeper into our being, we pray that the Holy Spirit will surge in our lives with power, surprise us o God with the transforming miracle of Your life giving Word so that the joy of Christmas, the spirit of Your loving presence, and Your abiding faithfulness will become the foundation of our lives, In the name of Jesus. Amen!
Worship Songs in Telugu: UECF Choir
Epistle Lesson: Romans 16: 25-27 Paul Myla
Gospel Lesson: Luke 1: 26-38 Sonali Koduri
Greetings: Mr. Stephen Ravindra, IPS
Intercessory Prayer & Lord's Prayer: Rev. David Davis
Offertory
*Doxology
Offertory Song: Rishika Saripalli
Offertory Prayer: Rev. David Davis
Special Programs: Sunday School Children
Sermon: ‘The forgotten Christ of Christmas' Rev. David Davis
*Closing Hymn: ‘Angels We Have Heard on High’ RCH# 132
*Closing Prayer & Benediction: Rev. David Davis
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