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December 31, 2006 |
1st Sunday after Christmas |
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Preparation for Worship |
Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars! Psalm 148 |
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Because God has already laid the only foundation of our fellowship, because God has bound us together in one body with other Christians in Jesus Christ, long before we entered into common life with them, we enter into that common life not as demanders but as thankful recipients. Life Together, Dietrich Bonhoeffer |
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The visible church is the true church, not because it conforms to an ideal model, but because it is the community of men and women called by God, redeemed by Jesus Christ, and empowered by the Holy Spirit. A church is not a church by virtue of its own efforts or achievements, but only by the grace of God who calls women and men to share new life in Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. The musical selection reflect our continuing celebration of Christmastide, and include the prelude “Creator of the Stars of Night”, familiar carols “Good Christian Friends, Rejoice”, “Angels We Have Heard on High”, and “Oh Come, All Ye Faithful”. Other hymns include “God of Our Life”, “O, How Beautiful the Sky”, “Called as Partners in Christ’s Service”, and “Go Tell It on the Mountain”. The service concludes with the postlude “Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates”.
PRAYER OF CONFESSION Gracious God, our sins are too heavy to carry, too real to hide, and too deep to undo. Forgive what our lips tremble to name, what our hearts can no longer bear, and what has become for us a consuming fire of judgment. Set us free from a past that we cannot change; open to us a future in which we can be changed; and grant us grace to grow more and more in your likeness and image; through Jesus Christ, the light of the world. |
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