Dayton United Methodist Church

Call to worship: L: Christ shall come, God’s gift to the world:  P: That desperate should find hope -  L: That the persecuted should find peace -    P: That the lonely should find love - L: That the dejected should find joy. A: O Christ of the world, your time is now! We wait, we watch, we wonder! Come! Opening Hymn:   O Come, O Come, Emmanuel   #211 1 O come, O come, Emmanuel, And ransom captive Israel, That mourns in lonely exile here Until the Son of God appear. (Refrain) Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel. 2 O come, Thou Wisdom from on high, Who orderest all things mightily; To us the path of knowledge show, And teach us in her ways to go. Refrain 3 O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free Thine own from Satan’s tyranny; From depths of hell Thy people save, And give them victory over the grave. Refrain 4 O come, Thou Day-spring, come and cheer Our spirits by Thine advent here; Disperse the gloomy clouds of night, And...

Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love: We are already about one candle into the Advent season at Dayton and Harcourt United Methodist Churches. I know that it doesn’t seem like it; what with not being able to go into the church building on Sunday mornings and hearing the readings for each Sunday, which then lead us towards that magical and wonderful Silent Night where we sing by the light of candles. Believe me; I am painfully aware that the situation stinks. But just for a minute, let’s turn our thoughts in a different direction. As I prepare for each and every sermon, I purposely focus on what is good or working or just plain pleasant. It’s not as if the other stuff isn’t valid or that I won’t talk about it when I’m needed to do so, but I will not focus on problems, rather I focus on solutions. While it seems like not being able to gather inside the church building would be a problem, and granted, it is not the best scenario; the solution is simple. The building, while lovely and grand, is not ...