SUNDAY SERVICE
December 15, 2024
Worship
Welcome
Embodiment Sunday Sharing
Nora Heaton
Scripture Reading
Isaiah 12:2-5, MSG
“Yes, indeed—God is my salvation.
I trust, I won’t be afraid.
God—yes God!—is my strength and song,
best of all, my salvation!”
Joyfully you’ll pull up buckets of water
from the wells of salvation.
And as you do it, you’ll say,
“Give thanks to God.
Call out his name.
Ask him anything!
Shout to the nations, tell them what he’s done,
spread the news of his great reputation!
“Sing praise-songs to God. He’s done it all!
Let the whole earth know what he’s done!
Candle Lighting Reading
Reader One: No matter what troubles overwhelm us today, Isaiah reminds us that in all of our preparation and passionate pursuit of God’s coming Kingdom, we must not forget that God’s salvation has come and is coming.
Faced with the troubles and suffering of the world, we choose to live in joyful presence with God and one another. We will not turn away from the pain and hurt in our world, and we pray that God’s love might flow through us with hope, peace, and joy.
Reader Two: We light this candle of joy as a sign of our commitment to be present to ourselves, our friends, our families, and our neighbors that in sharing our lives we might share in joy together.
Light the two white candles and the third (pink/rose) candle of the Advent wreath.
Let’s pray: God of joy, fill us with the kind of joy that cannot be contained but must be shared. Open our hearts to be transformed by your joy, hope, and peace. When the night seems too long and the darkness too strong, remind us that you light the way for us. Amen.
Worship
Call & Response Prayer
God, all kinds of feelings pass through us in this life:
From happiness to sorrow and everything in between.
We can look around and see all kinds of reasons not to feel joyful.
May we remember that we can only access as much joy
As the capacity to feel our sorrow, pain and losses.
Rather than bypassing our complex experiences
We remember that acknowledging these is reclaiming our wholeness.
We remember that “weeping may endure for the night. Joy will come in the morning.” (Psalm 30:5)
Even when the morning feels far away, we posture ourselves toward joy;
Joy in pain,
Joy in growth,
Joy in journeying,
Joy in waiting,
Joy in sorrow,
Joy in challenges,
Joy in the mundane.
This is the joy given to us:
To love and be loved,
To sacrifice and be blessed,
To be lost and be found.
Joyful, Joyful, we rejoice together!
Amen.
Invitation for Connection
On the mid-week podcast episode this past week Pastor Stephanie shared vision of why At WHCC we extend the opportunity mid-service to “Pass the Peace” by saying May God’s Peace be With You. This liturgical moment is two fold: First it reminds us to pass (or extend, offer) the peace that is available to us in Jesus. Secondly, this happening mid-service reminds us that Peace being received and extended is not only done when it’s convenient and most comfortable to us. This is offered mid-service reminding us that peace is disruptive, oftentimes uncomfortable and inconvenient.
We invite you into a time of connection by sharing the peace we have received by saying, “God’s Peace be with you.”
After sharing a message of peace, Children are invited to go upstairs to the Children's Ministry.
Announcements
The Advent season allows us to slow down to prepare us for God-with-us.
You are invited to pick up a free devotional at the back table: Practicing Peace with All Your Heart, Soul, Strength, and Mind.
Children and youth, we are offering a free devotional for weekly coloring and conversations during the Advent Season. You can pick up a copy upstairs in the Children’s Ministry space.
You are invited to spend Christmas Eve at Wellington Heights Community Church for worship and celebrating Jesus’ birth and the Good News of God with us. The service will be at 4 PM and will include Silent Night by candlelight and Children’s Ministry, which will offer a song for closing worship.
Racism and social justice are important topics kids are dealing with today. In this adaptation of How to Fight Racism for young readers grades 5-12, Dr. Jemar Tisby helps kids understand how everyday prejudice affects them and what they can do to create social change.
Register your student by emailing briana@wellingtonheightscommunitychurch.org
Flourishing Neighborhood Index Event Update
On Saturday, December 7th a survey event was held at the church. 16 neighbors came to take the survey and enjoy a delicious, GIANT sized breakfast burrito from our neighbors at 4 Hermanos. Many more neighbors were fed with the extra burritos that went home with survey takers and the Willis Dady Shelter. Thank you to the many volunteers who showed up to help make this a successful event! With these 16 surveys, our total is almost 130 surveys given!
Reading of Giving Ask: Window Repair
Lectio Divina: Isaiah 12:2-6 CEB
Pastor Stephanie
Worship
Benediction
Joy is a state of our spirit, so it is possible to experience it in times of great challenge. It can be a form of resistance as we work for God’s peace (shalom) in the here and now. Joy is present throughout the Scriptures, and we see again and again how it often comes connected to times of great challenge. May we go into the week ahead practicing and embodying joy!
