On this weekend before Christmas, we will be talking about how we are called to “Share the Light.” One of the ways we are called to celebrate Christmas is to share good works with each other, to serve one another, to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ. We will share the ways that’s God’s light has been at work over the last 10 months in our church and in our community.

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 20, 2020. Please note we will not have Fellowship Time until Sunday, January 10, 2020

Click here for the Children’s Worship Bulletin and Coloring Page.

Prelude: In the Bleak Midwinter ~ arr. Jason Krug

Call to Worship: (based on Matthew 5)

but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.

so that you may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. 

Hymn: Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Skies - Hymnal no. 173

Lighting of the Fourth Advent Candle: The Harris Family (Brooke, Ben, Sadie, Adrian, and Tyler Harris)

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 Children’s Worship Bulletin and Coloring Page for the children to do at home during this time.

Anthem: Whisper! ~ words, music, arrangement by Jay Althouse adapted by Octapella   

Trinity Men’s Quartet: Gordon Johnson, Tom Tyler, Paul Taylor, Greg Saunders

^*Gospel Lesson: Matthew 5:14-16 - Abigail St. Jean

¹⁴ You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. ¹⁵ No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

The Word of God for the People of God. Thanks be to God.

^*Gospel Lesson: Luke 1:46-56

⁴⁶ And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, ⁴⁷ and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, ⁴⁸ for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; ⁴⁹ for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. ⁵⁰ His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. ⁵¹ He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. ⁵² He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; ⁵³ he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. ⁵⁴ He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, ⁵⁵ according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.” ⁵⁶ And Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.

The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.

Sermon: Sharing the Light

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.

Offertory: Infant Holy ~ arr. Jason Krug

Hymn: My Soul Gives Glory to My God - Hymnal no. 198

Postlude: In Dulci Jubilo ~ Wilbur Held 

The Poinsettias adorning the altar are given to the glory of God and the birth of our Savior by the following friends and members of Trinity United Methodist Church.

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 6, 2020. Please join us next week for Fellowship Time!

Today’s anthem, Whisper!, is a Jamaican-flavored Christmas anthem with words and music by Jay Althouse, an internationally recognized composer/arranger of choral music, songbooks, musicals, vocal solo collections, and music books. The version of Whisper! performed today is based on an adaptation by the men’s a cappella group Octapella. Copyright©MCMXCV Alfred Publishing Co, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-713613. All rights reserved.

Today’s prelude and offertory are 12-bell arrangements of familiar Christmas carols by Jason W. Krug.  Krug (b. 1978) is a native of Indianapolis, Indiana. He graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2000 with a degree in Music. He is currently a freelance composer, arranger, clinician, and teacher. Note that today, rather than 6 ringers, we have 5, with one in the center ringing two bells in each hand. We also have two guest substitute ringers from Westminster Presbyterian Church; they also ring with Virginia Bronze, an auditioned choir. 

Christmas Family Service: Join us via Zoom @ 4 PM this afternoon, Sunday, December 20^th as we interactively tell the Christmas Story of Jesus’s Coming! You will have the chance to be any/all the characters. Join us as we meet the Angels, Shepherds, Wisepersons, Animals and the Holy Family! We will give instructions for ways to interact with and transform into each character from home in the moment, although finding fun outfits for each character before the service is always encouraged! And of course, our evening will finish with singing Silent Night together as we welcome the coming of Jesus! For additional questions or concerns, please contact Hannah Day Donoghue.

Christmas Eve Worship: On Christmas Eve, December 24^th, we will have two worship services. At 4 PM, we will have a short outdoor worship service in our Courtyard. Click here to sign up. At 8 PM, we will have our Traditional Candlelight Christmas Eve service online (via our Website, Facebook, and Youtube) with special music accompanied by violin and organ. We invite all to join us for these worship services!

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.

Advent Sermon Series (November 29, 2020 - December 27, 2020): It has been a been a dark and difficult year. Many of us enter this holiday season already exhausted, overwhelmed, and anxious with the brokenness of our present reality, wondering if and when hope will finally come. While we face darkness, Advent is a season of hope and light that reminds us that despite our dark our world seems, Jesus is coming. Jesus comes to shine a light in the midst of darkness, and the darkness will not overcome it. Join us these four weeks as we anticipate the light of the world. 

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. 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.

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

Sunday, December 20^th ~ Sharing the Light

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

        4:00 PM             Christmas Family Service via Zoom

Wednesday, December 23^rd

Thursday, December 24^th ~ Christmas Eve

        8:00 PM             Traditional Christmas Eve Candlelight Worship via Zoom

Sunday, December 27^th ~ Lessons & Carols

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