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. 29^th Happy Birthday, Gloria Snyder

Dec. 31^st Happy Birthday, Chris Gerber

Jan. 1^st Happy Birthday, Casey Kalb

Jan. 3^rd Happy Birthday, Myrna Jaberg

NEXT WEEK: EPIPHANY

Minister: Mike Gehman

Worship Leader: Dan Hostetler

Head Usher: Monk Yoder

LAST WEEK

Attendance: 22

Offering: $2443