We're glad you joined us for ToGather.church during this time when we have a special emphasis on remembering Jesus' first coming to us as Immanuel, God with us.

Opening with Praise in Word and Song:

During this time of Advent for some Christians and the Nativity Fast for others, we begin ToGather with the hymn of praise, "All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name" led by the Maranatha Singers:

Our opening prayer is adapted from John 7:37-39, Jesus' words about the refreshing water of the Spirit inside each true disciple:

Dear God, we come to you thirsty! Without your holy presence within us, our souls would be dry, our hearts would be brittle, and our spirits would be parched. We draw near to you through Jesus as we worship you as God — Father, Son, and Spirit. We come because we love you and need your supply of living water. We long to drink deeply from your grace. We trust, dear Father, in Jesus as our Savior and Lord. We are confident that as we worship, the Holy Spirit will fill us, and as Jesus promised, rivers of living water will flow from within us through the empowering and gracious work of the Holy Spirit. Please be honored with our adoration and praise as we thank you for refreshing our souls. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.

In the theme of refreshing water, we join Mac Powell in singing, "River of Life":

Focusing on the Scriptures:

The theme of our ToGather worship today — "Living Water to End Our Soul-Drought" — is taken from John 4:14, our Verse of the Day:

Jesus said, "[W]hoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

Our message for ToGather focuses on how we can end our soul-drought, our thirst for the active presence of Jesus and the Holy Spirit in our lives:

The song "Holy Spirit Rain Down," led for us by Marvy Macabales, is a powerful way for us to ask the Spirit to be that active, empowering, and living presence in our lives as Jesus promised us:

Sharing The Supper:

Jesus gives us the Holy Spirit, the living water that ends our soul-drought!
Our theme for Communion is about anticipating Jesus' return for us. We join Andrae Crouch in singing, "Soon and Very Soon":

Phil shares our Communion reflection today as we remember Jesus' saving work on the cross and through his resurrection and as we anticipate our Lord's return in the glory of heaven:

Cluster Pluckers leads us in the old hymn, "Sweet By and By," as we consider part of what we will enjoy when Jesus' returns for us:

Closing Song:

As we remember Paul and his companions finding women praying by the river outside the city of Philippi (Acts 16:13), we close ToGather singing "Down to the River to Pray," with Allison Krauss:

Special thanks to The Lumo Project and Free Bible Images for images related to the ministry of Jesus.