​Franklin Community Church
Order of Worship
December 7, 2025 
10:00AM
Rev. Jon Pohl, Pastor

Prelude   ♪♫                                                                                       Maria Cimarelli, piano                                                                                                                               
Bringing in the Light                                                                                                 Acolytes                                                         
Welcome & Announcements

*Call to Worship                                                                                                        Liturgist
L:  In this season of expectation, we gather on the waiting ground—where promises are spoken, but not yet seen…  where valleys are low, hills are high, and the straight path is still being shaped.

P:  We come trusting that comfort is on the way, even if we cannot feel it yet.

L:  Isaiah tells us: A voice cries in the wilderness.  Not to rush, not to force, but to prepare—for the Holy One is already drawing near.

P:  We wait, not with resignation, but with readiness.

L:  Mary went to Elizabeth before the miracle showed.  Two women, two stories, one shared hope—God met them in the quiet, unseen places of their waiting.

P:  So God meets us now—with companionship, with courage, with a whispered confirmation:  “You are not alone.”

L:  Before anything breaks the surface, before the first green shoot appears, God is already nurturing life beneath the soil.

P:  Our waiting is not wasted.  Faith is growing in the hidden places.

L:  Come, let us stand on this waiting ground together.  Let us lift our voices with trust, lean into the promise, and welcome the God who forms us in the silence and the soil.

P:  We worship with patience, with hope, and with steady hearts.  Amen.

“In this second week of Advent, we remember that waiting is part of God’s work in us.  We give thanks for those who grew in faith at Franklin and now carry God’s peace wherever they are.”

Candle Lighting: 
L:  “We light the candle of Peace — trusting that even in waiting, God prepares the way.” 
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P:  We thank God that waiting is not wasted.  In every moment of delay, You prepare us for Your peace.  Give us patience, strengthen our hearts, and help us trust Your timing, O God.  Amen.
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*Hymn       “It Came Upon A Midnight Clear"                                                        #218

Passing the Peace - As you greet those around you, look at each person and offer these words from Isaiah: “You are precious in God’s sight.”

Children’s Message                                                                                    Dr. Althea Simpson

Prayer Time   
Hymn of Meditation     “Love Came Down At Christmas"                                  #242  
Prayers of the People
Silent Meditation
The Lord’s Prayer

Anthem   ♪♫   " TBD "                                                                          
                               ...

Prayer for Illumination:
God of patience and promise, in the quiet of waiting You are at work. As we listen for Your Word, slow our restless hearts. Remind us that the same Spirit that overshadowed Mary now breathes hope into us. Teach us to wait not in fear, but in trust; not in despair, but in expectation. May the Scriptures we hear today shape us into people who bear Your light in a waiting world. Through Jesus Christ, our coming Lord. Amen.

*Scripture Lesson:  Isaiah 40:6-8, Luke 1:39–56                                   RSV Updated Edition 
*Response to the Reading of the Scripture  
L: May God add a blessing to the reading, hearing and understanding of
     the scripture.
P:  Thanks be to God.
                                                               
Sermon  "The Waiting Ground"                                                        Rev. Jon Pohl, Pastor     

Communion
Offering

 *Doxology    “Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow”                                    #94

*Prayer of Dedication

*Hymn          “Angels We Have Heard On High"                                                        #238
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*Benediction

*Postlude   - Taking Forth the Light
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​Scripture Lesson:                   
Isaiah 40:6-8, Luke 1:39–56                                                                                                (NRSV Updated Edition)   

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Special Announcements:

• Progressive Dinner – 🍽 Saturday, December 13th ​
  • Contact/Text Shelly for details:  248-891-1672  
  • Location:  Hosts and Locations to be announced.
• ​Franklin Book Club – 📚 Thursday, December 18th – “The Stranger” by Albert Camus
  • ​Time:  7:00 pm – Leader:  Ken
• ​Christmas Cantata – 🎼 Sunday, December 21st – “The Winter Rose” 🌹  
  • ​​​Location:  Hosts and Locations to be announced.
• ​Christmas Eve Service – 🎄 Wednesday, December 24th
  • ​Time:  5:00 pm
• Next Meal Kit Assembly – 🕛 Sunday, January 11th at 11:15 AM
  • ​​​Location:  Searls Hall – Franklin Community Church

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                                   To make donations to the Building Fund Click <<HERE>>
                         The first building project is for a the kitchen.

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​Franklin Community Church
26425 Wellington
Franklin, MI  48025

​Worship Time:  10:00 AM

​​Phone:  248-626-6606
Fax:  248-626-5356
​Email: 
​[email protected]

Office Hours:  Monday        9:00 AM - 2:00 PM 
                         Tuesday        9:00 AM - 2:00 PM 
                         Thursday      9:00 AM - 2:00 PM 
                         
Emails and requests received outside of business hours will be taken care of the next business day.               ​