Worship Notes for Sunday, December 15, 2013

On this third Sunday of Advent we look at the power of Christ and the joy of Christmas. We begin with singing a verse from Good Christian Men Rejoice—“Now ye hear of endless bliss: Joy! Joy! Jesus Christ was born for this.” We continue with the Call to Worship from Isaiah 12 and the desire for the saving power of the Lord to be known among the nations that they may sing for joy even as His presence is great among His people. We respond by singing O Come All Ye Faithful and On Christmas Night and the “News of great joy, news of great mirth.”The Old Testament Reading from Isaiah 49 reminds us that the Day of the Lord will bring comfort and compassion towards the afflicted and hungry. The Prayer of Confession is from Psalm 51 as the Psalmist prays for the restoration of joy in the forgiveness of sins. But thanks be to God, “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the Kingdom of His Beloved Son.” We continue by singing All My Heart This Night Rejoice and the prayer to come to the manger in awe and wonder at the incarnation.

For Communion we will sing O God, to Thin Anointed King as a foretaste of the kingdom that Christ brings and Lo, How a Rose E’re Blooming—Christ has dispelled the darkness everywhere and saves us from sin and death. We conclude by singing Joy to the World for the Savior reigns and rules the world with truth and grace.

http://www.cornerstonepresfranklin.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Cornerstone-Bulletin-12.15.13.pdf