Younger Children’s
Bulletin
Older Children’s
Bulletin
Good morning! This page is intended to both serve as a continuing worship option for those participating in our worship service from home, and to serve in place of print resources during our in-person worship. Following the worship service on Sunday, one or more video recordings from the service will be placed on this page, including the sermon. This may take several hours, due to the time needed to process the videos. We will email the congregation when the recordings have been posted. If you would like to be added to our congregational email list, please contact pvcob.alive@gmail.com.
Notes and Reminders
Today marks the second Sunday in Advent, we will have a Vespers service at 5:30 PM out in the pavilion, to be a time in which we can read scripture, sing carols, and pray together. We will have a vespers service each Sunday of advent, and we hope you will come and join us.
We are collecting items for Valley Mission during the month of December. Keep in mind the need has shifted this year. Valley Mission has seen cases of Covid-19 among its residents, so we have a new list for donations, instead of the usual coats, hats, and winter-wear. Please be praying for the Mission staff and residents also, that God would provide them with healing and protection. Desired donations include: Cleaning supplies, Toilet paper, Paper towels, Plasticware for meals, Flu meds, and Fever reducing medications (i.e., Tylenol, Advil, Motrin)
This coming Sunday, we will be resuming Sunday School sessions. The Discipleship and Life Development Teams have been hard at work, contacting teachers and others in preparation. The have also prepared a set of guidelines, to help us to be able to resume classes safely. Please note the plans that they have prepared below.
We recognize and acknowledge that social distancing protocols can be challenging, and that adjustments may have to be made. But please remember that every step and precaution helps to inhibit the transmission of infection and protects those around us.
Sunday School Protocol
- All individuals will be required to wear masks inside the building and in the classrooms during Sunday School, following the state mandate of 5-years and older. Physical distancing will be observed at all times.
- Hand sanitizer will be available in each Sunday School room.
- Adult classes will be dismissed 15 minutes prior to worship.
- Parents of young children (2nd grade and below) will collect their children from their respective classrooms.
- 3rd-5th grade, Jr. High, and Sr. High youth will be dismissed 10 minutes prior to worship. They will be asked to maintain social distancing while connecting with their parents to be seated for worship.
- All will move directly to the sanctuary – do not congregate and fellowship in the hallways and Nathex. Conversations can be held outside following worship as stated in our Indoor Worship Guidelines.
- No food and beverage in class at this time.
Simple Gifts
Peace
Peace is one of the great promises of the bible. The prophet Isaiah says that when the Messiah comes, in the perfect reign of God,
“The wolf shall live with the lamb,
the leopard shall lie down with the kid,
the calf and the lion and the fatling together,
and a little child shall lead them. “
There is a promise of an end to violence, but also space where the weak are safe and the vulnerable are cared for. None will have need, and all will be able to live in a new way, knowing that God provides for them.
This may be the best definition of Biblical peace. Isaiah uses the Hebrew word Shalom, and it refers to all being held in God’s generous care; a care that gives us the freedom to care for others in the same way. It is not trapped by hunger or greed. It is not bound by need for revenge. It allows no one to starve or go thirsty. It holds all of humanity in the love of Jesus. May we know God’s peace.
The Virgin Mary Had A Baby Boy
The Virgin Mary had a baby boy,
The Virgin Mary had a baby boy,
The Virgin Mary had a baby boy,
And they said that His name was Jesus.
Chorus:
He came from the glory,
He came from the glorious kingdom.
He came from the glory,
He came from the glorious kingdom.
Oh yes, believer!
Oh yes, believer!
He came from the glory,
He came from the glorious kingdom.
The angels sang when the baby was born, the angels sang when the baby was born, the angels sang when the baby was born, and proclaimed Him the Saviour Jesus.
Chorus:
He came from the glory,
He came from the glorious kingdom.
He came from the glory,
He came from the glorious kingdom.
Oh yes, believer!
Oh yes, believer!
He came from the glory,
He came from the glorious kingdom.
The wise men saw where the baby was born, the wise men saw where the baby was born, the wise men saw where the baby was born, and they saw that His name was Jesus.
Chorus:
He came from the glory,
He came from the glorious kingdom.
He came from the glory,
He came from the glorious kingdom.
Oh yes, believer!
Oh yes, believer!
He came from the glory,
He came from the glorious kingdom.
CCLI License #: 1699256
God of Hope and Peace,
You open the door to celebration.
From the moment that you spoke light into darkness
From the moment that angels appeared in Nazareth
From the moment that Jesus left the tomb,
You have given us reason to celebrate,
To be confident in our place in this world
To be confident in your care.
Help us to leave behind our anxieties this morning.
Help us to remember that we are held in your care.
Help us to share with others what you so freely give:
The love that sets us free.
Amen.
CHILD DEDICATION
Introduction
Today we join together with Brandon and Meryn in celebration of their son, Weston. I invite you to pray for Weston, for the beauty and wonder of childhood, and for who he will become. Jesus declared every child to be precious in his sight, and invited the children to come to him, as a part of the invitation he gave to all of us.
Charge
Brandon, Meryn, God has chosen you to bring Weston into this world, and now you are part of God’s nurture and care for him as well.
Will you commit to giving Weston a loving home, where he will learn the importance and centrality of God in his life?
We will.
Will you teach him the ways of Jesus in what you say and what you do?
We will.
And will you encourage him to follow Jesus in every aspect of his living?
We will.
And now, to the congregation:
Will you promise to be examples of God’s love to Weston and to offer a faith home where he can thrive and grow, receive encouragement, and seek after the with difficult questions? Will you promise to be supportive of Brandon and Meryn, in the joys and challenges of parenting? Will you lift them up as a family and as individuals through acts of love and prayer?
We will.
Consecration of Child
Weston, you are consecrated to God, and God’s spirit will always be with you. As you grow, may you come to recognize the presence and blessing of God in your life. May you be nurtured in faith by the people around you and may you find a home within the body of Christ.
Prayer of Dedication and Commitment (Unison)
God of new life,
we thank you today for this child,
for his family,
for friends and a community of care.
We pray your blessing upon all
and pray for his growth
that he will be strong in body and spirit.
May he know the joy and beauty of your creation,
and the height and depth of your love in Jesus.
We commit before you this morning
to support and encourage him as your child,
to disciple him in your promises and Jesus’ love,
to teach him how to seek after your ways,
and to live a life rooted in your grace.
Thank you for Weston. Amen.
Be Thou My Vision
Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart; naught be all else to me
save that thou art.
Thou my best thought, by day or by night, waking or sleeping,
thy presence my light.
Be thou my wisdom, be thou my true word; I ever with thee, and thou with me, Lord.
Thou my great Father, thy child may I be, thou in me dwelling, and I one with thee.
Be thou my buckler, my sword for the flight.
Be thou my dignity, thou my delight,
thou my soul’s shelter, thou my high tower.
Raise thou me heav’n ward, O Pow’r of my pow’r.
Riches I heed not, nor vain empty praise; thou mine inheritance, now and always.
Thou and thou only, first in my heart,
High King of heaven, my treasure thou art.
High King of heaven, when vict’ry is won may I reach heaven’s joys,
O bright heav’n’s Sun!
Heart of my heart, whatever befall,
still by my vision, O Ruler of all.
CCLI License # 1699256
Be Thou My Vision
Matt 1:18-25
Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel’,
which means, ‘God is with us.’ When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.
The Wondrous Story
Once upon a winter night
earth was bathed in radiant light;
there amid the wind and cold
a wondrous story first was told.
The snow lay on the ground,
the star shone bright.
When Christ our Lord was born
on Christmas night,
upon a bed of straw in stable
bare the baby lay asleep,
so pure and fair.
Venite adoremus Dominum,
O come, let us adore God’s own true Son.
Winter winds blew fierce and cold
as the story did unfold.
Gently, at the baby’s side,
His mother sang a lullaby.
The snow lay on the ground,
the air grew still as shepherds
kept their watch on distant hills.
Then in the sky above,
they saw a light and heard the angels
sing that Christmas night.
O come, let us adore God’s own true son.
One License: A-733101
The Wondrous Story
Jesus read, proclaimed and lived:
The spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me;
he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed,
to bind up the broken-hearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and release to the prisoners;
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn;
to provide for those who mourn in Zion—
to give them a garland instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the Lord, to display his glory.
May God’s Spirit move among us,
as disciples of Jesus’ way,
to make us grow in righteousness,
to seek peace and grace,
to live to God’s glory. Amen.
Lord God almighty
who shaped the heavens, mountains and seas,
who filled them with birds, deer, and fish,
and breathed life into us as well,
we lift our prayers to you today.
As we celebrate this second Sunday of Advent,
we confess our need for peace.
As our world is torn by illness,
as there continues to be hunger in the streets,
and frustration and anger in human hearts,
we declare our need for a savior.
In our own eyes,
the logs grow smaller,
and the splinters grow greater,
and we lose all sense of perspective.
But Jesus comes to restore our vision,
to heal our hearts,
bind our wounds,
and set us on the path back to you.
As we hear the stories of Mary and Joseph,
how they answered your call in humility,
how they responded,
“Let it be with me, according to your word”
how they trusted in your word,
let us think of our own stories as well.
Set aside the things that stir us to anxiety and wrath.
Fill us with the promise and power of your peace.
Because we would see your angels arrive among us.
We long to hear their songs proclaiming good news
To workers in the factories, to farmers on the hills,
to the retiree quarantined at home,
to the teacher stressed at school.
Help us to know your peace on earth
and to share your goodwill towards women and men.
Forgive us our sins, O God.
Open our hearts for your redemption.
Prepare us
to welcome your Son
and to all be made your children,
so that it will be on earth
as it is in heaven.
Amen
Where He Leads Me
I can hear my savior calling…
Take your cross and follow me.
In our joy and in our sorrow…
He’ll go with you all the way.
Chorus:
Where he leads me, I will follow.
Where he leads me, I will go.
Where he leads me, I will follow.
I’ll go with him all the way,
All the way.
I’ll go with him in the judgment…
I’ll go with him all the way.
Chorus:
Where he leads me, I will follow.
Where he leads me, I will go.
Where he leads me, I will follow.
I’ll go with him all the way,
All the way.
He will lead me into glory…
And go with me all the way.
Chorus:
Where he leads me, I will follow.
Where he leads me, I will go.
Where he leads me, I will follow.
I’ll go with him all the way,
All the way.
One License: A-733101
Where He Leads Me
