Welcome to our online worship for Sunday, November 29, 2020
Scroll down and click on the videos for each section. 
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The Gift of Hope ​​
 First Sunday of Advent ​
Prelude
Brian Turner
O Come, O Come Emmanuel
arr Bekasova
Special Music
Andrea Bailey and Brian Turner
Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus 
Words: Charles Wesley, Joseph Hart
Music arr. by J. Jerome Williams 
BEACH SPRING

Come, Thou long expected Jesus
Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel's strength and consolation,
Hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.

Born Thy people to deliver,
Born a child and yet a King,
Born to reign in us forever,
Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.
By Thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By Thine all sufficient merit,
Raise us to Thy glorious throne.

Yea, Amen! Let all adore thee
High on thy eternal throne;
Savior, take the pow'r and glory,
Claim the kingdom for thine own;
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Everlasting God come down!
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Everlasting God come down!
Prayer
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O God, you so loved the world as to give your only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Grant us the precious gift of faith, that we may that the Son of God is come and may have power to overcome the world and gain a blessed immortality; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen ​ ​
​Scripture
Luke 1:5-25 NIV
The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold

5 In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 6 Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. 7 But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.
8 Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, 9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.
11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
18 Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”
19 The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. 20 And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”
21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. 22 When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.
23 When his time of service was completed, he returned home. 24 After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. 25 “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”
The Gift of Hope 
​Advent is a time of preparation to celebrate the gift of God’s son born in Bethlehem. The hope of the messiah was proclaimed by the prophets for centuries. Luke begins his gospel with a story about a priest named Zechariah who was told by the angel Gabriel that he and his wife were going to have a baby boy. This was great news for two reasons. First, Zechariah and Elizabeth did not have any children and were past the age of having children, so the birth was an amazing answer to prayer. And second, this son to be born was to be the forerunner to the Messiah who would be born about six months after their child’s birth. Our ultimate hope this Christmas season is to receive Christ into our lives anew, filling us with His love, His power, and His amazing grace! Will you receive this gift of hope this Christmas? Will you share this gift of hope as well?
Message 
Pastor John Fowler
The Gift of Hope 

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Offertory
Andrea Bailey and Brian Turner
Wexford Carol
arr. by Tom Fettke and Thomas Grassi
Trad Irish Carol

Good people all, this Christmastime,
consider well and bear in mind
what our good God for us has done
in sending his beloved son.
With Mary holy we should pray
to God with love this Christmas Day.
In Bethlehem upon that morn
there was a blessed Messiah born.

Near Bethlehem did shepherds keep
their flocks of lambs and feeding sheep
to whom God's angel did appear,
which put the shepherds in great fear.
"Prepare and go, " the angels said,
"to Bethlehem; be not afraid,
for there you'll find, this happy morn,
a princely Babe, sweet Jesus born."

With thankful hearts and joyful minds
the shepherds went, the babe to find,
And as God's angel had foretold
they did our savior Christ behold.
Within a manger he was laid
and by his side, a virgin maid
attending on the Lord of life,
who came on earth to end all strife!

Good people all, this Christmas time,
consider well and bear in mind
what our good God for us has done
in sending his beloved Son.
Children's Message
Kim Garland
First Sunday of Advent: The Promise!
Postlude 
Brian Turner
Christ Whose Glory Fills The Skies​
Be people of hope.
Let hope live in your heart and share the hope of Christ with all you meet.
Share hope by noticing someone else’s humanity.
Share hope by listening to someone’s story.
Share hope by praying for our world.
In this Advent season, we need to see, feel, and share hope.
As you go out into the wonder of God’s creations, share hope with those you meet. Amen.