Fourth Sunday of Advent
December 15, 2024 | 10:00am
Rev. Jeremy Campbell, Temporary Pastor | Larry J. Carey, Director of Music
Thought for Worship: Where in my daily routines can I remove the façade of perfection, or break through it, and embrace the tangible reality of a beautiful and wonderful, earthy joy? Hannah Garrity
GATHERING
Welcome
Prelude Angels From the Realms of Glory | Smart
Call to Worship
Votum
Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
Amen
Opening Sentences
We are seeking—
deeper faith,
a place to belong,
the feeling that God is here in this room.
We are seeking—
joy that overflows,
the movement of the Spirit,
a hand to hold, when alone in the dark.
We are seeking—
the freedom to be,
the courage to love,
the conviction to act in the face of injustice.
We are seeking, but here in this space,
We are found.
Take a deep breath.
This is your sanctuary.
God is here. We are found. Amen.
Salutation
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ
Amen.
Candle Lighting Liturgy
A: God’s love is like an open door.
B: God’s love is the streetlight that guides us home.
A: God’s love is a warm bed to fall into.
B: God’s love is a table with room for you.
A: God’s love is a crackling fireplace.
B: God’s love is the sun that streams through the windows.
A: God’s love is the roof over our heads and the floor beneath our feet.
B: God’s love is a home for you and me, for neighbors and strangers, for family and
friends, for enemies and partners.
A: God’s love is a home for all.
B: Today we light the candle of love to remind us of this truth.
A: May it burn brightly in this space and even brighter in our hearts.
B: Amen
*Hymn of Praise Lord Christ, When You First Came to Earth
Call to Confession
Mary’s world turned upside down with the visit of an angel.
This is a moment we can relate to, because over the course of the last year and a half, our world has seemed to turn upside down more than once.
When those moments come, we hope to respond with grace; but more often than not, fear can get the best of us. So today we turn to God in prayer, asking for God’s guidance and grace in the places and moments we need it most. Let us pray together now...
Prayer of Confession
God of safe spaces, we wish we were more like Mary, who in the face of great change, went and sought help. She did not wait for help to find her; she walked to the shelter she needed. Too often we wait silently for the world to change around us instead of speaking up for the things we need. . Forgive us for failing to care for ourselves the way you would care for us. Give us the courage to be more like Mary.
God of safe places, we wish we were more like Elizabeth, who greeted Mary with laughter and contagious joy. How many people have crossed our doorstep and how many times have we failed to see them? Give us the courage of Mary, and the grace of Elizabeth. Gratefully we pray, Amen.
Words of Forgiveness
Family of faith, even if we miss the person standing on our doorstep, even if we fail to care for ourselves the way God would care for us, even if we forget and ignore, turn away
and shut down, God still loves us. There is nothing we can do to lose God’s love.
Rest in this promise:
If we get lost,
we will be found.
If we mess up,
we are forgiven.
If we withhold love,
God is lavish in loving us.
We are claimed. We are loved. We are forgiven.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
The Law of God:
*Gloria Patri | #579
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. Amen.
*Commitment to Peace Keeping and Peace Seeking
One: May the peace of Christ be with you!
All: And also with you!
Share a sign of peace with one another. After sharing the peace, let us all sing together:
Together, by grace, we witness and work, remembering Jesus, in whom we grow strong. Together we serve in Spirit and truth, remembering love is the strength of our song.
THE WORD OF GOD
Anthem Nova, Nova! | Bedford
Prayer for Illumination
Holy God, We come to your Scripture today hoping that it will feel a bit like an open door, like Elizabeth welcoming Mary, like coming home. We want to fall into it. We want to find sanctuary here. We want to breathe easier just hearing these words. And we want to find ourselves laughing because this good news is just too good to keep inside. So hover close to us now, we pray.
Open the door to our hearts so that we might find sanctuary in your words.
Gratefully we pray.
Amen.
First Reading: Micah 5:2-5a
This is the Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
*Hymn: O Little Town of Bethlehem
Second Reading: Luke 1:39-55
This is the Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
Sermon: “Seeking Sanctuary (Love)” | Rev. Campbell
Silent Reflection
THE RESPONSE TO GOD
*Affirmation of Faith (Apostles’ Creed)
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; He descended to hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
Offering There is a Promise, God has Said | Huffman
Doxology
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise him all creatures here below;
Praise him above ye heavenly hosts;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Amen!
Prayer of Thanksgiving and Intercession (ending with the Lord’s Prayer)
Holy God,
Our prayers are often one lovely act of seeking.
We bow our heads, we close our eyes, and we seek—
we seek you, we seek belonging, we seek sanctuary.
And what is lovely is that we know, deep in our bones,
that if we knock, we will find you.
So today we pause our seeking to simply give you thanks.
Thank you for the Elizabeths in our lives—
the ones who have been there when we needed them most,
the ones who have blessed us with joy, allowing our happiness to take up space,
the ones who have opened the door for us and ushered us in.
And thank you not only for the Elizabeths in our lives,
but for the strangers who have cared for us,
for those older and wiser who paved the way before us,
and for individuals who share no relation to us, but love us like family.
Our lives are undoubtedly better because of them.
Gracious God, we also pray for those without an Elizabeth in their life.
We pray for those who do not have a hand to hold in the dark,
who do not have a front porch to show up on,
or even a porch to call their own.
We pray for those in life transitions who carry that fear and anxiety alone,
and we pray for all who know loneliness in the face of these hardships.
Wrap your arms around those individuals. Circle back, again and again, dwelling tenderly
in the wounds of their hearts until healing might be found. Open our eyes so that we might see the need in our own backyard.
Thank you for being our safe place. Thank you for always welcoming us home.
Now with joy in our hearts, we pray the words you taught us to pray, saying…
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory forever. Amen.
SENDING
*Hymn Jesus the Light of the World
Benediction
As you leave this service, your service begins:
Comfort the homesick.
Open your doors to others.
Seek sanctuary.
Be brave enough to go home by another way.
And remember that here in God’s house, all are welcomed—so come back soon.
In the name of our Foundation—God, Spirit, and Son— go in peace.
Congregational Response
Lift up your heads, ye mighty gates, Behold, the King of glory waits;
The King of kings is drawing near; The Savior of the world is here!
Redeemer, come! I open wide My heart to Thee;
here, Lord, abide. Let me Thy inner presence feel; Thy grace and love in me reveal.
Postlude Joy to the World | arr. Martin
DEAR FRIENDS
Welcome to worship here at Peapack Reformed Church! If you are visiting with us, welcome! If you are a member, welcome back! Our mission is to be a congregation called by God, inspired by the Holy Spirit, and committed to being the very presence of Jesus Christ in the world. This mission is the catalyst for all that we do, and is our aim for who we want to be.
If you are visiting with us via Facebook Live and would like more information about our church, send us a message on Facebook or email office@peapackreformed.org and we will be in touch with you. Even under these odd and anxious circumstances, we would love to be your church home. Our virtual doors are always open wide and our hearts are always ready to welcome new faces into our fellowship.
FOOD PANTRY NEWS
Many thanks for all those who have shared their abundance with neighbors in need.
Our church refrigerators have plenty of space to hold even more!
Please consider making a weekly donation of eggs or milk to the P-G Food Pantry.
Peapack Reformed Church is a congregation called by God, empowered by the Holy Spirit and committed to being the very presence of Jesus Christ in the world.
CALLED • EMPOWERED • COMMITTED