Preparing for Worship | December 23 | Fourth Sunday of Advent

GOD CALLS US TO WORSHIP HIM |

Call to Worship |

Hymn of Adoration: “God with Us”

Verse 1:

Oh You've come to bring peace

To be Love to be nearer to us

Oh You've come to bring life

To be Light to shine brighter in us

Oh Emmanuel God with us

Chorus:

Our Deliverer You are Savior

In Your presence

We find our strength

Over ev'rything our Redemption

God with us

You are God with us

Verse 2:

Oh You've come to be Hope

To this world

For Your honor and name

And You've come to take sin

To bear shame

And to conquer the grave

Oh Emmanuel God with us

Bridge:

You are here

You are holy

We are standing in Your glory

Ending:

Oh God with us

You are God with us

GOD GRACIOUSLY RENEWS US IN CHRIST

Confession of Sin

Song of Confession: “O Little Town of Bethlehem"

Verse:

O holy Child of Bethlehem

Descend to us we pray

Cast out our sin and enter in

Be born in us today

We hear the Christmas angels

The great glad tidings tell

O come to us abide with us

Our Lord Emmanuel

Forgiveness of Sin

Worship Leader: Our souls do magnify the Lord.

Congregation: And our spirits have rejoiced in God, our Savior.

Worship Leader: For He has regarded our lowliness; for He that is mighty has magnified us and holy is His name.

Congregation: And His mercy is on them that fear him throughout all generations.

Hymn of Assurance: “Silent Night”

Verse 1:

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

Verse 2:

Silent night holy night

Shepherds quake at the sight

Glories stream from heaven afar

Heav'nly hosts sing alleluia

Christ the Savior is born

Verse 3:

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

Verse 4:

Silent night holy night

Wondrous star lend thy light

With the angels let us sing

Alleluia to our King

Christ the Savior is born

Thanking God for What He Has Done

Song of Petition: "Savior of the Nations, Come" (Doxology)

Verse 1:

Savior of the nations come

Show yourself the virgin’s son

Marvel heaven wonder earth

That our God chose such a birth

Verse 2:

Not by human power or seed

Did the woman’s womb conceive

Only by the Spirit’s breath

Was the Word of God made flesh

Verse 3:

Mary then was found with child

Still a virgin chaste and mild

God had favored her with grace

To receive the Prince of Peace

Verse 4:

Christ laid down his majesty

Passed through dark Gethsemane

Though he left his Father’s home

Christ now sits

On God’s own throne

Verse 5:

Christ in glory intercede

For your creatures’ suff’ring need

Let your resurrecting power

Soon complete the victory hour

Verse 6:

Praise to you O Lord we sing

Praise to Christ

Our newborn King

With the Father Spirit one

Let your lasting kingdom come

Giving Our Tithes and Offerings In addition to your regular tithes and offerings, please consider giving to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. This offering, named after a missionary to China, goes to support approximately 4,900 missionaries. Last year Southern Baptists collected 147 million dollars for the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering.

Advent Hymn: “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”

Verse 1:

O Come O Wisdom from on high

And order all things mightily

To us the paths of knowledge show

And teach us in its ways to go

Chorus:

Rejoice Rejoice

Emmanuel shall come to thee O Israel

Verse 2:

O Come Thou Dayspring come and cheer

Our spirits by Thine advent here

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night

And death’s dark shadows put to flight

Verse 3:

O come O King of Nations bind

All peoples in one heart and mind

Bid envy strife and quarrels cease

And be yourself our King of Peace

Verse 4:

O come O come Emmanuel

And ransom captive Israel

That mourns in lowly exile here

Until the Son of God appear

GOD INSTRUCTS US THROUGH HIS WORD

Scripture Reading: Matthew 1:18–23

The birth of Jesus Christ came about this way: After his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, it was discovered before they came together that she was pregnant from the Holy Spirit. So her husband Joseph, being a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her publicly, decided to divorce her secretly.

But after he had considered these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: See, the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name him Immanuel, which is translated “God is with us.” (CSB)

Pastoral Prayer

Advent Series: O Antiphons

For at least ten centuries, the church has sung a solemn antiphon on each of the last seven days in preparation for Christmas. The antiphon is a pleading, expecting song that addresses the Lord by scriptural titles: “O Wisdom,” “Adonai,” “Root of Jesse,” “Key of David,” “Dayspring,” “King of Nations,” and “Emmanuel.” Each song ends with a plea for Christ’s coming now in grace and finally in glory. During our Advent series, we will concentrate on four: “O Wisdom,” “O Dayspring,” “O King of Nations,” and “O Emmanuel.”

Sermon: “O, Emmanuel” – Brian Albert