Trinity Presbyterian Church Online Worship Service
for December 13, 2020 – Third Sunday of Advent
Welcome and Announcements
Welcome to Trinity Presbyterian Church’s online worship service!
If you prefer, you can view this service on our Worship Service Player. In the player, the service plays from start to finish without interruption. To try that version of the worship service, click HERE.
Rev Dr Jeffrey Beebe
2024/04/20-04:51:59-UTC 38th ols; 34woc; 6waro
Trinity has returned to Indoor Worship with LIMITED seating at 10AM on Sundays. In addition to limited seating, there are several details you should know before attending. Please read about them in our Guide to Indoor Worship.
Please fill in your 2021 Stewardship Pledge Cards. If you need a new pledge card, please contact the church office for a replacement or print your own by clicking this link or the pledge card image. Once filled in, they may be turned in to the church or mailed to the church office. May God richly bless our generosity as we return to God a small portion of what He has given to us.
Trinity’s Bible Study is available online. Visit our website or Facebook page to view a video from Rev. Beebe. A new video will be released each week and will be available to watch whenever it is convenient for you. You can also ‘catch-up’ anytime at the Bible Study archive. To be included in our weekly email, simply subscribe to the website or join our Facebook group. Links to subscribe and join are at the bottom of our webpage.
Portions of the liturgy we use in the service are provided by Sanctified Art. Where used, they are identified with a superscript 2 (similar to this2). A copyright acknowledgment is at the bottom of this worship page.
There’s also a treat at the end in the Postlude. Please save it until the end!
Briefly, a word concerning the technical presentation of this service. If you are having difficulty reading the words, look for your web browser’s “Zoom” settings. The keystrokes are typically ‘Ctrl-Shift-+’ to increase the zoom or ‘Ctrl-Shift-(minus)’ to decrease the zoom. Other devices may have a different mechanism (‘finger pinch’), but most support zoom.
Although you could not be with us in-person today, we hope you will have a meaningful Sunday worship experience!
This week’s bulletin is available at any time by clicking this link. The bulletin will open in a separate tab or window.
Please note the bulletin matches the order of service on this page, but there are additional items that may be of interest to you that are not included on this worship page.
Today’s service contains:
Preparation for Worship
Prelude “Mary Did You Know?” with “Silent Night”
Call to Worship
Hymn #106 “Prepare the Way, O Zion”
Candle Lighting
Prayer of Confession
Declaration of Forgiveness
Anthem “O Sing a Song of Bethlehem”
The Road to Bethlehem
Affirmation of Faith
Prayers of the People
The Lord’s Prayer
Responsive Reading
Prayer for Illumination
Old Testament Reading
Hymn #105 “People Look East”
Gospel Lesson
Meditation “Joy, Joy, Joy”
Sending
Congregational Response (Hymn #306)
Offering
Postlude “O Come, All Ye Faithful”
Preparation for Worship
Let us join together now and prepare for worship.
Dear Family of God – these are trying days in God’s beloved world. As Christ’s Church, sustained by the Holy Spirit, we have gifts and a call by which to care for one another and our neighbors. Worship in which we encounter our living God and know ourselves connected to the body continues. So this day, even though we worship at a distance, we read the same Scriptures, and share in the same prayers, we are held together on this Sunday morning. Let us prepare our hearts and minds to worship the living Lord.
Prelude “Mary, Did You Know” with “Silent Night”
Heasuk Che, organist.
arr. Page
Call to Worship
Carol Corson, lay reader.
provided by: A Sanctified Art2
Once upon a time, there was a little girl who had a terrible day.
She left her lunch at home.
She skinned her knee on the playground, and no one wanted to sit with her on the bus.
As she sank into her mother’s arms at the end of the day, her mother said,
“Honey, what was the best part of today?”
The little girl cried and said, “Nothing! The entire day was terrible.”
So the mother got down on one knee, wiped away her tears and said,
“There is always some good. Sometimes we just really have to look for it.”
The little girl looked up at her mom and said, “What is good about today?”
And the mother said, “For starters, you’re here in my arms.”
Friends, anytime we gather together to worship God, we are here in God’s arms.
So may we recognize that gift, and in doing so, may we sow joy.
Let us worship Holy God.
Hymn #106 “Prepare the Way, O Zion”
Barbara Davis, Carol Corson, Kathy Link, Julie Pearson, Norma Rogero, Judith Spurrell, Lillian Warner, and Bob Wright. Accompanied by pianist Heasuk Che and flutist Jillian Koenig.
Berthier
1 Prepare the way, O Zion,
your Christ is drawing near!
Let every hill and valley
a level way appear.
Greet One who comes in glory,
foretold in sacred story.
Refrain:
O blest is Christ who came
in God’s most holy name.
2 He brings God’s rule, O Zion;
he comes from heaven above.
His rule is peace and freedom,
and justice, truth, and love.
Lift high your praise resounding,
for grace and joy abounding. [Refrain]
3 Fling wide your gates, O Zion;
your Savior’s rule embrace,
and tidings of salvation
proclaim in every place.
All lands will bow rejoicing,
their adoration voicing. [Refrain]
Candle Lighting
Lay readers: Addie, Zoe, Brandie, and Lance Alred.
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, “Rejoice.”
The world says, “Worry,” and we say, “Rejoice.”
The news says, “Fear,” and we say, “Rejoice.”
The world says, “Be happy,” and the church says, “Be faithful.”
As we light our third Advent candle, We pray for hope, peace, and joy.
Come now, O child of Mary. Come now, O Prince of Joy.
Prayer of Confession
Zoe Alred, lay reader.
provided by: A Sanctified Art2
O Great Writer,
With a sky full of stars and a world full of flowers, there should be no end to my joy.
And yet, instead of decorating my very being with joy, I let it slip away like loose change.
Instead of singing like Mary, or dancing like David,
I pass by remarkable beauty and love most days, unfazed. Forgive me.
Teach me the ways of children, who laugh and dance and sing
as if joy is the very thing that keeps them alive.
Maybe they have joy figured out.
Gratefully we pray, amen. (Silence for Reflection)
Declaration of Forgiveness
The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting.
I declare to you, in the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.
May the God of mercy, who forgives us all our sins, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the
power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life. Amen.
Anthem “O Sing a Song of Bethlehem”
Handbell Choir: Martha Gioielli, Norma Rogero, Barbara Davis, Janet Schaaf, Marilyn Paris, and Liz Monaco. Directed by Lillian Warner.
arr. L. Warner
The Road to Bethlehem
Brooke Tucker, Director of Faith Formation.
Affirmation of Faith
Lay readers: Chloe Kaczmarek, Jack Kaczmarek, Addie Alred, Garrett Tucker, Jorgia Amerson, Zoe Alred, and Delia Burgos.
provided by: A Sanctified Art2
Great Creator,
We are in awe of you.
We will never know how you managed to dream up
Mountains and valleys,
Freckles, dimples, and curly hair,
A cool morning mist,
The change of seasons,
Or the magic of music.
Your greatness is beyond our reckoning.
And because we are in awe of you,
We believe we must follow Mary’s lead
And allow our souls to sing.
We believe that the appropriate reaction to your goodness
Is complete gratitude,
Which looks like love for our neighbor,
Justice for the poor,
Food for the hungry,
And joy that overflows.
And even though we do not always believe in ourselves,
We believe that our song is pleasing to you.
We believe. Help our unbelief.
In Christ’s name we pray, amen.
Prayers of the People
Rev Dr Jeffrey Beebe
The Lord’s Prayer
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, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
Responsive Reading
Carol Corson, lay reader.
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
Psalm 126
1 When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream. 2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with shouts of joy; then it was said among the nations,
“The LORD has done great things for them.” 3 The LORD has done great things for us, and we rejoiced. 4 Restore our fortunes, O LORD, like the watercourses in the Negeb. 5 May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy. 6 Those who go out weeping,
bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy,
carrying their sheaves.
Prayer for Illumination
Carol Corson, lay reader.
provided by: A Sanctified Art2
Creator God,
Scripture is flooded with dream-like images:
the lion lying down with the lamb,
justice rolling like a mighty river,
swords being beaten into plowshares,
the prisoner being set free,
good news to the oppressed,
the whole world rejoicing.
To our human ears, there are times when these words can sound
like nothing more than a far-off dream—
downplaying prophecy to fantasy.
However, what we know is that to dream is to hope,
and to hope is to imagine,
and to imagine is to wonder,
and to wonder is to believe,
and to believe is to live and breathe for your promised day.
So give us the strength to listen as we dream, O God.
For deep down, we know your words are the very thing we need.
Amen.
Old Testament Reading
Carol Corson, lay reader.
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
Isaiah 61:1-4; 8-11 – The Good News of Deliverance. Listen for God speaking to you today.
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;
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.
Hymn #105 “People Look East”
Barbara Davis, Carol Corson, Kathy Link, Julie Pearson, Norma Rogero, Judith Spurrell, Lillian Warner, and Bob Wright. Accompanied by pianist Heasuk Che and flutist Jillian Koenig.
French Folk Melody
1 People, look east. The time is near of the crowning of the year.
Make your house fair as you are able; trim the hearth and set the table.
People, look east and sing today: Love, the Guest, is on the way.
2 Furrows, be glad. Though earth is bare, one more seed is planted there.
Give up your strength the seed to nourish, that in course the flower may flourish.
People, look east and sing today: Love, the Rose, is on the way.
3 Birds, though you long have ceased to build, guard the nest that must be filled.
Even the hour when wings are frozen God for fledging time has chosen.
People, look east and sing today: Love, the Bird, is on the way.
4 Stars, keep the watch. When night is dim one more light the bowl shall brim,
Shining beyond the frosty weather, bright as sun and moon together.
People, look east and sing today: Love, the Star, is on the way.
5 Angels, announce with shouts of mirth Christ who brings new life to earth.
Set every peak and valley humming with the word, the Lord is coming.
People, look east and sing today: Love, the Lord, is on the way.
Gospel Lesson
Rev Dr Jeffrey Beebe
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
John 1:6-8, 19-28 – The Testimony of John the Baptist. Listen for God speaking to you today. 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light.
19 This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, “I am not the Messiah.” 21 And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the prophet?” He answered, “No.” 22 Then they said to him, “Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23 He said,
“I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness,
‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’”
as the prophet Isaiah said.
24 Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. 25 They asked him, “Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?” 26 John answered them, “I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, 27 the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal.” 28 This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing.
Luke 1:46-55 – Mary’s Song of Praise. 46 And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has looked with favor on the lowliness 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 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 thoughts 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 helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy, 55 according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”
Meditation “Joy, Joy, Joy”
Rev Dr Jeffrey Beebe
Sending
Rev Dr Jeffrey Beebe
Congregational Response
Heasuk Che, organist.
Hymn #306
Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love.
The fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above.
Offering
Please continue to give your offering.
God calls us to give all of who we are, and all of what we have to be used in and thru the Church. So let us present our lives. Let us present our gifts unto God. Offerings can be received in the church by mail or you may use online banking options.
You can click the image to the right or this link to give online now. At the online Giving site, select “2020 Pledge” as the Fund to fulfill your 2020 pledge or use another fund if you’re directing your gift elsewhere. Note, the church must pay a small processing fee to receive your contribution via online giving. Increasing your gift would help cover the cost of processing and would be greatly appreciated.
If you’d like to see alternatives to online giving, please take a look at our Contribute page.
Postlude “O Come, All Ye Faithful”
Heasuk Che, organist.
Adeste Fideles
The Service has Ended
May the Peace of Christ be with you!
Thank you for joining us online! We hope you will join us again as long as we need to be apart. We pray for the day when we can all meet again and worship God in the sanctuary and Trinity Presbyterian Church.
1 ALL COPYRIGHTS ACKNOWLEDGED
2 Prayer by Sarah Are | A Sanctified Art LLC | sanctifiedart.org Cover Art: Design by Lauren Wright Pittman; Photography by Lisle Gwynn Garrity
Please fill in your 2021 Stewardship Pledge Cards. If you need a new pledge card, please contact the church office for a replacement or print your own by clicking this link or the pledge card image. Once filled in, they may be turned in to the church or mailed to the church office. May God richly bless our generosity as we return to God a small portion of what He has given to us.
Trinity’s Bible Study is available online. Visit our website or Facebook page to view a video from Rev. Beebe. A new video will be released each week and will be available to watch whenever it is convenient for you. You can also ‘catch-up’ anytime at the Bible Study archive. To be included in our weekly email, simply subscribe to the website or join our Facebook group. Links to subscribe and join are at the bottom of our webpage.
separate tab or window.
You can click the image to the right or this link to give online now. At the online Giving site, select “2020 Pledge” as the Fund to fulfill your 2020 pledge or use another fund if you’re directing your gift elsewhere. Note, the church must pay a small processing fee to receive your contribution via online giving. Increasing your gift would help cover the cost of processing and would be greatly appreciated.