Dec. 28, 2025
Christmas 2025: Be Amazed!
First Mennonite Church
Sugarcreek, Ohio
December 28, 2025
Worship: 9:30 am
Coffee & Fellowship Time: 10:30 am
We believe in Jesus and take his life, teachings, death and resurrection
as the model for how we live and the message we proclaim.
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We seek to be a caring and discerning community, the gathered body
of Christ, that welcomes all to join in worship, study, and service.
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We embody God’s transforming and redeeming Spirit in the world
through our prophetic witness and action.
THE CHURCH WORSHIPS TOGETHER
Sunday After Christmas
Be Amazed: God Among Us
~Gathering~
Prelude: “What Child Is This” -performed by The Piano Guys
Welcome& Announcements
Opening Hymn: HWB 16 God is Here Among Us
Advent Scripture: Habakkuk 1:5
“Look at the nations and see! Be astonished! Be astounded!
For work is being done in your days that you
would not believe, even if you were told.”
Focus Statement:
Imagine the silence of a great wilderness. Do you hear a sound? It is a powerful voice calling us to prepare the way of the Lord even after Christmas has been packed away. Listen closely---he tells an amazing story of a dove as the Spirit of God searching for a home, scissoring through the air, coming finally to land on the shoulder of Jesus.
Time of Meditation: “In the Bleak Midwinter”
-performed by Mike Gehman and April Shupe
Call to Worship: (Based on John 1:19-34)
Leader: In the wilderness, a voice cries out: “Prepare the way
of the Lord!”
People: We have heard the call; we have watched for the
light.
Leader: The One we waited for has come--- a gentle dove, a
vulnerable child.
People: We have seen the Christ child among the poor; we
have heard the soft flutter of wings.
Leader: This is how God arrives among us—not in power and
might, but in vulnerable love.
People: Your ways are not our ways, O God.
Leader: Come, let us worship the One who has come among
us, the Lamb of God, the light of the world.
All: We stand in amazement—Christ has been revealed!
Opening Prayer
Advent Candlelight Litany (Mike Keim, candlelighter)
Leader: We have been waiting in the long, dark night, waiting
for your light of hope, peace, joy and love to reveal
itself and shine on us. Shine in on us.
People: Come, Light of the world. Amaze us!
All: May your light shine through the dark, illuminating
your path, illuminating our souls.
Carol: HWB 201 Hark! the Herald Angels Sing
~Praying & Praising~
Old Testament Scripture: Isaiah 61: 1-4 (NIV)
Prayers of the People
Carol: HWB 211 Lo, How A Rose E’er Blooming
~Hearing God’s Word~
Scripture: John 1:29-34 (NRSV, Updated Edition)
Be Amazed Story: The Man and the Birds
Special Music: “O Come, All Ye Faithful”
-performed by Laura and Doug Kaufman
(Laura is the granddaughter of Bertie Showers)
Message: “Jesus, the Lamb of God”
~Responding~
Hymn of Response: HWB 189 To Us a Child of Hope Is Born
(the offering will be brought forth at this time)
Offering Prayer
~Sending~
Benediction
Sending Hymn: HWB 210 Good Christian Friends, Rejoice
Sending Words: Habakkuk 3: 17-19
Postlude: “Angels From the Realms of Glory”
-performed by The Piano Guys
WORSHIP 9:30-10:30
Minister: Mike Gehman
Worship Leader: Tabby Murphy
Song Leader: April Shupe
Usher: Leadership Team
Cover Art: Sustenance for Wholly Living: The Spirit
Medium – Fabric
Artist Statement: My art seldom appears in straight lines. Rather, as I
tend to experience life and nature, it reflects in winding, meandering
shapes and curves, with contrasts of lightness and darkness; brightness
and obscurity; structure and fluidity. My work sometimes bleeds past the margins, implying something beyond. An added layer of fabric or paper suggests more complexity, perhaps mystery, as each layer affects another layer. I aspire to allow elements within the art to interact, mirroring my own yearning for harmony, even through the emerging tensions that occur within the creative process.
Advent / Christmas 2025:
This year, our theme, “Be Amazed!” has invited us to notice the surprising and powerful ways in which God shows up—even when we least expect it. We invite you to immerse yourself in the visuals and explore the theme, “Be Amazed!” in several ways:
*One way is through the picture you will see each week on the big
screen as you walk into the sanctuary. Even before the service begins,
you can look at the picture and along with it, the introductory
scripture which you can read in the Bibles located in the pews, or
bring your own Bible. This way you can contemplate the story of the
scripture passage and prepare for the worship to follow.
*Another way we invite you to explore the theme is through the symbol
of a star. The stars remind us of God’s mysterious and guiding
presence—distant yet near, powerful yet gentle. Like the blazing stars
in the sky, God’s glory is sometimes hidden from view by our
distractions, expectations or the “clouds” of daily life. Yet, the light of
God is always shining—waiting for us to notice. Just as the
Magi followed the star to find Christ, we too are invited to look up,
notice, and be amazed by God’s presence. Watch as this display
becomes brighter each week to reflect the growing light and clarity
of God’s revelation, culminating in the full radiance of Christ’s birth
at Christmas. We also invite you to ponder God’s amazing stories
represented by the symbols placed on the altar each Sunday:
Advent 1: Hope in the Fire (stained glass window w/candle}
Advent 2: Peace in the Valley of Bones (bones w/sprigs of greens)
Advent 3: Joy in the Desert (a Christmas Cactus)
Advent 4: Love Comes Down (a lighted Nativity)
Today: God Among Us (Dove)
May this light call us to look up, look around, and be amazed at the God who comes close—bringing hope, peace, joy, and love, even in the places you least expect it. May you find wonder in the work God is doing in your life this Christmas!
THE CHURCH GIVES THANKS
Melanie Blauch Archer: I saw Margaret Cheslock this week, she wanted me to tell everyone she said hello.
THE CHURCH PRAYS FOR
Bruce Stauffer: Friend’s wife, Elaine Weygandt, fell on ice. She is suffering from a brain bleed and brain swelling, she has a long road to recovery and needs prayers.
Melanie Blauch Archer: Dave scrapped his foot and is in pain, he will be going to the ER this morning. Also, Kathy Hamilton had pneumonia and passed away.
April Shupe: Fran Mast nerve pain in her mouth has returned and needs prayers.
Sue Stauffer: Jim Cahill is not doing well; his heart is having a hard time working and they don’t think the chemo is doing any good. Also, Pen pal from France husband, Eric Main, has fallen and is in the nursing home, he suffers from dementia.
THIS WEEK
Dec. 29th Happy Birthday, Gloria Snyder
Dec. 31st Happy Birthday, Chris Gerber
Jan. 1st Happy Birthday, Casey Kalb
Jan. 3rd Happy Birthday, Myrna Jaberg
NEXT WEEK: EPIPHANY
Minister: Mike Gehman
Worship Leader: Dan Hostetler
Head Usher: Monk Yoder
LAST WEEK
Attendance: 22
Offering: $2443
Change for a dollar: $29
White Gift: $100
Christmas Eve
Attendance 41
Offering: $100
White Gift: $109
CHURCH LEADERSHIP
Pastor’s Hours: Wednesday 9:30 am-2:30 pm
Church Secretary: Tabatha Murphy
Church Phone: 1-330-852-2822
Email: office@firstmennonitesugarcreek.com
Website: http//fmcsugarcreekoh.org
Address: 113 W. Main St. P.O. Box 250 Sugarcreek, OH 44681
CONGREGATIONAL LEADERSHIP TEAM:
Chairperson: Mike Keim
Office Contact: Linda Yoder
Mission Contact: Reno Stevanus
Trustees Contact: Dan Hostetler
Secretary Contact: Amy Stauffer-McNutt
