Download: Readings and Song Lyrics for December 8, 2024
Pre-service Song
Immanuel (Come and Behold)
Come and behold, the Son
The Son who was born to save
To save us from sin and live with us.
Come and behold, the Lord
The Lord who has come to dwell
To dwell and to be our God with us.
He is
Immanuel! Our God is with us!
The Holy One, a son, Jesus.
Sent to fulfill all that was spoken,
The Holy One, the Son, Immanuel!
Come and behold, the Lamb
The Lamb who has come to die
To die so that we might live with Him.
He is
Immanuel! Our God is with us!
The Holy One, a son, Jesus.
Sent to fulfill all that was spoken,
The Holy One, the Son, Immanuel!
Do not fear! Our God is near,
The Lord of lords appeared
for you and for me; Let us sing!
Shout for joy! This baby boy
will sin and death destroy.
All praise to the conquering King. (Repeat)
Immanuel! Our God is with us!
The Holy One, a son, Jesus.
Sent to fulfill all that was spoken,
The Holy One, the Son, Immanuel!
Come and behold all you
All you who can feel your need
Your need for the Son, the Lord, the Lamb, the King!
By Ashley Hoobler and Eric Schumacher
Call To Worship
We confess the supremacy of God in Christ through both responsive reading and song.
Our Spoken Call to Worship-Advent Reading/Candle lighting
Isaiah 9:2-3, 6-7 (ESV)
The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
on them has light shone.
You have multiplied the nation;
you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you
as with joy at the harvest,
as they are glad when they divide the spoil.
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.
We light these candles as a sign of the peace of Christ.
Our Sung Call to Worship
Come Thou Long-Expected Jesus
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 ev’ry nation,
Joy of ev’ry 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.
By Charles Wesley and Rowland Prichard
©Public Domain
Confession
We confess our need for mercy through both responsive reading and song.
Our Spoken Confession
Psalm 32:3-6; Proverbs 28:13 (CSB)
When I kept silent, my bones became brittle
from my groaning all day long.
For day and night your hand was heavy on me;
my strength was drained
as in the summer’s heat.
Then I acknowledged my sin to you
and did not conceal my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
and you forgave the guilt of my sin.
Therefore let everyone who is faithful pray to you immediately.
The one who conceals his sins will not prosper,
But whoever confesses and renounces them
will find mercy.
Time of silent confession.
Our Sung Confession
Behold the Lamb
Behold the lamb of God
Who takes away our sin.
Behold the lamb of God
The life and light of men.
Behold the Lamb of God
Who died and rose again.
Behold the lamb of God
Who comes to take away our sin.
Son of God (Emmanuel),
Son of man (we praise You),
Behold (behold) the Lamb,
The hope (the hope) of man,
Behold the lamb.
Behold the lamb of God
Who takes away our sin.
Behold the lamb of God
The life and light of men.
Behold the Lamb of God
Who died and rose again.
Behold the lamb of God
Who comes to take away our sin.
By Andrew Peterson
© 2019 Laura Stories; New Spring; Junkbox Music
Assurance and Peace
We profess our assurance of salvation and peace in Christ through both responsive reading and song.
Remember the Gospel
Romans 3:23-24; Psalm 18:2, 46 (ESV)
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
and are justified by his grace as a gift,
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock,
and exalted be the God of my salvation.
Our Sung Profession of Assurance
What Child is This?
What Child is this who, laid to rest
On Mary’s lap is sleeping?
Whom Angels greet with anthems sweet,
While shepherds watch are keeping?
This, this is Christ the King,
Whom shepherds guard and Angels sing:
Haste, haste, to bring Him laud,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.
Why lies He in such mean estate,
Where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christians, fear, for sinners here
The silent Word is pleading.
Nails, spear shall pierce Him through,
The cross be borne for me, for you.
Hail, hail the Word made flesh,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.
So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh,
Come peasant, king to own Him;
The King of kings salvation brings,
Let loving hearts enthrone Him.
Raise, raise a song on high,
The virgin sings her lullaby.
Joy, joy for Christ is born,
The babe, the Son of Mary.
Words by William C. Dix, Music: Traditional English melody
©Public Domain
By Faith
By faith we see the hand of God
In the light of creation’s grand design,
In the lives of those who prove His faithfulness,
Who walk by faith and not by sight.
By faith our fathers roamed the earth
With the pow’r of His promise in their hearts,
Of a holy city built by God’s own hand,
A place where peace and justice reign.
Chorus
We will stand as children of the promise;
We will fix our eyes on Him, our soul’s reward.
‘Til the race is finished and the work is done,
We’ll walk by faith and not by sight.
By faith the prophets saw a day
When the longed for Messiah would appear
With the pow’r to break the chains of sin and death
And rise triumphant from the grave.
By faith the church was called to go
In the pow’r of the Spirit to the lost,
To deliver captives and to preach good news
In ev’ry corner of the earth. (Chorus)
By faith this mountain shall be moved,
And the pow’r of the gospel shall prevail,
For we know in Christ all things are possible,
To all who call upon His name. (Chorus)
By Keith Getty, Kristyn Getty and Stuart Townend
© 2009 Getty Music Publishing; Thankyou Music
Thanksgiving and Petition
We Give Thanks in Prayer and Offer Petitions to God
We express our gratitude to God our Father for Christ’s work on the cross for us and bring our requests before him. In bringing our requests, we confess that we believe God truly is a good father, who cares about our needs and gives us what he knows is best.
We Give Thanks by Giving
We give financial offerings to support the work of the church because of our gratitude to God. By giving we confess we are trusting in God’s provision for us as well.
You may give electronically at gabcames.org/giving/ or place your offering in the boxes at the back of the sanctuary or send a check in the mail.
Scripture Reading
Genesis 3:14-15 (ESV)
14 The Lord God said to the serpent,
“Because you have done this,
cursed are you above all livestock
and above all beasts of the field;
on your belly you shall go,
and dust you shall eat
all the days of your life.
15 I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise
his heel.”
Isaiah 7:14 (ESV)
14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign.
Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Matthew 1:18-23 (ESV)
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed
to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things,
behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel”
(which means, God with us).
This is the word of the Lord.
The grass withers and the flower falls
but the word of the Lord endures forever.
Sermon
Genesis 3:14-15, Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:18-23 – The Promise – Pastor Michael Felkins
Sermon Discipleship Questions
1. What encouraged you?
2. What convicted you?
3. Is there anything in your life that needs to change?
Sending
Having heard and confessed the Gospel, we are sent into the world on mission in Christ, which we express in both song and spoken word.
Sending Song
O Come, O Come Emmanuel
O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here,
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel!
O come, Thou Dayspring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel!
O come, Thou Wisdom from on high,
And order all things far and nigh;
To us the path of knowledge show,
And cause us in her ways to go.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel!
O come, Desire of nations, bind
All peoples in one heart and mind;
Bid envy, strife, and quarrels cease;
Fill the whole world with heaven’s peace.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel!
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel!
By Henry Sloane Coffin, Thomas Helmore, and John Mason Neal
©Public Domain
Blessing
Hebrews 13:20-21 (CSB)
Now may the God of peace,
who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus—
the great Shepherd of the sheep—
through the blood of the everlasting covenant,
equip you with everything good to do his will,
working in us what is pleasing in his sight,
through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever.
Amen.
Scripture text for next Sunday: Isaiah 42:8, Luke 2:14