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HANGING OF THE GREENS
ORDER OF WORSHIP
Pastor: Rev. Kendra Balliet
 Organist: Jim Ross
 
PRELUDE - Veni Emmanuel-Savior of the Nations Come
Arr. Wayne Wold
 
CALL TO WORSHIP
How shall we prepare this house for the coming of the King?
With branches of cedar, the tree of royalty.
How shall we prepare this house for the coming of the eternal Christ?
With garlands of pine and fir, whose leaves are ever living, ever green.
How shall we prepare this house for the coming of our Savior?
With wreaths of holly and ivy, telling of his passion, death, and resurrection.
How shall we prepare our hearts for the coming of the Son of God?
By hearing again the words of the prophets, who foretold the saving work of God.
For God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.
Glory to God in the highest!
 
PRAYER

  OFFERTORY - Communion Meditation-Gilbert Martin
 
DOXOLOGY 
 
GOD WILL SEND A RIGHTEOUS KING -Jeremiah 23:5-6 
In ancient times the cedar was revered as the tree of royalty.
It also signified immortality and was used for purification.
We place this cedar branch as a sign of Christ,
who reigns as King forever, and whose coming, in justice and righteousness, will purify our hearts.
 
HYMN – #196 Come Thou Long Expected Jesus (Place branch)
 
THE PROPHET DECLARES A CHILD WILL BE BORN - Isaiah 9:2, 6-7
Because the needles of pine and fir trees appear not to die each season, the ancients saw them as signs of things that last forever.
Isaiah tells us there will be no end to the reign of the Messiah.
Therefore, we hang this wreath of evergreens shaped in a circle, which itself has no end, to signify the eternal reign of Jesus, the Christ.
 
HYMN – #211 O Come, O Come Emmanuel vs. 5, 6, 7 (Hang the Wreath)
 
THE FOURTH SERVANT SONG - Isaiah 53:1-6
For Christians, 
this passage from Isaiah reflects the sufferings of Jesus,
     who saved us from our sins by his death on the cross,
     and by his resurrection from the dead.
In ancient times,
     holly and ivy were considered signs of Christ's passion.
Their prickly leaves suggested the crown of thorns,
     the red berries the blood of the Savior,
     and the bitter bark the drink offered to Jesus on the cross.
As we hang the holly and ivy,
     let us rejoice in the coming of Jesus, our Savior.
 
HYMN – #203 Hail to the Lord’s Anointed (Hang holly and ivy)
 
THE MYSTERY OF THE INCARNATION John 1:1-5, 9-14
As we prepare for the coming of Jesus, the Light of the World,
     We light the Christmas tree.

During this Advent, wherever you see a lighted Christmas tree,
     let it call to mind the One who brings light to our darkness,
     healing to our brokenness, and peace to all who receive him. The tree is now lighted, and the Blessing of the Christmas Tree may be prayed.
 
HYMN - #585 This Little Light of Mine (Light the Tree)

  BLESSING OF THE TREE
The tree, a sign begun in the Lutheran Church of the Ascension in Danville, Virginia, has now spread to many other congregations. This evergreen tree is covered with signs of Christ, such as stars. Many congregations save the Chrismon tree trunk to make a cross for Lent. Please pray with me.
Holy Lord, 
     we come with joy to celebrate the birth of your Son,
     who rescued us from the darkness of sin
      by making the cross a tree of life and light.
May this tree, arrayed in splendor,
     remind us of the life giving cross of Christ,
     that we may always rejoice in the new life that shines 
     in our hearts.
We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
 
HYMN #211 O Come, O Come Emmanuel vs 4
 
BLESSING OF THE NATIVITY  - Luke 2:6-12
One of the most heart-warming expressions of Christmas is the Nativity. The Nativity speaks of the mystery of God's wisdom. Why God chose to send his son into our world as a baby of humble birth, born in common surroundings, we do not know. What we do know is that God reached out to all people including the poor and wealthy, the simple and the wise, the powerless and the powerful. All who found him knelt in humility before him. Knowing God is possible because he came to us, at our level. Whenever we see a Nativity, we find ourselves with Mary and Joseph; with the Shepherds, and with the Wise Men; bowing before the manger, overwhelmed by God's expression of love in coming to us. Today we display a Nativity in our sanctuary, and outside in the front of our church building.
(Place nativity pieces)
 
HYMN – #378 Amazing Grace vs. 1,4, 6
 
PLACING OF THE ADVENT WREATH
We are a people who walk in darkness, and we search for the light.  Our journey leads us deeper into the night of our souls, and we long to be made whole again and released from the powers of sin and death.  Yes, we have seen the flowers bloom, and the plants rise up and claim the sunlight provided for them, but we have also seen these same plants die and wither as the cold approaches.  It is in this season of darkness that we encounter a reading from the Book of Isaiah.
 
LIGHTING THE FIRST ADVENT CANDLE
Leader: Today we light the first of our Advent candles, 
  the candle of hope. 
People: “O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you.” 
(Psalm 39:7)
Leader: Across the centuries, the people of God waited in hope for
 the promised Messiah, the Savior. As the time came near 
for the promise to be fulfilled, the Lord sent an angel to tell the priest Zechariah that Zechariah and his wife would have a son. That son, to be named John, would announce the coming of the Messiah and prepare Israel to welcome the Savior.
People: “O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you.”
Leader: John would proclaim the dawn of hope for Israel. He 
would baptize people as a sign of repentance, preparing 
them for the Savior, the Lamb of God, who was coming to take their sins away. When the right time came, God’s promise was fulfilled in the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
People: “O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you.”
Leader: We have seen the promise fulfilled. The Savior has come! 
He has died and risen to set us free. Now we wait in hope for his return on the Last Day. Jesus has promised, “Surely I am coming soon!”
People: “O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you.” Amen! 
Come, Lord Jesus!
(One purple candle is lit on the Advent wreath.)
 
HYMN #2090 “Light the Advent Candle”  vs 1
 
MESSAGE
 
COMMUNION
 
HYMN – 211 O Come, O Come, Emmanuel vs. 1 
 
BENEDICTION

  POSTLUDE - Postlude on a French Noel-Marilyn Rinehart

 The flowers on the altar today are given by Jim & Marie Schlosser in praise and thanks to God for the beauty of our world and in honor of our daughter Jen’s 50th birthday.

Thank you for sharing in this worship service. Please continue to stay in touch through our website (stoneumc.org) and/or by following us on Facebook (Stone UMC). If you have joys or concerns that you would like lifted up in prayer, please fill out the Prayer Card in the pew, on the website, share them by contacting us at 814-724-6736 or churchoffice@stoneumc.org