Pastor: David Range
December 21, 2025
Miramar United Methodist Church
in the heart of Miramar, a place for gathering, healing, and sending out friends, helping to create a sense of family to find new life in Christ.
Part of the United Methodist family where we make disciples for the
Transformation of the world.
Order of Worship for
December 21, 2025, 8:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. services
Fourth Sunday in Advent
Please see the end of the bulletin for some additional important information
CALL TO WORSHIP
ADVENT 4 Candle Lighting
Prepare to Love
The Lord, our Redeemer, speaks through the prophet Isaiah: For the mountains may move and the hills disappear, but even then my faithful love for you will remain.
My covenant of blessing will never be broken,”
says the Lord, who has mercy on you. (Isaiah 54.10)
We light this candle of love as a sign of our commitment to live as people of God’s promise, a promise of salvation and flourishing for all people that springs forth from God’s love for all creation.
*HYMN 213 Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates+
1 Lift up your heads, ye mighty gates;
behold, the King of glory waits;
the King of kings is drawing near;
the Savior of the world is here!
2 Fling wide the portals of your heart;
make it a temple, set apart
from earthly use for heaven's employ,
adorned with prayer and love and joy.
3 Redeemer, come, with us abide;
our hearts to thee we open wide;
let us thy inner presence feel;
thy grace and love in us reveal.
4. Thy Holy Spirit lead us on
until our glorious goal is won;
eternal praise, eternal fame
be offered, Savior, to thy name!
WORDS: Georg Weissel, 1642; trans. by Catherine Winkworth, 1855 MUSIC: Psalmodia Evangelica, 1789
PRAYER
*PRAISE AND WORSHIP
Here I am to worship
Light of the world
You stepped down into darkness
Opened my eyes let me see
Beauty that made this heart adore You
Hope of a life spent with You
So here I am to worship
Here I am to bow down
Here I am to say that you're my God
You're altogether lovely
Altogether worthy
Altogether wonderful to me
I'll never know how much it cost
To see my sin upon that cross
I'll never know how much it cost
To see my sin upon that cross
So here I am to worship
Here I am to bow down
Here I am to say that you're my God
You're altogether lovely
Altogether worthy
Altogether wonderful to me
Shout to the Lord
1 My Jesus, my Savior
Lord there is none like you
All of my days, I want to praise
The wonders of your mighty love
My comfort, my shelter
Tower of refuge and strength
Let every breath, all that I am
Never cease to worship You
Shout to the Lord, all the earth let us sing
Power and majesty, praise to the King
Mountains bow down and the seas will roar
At the sound of Your name
I sing for joy at the work of your hands
Forever I'll love you, forever I'll stand
Nothing compares to the promise I have
In YOU
Emmanuel, Emmanuel
Emmanuel, Emmanuel,
His name is called Emmanuel,
God with us, revealed in us,
his name is called Emmanuel.
WELCOME: Visitors, you are invited to stand and introduce yourself or be introduced by a friend. Please receive the information card that the usher offers and when you have filled it in please return it to the usher.
Birthdays and Anniversaries
ANNOUNCEMENTS—CALL TO ACTION
TODAY: Worship at 8:30 and 11:00 a.m.
WEDNESDAY: Christmas Eve service of Lessons and Carols is at 7:30 p.m. Please talk to pastor if you would like to do a reading. Please use your Special Offering for Christmas envelope or give online.
SATURDAY: Food Distribution 10:00 a.m.
NEXT SUNDAY: Worship at 8:30 and 11:00 a.m.
Looking Ahead:
CHRISTMAS EVE December 24, our Lessons and Carols service is at 7:30 p.m. Please talk to pastor if you would like to do a reading. Please use your Special Offering for Christmas envelope or give online.
December 31 will be our WATCH NIGHT service starting at 11:00 p.m. and ending at midnight.
Staff Christmas envelopes are in the pews today. Please give a generous bonus to our Administrative Assistant Beth, our Music Director Helen, our custodian Ramone, our lawn trimming and roof care worker Dwight, our lawn mowing worker Myron, and our treasurer Mario.
The Mission Wreath is up! and there is a pink half sheet on the back table to fill out and make a commitment to give in honor of, in memory of, or to the glory of God.
The Mission Offering today is for Women in Distress
Next Sunday our Mission Offering goes to Apportionments
For Sharing of the Spirit, please wave at the YouTube camera and say, “the peace of the Lord be with you,” and then wave at your neighbor in the sanctuary and say, “and also with you”
Please stand for the gospel of Matthew 3:1-12
CHILDREN’S TIME
HYMN 250 Once in Royal David’s City+
1 Once in royal David's city
stood a lowly cattle shed,
where a mother laid her baby
in a manger for his bed;
Mary, loving mother mild,
Jesus Christ, her little child.
2. He came down to earth from heaven
who is God and Lord of all,
and his shelter was a stable,
and his cradle was a stall.
With the poor, the scorned, the lowly
lived on earth our Savior holy.
3. Jesus is our childhood's pattern;
day by day, like us he grew;
he was little, weak, and helpless,
tears and smiles like us he knew;
and he feeleth for our sadness,
and he shareth in our gladness.
4. And our eyes at last shall see him,
through his own redeeming love;
for that child so dear and gentle
is our Lord in heaven above;
and he leads his children on
to the place where he is gone.
WORDS: Cecil Francis Alexander, 1848 MUSIC: Henry J. Gauntlett, 1849, 1928
RECEPTION OF TITHES AND OFFERINGS
WAYS TO GIVE
1. Click the ‘Donate’ icon on http://www.miramarumc.org/
And follow the prompts
2. Give by text, using the number 833-931-1791.
Text the donation amount, press send, and you will be prompted
to register by giving your name and card information
3. You may also donate with cash or check to MUMC
PRAYER OF DEDICATION
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
Sunday School children go out to their classes
Jesus Loves Me This I Know
1 Jesus loves me! this I know, for the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to him belong; they are weak, but he is strong.
Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me! The Bible tells me so.
2 Jesus loves me, this I know, as he loved so long ago,
taking children on his knee, saying, "Let them come to me.“
Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me! The Bible tells me so.
3 Jesus loves me still today, walking with me on my way,
wanting as a friend to give, light and love to all who live.
Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me! The Bible tells me so.
TIME OF SHARING JOYS & CONCERNS
(please email miramarpastor@gmail.com)
PRAYER HYMN 219 What Child is This+
1. What child is this who, laid to rest,
on Mary's lap is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,
while shepherds watch are keeping?
This, this is Christ the King,
whom shepherds guard and angels sing;
haste, haste to bring him laud,
the babe, the son of Mary.
2 Why lies he in such mean estate
where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christians, fear, for sinners here
the silent Word is pleading.
This, this is Christ the King,
whom shepherds guard and angels sing;
haste, haste to bring him laud,
the babe, the son of Mary.
3 So bring him incense, gold, and myrrh,
come, peasant, king, to own him;
the King of kings salvation brings,
let loving hearts enthrone him.
This, this is Christ the King,
whom shepherds guard and angels sing;
haste, haste to bring him laud,
the babe, the son of Mary.
WORDS: William C. Dix, 1865 MUSIC: 16th cent. English melody
PRAYER OF INTERCESSION AND 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 trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:
For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory,
For ever and ever. Amen.
SERMON Who is left holding the baby? Pastor David Range
*HYMN OF SENDING FORTH 251 Go, Tell It on the Mountain+
Go, tell it on the mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere;
Go, tell it on the mountain,
That Jesus Christ is born
1 While shepherds kept their watching
O’er silent flocks by night,
Behold throughout the heavens
There shown a holy light.
Go, tell it on the mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere;
Go, tell it on the mountain,
That Jesus Christ is born.
2. The shepherds feared and trembled
When lo! above the earth
Rang out the angel chorus
That hailed our Savior's birth.
Go, tell it on the mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere;
Go, tell it on the mountain,
That Jesus Christ is born.
3 Down in a lowly manger
The humble Christ was born,
And God sent us salvation
That blessed Christmas morn.
Go, tell it on the mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere;
Go, tell it on the mountain,
That Jesus Christ is born.
WORDS: Afro-American spiritual; adapt. by John W. Work, Jr., 1907 MUSIC: Afro-American spiritual; adapt. & arr. by William Farley Smith, 1986
BENEDICTION
All music under ccli #24249
_________________________________________________________________________
We are always happy (and look forward) to have you join us in the sanctuary, but for those who would like to continue to participate from home, we will continue to live stream the services on youtube.com.
To join us on youtube.com simply type Miramar UMC in the search bar and then you should see the service live streamed. If you subscribe to our service through youtube.com you can set up reminders for the day before or 15 minutes before, whatever you like.
Please email your prayer requests for uplifting on Sundays by sending them to miramarpastor@gmail.com. It is best if you send them by Saturday NOON if possible.
Our church prayer meeting is online on Sundays at 7:30 p.m. and you may contact Marvia Aitken or Vinessa Edwards for the link.
WAYS to give:
1. Online giving is available through our website
www.MiramarUMC.org. On the home page the ‘Donate’ icon (a hand with a dollar sign above it) is located at the top left corner and on the right under “Contact Us” you will see the same icon along with “Donate Online.” Click on either location for instructions. If you need help call the church office at 954-989-4711. Thanks to all who have signed up for this. The regular tithes and offerings of the church are a great source of blessing.
2. You can also mail a check to Miramar United Methodist Church. If you have your offering envelopes you will see that the address of the church is printed for mailing purposes and your offering can be mailed in this envelope when you apply a stamp. You may also use a regular envelope and address it to: MUMC, 2507 Utopia Drive, Miramar FL 33023. Just put your check inside, mark which funds you would like to support, put a stamp on and let the United States Postal Service do the rest! Or bring it by after the Sunday services, someone will be in the church for one hour after the worship finishes as well as Mon-Thurs 1-5 pm. We trust God will keep us strong.
3. Also, we have the option of giving by text! Use 833-931-1791 to GivePlusText and when you text any amount, by putting that number in the message, you will be prompted to register, then fill out the details of your name, address and means of payment, and the contribution will go in! If you enter an email address you will get an immediate receipt. It is easy! If you have an Apple phone you may also get Vanco’s GivePlusMobile by downloading the app from the App Store. You may also look up YouTube videos to show how all this is done.
Thank you for your prayers! Grace and peace, Pastor David
