DECEMBER 31, 2023 CHRISTMASTIDE
REVELATION | REV. LISLE GWYNN GARRITY Acrylic painting on canvas with digital drawing
THE CHURCH GATHERS Pre-Service Music
13 and 8 from L’organiste
Call to Worship
Franck
by Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Every year we celebrate Christmas. Every month we break bread. Every week we gather for worship. Every day we count our blessings. Every minute God is near. Yes, every minute God is near. These are the rituals of our faith. Let us worship Holy God.
Hymn
On This Day Earth Shall Ring
Prayer of Confession
UMH#248
Sandra Richardson
Let us pray:. God of rhythms, we confess: our faith would not be what it is without rituals. Unlike you, we depend on bread and water. We have to return to this space again and again to hear old, familiar stories. For if we stopped, we know it would not take long before we lost our way. Forgive us for our fragility, and thank you for giving us ordinary rituals and rhythms to hold onto. With grateful and humble hearts we pray, amen. silent prayer
Words of Assurance
Friends, it is not enough to hear once a month or once a year that you are forgiven. We need to hear it every single week. Every single week we need to be reminded that we are held in God’s loving embrace. So hear the good news: no matter where you are on your journey of life, love, or faith, and no matter what you have done or left undone, you belong to God. You are claimed. You are known. You are forgiven. This is the good news of the gospel! Thanks be to God! Amen! Thanks be to God! Amen!
TO HEAR THE WORD AND REFLECT Children's Time
Where Children Belong
SHARING IN WORSHIP TODAY Acolytes -Anna Griffiths, RJ Aryeetey Liturgists - Rev. Tayler Necoechea, Sandra Richardson Reader - Connor Langdon Musicians - Julia Hanna Ushers - Bob Nuse, Reginald Cann, Lou Davelman, Paul Manulick
TFWS #2233
TODAY'S FLOWERS ARE GIVEN
IN CELEBRATION OF MY HUSBAND MAURICE’S BIRTHDAY
BY IONA HARDING
Scripture Reading Luke 2:21-38 This is the Word of Life. Thanks be to God. Sermon
Rev. Erik “Skitch” Matson
TO RESPOND IN FAITH Hymn
Joseph, Dearest, Joseph Mine
FWS #2099
Prayers of the People The 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 trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen Offertory
#8 from 12 Canciones Y Danzas
Hymn
Doxology
Mompou
UMH #94
Prayer of Thanksgiving
AND SCATTERS TO BE IN THE WORLD Hymn
Go Tell it on the Mountain
UMH #251
Benediction Postlude
Für Elise Navidad
arr. Blake
PRAYER CONCERNS Prayers for the people of Israel and Palestine and also for Ukraine and Russia as they deal with the unbelievable horrors of war, and prayers for their leaders to find peaceful resolutions . Prayers for the lonely and depressed especially around the holidays, and for those giving them aid. Prayers for Steve Jakeman. HAVE PRAYER CONCERNS? For our Prayer Chain, call Yvonne Macdonald at 609-577-8369 or email her at yvonnee.mac@verizon.net. Email Pastor Tayler Necoechea at tayler@princetonumc.org when you or a family member is in the hospital or in need of a pastoral call.
Revelation | Rev. Lisle Gwynn Garrity Inspired by Luke 2:21-38 I wonder what Mary and Joseph expect when they enter the temple to dedicate their newborn son. This customary ritual quickly unravels into an astonishing scene. A stranger named Simeon pronounces Jesus to be a “light” and “revelation,” and his dying wish is fulfilled. A prophet named Anna Revelation | Rev. Lislse Gwynn Garrity also draws near to the child, Acrylic painting on canvas with praising God for the redemption digital drawing he will bring. Simeon and Anna’s words fill Mary and Joseph with amazement. But that can’t be the only emotion taking up space in the room. For Simeon turns to Mary, perhaps privately, to continue sharing his message: the boy will also become the cause of great turmoil, the catalyst for opposition. He will expose the inner thoughts of many. A sword will pierce her innermost being. The mother of God will grieve as she bears witness to the suffering of the child she birthed. In this image, Simeon bestows his blessing and prophecy with the urgency of a man desperate to say everything that needs to be said before his time runs out. Anna looks off into the distance, as if peering into the future. Her devotion to God over the years has sharpened her gaze; she knows redemption when she sees it. In the top left, I depicted Jesus’ hand being cradled by the hands of his parents. This tender moment is frozen in time, like a Polaroid photograph placed in a scrapbook. Mary and Joseph treasure their child as they receive the fullness of his calling. I imagine them memorizing each wrinkle and tiny fingernail, treasuring the smallness of a hand that will one day become a strong fist, fighting for justice for the oppressed and liberation for those held captive. - Rev. Lisle Gwynn Garrity
WELCOME TO
Princeton United Methodist Church We are a diverse faith community, engaged in enlivening spiritually thirsty people to joyfully respond to God’s love and grow as disciples of Christ, so that together we may experience the fullness of life.
SCAN TO GIVE OR TEXT YOUR GIFT AMOUNT TO 609-554-1128
SCAN TO CONNECT WITH US OR TEXT 'PUMC' TO 609-542-2192
DIAPER DRIVE
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Help us meet our goal of collecting 3,000 diapers to provide for some of our youngest neighbors. Please bring any size, but larger sizes (5, 6, 7, and trainers) are especially needed. Diapers can be placed under the Christmas Tree. You can also participate by sending a check to the church office and noting the diaper drive, or using this QR code to go to their amazon wishlist.
ONGOING
WELCOME PARTY
New to Princeton UMC? Hoping to make some new friends and see what Princeton UMC is all about? Then come to the Welcome Party! The party starts Sunday, January 21st, at 11:30am at Princeton UMC and online.
CONFIRMATION 2024
All 8th graders are invited to sign up for 2024 Confirmation class. Class begins Jan 28th and will meet every Sunday after church. Please email Pastor Tayler by Jan 24th to register!
ALTAR FLOWERS NEEDED
It is that time of year again! Altar flowers are needed for 2024. For questions, or to sign up, check out the Happenings, or reach out to Pam Nugent at poodleluvs@aol.com.
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