Christ’s Reformed Church – United Church of Christ

~ growing people of faith who live in Jesus, love one another and bear abundant fruit ~

December 17, 2023

THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT

WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

PRELUDE

LIGHTING OF THE LOVE CANDLE

The words of the angel were frightening to Mary.

She didn’t know what to imagine I can’t blame her, can you?

When she realized the truth of Gabriel’s words

Mary sang, Mary danced, Mary praised God
for the Holy Spirit blooming within her.

We rekindle the candles of hope and peace.

Today we also light the candle of spirit or love.
May this light brighten the Advent season reminding us that
God is peace, God is love and God is spirit.
In the spirit of Jesus Christ we pray, Amen.

Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11

1 The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me because the LORD has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good

news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to
the prisoners, 2 to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort
all who mourn, 3 to provide for those who mourn in Zion — to give them a garland instead of ashes, the
oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit.
They will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, to display his glory. 4 They shall build
up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the
devastations of many generations.

8 For I, the LORD, love justice, I hate robbery and wrongdoing;[b] I will faithfully give them their
recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. 9 Their descendants shall be known
among the nations and their offspring among the peoples; all who see them shall acknowledge that they
are a people whom the LORD has blessed. 10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my whole being shall exult
in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of
righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland and as a bride adorns herself with her
jewels. 11 For as the earth brings forth its shoots and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up,
so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations.

*O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (verses 1 and 7) (See Attachment)

CALL TO WORSHIP
O magnify our God with me and let us exalt God’s name together.
Our souls magnify the Lord.
Our spirits rejoice in God our Savior!
We will bless the Lord at all times;
God’s praise shall continually be in our mouths.
Our souls magnify the Lord.
God’s mercy endures from generation to generation.
Let our souls makes their boasts in the Lord;
Let the humble hear and be glad.
Our souls magnify the Lord
for the Mighty One has done great things.

INVOCATION (Inspired by Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11)

Let us pray:
God of Mary, Mother of Jesus – and all of the lowly who seek to be lifted –
God of Isaiah, who felt the Spirit upon him calling him to bring Good News—
Let your Spirit fall upon us in this hour.
Out of the ruins, remind us of your everlasting covenant.
Anoint us as we seek to share and experience your Good News.
Bind our broken hearts.
Awaken us to the liberation within and among us.
Embolden us to proclaim your favor
As we seek you more deeply.
Amen.

Luke 1:5-24
In the days of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly
order of Abijah. His wife was descended from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was
Elizabeth. 6 Both of them were righteous before God, living blamelessly according to all the
commandments and regulations of the Lord. 7 But they had no children because Elizabeth was barren,
and both were getting on in years. 8 Once when he was serving as priest before God during his section’s
turn of duty, 9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the sanctuary
of the Lord to offer incense. 10 Now at the time of the incense offering, the whole assembly of the people
was praying outside. 11 Then there appeared to him an angel of the Lord, standing at the right side of
the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was terrified, and fear overwhelmed him. 13 But the
angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will
bear you a son, and you will name him John. 14 You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at
his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or strong drink; even
before his birth he will be filled with the Holy Spirit. 16 He will turn many of the people of Israel to the
Lord their God. 17 With the spirit and power of Elijah he will go before him, to turn the hearts of parents
to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared
for the Lord.” 18 Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I know that this will happen? For I am an old man,
and my wife is getting on in years.” 19 The angel replied, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God,
and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20 But now, because you did not
believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time, you will become mute, unable to speak, until the
day these things occur.” 21 Meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering at his delay
in the sanctuary. 22 When he did come out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he
had seen a vision in the sanctuary. He kept motioning to them and remained unable to speak. 23 When
his time of service was ended, he returned to his home. 24 After those days his wife Elizabeth conceived,
and for five months she remained in seclusion. She said,

*O Come All Ye Faithful (verses 1,3 and 4) (See Attachment)

The Voices of Advent – Zechariah

Luke 1:26-38
26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin

engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And
he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” [a] 29 But she was much
perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 30 The angel said to her, “Do
not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And now, you will conceive in your womb and
bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 He will reign over the house of
Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be,
since I am a virgin?”[b] 35 The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of
the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born[c] will be holy; he will be called Son
of God. 36 And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth
month for her who was said to be barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 Then Mary said,
“Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed
from her.

O Little Town of Bethlehem (verse 1) (See Attachment)

Luke 1:39-45
39 In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, 40 where she

entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the
child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit 42 and exclaimed with a loud cry,
“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 43 And why has this happened
to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? 44 For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting,
 the child in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be[a] a
fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”

O Little Town of Bethlehem (verse 2 and 3) (See Attachment)

Luke 1:46-56
46 And Mary[a] said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has

looked with favor on the lowly state of his servant. Surely from now on all generations will call me
blessed,49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name; 50 indeed, his mercy is
for those who fear him from generation to generation. 51 He has shown strength with his arm; he has
scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. 52 He has brought down the powerful from their
thrones and lifted up the lowly; 53 he has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away
empty. 54 He has come to the aid of his child Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, 55 according to the
promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.” 56And Mary remained
with her about three months and then returned to her home.

O Little Town of Bethlehem (verse 4) (See Attachment)

PRAYER OF TRANSFORMATION (Inspired by Hope by Jason Robert Brown)

Let us pray:
Womb of Creation, we often get caught up in what we do not have –
The material things we lack, the access and privilege we may lack,
The answers, even, that seem to escape us in crucial moments.
Forgive us for the times we forgot to remember you.
Hold us accountable for the moments we failed to see you in
The blessings of ages past.
Help us reconnect with our joy and our gratitude.
Remind us to name our joys, our miracles, our deliverances, our redemptions
One by one by one, for you are there in them all. Moment of silence.

WORDS OF GRACE
God hears what is named aloud, what is named within, and what is yet to be named. Go forth knowing
that the Spirit of the Lord is upon you, and this joy you have – the world didn’t give it and the world
can’t take it. Amen.

*Angels From the Realms of Glory (verses 1 and 4)

OFFERING

*Doxology
Praise God from whom all blessings flow, Praise God all creatures here below
Praise God for all that love has done; Creator, Christ, and Spirit, One. Amen.

*Prayer of Dedication for Offering

We dedicate these gifts that have been shared for the fortification of the beloved community. Let these
gifts usher joy into this world and signal to the people that God is still setting captives free. Amen.
Love Came Down At Christmas (See Attachment)

*BENEDICTION
May the God of peace sanctify you entirely;
May your spirit and soul and body be kept sound.
May you go forth knowing you are held by The One who calls you faithful.
Amen.

*BENEDICTION SONG Go Tell It On The Mountain (See Attachment)

POSTLUDE

*Please stand in body or in spirit.

 Welcome to our Guests: We gather to praise “the Lamb of
God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).
Because of Jesus, you can be at peace in the assurance of God’s
forgiveness and love. Welcome to worship!! If you have come
as a visitor, we hope that you’ll leave as a friend who’s been
blessed by worshiping in this house of God. We look forward
to seeing you again.

December 18 7 PM ATS Meeting

December 20 11 AM Lectionary
December 24 Fourth Sunday of Advent
December 24 7 PM Christmas Eve Service w/Communion
December 25 Christmas Day – Office Closed
December 26 Office Closed
December 26 Historic Houses of Worship Tour from 3 PM to 7 PM
December 27 11 AM Lectionary
December 31 First Sunday after Christmas
January 1 New Year’s Day – Office Closed
January 6 Epiphany
January 7 First Sunday after Epiphany – The Baptism of Christ w/Communion and
Installation of 2024 Consistory
Liturgist: Judy Miller
Altar Preparation: Art Crampton
Flower Deliverers Martin Fisher
Ushers: Larry Sprankle, Art Burgan, Dave Bedard, John Kessler,
Carol Ann Rossman
Financials for November 2023 YTD Jan-O 2023
Samaritan Acct Balance $ 574.88
Offerings $11,608.50* Offerings $119,264.93*
ATS Repayment $0 ATS Repayment $0
Endowment Interest $35,000.00 Endowment Interest $155,000.00
Expenses $28,587.81* Expenses $262,036.12*
Net Profit/Loss $18,020.69 Net Profit/Loss $12,228.81
*Elevator check from insurance company has been removed from these numbers.
Christ's Reformed Church Church Staff
Phone No: 301-733-4144 Margaret Bussard – Custodian
Fax No. 301-733-4145 Thomas Greenawalt - Technology Support
Church General email: Charlotte Trout - Consistory President & ATS Board President
crc1854@myactv.net Rev. Mary Jane Norville - Minister
Website: www.crcucc.org Cheryl Wilson - AA/Organist
Morning Worship 9:30 am
YouTube: CRC Christ’s Reformed Church