Welcome to Worship
November 29, 2020
The First Sunday of Advent
Lighting the Advent Wreath: The Prophecy Candle: Hope
Jamal King
Worship Song (pre-recorded): O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
Traditional Worship Team
Christmas Offering for International Missions Video: Missions On and Off the Street
Naivasha Children’s Shelter, Kenya
Welcome and Prayer: Rev. Peggy Peek
Worship Meditation (pre-recorded): Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus
Horton Family Quartet
Scripture: Luke 1:68-79
Sermon Series: The First Songs of Christmas
Sermon Title: Zechariah’s Song
Rev. Mark Adams
Sermon Notes:
Every Who down in Who-ville, the tall and the small,
Was singing!
Without any presents at all!
He HADN’T stopped Christmas from coming!
It came! Somehow or other, it came just the same!
And the Grinch, with his grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow,
Stood puzzling and puzzling: “how could it be so?
It came without ribbons! It came without tags!
It came without packages, boxes or bags!”
And he puzzled three hours, ‘til his puzzler was sore.
THEN the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before!
Maybe Christmas,” he thought, “doesn’t’ come from a store.
Maybe Christmas…perhaps…means a little bit more!”
And what happened then…?
Well in Who-ville they say
That the Grinch’s small heart grew three sizes that day!
And the minute his heart didn’t feel quite so tight,
He whizzed with his load through the bright morning light
And he brought back the toys! And the food for the feast!
And he Himself The Grinch carved the roast beast.” —Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Rabbinic saying, who shall be excommunicated?
“a Jew who has no wife, or a Jew who has a wife who has no child.”
“Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commandments and regulations blamelessly.” —Luke 1:6
“Fear not! Your prayer has been heard!” —Luke 1:13
“Your son, John, will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” —Luke 1:16 – 17
“How can this happen? I mean, this is impossible. My wife and I are old—too old.” —Luke 1:18
“No…he shall be called JOHN!” —Luke 1:60
“HIS NAME IS JOHN!” —Luke 1:63
68 - “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has come to His people and redeemed them.
69 - He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David
70 - (as He said through His holy prophets of long ago),
71 - salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us—
72 - to show mercy to our ancestors and to remember His holy covenant,
73 - the oath He swore to our father Abraham:
74 - to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve Him without fear
75 - in holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.
76 - And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for Him,
77 - to give His people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins,
78 - because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from Heaven
79 - to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, —Luke 1:68-79
1.) First question: “Does GOD hear our prayers?”
Three basic principles of prayer.
Principle #1: If our request is wrong—God’s answer will be “NO.”
Principle #2: If WE are wrong, God’s reply will be: “GROW.”
“Husbands live with your wives in an understanding way. Grant them honor—so that your prayers won’t be hindered.” —1st Peter 3
Principle #3: If the TIMING is wrong. God will say “SLOW.”
2.) Question #2 – “Is God INVOLVED in this world?”
“The universe as a whole in Him holds together.” —Colossians 1:17
3.) Question #3 – “Can God be trusted?”
“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful!” —Hebrews 10:23
Prayer and Benediction: Rev. Mark Adams