Ward Hill Church of Christ the King

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

Service for the Lord’s Day, December 11, in the Lord’s Year 2022

Third Sunday of Advent – JOY

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 320   Rejoice, All Ye Believers                                                       LANCASHIRE

* 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 4)                           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 thou Dayspring from on high, and cheer us by thy drawing nigh; disperse the gloomy clouds of night, and death’s dark shadows put to flight.  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

Advent Wreath:  The Candles of Hope, Love, and Joy

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

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

                        Salvation, draw near us, our vision engage.

                        Three candles are lit for the hope of the age.

Hymn 211   God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen                                 GOD REST YE MERRY

Gathering Prayer (Collect for Advent III): Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, 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 35:1-10    Psalm 146:5-10

James 5:7-10     Matthew 11:2-11

The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Sermon – “Sorrow and Sighing Shall Flee Away”

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 195   Joy to the World! The Lord Is Come                       ANTIOCH

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

Postlude