FPC Bellingham

Scripture read by Hillary Thomsen.

Original song written and performed by Eshinee and Rob Veith.

Song of Mary (The Magnificat); Luke 1:46–55

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,

my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,

my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

for you, Lord, have looked with favor on your lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed:

you, the Almighty, have done great things for me

and holy is your name.

You have mercy on those who fear you,

from generation to generation.

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,

my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.

You have shown strength with your arm,

and scattered the proud in their conceit,

casting down the mighty from their thrones

and lifting up the lowly.

You have filled the hungry with good things,

and sent the rich away empty.

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,

my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.

You have come to the aid of your servant Israel,

to remember the promise of mercy,

the promise made to our forebears,

to Abraham and his children for ever.

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,

my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.

Scripture read by Gini Bunnell.

Original song written and performed by Eshinee and Rob Veith.

Canticle of Elizabeth; Luke 1:42-45

“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 me leaped for joy.

And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”

Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.

Scripture read by Ozzie Lewis.

Original song written and recorded by Eshinee and Rob Veith.

In the tender compassion of our God

the dawn from on high shall break upon us.

Blessed are you, Lord, the God of Israel;

you have come to your people and set them free.

You have raised up for us a mighty Savior,

born of the house of your servant David.

In the tender compassion of our God

the dawn from on high shall break upon us.

Through your holy prophets, you promised of old

to save us from our enemies,

from the hands of all who hate us, to show mercy to our forebears,

and to remember your holy covenant.

In the tender compassion of our God

the dawn from on high shall break upon us.

This was the oath you swore to our father Abraham:

to set us free from the hands of our enemies,

free to worship you without fear,

holy and righteous before you, all the days of our life.

In the tender compassion of our God

the dawn from on high shall break upon us.

And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High,

for you will go before the Lord to prepare the way,

to give God’s people knowledge of salvation

by the forgiveness of their sins.

In the tender compassion of our God

the dawn from on high shall break upon us.

In the tender compassion of our God

the dawn from on high shall break upon us,

to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,

and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

In the tender compassion of our God

the dawn from on high shall break upon us.

It’s bedtime! Turn out your light and feel the warmth of the blanket over you. Put your hands on your heart and take three deep breaths. In the name of the Father, our creator, in the name of the Son, our Savior, in the name of the Holy Spirit, our sustainer. You are with us O God. We come close to you now.

Now, Lord, let me go in peace:

your promise has come true.

My own eyes have seen the salvation

which you have prepared for all people to see:

a light to show you to the nations *

and the glory of your people.

When we wake up, Jesus, show us the way,

Keep us safe when we are sleeping

So that when we awake we hold Your hand and watch

And when we sleep we rest in Your arms.

It’s dinnertime! Set the table and sit down with your family. If you want, hold hands around the table and sing.

With all of me I rejoice with God my Savior!

With all of me I shout - Great is God!

With all of me I rejoice with God my Savior!

for you, Lord, look at me with love.

From this day all generations will call me blessed:

you, the Almighty, have done great things for me

and holy is your name.

You have mercy on those who look to you,

from generation to generation.

With all of me I shout - Great is God!

With all of me I rejoice with God my Savior!

You have shown strength,

scattering the ones who thought they were the best,

tumbling down the proud people

and lifting up the unseen and ignored.

You have filled the hungry with good things,

and sent the rich away empty.

With all of me I shout - Great is God!

With all of me I rejoice with God my Savior!

You have come to the aid of your people,

to remember the promise of mercy,

the promise made to our grandparents,

to all your beloved children forever.

With all of me I shout - Great is God!

With all of me I rejoice with God my Savior!

It’s the middle of the day! Shake out your hands, now put them on your tummy, take a deep breath, hold it and let it all out. God is with you wherever you are right now.

Kids songs recorded live at First Presbyterian Church on November 19, 2023.

ELIZABETH'S SONG - LUKE 1:42-45

God, in the middle of our day,

When we feel joy jump inside us,

Help us remember that

Nothing is impossible with God!

God, in the middle of our day,

No matter where we are or how we feel,

Help us remember that

Nothing is impossible with God!

Good morning! Let’s take a big deep breath and stretch and exhale. This is the day that the LORD has made. Let us rejoice and be glad! 

Kids songs recorded live at First Presbyterian Church on November 19, 2023.

ZECHARIAH'S SONG - LUKE 1:68–79

In God’s tender love, the new day will burst into color

All over us!

You are good LORD! We are your children! 

You have come to your people and set us free. 

You have given us a mighty Savior, 

A great, great, great grandchild of King David.

In God’s tender love, the new day will burst into color

All over us!

And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High,

you will go before the Lord to clear the way,

and give people the Good News that   

God forgives us! 

In God’s tender love, the new day will burst into color

All over us!

In God’s tender love, the new day will burst into color! 

All over us!

to shine on those who live in darkness and fear,  

and to guide our feet into the way of peace. 

In God’s tender love, the new day will burst into color

All over us!

Dear Families - Every day this Advent our FPC family is praying the Canticles (songs) four times a day - the Canticle of Zechariah in the morning, the Canticle of Elizabeth at midday, the Canticle of Mary at dinnertime, and the Canticle of Simeon at bedtime. We invite children to join us in this practice!

This podcast has four episodes - one for each prayer. These kid-versions of the Canticles are written and read by Pastor Kerrie with a chorus of people reading the refrain. Encourage your child to say the refrain with the group! 

Message by Rev. Doug Bunnell recorded November 26, 2023 at First Presbyterian Church of Bellingham.

Luke 1:67-80; Scripture read by Nick Berard

Reflection Questions:

After months of silence Zechariah erupts in prayer to the God of Salvation and blessing upon his son.

• What would it be like to not be able to talk for 10 months? How would you be different?

• Zechariah’s prayer is all about God, what does he appreciate about God?

• How does Zechariah describe Jesus?

• What words of encouragement and blessing does he offer his son?

• What does it mean that the dawn from on high will break upon us? Has that happened yet?

Each Thanksgiving our Sunday service is transformed as members of our congregation share a deeply personal Thanksgiving reflection. This week we will be sharing four stories by Brad Day, Steve Thames, Jeanie Cox, and Greg and Christy Hart.

Our fourth message is by Greg and Christy Hart, recorded November 19, 2023 at First Presbyterian Church of Bellingham.