Hanover Valley Sunday Service Livestream - December 20th, 2020

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HANOVER VALLEY PRESBYTERIAN BULLETIN

December 20th, 2020

Prelude

Call to Worship

Gathering Songs

Joy to the World

Joy to the world! the Lord is come:

Let earth receive her King;

Let every heart prepare him room,

And heaven and nature sing,

And heaven and nature sing,

And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the world, the Savior reigns!

Let men their songs employ;

While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains

Repeat the sounding joy,

Repeat the sounding joy,

Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,

Nor thorns infest the ground;

He comes to make His blessings flow

Far as the curse is found,

Far as the curse is found,

Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,

And makes the nations prove

The glories of His righteousness,

And wonders of His love,

And wonders of His love,

And wonders, wonders, of His love.

Corporate Prayer of Confession

Dear Lord, we confess our readiness to accept your forgiving love but also our refusal to forgive and love others. We confess our eagerness to grasp your offer of redeeming grace but also our resistance to follow you without question. Our best efforts of goodness are always tainted by impurities.In this Advent time, please forgive us our divided heart and our failure to respond as we should. As we trust in the work of Christ, come to us anew, and by your grace, assist us to receive you with joy. In the name of the saving Christ we pray. Amen.

Private Confession

Advent Reading and Candle Lighting

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him, nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. -John 1: 1-5

Announcements & Prayers of the People Special Music

Scripture

Luke 1: 26-45

Sermon

Glad Tidings of Great Joy

Song of Reflection

Silent Night

Silent night, holy night! All is calm, All is bright

Round yon Virgin, Mother and Child

Holy Infant so tender and mild,

Sleep in heavenly peace, Sleep in heavenly peace.

Silent night, holy night! Shepherds quake at the sight!

Glories stream from heaven afar;

Heav’nly hosts sing Alleluia!

Christ, the Savior is born! Christ, the Savior is born!

Silent night, holy night! Son of God, love’s pure light

Radiant beams from Thy holy face,

With the dawn of redeeming grace,

Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth, Jesus-, Lord, at Thy birth.

Silent night, Holy night! Wondrous star, lend Thy light,

With the angels let us sing

Alleluia to our King.

Christ, the Savior is born! Christ, the Savior is born!.

Benediction

Parting Song of Praise

O Come All Ye Faithful (Chorus)

O come let us adore Him

O come let us adore Him

O come let us adore Him

Christ, the Lord

WORSHIP MUSICIANS

Jessi Adams - piano, vocals

Joy to the World words and music by George Frideric Handel | Isaac Watts © Words: Public Domain Music: Public Domain Used by Permission. CCLI License #1526697

Silent Night words and music by Franz Xaver Gruber | John Freeman Young | Joseph Mohr

© Words: Public Domain Music: Public Domain Used by Permission. CCLI License #1526697

Come All Ye Faithful words & music by C. Frederick Oakley | David LaChance Jr. | John Francis Wade© 2014 Sovereign Grace Praise (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing (Integrity Music, David C Cook))Used by Permission. CCLI License #1526697

ADVENT

Advent means “coming” and we remember what it was like for the people of the Old Testament as they awaited the coming of the Messiah, which we celebrate at Christmas. We look forward to Jesus’ coming again.Purple, the ancient color of royalty has traditionally been associated with penitence and expectation. It is used during the season of Advent, in which we prepare for the coming of Jesus our King.

The lighting of Advent candles dramatically depicts the growing expectation we have for the coming of Christ, the Light of the World. The traditional Advent wreath has four purple candles,

which are lit on the four Sundays of Advent, grouped together with a white Christ candle which is lit on Christmas Eve. The main symbolism portrayed is the growing in- tensity of light as the candle lighting includes an additional candle each Lord’s Day (Sunday) and the anticipation that builds for the celebration of Christ’s second coming.