Round Hill Community Church

ORDER OF SERVICE December 4, 2016 Second Sunday in Advent

PRELUDE Prelude on “Picardy” C. Phillips

WORDS OF WELCOME

INTROIT Advent Hymn, verse 2 M. Jean

CALL TO WORSHIPLeader: In this season of Advent we pause to consider the mystery of the Word

that is always becoming flesh.

All: We seek to create the space where fresh faith can inspireus to be a people of peace.

Leader: We will not treat Advent as a census, counting off days andthings to be done.

All: We open ourselves to the wonder of God who is with usand for us, at all times and in all places.

*HYMN No. 138 Awake! Awake, and Greet the Morn

*OPENING PRAYER O God our disturber, whose speech is pregnant with power and whose word will be fulfilled; may we know ourselves unsatisfied with all that distorts your truth, and make our hearts attentive to your liberating voice, in Jesus Christ, Amen.

*The congregation is invited to stand

*THE LORD’S PRAYER

Our Father who art in heaven,hallowed be thy name.Thy kingdom come.Thy will be doneon 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,forever and ever. Amen.

*GLORIA PATRIGlory 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.

LIGHTING THE CANDLE OF PEACE The Byxbee Family Leader: The season of Advent continues. We join with people of faith across the

world in the lighting of the Advent candles, symbolsof our faith and signs of God’s love.

All: We are a people of hope. Last Sunday the frail light of asingle candle declared the possibility of hope in the life of the world.

Leader: Hope lives in us and will abide with us.

All: Today we will light the candle of peace.

Leader: This light, too, must brave great darkness.

All: In an age when peace seems so elusive in our personaland public lives, we long for peace that passes allunderstanding.

Leader: Peace that is not merely the absence of war and conflict, butthe Shalom of God: The presence of blessing for all creation.

All: Christ comes to bring peace to those who have beenseparated from God and one another. In the name ofthat Child born so long ago, we light the candle of peace.

HYMN No. 128 One Candle is Lit, verse 2

Come quickly, shalom, teach us how to prepareFor a gift that compels us with justice to care.Our spirits are restless till sin and war cease.One candle is lit for the reign of God’s peace.

RECEPTION OF NEW MEMBERSJanine Achury and Nemo Delgado, Mark Baran, Robert Drysdale (Reaffirmation of Faith), Ben and Hillary Kaufman, Maria Montalbano, Marialiisa Pettengill, David and Deborah Quas, Sara and Stefan Savov, Rosemary Spahr, Anthony Valenti

*WORDS OF WELCOME FROM THE CONGREGATION Friends, we joyfully accept you into the fellowship and mission of Round Hill Community Church, and pledge to support you with our prayers and encouragement. May you continue to grow in the knowledge and love of God, in service to this community and the wider world of which we are a part.

*HYMN No. 433 Blest be the Tie that Binds (verse 1)Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love: the fellowship of kindred minds

is like to that above.

CHILDREN’S MESSAGE The Rev. Dan HaughCHILDREN’S SENDING SONG

Go now in peace, go now in peace,May the love of God surround you everywhere, everywhere you may go.

Children may now leave for Children’s Worship.

SCRIPTURE LESSON Isaiah 40 (selections) A voice cries out: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.’

ANTHEM E’en So Lord Jesus, Quickly Come P. Manz

SCRIPTURE LESSON Luke 1: 67-80Then Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke this prophecy: ‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them. He has raised up a mighty savior for us in the house of his servant David, as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us. Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors, and has remembered his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham, to grant us that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the forgiveness of their sins. By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.’ The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day he appeared publicly to Israel.

SERMON A Home for God The Rev. Dr. Ed Horstmann

*HYMN No. 124 Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence, verses 1 and 4

OFFERINGInvitation

Anthem He Shall Feed His Flock, from Messiah G.F. Handel

Risa Renae Harmon, Soprano*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. Amen.

*Hymn My Country, ‘Tis of Thee (verse 4)Our fathers’ God, to thee, author of liberty, to thee we sing; long may our land

be bright with freedom’s holy light; protect us by thy might, Great God, our King.

PASTORAL PRAYER*HYMN No. 122 Comfort, Comfort You My People

CHURCH PRAYEROur Heavenly Father, shed forth thy blessed spirit upon all our lives. Make each one of us an instrument in thy hands for good. Purify our hearts, strengthen our minds and bodies, fill us with Christian love. Let no pride, no self-conceit, no rivalry, no ill-will ever spring up among us. Make us earnest and true, wise and prudent, giving no just cause for offense and may thy holy peace rest upon us this day and every day throughout the coming week, sweetening our trials, cheering us in our work, and keeping us faithful to the end, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

BENEDICTION CHORAL RESPONSE Once He Came in Blessing J.F. Wolle

POSTLUDE Toccata on “Picardy” L. C. Smith

ROUND HILL COMMUNITY CHURCH MISSION STATEMENTWe, the members of the Round Hill Community Church, a self-governing, non-denominational body, seek to foster a community of faith where people of all ages and backgrounds pursue spiritual growth; where God is worshipped in Word and praised in music; where friends are made and hurts are healed. We seek to be a community where individuals commit their time and resources to education, fellowship, and to helping those in need among our Church family and in the broader world. We are a church where faith, hope, justice and love are valued, and above all, Jesus is Lord.

ROUND HILL COMMUNITY CHURCH CREEDI believe in God, the one universal Father of all mankind, revealed supremely in Jesus Christ, our Lord, and present with us to guide, comfort and inspire in the Holy Spirit. I believe in the Kingdom of God; and in the mission of the Christian Church to proclaim the Gospel to all the world, exalting the worship of the Lord our God, and laboring for the progress of knowledge, the promotion of righteousness, the reign of peace, and the realization of human brotherhood. United in Christian love, we pray and labor for the coming of the Kingdom, the triumph of righteousness and the life everlasting. Amen.

Cover Art: Jan Richardson

CHURCH NEWS

Thank you to Dennis and Erica D’Antonio for ushering during today’s service. Thank you to Marion and Phil Piro for hosting coffee hour this week; please join them in the Community House following the service, and pick up last minute treasures from the Treasure Trove!

We extend a warm welcome to all those who are joining the Church this morning! If you are interested in learning more about how you can become part of the fellowship and mission of Round Hill Community Church, please contact Grada Herrick at grada@frg-speakers.com.

Music - Leslie’s Notes: Hymn tune "Picardy" is a favorite of mine for Advent. Based on a 17th century French carol (and named for the province from whence it came,) this tune is most famously paired with the hymn "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence," arranged by Ralph Vaughan Williams. (Note: the term "hymn" refers specifically to the text.) The words of the hymn are taken from the Byzantine Greek Liturgy of St. James translated by Gerard Moultrie, a third master and chaplain at Shrewsbury School. In music theory, the term "Picardy third" refers to the ending of a minor-key piece with a major chord. This is a hallmark of the hymn tune; you will hear it in the last verse we sing and in the prelude and postlude both based upon this tune. 

Sunday, December 4 p.m. - First Sunday at Round Hill - The Boston-based trio Maeve will lead the music at this family-friendly, joyful expression of prayer, followed by a light supper. Join us today in the Community House at 4 p.m.

The “Angel Tree” gifts are due next Sunday, December 11. Please wrap your gifts and secure the Angel tag on the outside.

Christmas Pageant - The Best Christmas Pageant Ever will take place next Sunday, December 11 during worship. Roles and costumes are available for anyone who would like to participate! Sign-up by emailing Jenny - jenny@roundhillcommunitychurch.org.

Les Beaux Arts Gallery – A new exhibit, Les Quartres Saisons by French-American folk artist, Anne Strasberg, opens today and will run through January 18, 2017.

Youth & Children’s Ministries - As our children's ministry grows, we encourage you to start Sundays in worship as a family. After the Children's Message, children may choose to leave for Children's Worship in their classrooms following the special sending song. For parents with little ones birth up to age 3, childcare is available 9:45 a.m.-11:15 a.m. Children are always welcome at coffee hour.

Round Hill Prayer Circle - the last Sunday of every month at 11:30 a.m. in Rev. Dan Haugh’s office. We include the offering of prayers for those in our congregation and beyond. The remainder of the time is devoted to sharing resources and practical guidance to enhance our prayer and spiritual growth.

REFLECTIONS Into this world, in which there is absolutely no room for him at all, Christ has come uninvited. But because he cannot be at home in it, because he is out of place in it, and yet he must be in it, his place is with those others who do not belong, who are rejected by power, because they are regarded as weak, those who are discredited, who are denied the status of persons, tortured, exterminated. With those for whom there is no room, Christ is present in this world. Thomas Merton, Watch for the Light

God of us all, in whom our joy finds perfect peace, enter, we beseech thee, into the crowded inn of our life, quiet the tumult and the disorder, and let thy strength impel us to make an ample place for the advent of thy Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Move us by such joy as we have had in Jesus Christ and in thee to praise thy holy will and wisdom. Make us glad, after the way of thy spirit, through Jesus Christ. Amen. Samuel Miller

Senior Pastor: The Rev. Dr. Edward G. HorstmannAssociate Pastor: The Rev. Dan Haugh

Director of Music: Leslie Smith Director of Children’s Ministries: Jenny ByxbeeMinister Emeritus: The Rev. Dr. Ralph Ahlberg

395 Round Hill Road, Greenwich, CT 06831 203.869.1091 roundhillcommunitychurch.org