Welcome Guests!Thank you for joining us in worship today.

We are glad you’re here!We invite you to come to the front of the Sanctuary after worship to meet some of our staff.

VISITING WITH INFANTS? The Nursery is located on the 1st Floor with excellent, loving care for infants to Kindergarten. The Baby Soothing Room is located just inside the Main Street entrance to the Sanctuary. Room 101 in the First Floor nursery is available for nursing moms.

Kids Church is held for children in 1st - 4th Grade in the 2nd Floor gathering area and for 5th - 6th Grade in Room 214 during the 11:00 am worship service. Kids Church does not meet on the first Sunday of the month so that families can receive Communion together.

To learn more about our Small Group Ministry please contact Ken Coneby, kconeby@fmhouston.com or 281.773.3195.

To get connected with our Young Adult Ministry please contact Rev. Kaitlyn Bowie Hankins, kbowie@fmhouston.com or 281.838.2133, or Ken Coneby, kconeby@fmhouston.com or 281.773.3195.

If you are going through a hard time, you never have to go through it alone. Call the Stephen Ministry line at 713.458.4709, leave a message, and a Stephen leader will call you back.

SUNDAYS• Worship: 8:45, 11:00 & 11:11 am• Sunday Bible Studies for all ages: 9:50 am• ESL (Room LL-9): 9:00 am• Communion & Healing (Bintliff Chapel): 12:05 pm

WATCH US ON TVWe are on live television Sundays at 11:00 am on KUBE-TV, channel 53 (Comcast) and channel 653 (Comcast HD). Dish and DirectTV subscribers will find us on channel 57. Channel 13 (KTRK) broadcasts our service at 5:00 am, delayed by one week. Our radio program, First Methodist Today, is broadcast on KHCB (105.7 FM) at 8:00 pm every Sunday. The service is also available through live streaming at www.fmhouston.com/live-streaming.

CONNECT TO OUR WI-FI: FUMC-Guest, Password: FUMC1st!

Love all to Christ • Grow all in the Word • Serve all for God

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Contact us: 1.800.652.2999 | www.fmhouston.com

Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace! Hail the Sun of Righteousness! Light and life to all He brings, Risen with healing in His wings. Mild He lays His glory by, Born that we no more may die, Born to raise us from the earth, Born to give us second birth.

Refrain Hark! the herald angels sing, "Glory to the new born King!"

*SENDING FORTH Courtney Hutchins Downtown Children’s Director

POSTLUDE Anne Roberts Toccata on ANTIOCH Jay Whatley, Organist

* Please stand, as you are able.

CHURCH OFFICE HOURS From December 26 through January 2, most of the church offices will be closed.

The exception to this is the Business Office, which will be open from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m., Monday, December 26 through Thursday, December 29.

ACOLYTES Amanda Corbett and Robert Douglas

DVDS AND CDS You may order a DVD or CD of our services by going to

http://www.fmhouston.com/media/. Click on the link at the bottom of the page to make your selections.

HOSPITAL LIST If you know of a church member, or anyone else who is hospitalized and would like a visit from

one of our clergy members, please call 832.668.1800.

CLERGY ON CALL If you need to speak with a pastor, please call 832.668.1800

and select option 7. Your call will be returned promptly.

SERVICE OF COMMUNION AND HEALING Join us in Bintliff Chapel at 12:15 p.m. for this intimate prayer service.

• Assisted Listening Devices are available from the sound console.• iPads, tablets and cell phones are welcome! Take notes and text

points from the message to your friends. Just put your device on“silent.”

Christmas Day 2016 11:00 a.m.

PRELUDE Variations on IN DULCI JUBILO James Engel Jay Whatley, Organist

INTROIT Christmas Introit Rhonda Sandberg Sanctuary Choir

Dr. Terry Morris, Director of Music

THE GATHERING Mandy Jones

*GREETING

*HYMN Joy to the World #246 Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King; Let every heart prepare Him room, And heaven and nature sing, And heaven and nature sing, And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the world, the Savior reigns! Let all their songs employ; While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains Repeat the sounding joy, Repeat the sounding joy, Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow, Nor thorns infest the ground; He comes to make His blessings flow Far as the curse is found, Far as the curse is found, Far as, far as the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace, And makes the nations prove The glories of His righteousness, And wonders of His love, And wonders of His love, And wonders, wonders of His love.

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE Rev. John Onstott

THE WORD IN SONG Gesu Bambino arr. Mark Hayes Sanctuary Choir

When blossoms flowered ‘mid the snows upon a winter night Was born the Child, the Christmas Rose the King of Love and Light.

The angels sang, the shepherds sang, the grateful earth rejoiced. And at His blessed birth the stars their exultation voiced:

“O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.”

Again the heart with rapture glows to greet the holy night That gave the world its Christmas Rose, its King of Love and Light.

Let every voice acclaim His name, the grateful chorus swell; From paradise to earth He came that we with Him might dwell.

O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.

*THE WORD IN SCRIPTURELuke 2:25-32 Page 55. N.T. Pew Bible This is the Word of the Lord! Thanks be to God!

MESSAGE Rev. Andy Nixon His Name Is: Salvation

THE LORD’S PRAYER

*HYMN God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen #3052 God rest you merry, gentlemen, let nothing you dismay, For Jesus Christ our Savior was born upon this day, To save us all from Satan's power when we were gone astray.

Refrain O tidings of comfort and joy, Comfort and joy; O tidings of comfort and joy.

In Bethlehem in Judah this blessed babe was born, And laid within a manger upon this blessed morn; For which His mother Mary did nothing take in scorn.

Repeat Refrain

From God our Heavenly Father a blessed angel came, And unto certain shepherds brought tidings of the same, How that in Bethlehem was born the son of God by name.

Repeat Refrain

The shepherds at those tidings rejoiced much in mind, And left their flocks a-feeding in tempest, storm and wind, And went to Bethlehem straight-way, the blessed babe to find.

Repeat Refrain

Now to the Lord sing praises, all you within this place, And with true love and brotherhood each other now embrace; This holy tide of Christmas all other doth deface.

Repeat Refrain

*FAITHFUL GIVING Rev. Ann Spears

THE WORD IN SONG How Great Our Joy Craig Courtney Sanctuary Choir

While by the sheep we watched at night, Glad tidings brought an angel bright. How great our joy, how great our joy.

There shall be born, so did he say, In Bethlehem a Child today.

How great our joy, how great our joy. There shall a Child lie in a stall,

This Child who shall redeem us all. This gift of God we’ll cherish well, That ever joy our hearts shall fill.

Praise we the Lord, praise we the Lord In heaven on high. How great our joy!

INVITATION Rev. Andy Nixon

*HYMN Hark! the Herald Angels Sing #240 Hark! the herald angels sing, “Glory to the new born King, Peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!" Joyful, all ye nations rise, Join the triumph of the skies; With th' angelic host proclaim, "Christ is born in Bethlehem!"

Refrain Hark! the herald angels sing, "Glory to the new born King!"

Christ, by highest heaven adored; Christ, the everlasting Lord; Late in time behold Him come, Offspring of a virgin's womb. Veiled in flesh the Godhead see; Hail th' incarnate Deity, Pleased with us in flesh to dwell, Jesus, our Emmanuel.

Repeat Refrain