Pastor: David Range
December 22, 2024
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
Advent IV: Prepare to Love
December 22, 2024 8:30 and 11:00 a.m. services
Please see the end of the bulletin for some additional important information
CALL TO WORSHIP
ADVENT IV Candle Lighting: Prepare to Love
The Lord, our Redeemer, speaks through the prophet Isaiah: For the mountains may move and the hills disappear, but even then my faithful love for you will remain. My covenant of blessing will never be broken,” says the Lord, who has mercy on you. (Isaiah 54.10)
We light this candle of love as a sign of our commitment to live as people of God’s promise, a promise of salvation and flourishing for all people that springs forth from God’s love for all creation.
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
PRAYER
*PRAISE AND WORSHIP
Soon and Very Soon
Soon and very soon we are going to see the King
Soon and very soon we are going to see the King
Soon and very soon we are going to see the King
Hallelujah………hallelujah
We’re going to see the King
No more cryin’ there we are going to see the King
No more cryin’ there we are going to see the King
No more cryin’ there we are going to see the King
Hallelujah…..hallelujah we’re going to see the King
No more dying there we are going to see the King
No more dying there we are going to see the King
No more dying there we are going to see the King
Hallelujah….hallelujah we’re going to see the King
Soon and very soon we are going to see the King
Soon and very soon we are going to see the King
Soon and very soon we are going to see the King
Hallelujah………hallelujah
We’re going to see the King
Here I Am to Worship
Light of the world you stepped down into darkness
Opened my eyes, let me see
Beauty that made this heart…adore you
Hope of a life spent with you
So here I am to worship; Here I am to bow down
Here I am to say that you’re my God
You’re altogether lovely, altogether worthy
Altogether wonderful to me
King of all days oh so highly exalted
Glorious in heaven above
Humbly you came to the earth you created
All for love’s sake became poor
So here I am to worship; Here I am to bow down
Here I am to say that you’re my God
You’re altogether lovely, altogether worthy
Altogether wonderful to me
And I’ll never know how much it costs
To see my sin upon that cross
And I’ll never know how much it costs
To see my sin upon that cross
So here I am to worship; Here I am to bow down
Here I am to say that you’re my God
You’re altogether lovely, altogether worthy
Altogether wonderful to me
Emmanuel, Emmanuel
Emmanuel, Emmanuel, His name is called Emmanuel
God with us, revealed in us,
His name is called Emmanuel.
WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Birthdays and Anniversaries
TONIGHT: Church Prayer meeting at 7:30 p.m.
TUESDAY: Christmas Eve service of Lessons and Carols, 7:30 p.m.
SATURDAY: Food distribution 10:00 a.m.
NEXT SUNDAY: One Joint 10:00 a.m. service for the fifth Sunday of the month.
Looking ahead:
TUESDAY: December 31 Watch Night service at 11:00 p.m. when we ring in the New Year with prayer, proclamation, and song.
The Mission Offering today is for Apportionments
Next Sunday our Mission Offering goes to Residing Hope
TODAY the Mission Wreath is up and ready for you to pay for a bulb to thank God for something good, to remember someone who has died, or to honor someone. Please fill out a form and add it to your envelope or other payment.
We honor the hard work of our church administrative assistant, music director, custodian, lawn care workers and you are invited to place a gift in the “Staff Christmas Gift” envelope. Thank you.
The preschool is now accepting children from one year old to five years old. Please encourage families with small children in need of care to contact the director at 954 981 9269, or search the website: http://miramarmethodistpreschool.com/ or Instagram: MiramarMethodistPreschool or Facebook: Miramar United Methodist Preschool or drop by for a visit 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday to Friday.
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 of Luke 1:39-45
CHILDREN’S TIME
Welcoming new members (8:30)
MEMBERSHIP VOWS for December 22, 2024 at 8:30 a.m.
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. Through the transfer of membership Modupe Thomas and Michaelas Ogunlade confirm the covenant declared at their baptism, acknowledge what God is doing for them, and together we affirm our commitment to Christ’s holy church.
These persons before you have come forward to declare they are followers of Jesus Christ and to declare or renew their faith and witness to God’s grace. They are ready to take on the responsibilities of full membership. We ask them to respond to these questions as a testimony to their faith, and I ask you, members of the congregation, to pledge to help them in this task.
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.
I ask you, as members of Christ’s universal church, will you be loyal to Christ through The United Methodist Church, and do all in your power to strengthen its ministries and as members of this congregation, will you faithfully participate in its ministries by your prayers, your presence, your gifts, your service, and your witness? I will.
Modupe Thomas and Michaelas Ogunlade the Holy Spirit work within you, that having been born through water and the Spirit, you may live as a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ. Amen
Members of the household of faith, I commend these persons to your love and care. Do all in your power to increase their faith, confirm their hope, and perfect them in love.
Now of 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 Modupe Thomas and Michaelas Ogunlade now before you in your care? With God’s help we will.
We give thanks for all that God has already given you and we welcome you in Christian love. As members together with you in the body of Christ and in this congregation of the Miramar United Methodist Church, we renew our covenant faithfully to participate in the ministries of the church by our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service, and our witness that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.
The God of all grace, who has called us to eternal glory in Christ, establish you and strengthen you by the power of the Holy Spirit, that you may live in grace and peace. Amen
The Right Hand of Fellowship. Presentation of new members packet. You may greet the new members with applause.
*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 pass the offering bags along each row at the direction of the ushers. Instructions for giving online, by check or text are in the section after the Order of Service.
The Mission Offering today is for Apportionments
Next Sunday our Mission Offering goes to Residing Hope
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
HYMN 191 Jesus Loves Me This I Know+
1 Jesus loves me! this I know, for the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to him belong; they are weak, but he is strong.
Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me! The Bible tells me so.
2 Jesus loves me, this I know, as he loved so long ago,
taking children on his knee, saying, "Let them come to me.“
Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me! The Bible tells me so.
3 Jesus loves me still today, walking with me on my way,
wanting as a friend to give, light and love to all who live.
Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me! The Bible tells me so.
WORDS: St. 1 Anna B. Warner, 1860; Sts. 2-3 David Rutherford MacGuire MUSIC: William B. Bradbury, 1862
TIME OF SHARING JOYS & CONCERNS
(please email miramarpastor@gmail.com)
PRAYER HYMN 219 What Child is This+
1 What child is this who, laid to rest on Mary’s lap is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,
While shepherds watch are keeping?
This, this is Christ the King,
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing;
Haste, haste, to bring Him laud, the Babe, the son of Mary.
2 Why lies He in such mean estate,
Where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christians, fear, for sinners here
The silent Word is pleading.
This, this is Christ the King,
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing;
Haste, haste, to bring Him laud, the Babe, the son of Mary.
3 So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh,
come, peasant, king, to own Him;
The King of kings salvation brings,
Let loving hearts enthrone Him.
This, this is Christ the King,
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing;
Haste, haste, to bring Him laud, the Babe, the son of Mary.
WORDS: William C. Dix, 1865 MUSIC: 16th cent. English melody
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.
SERMON Who is leaping now? Pastor David Range
HYMN OF SENDING FORTH 251 Go, Tell It on the Mountain+
Go, tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere;
go, tell it on the mountain, that Jesus Christ is born.
1 While shepherds kept their watching o’er silent flocks by night,
behold throughout the heavens there shown a holy light.
Go, tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere;
go, tell it on the mountain, that Jesus Christ is born.
2. The shepherds feared and trembled, when lo! above the earth,
rang out the angel chorus that hailed the Savior’s birth.
Go, tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere;
go, tell it on the mountain, that Jesus Christ is born.
3. Down in a lowly manger the humble Christ was born,
and God sent us salvation that blessed Christmas morn.
Go, tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere;
go, tell it on the mountain, that Jesus Christ is born.
WORDS: Afro-American spiritual; adapt. by John W. Work, Jr., 1907 MUSIC: Afro-American spiritual; adapt. by William Farley Smith, 1986
BENEDICTION
All music under ccli #24249
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We give God thanks for this opportunity to worship together in-person in our sanctuary as well as online. Wearing your mask is optional as the Covid virus, although still present, is no longer a healthcare emergency. Please continue to get your booster shots as they become available. We are always happy (and look forward) to have you join us in the sanctuary, but for those who would like to continue to participate from home, we will continue to live stream the services on X.com (formerly Twitter) and youtube.com.
To join us on youtube.com simply type Miramar UMC in the search bar 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 X.com (formerly known as 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 x.com 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 Error! Filename not specified. 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 for the link.
WAYS to give:
1. Online giving is available through our website
www.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
