Eternal Life, Now?

Guest Speaker: Mr. Sherwyn Bolkema

ORDER OF WORSHIP

Prelude: Miriam Hector “Comfort, Comfort Ye My People”
“O Come, O Come Emmanuel”
Welcome/Announcements
* Call to Worship
Advent Candle Lighting: Hope
On this first Sunday of Advent, we light the candle of hope.  Isaiah gives us a vision of a kingdom yet to come where everything has been made new and where creation is at peace. “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the LORD—and he will delight in the fear of the LORD” (Isaiah 11:1–3). We light this candle of hope as a sign of our waiting and expectation for the coming Christ.
Song “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming”
Responsive Reading
I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning.
We wait and we hope.
O Israel, hope in the LORD!
For with the LORD there is steadfast love,
and with him is great power to redeem.
We wait and we hope.
Glory to God the Father, to Jesus the Messiah, and to the Holy Spirit.
We wait and we hope. Amen.
Song “Here I Am to Worship”
Prayer of Confession
We wait and we hope. For many of us, Christmas feels like a time in which we do neither. The season has become one of parties and extra activities, plans with family, year-end deadlines, and purchasing gifts. There is not much space for us to wait and feel hopeful. So this morning we begin our time of prayer by carving out some space for silence, for silent prayers to God or maybe just for silence before God.
Emmanuel, God with us, in this Advent season, we confess how difficult it is to slow down. We don’t want to wait patiently for anything, and instead we buy into the busyness of the season, leading many of us to feel a lack of joy and a lack of hope. When we look at the world around us, it’s hard to feel hopeful about the world, about our nation, about ourselves. We are surrounded by death, destruction, and pain, and we long for a day when your promised kingdom comes to make all things new. Give us hope that this day is indeed coming, and help us to rest in this because your promises are always true. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon
Our hope for a new creation is not tied to what humans can do, for we believe that one day every challenge to God’s rule will be crushed. His kingdom will fully come, and the Lord will rule. Come, Lord Jesus, come.
Song “O Little Town of Bethlehem”
Congregational Prayer
* Song of Preparation “You Are Mine”
Scripture Reading  John 5:24, 17:1-5, 3:36, 3:16
Message: Mr. Sherwyn Bolkema
“Eternal Life, Now?”
* Song of Response “Amazing Grace”
* Benediction
* Closing Song “God of Grace and God of Glory”
Postlude