BELOW YOU FIND THE BULLETIN SERVICE OUTLINE FOR LONGEST NIGHT WORSHIP FROM 2012. YOU CAN FOLLOW THIS SERVICE TODAY FROM YOUR HOME OR OFFICE, FROM WHEREVER YOU ARE ON YOUR LONGEST NIGHT'S JOURNEY. AT THE VERY BOTTOM IS THE LITANY FOR THE ADVENT CANDLES TURNED INTO REMEMBRANCE CANDLES-BLESSINGS
First Presbyterian Church
Mt. Vernon, Indiana
Lynta
Carter Reverend
Monica Gould
Organist
Pastor
Third Sunday in Advent Blue Christmas December 16, 2012
Order of Worship
*Please
stand as you are able; the congregation is invited to read the words in bold.
Prelude
Gathering
Welcome and Announcements
*Call
to Worship
In the beginning was the
Word, and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
The Word became flesh and
dwelt among us,
full of grace and truth, and
we have seen his glory.
In him was life, and that
life was the light to all.
The light shines in the
darkness,
and the darkness did not
overcome it.
*Opening Prayer
*Opening Hymn Come
Thou Long Expected Jesus #135
Advent Candle Litany
(insert)
*Hymn In the Bleak Midwinter v. 1,2
In the
bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan
Earth
stood hard as iron, water like a stone;
Snow had
fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
In the
bleak midwinter, long ago.
|
Our God,
heaven cannot hold Him, Nor earth sustain;
Heaven and
earth shall flee away, when he comes to reign;
In the
bleak midwinter, a stable place sufficed,
The Lord
God incarnate,
Jesus
Christ
|
The
Word
Scripture
Readings
Psalm 22:1-11The Lord knew abandonment,
darkness and loss.
Luke 2:4-7 Jesus was familiar with being an outcast and
a stranger.
Hymn In the Bulb there
is a Flower v. 1 (Hymn of Promise) #678
In the bulb there is a flower;
in the seed, an apple tree;
in cocoons, a hidden promise:
butterflies will soon be free.
|
In the cold and
snow of winter there’s a spring that waits to be, unrevealed until its
season, something God alone can see.
|
Matthew 2:16-18 For some a holiday only reminds
them of horror and pain.
Luke 6:17-23 Surrounded by sorrow and sadness,
our Lord offers hope and comfort.
Hymn In the Bulb there
is a Flower v. 2 (Hymn of Promise) #678
There’s a song in
every silence, seeking word and melody; there’s a dawn in every darkness
bringing hope to you and me.
|
From the
past will come the
future;
what it holds, a mystery,
unrevealed
until its season, something God alone can see.
|
Matthew 11:28-29 a promise to carry us in all our
times and all our ways
Revelation 7:15-17 the Lord will wipe away our
tears, even as they are shed.
Hymn In the Bulb there
is a Flower v. 3 (Hymn of Promise) #678
In our end is our beginning;
in our time, infinity; in our doubt there is
believing; in our life, eternity.
|
In our death, a resurrection;
at the last, a victory,
unrevealed until
its season, something God alone can see.
|
The
Prayers of Intercession
The
Prayer of St. Francis
Lord, make me an instrument
of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let
me sow love;
Where there is injury,
pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair,
hope;
Where there is darkness,
light;
And where there is sadness,
joy.
O Divine master, grant that
I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to
console;
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we
receive;
It is in pardoning that we
are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we
are born to eternal life. Amen.
*Hymn O
Little Town of Bethlehem v. 1,3,4 #155
The Lord’s
Supper
All
are invited to the Table. Please come forward take a piece of bread from the
loaf and dip it in the grape juice and partake. Please take a candle and return
to your seat.
Invitation
Prayer
The Lord be with you
And also with you
Let us pray:
Communion
Prayer
Sending
An usher will light the candle at the end of each aisle.
Worshipers will then pass the light to their neighbors, with the unlit candle
tipped to receive the flame.
*Hymn Silent Night #164
* Charge and
Benediction
*Postlude
In the face of a stranger, Christ is seen. In the face of a friend, Christ is known. Turn to those around you, and know Christ Jesus, and share together the peace of Christ.
CANDLE
LIGHTING: LITANY OF REMEMBRANCE
ONE: We
light this candle to remember those persons who have been loved and lost. We
pause to remember their name, their face, their voice. [pause] We give thanks
for the memory that binds them to us this season which anticipates Christ.
C: May God’s
eternal love surround them.
TWO: We
light this second candle to redeem the pain and loss: the loss of
relationships, the loss of jobs, and the loss of health. As we gather up the
pain of the past, we offer it to You oh God. Asking that into our welcome hearts
and open hands, you place the gift of peace.
C: Refresh,
restore, renew us, Oh God, and lead us into Your future.
THREE: We
light this third candle to remember ourselves this Christmas time. We pause and
remember the past weeks, months and for some of us, years of down times. We
remember the poignancy of memories, the grief, the sadness, the hurts, and the
pain of reflecting on our own mortality.
C: Let us
remember that dawn defeats darkness.
FOUR: This
fourth candle is lit to remember our faith and the gift of hope which God
offers to us in the Christmas story. We remember that God, who shares our life,
promises us a place and time of no more pain and suffering.
C: Let us
remember the one who shows the way and who goes with us into our tomorrows.
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