Sunday Worship Bulletin, Dec 14 2025

Veradale United Church of Christ

An Open & Affirming Congregation

Worshiping God in Christ – Welcoming All – 

Working for Justice & Peace

“No matter who you are, or where you are on life’s journey, 

you are welcome here!”

Third Sunday of Advent, December 14, 2025• 10:30 a.m.

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10:15am Enter in Silence

10:20 Gathering and Prelude

Wayne Shull, Music Director

Charlie Salt, AV

Joe McSwain, Usher

Louise Tarjuddin, Usher

Gregg Glisson, Usher 

Charlie Salt, Scripture reader

Zack Cooper, Candle of Joy

Sue Ferrozzo, Fellowship Set-Up

_____ Fellowship Clean-up

Scotty Patton, Zoom Monitor

Rev. Genavieve Heywood, Pastor 

Candles of Hope and Peace are Re-Lit

10:30am Worship begins

Land Acknowledgement

We worship on the unceded traditional territory of the Spokane, Cayuse, Umatilla, Walla Walla, Coeur d’Alene, and other tribes. We acknowledge the history of indigenous genocide, removal, and erasure that continues to this day.  We recognize the role that Christian communities played in these injustices, and we recommit ourselves to seeking more peaceful, just, and neighborly ways of sharing this land with all who call it home.

Community Affirmation

God is our joy. . . all the time!  All the time . . . God is our joy!

A Joyful Word

“Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly, as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.” – Colossians 3:16

Service and Fellowship Opportunities 

Next Sunday: Advent 4 the Candle of Love, Stephanie Wallis

Bible Study, Monday at 7pm

Silent Prayer, Tuesday 9:00 to 9:30am

String-A-Lings

Sing-A-Lings

 Community Giving: Birthday Kits

A Joyful Word by Scotty Patton

Joy is a thing unto itself so other words can’t quite describe it. Perhaps it starts with a little contentment, then stir in some pride and deep satisfaction seasoned with humility, fold in awe, gratitude, love, relationship and community, and you may have some other favorite ingredients to include. Next, sprinkle on some happiness and infuse with dependence on God. Then, once in a while, the ingredients will come together in a way that creates an intoxicating effect of joy beyond description. Where I find this is the only place I can find it - in this moment, now.

‘Opening Hymn

*Hymn: “My Heart Sings Out with Joyful Praise” 106 (NCH)

My heart sings out with joyful praise to God who raises me, who came to me when I was low and changed by destiny. The Holy One, the Living God, is always full of grace to those who seek their Maker’s will in every time and place.

The arm of God is strong and just to scatter all the proud. The tyrants tumble from their throne and vanish like a cloud. The hungry all are satisfied; the rich are sent away. The poor of earth who suffer long will welcome God’s new day.

The promise made in ages past at last has come to be, for God has come in power to save, to set all people free. Remembering those who wait to see salvation’s dawning day, Our Savior comes to all who weep to wipe their tears away

Lighting of the Candle of Joy

 Zack Cooper “By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness,  gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.” Galatians 5:22-23

Message from Zack Cooper

Prayer at the lighting of the candle of Joy:

All: Joyful God, hoping in you brings us joy even when the nights seem very dark. As we light this candle, light within each of us a joy that the world cannot understand – the joy of life with you. Amen

Advent Hymn: “Come O Long-Expected Jesus” 122 (NCH)vs 1 and 3

1. Come, O long-expected Jesus, born to set all people free; From our fears and sins release us; grant us your true liberty.

3. Born all people to deliver, born a child, you came to reign! Born to rule on earth forever, come, be known to us again.

Community Prayer

“O Lord, You’re Beautiful” 310 (RB)

O Lord, you’re beautiful. You face is all I seek. For when your eyes are on this child, your grace abounds to me.

Prayers of Gratitude

For when your eyes are on this child, your grace abounds to me.

Prayers of Concern

For when your eyes are on this child, your grace abounds to me.

Silent Prayer

For when your eyes are on this child, your grace abounds to me.

The Lord’s Prayer use the translation which is meaningful to you or

Our Father (Creator) 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, and the power, and the glory, forever.  Amen.

Response: “There Is None” 67 (RB)There is none holy as the Lord, there is none beside thee; Neither is there any rock like our God, there is none holy as the Lord.

A Time of Offering

An Invitation to Share

Dedication Hymn: “Joy to the World” 132 (NCH) verse 3

Christ rules the world with truth and grace, and makes the nations prove the glories of God's righteousness and wonders of God's love, and wonders of God's love, and wonders of God's love.

Dedication prayer:  

Joyful God, let your hope, peace, and joy bless all who gather here as we offer our time, talent, and treasure to the sharing of the Gospel. May our witness be in our acts of compassion and our prayers of hope that peace may prevail in our hearts. Amen

Listening for God

Gospel of Luke 1: 1-56  Since many have undertaken to compile a narrative about the events that have been fulfilled among us, ² just as they were handed on to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, ³ I, too, decided, as one having a grasp of everything from the start, to write a well-ordered account for you, most excellent Theophilus, ⁴ so that you may have a firm grasp of the words in which you have been instructed.

⁵ In the days of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah. His wife was descended from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. ⁶ Both of them were righteous before God, living blamelessly according to all the commandments and regulations of the Lord. ⁷ But they had no children because Elizabeth was barren, and both were getting on in years.

⁸ Once when he was serving as priest before God during his section’s turn of duty, ⁹ he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord to offer incense. ¹⁰ Now at the time of the incense offering, the whole assembly of the people was praying outside. ¹¹ Then there appeared to him an angel of the Lord,

standing at the right side of the altar of incense. ¹² When Zechariah saw him, he was terrified, and fear overwhelmed him. ¹³ But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John. ¹⁴ You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, ¹⁵ for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or strong drink; even before his birth he will be filled with the Holy Spirit. ¹⁶ He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. ¹⁷ With the spirit and power of Elijah he will go before him, to turn the hearts of parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” ¹⁸ Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I know that this will happen? For I am an old man, and my wife is getting on in years.” ¹⁹ The angel replied, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. ²⁰ But now, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time, you will become mute, unable to speak, until the day these things occur.”

²¹ Meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering at his delay in the sanctuary. ²² When he did come out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. He kept motioning to them and remained unable to speak. ²³ When his time of service was ended, he returned to his home.

²⁴ After those days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she remained in seclusion. She said, ²⁵ “This is what the Lord has done for me in this time, when he looked favorably on me and took away the disgrace I have endured among my people.”

²⁶ In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, ²⁷ to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸ And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” ²⁹ But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. ³⁰ The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. ³¹ And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. ³² He 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. ³³ He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” ³⁴ Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” ³⁵ The 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^[d] will be holy; he will be called Son of God. ³⁶ And 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. ³⁷ For nothing will be impossible with God.”³⁸ Then 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.

³⁹ In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, ⁴⁰ where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹ When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit ⁴² and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. ⁴³ And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? ⁴⁴ For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. ⁴⁵ And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment 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 lowly state 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 indeed, 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 imagination 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 come to the aid of his child Israel,    in remembrance of his mercy,⁵⁵ according to the promise he made to our ancestors,    to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

⁵⁶ And Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.

Message: My Spirit Rejoices

Meditation in Music

Announcements Reminders

Our Light moves into the World God Loves

* Hymn: “Gentle Joseph, Joseph Dear” 105 (NCH)

1 "Gentle Joseph, Joseph dear, stay with me, for the baby's near; God will surely your goodness hear, as you will love this new-born child," says Mary.

2 "Gladly Mary, Mary mine, I will cradle the child divine; Here will heaven and earth combine, for you will bear God's child, O dearest Mary."

3 "Peace to all and God's good-will," heaven and earth with this song will fill; Soon will God, in the evening still, be born in Bethlehem, the child of Mary.

A Joyful Word

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” – Romans 15:13

Benediction

Communal Blessing

Be Yourself.

Grow in Christ.

Live with Compassion