Sunday, December 29, 2024 Christmas Sunday

 Our Jewish brothers and sisters continue to celebrate Hanukkah. May the light of God’s presence fill our homes, our lives, and our world. 🕎 ☦️🎄

Hymn         Once in Royal David’s City #62 VU

Prayer:  Generous God, you gave your only-begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and be born of your chosen one, Mary. Grant that we, who have been born again and made your children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by your Holy Spirit, through our Saviour Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever. Amen. 

Scripture Lessons:     Isaiah 52:7-10

                                   Psalm 148 p.871 VU

                                   Luke 2:41-52

Message

Prayer:  Eternal God, in Jesus Christ your light shines in our darkness, giving joy in our sorrow and presence in our loneliness. Fill us with the mystery of your Word made flesh, until our hearts overflow with praise and joy, for he is the beginning and end of all that exists, living forevermore. Amen. 

Hymn        See Amid the Winter’s Snow #76VU

This Sunday there will be a combined Christmas Service held in Howick United Church at 11am, with coffee and goodies beginning at 10:30am. 

Please note that Wilene has let us know that the financial books in Howick will close at noon tomorrow, December 30th. Please get your donations in before then. 

Get well wishes go out to one of our organists, Karen Dowker, who is recovering from a fall. Hope you are feeling better soon, Karen! 💐

Prayers in today’s blog are found in Voices United, # 39 and 53. 

Christmas Eve December 24, 2024

 This year the celebrations of Christmas and Hanukkah come together. We celebrate the gifts of God’s love light and faithfulness together. 🕎🎄👼

Hymn.       It Came Upon the Midnight Clear #44VU

Prayer: O God, we thank you for the message of peace that Christmas brings to our distracted world. Give peace among the nations; peace in our land; peace in our homes; and peace in our hearts, as we remember the birth at Bethlehem of the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ our Lird. Amen. 

Scripture Lessons:      Isaiah 9:2-6

                                    Psalm 96

                                    Luke 2:1-20

Carol      Away in a Manger #69

Message 

Prayer:  O God, through Jesus, the child of Mary, who was born into a human family, who shared our human lot, be with us in our homes this Christmas time. Bless our families and friends. Fill us with joy and thanksgiving; deepen our sense of wonder as we learn of your great love for us. Teach us to find our true happiness in giving rather than receiving. We ask it in the name and the spirit of your son, our Saviour, Jesus. Amen. (a prayer adapted from one written by Frank Colquhoun and published in Contemporary Parish Prayers)

Carol.       Silent Night #67VU

We will continue to celebrate the Christmas season in our next two services, on Sunday, December 29th at 11:00 in Howick as a combined service (coffee and goodies from 10:30) and on January 5th as we bring our Christmas joy into a new year with an Epiphany Sunday service. 

Sunday, December 22, 2024 The Fourth Sunday of Advent

 

Hymn       O Little Town of Bethlehem #64

Scripture Lessons:      Micah 5:2-5a

                                    Psalm 80:1-7 p.794VU pt 1

                                    Luke 1:39-47

Carol       Gentle Mary Laid Her Child #46VU

Message

Prayer :  Come, God-with-us:  who braves our rejection and hurt, who holds us in acceptance and love.

Come, God-for-us:  who whispers in our ears that we- each of us- are beloved children. 

Come, God-under-us: who cradles us in arms that never grow weary; whose lap has room enough for all. 

Come, God-over-us: who watches in the long silence of the night, that we might rest in peace. 

Come, God-beside-us: who steadies us when we falter, who lifts us up when we fall. 

Come, God-beside-us: who picks up all the faded dreams we drop along the way and patchworks them into hope. 

O Come, O Come, Immanuel: and we will rejoice for ever! ( a prayer written by Thom M. Shaman printed in the Iona Community’s Candles and Conifers.) 

Carol        Angels We Have Heard on High #38VU

This week there will be a morning service in Ormstown at 9:30 am on Sunday, December 22nd.  There will be a Family Christmas Candlelight service in Howick at 7pm, which will include Communion. There will be no Christmas Eve service in Howick, but there will be one in Ormstown, at St Paul’s at 7:30pm. 

There will also be a combined Christmas Sunday service at 11am in Howick on Sunday, December 29th, with coffee and cookies etc. beginning at 10:30 am. All are welcome to come and sing carols and celebrate Jesus’s birth once again. 

Please note that Wilene has let us know that the financial books for the church will be closing at noon on Monday, December 30th, so if you wish to make a donation, please get it in by then. (Also, if you wish to receive envelopes, please let her know that.) 

Grace Brown has also let us know that the books for the Memorial Fund will close on Friday, December 27th, so if you wish to make a memorial gift for this year, please get it to her by that date. 

Sunday, December 15, 2024 The Third Sunday of Advent

 

Hymn      Joy to the World #59VU

Scripture Lessons:       Zephaniah 3:14-21

                                     Isaiah 12:2-6

                                     Philippians 4:4-7

Message

Prayer: O God, at this time of Advent, fire our imaginations with the sweep of your salvation. 

Catch us up in the cause of your kingdom, already breaking into this world in our ransomed lives yet waiting for its final fulfillment when Christ shall come again.

And let your Spirit, wild as the wind, gentle as the dove. Move within us and among us, to inspire our worship and strengthen our faith and send us out with anticipation and joy. Amen. (a prayer written by John Harvey and printed in the Iona Community’s Candles and Conifers, adapted.)

Hymn      Go tell it on the Mountain #43VU

This Sunday’s services will be 9:30 in Howick (followed by coffee, juice, and cookies made as a craft by the children at church) and 11:00 in Ormstown, which will be a Communion Sunday. 

Many thanks to all who brought food last Sunday for the White Gift service. It was greatly appreciated. If there are others who would like to donate, I would be happy to receive them, either at the church or at home. 

We hold the family and friends of Betty Stevenson in our thoughts and prayers, following the service giving thanks for her life on Saturday morning at the Village Church. 

We hold the family and friends of Dwight Cullen in our thoughts and prayers, following his memorial service this Saturday in Georgetown Presbyterian Church. 

Wilene Cullen would like to let people know that if you wish to receive envelopes for 2025, please contact her to request them. Also, she will be closing the financial books for the church on December 30th at noon. If you wish to make a donation, please make it by that time. 

The books for the memorial fund in Howick will close December 27th as well. Please get any donations to Grace by that date. 

Did you know that the Moderator of the United Church has posted Advent and Christmas messages on the UCC’s YouTube channel? (They can also be found on Facebook and the UCC’s website as well.) Check them out! 

A Winter Solstice Gathering for people who are not feeling especially jolly this year will be held on Saturday, December 21st at 3pm in the Community (formerly the United Church) Hall. This will include music, silence, poetry, and candlelighting. 

Worship Schedule

Sunday, December 22 9:30am.       Carol Service in Ormstown (no morning service in Howick) 

              December 22 7:30pm.       Family Candlelight Service with Communion in Howick

Tuesday, December 24 7:30pm.      Christmas Eve Service in Ormstown ( no Christmas Eve service in Howick)

Sunday, December 29 11:00am.      Combined Christmas Sunday service, coffee etc. at 10:30am

Sunday, December 8, 2024 The Second Sunday of Advent

 This Sunday is White Gift Sunday in our congregations. We are collecting non-perishable food items for the Christmas baskets and the local food bank. 

Hymn      Hark the Glad Sound #29VU

Scripture Lessons:      Philippians 1:3-11

                                    Luke 1:68-79 p.900VU

                                    Luke 3:1-6

Message

Prayer :  O God, enlarge my heart that it may be big enough to receive the greatness of your love. 

Stretch my heart that it may take into all those who with me around the world believe in Jesus. 

Stretch it that it may take into it all those who do not know him, but who are my responsibility because I know him. 

And stretch it that it may take in all those who are not lovely in my eyes, and whose hands I do not want to touch; 

Through Jesus my saviour. Amen. ( a prayer of an African Christian from With All God’s People, a World Council of Churches resource.) 

Hymn.       Hark the Herald Angels Sing #48VU

This Sunday’s services will be Howick at 9:30 and 11:00 in Ormstown. It will be the White Gift service in both congregations, when we collect non-perishable food items for the Christmas baskets and the local food bank. 

We hold in our thoughts and prayers the family of Dwight Cullen who died recently and whose memorial service will be held on Saturday, December 14th in Georgetown Presbyterian Church. 

The organizers of the Ladies’ Christmas Dinner would like to sat “Thank you” for all of the items brought in for Residence-Elle. It was a very generous amount of donations that are very much appreciated by the organization. 

Howick UCW will be holding its Christmas Potluck on Wednesday, December 11th at 6:30 in the church. Please let Marlene know what you are planning on bringing (appetizer, main dish, salad, or dessert) so we can have enough for all. 

Next Sunday the services will be 9:30 in Howick and 11:00 in Ormstown. In Ormstown this will also be a Communion Sunday. In Howick we will continue to offer craft activities for young people. 

There will be a Winter Solstice gathering held in Hemmingford at the Community Hall at 476 Frontiere, that will include music, poems, silence and candlelighting on Saturday, December 21st at 3pm. This is intended particularly for people who may not be feeling jolly this Christmas. 

On Sunday, December 22nd there will be no morning service in Howick. Instead there will be a Family Candlelight service held that evening at 7pm. 

There will be a Christmas Eve service held in Ormstown at 7:30pm. 

There will also be a combined Christmas Sunday service held on December 29th at 11:00 in Howick. Coffee and cookies etc. Will be available from 10:30.