Ward Hill Church of Christ the King

A Christ-Centered Community of Faith, Hope, & Love

Service for the Lord’s Day, November 27, in the Lord’s Year 2022

First Sunday of Advent – HOPE

Please speak bold words and sing italicized words. *we invite you to stand if able.

Prelude & Quiet Prayer – five minutes before service (9:55-10:00 am)

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Spirit and the church cry out:                      Come, Lord Jesus.

All those who await his appearance pray:            Come, Lord Jesus.

The whole creation pleads:                                 Come, Lord Jesus.

* Hymn 318   Lo, He Comes with Clouds Descending           alternate tune: HELMSLEY

* Invocation

* Confession of Sin:  Gracious God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, you have promised to receive us when we come to you. We confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you or our neighbors as we should. Forgive us, O God, and grant that in the Holy Spirit we may live and serve you in newness of life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

* Declaration of Forgiveness:  If you have repented of your sin and turned in faith to Jesus Christ, I can declare through Christ’s atoning death and life-giving resurrection that you are forgiven in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

* New Life in Christ:  If you love God, keep his commandments. Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

* Advent Response (Hymn 194, verses 1 and 2)                           VENI EMMANUEL

O come, O come Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel,

That mourns in lonely exile here, until the Son of God appear.

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

O come, O come thou Lord of might, who to thy tribes, on Sinai’s height,

In ancient times didst give the law, in cloud and majesty and awe.

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

O Lord, open our lips, and our mouths shall show forth your praise.

* Gloria Patri (Hymn 735)                                              GLORIA PATRI (GREATOREX)

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.

* The Peace of Christ The peace of Christ be with you. And also with you.

Welcome & Announcements; Scripture & Catechism – see Bell Ringer

Choral Anthem   All Things Bright and Beautiful    – Robert Lau

Advent Wreath:  The Candle of Hope

Advent Song    Come surely, Lord Jesus, as dawn follows night,   CRADLE SONG

                        Our hearts long to greet you, as roses, the light.

                        Salvation, draw near us, our vision engage.

                        One candle is lit for the hope of the age.

Hymn 328   My Lord, What a Mourning                                                      MOURNING

Gathering Prayer (Collect for Advent I): Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Prayer of Illumination: Guide us, O God, by your Word and Spirit, that in your light we may see light, in your truth find wisdom, and in your will discover your peace, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Reading of the Holy Scriptures

Isaiah 2:1-5

Psalm 122

Romans 13:11-14

Matthew 24:36-44       The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Sermon – “Look Up! There’s Hope”

The Apostles’ Creed – hymnal page 845

Offering the Prayers of the People, concluding with 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 debts, as we forgive our debtors; And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.

Offering Tithes and Gifts

Offertory (Hymn 729)                                                                        HERR JESU CHRIST

All things are thine; no gift have we, Lord of all gifts, to offer thee; and hence with grateful hearts today, thine own before thy feet we lay.

* Doxology (Hymn 731)                                                                           OLD HUNDREDTH

Praise God from whom all blessings flow; praise him, all creatures here below; praise him above, ye heavenly host; praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

* Offertory Prayer:  We thank you, O God, for how you provide for all our needs and bless us with even more. We ask that you receive these gifts which we return to you for the sake of your heavenly kingdom, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

* Hymn 162   One Day He’s Coming                                                           CHAPMAN

* Benediction: Go now in the mercy and grace of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Postlude