Sermon Tone Analysis

!! Prelude                                                                                                                    Welcome                                                                                                                           ~*The Call to Celebration     based on John 1:5 and Eph.

3:21

*Leader*: Christ has come!

Christ was dead!

Christ has risen!

Christ will come again!

*People*: *This is the faith of the Church of Jesus Christ!*

*Leader*: When we look at the world around us, we see the darkness of war, captivity, greed, and broken relationships.

*People**: We long for Christ to come again and bring light to our world.*

*Leader*: The Word of the Gospel is that Jesus Christ lives among us, bringing truth and light as a present reality.

*People: We worship as those who have a glimpse of that reality, and we long for its fullness.

We are those who labor to make Christ's light more visible on earth.*

*All*/: *Let us praise God,  that the light of Christ shines on in the darkness, which has never overcome it.

To God be the glory in Jesus Christ and in the church forever and ever.

Amen.*/

~*Hymn of Praise                                   # 405               Seek Ye First                            Invocation and Lord’s Prayer               O God, you have caused this world to shine with the illumination of the true Light.

You have given us your only-begotten Son to take our nature upon Him to reveal to us your glory and grace.

As you have given this gift in love, may we receive it with joy.

Grant that we, being regenerate and made your children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by your Holy Spirit.

Grant us, we pray, that as we have known the mystery of that Light upon earth, so may we also reflect that light to a darkened world; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

/Amen                       /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.

AMEN.

~*Hymn of Prayer                                  # 177               He Is Lord                              Pastoral Prayer                          Our Father, we long for the simple beauty of Christmas – for all the old familiar melodies, words, and symbols that remind us of that great miracle when He who had made all things came one night as a babe, to lie in the crook of a woman’s arm.

But in that longing, let us even more yearn for your renewed presence among us even as we celebrate and expect the Coming of your Son.

Before such mystery we kneel, as we follow the shepherds and Wise Men to bring You the gift of our love – a love we confess has not always been as warm or sincere or real as it should have been.

Now, as we enter into this Advent Season, we pray that love would find its Beloved, and from You receive the grace to make it pure again, warm and real.

We bring You our gratitude for every token of Your love, for all the ways You have heaped blessings upon us during the years that have gone.

And we do pray, Lord Jesus, that as we begin this four-week journey of expectation and hope, we may do it in a manner well pleasing to You.

May all we do and say, every tribute of our hearts, bring honor to Your name, that we, Your people, may remember Your birth and feel Your presence among us even yet.

pray for access to comprehensive care, support and treatment for people living with HIV~/AIDS and those caring for them;

pray to alleviate conditions of hunger, poverty and gender inequities that spread HIV~/AIDS in Africa and around the world.

May the loving kindness of this Advent Season and the true Spirit of Christmas not only creep into our hearts this season, but stay there, so that not even the return to earthly cares and responsibilities, not all the festivities of our own devising may cause it to creep away weeping.

May the joy and spirit of Christmas remain with us now and forever.

In the name of Jesus, who came to save His people from their sins, even in that lovely name we pray.

/Amen/.

[Adapted from a prayer for Christmas by Peter Marshall]

Our  Offering to God                   You know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ.

That though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.  2 cor 8:9

Doxology                                                                                                                      Prayer of Dedication    Lord, May we follow the example of the Master.

Who gave, withholding nothing, That we might live to share everything through His name.

AMEN.

Hanging of the Greens:

!! Lessons of Christmas (Reader #1) Judy

Let us, through the great traditions of our Faith, join with the shepherds of Bethlehem, the wise men from the east, and the seekers throughout the ages, to welcome the One who came at Christmas.

Let us at Christmastide bring our gifts to Him, and may the message of our songs be "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, Peace and goodwill to peoples everywhere".

!! The Sanctuary Evergreens (Reader #2) Wanda~/Lindsey

The most striking and the most universal feature of Christmas is the use of evergreens in churches and homes.

Among ancient Romans evergreens were an emblem of peace, joy, and victory.

The early Christians placed them in their windows to indicate that Christ had entered the home.

Holly and ivy, along with pine, and fir are called evergreens because they never change color.

They are ever - green, ever - alive, even in the midst of winter.

They symbolize the unchanging nature of our God, and they remind us of the everlasting life that is ours through Christ Jesus.

Under Christian thought and sentiment, holly became widely used in church celebrations.

Holly was considered as the burning bush, or a symbol of Mary whose being glows with the Holy Spirit.

The red berries represented the blood drops from the cruel thorns in the crown of Jesus.

In Isaiah 60:13 we find these words: "The Glory of Lebanon shall come unto you, the fir tree, the pine tree and the box together, to beautify the place of your sanctuary."

Our forefathers called the procuring of these evergreens, "Bringing home Christmas!"

*Solo or Group Special Music*: "Go, Tell It On The Mountains"

*Action*: While the song is being sung, the evergreens on the side walls and front are hung, and any other evergreens are put in place.

!! The Christmas Tree (Reader # 3) Wanda~/Lindsey

Today, the Christmas tree is the center of our festivities.

Glittering with lights and ornaments, it is a part of the beauty and meaning of Christmas.

There are several legends and stories about the Christmas tree.

The first use of the Christmas tree was in the medieval German Paradise Plays, held outdoors and portraying the creation of humankind.

The Tree of Life was a fir tree decorated with apples.

Later other ornaments were hung upon them, such as paper flowers and gilded nuts.

In England branches or whole trees were forced into bloom indoors for Christmas.

From these beginnings the use of a tree at Christmas was established.

Martin Luther was perhaps the first to use a lighted tree.

The story is told that on one Christmas Eve Martin Luther wandered outdoors and became enraptured with the beauty of the starry sky.

Its brilliance and loveliness led him to reflect on the glory of the first Christmas Eve as seen in Bethlehem's radiant skies.

Wishing to share with his wife and children the enchantment he had felt, he cut from the forest an evergreen, glistening with snow, and took it home.

He placed upon it candles to represent the glorious heavens he had seen.

The use of a candle-lighted tree spread to all Europe, then America came to regard it as the central ornament of Christmas.

*Special Music*: "O Christmas Tree"

*Action*: The tree lights are turned on.

!! The Christmas Poinsettia (Reader # 4) Dan

Most Christmas greenery reflects European traditions.

But one colorful plant, which looks like a flaming star, the poinsettia, is a native to the American continent.

It was named after Dr. Joel Robert Poinset, an ambassador to Mexico who first introduced it to the United States in 1828.

The people of Mexico and Central America call the brilliant tropical plant the "Flower of the Holy Night."

The Poinsettia is a many-pointed star that has become a symbol of the Star of Bethlehem.

*Special Music*: "I Wonder As I Wander"

*Action*: As the song is sung the flowers are put into place at the front of the church.

!! The Advent Candle (Reader # 5)Sue or Emma

Advent is a time of expectation, and this is symbolized, not only by the four-week period of preparation, but also by the lighting of an Advent Candle on each Sunday of the season.

The flame of each new candle reminds us, the worshipers, that something is happening, and something more is still to come.

The candles are arranged in a circle to remind us of the continuous power of God, which knows neither beginning nor ending.

There is also symbolism in the colors of the candles.

The three blue candles symbolize the coming of Christ from the royal line of David.

He is coming as the King of Kings as well as the Prince of Peace.

The pink candle is to be lighted on the third Sunday of the Advent season.

This candle represents joy.

The large white candle in the center is known as the Christ candle, and points to Jesus as the Christ, the Light of the world.

A progression is noted in the lighting of the candles of the Advent wreath each Sunday.