First Church Perth Amboy: 2021

Friday, December 24, 2021

First Presbyterian Church

First Sunday of Christmas

December 26, 2021

10:00 AM

Order of Worship

CALL TO WORSHIP (from “Joy to the World”)

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!

Let earth receive her king!

Let every heart prepare Him room.

Let heaven and nature sing in joy!

Let us worship the Living God.

*Hymn of Praise: “Angels From the Realm of Glory”

1. Angels from the realms of glory, wing your flight o'er all the earth; ye who sang creation's story now proclaim Messiah's birth:

Refrain: Come and worship, come and worship, worship Christ, the newborn king.

2. Shepherds, in the field abiding, watching o'er your flocks by night, God with us is now residing; yonder shines the infant light: (Refrain)

3. Sages, leave your contemplations, brighter visions beam afar; seek the great Desire of nations; ye have seen his natal star: (Refrain)

4. Saints, before the altar bending, watching long in hope and fear; suddenly the Lord, descending, in his temple shall appear: (Refrain)

PRAYER OF CONFESSION (In Unison)

Christ our Savior, forgive us for our dishonesty, our ignorance, our apathy towards growing in faith. Forgive our resentment and anger, the ways we dominate and divide. Clothe us in your new garments of compassion, kindness, humility and patience. Help us to embrace your peace and surrender to your extraordinary love. Amen.

*SILENT PRAYERS OF CONFESSION

ASSURANCE OF PARDON (From the hymn “We three kings of Orient are”)

O star of wonder, star of night … westward leading, still proceeding, guide us to thy perfect light. In the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.

*THE 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.

INVITATION: “Dear Lord, I need You, please come into my life today. Amen”

LESSON: Matthew 1: 1-6; 16-23

1An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, ³and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Aram, ⁴and Aram the father of Aminadab, and Aminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, ⁵and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, ⁶and Jesse the father of King David.

And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah…¹⁶and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah. 17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah, fourteen generations.

18 Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. ²⁰But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ ²²All this took place to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
²³ ‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel’,

Luke 2

In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,
‘Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom he favors!’

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.’ So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

SERMON: “The Legacy of Mary the Mother of Jesus” Rev. Peter Hofstra

December 26, 2021 Sermon Rev. Peter Hofstra

“What Did Mary Know?”

We have followed the genealogy of Jesus that introduces us to the Christmas story in the Gospel according to Luke. More specifically, we have considered the women who are mentioned by name in that genealogy. Going back to Abraham, there are 14 generations to David, 14 generations to the deportation to Babylon, and 14 generations to Jesus. In all of those generations, only five women are named, including Mary, the mother of Jesus, herself.

The attempt, this Advent, has been to try to figure out why Matthew included these women. In the male dominant culture of the time, there was significance to these women, and the question has been ‘what is their significance’? But how about consideration not only of their significance to us, but their significance to Mary?

There is a very powerful Christmas song that we ran early in our prelude called “Mary, Did You Know?” The lyrics are included. What did Mary know about these other women in the genealogy? Unlike we today, who can be drowned in all the streams of media that come pouring into our lives, Mary really only had one, that which was taught in the homes and synagogues of her community, the stories of what we call the Old Testament.

What did Mary know? Long after Christmas, more than thirty years later, she was going to stand on Golgotha, the mount of the skull, and she was going to see her boy crucified. Did she know about Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon? Did she know that when it looked like Bathsheba’s son, who was promised the kingship, looked like he might be pushed aside, probably killed outright as a contender to the throne, that when Bathsheba came to the king, the promises that God had made were NOT, in fact, pushed aside, but were fulfilled despite the odds they seemed to be facing? Did she know the stories of God’s promises being fulfilled? She knew the words of her Son, that he was coming back again. Did she find strength in those three days he was in the tomb that were renewed in the hope and joy of Jesus’ resurrection? Did she know she was from the line of Bathsheba?

Come back to Luke 2. We rejoice in these words because we know what’s to come. “In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David.” What did Mary know? She knew that she was being torn from the community she knew, where her support system was, where her family was, and she was being dragged to Bethlehem. And it was not a temporary thing. In the days of Roman, Roman citizens were the ones who were free to travel. Roman soldiers were the ones forced to travel in order to keep the Empire safe and free for the citizens. Everyone else, all the conquered peoples and the client kingdoms, they were all tied to their lands and to their jobs so they could provide the taxes that paid for the armies, that paid for the freedom known by the Citizens.

Did Mary know the story of Ruth, who followed Naomi from her country of origin, from Moab, from her faith of origin, the gods of the Moabites, to a new land and a new people with which she had no connection? Did she know the story of God’s care and preservation of Ruth and Naomi? Of the success she found in her new life in that very same City where Mary and Joseph moved to, into Bethlehem itself? Did she know she was from the line of Ruth?

Related to this forced move, this, according to the rules of the Romans, this permanent shift in locale, when Mary moved, she was not just pregnant, she was VERY pregnant. So while there may never truly be a good time to move, there are certainly absolutely horrible times to move. Her entire safety net, her household, her preparations, what has been termed the ‘nesting’ that seems to be built into the DNA of a new mother, all of that was ripped out from under her when she was forced to go with Joseph to Bethlehem.

And you know what happened when they got there. There was no room for them in the inn. If she left Nazareth convinced that everything she needed and prepared and set into motion for the birth of her son was being taken away, the sight of the barn, the sound and smells of the animals, the food trough that became a cradle? I remember a very male, rather older pastor commenting in a sermon about this, “These were not ideal circumstances for the delivery of a baby boy.” Ya think?

What did Mary know? Did she know the story of Rahab, born and raised in Jericho? Living there with her entire family? Gathering her entire family into her house built into the wall as the entire city was destroyed around her? Everything and everybody she knew, outside her immediate circle, dead in the war between the Israelites and the Canaanites, reduced to homelessness, to the state of a displaced person, in the very first battle of the war.

Did she know that Rahab confessed the Lord, God of Israel, as her own God. That the Lord took care of her, that the Lord established a place for her among the people of Israel. Did she know that she was from the line of Rahab?

And before all of this started, the Lord God came to Mary through the angel Gabriel, to ask her to take on the mission of being the mother of the Messiah, to be made pregnant by the Holy Spirit. That this was a choice she made and she rejoiced about, as is reflected in the words of Mary’s Magnificat in Luke 1. But then she had to tell Joseph. “God made me pregnant.” As we transition from the genealogy of Jesus to the opening of Matthew’s account of Jesus’ birth, we see the plans that are in the works. Joseph does not want to disgrace her publicly. We know that, even in that time, the penalty for adultery was death by stoning. There is an episode in the Gospel of John where the men of the city bring a woman so charged to Jesus in order to get his take on her death. That is where he teaches, “You who are without sin cast the first stone.” It was never a matter of innocence or guilt, it was all about forgiveness.

Joseph was going to dismiss her quietly, sent her back to her own family, disgraced but unharmed. I wonder how this challenged Mary’s acceptance of what God had come to her with. What did Mary know? Did she know the story of Tamar? Another woman who would be dragged before her father-in-law on charges of adultery-but to the memory of two dead husbands… Would she have understood what Tamar did in obedience to God’s law? An obedience that led to a rather sophisticated plot of deceit? Obedience that found her to be the more righteous because of her obedience?

As Mary, resting beside a newborn, greeted the shepherds, heard the stories of angels, as she treasured all these things in her heart, as she lived her life as Mary, the Mother of God, to where she watched her own son die, only to live again, where she saw the new faith that he founded out of what came before, did she have more than simply God’s word for it? Did she know the stories of her own faith? Did she know what came before? Did she know how God’s faithfulness had already been worked out?

So here is the story teller in me considering all of this. I would like to think of it this way. As the writer of the gospel of Matthew was gathering materials to tell the story of the life of Jesus, I like to think of them sitting down with Jesus’ mother. We are pretty sure that Joseph died somewhere before Jesus’ ministry began. What questions would they ask? I know what I would ask. What was it like, to be the mother of the Savior? I can imagine her telling them that it wasn’t all tinsel and candy canes. Rather, as she reflected on the birth, the life, the death, and the new life of her son, I hear her reaching back into her own faith experience to these other stories, to these other moments, so she had not only the words of the Lord as her comfort, but she had the history of the Lord’s faithfulness to draw upon. I can imagine then the gospel writer sitting with his materials and his notes. There are the stories that Mary cited, that from her history as a person of the Jewish faith where God spoke to her from his past faithfulness. There is Tamar, there is Rahab, there is Ruth. There is Bathsheba, another mother of a king…but also the object of David’s biggest sin, as the wife of Uriah… Perhaps this was God’s inspiration to put these names down, for the consideration and edification of the future generations who would learn about our Savior from the Gospel, who would learn the deep connections of faith and love that led to God being born as a baby among us on that first Christmas.

What did Mary know? Mary knew that her son from by the Holy Spirit, the Son of God. Mary knew that the angel of the Lord came to her personally to set in motion what was to happen. Mary knew that her Son, although arrested and executed, rose again from the dead. Mary knew he arose to offer the gift of grace for the forgiveness of all humanity.

But Mary also knew that God’s faithfulness did not suddenly drop from heaven when Gabriel came to her. Mary knew God’s faithfulness to God’s people throughout their history. Mary knew God’s faithfulness would continue to the people into the future, through Jesus.

So what do we know? We know what Mary knows. We know not only the gift of the birth of Jesus, we know the legacy of faithfulness that came forward through the women that Matthew has named for us in Jesus’ genealogy. And we know, though it has been countless generations since the birth of Jesus, that God’s faithfulness carries forward to this very day.

We know the true power and joy and love of Christmas. We know, as we go from this place, that God is our God, a God of love and forgiveness. We know that from his humblest beginnings, in a manger for a bed, that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, that in Him, the light of the Christmas Star shines into this world with the promise of our renewal in Him. Amen.

AFFIRMATION OF FAITH (From the “Book of Common Worship” Phil. 2:5-11)

Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross. Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess to the glory of God: Jesus Christ is Lord! Amen.

PASSING OF THE PEACE

THE OFFERING OF OUR TITHES & GIFTS

We are the stewards of God’s good gifts. Let us present our tithes and offerings in faithful response to God’s generosity.

*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.

*PRAYER OF DEDICATION

May our gifts offer healing and hope. May our lives reflect your love. May our actions serve your will, God of grace and glory. Amen.

JOYS AND CONCERNS

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE

Come, let us adore him … We adore you, Savior God, Root of Jesse, Ruler of Nations, Newborn King. We give thanks for the star that led us to this long-awaited hope and the season of Advent that prepared us for your extraordinary birth. Come, let us adore him … We adore you, Savior God, born fragile, vulnerable and human. We pray for those most vulnerable in our society: the sick, the marginalized, the abused, the poor and homeless. We pray for those who are bone-weary from work, those who feel helpless and hopeless. Empower and encourage them by your Spirit, O God. Come, let us adore him … We adore you, Savior God, for being with us in the flesh, for entering our world and experiencing our humanity, for redeeming and sustaining us in each and every moment. We pray for those who feel misunderstood, for those who are angry and those who have been dealt with unjustly. We pray for the victims of violence and for those who turn to violence as the answer. We pray to the Prince of Peace to heal us and guide us in the path of peace. Come, let us adore him … We adore you, Savior God, for the way you came and continue to come in mystery and in might. You enter our world, our joy and our pain, making our hearts burn with thanksgiving. May our lives be gifts of praise to you. May our Christmas joy turn us towards each other with compassion, respect and kindness. May we cloth ourselves in dignity and love each other as you love us. Holy and astounding God, we have seen the reflection of your glory and celebrated your love born again. Help us bear witness to Christ in our lives and in our prayers. Finally, hear us now, as we pray the prayer Christ taught us by saying together,

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. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; for Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

*CLOSING HYMN “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 nature sing.

2. Joy to the world, the Savior reigns! Let men their songs employ; while fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains repeat the sounding joy, repeat the sounding joy, 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 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 of his love.

*BENEDICTION

*THREE FOLD AMEN

Elements of Order of Worship Liturgy written by Teri McDowell Ott, courtesy of the Presbyterian Outlook

December 24, 2021 Christmas Eve Service of Light, Word, and Song

December 19, 2021 Service of Worship for the Lord's Day

First Presbyterian Church

Fourth Sunday of Advent

December 19, 2021

10:00 AM

Order of Worship

CALL TO WORSHIP (Luke 1:46)

“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”

With Mary, our spirits rejoice and we sing God’s praise.

Let us honor God with our worship this fourth Sunday of Advent

Let us worship the Living God.

*Hymn of Praise: “O Come, All Ye Faithful”

1. O come all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant, O come ye, O come ye, to Bethlehem. Come and behold him, born the King of angels;

Refrain: O come let us adore him, O come let us adore him, O come let us adore him, Christ the Lord.

2. Yea, Lord, we greet thee, born this happy morning, Jesus, to thee be all glory given. Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing: (Refrain)

3. Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation; O sing, all ye citizens of heaven above! Glory to God, all glory in the highest; (Refrain)

PRAYER OF CONFESSION (In Unison)

Soon we will celebrate the Prince of Peace, but we are not a people at peace. We glorify violence and dismiss the pacifist as weak. We dominate and demean in our conversations and relationships. We wage war with our enemies and invest in self-defense without careful regard of the consequences or exhausting non-violent strategies. Lord, forgive us. Help us work towards your peaceable kingdom, where swords will be beaten into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks. Amen.

*SILENT PRAYERS OF CONFESSION

ASSURANCE OF PARDON (Micah 5:4-5)

“And he will stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord … And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth; and he shall be the one of peace.” In the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.

*THE 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.

INVITATION: “Dear Lord, I need You, please come into my life today. Amen”

LESSON: Matthew 1: 1-6; 16-23

1An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

1 Kings 1: 1-18

King David was old and advanced in years; and although they covered him with clothes, he could not get warm. ²So his servants said to him, ‘Let a young virgin be sought for my lord the king, and let her wait on the king, and be his attendant; let her lie in your bosom, so that my lord the king may be warm.’ ³So they searched for a beautiful girl throughout all the territory of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king. ⁴The girl was very beautiful. She became the king’s attendant and served him, but the king did not know her sexually.

5 Now Adonijah son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, ‘I will be king’; he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. ⁶His father had never at any time displeased him by asking, ‘Why have you done that?’ He was also a very handsome man, and he was born next after Absalom. ⁷He conferred with Joab son of Zeruiah and with the priest Abiathar, and they supported Adonijah. ⁸But the priest Zadok, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and the prophet Nathan, and Shimei, and Rei, and David’s own warriors did not side with Adonijah.

9 Adonijah sacrificed sheep, oxen, and fatted cattle by the stone Zoheleth, which is beside En-rogel, and he invited all his brothers, the king’s sons, and all the royal officials of Judah, ¹⁰but he did not invite the prophet Nathan or Benaiah or the warriors or his brother Solomon.

11 Then Nathan said to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother, ‘Have you not heard that Adonijah son of Haggith has become king and our lord David does not know it? ¹²Now therefore come, let me give you advice, so that you may save your own life and the life of your son Solomon. ¹³Go in at once to King David, and say to him, “Did you not, my lord the king, swear to your servant, saying: Your son Solomon shall succeed me as king, and he shall sit on my throne? Why then is Adonijah king?” ¹⁴Then while you are still there speaking with the king, I will come in after you and confirm your words.’

15 So Bathsheba went to the king in his room. The king was very old; Abishag the Shunammite was attending the king. ¹⁶Bathsheba bowed and did obeisance to the king, and the king said, ‘What do you wish?’ ¹⁷She said to him, ‘My lord, you swore to your servant by the Lord your God, saying: Your son Solomon shall succeed me as king, and he shall sit on my throne. ¹⁸But now suddenly Adonijah has become king, though you, my lord the king, do not know it. ¹⁹He has sacrificed oxen, fatted cattle, and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the children of the king, the priest Abiathar, and Joab the commander of the army; but your servant Solomon he has not invited. ²⁰But you, my lord the king—the eyes of all Israel are on you to tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. ²¹Otherwise it will come to pass, when my lord the king sleeps with his ancestors, that my son Solomon and I will be counted offenders.’

28 King David answered, ‘Summon Bathsheba to me.’ So she came into the king’s presence, and stood before the king. ²⁹The king swore, saying, ‘As the Lord lives, who has saved my life from every adversity, ³⁰as I swore to you by the Lord, the God of Israel, “Your son Solomon shall succeed me as king, and he shall sit on my throne in my place”, so will I do this day.’ ³¹Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the ground, and did obeisance to the king, and said, ‘May my lord King David live for ever!’

SERMON: “The Story of God’s Promise Kept” Rev. Peter Hofstra

2021, 1219 Sermon Rev. Peter Hofstra

1 Kings 1

There is a great line in the movie “1776” that goes “Don’t worry, the history books will clean it up…” It considers the mess that was the creation of the Declaration of Independence. That plays into another cliché, “There are two things that you do not want to know how they are made, laws and sausages.” There is great truth in that statement.

The history books certainly clean up the reign of King David. He is THE king, the warrior extraordinaire who established Israel as a ‘real nation’ with conquests and everything. That is why Jesus’ pedigree in the line of David is so important. Connect the Messiah to the Warrior King. It is done throughout the prophetic history of the Messiah through the Old Testament.

Yet there is a downside to ‘cleaning up’ history. How much history never gets written, or accepted, in the mainstream because the dominant political voices are the ones that get to clean things up? That is certainly true about King David. He is ‘the man’. But he too has a history.

Matthew gets at the history in the reference to the fourth woman in his genealogy of Jesus, to ‘the wife of Uriah’. She had a name, Bathsheba. She has a story that is told to us in Scripture. But in the sexism of that time, her name was pushed into the background for another reason, to name Uriah.

Because Uriah is the stain on David’s kingship. The story, in brief, goes like this, when Israel was at war, David was home in Jerusalem. H e noticed Bathsheba-who thought she had privacy-bathing on the roof of her home. He used his power to seduce her and got her pregnant. She was married to one of his war chiefs, Uriah. In an effort to cover up his illicit affair, he called Uriah home, got him drunk, hoped to get him to sleep with Bathsheba so David had plausible deniability of fatherhood. But Uriah would not even go home, he stayed in the palace, still on duty, because the army was at war.

So David did something else. He sent Uriah back to the war with sealed orders for his own murder. Put Uriah in the frontlines, the orders read, then pull back from him, leave him vulnerable to the enemy. Uriah had no idea what he was carrying. But the plan worked. Uriah was killed which cleared the way for David to take Bathsheba as his wife.

The Lord’s punishment upon David was that the son Bathsheba bore died in childbirth. There is NO mention of what Bathsheba went through-one place where ‘cleaning up’ the history took place. But Bathsheba’s story does not end there. She bears David a second son, whose name is Solomon, who does become the king after David dies. He was the king of the peacetime empire that David and his armies won in war.

Recollection of this story from the live and times of King David is mentioned in historic shorthand by telling us of ‘the wife of Uriah’. Bathsheba is treated as little more than an object in that whole telling. So, this is the story that those who wrote the history books did NOT clean up, not until later. It is told in 2 Samuel 11 and 12, but is not mentioned again in the legacy of King David’s ‘greatness’ until Matthew’s genealogy.

Why would Matthew refer to the incident that most tarnishes David’s shiny kingship in this way? Step back from the question of history to one that is more fundamental. How could God so use and raise up the figure of King David as the ‘brand’ of divine acceptance, premiere example of divine, royal obedience? I mean, David versus Goliath, that fits the brand. Obedient David whom God protects from King Saul, whom God has abandoned for his sins, that also fits the brand. The conquest of an empire fits the brand. David had lots of wives and lots of kids. Not something that we take into account today, but it was part of the ‘brand’ of kingship and kingly virility back then.

What is it in David that God saw worthy of making him the face of this ‘brand’? It is not about what David did, but what God did. What we see in the conclusion of the story of David and Bathsheba is the forgiveness of God at work. David humbled himself before the Lord, he was forgiven for his sins, and it is in that forgiveness that the true root of his power is to be found, in his love and service to God. That Bathsheba then bore to David the royal heir, in it we can see a sign of God’s favor to her as well. Because this is how the history books clean things up. Women were portrayed as property in the popular culture. The measure of their worth in that world of sin was in their ability to bring forth sons. It is out of that sinful world that Jesus was born. It was into this sinful world that Jesus brought God’s forgiveness and salvation to the world. It is a sign of the reversal of that entire historic narrative of sexist behavior that in all four gospels, the first to come to Jesus’ tomb at his resurrection was a woman, was one Mary Magdalene.

But that is not the story of Bathsheba that we shared today. Instead, we are at the death of King David, at the moment of succession. David had many sons by a variety of mothers. I am surprised that Netflix or one of the other streaming services has not picked up on the very complicated family of King David, where there seemed to be competition between the sons of different mothers. David’s two oldest sons Amnon and Absalom, are both dead as a result of this interfamily conflict that led to Civil War.

Now, Adonijah, “next up in the batting order” after Absalom, is essentially running the country in his father’s old age. He begins the ceremonies that will lead to him becoming king at his father’s impending death. So Bathsheba comes to the king, and with her Nathan, the prophet of the Lord, to let him know. It seems that David was so old at this point, so out of the loop, he did not know what was going on in his own capital. Bathsheba saw it. If Adonijah became king, what was he going to do with this half brother of his who had some half-remembered promise from Solomon’s birth that Solomon should be king? What Adonijah might call removing a political rival, Bathsheba saw as the assassination of her son and, most likely, herself as well.

But she came to King David, as did the prophet Nathan, and Zadok, the priest, and while the army supported Adonijah, David’s own personal bodyguard, the elite forces, were also behind them. At the king’s command, the promised succession was begun, the right and true coronation of Solomon as the next king was put on track. Things were as God intended them to be.

So, as we have had to ask a number of times throughout this series of sermons, what has this to do with Christmas? What is Matthew trying to tell us about the birth of Jesus when he puts down ‘the wife of Uriah’, what in Bathsheba is here for us take note of?

Consider how this story of Bathsheba and David might apply to our own lives. What if we were to put on the shoes of Bathsheba? Life has promise to go in a certain direction by the Lord’s own promise. God is good, God is just, God has sent us the Messiah, all of those things are in the gospels for us. But the popular culture, the world around us, it is still governed by sin. And we can look at life going on around us, and we can make assumptions of what God’s promises to us are going to look like, only to find all of it turned upside down. Bathsheba was watching her life being turned so far upside down that she could predict the end of her son’s life and her own.

If we are Bathsheba in this story, in King David, we find our Lord God. There is something of a bitter irony here if we push this metaphor too hard. David is old, infirmed, apparently disconnected from what is going on in life around him, at first glance it might be justified to think that there is nothing he can do to change the situation for Solomon and Bathsheba.

I truly believe that one of the greatest failings of Christianity today is that we too have fallen into the mindset of many that God is far away, that God is uncaring, that God is unable or uninterested in intervening in the sinful world of today. God’s churches are wracked with controversy or they take the name of God to justify their own political and social agendas or they seem to be so lukewarm in their proclamation of the faith that it is unpalatable.

But when Bathsheba came to David, he had not forgotten, he was not too weak, he was not checked out with no consideration as to what would happen next. There were promises that were made and there were promises that were kept. The King was faithful.

In our metaphor, to come to God as Bathsheba came to David, is to receive the assurances that God’s plan truly is in control, that God does, in fact, love and care about us, and that God’s will is GOING to be done.

Here is my jump to Christmas. God does not wait around for us to come to the throne of grace to be reminded that God is truly good, kind, and faithful. If God waited for us, we, as sinners, might never get there. So God reminds us, every year. At Christmas, each year, we begin again. Each year, we come to the manger once again. We walk with the shepherds, we hear the promises of the angels, we sing and we rejoice. And the whole world lights up to celebrate (even if they do not all understand just how wonderful this season is).

The feeling of peace, the assurance of the future, the joy of knowing that the King was faithful, what Bathsheba came away with after her husband’s promises were fulfilled, there is the most direct line I see to Christmas. This is the season of goodwill, this is the season of God’s love, this is the season where the plan of God to save all humanity became reality for us all.

This is the light of Christ breaking in to a sinful world. That is the light the wise men followed to Bethlehem. That is the light of the angels that appeared to the shepherds. That is the light that enters our own lives when the hard things, the unpredicted things, the overwhelming things, suddenly open up to some way forward that we never even imagined.

I think that is part of what Matthew is doing in his genealogy of Jesus. None of them, Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, nor Bathsheba have an easy time of it. Mary herself did not. But Christmas is not an ‘easy time’, the gift giving and all the hoopla that has grown up around Christmas is not because it is a blip of good will in the calendar of sin of life. No, Christmas is the beginning of real change in this world of sin, it is the beginning of the life of our Messiah, through whom we have forgiveness, salvation, love, hope, and the promise of eternity. We should have the tough stories that demonstrate God’s power. We should have those moments in life where God breaks through. Because peace on earth and goodwill toward all humanity is all fine and wonderful, but it is not going to happen without the loving power of God.

We are not going to achieve the purity, the world truly transformed by love, the real descent of the Christmas Spirit all the year long, except by the grace of God. Except by that little baby whose birth we are celebrating. Except by our Lord Jesus Christ. Except for the one about whom the prophets shared and the angels sing. Amen.

AFFIRMATION OF FAITH (from the “Book of Common Worship”)

Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible. All things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn of the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross. Amen.

PASSING OF THE PEACE

THE OFFERING OF OUR TITHES & GIFTS

In this season of generosity, let us remember from whom all our blessings flow. Let us present our tithes and offerings to the Lord.

*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.

*PRAYER OF DEDICATION

Holy God, with Mary we seek to magnify you in our worship and in our deeds. Accept these gifts and bless them for Christ’s ministry. May they lift the lowly and fill the hungry. May they reveal your glory present with us today and still yet to come. Amen.

JOYS AND CONCERNS

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE

Come, O Come, Emmanuel… Come to bring peace to those at war with themselves, their families, their enemies. May those who govern do so with good will and justice, breaking down barriers, fostering understanding, and drawing our communities and our nations together in peace. Come, O Come, Emmanuel… Come to bring comfort to those in pain, those who grieve, those in need of healing and restoration. May those who suffer be assured of your extravagant grace and comforted by the hope that nothing shall separate them from your love. Come, O Come, Emmanuel… Come to bring compassion to those who are weak and weary, those who stumble through their days unable to recognize the beauty and meaning of life. May those who are unemployed, those who are struggling financially, those suffering under the crushing weight of debt, find your way out of no way. Grant them options, God. Grant them hope. Come, O Key of David, O Radiant Dawn, O Root of Jesse, O Emmanuel. Come to us again this Christmas. Fill the world with your grace and peace. Finally, hear us now, as we pray the prayer Christ taught us by saying together,

*CLOSING HYMN “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 Lord in heaven above; and he leads his children on to the place where he is gone.

*BENEDICTION

*THREE FOLD AMEN

Elements of Order of Worship Liturgy written by Teri McDowell Ott, courtesy of the Presbyterian Outlook

December 24, 2021 Christmas Eve Service Order of Worship: The Light, the Word, and the Song

First Presbyterian Church

Christmas Eve Worship

December 24, 2021

7:30 PM

Order of Worship

THE CANDLE OF THE PROMISE: CALL TO WORSHIP (from John 1)

1In the beginning was the Word,

and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²He was in the beginning with God.

³All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being.

What has come into being ⁴in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. ⁵The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

Let us worship the Living God

LIGHTING OF THE CANDLE OF HOPE: ASSURANCE OF PARDON

Isaiah 2 ² In days to come
   the mountain of the Lord’s house
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
   and shall be raised above the hills;
all the nations shall stream to it.
³   Many peoples shall come and say,
‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
   to the house of the God of Jacob;
that he may teach us his ways
   and that we may walk in his paths.’
For out of Zion shall go forth instruction,
   and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
⁴ He shall judge between the nations,
   and shall arbitrate for many peoples;
they shall beat their swords into ploughshares,
   and their spears into pruning-hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
   neither shall they learn war any more.

Hymn: “O Come, All Ye Faithful”

2. Yea, Lord, we greet thee, born this happy morning, Jesus, to thee be all glory given. Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing: (Refrain)

3. Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation; O sing, all ye citizens of heaven above! Glory to God, all glory in the highest; (Refrain)

LIGHTING OF THE CANDLE OF PEACE: THE PASSING OF THE PEACE

Isaiah 11:1 A shoot shall come out from the stock of Jesse,
   and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
² The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him,
   the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
   the spirit of counsel and might,
   the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
³ His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.

He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
   or decide by what his ears hear;
⁴ but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
   and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
   and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
⁵ Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist,
   and faithfulness the belt around his loins.

⁶ The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid,
the calf and the lion and the fatling together,
   and a little child shall lead them.
⁷ The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together;
   and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
⁸ The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp,
   and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.
⁹ They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain;
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
   as the waters cover the sea.

10 On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.

Hymn “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 nature sing.

2. Joy to the world, the Savior reigns! Let men their songs employ; while fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains repeat the sounding joy, repeat the sounding joy, repeat the sounding joy.

3. 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 of his love.

LIGHTING OF THE CANDLE OF JOY: GLORY TO THE LORD

Luke 1: ⁴¹When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit ⁴²and exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. ⁴³And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? ⁴⁴For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leapt for joy. ⁴⁵And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.’

46 And Mary said,
‘My soul magnifies the Lord,
⁴⁷   and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
⁴⁸ for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
   Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
⁴⁹ for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
   and holy is his name.
⁵⁰ His mercy is for those who fear him
   from generation to generation.
⁵¹ He has shown strength with his arm;
   he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
⁵² He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
   and lifted up the lowly;
⁵³ he has filled the hungry with good things,
   and sent the rich away empty.
⁵⁴ He has helped his servant Israel,
   in remembrance of his mercy,
⁵⁵ according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
   to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’

Hymn: Hark, the Herald Angels Sing

1. Hark! the herald angels sing, "Glory to the new born King, peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!" Joyful, all ye nations rise, join the triumph of the skies; with th' angelic host proclaim, "Christ is born in Bethlehem!" Hark! the herald angels sing, "Glory to the new born King!"

2. Christ, by highest heaven adored; Christ, the everlasting Lord; late in time behold him come, offspring of a virgin's womb. Veiled in flesh the Godhead see; hail th' incarnate Deity, pleased with us in flesh to dwell, Jesus, our Emmanuel. Hark! the herald angels sing, "Glory to the new born King!"

3. Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace! Hail the Son of Righteousness! Light and life to all he brings, risen with healing in his wings. Mild he lays his glory by, born that we no more may die, born to raise us from the earth, born to give us second birth. Hark! the herald angels sing, "Glory to the new born King!"

LIGHTING OF THE CANDLE OF LOVE

‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

Luke 1: 26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, ²⁷to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.’ ²⁹But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. ³⁰The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. ³¹And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. ³²He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. ³³He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’ ³⁴Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’ ³⁵The angel said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. ³⁶And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. ³⁷For nothing will be impossible with God.’ ³⁸Then Mary said, ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’ Then the angel departed from her.

Matthew 1: 18 Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. ²⁰But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ ²²All this took place to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

²³ ‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel’,
which means, ‘God is with us.’ ²⁴When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife,

Hymn: Away In A Manger

1. Away in a manger, no crib for a bed, the little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head. The stars in the sky looked down where he lay, the little Lord Jesus, asleep on the hay.

2. The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes, but little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes; I love thee, Lord Jesus, look down from the sky and stay by my cradle till morning is nigh.

3. Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask thee to stay close by me forever, and love me, I pray; bless all the dear children in thy tender care, and fit us for heaven to live with thee there.

LIGHTING OF THE CHRIST CANDLE: THE WORD

Luke 2: 1 In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

Hymn: “Silent Night, Holy Night”

1. Silent night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright round yon virgin mother and child. Holy infant, so tender and mild, sleep in heavenly peace, sleep in heavenly peace.

2. Silent night, holy night, shepherds quake at the sight; glories stream from heaven afar, heavenly hosts sing Alleluia! Christ the Savior is born, Christ the Savior is born!

3. Silent night, holy night, Son of God, love's pure light; radiant beams from thy holy face with the dawn of redeeming grace, Jesus, Lord, at thy birth, Jesus, Lord, at thy birth.

4. Silent night, holy night, wondrous star, lend thy light; with the angels let us sing, Alleluia to our King; Christ the Savior is born, Christ the Savior is born!

THE CANDLE OF SHARING: BENEDICTION

Isaiah 7 ¹³Then Isaiah said: ‘Hear then, O house of David! ¹⁴Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.

²The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.

⁶For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
⁷Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

*Due to Covid Protocols, Tithes and offerings are received in the offering basket to the right door of the church as we head into the narthex.

First Church Perth Amboy

Friday, December 24, 2021

Worship for the Lord's Day, Dec. 19, 2021 The Fourth Sunday of Advent

December 26, 2021 Service of Worship for the Lord's Day

December 26, 2021 Worship for the Lord's Day

December 24, 2021 Christmas Eve Service of Light, Word, and Song

December 19, 2021 Service of Worship for the Lord's Day

December 24, 2021 Christmas Eve Service Order of Worship: The Light, the Word, and the Song