First Sunday of Christmas
December 28 , 2025 | 10:00am
Rev. Mark Poyner, Pastor | Larry J. Carey, Director of Music
Thought for Worship
“In all their distress he too was distressed, and the angel of his presence saved them” (Isaiah 63:9). God does not watch our suffering from a distance but enters into it, carrying us through the darkest nights. Today we ask: where is God present in the distress of our world, and how are we called to be there too?
GATHERING
Welcome
Prelude
Call to Worship
Votum
Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen
Opening Statement Based on Isaiah 9:2
Leader: We gather to tell of the kindnesses of the Lord,
People: The deeds for which God is to be praised.
Leader: In all our distress, God too is distressed.
People: The angel of God's presence goes with us.
Leader: In love and mercy, God has redeemed us.
People: God lifts us up and carries us, now and always.
Leader: Come, let us worship the God who draws near.
All: Let us worship the God who enters our distress.
*Hymn of Praise Come, Thou Long- Expected Jesus
Call to Confession
Brothers and sisters in Christ, the Scriptures remind us that if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, God, who is faithful and just, will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Trusting in God’s mercy, let us come before Him in humility and faith, and confess our sins. Let us pray:
Prayer of Confession
God of the refugee Christ child, you know what it is to flee in the night, to be hunted by power, to depend on the mercy of strangers. We confess that we have closed our hearts to those who flee violence and despair. We have feared the stranger more than we have loved our neighbor. We have protected our comfort more than we have sought justice. Forgive us for seeing distress from a distance, for remaining unmoved when you are moved, for failing to recognize your face in the faces of the displaced. In all their distress, you too are distressed. Help us to be present where you are present, to welcome as we have been welcomed, to love as we have been loved. Through Christ our Lord, who knew no home but found refuge in your love. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon
Hear the good news, beloved people of God: The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. Not in Herod's prison. Not in our despair. Not in our waiting. Not in our doubt. The blind receive sight, the lame walk, the deaf hear, and good news is proclaimed. The kingdom has broken in, and though its full dawn is not yet here, nothing can extinguish the light of Christ that burns even now among us. In Jesus Christ, you are forgiven. In Jesus Christ, you are free. Live as children of light!
Thanks be to God!
The Law of God
Jesus said: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" Even the neighbor who flees in the night. Even the neighbor who speaks a different language. Even the neighbor whose distress makes us uncomfortable. For when we welcome the stranger, we welcome Christ himself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.
Thanks be to God.
*Gloria Patri
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Amen.
*Commitment to Peace Keeping and Peace Seeking
One: May the peace of Christ be with you!
All: And also with you!
Share a sign of peace with one another. After sharing the peace, let us all sing together:
Together, by grace, we witness and work, remembering Jesus, in whom we grow strong. Together we serve in Spirit and truth, remembering love is the strength of our song.
We Listen to God’s Word
Prayer for Illumination
God of the living Word, you speak to us through ancient texts that tell of violence and flight, of distress and deliverance, of your unfailing presence with those who suffer. Open our ears to hear what we might rather not hear. Open our eyes to see what we might prefer not to see. Open our hearts to be moved as you are moved. By your Holy Spirit, help us recognize your voice in these Scriptures— the voice that does not turn away from distress, but enters into it. Speak to us now. Change us by what we hear. Through Christ, the Word made flesh, who fled as a refugee and calls us to follow. Amen.
Old Testament Reading Isaiah 63:7-9
*Hymn Infant Holy, Infant Lowly
Gospel Lesson Matthew 2:13-23
Sermon: “In All Their Distress” | Rev. Poyner
*Affirmation of Faith (Apostles’ Creed)
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; He descended to hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
Offering
Blessing on the Offering ...Your kingdom may come on earth as it is in heaven. In Jesus 'name we pray, Amen.
*Doxology Praise God from whom all blessings flow; Praise him all creatures here below;
Praise him above ye heavenly hosts; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen!
Prayer of Dedication
Prayer of Thanksgiving and Intercession (ending with the Lord’s Prayer)
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory forever. Amen.
SENDING
*Hymn Go Tell it on the Mountain
Benediction
Postlude
DEAR FRIENDS
Welcome to worship here at Peapack Reformed Church! If you are visiting with us, welcome! If you are a member, welcome back! Our mission is to be a congregation called by God, inspired by the Holy Spirit, and committed to being the very presence of Jesus Christ in the world. This mission is the catalyst for all that we do, and is our aim for who we want to be.
If you are visiting with us via Facebook Live and would like more information about our church, send us a message on Facebook or email office@peapackreformed.org and we will be in touch with you. Even under these odd and anxious circumstances, we would love to be your church home. Our virtual doors are always open wide and our hearts are always ready to welcome new faces into our fellowship.
FOOD PANTRY NEWS
Many thanks for all those who have shared their abundance with neighbors in need.
Our church refrigerators have plenty of space to hold even more!
Please consider making a weekly donation of eggs or milk to the P-G Food Pantry.
Peapack Reformed Church is a congregation called by God, empowered by the Holy Spirit and committed to being the very presence of Jesus Christ in the world.
CALLED • EMPOWERED • COMMITTED