Round Grove United Church of Christ
Sunday, December 8th, 2013
“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”
Gathering Carol - No. 154
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, O Come, Emmanuel”
Gathering Carol - No. 154
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 fight.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee,
O Israel!
“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”
Gathering Carol - No. 154
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, O Come, Emmanuel”
Gathering Carol - No. 154
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!
Call to Worship
Romans 14:4-7
Leader:
“Everything written in the Scriptures was written
to teach us, in order that we might have hope
through the patience and the encouragement
which the Scriptures give us.
People:
And may God, the source of patience and
encouragement, enable you to have the same point of
view among yourselves by following the example of
Christ Jesus,
Call to Worship
Romans 14:4-7
Leader:
So that all of you together may praise with one
voice the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
People:
Accept one another, then, for the glory of God, as Christ
has accepted you.”
Unison Confession
God of King David, You sent Your Son in the
fulfillment of Your Promise of a new branch
from the stump of the royal line of David.
Lead us in Jesus’ path of peace
through the guidance of Your Holy Spirit.
In the name of the Prince of Peace,
Jesus Christ, Amen.
Assurance of Pardon
Gloria Patri – No. 734
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son,
and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen, Amen.
“A Christmas Lullaby”
Children’s Choir Anthem
Passing of the Peace
“Go, Tell It on the Mountain”
Peace Response - No. 218
Go, tell it on the mountain,
over the hills and everywhere;
go, tell it on the mountain
that Jesus Christ is born.
Advent Candle Ritual
Chancel Voices Special Music
“Let Every Heart Prepare a Throne”
by Mark Patterson
Copyright © 2013 Choristers Guild. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Chancel Voices
Let ev’ry heart prepare a throne
for soon the Child of Light will come,
Let ev’ry voice prepare a song
to welcome Christ the Promised One.
Let ev’ry hand reach out with love
to greet this gift of God above.
Make ready now, the Savior comes,
the Prince of Peace, the Promised One.
Chancel Voices
So let the flame of Advent glow,
each candle shines that all may know
the hope we need, so long foretold
will soon be here for us to hold.
Let ev’ry heart prepare a throne
for soon the Child of Light will come.
Let ev’ry voice prepare a song
to welcome Christ the Promised One.
Responsive Reading
Leader:
In days of old, John the Baptist called the people to
repent of their sins and prepare the way for God's
kingdom.
People:
In this season of Advent may we seek forgiveness from God
and our neighbor and strive to make ready the pathway for
God's peace to come to earth.
Leader:
We light this candle as a symbol of peace. May
Christ's coming bring peace among peoples of all
races and creeds.
Please join the Chancel Voices on the
sung response shown below.
Let ev’ry heart prepare a throne
for soon the Child of Light will come.
Let ev’ry voice prepare a song
to welcome Christ the Promised One.
Copyright © 2013 Choristers Guild. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Please sign the red folders located in
the pews and pass along to your
neighbors so we can get to know you! 
Monthly Brunch - You are invited to join our
members and friends after the Worship
Celebration in the Fellowship Hall!
If you are a 1st time guest, please be sure
to grab a gift bag on your way out today!
Everyone is invited to share in our activities.
We recognize all Christians as being part of the
Church - the Body of Christ. We expect
everyone to continue to grow in their faith
relationships with God based on their previous
faith experiences. Thus, everyone can remain
true to her or his beliefs, while being united in
Worship, Education, and Service.
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 8TH
10:30 AM
Second Sunday of Advent Worship
11:50 AM
Monthly Brunch by Men’s Fellowship
12:20 PM
Youth (7th-12th gr.) meet
Stable/Manger Set-Up in Sanctuary
MONDAY, DECEMBER 9TH
7:30 PM
Board of Trustees meets
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10TH
7:30 PM
Chancel Voices Rehearsal
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 14TH
4:00 PM
Medieval Chancel Voices’ Rehearsal
4:45 PM
Children and Youth Rehearsal
5:30 PM
All Church Christmas Party
7:00 PM
Decorating for Medieval Christmas
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 15TH
9:00 AM
Medieval Chancel Voices’ Rehearsal
Combined Sunday School in Fellowship Hall
NO Adult Bible Study Class
9:40 AM
Children and Youth Rehearsal
10:30 AM
Third Sunday of Advent Worship with
Medieval Christmas Program
11:50 AM
Reception in Fellowship Hall
1:30 PM
Confirmation Class meets
Faith - Promise
Through Nov. 24th, we have received 43
commitments for a total of $105,516! If you
have not made your Faith-Promise
Commitment and would like to do so, cards are
in the pews and on the Narthex table.
CCA Christmas Baskets
We are collecting bags of flour and sugar
for the CCA Christmas Food Baskets.
You may place your food donation
in the box in the Narthex.
COST: $7.50 per plant
During the Advent and Christmas Season, we decorate the
church with Poinsettia Plants. The church will be obtaining
these plants. There will only be 30 plants available. You
may provide one or more by completing this form and
either placing it in the offering plate or giving it to Pastor
Wells. You will be able to take your plant(s) home after the
Worship Service on Sunday, December 22.
CCA Giving Tree
You are encouraged to take one or more tags
from the CCA Giving Tree in the Narthex and
then bring the unwrapped gifts forward to the
Altar during the Medieval Christmas Worship
Celebration on December 15th.
All Church Christmas Party: Sat., Dec. 14th at 5:30 p.m.
Bring a dish or two to share and enjoy the festive atmosphere
of friends, food, and Christmas Carols in the Fellowship Hall.
RSVP to Jennifer Clay by Sun. Dec. 8th.
Pizza Inn Fellowship Lunch: After Worship on Sun., Dec. 22nd.
Everyone will go through the line and pay for their own meal.
RSVP to Jennifer Clay.
Frisco Rough Riders Baseball: Fri., April 4th at 7:05 p.m.
$20/person ages 3+. All-You-Can-Eat seats!
Parking is $5 or park free at Stonebriar Mall.
Paid reservations due to Jennifer Clay by Sun., Feb. 2nd.
“The Birth of a King”
Chancel Voice’s Anthem
Children’s & Students’ Moment
“It Came upon the Midnight Clear”
The Special Carol – No. 191
It came upon the midnight clear,
that glorious song of old,
from angels bending near
the earth to touch their harps of gold;
“Peace on the earth, good-will to all,
from heaven’s all gracious King”:
the world in solemn stillness
lay to hear the angels sing.
“It Came upon the Midnight Clear”
Special Carol – No. 191
Still through the cloven skies they come,
with peaceful wings unfurled,
and still their heavenly music floats
o’er all the weary world;
above its sad and lowly plains
they bend on hovering wing,
and ever o’er its Babel sounds
the blessed angels sing.
“It Came upon the Midnight Clear”
Special Carol – No. 191
For lo, the days are hastening on,
by prophets seen of old,
when, with the ever-circling years,
shall come the time foretold,
when peace shall over all the earth
its ancient splendors fling,
and all the world give back the song
which now the angels sing.
Scripture Reading
Isaiah 11:1-10
Old Testament Page 755
1 The
royal line of David is like a tree that has been cut
down; but just as new branches sprout from a stump,
so a new king will arise from among David's
descendants. 2 The spirit of the LORD will give him
wisdom and the knowledge and skill to rule his
people. He will know the LORD's will and honor him,
3 and find pleasure in obeying him. He will not judge
by appearance or hearsay; 4 he will judge the poor
fairly and defend the rights of the helpless. At his
command the people will be punished, and evil
persons will die.
Scripture Reading
Isaiah 11:1-10
Old Testament Page 755
5 He
will rule his people with justice and integrity. 6 Wolves
and sheep will live together in peace, and leopards will lie
down with young goats. Calves and lion cubs will feed
together, and little children will take care of them. 7 Cows and
bears will eat together, and their calves and cubs will lie
down in peace. Lions will eat straw as cattle do. 8 Even a baby
will not be harmed if it plays near a poisonous snake. 9 On
Zion, God's sacred hill, there will be nothing harmful or evil.
The land will be as full of knowledge of the LORD as the seas
are full of water. 10 A day is coming when the new king from
the royal line of David will be a symbol to the nations. They
will gather in his royal city and give him honor.
“Peace – From the New Branch!”
Isaiah 11:1-10
The Scripture from Isaiah includes
a powerful and beautiful expression of
God’s Promise of the Messiah – the New King.
“just as new branches sprout from a stump,
so a new king will arise from among
David’s descendants.”
Deeper and More Profound Peace
“The Prince of Peace”
“The Peace Child”
•
•
Jesus Christ came to give His life
that we might have peace with God
“Don Richardson goes on to tell that the chiefs of
the two tribes came together and brought with
them a child they called ‘the Peace Child’.”
Peace
“The spirit of the Lord will give him wisdom and
the knowledge and skill to rule his people. …
He will not judge by appearance or hearsay;
he will judge the poor fairly and defend the
rights of the helpless. …
He will rule his people with justice and integrity.”
The Peace promised in this prophecy is even more profound – for it
transforms the very nature of Creation! Consider the following
portions of Isaiah’s description of this broader and deeper Peace:
“Wolves and sheep will live together in peace,
leopards will lie down with young goats.
Calves and lion cubs will feed together,
and little children will take care of them.
Cows and bears will eat together,
and their calves and cubs will lie down in peace.
Lions will eat straw as cattle do.
Even a baby will not be harmed if it plays near a poisonous snake.”
Promised Peace
“‘Shalom,’ Walter Brueggemann says, ‘is creation time,
when all God’s creation eases up on hostility and
destruction and finds another way of relating.’”
“Can we even imagine such a world, or believe that it’s ‘the
wave of the future’? Clearly, the prophet can.”
‘every green plant for food’
‘every beast of the earth.’
Consider the broader and more
transforming meaning of the prophecy of
God’s Promised New King bringing Peace.
Birth of the Prince of Peace with the
Peace of this New Creation
“but that this is a story for all creatures and that Jesus
came to embrace and renew the good, the bad, the
ugly; the expected and the unexpected.”
Radical Transformation of Creation
“All of creation waits with eager longing for God to reveal His
children. For creation was condemned to lose its purpose, not of
its own will, but because God willed it to be so. Yet there was
the hope that creation itself would one day be set free from its
slavery to decay and would share the glorious freedom of the
children of God. For we know that up to the present time all of
creation groans with pain, like the pain of childbirth. But it is
not just creation alone which groans; we who have the Spirit as
the first of God’s gifts also groan within ourselves as we wait
for God to make us His children and set our whole being free.”
So, here we are – in the Royal City – giving him honor!
Peace
That means, we seek justice for everyone,
especially the weak, powerless, and the vulnerable
Instead of only caring about our personal prosperity,
we will suffer and sacrifice for the welfare of others and
do strange things like – even love our enemies.
Celebrate and live Peace from the New King!
Mission Statement
As a people gathered in response to God’s call,
we seek to provide for the organization of a
growing and renewed church so that it is open to
all people and self-governing in its approach to the
following of the ministry set before it by Jesus
Christ. Called by God through the Gospel and our
historical striving for Christian Unity, we seek to
Worship God with praise and to respond to the
positive Good News by the living out of a growing
unity in Christ and the sharing of the message to
the whole community.
Mission Statement
We seek to reach out to all persons of every age to
invite them to share Christian Fellowship, Friendship
and Support through service, fellowship gatherings
and education. We strive to follow a positive
approach leading to the growth of persons in their
everyday living through the teachings of Jesus Christ.
We seek to grow as faithful servants of the resources
God has given us for the ministry of the local church
and of the missions beyond ourselves.
“Comfort, Comfort Now My People”
Carol of Response – No. 155
• "Comfort, comfort now my people;
• tell of peace!" so says our God.
• Comfort those who sit in darkness
mourning under sorrow's load.
• To God's people now proclaim that
God's pardon waits for them!
• Tell them that their war is over;
• God will reign in peace forever!
“Comfort, Comfort Now My People”
Carol of Response – No. 155
• For the herald's voice is crying
• in the desert far and near,
• calling us to true repentance
• since the Kingdom now is here.
• Oh, that warning cry obey!
• Now prepare for God away!
• Let the valleys rise to meet him,
• and the hills bow down to greet him!
“Comfort, Comfort Now My People”
Carol of Response – No. 155
• Straight shall be what long was crooked,
and the rougher places plain!
• Let your hearts be true and humble,
• as befits his holy reign!
• For the glory of the Lord now
• on earth is shed abroad,
• and all flesh shall see the token that
God's word is never broken.
New Member Reception
Name: Connie Griffin
Family Members: Chad Snell
City Lived: Lewisville, Texas
Job/Work/Hobbies/Interests: Work at Blue Lynx Media / Accounting /
Scrapbooking / Reading
Where did you grow up: El Paso until age 15 then moved to Grand Prairie,
but she has lived in Washington (state) from 1990 until she returned to
Texas in mid-2007.
How did you get to start attending Round Grove: “When we moved to
Lewisville this summer, we started coming as I have been a member of
the UCC in Everett, Washington for about 15 years, and the
environment here is so warm, welcoming, and feels much like a church
family. We have enjoyed the church, pastor, and members so much we
want Round Grove to become our home church.”
New Member Reception
Name: Chad Snell
Family Members: Son of Carl Snell and Sara Reigers, but PRECIOUS
GRANDSON of Connie Griffin
City Lived: From Seattle, WA but this summer moved to Lewisville, TX
with his grandmother (MeeMaw Connie)
Job/Work/Hobbies/Interests: Lewisville Elem /Bike Riding /Scooter /
and loves his iPad
Where did you grow up: Seattle, WA
New Member Reception
Congregational Welcome:
“We welcome you with joy as partners
in the common life of this church.
We promise you our friendship and prayers
as we share the hopes and labors of the
Church of Jesus Christ. God grant that
together we may continue to grow in His
knowledge and love and be witnesses
of our Risen Lord.”
Prayer
Offering
Doxology
Praise God from whom
all blessings flow;
praise him, all creatures,
here below; praise him above,
ye heavenly host;
praise Father, Son
and Holy Ghost.
Prayer of Thanksgiving/Lord’s Prayer
Our Father Who art in heaven, hallowed be
thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be
done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us
this day our daily bread, and forgive us
our debts as we forgive our debtors. And
lead us not into temptation, but deliver us
from evil for Thine is the kingdom and the
power, and the glory forever. Amen.
“The King of Glory Comes”
The Closing Carol – No. 159
The King of glory comes,
the nation rejoices.
Open the gates before him,
lift up your voices.
Who is the King of glory:
what shall we call him?
He is Emmanuel,
the promised of ages.
“The King of Glory Comes”
The Closing Carol – No. 159
The King of glory comes,
the nation rejoices.
Open the gates before him,
lift up your voices.
In all of Galilee,
in city or village,
he goes among his people,
curing their illness.
“The King of Glory Comes”
The Closing Carol – No. 159
The King of glory comes,
the nation rejoices.
Open the gates before him,
lift up your voices.
He gave his life for us,
the pledge of salvation,
he took upon himself
the sins of the nation.
“The King of Glory Comes”
The Closing Carol – No. 159
The King of glory comes,
the nation rejoices.
Open the gates before him,
lift up your voices.
He conquered sin and death;
he truly has risen,
and he will share with us
his heavenly vision.
“The King of Glory Comes”
The Closing Carol – No. 159
The King of glory comes,
the nation rejoices.
Open the gates before him,
lift up your voices.
Benediction