SUNDAY SERVICE
December 22, 2024
Worship
Welcome
Candle Lighting Liturgy
Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another; God abides in us, and God’s love is perfected in us. 1 John 4:11-12
Love is not just a desire of the human heart; it is a deep need, the very bond that holds us together, bringing connection and wholeness.
God’s posture toward us is love. When God looks at us, God’s heart overflows with delight and affection. Scripture even tells us that God is Love—meaning that love is the very essence of the Trinity.
So it’s no surprise that love is woven throughout the Christmas story. From Joseph’s protective love for Mary, to Mary’s tender love for her newborn son, to the Father’s profound love for us in the birth and life of Jesus—love is threaded through it all.
As God’s people, we are invited to rest in this love, to abide in it, and to let it reach us in our innermost being. And, as we receive this love, we recognize our call to reflect it in the world.
We light this candle of love as a sign of our commitment to live as people of love. May we be given the courage to love and to be loved by one another so that all of creation may flourish.
Lighting of the Candles
Let us pray together: God of Love, Your Son, Jesus, is your greatest gift to us. He is a sign of our love, Of your light coming into our darkness. Help us to walk in that love during the weeks of Advent. May we celebrate the first coming of Jesus, even as we await his return. We pray all this in the name of Jesus, our Savior. Amen.
Worship
A Blessing by Kate Bowler
Blessed are we, starting to see the height and depth and breadth
of God’s love that includes all of us, even the not-so-perfect.
Blessed are you, Mary, for saying yes to the big risk
of being God’s dwelling place.
Blessed are we, like Mary, starting to sing our own songs of joy
at the thought that maybe this Advent we too can start to trust it,
to risk it, to live it out,
the love that decides to love first, before it is earned or deserved,
the love that your incarnation embodies
to the full.
Blessed are we, breathing in the truth that we belong,
and so does everybody else.
Amen.
Invitation for Connection
We invite you into a time of connection by sharing the peace we have received by saying, “God’s Peace be with you.”
Children are now invited to go upstairs for the Children's Ministry.
Announcements
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. Service will be at 4 PM and will include Silent Night by candlelight and Children’s Ministry offering a song for closing worship.
Winter Book Club 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
Check your email inboxes for Embodiment Guides for December 29th and January 5th for rest, connection and embodiment of a spiritual practice.
Giving Ask - Pastor Keeyon
On November 16th, at approximately 10:50 PM, the large window in our gathering space was broken with an individual throwing a rock causing damage. The police have been notified, and while we are grateful that no one was harmed, this is one of several recent incidents involving damage to the church property.
The broken window offers a visible reflection of the pain, suffering, and marginalization experienced in our neighborhood, yet it also invites us, as a church, to embody a loving and consistent presence in the neighborhood by coming together in faith and action.
The estimated cost for replacing the window and repair needed is $5,000, and we are seeking your partnership to meet this unexpected need. The Leadership Team is asking you to prayerfully consider contributing an additional gift, beyond your regular tithe, to help cover the cost of the repairs.
If you feel compelled to give, please contact our Treasurer, Nick Mundorf: treasurer.wellingtonheightscc@gmail.com, who will provide details on how to contribute.
Introduce new staff member Lewis Klemen
Embodiment Sunday Sharing
Gretchen Mundorf
Lectio Divina: Luke 1:46b-55
Pastor Stephanie
Worship
Benediction Reading by Kate Bowler
“These poetic verses are known as the Magnificat, the song of Mary. She sings out with joy that within her womb is the tiny spark of life who will save the world. Somehow, Mary sees it clearly—a world of justice and mercy, where every wrong has been made right. She rejoices in a glorious future, but one that has, at the same time, already been secured.
This is a gentle revolution, not some grand show of power. God chooses the margins of society, where God will be born in dire circumstances, to an unwed mother in unsanitary conditions without a proper roof over her head. To an embarrassed new dad, forced to scoop up his family and flee the country from a powerful and vengeful king. This is the world that God chose to enter at Christmas. Our world. So God could be the difference we didn’t know it needed. Thanks be to God.”
Children’s Ministry Play
