Pastor: David Range
December 18, 2022
Miramar United Methodist Church
in the heart of Miramar, a place for gathering, healing, and sending out friends, helping to create a sense of family to find new life in Christ.
Part of the United Methodist family where we make disciples for the
Transformation of the world.
Order of Worship
December 18, 2022
Joint 10:00 a.m. service
Please see the end of the bulletin for some additional important information
CALL TO WORSHIP
Hymn 213 Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates+
1. Lift up your heads, ye mighty gates; behold the King of glory waits;
the King of kings is drawing near; the Savior of the world is here!
2. Fling wide the portals of your heart; make it a temple, set apart
from earthly use for heaven’s employ, adorned with prayer and love and joy.
3. Redeemer, come, with us abide; our hearts to thee we open wide; let us thy inner presence feel; thy grace and love in us reveal.
4. Thy Holy Spirit lead us on until our glorious goal is won;
eternal praise, eternal fame be offered, Savior, to thy name!
WORDS: Georg Weissel, 1642; trans. by Catherine Winkworth, 1855 MUSIC: Psalmodia Evangelica, 1789
OPENING PRAYER
*PRAISE AND WORSHIP
Shine Jesus, Shine
Lord, the light of Your love is shining,
In the midst of the darkness shining;
Jesus, Light of the world, shine upon us,
Set us free by the truth You now bring us;
Shine on me. Shine on me.
Shine, Jesus shine, fill this land with the Father’s glory,
Blaze, Spirit, blaze, set our hearts on fire.
Flow, river, flow, flood the nations with grace and mercy;
Send forth Your Word, Lord, and let there be light.
Lord, I come to Your awesome presence,
From the shadows into Your radiance;
By the blood I may enter Your brightness;
Search me, try me, consume all my darkness;
Shine on me, Shine on me.
Shine, Jesus shine, fill this land with the Father’s glory,
Blaze, Spirit, blaze, set our hearts on fire.
Flow, river, flow, flood the nations with grace and mercy;
Send forth Your Word, Lord, and let there be light.
As we gaze on Your kingly brightness,
So our faces display Your likeness,
Ever changing from glory to glory,
Mirrored here, may our lives tell Your story;
Shine on me. Shine on me.
Shine, Jesus shine, fill this land with the Father’s glory,
Blaze, Spirit, blaze, set our hearts on fire.
Flow, river, flow, flood the nations with grace and mercy;
Send forth Your Word, Lord, and let there be light
Seek Ye First The Kingdom Of God
Seek ye first the kingdom of God
And His righteousness
And all these things shall be added unto you
Al-le-lu, al-le-lu-ia
Ask and it shall be given unto you
Seek and ye shall find
Knock and the door shall be opened unto you
Al-le-lu, al-le-lu-ia
Jesus, Name Above All Names
Jesus, name above all names, beautiful Savior…glorious Lord
Emmanuel, God is with us, blessed Redeemer, Living Word.
Surely The Presence Of The Lord Is In This Place
Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place;
I can feel His mighty power and His grace.
I can hear the brush of angels’ wings,
I see glory on each face;
Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place.
WORDS: Lanny Wolfe, 1977 MUSIC: Lanny Wolfe, 1977
WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Birthdays and Anniversaries
Happy birthday to you, Jesus loves you it’s true,
May the Lord bless and keep you,
Happy birthday to you.
Happy Anniversary to you, happy Anniversary to you
Happy Anniversary dear friends, happy Anniversary to you
TODAY: Church Prayer meeting at 7:30 p.m.
TUESDAY: Farm Share truck unloading 10:30 a.m.
WEDNESDAY: Bible Study 7:00 p.m.
THURSDAY: Food Distribution starts at 8:00 a.m.
THURSDAY: Choir 7:00 p.m.
SATURDAY: Christmas Eve service at 7:30 p.m.
NEXT SUNDAY: Christmas Day services at 8:30 and 11:00 a.m.
December 26 to 29 church building closed for termite tenting
SATURDAY, December 31 Max Chambers hosts an Early New Year’s Eve for the children from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. with the Ball Drop countdown beginning at 4:50. There will be inflatables, big slide, bungie bounce, face painting, popcorn, ice cream, with a DJ. Get your photo taken with your favorite Superhero or Disney Princess. The event will take place at the Miramar Regional Park Baseball Field, 16801 Miramar Parkway, Miramar 33027, for more info call 954-602-3157
SATURDAY, December 31 Watch Night service at 11:00 p.m.
SUNDAY, January 1 Covenant services at 8:30 and 11:00 a.m.
The Mission Wreath order form is available at the end of the bulletin.
Contributions this year go to BOLD Justice.
There are envelopes marked “Staff Christmas Gift” in the pew pockets and on the tables. Please give as you are able towards a gift for the Administrative Assistant, Custodian, Treasurer, Church Musician and Choir Director.
The Church Council has made it optional to wear a mask in the sanctuary for worship. Please follow your conscience as you are led.
For Sharing of the Spirit, please wave at the YouTube camera and say, “the peace of the Lord be with you,” and then wave at your neighbor in the sanctuary and say, “and also with you”.
Please stand for the gospel according to Matthew 1:18-25
CHILDREN’S TIME
BAPTISM
Brothers and Sisters in Christ; through the sacrament of Baptism we are initiated into Christ’s holy Church. We are incorporated into God’s mighty acts of salvation and given new birth through water and the Spirit. All this is God’s gift, offered to us without price.
Gianna Kaelle Desauguste has been brought for baptism by her parents, and family today. We ask them to respond to these questions as a testimony to their faith, and I ask the congregation to pledge to help them in their task.
To the family, I ask these questions:
On behalf of the whole Church, I ask you: Do you renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness, reject the evil powers of this world, and repent of your sin? I do.
Do you accept the freedom and power God gives you to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves? I do.
Do you confess Jesus Christ as your Savior, put your whole trust in his grace, and promise to serve him as your Lord, in union with the Church which Christ has opened to people of all ages, nations, and races? I do.
Will you nurture this child in Christ’s holy Church, that by your teaching and example she may be guided to accept God’s grace for herself, and profess her faith openly, and to lead a Christian life? I will.
Now to the congregation I ask:
Do you, as Christ’s body, the Church, reaffirm both your rejection of sin and your commitment to Christ? We do.
Will you nurture one another in the Christian faith and life and include these persons now before you, and all the children in this church, in your care?
With God’s help we will proclaim the good news and live according to the example of Christ. We will surround these persons with a community of love and forgiveness, that they may grow in their service to others. We will pray for them, that they may be true disciples who walk in the way that leads to life.
Let us pray: Eternal Father: When nothing existed but chaos, you swept across the dark waters and brought forth light. In the days of Noah you saved those on the ark through water. After the flood you set in the clouds a rainbow. When you saw your people as slaves in Egypt, you led them to freedom through the sea. Their children you brought through the Jordan to the land which you promised.
In the fullness of time you sent Jesus, nurtured in the water of a womb. He was baptized by John and anointed by your Spirit. He called his disciples to share in the baptism of his death and resurrection and to make disciples of all nations.
Pour out your Holy Spirit, to bless this gift of water and Gianna Kaelle who receives it, to wash away her sin and clothe her in righteousness throughout her life, that, dying and being raised with Christ, Gianna Kaelle may share in his final victory.
Bless the home of Gianna Kaelle, give wisdom and affection to her parents, grant to them understanding and guidance, and, most of all, build up the love which conquers all evil and instills the grace to lead a Christian life. We ask in Jesus’ name.
All praise to you, Eternal Father, through your Son Jesus Christ, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns for ever. Amen.
Gianna Kaelle, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
The Holy Spirit work within you, that being born through water and the Spirit, you may be a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Now it is our joy to welcome our new sister in Christ.
Through baptism you are incorporated by the Holy Spirit into God’s new creation and made to share in Christ’s royal priesthood. We are all one in Christ Jesus. With joy and thanksgiving we welcome you as a member of the family of Christ.
*HYMN 250 Once In Royal David’s City+
1 Once in royal David’s city stood a lowly cattle shed,
Where a mother laid her Baby in a manger for His bed.
Mary, loving mother mild; Jesus Christ, her little Child.
2 He came down to earth from Heaven who is God and Lord of all
And His shelter was a stable and His cradle was a stall.
With the poor, the scorned, the lowly lived on earth our Savior holy.
3 Jesus is our childhood’s pattern; day by day like us He grew;
He was little, weak and helpless, tears and smiles like us He knew;
And he feeleth for our sadness and He shareth in our gladness.
4 And our eyes at last shall see Him, through His own redeeming love;
For that Child so dear and gentle is our God in Heaven above;
And He leads His children on to the place where He is gone.
5 Not in that poor lowly stable with the oxen standing by
we shall see him, but in heaven, set at God’s right hand on high.
There his children gather round, bright like stars, with glory crowned
WORDS: Cecil Frances Alexander, 1848 MUSIC: Henry J. Gauntlett, 1849
RECEPTION OF TITHES AND OFFERINGS
Please place your offering in the baskets at the 3 doors leading into the sanctuary on your way in or out.
The Mission Offering today is for Women in Distress
Next Sunday our Mission Offering goes to Apportionments
As we draw near to the close of the year, please remember in your end of the year giving the church in your contributions so that we can not only pay all our bills and increase our mission but also so that we can reduce the time it will take to pay off our mortgage by contributing to the “mortgage principal reduction.” Thank you for your faithfulness.
Prayer of Dedication
One minute musical interlude while worshipers prepare their offering. Instructions for giving online, by check or text are in the section after the Order of Service.
DOXOLOGY
Praise God from whom all blessings flow,
praise him all creatures here below,
praise him above, ye heavenly hosts,
praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen
Sunday School children go out to their classes
“Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world,
red or yellow, black or white, they are precious in his sight,
Jesus loves the little children of the world.”
TIME OF SHARING JOYS & CONCERNS
(please email miramarpastor@gmail.com)
PRAYER HYMN 172 My Jesus, I Love Thee+
1 My Jesus, I love thee, I know thou art mine;
for thee all the follies of sin I resign.
My gracious Redeemer, my Savior art thou;
if ever I loved thee, my Jesus, 'tis now.
2 I love thee because thou hast first loved me,
and purchased my pardon on Calvary's tree;
I love thee for wearing the thorns on thy brow;
if ever I loved thee, my Jesus, 'tis now.
3 Bore it up triumphant with its human light,
Through all ranks of creatures to the central height,
To the throne of God-head, to the Father’s breast;
Filled it with the glory of that perfect rest.
3 In mansions of glory and endless delight,
I'll ever adore thee in heaven so bright;
I'll sing with the glittering crown on my brow;
If ever I loved thee, my Jesus, 'tis now.
WORDS: William R. Featherstone, 1864 MUSIC: Adoniram J. Gordon, 1876
PRAYER OF INTERCESSION AND THE 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, the power, and the glory,
For ever and ever. Amen.
CANTATA Emmanuel Shall Come Choir
*HYMN OF SENDING FORTH 219 Joy To The World+
1 Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare him room,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven, and heaven and nature sing.
2 Joy to the world, the Savior reigns!
Let all their songs employ,
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.
3 No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make his blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as the curse is found.
4 He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of his righteousness,
And wonders of his love,
And wonders of his love,
And wonders, wonders of his love.
WORDS: Isaac Watts, 1719 MUSIC: Arr. from G. F. Handel, 1741, by Lowell Mason, 1848
BENEDICTION
+All music under ccli #24249
_________________________________
We give God thanks for this opportunity to worship together in-person in our sanctuary as well as online. Please wear your mask and greet each with a wave, an elbow or fist bump. Please maintain social distance and sit at either end or the middle of the pew. In the pews we ask you to sit, in every other pew, spaced out as best you can. Seats are also available in the foyer and the fellowship hall if needed. Both have been set up with screens for the PowerPoint presentation and live video stream from the pulpit. We will continue to live stream the services on Twitter and YouTube for those who would like to continue to participate from home.
The offering will be received in the baskets at the three entry points of the sanctuary. No bulletins will be handed out, everything you need will be on the screens. No need to call or email ahead for a place to worship, you are invited to the sanctuary any time for in-person worship. Come as you are!
Remember there are two ways you can watch our services. One is on YouTube.com by typing in the search bar: Miramar UMC and then you should see the service live streamed. If you subscribe to our service through YouTube.com you can set up reminders for the day before or 15 minutes before, whatever you like.
The other way to “gather” in virtual worship is through the Twitter service available by going to our miramarumc.org website. Pass around the information so that others may join in worship by clicking on the Twitter bird icon on the home page. We will continue our 8:30 and 11:00 a.m. services (except when we have a fifth Sunday of the month 10:00 a.m. service.) If you lose the service for a few seconds do not worry it will probably come back, but if it is longer than a few seconds you might try clicking the refresh button in your browser window.
Please email your prayer requests for uplifting on Sundays by sending them to miramarpastor@gmail.com. It is best if you send them by Saturday NOON if possible.
Our church prayer meeting is online on Sundays at 7:30 p.m. and you may contact Marvia Aitken or Vinessa Edwards mamaness@bellsouth.net for the link.
This week, Monday through Thursday there will be someone in the church office from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. each day, and you may make an appointment to see the pastor at these or other times. Please remember to enter from the south entrance near the Pastor’s office. No other doors will be open for church business. The preschool is open but you should still come in by the south entrance because the north entrance from the parking lot must be dedicated for the little children of the preschool. Please let friends with preschool aged children know that they can enroll the children in our preschool.
WAYS to give:
1. Online giving is available through our website miramarumc.org. On the home page the ‘Donate’ icon (a hand with a dollar sign above it) is located at the top left corner and on the right under “Contact Us” you will see the same icon along with “Donate Online.” Click on either location for instructions. If you need help call the church office at 954-989-4711. Thanks to all who have signed up for this. The regular tithes and offerings of the church are a great source of blessing.
2. You can also mail a check to Miramar United Methodist Church. If you have your offering envelopes you will see that the address of the church is printed for mailing purposes and your offering can be mailed in this envelope when you apply a stamp. You may also use a regular envelope and address it to: MUMC, 2507 Utopia Drive, Miramar FL 33023. Just put your check inside, mark which funds you would like to support, put a stamp on and let the United States Postal Service do the rest! Or bring it by after the Sunday services, someone will be in the church for one hour after the worship finishes as well as Mon-Thurs 1-5 pm. We trust God will keep us strong.
3. Also, we have the option of giving by text! Use 833-931-1791 to GivePlusText and when you text any amount, by putting that number in the message, you will be prompted to register, then fill out the details of your name, address and means of payment, and the contribution will go in! If you enter an email address you will get an immediate receipt. It is easy! If you have an Apple phone you may also get Vanco’s GivePlusMobile by downloading the app from the App Store. You may also look up YouTube videos to show how all this is done.
Thank you for your prayers! Grace and peace, Pastor David.
