Kinderhook Reformed Church Celebration of Worship, December 3, 2017

“To Know Christ and to Make Him Known”

Rev. Rudy Visser, Pastor

A warm welcome to visitors. 

We invite you to fill out a visitors pew card and place it in the offering plate.

    8:30 A.M.  CELEBRATION OF WORSHIP

  Announcements, The Lord’s Greeting, and Morning Prayer

*Morning Praise

  Scripture Reading                                                                                             Mark 13:24-37

  Message                   “Fulfilling His Beautiful Commitment to Be Entering Our World” 

  Prayer of Thanks

  Sacrament of Communion

  Offering and Prayer of Blessing

  Intercessory Prayer

*Closing Hymn and Benediction

10:00 A.M.  CELEBRATION OF WORSHIP

Following worship today, all are invited to enjoy refreshments and fellowship

downstairs in the Fellowship Hall.

Thanks to today’s ushers, Ted Call, Bob Dreier, Jerry Flansburg.

Thanks to today’s greeters, Jeannie and Stacey Hurst.             Guest Organist, David Smith                  

Nursery facility available downstairs.

  Prelude                                Now Comes the Savior of the World, BWV 659                J.S. Bach

  Welcome, Announcements, and God's Greeting

Drawing Near to God

  Call To Worship  (Responsive)  

We come from a world of darkness
       Into Christ’s world of light.
We come from a world of weariness
       Into God’s strength and hope.
We come from a slumbering world.
       Strengthened by the Spirit, we come to awaken our souls

       and watch for the coming of Christ. 

  Around the Advent Wreath (Responsive)

LEADER: Today we light the first candle of the Advent wreath. This is the candle of HOPE.  (Purple candle is lit.)    

PEOPLE:  With Christians around the world, we use this light to help us prepare our hearts and minds for the coming of God’s Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ.

LEADER:  May we receive God’s light as we hear the words of the prophet, Isaiah, chapter 9, verse 2:  "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned."   Let us pray together:

ALL:  Lord, as we look to the birth of Jesus, grant that the light of your love for us will help us to become lights in the lives of those around us. Prepare our hearts for the joy and gladness of your coming, for Jesus is our hope.  Amen.

*Hymn #262                                                                                              Rejoice, the Lord is King

Allowing God to Shape Us

Call to Confession

Christ came so that our sins may be forgiven and so that we may be saved through him.  In full confidence that Christ stands ready to hear, take upon himself, and forgive our sins, let us confess them now together.

Prayer of Confession  (Unison) 

Ever-patient God, we are a people who live in a world of thick darkness.  We are bombarded - often overwhelmed - by news of war, poverty, famine, and genocide, and we confess that we have sometimes inflicted our own forms of injustice, pain, and oppression on those around us. Guided by your star, transform us into people of the light, shining your light of righteousness and hope into all the dark places of our lives and world.  Unlock the mystery and glory of the babe born in Bethlehem. Let his light break into our lives and our world, and renew us for your holy purposes.  Amen.

  Assurance of Pardon 

As certain as the dawn follows the night, so is the promise of God's forgiveness and love for us all. Arise and shine! Follow the star! Find the light of the world born in Bethlehem . . . and be transformed from darkness into light.

Coming before God’s Open Word

  Children’s Invitation to Sunday School and Prayer of Blessing  (Unison)

Lord Jesus, draw each of these children into the light of your divine presence, goodness, and infinite love. May they love you wholeheartedly in return, and be eager to share your light and your love with others.  Amen.

  Prayer for Illumination and   Scripture Reading                                                 Mark 13:24-37

  Message                           “Fulfilling His Beautiful Commitment to Be Entering Our World” 

  Prayer of Blessing

Silent Prayer for Those Seeking to Accept Christ as Their Savior:

"Dear Jesus, I confess that I'm a sinner, and not right with you. I repent and ask forgiveness.  I believe that you died on the cross to take my punishment and to pay the price for my sins.  I believe that you rose from death to give me new life. Wash me clean from all sin, shame, and guilt, and come into my heart as my Lord and Savior.  In your name I pray.  Amen."

Celebrating God, His Abundance, and His Care

  Sacrament of Communion   

                                                                                       THE MEANING OF THE SACRAMENT

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, we come to the table of our Lord in Remembrance, Communion, and Hope. 

We come in Remembrance of our Lord Jesus Christ, who was sent into the world so we might be saved through him.

We come to be in Communion with this same Christ who has promised to be with us always, even to the end of the world.

We come in Hope, believing that this bread and cup are a pledge and foretaste of the feast of love in the kingdom to come.

Since by his death, resurrection, and ascension Christ has obtained for us the life-giving Spirit who unites us all in one body,

so we receive this Supper in true love, mindful of the communion of saints.

THE INVITATION

This is the feast of the Lord’s Table, in which all who profess the Lordship of Christ in their lives are invited to share.  Come, for all things are now ready.

        COMMUNION HYMN #226 (Verses 1, 2, and 3)  Hallelujah! What a Savior

    THE COMMUNION PRAYER

Let us lift up our hearts and give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is holy and right to lift up our hearts and give God thanks and praise.

It is with joy that we give thanks to you in all times and places, Almighty and Everlasting God. You have shown the fullness of your love by sending to us Jesus Christ our Lord, made flesh for us, for our salvation, and for reconciliation with you.  For this precious gift of your Son, we worship and sing praise to you, O God:

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!

All thy works shall praise thy name in earth, and sky, and sea.

Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty! God in three persons, blessed Trinity!

Most righteous God, we remember in this Supper the perfect sacrifice offered once on the cross by our Lord Jesus Christ for the sin of the whole world.  In the joy of his resurrection and expectation of his coming again, send your Holy Spirit upon us, that we may offer ourselves to you as holy and living sacrifices, and proclaim this mystery of the faith:

Christ has died! Christ is risen! Christ will come again!

As this grain and these grapes are gathered from many fields and hills into one loaf and one cup, to be to us the communion of the body and blood of Christ, grant also that your whole Church may be joined together in him, attain unity in the faith, and soon be gathered from the ends of the earth into your Kingdom. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! And now, as Christ taught us, we pray together:

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 COMMUNION

The Lord Jesus, the same night he was betrayed, took bread; and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you: do this in remembrance of me."

        (Distribution of the bread)

The bread which we break is the communion of the body of Christ.

After the same manner also, he took the cup when they had supped, saying, “This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

      (Distribution of the cup)

The cup of blessing which we bless is the communion of the blood of Christ.

PRAISE HYMN after COMMUNION #226 (Verses 4, and 5) Hallelujah! What a Savior

  Offering/Offertory              Salvation now has come, op.65/4               Sigfrid Karg-Elert

*Doxology #809                                                           Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow

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.

*Offertory Prayer  (Unison) 

God of light and promise, we bring our gifts to further your work in a dark world. May they bring your light and hope to those overwhelmed by darkness, pain, and loneliness. Accept these gifts of money and, indeed, the gift of our very selves.  Let them shine for all to see and be brought into the sphere of your love and righteousness.   

  Prayer Requests and Pastoral Prayer

*Closing Hymn #275                                                                            What If It Were Today? 

*Benediction, Blessing, and Response Hymn           My Friends May You Grow in Grace

  Postlude                        Now Comes the Savior of the World, LV 21               F.W. Zachow

HAPPY DECEMBER BIRTHDAY

~CCRM WOMEN’S GIFT PROGRAM CONTINUES~

Capital City Rescue Mission has let us know that they have more than enough Christmas gift packages to share with the homeless men they serve, and would like for us to focus our giving this year on bringing some warmth and caring to the women housed at the mission who might not otherwise have much “Holiday Cheer”. CCRM has suggested that we send winter hats, gloves, socks, body and hand lotions, toiletries, perfumes, jewelry, and non-perishable snack items. YOUR UNWRAPPED CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE CCRM WOMEN MUST BE PLACED IN EITHER OF THE LABELED RECEPTACLES IN THE MAIN OR SIDE ENTRANCES OF THE CHURCH BY SUNDAY, DECEMBER 17.  Gifts will be taken to Albany on Monday, December 18, where the mission will sort and distribute them to the women.   

~ ANGEL TREE GIFTS DUE AT KRC NEXT SUNDAY~

       Gift needs for KRC’s Angel Tree children are now displayed on angel cut-outs on the Christmas tree in the church’s main entrance. Each angel contains very specific age, size, and gift-request information for a particular child to assist donors as they gift-shop.  Please consider taking an angel from the tree and returning it, together with your wrapped gift, to the church by NEXT SUNDAY, DECEMBER 10.  Your generosity will bring Christmas joy to those Christ blessed and of whom he said, “The kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

      Volunteers will also be needed to participate in the delivery of the gifts to local Angel Tree families.  Anyone volunteering to deliver gifts will be partnered with another volunteer, and will receive an orientation to the family before the delivery visit. Please contact either of the Angel Tree program co-chairs, Janet Smith (518-859-6591) or Maureen Mooney (518-210-6079) if you would be willing to participate in the gift-delivery ministry.

~CANDLELIGHT NIGHT THIS COMING FRIDAY, DECEMBER 8~

       KRC will sponsor its annual Candlelight Night Open House 6 – 8:30 p.m. THIS COMING FRIDAY, DECEMBER 8, in conjunction with Kinderhook Village’s Candlelight Walk celebration.  KRC’s Open House will feature tours of our beautiful sanctuary -  decorated with lighted garlands, candles, poinsettias, the lovely Chrismon tree, and the nearly-life-size Fontanini Nativity - together with Christmas music, cookie decorating, refreshments, and community fellowship in the Fellowship Room. Co-chairs of this year’s open house, Jane Deane, Deb Spaulding, and Joy Bertram, are looking for volunteers to assist, as well as donations of desert-buffet items. Your contributions will be much appreciated, and a sign-up sheet is available on the back table if you are able to help with this ministry.

~PARENTS NIGHT OUT FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15~

We will be offering free child care for ages 3 and up, on Friday, December 15^th from 5:30-8:30pm.  Use this time for dinner or shopping, without the “little helpers”.  A meal will be provided!  Reservations are required, please call Jean Hacker at (518-603-2450) or Amy DeWeerd at (518-522-4264).

~LESSONS AND CAROLS 4 P.M. SUNDAY, DECEMBER 17~

Directed by David Smith, Lessons and Carols is a worship service celebrating the birth of Jesus, and will be presented at 4 p.m. Sunday, December 17, at KRC. A Christmas gift to our community from the KRC family, Lessons and Carols is open to all. The story of the fall of humanity, the promise of the Messiah, and the birth of Jesus are told in nine short Bible readings from Genesis, the prophetic books, and the Gospels, along with choir music and the singing of Christmas carols and hymns. The first Lessons and Carols was held on Christmas Eve, 1918, at King's College, Cambridge, England, and has been broadcast from there by the BBC to millions of listeners around the world each Christmas Eve since 1931. The order of worship was adapted from an order prepared 38 years earlier by Edward White Benson, Bishop of Truro. Tradition says that the bishop organized a 10 pm service in Cornwall on Christmas Eve, 1880, in a temporary wooden shed serving as his cathedral.

REMEMBER TO PRAY FOR

• those who do not know Christ or who are struggling in their faith journey. Pray also that God will provide opportunities for us to witness for Jesus, and give us the courage and winsome words needed to make the most of these opportunities.
• Pastor Rudy, as he fulfills his ministerial duties.
• KRC ministries, programs & projects and those planning & administering them: KRC’s Consistory; KRC’s administrative ministries; KRC’s Youth Group; Sunday School; KRC’s small group ministries and Bible studies; Community Prayer Group; 1st Friday; and other outreach programs.
• our state, national, and world leaders, especially President Donald Trump and all of the government officials now in office, that God will grant them the leadership skills, wisdom, and the personal protection needed to govern effectively and safely.
• our military men & women, their families, and friends, that they may know God’s presence, protection, and peace, especially Jason Lansing serving in S. Korea.
• victims world-wide suffering natural and other hardships and tragedies: economic instability; poverty, hunger, and poor health; political oppression, unrest, terrorism, war, displacement.
• those grieving the death of loved ones, especially Kay Haber, family, and friends grieving the death this past week of Kay's oldest brother, James Morse, 93; those grieving the recent death of Donna Scalera.
• those who, even after many years, still hurt from the void left by loved ones who have passed on from this world.
• reassurance, peace, and dignity for loved ones nearing the close of this life.
• those battling or recovering from cancer or in hospice careTerri; Christine; Michael, brother of Mary Jane Haywood; Connie Witkowski; Michael; Don Morse; Jill; J.B.; Jen; Bill, Janet Smith's brother; Ronny; Ron Dick; Carol Nel; Jeff Peter; Mark; Ann; Steve; Dorothy Wheeler.
• those awaiting test results or surgery; recovering from surgery, injury, or illness; or chronically ill: Asha and her baby; Connie; Esther Baker, Jim Baker’s mom; Lesley Haywood; Ruth Edge; Barbara Vosburgh; Virginia Rothermel; Art Gross; Harriet Stockhoff; Jean Skipper; Floyd Haber; Paul Varga.
• those facing challenges, stressful circumstances, and difficult decisions: Merrill Johnson, dealing with a number of unspoken issues; our students, especially Stacey Baker, as they deal with the challenges of higher levels of education in this school year, career choices, and job searches; Greg Clause Jr.; Libby Little-Saxton, working with Afghan refugees; the epidemic of addiction to life-threatening drugs.

• residence-bound KRC family, George Clowe, and those caring for the elderly, displaced, disabled, or ill.

REMEMBER TO THANK & PRAISE GOD FOR

• Pastor Rudy Visser, our Spirit-filled minister and leader of vision, and for the Christ-centered messages God gives to Pastor each and every Sunday for the spiritual nourishment and growth of our church family. 
• the inspirational ministries of our guest preachers, Perry Jones, Tom McCrossan, John Bowen, Derek DeJager, and others who lead worship at KRC from time to time.
• the good news that Stacey Baker has completed her college studies after a long and sometimes difficult struggle to do so while recovering from a serious concussion.
• those men and women who have served or are now serving our country, and those who have sacrificed their wellbeing and lives for the peace & liberty we enjoy.
• the encouraging report that Virginia Rothermel is now home from Whitter following a recent mobility issue.
• all those of KRC's family and friends who volunteer their time, talent, and energy so generously and so selflessly to the various ministries and programs of our church, and who often do this quietly behind-the-scenes with little notice or recognition.

Each member’s share of this year’s classis assessment has been set at $88.50 (down 43¢ from last year).  All who 
are able to do so are encouraged to offer, over and above regular giving, their share of this support.  Please 
clearly designate all contributions, “Classis Assessment.”