Find our Christmas season calendar at
ucclife.fi/christmas
CALENDAR
Watch the morning service (10:30 AM) here.
Watch the evening service (16:00 / 4PM) here.

Order of Worship

14th of September 2025 | 10:30 (Espoo)

Song 1 – 10,000 Reasons

Psalm 130:5
I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope.

Song 2 – Psalm 34 (Taste and See)
Song 3 – In Christ Alone

Song 4 – Great is Thy Faithfulness

Our welcome team members will pass an offering basket during this song.

For information about giving online, please visit ucclife.fi/give or follow the QR code on the screen. You can also speak to our pastors or leaders for more information about giving and generosity. You can also ask the welcome team or any of our staff team members for more info on giving online.

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow
Praise Him, all creatures here below
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

Amen

A warm welcome to all, and especially to any visitors joining us today – if you’d like to get connected or find out more about UCC, please see our digital visitors card or speak to us after the service!

If you have children, they are welcome to join our Sunday school classes! 

Luke 1:5–25 

5  In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah,  of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.

8 Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, 9 according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. 11 And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. 16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, 17 and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”

18 And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” 19 And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20 And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.” 21 And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in the temple. 22 And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them and remained mute. 23 And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home.

24 After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, 25 “Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”

God Breaks the Silence

Luke shows us that God’s silence is not absence, His promises stand even when we falter, and His grace always has the last word.

I. God’s Silence and God’s Timing vv. 5–10
II. God’s Promise and Our Doubts vv. 11–20
III. God’s Grace and Our Response vv. 21–25

Song 5 – Amazing Grace
Song 6 – Christ Our Hope in Life and Death

Introduction
1. When have you experienced silence from God, a time when it felt like your prayers went unanswered? How did you respond?
2. What stood out to you most from Sunday’s sermon on Luke 1:5–25?
 
Into the Text
3. Read Luke 1:5–7. What do we learn about Zechariah and Elizabeth’s character and their situation? Why do you think Luke highlights both their faithfulness and their barrenness?
4. Luke begins with the words “In the days of Herod.” How does that historical note shape the way we read this story? What does it tell us about the kind of world God entered?
5. The sermon said, “God writes His story slowly, line by line, like pencil on paper.” How does this image help you understand God’s timing in verses 8–10?
6. Zechariah responds to the angel, “How shall I know this?” (v. 18). What do his words reveal about his heart? In what ways do we sometimes respond to God’s promises with doubt rather than trust?
7. Elizabeth says in verse 25, “Thus the Lord has done for me.” How does her response of gratitude contrast with Zechariah’s silence? What does this show us about how to receive God’s grace?
 
Apply the Text
8. How can we keep praying faithfully even when God seems silent? What habits of prayer could you strengthen this week?
9. Where are you wrestling with doubt right now? How might the cross and resurrection, the sign already given, speak into those doubts?
10. Elizabeth responded with gratitude. As a group, share one area where you can say, “Thus the Lord has done for me.” How might we, as UCC, live out that gratitude through generosity, service, and witness?
Song lyrics

14th of September 2025 | 16:00 (Helsinki)

Psalm 130:5
I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope.

Song 1 – 10,000 Reasons
Song 2 – Look and See 
Song 3 – Lord I Need You

Song 4 – Christ is Mine Forevermore

Our welcome team members will pass an offering basket during this song.

For information about giving online, please visit ucclife.fi/give or follow the QR code on the screen. You can also speak to our pastors or leaders for more information about giving and generosity. You can also ask the welcome team or any of our staff team members for more info on giving online.

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow
Praise Him, all creatures here below
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

Amen

A warm welcome to all, and especially to any visitors joining us today – if you’d like to get connected or find out more about UCC, please see our digital visitors card or speak to us after the service!

If you have children, they are welcome to join our Sunday school classes! 

Luke 1:5–25 

5  In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah,  of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.

8 Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, 9 according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. 11 And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. 16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, 17 and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”

18 And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” 19 And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20 And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.” 21 And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in the temple. 22 And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them and remained mute. 23 And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home.

24 After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, 25 “Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”

God Breaks the Silence

Luke shows us that God’s silence is not absence, His promises stand even when we falter, and His grace always has the last word.

I. God’s Silence and God’s Timing vv. 5–10
II. God’s Promise and Our Doubts vv. 11–20
III. God’s Grace and Our Response vv. 21–25

Song 5 – Make My Life a  Holy Fragrance
Song 6 – On That Day

 
Introduction
1. When have you experienced silence from God, a time when it felt like your prayers went unanswered? How did you respond?
2. What stood out to you most from Sunday’s sermon on Luke 1:5–25?
 
Into the Text
3. Read Luke 1:5–7. What do we learn about Zechariah and Elizabeth’s character and their situation? Why do you think Luke highlights both their faithfulness and their barrenness?
4. Luke begins with the words “In the days of Herod.” How does that historical note shape the way we read this story? What does it tell us about the kind of world God entered?
5. The sermon said, “God writes His story slowly, line by line, like pencil on paper.” How does this image help you understand God’s timing in verses 8–10?
6. Zechariah responds to the angel, “How shall I know this?” (v. 18). What do his words reveal about his heart? In what ways do we sometimes respond to God’s promises with doubt rather than trust?
7. Elizabeth says in verse 25, “Thus the Lord has done for me.” How does her response of gratitude contrast with Zechariah’s silence? What does this show us about how to receive God’s grace?
 
Apply the Text
8. How can we keep praying faithfully even when God seems silent? What habits of prayer could you strengthen this week?
9. Where are you wrestling with doubt right now? How might the cross and resurrection, the sign already given, speak into those doubts?
10. Elizabeth responded with gratitude. As a group, share one area where you can say, “Thus the Lord has done for me.” How might we, as UCC, live out that gratitude through generosity, service, and witness?
Song lyrics
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