All are welcome at Asbury First. Please join us in celebrating our 200th Anniversary!
November 29, 2020 • 11 AM
FIRST TIME HERE We are so glad you are joining us! If you’re out there watching, check in through the website or take a picture and post it on social media using #asburyfirstathome. Our hope is to get to know you better and help you find your place within our community. Additionally, drop us an email at info@asburyfirst.org and we will answer any questions you may have. Need prayer? We invite you to share with us how we can be praying for you by emailing prayers@asburyfirst.org. All prayer requests are prayed over by our Ministers and Intercessory Prayer Group. Children We believe children are a sacred gift. You can join us at 10 am for the Sunday morning Zoom with Paula and Holly (us02web.zoom.us/j/86857108916?pwd=aHF4TEppZERJSXZoZm FxUHgrQ1hjdz09). We will have a segment during our live stream for Children’s Time. If there is a way our children’s ministry can be more welcoming to you and your child, please contact Paula Dugan at pdugan@asburyfirst.org. RECONCILING STATEMENT We are a reconciling congregation and seek to be a fully inclusive church, believing that all people are God’s children. We encourage full participation in our community for all, regardless of age, race, origin, gender, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, marital status, family structure, education/economic background, and physical/mental ability. We recognize that we hold a variety of opinions. We do not seek to erase our differences, but to journey together in faith toward greater understanding and mutual respect. We believe that reconciliation to God and to one another is central to our mission and ministry. GIVE TO ASBURY FIRST There are three ways to make a gift to Asbury First. Each gift supports the everyday ministries and operations of this church, allowing us to live into our vision to Do More Good. Cash/Check—We welcome you to send a gift of cash/check in the mail. Text to Give—You may give a gift with a debit/credit card by texting the dollar amount to 206-222-1050. Online—Online giving is available on our website at www.asburyfirst.org/give. Watch and listen Tune into the live video stream of the 11 am service at www.asburyfirst.org/worship/live. To listen to the service tune into WRFZ 106.3 FM Rochester Free Radio, or call our toll-free number at 833-829-1050. A video archive of past services is also available at www.asburyfirst.org/worship/video-archive. You can also view all sermons on our YouTube channel.
Prelude
Two Chorale Preludes — J. S. Bach "Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland" ("Savior of the Nations, Come"), BWV 659 "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme" ("Sleepers wake, a voice is calling"), BWV 645
Introit
Lift up your heads, ye mighty gates; behold, the King of glory waits; the King of kings is drawing near; the Savior of the world is here!
Welcome
Call to Worship
All are invited to read the bold-faced type; the lay reader will read the unbolded type. Lift up your heads, all who are asleep! Open our eyes to the wonders God provides! Keep alert for the ways God speaks to you. Deepen our understanding of God’s love. Awaken us to God’s presence in all that we do. Make our lives the living testimony to the love of God!
First Sunday of Advent
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11 am • November 29, 2020
The community gathers As the community gathers, may the music of the prelude draw your hearts and minds to God.
Opening Hymn
#211 "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" Words: 9th cent. Latin, various translators; Tune: Veni Emmanuel, 15th cent. French Words: Charles Wesley, 1746; Tune: Darwall’s 148th, John Darwall, 1770
11 am
Scripture Mark 13:24-37
“But in those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory. Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. “But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.”
To hear the word
Lighting of the Advent Wreath Mason & Ginn Fitch Brian, Nicole, & William VanDenBergh
We light this candle as a symbol of the hope we have in the promise of the Christ’s coming. For the Lord will fulfill the promise to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. (The first candle is lit.) May the light sent from God shine in the darkness to show us God’s way. Come, Lord Jesus, come!
Response Hymnal #213, v. 2
Fling wide the portals of your heart; make it a temple, set apart from earthly use for heaven’s employ, adorned with prayer and love and joy.
Anthem
"Awake from Slumber, Wake from Sleep" — words and music by J. William Greene Awake from slumber, wake from sleep; rise from darkness, darkness deep. As from the watchman on the wall, Advent is the church's call to light and hope in new year's turning: find relief from restless yearning. Amid the gloom of shadows deep, we endeavor faith to keep. Are we a branch of Jesse's tree? Advent brings us all to see that wisdom from on high will flow when we seek God's will to know. We call upon the Lord of Might, strive to keep God in our sight. As David's key unlocks heav'ns gate, Advent sees the way made straight for God to come as Prince of Peace, all from darkness to release. Our God with us, Emmanuel, lead us in your heart to dwell. O Radiant Dawn, now brightly shine: Advent shows us the divine. amid the flow of time and space, we await the birth of grace.
Children’s Time
Children of all ages are invited to join us in this special moment.
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. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
Hymn
#408 "The Gift of Love" Words: Hal H. Hopson, 1972; Tune: Gift of Love, Trad. English melody
Sermon
Automatic Pilot
Call to Prayer
Redeemer, come, with us abide; our hearts to you we open wide; let us thy inner presence feel; thy grace and love in us reveal.
Pastoral Prayer
To Renew Commitment
Invitation to Discipleship, Membership, and Commitment
Our Creative God endows us with the gifts of time, talent, and treasure. Within this bulletin you will find invitations to enrich your faith journey and enhance your commitment. We invite you to prayerfully consider these opportunities. If you’re out there watching, check in through the website or take a picture and post it on social media using #asburyfirstathome. You may give a gift with a debit/credit card or by e-check by texting the dollar amount to 206-222-1050. Online giving is available on our website at www.asburyfirst.org/give.
Offertory Recorded Live in Worship November 24, 2019 Festival Choir, Youth Choir, Asbury Ringers
“Advent Promise” — Paul Laubengayer; words by Thomas Troeger View the present through the promise, Christ will come again. Trust despite the deepening darkness, Christ will come again. Lift the world above its grieving through your watching and believing in the hope past hope’s conceiving: Christ will come again. Probe the present with the promise, Christ will come again. Let your daily actions witness, Christ will come again. Let your loving and your giving and your justice and forgiving be a sign to all the living: Christ will come again. Match the present to the promise, Christ will come again. Make this hope your guiding premise, Christ will come again. Pattern all your calculating and the world you are creating to the advent you are waiting: Christ will come again.
Doxology Hymnal #213, v.4 alt.
Eternal praise, eternal fame be offered, Savior, to thy name. Thy Holy Spirit lead us on until our glorious goal is won.
Prayer of Dedication
God of our hearts, we thank you for the gifts of time, talent, and treasure. Use our gifts to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and minister to those who are lonely. Amen.
To Disperse in Mission
Closing Hymn
#672 “God Be With You Till We Meet Again” (vv. 1-2) Words: Jeremiah Rankin, 1880; tune: God Be With You, William Tomer, 1880
Permissions: “Awake from Slumber, Wake from Sleep” © 2017 St. James Music Press; “Advent Promise” words © 1994 Oxford University Press, Inc.; music © 2005 Birnamwood Publications. Hymns © 1989 The United Methodist Publishing House; OneLicense.net #A-721053. Some of the liturgical elements have been adapted from the 2020 Abingdon Worship Annual. Illustration Credits: Designed by Sarah Brubaker and Freepik, and Sarah Brubaker and Vecteezy.
Benediction
Postlude
“Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland" — Johann Pachelbel
Participants In the Service
Preacher: Rev. Kathy Thiel Liturgist: Rev. Dr. Stephen Cady Director of Children's Ministry: Paula Dugan Organist: Duane Prill Soloists: Bess Phillips, Brenda Nitsch Dan McInerney, Jordan Bachmann Director of Music Ministry: Dr. Carl Johengen Audio Operator: Rick Church Video Operator: Kenny Bailey Graphics Operators: Jake Schwartz, Connor Nelson Technology Support Team: Deb Bullock-Smith, Carolyn Curran, Ted Skomsky Technical Consultant: Justin Ocello
BICENTENNIAL TRIVIA
From last week: When First and Asbury combined in 1934, First Church had significant financial resources. What did they decide to do with them? A. They set aside $75,000 in a trust to help burdened churches in the area (the receiving churches had to agree to raise at least as much as they were given).
Virtual meetings
In the 19th Century, First ME Church helped the founding of how many other Methodist congregations in Rochester?
Check out our online Zoom meetings! There are plenty of different groups and meetings to join during the stay-at-home restrictions. From Zoom with Miss Paula and Holly to Guided Meditations, or Bicentennial Bible Challenge meetings and Sunday morning lessons, there is plenty of variety. For a full list of events, and clickable links, visit www.asburyfirst.org/events. HOW TO JOIN A ZOOM MEETING Follow the link: zoom.us/j/8347173468 for the main meetings (password is "200"), and us02web.zoom.us/j/338565981 for “Changing Weighs," and us02web.zoom.us/j/868571089 16?pwd=aHF4TEppZERJSXZoZmFxUHgrQ1hjdz09 for the Sunday morning Zoom with Paula and Holly. When you open the link, you should get some pop-ups asking questions like: 1. Do you want to open and run the program Zoom? 2. Do you want to connect with your computer audio? 3. Do you want to connect with your computer video? Click yes to any and all of these prompts. Once you have clicked through these prompts, you should be able to see yourself on your computer screen, and you should be able to see the rest of the group that is also logged on. If any group would like to utilize our discipleship Zoom account to take their meetings online, please contact Mike Mullin at mmullin@asburyfirst.org.
Open to All We believe we are all equal in God’s eyes and are all one in Christ. We extend hospitality and encourage full participation for all regardless of any perceived defining characteristic. Worship We believe we are at our best when we connect to God together through preaching, prayer, and song. We strive for excellence in all we do, especially in our worship experience. Community We believe we are better together; fellowship and care are keys to love and life. Outreach We believe everyone deserves hope and fullness of life. We endeavor to practice mercy and work for justice in our local and extended community. Discipleship We believe we—adults, youth, and children alike—are called to grow in our faith both as a community and as individuals through education, regular worship, meaningful fellowship, a commitment to service, and celebrating rites of passage together. Generosity We believe what we have is a gift from God. We share our gifts with an open heart to help meet needs at Asbury First, the Rochester community, and throughout the world. Stewardship We believe we must care for the human, physical, and financial resources with which we have been entrusted.
Our values represent a description of our guiding principles. These statements are standards of behavior, which are inherent in all we do.
Thank you so much to all of the children, families, and volunteers who helped film the pageant this week! Stay tuned for details about this incredible pageant video!
Tuesday, December 1 • www.roctheday.org
Thank you for your support!
On December 1, our community will come together to ROC the Day, and the Asbury First Storehouse, Dining and Caring Center, and Asbury Day Care Center hope to make it a successful 10-year anniversary. ROC the Day is a 24-hour giving opportunity to support all eligible not-for-profits in the nine-county Greater Rochester area. Community members are encouraged to visit www.roctheday.org, a secure online giving platform, to contribute to any participating not-for-profit organization. All money given during ROC the Day stays local. Donors have the ability to make an impact by giving to one or multiple organizations to support their personal philanthropic passions. Donors and not-for-profits can share their investment with friends, family, coworkers, and social networks to increase awareness for this community-wide effort.
THANKS to all Shepherds and Angels!
Give Online at www.asburyfirst.org/GIVE, text to give at 206-222-1050, OR MAIL IN YOUR CHECKS TO 1050 EAST AVENUE, ROCHESTER, NY 14607
We are putting together a special presentation for Christmas Eve and want to fill it with pictures of you and your family around a candle! Please upload your images here by December 16 to be a part of this special moment.
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, 8:30–9 am Start your day with Rev. Kathy Thiel and contemplative reflection on scripture!
Sundays, 9:45-10:45 am New Sunday morning class! Join Mike Mullin for a deeper look at the different themes of the weeks of Advent.
Advent Zoom
Call for candlelight photos!
Embracing Advent
