Elkhorn First United Methodist Church
Sunday, December 03, 2023
First Sunday of Advent
* HYMN #2152 Change My Heart, O God
WELCOME / ANNOUNCEMENTS
ADVENT 1 READING (HOPE)
Reader 1: In the days of exile and uncertainty, the prophet Isaiah cried out:
O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, so that the mountains would quake at your presence. As when fire sets twigs ablaze and causes water to boil, come down to make your name known to your enemies and cause the nations to quake before you! For when you did awesome things that we did not expect, you came down, and the mountains trembled before you.
(Isaiah 64:1-3)
Reader 2: In the midst of our own encounters with uncertainty and upheaval and our longing for deliverance, Jesus calls to us, “Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come.”
(Mark 13:35).
CONGREGATION: We wait as people surprised again and again by God who shakes us out of our complacency and wakes us up to the work of the kingdom all around us.
Reader 1: We light this candle as a sign of our shocking hope. May we stay awake to God’s activity in the world as we wait in expectation that even now God is with us, working to restore us to the fullness of life with God and one another. Amen.
CANDLE LIGHTING SONG (light the purple candle of Hope) verse one only
*CALL TO WORSHIP (please stand)
We gather again at the end of the year to wait for the Christ child anew.
We wait in the shocking hope of the coming of the Messiah.
We wait, and we remember the astounding things God has done to save God’s people.
We wait in the shocking hope of the coming of the Messiah.
We wait, and we pay attention for signs of God’s justice and mercy turning the world upside down.
We wait in the shocking hope of the coming of the Messiah.
We wait, and in our waiting, we learn to live as people of God’s promise.
Let us worship in the shocking hope of Jesus Christ, the coming Messiah. Amen.
* OPENING PRAYER (in unison)
God of justice and peace, from the heavens, you rain down mercy and kindness, that all on earth may stand in awe and wonder before your marvelous deeds. Raise our heads in expectation, that we may yearn for the coming day of the Lord and stand without blame before your Son, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.
SHARING OUR JOYS AND CONCERNS
Pastoral Prayer
The Lord’s Prayer
*OFFERING / DOXOLOGY
*OFFERTORY PRAYER (on screen)
HYMN #211 O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
OLD TESTAMENT SCRIPTURE: Isaiah 64:1-9
TFWS #2162 Grace Alone
* HYMN #140 Great is Thy Faithfulness
* GOSPEL READING: Mark 13:24-37
Message – Our Shocking Hope Pastor Mike
****COMMUNION****
* HYMN #196 Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus
BENEDICTION
Beloved of God, keep awake! Stay alert! Pay attention to God at work all around you. And now, go from this place blessed to be bowled over by hope and shocked out of our complacency to watch and wait and join in the work of bringing God’s dream for all creation to life.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please pray for these church members, family, and friends: Don Green, Helen Hall, Jerome Immega, Wayne Marek, Gayle Ostrander, Rod Paulsen, Kathy Rea, Pat Reynders, Dave Steiner, DeMarcos, Denise Hubbard, Katy Conway Schroeder, Debbie Rush, Beth Ann Brick
Your prayer requests can be updated by calling the church office at 262-723-2629 or sending an email to elkhornfumc@gmail.com
Prayers for all who are in sorrow from family loss/tragedy
Prayers for replacement/repair of wheelchair lift
Prayers for people who will participate in worship services as liturgist, ushers, and communion stewards
Prayers for generous tithes and offerings to sustain our work
Pray for our denomination and our congregation:
Pray for Elkhorn and surrounding communities for health, financial recovery, and the joy of community.
Pray for pastors and church workers worldwide.
Please remember your friends who are alone; pray for them and call or visit them whenever possible.
Please utilize the church’s prayer lists. Let us know how we can pray for you.
THE FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH OF ELKHORN
111 North Broad Street, Elkhorn WI 53121
Church Office 262-723-2629
elkhornfumc@gmail.com
Pastor Mike Payne
Sunday, December 03, 2023
First Sunday of Advent
* HYMN #2152 Change My Heart, O God
WELCOME / ANNOUNCEMENTS
ADVENT 1 READING (HOPE)
Reader 1: In the days of exile and uncertainty, the prophet Isaiah cried out:
O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, so that the mountains would quake at your presence. As when fire sets twigs ablaze and causes water to boil, come down to make your name known to your enemies and cause the nations to quake before you! For when you did awesome things that we did not expect, you came down, and the mountains trembled before you.
(Isaiah 64:1-3)
Reader 2: In the midst of our own encounters with uncertainty and upheaval and our longing for deliverance, Jesus calls to us, “Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come.”
(Mark 13:35).
CONGREGATION: We wait as people surprised again and again by God who shakes us out of our complacency and wakes us up to the work of the kingdom all around us.
Reader 1: We light this candle as a sign of our shocking hope. May we stay awake to God’s activity in the world as we wait in expectation that even now God is with us, working to restore us to the fullness of life with God and one another. Amen.
CANDLE LIGHTING SONG (light the purple candle of Hope) verse one only
*CALL TO WORSHIP (please stand)
We gather again at the end of the year to wait for the Christ child anew.
We wait in the shocking hope of the coming of the Messiah.
We wait, and we remember the astounding things God has done to save God’s people.
We wait in the shocking hope of the coming of the Messiah.
We wait, and we pay attention for signs of God’s justice and mercy turning the world upside down.
We wait in the shocking hope of the coming of the Messiah.
We wait, and in our waiting, we learn to live as people of God’s promise.
Let us worship in the shocking hope of Jesus Christ, the coming Messiah. Amen.
* OPENING PRAYER (in unison)
God of justice and peace, from the heavens, you rain down mercy and kindness, that all on earth may stand in awe and wonder before your marvelous deeds. Raise our heads in expectation, that we may yearn for the coming day of the Lord and stand without blame before your Son, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.
SHARING OUR JOYS AND CONCERNS
Pastoral Prayer
The Lord’s Prayer
*OFFERING / DOXOLOGY
*OFFERTORY PRAYER (on screen)
HYMN #211 O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
OLD TESTAMENT SCRIPTURE: Isaiah 64:1-9
TFWS #2162 Grace Alone
* HYMN #140 Great is Thy Faithfulness
* GOSPEL READING: Mark 13:24-37
Message – Our Shocking Hope Pastor Mike
****COMMUNION****
* HYMN #196 Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus
BENEDICTION
Beloved of God, keep awake! Stay alert! Pay attention to God at work all around you. And now, go from this place blessed to be bowled over by hope and shocked out of our complacency to watch and wait and join in the work of bringing God’s dream for all creation to life.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please pray for these church members, family, and friends: Don Green, Helen Hall, Jerome Immega, Wayne Marek, Gayle Ostrander, Rod Paulsen, Kathy Rea, Pat Reynders, Dave Steiner, DeMarcos, Denise Hubbard, Katy Conway Schroeder, Debbie Rush, Beth Ann Brick
Your prayer requests can be updated by calling the church office at 262-723-2629 or sending an email to elkhornfumc@gmail.com
Prayers for all who are in sorrow from family loss/tragedy
Prayers for replacement/repair of wheelchair lift
Prayers for people who will participate in worship services as liturgist, ushers, and communion stewards
Prayers for generous tithes and offerings to sustain our work
Pray for our denomination and our congregation:
Pray for Elkhorn and surrounding communities for health, financial recovery, and the joy of community.
Pray for pastors and church workers worldwide.
Please remember your friends who are alone; pray for them and call or visit them whenever possible.
Please utilize the church’s prayer lists. Let us know how we can pray for you.
THE FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH OF ELKHORN
111 North Broad Street, Elkhorn WI 53121
Church Office 262-723-2629
elkhornfumc@gmail.com
Pastor Mike Payne