Sunday Service from Hillside Circuit for December 24th 2023:
Lectionary Theme: Behold a King is born.
Occasion: 4th Sunday in Advent
Lectionary readings:
Psalm 89: 1- 4, 19-26
Isaiah 7: 13-15
Romans 16: 25- 27
Luke 1: 26- 38
And here is an additional reading for Christmas Day:
Isaiah 9: 6-7
[Click or tap on a Bible reference above to jump down the page to the Bible reading to read it for yourself and then click or tap on Back to top to come back here.]
Songs:
Here are the songs for Sunday morning service. Click or tap on a song to open it in YouTube.
Good Christians all rejoice.
King of Kings.
Emmanuel, Emmanuel.
Christmas isn’t Christmas.
What Child is This?
Unto us a boy is born.
O come let us adore Him.
And here are the songs for Christmas Day service.
Joy to the world.
O come all ye faithful.
See Him lying.
Away in a manger.
Come & join the celebration.
Hark the herald angels.
My peace.
You can listen and join in with prayers from the English Methodist Service Book. They can be found at the Prayers for worship webpage.
Children’s Address:
Sermon:
Bible readings:
Psalm 89
1 Our LORD, I will sing of your love forever.
Everyone yet to be born
will hear me praise your faithfulness.
2 I will tell them,
“God’s love can always be trusted,
and his faithfulness lasts as long as the heavens.”
3 You said, “David, my servant, is my chosen one,
and this is the agreement I made with him:
4 David, one of your descendants will always be king.”
19 In a vision, you once said to your faithful followers:
“I have helped a mighty hero.
I chose him from my people and made him famous.
20 David, my servant, is the one I chose to be king,
21 and I will always be there to help and strengthen him.
22 “No enemy will outsmart David,
and he won’t be defeated by any hateful people.
23 I will strike down and crush his troublesome enemies.
24 He will always be able to depend on my love,
and I will make him strong with my own power.
25 I will let him rule the lands across the rivers and seas.
26 He will say to me, ‘You are my Father and my God,
as well as the mighty rock where I am safe.’
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Isaiah 7
13 Then I said:
Listen, every one of you in the royal family of David. You have already tried my patience. Now you are trying God’s patience by refusing to ask for proof. 14 But the LORD will still give you proof. A virgin is pregnant; she will have a son and will name him Immanuel. 15-16 Even before the boy is old enough to know how to choose between right and wrong, he will eat yogurt and honey,
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Romans 16
25 Praise God! He can make you strong by means of my good news, which is the message about Jesus Christ. For ages and ages this message was kept secret, 26 but now at last it has been told. The eternal God commanded his prophets to write about the good news, so that all nations would obey and have faith. 27 And now, because of Jesus Christ, we can praise the only wise God forever! Amen.
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Luke 1
26 One month later God sent the angel Gabriel to the town of Nazareth in Galilee 27 with a message for a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to Joseph from the family of King David. 28 The angel greeted Mary and said, “You are truly blessed! The Lord is with you.”
29 Mary was confused by the angel’s words and wondered what they meant. 30 Then the angel told Mary, “Don’t be afraid! God is pleased with you, 31 and you will have a son. His name will be Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of God Most High. The Lord God will make him king, as his ancestor David was. 33 He will rule the people of Israel forever, and his kingdom will never end.”
34 Mary asked the angel, “How can this happen? I am not married!”
35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come down to you, and God’s power will come over you. So your child will be called the holy Son of God. 36 Your relative Elizabeth is also going to have a son, even though she is old. No one thought she could ever have a baby, but in three months she will have a son. 37 Nothing is impossible for God!”
38 Mary said, “I am the LORD’S servant! Let it happen as you have said.” And the angel left her.
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Isaiah 9
6 A child has been born for us. We have been given a son
who will be our ruler.
His names will be Wonderful Advisor and Mighty God,
Eternal Father and Prince of Peace.
7 His power will never end; peace will last forever.
He will rule David’s kingdom and make it grow strong.
He will always rule with honesty and justice.
The LORD All-Powerful will make certain
that all of this is done.
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[Did you miss last week’s Sunday Services? They can now be found at Worship Archive – December 17th 2023.]
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Methodist Church: Hillside Circuit 
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