WELCOME AND RINGING OF THE CHIMES PRELUDE

LITANY OF THE ADVENT CANDLE source: Josh Privitt

8:30am The Sanchez Family

11:00am Bob Risk and Ray Mulligan

One: Voices cry out from the wilderness:

Many: Prepare the way of the Holy One! Prepare for the glory of God to be revealed, and God’s peace to rise like the dawn among us.

One: This peace may not be easy, if it means that mountains will come crashing down, and rough places will be ground to dust, to make a way.

Many: Yet God once restored Jerusalem. One: Gathering exiles in his arms, carrying them home in her bosom.

Many: Peace has happened before. One: Today, on this second Sunday of Advent, we light a candle of peace, as a sign of the approaching sunrise, a reminder that we are called to

prepare the way for peace:

Many: Making a highway through the desert of the world’s violence, comforting God’s people, speaking tenderly to those who are wounded.

One: And though the way to peace may be hard, peace itself is coming toward us. God comes with might, with an outstretched arm, reaching up, helplessly, from a manger.

*HYMN “Drawing Nearer” source: Grundy

One: Let us pray.

Many: Loving God, you provide a mighty peace, even in the midst of trouble. As we light these candles, place your deep peace in us, that we may help to make a way, risking peace each day, for your sake, and the sake of your realm of shalom. We pray this in the name of Jesus, and the Holy-Spirit who guides us. Amen.

READING FROM THE HEBREW TRADITION Isaiah 40:1-5

Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid, that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins. A voice cries out: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall be-come level, and the rough places a plain. Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” READING FROM THE PSALIMST Psalm 85:8-10 Let me hear what God the LORD will speak, for God will speak peace to God’s people, to God’s faithful, to those who turn to God in their hearts. Surely God’s salvation is at hand for those who fear God, that God’s glory may dwell in our land. Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other. READING FROM THE GOSPEL Mark 1:1-3 The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, “See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way;

the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:

‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make the Lord’s paths straight,’”

One: Whether we understand what is written in the Bible as fact,

metaphor, myth, or story,

Many: let us appreciate the wisdom contained in these words. CHILDREN’S STORY Following the story, young children are encouraged to remain in worship with their parents,

or they may choose to go to the nursery (birth-3) or to Shepherds (11am: ages 4-6), a playtime in the Red Room downstairs.

SPECIAL MUSIC 8:30AM “Christmas Concerto” source: Corelli Movement 1 Instrumental Ensemble

11:00AM “Prepare the Way, O Zion!” source: John Carter Chancel Choir SERMON “What Time Is It?” Rev. Marilyn Stavenger

Today at Peace

Education hour at 9:45am. All Ages: Bring your Nativity set (or a special memory) to share with others at our multigenerational show-and-tell in fellowship hall. Our youth will be the videographers, helping us create a special holiday video time capsule. We also will be creating artwork to be used as backdrops during our Nativity Pageant on Christmas Eve. All ages and Nativity scenes (or memories) are welcome, and indeed, needed to help make this event a success!

Worship Activities for Children

Activity sheets and crayons are available in the narthex., just behind the Welcome Table. The activity sheets are coordinated with the scripture readings and offered for both younger and older children. Please see an usher if you need any assistance.

Shepherds at 11 We are pleased to offer a supervised play time for preschool-age children following the Children’s Story.

How it works:

Following the story, children gather with Naomi & a volunteer in the narthex (just outside our sanctuary) and walk downstairs together.

To help us keep our children safe, we ask adults to sign children in (either before the service, ask an usher for the clipboard, or before they go downstairs, see Naomi in the narthex).

Parents are always welcome to escort the children downstairs and stay as long as you wish.

Once signed in, children stay with the adults in the Red Room.

At the close of worship, adults meet children in the Red Room (lower level) and sign them out.

The Shepherd Room is a tree nut and peanut free zone.

*HYMN NCH 121 “All Earth Is Waiting” tune: Taule

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE Believing that each joy and/or concern expressed is indeed a prayer, after each expression, the worship leader will say: Loving God. And the people may respond: Hear our prayer.

PASTORAL PRAYER

LORD’S PRAYER based on our Theological Assumptions, RFM

Loving God, revealed in creation and history, in word and deed, You are the source of wonder and joy. You welcome us at the Table, center of our life together, call us into spirit-filled community, and invite us to care for creation. Give us what we need to live: bread and more, as we seek to be life-givers and peace-makers among our neighbors. Companion us on our journey that we may follow Jesus without fear, honoring the questions that emerge along the way. You claim our hands and hearts completely for the joyful world of justice, peace, and compassion. Amen.

Christmas Services at Peace UCC

Blue Christmas Sunday, December 14th at 5pm The most wonderful time of the year may not be so for those among us grieving the loss of a loved one, estranged from family members or struggling without employment or housing. The Blue Christmas service acknowledges these circumstances and provides an opportunity to express grief for the past and hope for the future. This will be a joint service with Sts. Clare and Francis.

Christmas Eve Family Service December 24th at 4:00pm All are welcome at this festive service, complete with a walk-on Nativity Pageant. Any child wanting to participate should meet at 3:30pm in the Church School rooms to pick out a costume (shepherds, angels, animals). Adults will oversee the children in the narthex during the service and send children into the sanctuary at the proper time in the story. Children will walk down the aisle and sit in the chancel to recreate the familiar Nativity scene.

Christmas Eve Candle Light Service, December 24th at 11:00pm- We gather in the darkness for a traditional candle light service of readings and carols. Communion will be shared and the Chancel Choir will sing as we prepare for the coming of the light into the world on Christmas day.

In Our Prayers…

TABLE PRAYER AND INVITATION TO THE TABLE INVITATION AND REMEMBRANCE based on our Theological Assumptions Minister: Come, Holy Spirit, and move among these elements

assembled at this Table.

Many: Through this sacrament, transform our hurt into healing, our fear into faith, and death into life.

Minister: As this bread, sown in hills and valleys, is harvested, and now becomes one in the loaf,

Many: so we, scattered, diverse, separated and isolated from one another, hear your invitation to become one body around this Table, the center of our life together.

Liturgist: As this juice, grown in vineyards under the sun, fills the cup, may we be filled and refreshed by this meal,

Many: and strengthened to respond to your call to reach out in compassion to all living things. Minister: In sharing this meal we remember.

Many: We remember meals Jesus shared with friends and enemies, outcasts and

marginalized, fearful and earnest. Minister: He took the bread and, giving thanks, blessed it and broke it

and shared it with his guests, saying, “This is the bread of life, symbol of my sacrifice.”

Many: As we share the bread today, we eat it as those who seek to follow Jesus.

Liturgist: After the meal, Jesus took the cup. Giving thanks, he shared it with his guests, saying, “This cup symbolizes a new relationship with God, a relationship of partnership founded on grace.”

Many: As we share the cup, we seek to experience that grace in which Jesus lived fully.

All: Come, Holy Spirit, come. Bless this bread and bless this fruit of the vine. Bless all of us in our eating and drinking that our eyes might be opened,

that we might recognize the risen Christ in our midst, indeed, in one another. Come, Holy Spirit, come.

The Congregation is invited to come forward by the center aisle,

partake of the bread (gluten free wafers are on the table) and juice, and light a candle in prayer, and place an offering in the plates beside the table.

You may also give electronically from the pews by scanning the QR code to the right. Catch the eye of a table host if you would prefer to be served at your seat.

COMMUNION SONG “Plenty of Bread” Haugen

PRAYER OF DEDICATION Stavenger

All: O God, in whose time a thousand years are but as one day, we offer our gifts, our hands, and our lives on this day. Use what we bring to spread the news that Christ comes to break down walls of separation, barriers to peace, and all that divides us one from another. Let justice, righteousness, and peace embrace in actions of reconciliation and love. Amen.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Mother 2 Mother Conversation Tomorrow Night

As our region struggles with difficult conversations, it is rare to be given such an amazing opportunity to learn from those voices so often not heard. Join Peace UCC as we join others in the Webster Groves community for Mother 2 Mother, an evening of conversation in which Black mothers talk to White about "The Talk" with their Black sons. This is the fourth incarnation of this conversation, organized by Christi Griffin of The Ethics Project as well as leaders of the YWCA of Metro Saint Louis. M2M will take place at First Congregatinal UCC in the Kishlar Room (second floor, east side of the central hallway) from 7:00 to 9:00 PM. Child care available by reservation (314-962-0475). Men, women, parents, singles, all are welcome. We will host a potluck at Peace UCC at 5:30pm for those interested in sharing good food and company before going up the street to First Congregational. Please RSVP to Betsy at betsyreznicek@gmail.com (314-605-1580) if you think you may becoming to the potluck.

Scan and Give

Supporting the work of this church has never been easier. Just scan the QR code with your smartphone and you can make donations to Peace UCC and to our Mission Moment of the month. In December, we are supporting the Christmas Fund, a source of hope and help for those in need who have served the church.

*HYMN NCH 117 “Lift Up Your Heads, O Mighty Gates” tune: Truro

*BENEDICTION *BENEDICTION RESPONSE “Jesus, Jesus” source: Radford

*POSTLUDE

Family Movie Night: December 19th at 7pm

Join us for a family movie night, featuring the new holiday classic, “Elf”. We will share fellowship along with fair trade hot cocoa and Christmas cookies. Look for a sign-up link in our weekly News and Notes if you would like to help provide refreshments.

Labyrinth Journey into the New Year

January 1st 11am-4pm Whether you are walking toward

something, or away from something, or

perhaps both, walking the labyrinth can be

a powerful practice to mark beginnings

and endings. Since ancient times people

have been using labyrinths as a spiritual

tool, a chance for pilgrimage and

contemplation. If you are aching to add

meaning and ritual into your New Year’s

plans, please stop by the sanctuary

anytime between 11am and 4pm on

January 1st. The canvas labyrinth will be

laid out in the sanctuary and surrounded

by candle light and soft music. All are

welcome. Please bring your children,

invite a friend. A finger labyrinth will also

be available for those unable to walk the

labyrinth.

THIS WEEK AT PEACE UCC SUNDAY, DECEMBER 7 TODAY 8:30am Worship Service 9:45am Coffee Fellowship Folk Choir Rehearsal

Manger Memories 11:00am Worship Service 2:00pm Korean Drumming Circle 7:00pm Narcotics Anonymous

MONDAY, DECEMBER 8 5:30pm Potluck at Peace before the

Mother to Mother event at First Congregational UCC

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9 1:30pm WG Nature Society Book Club

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10 1:00pm Staff Meeting 6:30pm Children’s Choir Rehearsal

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11 11:00am Committee on Ministry 7:00pm Chancel Choir Rehearsal

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 12 7:00am Sts C&F Contemplative Prayer 9:30am Peace UCC Moms’ Group 2:00pm SLWS Holiday Assembly

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 13 10:30am Narcotics Anonymous 11:30am Youth Choir 3:00pm Sts C&F Book Club 4:00pm Sts C&F Event in FH 5:00pm Sts C&F Worship

For a complete calendar visit : www.peaceuccstl.org

Men’s Breakfast—We meet at 8:00 am on the 2nd Thursday of the month at the Steak and Shake at Elm and Watson Road. Next meeting: December 11th.

Job Jar—We meet at the church on the first and third Mondays of the month. Join us at 9:15 am for coffee, fellowship, and a few chores around the church. Next meeting: December 15th for the annual Christmas gathering with good coffee and good conversation.

Moms' Group will share our families' Christmas traditions on December 12 at 9:30. Please bring your favorite Christmas books or any other show and tell items. Call Dee Ban (314-965-1191) ahead of time if you need child care. Tai Chi—Local Tai Chi instructor, Lin Gao, leads a weekly Tai Chi class in the narthex every Friday from 5-6pm. All are welcome, a free will offering will be collected. For questions, please contact Lin Gao at: gaolin529@yahoo.com Bridge Group will meet on Sunday, December 14 at 6:30 pm at the home of Bob and Gigi Hill, Please RSVP to them by December 7 either by email (arlenhill@sbcglobal.net) or telephone (314-961-7845). All are welcome!

Peace Groups—opportunities for Fellowship, Learning and Service

Peace Youth Families

(parents and siblings included)

Join today (Dec 7th) after church at the St. Louis Bread Co. in Webster Groves for

lunch (youth not required to sit with adults). This social time is intended for us to get

to know each other and begin those important connections as we learn more about

what the youth program and ministry needs to be for the future.

What Child is this: a Jazz Nativity

What Child is this?: a Jazz Nativity returns this December for its 4th season with an all-new production! Re-imagining the Christmas story through the artistry of jazz and the magic of storytelling, this year's program will feature new jazz arrangements of Christmas music and dramatic twists that will creatively bring an ancient story to life for today's audience. Free admission and family friendly. A free will offering will be taken to benefit local charities, non-perishable food items will be received for are food pantries. Performances: Today: Sunday, December 7th at 3pm Parkway UCC 2841 North Ballas Road St. Louis, MO Saturday, December 13th at 3pm St. Paul UCC 115 West B Street, Belleville, IL

Bulletin recycling: Though we invite you to take your bulletin home to review the prayers and opportunities throughout the week, if you choose to leave your bulletin after the 8:30am service, place it in the basket and we will use it again. Bulletins placed in the basket after the 11:00am service will be recycled. Notes: Sources for words, images, and music are noted where available. Permission to reprint music and words from sources other than The New Century Hymnal is granted under OneLicense.net, license no. A-704973, and/or LicenSing.org.