CERRO
GORDO CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN
December 18,
2022
It’s Really True!
Luke 1:39-79
Mary Visits Elizabeth
At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill
country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When
Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was
filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are
you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I
so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as
the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for
joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his
promises to her!”
Mary’s Song
And Mary said:
“My soul glorifies the
Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost
thoughts.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
to Abraham and his descendants forever,
just as he promised our ancestors.”
Mary
stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.
The Birth of John the
Baptist
When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to
a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great
mercy, and they shared her joy.
On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they
were going to name him after his father Zechariah, but his mother spoke up
and said, “No! He is to be called John.”
They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has
that name.”
Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would
like to name the child. He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s
astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.” Immediately his mouth was
opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising
God. All the neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill
country of Judea people were talking about all these things. Everyone
who heard this wondered about it, asking, “What then is this child going to
be?” For the Lord’s hand was with him.
Zechariah’s Song
His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and
prophesied:
“Praise be to the Lord,
the God of Israel,
because he has come to his people and redeemed them.
He has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David
(as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),
salvation from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us—
to show mercy to our ancestors
and to remember his holy covenant,
the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
and to enable us to serve him without fear
in holiness and righteousness before him all our
days.
And you, my child, will be
called a prophet of the Most High;
for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way
for him,
to give his people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun will come to us from
heaven
to shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”
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Cerro Gordo Church of the Brethren
Announcements:
Tuesday 9:30 Bible Study
Today and next Sunday Advent special offering. See bulletin insert.
Envelopes are in the back of the sanctuary.
December 21 7:00 pm Christmas Service: scripture; carols;
communion; candlelight
December 25 Christmas Sunday
January 1 last worship in sanctuary for the winter
Offering plates are in the back of the sanctuary. Thank
you for your continued giving!
Donation Box: The Lord’s Storehouse
First Sundays: food donations for food banks
Pastor Larry Traxler- (217) 454-2362
To
keep up on Church of the Brethren news:
Denomination: www.brethren.org/news Sign
up for Newsline by clicking link on left side of page.
District:
iwdcob.org (click on newsletter link) and on facebook
Our
pages: cerrogordocob.com (printed sermon, announcements, &
calendar) and on facebook
Keep
in Your Prayers
Jonah Martina; Jan
Bower; Larry Traxler; Michelle West; Carolyn Hirsch; Eli Brunner; Nancy Fansler;
Joe Waltz; Doug Larrick; Anna Rose Larrick; Ron & Kathleen Petersen; Anna
Gentry Thompson; Louis & Carol Sulwer; Debbie Leibrock; Dorthea Wood; Tina
Wilhelm; Tate Sawyer; Bryce Ashenfelter; Mindy Sawyer; Marlene Schultz; Carl
and Wilma Cable; Mike and Carol Seidenstricker; Adiline Young; Kim Lehmann; Doug Fansler;
Shawn Cain; Robert Cripe; Mayo & Darlene Hanaver; Patty Cripe; Lauren
Gross; Stacie Warren; Nancy Gorrell; many unspoken requests; Coronavirus;
healthcare workers and first responders; victims of disasters; victims of
shootings; shut-ins; the Nigerian church; Haitian Brethren; Ukraine; Hope Welty
Library; Florida; Puerto Rico; La Place congregation
Military and Other
Services and their families
Brethren Volunteer
Service workers; Disaster project workers
District Prayer
Calendar: Pray for the Neighborhood congregation near Montgomery and Boulder
Hill
Church
of the Brethren vision statement:
Together, as the Church of the Brethren, we will passionately
live and share the radical transformation and holistic peace of Jesus Christ
through relationship-based neighborhood engagement. To move us forward, we will
develop a culture of calling and equipping disciples who are innovative,
adaptable, and fearless.
Our Mission Statement:
Love
God, grow with others, serve faithfully, reach the lost, find peace.