First United Methodist Church of Schenectady
Worship for the First Sunday of Advent

November 29, 2020

Photo by Sue Learner

Getting Centered

It may help to center yourself into worship by lighting a candle, as a symbol of God’s presence with you during the time of worship. You may also want to pay attention to lighting, the position of your body, and the availability of distractions.

Breath Prayer

“Living Hope, live in me.”
Breath prayers involve breathing in the first phrase, and breathing out the second.
You may wish to simply pray for a moment before starting, or you may wish to pray while listening to the prelude.

Prelude

“Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme” (Wake, Awake for Night is Flying) by Johannes Sebastian Bach

Call to Worship

One: As we enter into this holy season of Advent,
breathe deeply.
Many: We are ready for this season of waiting and hoping.
One: As we enter into this holy season of Advent, be alert.
Many: God is with us, and we will pay attention to see God at work.

Hymn #202: People Look East

Lighting of the Advent Wreath

Photo by Alice Nash

Connecting in Prayer

Shared Prayer

Living Hope,
Breathe into us, again, the breath of life.
Breathe into us, again, the breath of hope.
May this Advent season of waiting and hoping,
be a source of life for us,
and for the world.
Amen

Silent Prayer

Photo by Sue Learner

Pastoral Prayer

You are welcome to read this out-loud or silently.

Living Hope,
The exiles sitting by the rivers of Babylon yearned for You to act, to change their reality, to bring justice, and to heal them. So do we.
The ancient Judeans, paying tribute to empire after empire, yearned for Your Kingdom to come again, a place of abundant life and security. So do we.
Your prophets of old named the yearning for Your presence to be felt at hand, to shake things up and shake things out, to mold the people into the community you wanted them to be. So do we.
The early Christians lived in fear and frustration, but also in trust and hope, knowing that you were with them, urging each other to take note of your awe-inspiring grace. So do we.
As we join our hearts with your peoples of many times and places, we yearn, we wait, and we hope.
As we join our hearts together, we keep on learning how to trust you more.
Amen

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, and the power,
and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Word and Reflection

Choir Anthem

A Stable Lamp is Lighted by David Hurd

Scripture: Isaiah 64:1-9

Mission Moment – Jan Huston

Alternative Giving – Sustain Ministry Program
FUMC’s Sustain Ministry is a program we are suggesting for alternative giving. This program began many years ago when visitors to the church were stealing toilet paper from the rest rooms. Toilet paper and other hygiene items are not covered by food stamps and some people needed other ways to obtain them. In response, Bill and Donna Price put an attractive basket by the back door of the church and filled it with toilet paper. They included cards encouraging people to take a roll if they needed it. The cards reminded the recipients that God loved them.

The program has grown to where we now have 300 families registered to receive basic supplies of toilet paper, soap, diapers, and tissues each month. Other hygiene items are sometimes included as the supplies are purchased from the Regional Food Bank for 16 cents/ pound. If the food bank has a surplus of other items, we receive and distribute them, too.
Our program has been on “pause” during the pandemic, but we have continued to obtain supplies from the food bank. FUMC volunteers have been giving the supplies to other community programs for distribution until we are able to open our building for this service again.
This important Schenectady program is partially supported by our church benevolence budget, but additional donations are needed. You can give by sending a check made out to the church with “Sustain” in the notation. Or you can go to the church’s website and give online. If you want to give a gift to Sustain in
someone’s honor at Christmas, attractive cards are available at church that you
can give to the honoree. Contact Linda to get cards recognizing your gifts.

Children’s Time

Passing of the Peace

If you are worshiping with others, please pass the Peace of Christ.
Whether you are alone or with others, please take a moment to find God’s peace within, and then to share it with the world. You may want to reach out to speak peace to another during this week.

Hymn #210: All Earth is Waiting (Toda la Tierra)

In Spanish:

Scripture Reading – Mark 13:24-37

Sermon – Rev. Sara Baron

Responding

Offering

Photo by Alice Nash
If you wish, you are welcome to use this time to make a donation to the church online, or to put a check in the mail.
The time of offering is not only about our financial gifts to the church, it is about offering our lives to God and the building of the kindom. This is a time for reflection: What is being asked of us? What is being given to us? What are we able to offer? What do we need?

Offertory Anthem: Prepare the Royal Highway by Timothy Shaw

Prayer of Presentation

God of Hope,
You have brought us this far,
and we trust you will be with us for the rest of our journey.
The gifts we offer to you of our time, our talents, and our treasures,
aim to make it possible for others to survive this journey as well.
May they be blessed to be a blessing.
Amen

Hymn #204: Emmanuel, Emmanuel

Emmanuel, Emmanuel, his name is called Emmanuel.
God with us, revealed in us, his name is called Emmanuel.

Benediction

God who is Living Hope is stronger than any fear,
may you make space to let God create healing in you. Amen

Postlude

“Wake, Awake for Night is Flying” by Paul Manz


Photo by Sue Learner