Preparing for Worship: Second Sunday of Advent - December 4

God Calls Us to Worship Him

Call to Worship: "Come Thou Redeemer of the Earth"

The virgin womb that honor gained

With virgin honor all unstained;

The banners there of virtue glow;

God in his temple dwells below.

Forth from his chamber goeth he,

That royal home of purity,

A giant, in twofold substance one,

Rejoicing now his course to run.

Watch, for you do not know when the master of the house comes, at evening, or at midnight, or at the rooster crowing, or in the morning, unless coming suddenly he finds you sleeping.

(Mark 13:35-36)

God Graciously Renews Us in Christ

Confession of Sin

Hymn of Confession: "O Little Town of Bethlehem" (final stanza)

O holy Child of Bethlehem

Descend to us, we pray

Cast out our sin and enter in

Be born to 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 through Christ

Do not remember the sins of our youth and our transgressions.

Remember us according to your love and for the sake of your goodness, O Lord.

For your name’s sake, O Lord, forgive our sin, for it is great. (Psalm 25:6, 10)

Hymn of Assurance: "Child in a Manger"

Child in a manger,

infant of Mary;

outcast and stranger,

Lord of all;

Child who inherits

all our transgressions,

all our demerits

on Him fall.

Once the most holy

Child of salvation

gently and lowly

lived below;

now, as our glorious

mighty Redeemer,

see Him victorious

o'er each foe.

Prophets foretold Him,

infant of wonder;

angels behold Him

on His throne;

worthy our Savior

of all our praises;

happy forever

are His own.

Thanking God for What He Has Done

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

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 international missionaries. Last year Southern Baptists collected 147 million dollars for the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. Some of these monies were used to start over 28,000 churches worldwide. The cost to support one missionary annually is $50,000. For more information about the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering see www.imb.org

Hymn of Affirmation: “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”

God rest ye merry, gentlemen

Let nothing you dismay.

Remember, Christ, our Saviour,

Was born on Christmas day

To save us all from Satan's power

When we were gone astray.

O tidings of comfort and joy,

Comfort and joy.

O tidings of comfort and joy.

From God our Heavenly Father

A blessed Angel came;

And unto certain Shepherds

Brought tidings of the same:

How that in Bethlehem was born

The Son of God by Name.

O tidings of comfort and joy,

Comfort and joy.

O tidings of comfort and joy.

And when they came to Bethlehem

Where our dear Saviour lay,

They found Him in a manger,

Where oxen feed on hay.

His Mother Mary kneeling down,

Unto the Lord did pray.

O tidings of comfort and joy,

Comfort and joy

O tidings of comfort and joy.

Now to the Lord sing praises,

All you within this place,

And with true love and brotherhood

Each other now embrace;

This holy tide of Christmas

All other doth deface.

O tidings of comfort and joy,

Comfort and joy.

O tidings of comfort and joy.

God Instructs Us through His Word

Luke 1:25-56 (HCSB)

In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man named Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel came to her and said, “Rejoice, favored woman! The Lord is with you.” But she was deeply troubled by this statement, wondering what kind of greeting this could be.

Then the angel told her: "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Now listen: You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will call His name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end."

Mary asked the angel, “How can this be, since I have not been intimate with a man?”

The angel replied to her: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the holy One to be born will be called the Son of God. And consider your relative Elizabeth—even she has conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called childless. For nothing will be impossible with God.”

“I am the Lord’s slave,” said Mary. “May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel left her.

In those days Mary set out and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judah where she entered Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped inside her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

Then she exclaimed with a loud cry: “You are the most blessed of women, and your child will be blessed! How could this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For you see, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped for joy inside me! She who has believed is blessed because what was spoken to her by the Lord will be fulfilled!”

And Mary said: "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior, because He has looked with favor on the humble condition of His slave. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed, because the Mighty One has done great things for me, and His name is holy. His mercy is from generation to generation on those who fear Him. He has done a mighty deed with His arm; He has scattered the proud because of the thoughts of their hearts; He has toppled the mighty from their thrones and exalted the lowly. He has satisfied the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty. He has helped His servant Israel, mindful of His mercy, just as He spoke to our ancestors, to Abraham and his descendants forever."

And Mary stayed with her about three months; then she returned to her home.

God Feeds and Nourishes Us through His Supper

"Magnificat" (Song of Mary) [click here for audio] [click here for notation]

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,

and my spirit sings for joy to my Saviour God!

His lowly slave he looked upon in love;

they will call me happy now, for mighty are the works he has done,

and holy is his name.

In every age, for those who fear the Lord

come his mercy and the strength of his mighty arm:

he routs the proud, throws monarchs off their thrones,

while he lifts the lowly high, fills hungry ones with food,