We will gather at 11 AM for online worship through Trinity’s Facebook Page and on our website. Don’t forget to join us on ZOOM for a special time of fellowship. Click here to join!

Please register your attendance here! You can also list prayer requests as well. To be added to the Prayer Chain click here.

No Fellowship Time via ZOOM today, Sunday, December 27, 2020. Please note we will not have Fellowship Time until Sunday, January 10, 2020

Click here for the Coloring Pages.

Prelude: Infant Holy, Infant Lowly - arr. David Williams

Hymn: O Come, All Ye Faithful - Hymnal no.234 (verses 1, 2, 3, 5)

We’d love to know you worshiped with us! Please register your attendance here. We also encourage you to comment during the service so we can be in community with you! Click here to sign up for all our eCommunications.

Children’s Time: Hannah Day Donoghue

We invite the children who are worshiping at home to pay extra special attention. Each week Hannah Day Donoghue will send out Coloring Pages for the children to do at home during this time.

First Lesson: Genesis 3:8-15, 17-19 ~ Stephen Philips

    ⁸ They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. ⁹ But the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?”¹⁰ He said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.” ¹¹ He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” ¹² The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate.” ¹³ Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent tricked me, and I ate.” ¹⁴ The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you among all animals and among all wild creatures; upon your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. ¹⁵ I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.”

     ¹⁷ And to the man he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten of the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life; ¹⁸ thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. ¹⁹ By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

“The Word of the Lord.” All may respond, “Thanks be to God.”

Second Lesson: Genesis 22:15-18 ~ Margaret Guenther

    ¹⁵ The angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven,¹⁶ and said, “By myself I have sworn, says the Lord: Because you have done this, and have not withheld your son, your only son, ¹⁷ I will indeed bless you, and I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of their enemies, ¹⁸ and by your offspring shall all the nations of the earth gain blessing for themselves, because you have obeyed my voice.”

“The Word of the Lord.” All may respond, “Thanks be to God.”

Anthem: Let Every Heart Prepare a Throne ~ Mark Patterson

Third Lesson: Isaiah 9:2, 6-7 ~ Julia Walters

    ² The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness — on them light has shined. 

⁶ For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. ⁷ His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.”

“The Word of the Lord.” All may respond, “Thanks be to God.”

Fourth Lesson: Micah 5:2-5a ~ Rich McKinney

      ² But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days. ³ Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has brought forth; then the rest of his kindred shall return to the people of Israel. 

⁴ And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth; ⁵ and he shall be the one of peace.

“The Word of the Lord.” All may respond, “Thanks be to God.”

Hymn: O Little Town of Bethlehem - Hymnal no.230 (verses 1 & 2)

Fifth Lesson: Luke 1:26-35, 38 ~ Nicole O’Sullivan

    ²⁶ In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, ²⁷ to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸ And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” ²⁹ But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. ³⁰ The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. ³¹ And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. ³² He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. ³³ He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” ³⁴ Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin? ³⁵ The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God.

 ³⁸ Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

“The Word of the Lord.” All may respond, “Thanks be to God.”

Sixth Lesson: Luke 2:1-7 ~ Richard Brown

     2 In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. ² This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. ³ All went to their own towns to be registered. ⁴ Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. ⁵ He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. ⁶ While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. ⁷ And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn..

“The Word of the Lord.” All may respond, “Thanks be to God.”

Hymn: The First Noel - Hymnal no. 245 (verses 1 & 2)

Seven Lesson: Luke 2:8-16 ~ Dahae Meserole

    ⁸ In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: ¹¹ to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” ¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host,[b] praising God and saying, ¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”

¹⁵ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” ¹⁶ So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger.

“The Word of the Lord.” All may respond, “Thanks be to God.”

Hymn: Away in a Manger - Hymnal no. 217 (verses 1 & 2)

Eighth Lesson: Matthew 2:1-11 ~ Greg Saunders

   2 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, ² asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” ³ When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; ⁴ and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. ⁵ They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: ⁶ ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.’” ⁷ Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. ⁸ Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” ⁹ When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰ When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy.

¹¹ On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

“The Word of the Lord.” All may respond, “Thanks be to God.”

Anthem: What Is This Perfume So Appealing? ~ arr. Walter Ehret

Ninth Lesson: John 1:1-14 ~ Pastor Grace Han

   ¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being ⁴ in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. ⁶ There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷ He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. ⁸ He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. ⁹ The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. ¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. ¹¹ He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. ¹² But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, ¹³ who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. ¹⁴ And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.

“The Word of the Lord.” All may respond, “Thanks be to God.”

Anthem: The Glory of the Father ~ Egil Hovland

We invite you to consider giving on-line or giving by text! To give on-line, click here and click on the Giving tab. To give by text, text “GIVE” to 703-783-3034. Further instructions will follow. For further information about online giving, please see the Tithes & Offering announcement below.

Hymn: Joy to the World - Hymnal no. 246 (verses 1 & 2)

Christmas Dismissal with Blessing:

Postlude: Vom Himmel hoch - Johann Pachelbel

The flowers on the altar are given to the glory of God and and in honor of Eliza Engle’s birthday by her loving husband James Thompson.

Worship Online this Sunday: While we aren’t meeting in person, we will be worshiping online via livestream on Trinity’s Facebook page and through our website. Each Saturday evening, we will send out an email with links to the worship sites and the bulletin for worship that Sunday. This Sunday, we will invite you to be intentional about finding a space in your home to worship and to be truly present in a time of worship. For additional questions about how to worship online, please contact the Church Office. 

No Fellowship Time via ZOOM today, Sunday, December 27, 2020. Please join us next week for Fellowship Time on January 10^th!

Youth Group: No Youth Group this week or next week. See you all on January 10^th for our murder mystery pizza party via Zoom! If you have any questions contact, our Program Director, Hannah Day Donoghue.

Special Called Charge Conference, January 10, 2021 at 1 PM: For all Church Council members: on Sunday, January 10,2021 at 1 PM, we will hold a special called Charge Conference to approve our leadership roster for the class of 2021. All Church Council members are voting members of Charge Conference. A zoom link will be sent out closer to the date. For additional questions or concerns, contact the Church Office.

Three Simple Rules: January Sermon Series: What rules do you live by? These days there are many rules about how we are and aren’t supposed to act and behave. While rules are so important for keeping us safe, they can be, at times, overwhelming. Through this series, we are going to talk about three simple rules for how Christians are supposed to live. This is based off of John Wesley’s “Three General Rules” that he gave to early Methodists to govern their organization and life together. If we can make this simple commitment, it can serve as a guide for our daily lives, and help direct our actions in a way that glorifies God and enable us to serve others.  

2020 Trinity Missions Recap: At the start of 2020, no one would have been able to predict where we’d end up at the close of this turbulent year. One thing that quickly became apparent was the incredible toll the pandemic would take on our most vulnerable communities. In an effort to get critically needed funds to our partners, Trinity Missions disbursed a special COVID-19 response donation to ALIVE!, Casa Chirilagua, Community Lodgings, and Rising Hope. In early April, we initiated a weekly Rising Hope Food collection drive that started with our church and expanded to include our entire neighborhood! To date, we’ve provided 12,036 pounds of food and personal items and $2,085.00 through this terrific mission. In addition, a few weeks ago, we were a part of a 20 ton food drive that supported 5 local food banks! While our regular missional efforts looked different this year, we were blessed to be able to continue our partnerships through hosting our INOVA Blood Drive, support Alexandria's Domestic Violence Christmas Children's Program, and support the Rising Hope Angel gift program by providing personalized Christmas gifts to 75 children. None of these missions would be successful without the consistent and dedicated generosity of our Trinity family. We, together, are the hands and feet of Jesus Christ. Visit here for a full recap of our ministries in 2020.

Join the Trinity Prayer Chain: During times of trial and uncertainty, we pray to grow in our faith and encourage one another. To respond to our growing prayer needs, we will be starting an email prayer chain to share our prayer concerns with one another. We will share joys as well as concerns and needs. If you are interested in being part of this prayer chain or have a prayer request, please email us here.

Centering Prayer meets weekly on Wednesdays from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM, via Zoom. Centering Prayer is a 20 minute practice to sit in quiet prayer to make ourselves open to God. A reading is shared by the leader with a short discussion prior to the prayer time. Click here to connect. For more information contact, Alva Smircina.

End of Year Giving: As we come to the close of 2020, we ask you to consider making a “13^th Month of Giving” toward the ministries at Trinity Church. 2020 has been an unprecedented year and your generosity will help us both to close the year in a strong position and enter the new year on sound footing. We encourage you to consider giving electronically through our website. If you make purchases through Amazon, you can give to our operating budget by using Amazon Smile. Select “Trinity UMC, Alexandria” as your designated charity in the supporting icon, and we will receive a small percentage of each purchase. All donations that should be reflected on your 2020 Giving, should be in the Church Office by Thursday, December 31^st. For more questions about ways to give, contact our Finance Chair, Rich McKinney.

2021 Stewardship Update: Many thanks to all of you who have made your 2021 Financial Commitment to Trinity! We have received 71 pledges so far, including 8 first time commitments! We are still about $20,000 behind where we were at this time last year. As you know, these commitments help us to set our 2021 budget as well as is an important part of our discipleship path. If you haven't already made your 2021 commitment, please fill out here! For additional questions or concerns, please contact the Church Office.

Trinity is in the processing of switching our financial management system. If you still give through VANCO, you can access your Legacy VANCO account here. We encourage you to consider switching to Breeze, our new online management system. If you do switch, please cancel your VANCO account first and then set up your new giving through Breeze. 

Thank you for however you give, it is all very much appreciated! For additional questions or concerns, contact the Church Office.

Tithes and offerings may be sent to Trinity via normal mail (checks only) or via the online donation portal here. You may make online donations directly from your checking account with no check required to be mailed. This will help us immensely as our office will have limited hours to receive and process the checks. However, you may still give by mailing a check - whatever donation you want to provide will be very welcome.

We also have the capability to give by text. Just send a text that says “Give”  to:  703-783-3034.

Have you wanted to set up electronic giving for Trinity? Great! Here are the simple steps for you to follow:

Step 1. Click here.

Did you know you can support Trinity UMC with a tax-free transfer from your IRA?  If you are age 72 (or 70½ before Jan 1, 2020) and have a Traditional, Rollover, SEP, or SIMPLE IRA, you are required by law to take Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) annually.  But did you know that you can use the RMD as a way to make a tax-free transfer to a charity, including Trinity UMC?  The transfer must be directly from your IRA to Trinity, and your broker can help you with this process so that you get the full tax benefit. Please notify Trinity when you authorize a transfer so that we may confirm receipt.  

Another way to provide financial support to Trinity is with a gift of stock.  Please consult with your broker and a tax adviser (prior to selling stocks intended to benefit Trinity) on how to handle to maximize the tax benefits.  But if you do decide to give stock – please contact the church help. We can provide a form for your broker or tax adviser to facilitate the transfer.  

If all else fails - please contact Rich McKinney. Thank you again for your giving - no matter how you give!

Sunday, December 27^th ~ Lessons & Carols

      11:00 AM            Worship at via Facebook Live and Trinity Website

Wednesday, December 30^th

      6:00 PM            Centering Prayer via Zoom

Thursday, December 31^st ~ New Year’s Eve

Church Office Closed

Friday, January 1^st ~ New Year’s Eve

Church Office Closed

Sunday, January 3^rd ~ Light in the Dark

      11:00 AM            Worship at via Facebook Live and Trinity Website