FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
ORDER OF WORSHIP
FIRST SUNDAY OF CHRISTMAS
December 28, 2025
PRELUDE
WELCOME and ANNOUNCEMENTS
-TUESDAY MORNING COFFEE GROUP at 9:30ish AM at First Lutheran Mission Coffee House.
-THE CHURCH OFFICE WILL BE CLOSED on January 1, 2026 in observance of New Year’s Day.
-THURSDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY will meet again after the holidays on Thursday, January 8, 2026.
CALL TO WORSHIP
We gather to worship the Word made flesh,
who fled from the wrath of human powers into Egypt.
The God we worship was a refugee.
We remember the children, from the time of Christ to today,
caught in the cross-fires of fear and greed.
The God we worship was a refugee.
We gather to dream and build a better world
where all children grow up, all exiles return home.
The God we worship was a refugee.
*OPENING HYMN #105 (red) “People, Look East”
People, look east. The time is near of the crowing of the year.
Make your house fair as you are able, trim the hearth and set the table.
People look east and sing today: Love the guest is on the way.
Furrows, be glad. Though earth is bare, one more seed is planted there:
Give up your strength the seed to nourish,
That in course the flower may flourish.
People look east and sing today: Love the guest is on the way.
Birds, though you long have ceased to build,
Guard the nest that must be filled.
Even the hour when wings are frozen God for fledging time has chosen.
People look east and sing today: Love the guest is on the way.
Stars, keep the watch. When night is dim
One more light the bowl shall brim,
Shining beyond the frosty weather, bright as sun and moon together.
People look east and sing today: Love the guest is on the way.
Angels, announce with shouts of mirth
Christ who brings new life to earth.
Set every peak and valley humming with the word, the Lord is coming.
People, look east and sing today: Love the Lord is on the way.
*CALL TO CONFESSION and *PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Ever-present God, you became our Savior in all our distress. In all the ways we hurt, and all the ways we hurt others, in all the ways we feel neglected and all the ways we neglect others, in all the ways we cry out and all the ways we cause others to cry, you are with us, comforting us and holding us to account. In your love, redeem us once again. Lift us up and grant us your mercy, as you have throughout the generations.
*ASSURANCE OF PARDON
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.
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION and SCRIPTURE READING
Isaiah 63:7-9
7 I will tell of the kindnesses of the Lord, the deeds for which he is to be praised,
according to all the Lord has done for us—
yes, the many good things he has done for Israel,
according to his compassion and many kindnesses.
8 He said, “Surely they are my people, children who will be true to me”;
and so he became their Savior.
9 In all their distress he too was distressed,
and the angel of his presence saved them.
In his love and mercy he redeemed them;
he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.
Matthew 2:13-23
13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”
14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:
18 “A voice is heard in Ramah,
weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children
and refusing to be comforted,
because they are no more.”
19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20 and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.”
21 So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, 23 and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.
MESSAGE - What We can Learn from the Christmas Stories of our Youth Elizabeth Fox, CRE
HYMN OF RESPONSE #108 (red) “Of the Father’s Love Begotten”
Of the Father's love begotten, ere the worlds began to be,
he is Alpha and Omega; he the source, the ending he,
of the things that are, that have been, and that future years shall see,
evermore and evermore!
By his Word was all created; he commended; it was done:
heaven and earth and depths of ocean, universe of three in one.
All that sees the moon’s soft shining, all that breathes beneath the sun,
evermore and evermore!
O, that birth forever blessed when the Virgin, full of grace,
by the Holy Ghost conceiving, bore the Savior of our race,
And the babe, the world’s Redeemer, first revealed his sacred face,
evermore and evermore!
This is he whom seers in old time chanted of with one accord,
whom the voices of the prophets promised in their faithful word.
Now he shines, the long-expected. Let creation praise its Lord,
evermore and evermore!
O ye heights of heaven adore him. Angel hosts, his praises sing.
Powers, dominions, bow before him, and extol our God and King.
Let no tongue on Earth be silent; every voice in concert ring,
evermore and evermore!
Christ! to thee with God the Father, and, O Holy Ghost, to thee,
hymn and chant and high thanksgiving and unwearied praises be.
Honor, glory, and dominion, and eternal victory,
evermore and evermore!
Amen.
*AFFIRMATION OF FAITH Adapted from the Confession of 1967, 9.27
The one sufficient revelation of God is Jesus Christ, the Word of God incarnate,
to whom the Holy Spirit bears unique and authoritative witness through the Holy Scriptures, which are received and obeyed as the word of God written.
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE AND THE LORD’S PRAYER
Those Who Mourn: prayers for the families and friends of Robert (Bob) Fishback who passed away Dec. 7, Mike McCann who passed away Dec. 9, and Marlys Moore who passed away Dec. 17
Concerns: Duane & Kris, Bob O
Our homebound or in care members: Richard & Dolores C, JoAnn G, Jan J, Darwin L (Jeanne caregiver), Bob O (Nancy caregiver), Rose P, Joyce R, Steve VB, Dee W (Please reach out)
This Week’s Prayer Families: Ann & Bill D, Mary E, Pat F
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 debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever, Amen.
OFFERING
*DOXOLOGY
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. Amen.
*CLOSING HYMN (insert) “Good King Wenceslas”
Good King Wenceslas looked out on the Feast of Stephen,
When the snow lay round about, deep and crisp and even.
Brightly shone the moon that night, though the frost was cruel,
When a poor man came in sight, gath’ring winter fuel.
“Hither, page, and stand by me, if you know it, telling,
Yonder peasant, who is he? Where and what his dwelling?”
“Sire, he lives a good league hence, underneath the mountain,
Right against the forest fence, by Saint Agnes’ fountain.”
“Bring me food and bring me wine, bring me pine logs hither,
You and I will see him dine, when we bear them thither.”
Page and monarch, forth they went, forth they went together,
Through the cold wind’s wild lament and the bitter weather.
“Sire, the night is darker now, and the wind blows stronger,
Fails my heart, I know not how; I can go no longer.”
“Mark my footsteps, my good page, tread now in them boldly,
You shall find the winter’s rage freeze your blood less coldly.”
In his master’s steps he trod, where the snow lay dinted;
Heat was in the very sod which the saint had printed.
Therefore, Christian men, be sure, while God’s gifts possessing,
You who now will bless the poor shall yourselves find blessing.
BLESSING AND CHARGE
POSTLUDE
ORDER OF WORSHIP
FIRST SUNDAY OF CHRISTMAS
December 28, 2025
PRELUDE
WELCOME and ANNOUNCEMENTS
-TUESDAY MORNING COFFEE GROUP at 9:30ish AM at First Lutheran Mission Coffee House.
-THE CHURCH OFFICE WILL BE CLOSED on January 1, 2026 in observance of New Year’s Day.
-THURSDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY will meet again after the holidays on Thursday, January 8, 2026.
CALL TO WORSHIP
We gather to worship the Word made flesh,
who fled from the wrath of human powers into Egypt.
The God we worship was a refugee.
We remember the children, from the time of Christ to today,
caught in the cross-fires of fear and greed.
The God we worship was a refugee.
We gather to dream and build a better world
where all children grow up, all exiles return home.
The God we worship was a refugee.
*OPENING HYMN #105 (red) “People, Look East”
People, look east. The time is near of the crowing of the year.
Make your house fair as you are able, trim the hearth and set the table.
People look east and sing today: Love the guest is on the way.
Furrows, be glad. Though earth is bare, one more seed is planted there:
Give up your strength the seed to nourish,
That in course the flower may flourish.
People look east and sing today: Love the guest is on the way.
Birds, though you long have ceased to build,
Guard the nest that must be filled.
Even the hour when wings are frozen God for fledging time has chosen.
People look east and sing today: Love the guest is on the way.
Stars, keep the watch. When night is dim
One more light the bowl shall brim,
Shining beyond the frosty weather, bright as sun and moon together.
People look east and sing today: Love the guest is on the way.
Angels, announce with shouts of mirth
Christ who brings new life to earth.
Set every peak and valley humming with the word, the Lord is coming.
People, look east and sing today: Love the Lord is on the way.
*CALL TO CONFESSION and *PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Ever-present God, you became our Savior in all our distress. In all the ways we hurt, and all the ways we hurt others, in all the ways we feel neglected and all the ways we neglect others, in all the ways we cry out and all the ways we cause others to cry, you are with us, comforting us and holding us to account. In your love, redeem us once again. Lift us up and grant us your mercy, as you have throughout the generations.
*ASSURANCE OF PARDON
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.
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION and SCRIPTURE READING
Isaiah 63:7-9
7 I will tell of the kindnesses of the Lord, the deeds for which he is to be praised,
according to all the Lord has done for us—
yes, the many good things he has done for Israel,
according to his compassion and many kindnesses.
8 He said, “Surely they are my people, children who will be true to me”;
and so he became their Savior.
9 In all their distress he too was distressed,
and the angel of his presence saved them.
In his love and mercy he redeemed them;
he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.
Matthew 2:13-23
13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”
14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:
18 “A voice is heard in Ramah,
weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children
and refusing to be comforted,
because they are no more.”
19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20 and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.”
21 So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, 23 and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.
MESSAGE - What We can Learn from the Christmas Stories of our Youth Elizabeth Fox, CRE
HYMN OF RESPONSE #108 (red) “Of the Father’s Love Begotten”
Of the Father's love begotten, ere the worlds began to be,
he is Alpha and Omega; he the source, the ending he,
of the things that are, that have been, and that future years shall see,
evermore and evermore!
By his Word was all created; he commended; it was done:
heaven and earth and depths of ocean, universe of three in one.
All that sees the moon’s soft shining, all that breathes beneath the sun,
evermore and evermore!
O, that birth forever blessed when the Virgin, full of grace,
by the Holy Ghost conceiving, bore the Savior of our race,
And the babe, the world’s Redeemer, first revealed his sacred face,
evermore and evermore!
This is he whom seers in old time chanted of with one accord,
whom the voices of the prophets promised in their faithful word.
Now he shines, the long-expected. Let creation praise its Lord,
evermore and evermore!
O ye heights of heaven adore him. Angel hosts, his praises sing.
Powers, dominions, bow before him, and extol our God and King.
Let no tongue on Earth be silent; every voice in concert ring,
evermore and evermore!
Christ! to thee with God the Father, and, O Holy Ghost, to thee,
hymn and chant and high thanksgiving and unwearied praises be.
Honor, glory, and dominion, and eternal victory,
evermore and evermore!
Amen.
*AFFIRMATION OF FAITH Adapted from the Confession of 1967, 9.27
The one sufficient revelation of God is Jesus Christ, the Word of God incarnate,
to whom the Holy Spirit bears unique and authoritative witness through the Holy Scriptures, which are received and obeyed as the word of God written.
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE AND THE LORD’S PRAYER
Those Who Mourn: prayers for the families and friends of Robert (Bob) Fishback who passed away Dec. 7, Mike McCann who passed away Dec. 9, and Marlys Moore who passed away Dec. 17
Concerns: Duane & Kris, Bob O
Our homebound or in care members: Richard & Dolores C, JoAnn G, Jan J, Darwin L (Jeanne caregiver), Bob O (Nancy caregiver), Rose P, Joyce R, Steve VB, Dee W (Please reach out)
This Week’s Prayer Families: Ann & Bill D, Mary E, Pat F
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 debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever, Amen.
OFFERING
*DOXOLOGY
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. Amen.
*CLOSING HYMN (insert) “Good King Wenceslas”
Good King Wenceslas looked out on the Feast of Stephen,
When the snow lay round about, deep and crisp and even.
Brightly shone the moon that night, though the frost was cruel,
When a poor man came in sight, gath’ring winter fuel.
“Hither, page, and stand by me, if you know it, telling,
Yonder peasant, who is he? Where and what his dwelling?”
“Sire, he lives a good league hence, underneath the mountain,
Right against the forest fence, by Saint Agnes’ fountain.”
“Bring me food and bring me wine, bring me pine logs hither,
You and I will see him dine, when we bear them thither.”
Page and monarch, forth they went, forth they went together,
Through the cold wind’s wild lament and the bitter weather.
“Sire, the night is darker now, and the wind blows stronger,
Fails my heart, I know not how; I can go no longer.”
“Mark my footsteps, my good page, tread now in them boldly,
You shall find the winter’s rage freeze your blood less coldly.”
In his master’s steps he trod, where the snow lay dinted;
Heat was in the very sod which the saint had printed.
Therefore, Christian men, be sure, while God’s gifts possessing,
You who now will bless the poor shall yourselves find blessing.
BLESSING AND CHARGE
POSTLUDE
