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Prelude
Welcome and Announcements *Call to Worship Shout for joy The whole earth, and everything within. Rejoice! For Light has come into the world. The mountains sing, the seas resound to the praise of your name. Salvation once promised is here on earth. The angels’ song rings in the air, a child has been born, Hallelujah! The Savior of the world is here. *Hymn 132 Good Christian Friends, Rejoice! *Affirmation of Faith The Apostles’ Creed p. 35 Prayer Robert Louis Stevenson Loving God, help us remember the birth of Jesus that we may share in the song of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds, and worship of the wise ones. Close the door of hate and open the door of love all over the world. Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting. Deliver us from evil by the blessing which Christ brings, and teach us to be merry with clear hearts. May this Christmas morning make us happy to be your children, and this Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts, forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus’ sake. Amen. Scripture Reading John 1:1-18 p. 1613 Time With Our Young Disciples Celebrating the Sacrament of Communion Invitation to the Table Words of Institution Great Prayer of Thanksgiving Distribution of the Elements Prayer after Communion Empower us by your Spirit, O God, to be Christ’s presence in the world even as Jesus was God-with-us. Give us courage to speak his truth, to seek his justice, and to love with his love. Keep us faithful in your service until Christ comes in final victory and we shall feast with all your saints in the joy of your eternal realm. Through Christ, with Christ, in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor are yours, almighty God, now and forever. Amen. *Hymn 145 What Child Is This? Presenting Our Tithes and Offerings Offertory *Christmas Doxology *Prayer of Dedication Reading and Ringing “Ring Out, Wild Bells!” Alfred Lord Tennyson Everyone is invited to choose a bell, or more than one, and come to the Main Street entrance of the church. Bundle up! *Blessing Go now, and be enthusiastic agents of Christ’s hope, peace, joy, and love this day and always. Amen. Prelude Placing the Christ Child in the Manger
Lighting of the Christ Candle The Seay Family *Call to Worship O sing to the Lord a new song! Tell of God’s salvation from day to day. For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised. God is to be feared above all gods. Worship the Lord in holy array; tremble before God all the earth. Honor and majesty are before God; strength and beauty are in God’s sanctuary. *O Come, All Ye Faithful O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant; O come, ye, O come ye to Bethlehem. Come and behold him, born the King of angels. O come, let us adore him; O come, let us adore him; O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord! Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation, sing all ye citizens of heaven above! Glory to God, all glory in the highest! O come, let us adore him, O come let us adore him, O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord! Lesson One Genesis 3:8-15, 17-19 p. 4 The Dennison Family Carol O Come, O Come, Emmanuel Lesson Two Genesis 22:15-18 p. 30 Carol The First Noel Lesson Three Isaiah 9:2, 6-7 p. 1028 The Moore Family Carol It Came Upon the Midnight Clear Lesson Four Isaiah 11:1-4a, 6-9 p. 1032 Carol O Little Town of Bethlehem Lesson Five Luke 1:26-35 p. 1557 Steve and Karen Gold Carol Hark! The Herald Angels Sing Lesson Six Luke 2:1-7 p. 1560 Carol Away in a Manger Lesson Seven Luke 2:8-16 p. 1560 The True Family Carol Joy to the World Lesson Eight Matthew 2:1-11 p. 1469 Carol Gentle Mary Laid Her Child Lesson Nine John 1:1-14 p.1613 Carol In the Bleak Midwinter Robin McComas and Cinda Harkless Prayers of the People and the Lord’s Prayer Lighting Our Candles from the Christ Candle The God who said, “Let there be light,” has caused that light to shine upon us in the birth of God’s Son, Jesus Christ. Blessed by his life of love and grace, we light our candles so that light may be borne out into the world. *Silent Night Silent night, holy night! All is calm, all is bright. ‘Round yon virgin Mother and Child! Holy infant, so tender and mild. Sleep in heavenly peace. Sleep in heavenly peace. Silent night, holy night! Shepherds quake at the sight. Glories stream from heaven afar. Heavenly hosts sing, “Alleluia! Christ the Savior is born. Christ the Savior is born!” Silent night, holy night! Son of God, love’s pure light. Radiant beams from Thy holy face, with the dawn of redeeming grace, Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth. Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth. Silent night, holy night! Wondrous star, lend thy light; With the angels let us sing Alleluia to our King; Christ the Savior is born; Christ the Savior is born. *Blessing May the blessings of the Newborn King be yours this night and always. *Postlude Prelude
Lighting the Advent Wreath, the Candle of Love The True Family *Hymn 133 O Come, All Ye Faithful Prayer God of grace, You chose the Virgin Mary, full of grace, to be the mother of our Lord and Savior. Though we have sinned and failed both you and our neighbors, we place ourselves before you in penitence, that you may fill us with your grace. Like Mary, may we rejoice in your salvation, and in all things, embrace your will, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Hymn 698 Take, O Take Me As I Am Assurance of Forgiveness God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. This is our Good News. This is our peace. Alleluia! Amen. First Reading Time With Our Young Disciples Gospel Reading Morning Message “We are all called to be Mothers of God, for God is always waiting to be born.” These are the words of Meister Eckart, 13th century philosopher. Theologian Nancy Rockwell says, “She enters our Decembers with an angel, gloriously winged, who honors her. The moment is spellbinding. We are entranced by the arrival of this woman, Mary, on the stage of Christmas and in the story of God.” I’ve spent considerable time lately looking at images of Mary-paintings, sculptures, old and archived, new and freshly created in photographs, digital art, and in a gazillion pictures on Pinterest. I’ve researched the Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Cloisters, the Met’s museum of medieval art. I was looking for a special sculpture I saw while visiting the Cloisters years ago. It was mounted on a wall. I was surprised by it and stood before it for a long time. Baby Jesus, plump and content, in the arms of his young, laughing mother. There is an endless inventory of human interpretations of the central female figure of the Christian faith, the Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus, the one that some like to call, “the God-bearer.” The images come in all forms and shapes: Marys representing the world’s races and cultures. I have a collection of nativity sets. I didn’t unpack all of them this year. There were no little ones visiting this year, no one whose eyes might light up in wonder. No one, asking with their eyes, if it’s ok to touch. But, I did unpack a few. I’m always on alert for new ones or old ones that show up in new places. One day I was browsing the Habitat for Humanity Restore and spied a tiny nativity. I recognized the small unfired clay figures, hand-painted, and distinctively Peruvian. I have a few of the same type at home. I love the simple form and the expressions on the tiny faces. They were a mix of uncertainty and mirth. And that’s one definition of joy for me: uncertainty and mirth. Surprise. Kind of like a bride and groom on their wedding day-excited, eager, a little uncomfortable in their formal clothes, expectations high, taking a courageous step into a season, a lifetime we hope, that is largely unknown. A step that is motivated and empowered and energized by love. Surprised by Joy: the Shape of My Early Life, is the title of C. S. Lewis’s autobiography. Lewis’s purpose in writing this book was not primarily historical. It was to identify and describe the events surrounding his accidental discovery of, and consequent search for, the phenomenon he labled, “Joy.” “Joy” was his best translation of the German word, sehnsucht, or longing, in English. This joy was so intensely good and so ecstatic it could not be explained in words. He just knew it when it happened. He says he was struck with what he called “stabs of joy” throughout his life. Lewis eventually discovers the true nature of joy, born of the unconditional love of God. This discovery leads to an overwhelming conversion experience from atheism to Christianity. Lewis writes that this sense of joy is like a signpost to those lost in the woods, pointing the way, and that its appearance is not as important “when we have found the road and are passing signposts every few miles.” Lewis’s life was consumed by learning, though he did participate in civic endeavors. He also served in the armed forces as a young man. His mother gave him a love of reading. She taught him Latin at a young age. He was devastated by her death when he was only nine years old. In his late teens, he shed the Christianity in which he had been raised, studied widely, and declared himself to be an atheist. But, still, there was something unresolved troubling him. He continued his quest for joy. He called it the “inconsolable longing for the real Desirable.” As a child, his joy came though reading, writing, and drawing. In his youth, he discovered Wagner’s Ring Cycle and Norse mythology. As he matured, he realized that pleasure did not equate with joy, neither physical nor aesthetic, nor music, poetry, or intellectual gratification. Lewis studied in public and private schools, eventually studying with a private teacher in preparation for Oxford. His teacher, Mr. Kirkpatrick, was an atheist, a rationalist, and a logician. Under his tutelage, Lewis read great works in their original languages. It was a dear friend, Arthur, who urged him to read books written in English. He read the Brontes, Jane Austin, Donne, Milton, Spenser, Yeats, and others, including George MacDonald. He began to revise some of his worldviews. Ultimately, George MacDonald, the Scottish author and theologian, gave him glimpses of something other than the material world, the world that is neither seen nor felt but stirs in the human heart. “Unde hoc mihi.” Unfamiliar with that phrase? Me, too. It’s Latin. I had to look it up and found this meaning: “And whence is this to me?” Or, “And why is this granted to me?” These are the very words exclaimed by Elizabeth upon Mary’s arrival at her home. Surprised by joy. As Mary was surprised, honored, and yet terrified, not quite believing that God should come to her, conceive his Son through her, bear a Savior into the world through her body and through her humility. She asks, “And why is this granted to me?” Lewis writes, “As I was reading, two-thirds into George MacDonald’s autobiography, these words leapt out: “Unde hoc mihi?” And why is this granted to me? In the depth of my intellect, all this was given to me without asking, even without consent.” Just like Elizabeth. Just like Mary. Lewis describes this moment, this epiphany, as “holiness.” He was converted from atheism to belief in God. Lewis said he was the “ most reluctant convert in all England.” He hated authority, he had a deep need for independence, and was unsure of the one he called, “the Transcendental Interferer.” To accept the Incarnation brought God near. He wasn’t so sure he wanted God all that close. But when Lewis finally came to faith, he said he submitted to divine humility, the Incarnation, Emmauel. God with us. Born in humility and love. I learned of Lewis’s story first in the beautiful and stirring movie, “Shadowlands.” Here was a man whose life had been devoted to intellectual pursuits. A bachelor of many years. If he had once believed in God, he had set that belief aside, probably a result of his mother’s death. Like many of us, Lewis may have concluded that getting close to others involved way too much risk, too much pain. But, when God pried his heart open, he found the earthly example of God’s love for us: the love of another. In Lewis’s case, it was Joy Davidman, an American author, whom he married. Their time together was much too short, but, for a time, Clive Staples Lewis knew and lived and celebrated love. C.S. Lewis is often quoted in Christian circles. He was known for his prolific writing in defense of the faith, and, of course, the Narnia stories enjoyed by all ages. The words are beautiful and poignant. I looked for an appropriate quote for this day, the fourth Sunday in Advent, the Sunday of Love: Here is what I found: “Once in our world, a stable had something in it that was bigger than our whole world.” The Last Battle” (1956) May you all find that stable this year. Merry Christmas. Amen. *Affirmation of Faith From A Brief Statement of Faith We trust in Jesus Christ, fully human, fully God. Jesus proclaimed the reign of God, preaching good news to the poor and release to the captives, teaching by word and deed and blessing the children, healing the sick, and building up the brokenhearted, eating with outcasts, forgiving sinners, and calling all to repent and believe the gospel. Unjustly condemned for blasphemy and sedition, Jesus was crucified, suffering the depths of human pain and giving his life for the sins of the world. God raised this Jesus from the dead, vindicating his sinless life, breaking the power of sin and evil, delivering us from death to life eternal. *Hymn 581 Gloria Patri Sharing Our Joys and Concerns Special Presentation Pastoral Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer Presenting Our Tithes and Offerings Offertory *Hymn Christmas Doxology (insert) *Prayer of Dedication In gratitude for grace given, we offer our thanks and praise. For this season and all its blessings. For life and health and family and friends, we give you thanks. For the witness of this congregation thru the generations. for the love and support of one another, for the privilege of reaching out to others in Jesus’ name, for the work of our denomination in the Christmas Joy Offering, and the ministry of Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, in relieving suffering near and far. In all these things, we lift our voices, prepare our homes, welcome loved ones, and show kindness to those in need. In the name of Jesus, coming to us as a helpless babe, who died that we might live. Amen. *Hymn 119 Hark! The Herald Angels Sing! *Blessing Go now, and celebrate God’s love all your days. Give to Christ Jesus the obedience of faith, offering yourself as the servant of the Lord and allowing God’s Word to be fulfilled in you. And may the only wise God establish you forever. May the mysteries of Christ be conceived within you. And may the Holy Spirit strengthen and encircle you. Amen. *Hymn 92 While We Are Waiting, Come verse 1 While we are waiting, come. While we are waiting, come. Jesus, our Lord, Emmanuel. While we are waiting, come. *Postlude Prelude
Welcome and Announcements Lighting the Candle of Joy Hala Mosrie and Jeff Sowards *Hymn 147 The First Noel Prayer We come, O God, with thanksgiving and praise. Our anticipation grows as we approach the day of Jesus’ birth. Open our hearts that we may truly receive the gift of your Son, and know the joy of abundant life with you. Guard us from all sinful intentions and desires, so that by following Jesus, we may want for nothing but the joy of our salvation. Through Christ, who comes to make all things new. Amen. Hymn 698 Take, O Take Me As I Am Assurance of Forgiveness Isaiah 43:19 God announces: “See I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up, do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the desert.” God is sending his Son, a Savior, to make all things and all people new. Friends, believe the good news of the gospel. Your sins are forgiven and be at peace. First Reading Isaiah 35:1-10 Time With Our Young Disciples Scripture Reading Luke 1:39-56 The Morning Message Mary’s Song Rev. Talitha Arnold says in her yard stood a rose bush. It had no business being there, in her opinion. The ground was too hard and was littered with too many rocks. It was impossible to get grass to grow, much less a rose bush. Trash piled up against the fence and people were known to throw bottles of all sorts into the straggly yard. She says the back yard of their Bristol Street house was certainly no rose garden. The rose bush had been the planting of her friend, Joan, when she and her family had moved out of the local housing project and into the small house with the tiny backyard. Joan and her husband had developed a group ministry in the inner city after they both graduated from seminary and became ordained ministers. They had moved into the projects, lived on a minimal salary, and raised their family in one of the most impoverished cities on the east coast. Because of their work and commitment, their home became a sort of gathering place, where people could come for fellowship and support, much like a church. Neighbors came at all hours of the day and night. Some were involved in community projects, and the house served as a meeting place. Others came for counsel, and some for food or a place to sleep. Talitha says the work, the ministry, was hard. Most of the population lived on the edge- on the edge of homelessness, poverty, or the edge of addiction. Racism was particularly challenging. Sometimes the needs were so great and the resources so small. There were times when Joan felt close the edge, too, and despair threatened. Talitha says she thinks that’s why Joan planted the rosebush. It really made no sense in that scrawny backyard. It was a pain to water in the summer and always looked half dead in the winter. But every spring, when it first turned warm, she would go out and dig around it. She would prune, fertilize and work the soil. And every year it gifted her with bright red roses. Whenever life or work got to be too much, Joan would go out and sit by the rosebush that had no business being there. Maybe she hoped to absorb some of its tenacity, its spunk. “The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad. The desert shall rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it shall blossom abundantly.” Isaiah is a long and involved biblical text. Most biblical scholars agree that the 35th chapter of Isaiah is out of place. It doesn’t belong here. The chapters before and after are harsh and mournful. Death and desolation are everywhere. Isaiah must tell people that they had been unfaithful to God and that there were consequences to that infidelity. A foreign nation would come to overtake tem and they would be destined to live in captivity. There would be exiles and slaves, “gathered like persons in a pit, shut up in prison.” Not only will the people suffer, so will the land. Once Israel had been the vineyard of the Lord and Judah a pleasant planting. But now, Isaiah says, the hedge is torn down and the vineyard devoured. It is a wasteland overgrown with briers and thorns. Like exiled people marching to captivity, “the earth will stagger like a drunkard, it will fall and not rise again.” Isaiah 24:20 That’s the climate of the first 39 chapters of Isaiah, what is known as “First Isaiah. Everywhere except chapter 35. Here we find joy, strength, courage, streams running and fountains springing up in the desert. The contrast is so stark, it startles us. It makes about as much sense as planting a lone rosebush on Bristol Street. And this turn-around is all God’s doing. Scripture doesn’t say the people have changed or repented or reconciled with their neighbor, near or far. But, from Isaiah comes a new word and a new vision of the land that comes back to life. God will strengthen hands made weak and knees made feeble, the blind will see and the deaf will hear. Nothing in the text prepares us for this change. It just happens. Joy bursts forth like the crocus blooming in the desert. God’s joy can’t be stopped. It’s a gift. Today is Gaudete Sunday, or the Sunday of Joy. The third Sunday of Advent we pause to recognize the joy of the season. Years ago, the practice of observing the season of Advent was much like Lent. It was to be set apart for prayer and self-examination. Parties, weddings, and other celebrations were not to be held during this time in order for the faithful to focus more seriously on scripture and prayer and setting one’s spiritual life in order. We aren’t that strict about things any more, but sometimes, in our very busy lives, Advent or ordinary time, we can misplace our joy. Don’t delay joy. That’s not an original thought. I heard it on Law and Order. But it fits. I was raised in a family that valued delayed gratification. Nothing wrong with that…unless we just quit dreaming or hoping or acting with any degree of spontaneity because fulfilling those requests are always post-poned. When Talitha was still living at home, a neighbor came to their door one day and handed her mother a bouquet of flowers. “These are for you,” said their neighbor. His wife thought she might like them.” Talitha’s mother was too flustered to invite him in, but she was clearly moved by the gesture. She doesn’t remember any special reason for the flowers other than it was the summer when her brother endured a lengthy hospitalization, and her other brother was getting ready to start college. She knew her mother was under a lot of pressure, feeling a lot of anxiety, as she worried about how her family would function on her meager salary. There was no reason for the flowers but, it was the first and only time the neighbor had called on them and the only time Talitha saw anyone give her mother flowers. It was a moving experience, as she remembers the tears glistening in her mother’s eyes as she thanked the neighbor. Her mother found a vase that she filled with water and added the pretty blooms. She placed them carefully on the coffee table where they stayed for as long time. They brought her joy. For no obvious reason.. “The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad. The desert shall rejoice and blossom, Like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing… They shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” *Hymn 105 People, Look East, verses 1-3 *Affirmation of Faith The Apostles’ Creed p. 35 *Hymn 581 Gloria Patri Pastoral Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer Presenting Our Tithes and Offerings Offertory *Hymn Christmas Doxology (insert) *Prayer of Dedication Lord God, as Mary presented herself as the means through which your Son would come to earth, we present ourselves, our intentions, and our treasure, that you may use us to bring the joy of your realm ever closer to the world you have made and love. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. *Hymn 105 People, Look East, verses 4 and 5 *Blessing Go now, for you are chosen and sent in the Spirit. Pray at all times, be thankful in all circumstances. Keep what is good, avoid every kind of evil. To all in need bear witness that the time is come when the Sovereign Lord will save his people. And may God who gives peace make you holy in every way. May Christ Jesus clothe you with salvation. And may the Holy Spirit speak through you with the good news of life everlasting. Amen. *Postlude Prelude
Announcements Lighting the Candle of Peace The Napier Family *Hymn 88 O Come, O Come, Emmanuel Prayer of the Day May this eternal truth be always on our hearts: that the God who breathed this world into being, placed the stars in the heavens, and designed a butterfly’s wing, is the God who entrusted his life to the care of ordinary people and became vulnerable that we might know how strong is the power of Love… a mystery so deep it is impossible to grasp, a mystery so beautiful it is impossible to ignore. May this beauty and mystery work within us, calling us to live full lives- loving, serving, and growing in grace, as we seek and extend forgiveness in Jesus’ name. Amen. *Hymn 698 Take, O Take Me As I Am Assurance of Forgiveness Friends, Jesus knows our hearts and our intentions. He is always more willing to forgive than we are to ask for help. With Christ’s help, our misguided steps can be corrected and turned around for good. Believe the good news of the gospel: in Jesus Christ your sins are forgiven. Be at peace. First Reading Isaiah 11:1-10 Time With Our Young Disciples Gospel Reading Matthew 3:1-12 The Morning Message We lived in Middleport, Ohio, for a few years. On Main Street in a duplex that had once been the Unitarian Church. We liked to say it had been converted. It was a town of churches and small stores. The Post Office, town dentist and a couple of doctors were just down the street. We could see the elementary and junior high schools from our bedroom window. The mayor lived next door. In the summertime, a lot of families lived in travel trailers on the riverbank and when something exciting was happening, they would broadcast by CB radio, “The Delta Queen is going to come by in about an hour. Better get down here so you won’t miss it.” Sweet. Quaint. Small-town concerns and values. It is woefully depressed now, but, was a great place for us to start our family life. Entertainment was centered around the schools and churches and Little League and the Fourth of July Ox Roast, and the historical society’s Christmas Open House. Our kids were about six and one when we were walking around the neighborhood after dinner one fine night. It was our main form of evening entertainment in those days. Life in a quaint old town made for pretty pictures, but, the sidewalks were in poor condition. Roots and broken pavement made the walk hazardous in any direction. You just learned how to get around them and continue walking. We were navigating our way around the block. Per usual, Katy’s idea of fun was to do everything the hard way, so while Ed and I walked forward, pushing SB in her stroller, Katy walked backward. We kept warning her that she was going to trip and fall, but, she paid us no mind. There was an immovable and imposing obstacle not far ahead. An ancient tree, its branches wide-spread, its equally wide-spread roots just under the sidewalk, pushing up the pavement. You had to find a way around it or your walk was sure to come to an unfortunate end. “Katy, turn around. Turn around. If you don’t turn around, you’re going to run into…” At that exact moment she turned around but it was too late, simultaneously smacking her head into the hard, crumbly bark, and saying in her five-year-old voice, “Tree.” That experience was the first thing I thought of when I read the gospel text for today. It fits. Once again, John the Baptist comes shouting his warning to anyone who would listen, “Repent! Turn around before it’s too late!” Into the beauty and busyness of this holy season, here he comes. Dressed in animal skins with insect legs stuck between his teeth. It’s tempting to try to slip past John and just focus on the sweeter parts of the nativity, but, it’s the second Sunday of Advent and John is here. And John is the last of the prophets, the last of the forerunners of Jesus. So, we must pay attention. The four gospels give us a variety of narratives about the life of Jesus.* We learned last week that only Matthew and Luke tell the story of his birth. But even they differ. Luke gives us shepherds. Matthew gives us magi. Mark and John come empty-handed to the Christmas party. The first thing they all agree on is John the Baptist. He shows up in all the gospels wearing the same clothes, shouting with the same message: “Repent. Turn around. For the kingdom of heaven is near! Prepare the way of the Lord!” It doesn’t matter which gospel you read, if you want to get to Jesus, you have to go past John. John is the last of the prophets. He doesn’t call himself that, but he fits the requirements. He is dressed like Elijah, he sounds like Isaiah, and he is standing in the water that marked the boundary between the wilderness and the Promised Land. In this way, John provides continuity, the bridge with the prophetic tradition. And that’s important, because of his message: Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promise. Jesus is the branch that grows from the root of Jesse. Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is here. So John may look like the prophets of old, but, he comes with a new message. Much of the prophetic tradition is mechanical in its approach. It reminds me of plane geometry proofs: If we sin, then God will punish us. If we repent, then God will forgive. From Isaiah to Ezekiel to Joel, there is an on-going theme of, “Shape up or else.” The variable is the behavior of human beings. Faithfulness or faithlessness, of Israel or Judah-but that’s not John’s message. John doesn’t say, “Repent, OR the kingdom will come near.” That would be more in line with prophetic tradition. Isaiah says, “Behold the Day of the Lord comes, cruel both in wrath and fierce anger!” Joel is more descriptive: “The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and terrible day of the Lord come.” When we hear these messages, we might come to believe that the kingdom of heaven is something to be feared, not welcomed. But, John is not announcing a threat. Nor does he say that the kingdom of heaven is a reward. What John is saying is we’ve entered a new reality: The arrival of Jesus Christ is God’s doing. We can choose to be a part of it or not, but, here it comes. Repent is a churchy word. We hear it most often at our time of confession. And, we do repent of our sins. We are heartily sorry, and ask God to forgive us and set us back on the right path. That’s what we say in so many of our Sunday morning liturgies. I had the chance to try this out on Black Friday. My daughter was in and wanted to go to the mall. Everything was ok until we got to Ulta and stood in a line that wrapped around the store. But we did it because of the great coupons we had on our phones. Only, we kept losing internet service. By the time we got to the front where we would check out, patience was wearing thin. The clerk couldn’t find Sarah Beth’s member account and then, I was told my purchase didn’t qualify for the coupons. Really? Then why was I getting emails every 20 minutes urging me to come, save my money at Ulta? Oh, it was because the coupons weren’t good on any day that ends in “Y.” And, I may have said some of that out loud. No kidding. I confess. My bad. Thankfully, John the Baptist showed up in his outfit you’d never see in Ulta, and gave me a poke which prompted an apology. There are real problems in the world. Problems that should provoke us to anger and action. Saving $4.00 on my mascara really didn’t qualify. But, repentance is more than being sorry. In the Greek, it really means to change one’s mind. Biblical scholars refer to it as reorienting, reordering, or re-centering. Resetting. Presbyterian author Anne Lamott once said that most things can be fixed if we just turn them off for a while and back on, including ourselves. I’ve tried it. My phone will reset if I turn it off and let it rest. When I turn it back on, the images that were stuck begin to respond to my touch, my connection to the internet is restored. Most of the time. Sometimes, my screen goes from shades of gray to living color. Kind of like flowers that bloom in the desert, as we are told by the prophets. To simplify it, this is John’s message: We need to stop from time to time. Take our inventory. Reset our priorities, re-order our lives. Take a different way to work or home. See something new. Let go of a pet peeve and turn your attention to a real problem you can do something about. Return to God. The kingdom of heaven wasn’t lost to the idealized past. The kingdom of heaven is not in the glorified future. The kingdom of heaven is here. The kingdom of heaven is just as much here with the crew working on Main Street last week as it is with the singers who will gather this evening to work on the cantata or the chaplain who visits patients in the nursing home. The kingdom of heaven can be found in sweet small towns all over the country, in the patrol cars of our law enforcement officers, on the playground of every school, on the docks where all those Christmas treasures are loaded. The kingdom of heaven is with us here and will be with us always. *Dr. Shawnthea Monroe, United Church of Christ. *Hymn 113 Angels We Have Heard on High *Affirmation of Faith The Apostles’ Creed p. 35 *Hymn 581 Gloria Patri Sharing Our Joys and Concerns Pastoral Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer Presenting Our Tithes and Offerings Offertory *Hymn Christmas Doxology (insert) *Prayer of Dedication Most generous God, you have entrusted us with gifts and asked us to use them in advancing your kingdom. And so, in this season, we bring gifts and pledges for the coming year. We offer ourselves, our lives, our hopes and fears, our dollars, and our hours. We commit ourselves to work for your world, to love and serve and celebrate wherever you call. We ask your blessing on this church, seeking to follow you in Jesus’ name and in his manner, that our efforts may multiply and we might grow in faith, hope, and love. Amen. *Hymn 88 O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, verse 7 O come, Desire of nations, bind all peoples in one heart and mind. Bid envy, strife, and discord cease. Fill the whole world with heaven’s peace. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel. Blessing Go now. Wait and work for the coming of the Lord. In the wild places prepare a straight path for our God. Lead lives of holiness and godliness, Strive to be found at peace, and speak freely of the Lord’s comfort and promise. And may God, our shepherd, gather you in loving arms, may Christ Jesus reconcile justice and peace within you; and may the Spirit fill you with holy intentions. Amen. *Postlude Prelude
Lighting the Candle of Hope The Moore Family *Hymn 82 Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus Prayer of Confession God of the future, you are coming in power to bring all nations under your rule. We confess that we have not expected your kingdom, for we live causal lives, ignoring your promised judgment. We accept lies as truth, exploit neighbors, abuse the earth, and refuse your justice and peace. In your mercy, forgive us. Grant us wisdom to welcome your way, and to seek things that will endure when Christ comes to judge the world. Hymn 698 Take, O Take Me As I Am Assurance of Pardon Surely God is our salvation, we will trust in God and not be afraid, for the Lord God is our Strength and Might. Shout aloud and sing for joy…for great in our midst is the Holy One of Zion, and he will save the people from their sins. Know you are forgiven and be at peace. Old Testament Reading Isaiah 2:1-5 Time With Our Young Disciples Gospel Reading Matthew 24:36-44 The Morning Message “In my beginning is my end.” These are the words of TS Elliot in Four Quartets. Much of what we believe about God and Jesus is reflected therein: the God who made us will be the God who judges us; Christ is the Alpha and the Omega; the God who created the world out of nothing will at its consummation be “all in all.” So, with ritual cycles. We begin them where we end. The Advent season begins the liturgical year and the lectionary cycle with stories about the end time. In fact, we’ve been visiting those scriptures for a few weeks now. These scriptures say, “Stay awake! Live in expectation!” Watch for the signs of God!” Watch for the signs of the reign of God!” But in our end is our beginning: the signs of God’s reign point us to something new and unfamiliar. The colors for Advent are deep blue or purple. For some, the blue reflects the color of late Autumn’s night, a sky lit by moon and stars. The days are short. The long nights mark the end of the year’s growing season. But the long nights are fertile ground for dreaming- imagine the desert blossoming and sheltering a mother and child; imagine peace prevailing; imagine God all in all. Joseph dreams in this season-of the child to be here soon, whom he is to name Emmanuel, God-with-us. I love to find expressions of hope in art and music and literature. Sometimes they are so different from my own experience that they startle me and I miss the beauty and the message. In many of the stores which sell items produced by cottage communities, we may find art work from Africa or Latin America-places in which hope is often hard to find. There is a style of cross popular in El Salvador that depicts hope in a world of despair. It takes a fertile imagination to project that hope. In one of these crosses, a woman stands at the cross beam, arms stretched wide, reminding us of Jesus on the cross at Calvary. Her expression is one of victory, though, and after all, that is the eternal hope we claim, the death and resurrection of Jesus, and in his resurrection is the promise of ours. Surrounding the woman are images of Salvadorans going about their daily tasks-teaching, healing, farming-in the extraordinary time of war. They persevere because they cling to God-with-us, Emmanuel. Sometimes we find hope closer to home. Clara Rose has expressed her delight in spending time with her grandchildren, who are now raising their children. In them, she finds hope. Their young lives demonstrate an active intentionality, an embracing of purpose and responsibility, parenting richly flavored with love and grace. Where do you see or hear signs of God’s in-breaking reign? For me, it’s music. My life has been filled with it. I would wake in the summer to my grandmother’s students practicing scales and beginner pieces, progressing to the classics, hymns and popular tunes. I seriously considered a career in music, but, my piano skills were weak and I followed a different path. But, I married a musician, and the blessings continue, especially at Christmas time. Maybe you find signs of God’s in-breaking rule in doing for others, helping in a time of crisis, being the friend who listens, or sitting with the suffering, simply bearing witness to their pain. Maybe you work for needed change in a public way. This takes heaps of courage. One of my dear pastor friends, Stephen Baldwin, has served as a state senator for several years. He lost his race in the recent election. On Facebook, someone made the comment that he would be missed by area citizens. To which came a quick reply that he wasn’t going anywhere…you don’t need to have a title to serve. True, Stephen, and thanks for the challenge. Advent is a fertile time to watch and dream. The world’s needs are great. God is greater. It was for this season that Miriam Therese Winter penned these lovely lines: Root of Jesse Rising From many an ancient prophecy Promised child To all who would be reconciled Breaks through at last. A virgin shoot accepts God’s seed Bows to the Mighty Deed. One branch Bears bud, flower, fruit: Christ blossoms on David’s root. Lord, you are stem, stalk, tree! Let your fruit take root in me. *Affirmation of Faith The Apostles’ Creed p. 35 *Hymn 581 Gloria Patri Presenting Our Tithes and Offerings Offertory *Hymn Christmas Doxology (insert) *Prayer of Dedication Holy One, in this season, we wait in hope. and we give in hope: hope for your coming reign, hope of your presence with us even now. Receive our gifts, that they may be used to bring hope to our community and beyond. Amen. *Hymn 92 While We Are Waiting, Come *Blessing Go now, and let the Lord steer you in the way of truth. Be on your guard so that you will not be caught up in the anxieties of the world. Be alert at all times and pray for strength to escape the traps that would keep you from God. *Postlude |
PastorCinda Harkless Archives
July 2024
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