Songs of Hope

Welcome to your online Sunday worship from St. George’s, Georgetown for The Fourth Sunday of Advent, Sunday, December 19, 2021.

Our online worship continues here on our website as we continue to act with care for each other and as we work to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus. 

In addition, we are also now offering in-person worship services with strict protocols on Sunday’s 10am. For more information about In-person worship follow this link.

“Farewell to Rob and Tracy” CANCELED

Unfortunately, our planned “Farewell” gathering planned for this afternoon has had to be canceled due to the need to tighten our COVID restrictions with the recent increasing in COVID cases. Thank you to everyone who pre-registered. Your well wishes for me and Tracy as we move to Brantford are appreciated even if we couldn’t gather they way we had hoped.

Christmas Services

In-person Christmas Services do remain possible and are planned to be held on Christmas Eve at 7pm and 9pm and Christmas Day at 10am. Registration for these services will begin tomorrow, Monday December 20. For more information follow this link.

An Online Christmas Service will be available for Christmas Eve/Day on December 24th. 

Family Ministry

Our family ministry resources this week are based on this week’s and last week’s reading about John the Baptist from Luke’s gospel chapter 1, verses 39 to 55. Our children and family resources this week reflect on what Elizabeth and Mary say to each other when they meet and how it reflects what God wants for our world.

In our weekly Sunday email, there are links to a helpful family page that help explain all this Sunday’s theme and also some fun colouring and puzzle pages that connect with this week’s lesson.  

Please sign up for our weekly emails to get those links to these great resources to use together with your family.  

Opening Music

Our opening hymn, for those looking to sing out today, is “Lo, He Comes with Clouds Descending.”

The Gospel Reading (Luke 1:39-55)

In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”

And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
His mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”1

(Read all the readings assigned for this Sunday at this link.)

Online Worship

Here is your Sunday prayers and message:

Prayers of the People

We pray for God’s healing for every person across our world as we continue to face the impact of the pandemic on our lives, our communities, and our nations, that we find strength and be guided by your Loving Presence. We pray to you, Lord; Lord Jesus, come soon!

Come to your world as King of the nations. We pray for this continent’s indigenous people seeking justice and reconciliation. We pray for all people impacted by systemic forms of racism and discrimination. Help us to live in the light of your coming and give us a longing for your kingdom. We pray to you, Lord; Lord Jesus, come soon!

We pray for doctors and nurses, and all health care staff, we pray for teachers and students, we pray for all who care for those in need in body, mind, and spirit, that your grace may fill them and sustain them in this crisis. We pray to you, Lord; Lord Jesus, come soon!

Come to us as Saviour and Comforter. We pray for the good earth which God has given us, and for the wisdom and will to conserve it. We pray for the people of B.C. who continue to be impacted by heavy rain and damaging flood. We pray for all those in need. Break into our lives, where we struggle with sickness and distress, and set us free to serve you for ever. We pray to you, Lord, Lord Jesus, come soon!

(To find the list of those we are praying for in our parish please sign up for our Parish email. To add a name to our prayers please contact me.)

Closing Music

Our closing hymn for those wishing to sing is “Jesus Came, The Heavens Adoring”

Our contemporary song this week is “Shepherd Boy.”

I wish you all a blessed and safe week.

Thank you for your continued support of the ministry and mission of St. George’s.

Be Well and God Bless.

Peace,

The Rev’d Canon Rob Park

  1. Scripture quotation is from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.