December 7, 2025 Rockfish Presbyterian Church Worship Service
Rockfish Presbyterian Church Second Sunday of Advent December 7, 2025, 8:30 and 10:30 WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS God is good all the time — All the time God is good! PRELUDE God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (English Carol) Festival Ensemble (Lee Goodrich, Oeida Hatcher, Greg Heuer, Phil Defusco, Brock Jones, Cynthia Ramsey) CHIMING OF THE HOUR PRAYER OF INVOCATION LIGHTING OF THE ADVENT CANDLE (Presbyterian Outlook) Children of God, what are we waiting for? We wait for peace where conflict rages, for gentleness where harshness prevails. We wait for swords to be reshaped into plows, for walls to crumble and bridges to rise. We wait... longing for the Prince of Peace, who stills our storms and guides our feet. Today we light two candles, their light steady and sure against the dark. Hope burns beside peace, witnessing to God’s enduring promises. The glow spreads wider each week, reminding us that peace is possible, and God’s kingdom is drawing near. We call this candle Hope. (Light the first candle.) We call this candle Peace. (Light the second candle.) Together they shine as signs of God’s faithfulness. Amen. CALL TO WORSHIP (based on Isaiah 11: 1-10) A shoot shall come forth from Jesse’s stump, And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him. He will judge the poor with righteousness, and the meek with equity; He will be clothed with righteousness and faithfulness. The wolf and the lamb will live peacefully together, The leopard and the kid will lie down side by side. The cow and the bear will graze together; the lion will eat straw like the ox, And a little child will lead them all. They will neither hurt nor destroy on God’s holy mountain, For the earth will be full of the knowledge of God, as the waters fill the sea. Come, Let us worship God. *8:30 AND 10:30 OPENING HYMN 133 O Come All Ye Faithful CALL TO CONFESSION (silent confession) ASSURANCE OF PARDON *GLORIA PATRI (response in bold) 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. *THE PASSING OF THE PEACE: As you are comfortable, please greet your neighbors and welcome the guests among us. 10:30 CHILDREN’S TIME 8:30 ANTHEM Away in a Manger Jane Andrews 10:30 ANTHEM Prepare the Way! (Lloyd Larson) Chancel Choir with Linda Heuer, piano SCRIPTURE READING (page 2 in the pew Bible) Matthew 3:1-12 SERMON: Applies to Us Too. *8:30 AND 10:30 RESPONSE HYMN 143 Angels, from the Realms of Glory AFFIRMATION OF FAITH (adapted from The Confession of 1967) God’s redeeming work in Jesus Christ embraces the whole of human life: social and cultural, economic and political, scientific and technological, individual and corporate. It includes our natural environment as exploited and despoiled by sin. God wills that God’s purpose for human life shall be fulfilled under the rule of Christ, and all evil be banished from God’s creation. Already God’s reign is present as a ferment in the world, stirring hope in all people and preparing the world to receive its ultimate judgment and redemption. With an urgency born of this hope, the church applies itself to present tasks and strives for a better world. It does not identify limited progress with the kingdom of God on earth, nor does it despair in the face of disappointment and defeat. In steadfast hope, the church looks beyond all partial achievement to the final triumph of God. HOLY COMMUNION Immanuel (from the Squalor of a Borrowed Stable) (Townsend) Cynthia B. Ramsey, piano JOYS AND CONCERNS AND PRAYER The Lord’s Prayer (in unison) (debt/debtors) 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 OFFERTORY Mary Did You Know? (Lowry) Jane Andrews, voice and guitar *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 *8:30 AND 10:30 SENDING HYMN 132 Good Christian Friends, Rejoice *CHARGE “The Light Shines In the Darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” *10:30 BENEDICTION There’s a Song in the Air! (vs. 3) (Holland/Harrington) Chancel Choir *POSTLUDE The Snow Lay on the Ground (Italian) Linda Heuer, piano and Cynthia B. Ramsey, organ Music used with Permission through our CCLI Copyright License Number 21401153 and Streaming License (Plus) Number 21401146
