Don’t forget to join your church for the first portion of worship each week via ZOOM. Faith Covenant meets for some online face-to-face connection at 10:00am, and Holy Community meets at 10:30am. Contact your church for the ZOOM link!

4th Sunday of Advent

Advent simply means “coming”. It is the season in which we remember and wait for the coming of Christ Jesus our Lord. We remember when he came to earth, born in Bethlehem, all those years ago. And, we wait with anticipation and readiness for Christ to come again. Join us on this 3rd week in this month long journey as we wait and watch for Jesus!

Advent Hymn

“O Come O Come Emmanuel” is said to be nearly 1200 years old, making it one of the oldest if not the oldest of Advent/Christmas hymns. Play the video below and enter into these ancient lyrics of holy longing.

Scripture

Our Advent hymn is partly based off of the prophetic word given by Isaiah in Isaiah 7:14. It says this:

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel (God with us).”

This is the same prophesy that Matthew says is fulfilled when Jesus is born in Bethlehem (Matthew 1:23). Imagine the joy of those who were waiting so long for this prophesy to be realized…

Before you move ahead with the reflection below, take a moment to reflect yourself:

1. What lyrics or turns of phrase from the song (above) caught your attention?
2. What emotions/thoughts come from the name of God: “Immanuel (God with us)” during a pandemic?
3. Are you sensing God with you today?
4. What is heavy for you today, and where do you need the Lord himself to give you a sign he is there in the middle of it with you?

Reflections on “O Come O Come Emmanuel”

Prayer of Welcome

Offering

God is the giver of all good and perfect gifts. We will, one day, be able to meet together again. That too will be a sign of “Emmanuel” God with us. Until that time we urge you to remain faithful to worshipping God through your finances. These gifts speak to our conviction that God continues to be with us even in exile. If God is still here then he surely is worthy of every act of worship we can offer.

Prayer: May you bless these gifts, Lord, as well as these the givers. We pray and trust in your holy, worthy, and everlasting name…Immanuel… AMEN

Benediction – Isaiah 40:5

The glory of the Lord will be revealed,
    and all people will see it together.
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Announcement

Join us on Christmas Eve at 6:30 for a service of carols, candlelight, and good news. Have some candles ready for you and your family as, even though we are meeting via ZOOM, we will still be letting light shine forth as we celebrate through the beautiful tradition of Christmas Eve candle lighting. Watch your church’s email for the link to the service, or contact us for more information!