Wellesley Village Church

Congregational † United Church of Christ

Advent IV “Christmas Sunday”

December 18, 2016 10:00 AM

All music and words in this bulletin are reprinted by

permission under OneLicense.net, License #A-714276

and by CCLI, License #2910233.

Welcome to worship at Wellesley Village Church!

We are committed to being a nurturing community where all are welcome and known and connected! We invite you to:

Wear a nametag—you may use the stickers or request a permanent nametag anytime.

Sign the fellowship pads and leave a comment. We love feedback.

Fill out a Connection Card so we can know you better.

Linger for coffee hour following worship in Village Common, located through doors near the pulpit.

If you have questions, ask any of us ...

We are delighted you are here!

Children of Village Church

From the tallest to the smallest we worship today as the whole people of God. Today we encourage children to participate fully in worship. Children’s worship

bags are available from the ushers, and children’s activities and supplies are available on the chancel steps nearest the piano.

Childcare for all ages is available in the Family Worship Room as needed, located on the main floor outside of the sanctuary.

Village Children’s Church classes and youth programs resume after the New Year.

Please see the blue resource folder for information and dates.

ORDER OF WORSHIP Hymns can be found in the Pilgrim Hymnal (red)

*Please stand as you are able.

PRELUDE “French Noel Settings” Nicolas Lebegue Daryl Robbins, trumpet WELCOME, CALL TO WORSHIP, INVOCATION Sarah Sarchet Butter *PROCESSIONAL HYMN NO. 132 “O Come, All Ye Faithful” ADESTE FIDELES

LIGHTING OF THE ADVENT CANDLES 8th Grade Youth Group

MUSICAL RESPONSE

CALL TO CONFESSION AND PRAYER OF CONFESSION Pam Emslie

God our Sovereign, we long for your coming. Though we have heard Mary’s song, we still seek security in power and possessions. We are anxious about our world, its direction, its leaders, its people. We seek your wisdom, and we yearn for your peace. (silence)

Christ our Savior, you are born into all of our human vulnerability. Though we know your way, we resist following you. We pass by those considered lowly in this world. We turn away from hungry people who still wait to be filled. We assume justice will come, without our investing in the process. Forgive us, we pray. (silence)

Holy Spirit, our Wisdom, help us notice the things that you would notice. Help us love those you would love. Help us work for the justice you would create. Make us messengers of the peace you bring. As we wait for you, turn our angst into action, our fear to love and our apathy into service. (Silence)

SUNG RESPONSE NO. 103 “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus” verses 1 & 3 STUTTGART Come, thou long-expected Jesus, Born to set thy people free:

From our fears and sins release us; Let us find our rest in thee

Israel’s strength and consolation, Hope of all the earth thou art;

Dear desire of every nation, Joy of every longing heart.

We sing and pray in the name of the coming one, AMEN.

ASSURANCE OF GOD’S GRACE

The peace of Christ be with you. . . .and also with you.

*PASSING THE PEACE

SUNG RESPONSE NO. 103 “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus” verses 3 & 4 STUTTGART

Born thy people to deliver, Born a child, and yet a king,

Born to reign in us forever, Now thy gracious kingdom bring.

By thine own eternal Spirit Rule in all our hearts alone:

By thine all sufficient merit Raise us to thy glorious throne. Amen.

FIRST SCRIPTURE Micah 5:2-5a (page 756 in pew Bible) ANTHEM “Will We Know Him” Don Besig

Youth Choir and Junior Choir CHILDREN’S MOMENT

Children of all ages are invited to come forward and sit on the chancel steps. SECOND SCRIPTURE Luke 2: 8-19 (page 833 in pew Bible) SERMON “Befriended” HYMN RESPONSE No. 140 “What Child Is This, Who Laid to Rest? GREENSLEEVES OUR COMMON LIFE AND OFFERING Mark Lenci and Josh Fitterling

Invitation

The most important gift you can offer God is your presence. Please sign and pass the

fellowship book, located at the end of each pew.

Offertory “Joy to the world” Arr. Henry Lebedinsky Senior Choir

*Response

Praise God from whom all blessings flow;

Praise God all creatures here below;

Praise God for all that love has done;

Creator, Christ, and Spirit One. Amen.

*Prayer of Dedication

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE Liz Garrigan-Byerly, Jodi Hitzhusen 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.

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen

*CLOSING HYMN NO. 120 “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” MENDELSSOHN *BENEDICTION POSTLUDE AND DISMISSAL “From Heaven Above to Earth I Come” Garth Edmundson At conclusion of the postlude, ALL ARE INVITED TO share in refreshments and conversation in Village Common, located through the doors nearest the pulpit. Please Come! Please Consider a Year End Gift to Village Church! A year-end gift is a wonderful way to express gratitude for the blessings of the past year and to help the church end the year with financial strength. The Stewardship and Finance teams extend their gratitude for every gift of every size. Checks or gifts of appreciated stock may be sent to the church office, post-marked by 12/31/16. Your checks may be made payable to Wellesley Congregational Church or Wellesley Village Church, either name will be accepted by the bank and Fidelity. Please specify whether such gifts are given as extra year-end contributions, or to fulfill a 2016 pledge, or to put toward a 2017 pledge (in anticipation of our 2017 stewardship season which will commence in January). Should you want to know your pledge balance or information on making a gift of stock, contact Shawn Doung at 781-235-1988, x 18 or by email at shawn@wellesleyvillagechurch.org. Thank you! Your gifts make Village Church the vibrant church we are called to be. ~ Rev.Sarah Butter and the Board of Finance and Stewardship teams

TODAY AT VILLAGE CHURCH

Chancel Flowers are given by Nancy and Bob Payne in loving memory of Nancy’s mother

Sarah.

New Nametags are alphabetical by last name in index boxes on a table in the Village Common

Lobby. Please insert it into a nametag holder and after worship place it at any one of the

nametag locations of an entrance that’s most convenient to you.

Fellowship Hour is hosted today by the Service Ministry Deacons. Thank you!

10:00 AM “Christmas Sunday” Worship, Sanctuary

Rev. Sarah Sarchet Butter, preaching Revs. Pam Emslie, Liz Garrigan Byerly &

Josh Fitterling, liturgists

Village Children’s Church

No Children’s Church School today as we worship together as a whole people

of God. Childcare available as needed.

11:15 AM Fellowship Hour, Village Common

12:15 PM 4pm Christmas Pageant Dress Rehearsal, Sanctuary, Village Hall

7pm Christmas Pageant Dress Rehearsal, Sanctuary, Village Hall

1:00 PM Chinese Language School, Upper Level

4:30 PM 6th & 7th Gr Youth Group with NWW, Village Common & Burtt Chapel

NWW Ecumenical Fellowship, Burtt Chapel & Village Common

5:00 PM Christian Meditation, Parlor

7:00 PM High School Youth Group (10-12th Gr), Youth Room

UPCOMING OPPORTUNITIES Details at: www.wellesleyvillagechurch.org

Christmas with Village Churchwomen's Giving Tree of Presents —DUE TODAY! We are

delighted to announce that the gifts have started to trickle in and all the gift tags have been taken from the

Giving Tree. The DEADLINE for bringing in your donations is TODAY in order to allow us time to

deliver them for the Christmas parties at Hoops & Homework.

CONGREGATIONAL HEARING and MEETING, SUNDAY, January 8, 2017

Calling all members of Village Church! As an expression of the Congregational covenant of

membership, you are invited to participate in an important Congregational Hearing and

Congregational Meeting. The meeting, called for Sunday, January 8, 2017 following the 10 am

worship, will include a Hearing to receive a report on the Village Church 2017 budget and a

Meeting to change the By-Laws to allow more flexibility in scheduling the Annual Meeting. We

hope you will be present to participate by receiving and responding to the proposed budget and

By-Laws change as we live out our Congregational commitment to be in covenant with one

another and guided by the Holy Spirit!

For His Children Coin Jars will be available starting this week at Coffee Hour! The proceeds

will be used to buy baby formula, rice, beans, and books going directly to help the children at the

two FHC Orphanages in Ecuador, where members of Village Church will be going in

February. Thank You!

Parents Night Out! Saturday, January 21, 2017 6pm-9pm (Save the Date!) The Wellesley Village

Church Stewardship Ministry would like to offer parents an opportunity for a night off. Drop

off your children at the church and enjoy dinner at a local Wellesley restaurant with friends.

Chancel Flower Donors Needed—The new 2017 calendar is here! If you would like to sponsor

flowers in celebration of an event or in memory of a person/s in your life, sign up on the

calendar posted in the Central St. lobby or contact Chris Toppin at

christine@wellesleyvillagechurch.org, or 781.235.1988 x 17. The cost of the flowers is $75. Thank

you!

Christmas Services

Christmas Eve Worship 12/24 Children & Family Service 4:00pm Youth Pageant Service 7:00pm Contemplative Communion 8:30pm Candlelight Service 10:00pm Christmas Day Worship 12/25 10:00am Only New Year's Day Worship 1/1 10:00am Only

Junior Choir

Sophia Bililies Carter Blessing

Madeline Blessing Lily DeKing Nick Evans

Liam Furlong Luke Hargrave Eliza Hirschey

Samantha Hirschey Spencer Hirschey

Caitlin Kelly

Ella McKay Isabel McKay

Charlotte Nielsen Leila Newman Piper Newman

Abby Reohr Taryn Reohr

Mathilde Senter Georgia Spangler

Riley Spangler

Youth Choir

Scotia Hille Julia Himmelberger

Peter Hodge Anjali Jain

Natalie Jain Elizabeth Kantrowitz

David Kelly Sean Kelly

Hannah Lee Jamie Mazzola

Connor McDonald Seamus Merullo

Caitlin Pfaff Grace Seaborn

Will Secor Alyson Sibold

Sydney Spangler Lydia Tusler Kai Wilson

Emily Abbott Drew Bates

Charlie Berger Elizabeth Berger Caroline Butter Elizabeth Butter

Daniel Carter Libby Foley

Amanda Galindo Alex Glowacky Will Glowacky Caroline Green Maia Grissino

James Hammond Aaron Hanson Isaac Hargrave

Ashna Hille

Kevin McDonald—Director of Youth Music

Senior Choir

Sopranos Julie Baker

Phyllis Gibson Frances Gratz Linda Harding

Amy Harris Allie Loehlin Cyndi Miller Helen Sagan

Charlotte Sanner *Dana Varga

Altos Carol Abrahams

Ann Belanger Patricia Buxton Cherie Hoffman

Anne Reece *Vera Savage Betty Seaborn Alexia Sontag Bobbie Suratt

Julie Thistlethwaite

Tenors Kenneth Chaulk

David Hunter Merrill Mack *Ethan Rowe

Basses Bentley Beaver

Phil Carens Richard Dodds James Loehlin David Oliver

*Sean Galligan Kenneth Sipe

Ron Smith Allen Steere

James Thistlethwaite

*Section Leaders

David Carrier–Director of Music

YOUTH MINISTRY

6th and 7th Grade Youth Group M eets every other Sunday from 5-6:30pm.

8th Grade Youth Group M eets every other Tuesday from 6:30-8pm.

Confirmation (9th Grade youth) Meets most Wednesdays from 7:30-9pm

High School Youth Group (10-12 grade) M eets Sunday evenings 7-8:30pm.

Please check the Youth Program Calendar on the church website for dates.

For more information, contact Pam Emslie, Associate Pastor for Youth, at 781-235-1988, x15; or by

email at pam@wellesleyvillagechurch.org.

MUSIC MINISTRY

Cherub Choir for children in Kindergar ten, 1st and 2nd grades.

Come sing! Spring rehearsals will begin February 7.

For more information, contact Linda Harding, Cherub Choir Director, by email at

hardinglr@gmail.com.

Junior Choir: Grades 3-6 Rehearsals after Second Worship, 11:15am-12:00pm

Youth Choir: Grades 7-12 Rehearsals W ednesday evenings 6:15-7:00pm

Instrumentalists

If you play an instrument and would like to share your gifts with our church, please contact Dr.

McDonald.

For more information on Junior or Youth Choir and being an Instrumentalist please contact Dr. Kevin

McDonald, Director of Youth Music, by email at mcdonaldkevin23@yahoo.com.

Senior Choir

The Senior Choir welcomes new singers and rehearses each Sunday at 8:30-9:30 am. There is no mid-week

rehearsal.

For more information on the Senior Choir, please see Director David Carrier in the choir loft or at

coffee hour after Second Worship.

CHILDREN’S MINISTRY What is happening in Church School today – Christmas Sunday: A whole people service where we worship inter-generationally as the whole people of God.

Families are invited to worship together. Children of all ages are welcome in our sanctuary to

worship and be part of our service. Worship supplies are available on the chancel stairs. Children’s

bulletins are available from an usher.

The Family Worship Room is located on the main floor just outside the Sanctuary to the left of

the Piano. The Family Worship Room is for families who wish to worship together in a child-

centered space. The service is on a live feed. For more information, please contact Michaela McDonald, Director of Children’s Ministries, by email

at Michaela@wellesleyvillagechurch.org or by phone 781-235-1988, x16.

The Rev. Sarah Sarchet Butter ~ Senior Pastor

Associate Pastors Pastoral Residents

The Rev. Pam Emslie The Rev. Megan Snell

The Rev. Liz Garrigan-Byerly The Rev. Joshua Fitterling

Ministry Directors

Michaela McDonald—Children’s Ministry

David R. Carrier—Music

Dr. Kevin McDonald—Youth Music

Jodi Hitzhusen—First Worship Music

Erin Donato - Administration

Wellesley Village Church

An Open and Affirming Congregation of the

UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST

2 Central Street, Wellesley, MA 02482

Office: 781-235-1988

Urgent Pastoral Care Cell: 781-591-7451

www.wellesleyvillagechurch.org

Our Church Covenant

We are banded together as a Christian Church

to maintain the worship of God,

to proclaim the gospel of Christ,

to develop in all people a consciousness of their relations and duties

to God and to each other, and

to inspire them with love for truth, passion for righteousness,

and enthusiasm for service.

To this end we pledge our loyalty to Christ and covenant with each

other

to express God’s spirit in our individual and corporate life;

to live together as Christians and to submit ourselves to the

government of this Church,

working, giving, praying for its increase, its purity, its peace,

and seeking in every way to make it a power