St. Andrew by the Sea

A Community Church

December 21, 2008

10:00 a.m.

Fourth Sunday of Advent

 

                                   

  Prelude                               

                                                                                                                                       

  

   Chiming of the Hour

peregrinatio est tacere

to be on pilgrimage is to be silent”

          

 *Processional Hymn131 Angels, from the Realms of Glory

         Bethlehem,…out of you will come a Ruler who will be the Shepherd.       Matt. 2:6

       

 *Opening Prayer  

 

 *Passing of the Peace

 

The Peace of the Lord be with you.

And also with you.

 

Holy Ground

We are standing on holy ground,

and I know that there are angels all around.

Let us praise Jesus now.

                                                                                                          We are standing in his presence on holy ground.

 

 *Affirmation of Faith                      The Apostles’ Creed

 

  I believe in God the Father Almighty,

      maker of heaven and earth;

 

  And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord;

      who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

      born of the Virgin Mary,

      suffered under Pontius Pilate,

      was crucified, dead, and buried;

      the third day he rose from the dead;

      he ascended into heaven,

      and sitteth at the right hand

      of God the Father Almighty;

            from thence he shall come to

      judge the quick and the dead.

 

    I believe in the Holy Spirit,

      the holy catholic church,

      the communion of saints,

      the forgiveness of sins,

      the resurrection of the body,

      and the life everlasting.  Amen

 

 *Gloria Patri

Glory 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.  Amen.

 

  Lighting of the Candle of Peace

 

                             Jonathan & Rachel Ellsworth

 

  Welcome and Announcements

 

 

  Children’s Moment

 

 

  Old Testament Reading (Pew Bible, p. 636)                      Isaiah 7:10-14              

   May the Lord bless the reading of this Old Testament scripture.

Thanks be to God.

 

  Silent Meditation

 

 

  Pastoral Prayer

 

   

   Lord’s Prayer

 

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 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, for ever. . .

                                                                                                                                                                                 

  Choral Response

  

  Offertory Anthem      Gentle Mary Laid Her Child               M.  Burkhardt

 

Gentle Mary laid her child Lowly in a manger; Jesus, Jesus, rest your head, You have got a manger bed. There he lay, the undefiled, to the world a stranger.  All the people here on earth Sleep in feathers at their birth.  Such a babe in such a place, Can he be the Savior?  Jesus, Jesus, rest your head, You have got a manger bed.  Ask the saved of all the race Who have found his favor.  Heaven’s star shone brightly forth Glory all around him.  Gloria in excelsis!  Shepherds saw the wondrous sight, Heard the angels singing; All the plains were lit that night, All the hills were ringing.  He is still the undefiled but no more a stranger.  Son of God of humble birth, Beautiful the story; Praise his name in all the earth; Hail the king of glory!

 

  Presentation of Tithes and Offerings

 

 

 

 *Doxology 625   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.

 

 *Hymn - 152      I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

                                                           He will be their peace.                                     Mic. 5:5  

 

  New Testament Reading (Pew Bible, p. 1)                   Matthew 1:18-25

                This is the word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

   

  Sermon                       “The Christmas Story”

                                                        Rev. Robert C. Warren 

       

 *Hymn -                    Let There Be Peace on Earth

 

Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me: let there be peace on earth, the peace that was meant to be.  With God our creator, children all are we.  Let us walk with each other in perfect harmony.  Let peace begin with me; let this be the moment now.  With every step I take, let this be my solemn vow:  to take each moment and live each moment in peace eternally.  Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.                                        

 

 *Benediction

 

 *Choral Amen

 

 *Postlude       

 

Senior Minister:  Rev. Robert C. Warren

 

Associate Minister: Rev. George R. Myers

 

Associate Minister of Children/Youth: Rev. Jonathan Henderson

 

Music Director:  Joan Hand

                                     

                                          Pianist: Bessie Malone

 

                                      Choral Director:  Dr. Roger Jones

 

Children’s Church Leaders: Gina & Sammi Jo Daily, and Jean McKim

 

Administrative Assistant:  Pat Strahan

 

 

                    The flowers on the altar are presented to the glory of God

 by Bubba and Cheryl Lee

   in honor of their granddaughter Mary Reese, and her 4th birthday,

and in memory of Martha Lee.

 

Ushers: *Grant Brown, *Tom Gauntt, Nat Young, Don Kopf, Leon Null, Stever Russ, Joe Martin, Howard and Jan Zimmerman.

 

Wheelchairs and devices to assist the hearing-impaired

are available from the ushers.

 

*Please stand.

Welcome

We welcome you to worship at St. Andrew by the Sea.  Your presence enriches our fellowship.  Please sign the attendance registration form, and fill out a visitor’s card (located in the back of the pew) to place in the offering plate.  If you are seeking a church home, we invite you to consider St. Andrew by the Sea.  Thank you for being with us today.  If you are with us for the first time, we have a gift bag in the Narthex for you.

Nursery

Nursery Care for infants and toddlers is staffed from 9:00 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. every

Sunday.  Our nursery is located near the front entrance of the sanctuary.

Children’s Church

Children 3 years old - 2nd grade who are interested in attending Children’s Church

will be escorted to the Youth Building after the Children’s Moment.

Children’s Bulletins

There are children’s worship bulletins available in the narthex for ages 3 - 12.

Sunday School

9:00 a.m.

Children and Youth Classes

3 yrs. – 1st  grade, Fellowship Hall Classroom 4

2nd – 4th grade, Modular room 101

5th – 6th grade, Modular room 102

7th grade & up, Modular room 103

 

 Adult Bible Study, International Sunday School Lesson

 Fellowship Hall, Classroom 3

  Adult Discussion Class, Christian Literature

 Fellowship Hall, Classroom 2

                                   Women's Sunday School Class  Office Wing

xplorers

 Fellowship Hall, Classroom 1

 

       Groups and Activities

 

Tuesday:               Dec. 23rd                 Women’s Bible Study                            9:00 a.m.

                                                               

Wednesday:            Dec. 24th              Christmas Eve Service                             5:00 p.m.

                                                                Office will be closed half a day.

 

Thursday:              Dec. 25th Christmas Day / Office Closed

 

Friday:                   Dec. 26th Office will be open.

                                                                                                                   

                                Announcements

 

In our Prayers: Betty Christie, Mary Wilson, Lionel Gustafson, Joe Nowell, Tommie King, Melissa Peace, Susan Van Dervor, John Joiner, Louise Coffey, Daphne Rice, Elaine Klinske, Leandra Walker, Louise Greenwald, Ana Lewis, Joan Koepke, Kathy Van Cor, Dee Jones, Lieu Porter, Kyle Null, Sandra Leonard, Jim Boutwell, Susan Hollis,  Dottie Griffin, Bill Webb, Judy Wilson, Yuri West, Jeanne Helton, Diane Rachel Boswell, Martha Hosey, Wilmer Glasgow, Terry & Vicki Green, Billy & Lois Gale Walker, Bubba and Tommy Lee and family, Perry Hand and family, Valerie Robinson and family, Gunther Niemann, Clinton Thrasher, Robert Craft, Elizabeth Speaker, and unmentioned requests.

 

Prayer for the Sick

 

God of all goodness and love, hear our prayers for the sick members of our church and community and for all who are in special need at this time.  Amid mental and physical suffering, may they find consolation in your healing presence.  Show your mercy upon each need.   May these special people find lasting health and deliverance, and with them, may we thank you for all your gifts.  We ask this through the Lord Jesus who healed those who believed.   Amen.

 

“Every Member is called to Ministry”

I am only one, but I am one.  I cannot do everything, but I can do something; and what I should do and can do,

by the Grace of God I will do.

 

 

Caroling our Homebound: If you would like to go Caroling please join us today at 3:30 p. m. at the church for a fun filled afternoon of Caroling our Homebound.  Afterwards we will meet for fellowship at the home of Don and Mary Lou Pope at 510 W. Canal Drive, Gulf Shores.

 

Christmas Eve Communion and Candle Light Service will be Dec. 24th at 5:00 p.m.  Nursery care will be provided.  If you are in need of a ride to the service please contact the church office at 968-3900.

                    

Children’s Church: Thank you to those who have signed up for Children’s Church.  Currently we have no one for Dec. 28th nor do we have anyone for the month of January.   Please sign up today.

 

Announcements: Your announcements are important. Please email Pat at standrewoffice@gulftel.com no later than Wed. at 3 p.m.  If you miss the deadline, please let Pat know by Friday morning, and she will convey your message to Rev. Henderson.

 

Sermons: Thanks to Bill Martin, we now offer Video Taped Sermons on our website.  Copies of select sermons are recorded during the worship service and are available by going to the church’s website www.standrewbythesea.org and click on Video Taped Sermons at the top of the page. 

 

Winter Classes

 

Coming Thursday, January 15th at 6 p.m. Rev. Warren will be hosting a class for couples titled “The Five Love Languages”.   Making Marriage Work:  It doesn’t have to feel like a chore.  Your emotional love language and the language of your spouse may be as different as Chinese from English.  No matter how hard you try to express love in “English”, if your spouse understands only “Chinese”, you will never understand how to love each other.  Being sincere is not enough.  We must be willing to learn our spouses primary love language if we are to be effective communicators of love.  Supper will be served at 6 p.m. and the class will start at 6:30 p.m.  Nursery care will be provided.  Call now and reserve your place early at 968-3900. In order to receive the books in time for our Jan. 15th class you must register no later than Jan. 5th.   If you are interested it cooking a light dinner for one of these classes please contact the church office at 968-3900.

 

Rev. Jonathan Henderson will be hosting a five week class titled “Flawed”, starting Thursday January 15th at 6 p.m. 

Let's be honest, not one of us is perfect. We have all had bad thoughts, lied, talked bad about another person, cheated, been unfaithful to someone, and... the list goes on and on. Here's the good news; we don't have to be perfect. Since the Fall of humanity into sin, God has been using imperfect people to fulfill his perfect plan. Come explore with me in this five week lesson, “Flawed: Imperfect People Chosen by God”, how God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things and how you and I can be one of those people.  Supper will be served at 6 p.m. and the class will start at 6:30 p.m.  Nursery care will be provided.  Call now and reserve your place early at 968-3900. In order to receive the books in time for our Jan. 15th class you must register no later than Jan. 5th.   If you are interested it cooking a light dinner for one of these classes please contact the church office at 968-3900.  

 

    Weekend Emergency Number: 968-3900.   You will be forwarded to the pastor on call.

 

Office hours: 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday through Friday 

Office e-mail addresses: standrewoffice@gulftel.com

Office Phone Number - 251-968-3900

Rev. Robert C. Warren – rcwarren@gulftel.com

Rev. George R. Myers – myers9823@bellsouth.net

Rev. Jonathan Henderson – jmhenderson@gulftel.com

                                        Pat Strahan – standrewoffice@gulftel.com

 

 

 

   St. Andrew by the Sea

A Community Church

 

 

17263 Ft. Morgan Road

P. O. Box 2385

Gulf Shores, Alabama

251-968-3900

www.standrewbythesea.org