Lighting the Advent Candle
Deeply planted in the mystery of life
is God’s love
gracing the world with presence and purpose.
We wait, longing for the dawning of God’s new day.
We prepare, trying to make room,
expectant yet despairing, hopeful yet wondering.
God too longs for the world’s transformation.
God too prepares—making us into vessels of light and love,
getting us ready to receive anew the gift.
Deeply planted in the mystery of life
is a spark
holding back darkness with possibility.
Prelude
Call to Worship
The Lord has done wonderful things for us,
offering us new life when we were in the wilderness…
Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! O my soul!
The Lord has done wonderful things for our community,
offering us the gift of new opportunities, new vistas in ministry…
Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! O my soul!
The Lord has done wonderful things for us,
offering us the challenge of changing paths…
Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! O my soul!
Praise the Lord! Let us gather to praise our God!
Let us gather for worship in this Advent Season
of waiting, of preparation, of new life, and new possibilities!
Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! O my soul! Amen.
Prayer of Adoration
Call to Confession
Prayer of Confession
We are unprepared to meet you, Gracious God. We have pursued our own concerns day after day and night after night. We scarcely know how to talk to you. We have eaten well without being grateful. We enjoy clothing and shelter, mindless of the multitudes who lack these necessities. We take good health for granted, as our due. Forgive our ingratitude. Have mercy on us now... (Silent reflection). In your mercy, Lord, hear our prayers. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon
People of God, declare the Good News!
In Christ, all wounds are healed and sins forgiven.
You are free. Be at peace.
PSALM 80:1-7, 17-19
Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,
you who lead Joseph like a flock!
You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth
before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh.
Stir up your might,
and come to save us!
Restore us, O God;
let your face shine, that we may be saved.
O LORD God of hosts,
how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers?
You have fed them with the bread of tears,
and given them tears to drink in full measure.
You make us the scorn of our neighbors;
our enemies laugh among themselves.
Restore us, O God of hosts;
let your face shine, that we may be saved.
But let your hand be upon the one at your right hand,
the one whom you made strong for yourself.
Then we will never turn back from you;
give us life, and we will call on your name.
Restore us, O LORD God of hosts;
let your face shine, that we may be saved.
Prayers of the People
Lord, you promise in Christ to make all things new. Grant us hope, grant us peace, as we await the birth of your Son our Lord. Renew our hearts today in prayer, as we lift up our needs and the needs of others.
For people who suffer from division because of race, class, age, gender, unite us in hope for a better world.
For those who suffer from illness, who strive with each breath, who struggle to move their arms and legs, hands or feet, give them strength and courage to face each day.
For those who struggle to make ends meet, those who are unable to work, those who are trying to find work, we ask you to bring them self-confidence, a means to make a living, and the hand up that they may need.
For those who writhe in addictions, facing the extra temptations of the holidays, grant them the resolve to face down their troubles in new and satisfying ways.
And for the people we know who are presently in need:
We now also take time to lift our prayers to you in silence…
For ourselves. Grant us the peace and strength of this season. For the griefs that wash upon us at otherwise joyful times. For the challenges that some families face when they come together for holidays. For those who face end of the year deadlines at work, or who feel overwhelmed with responsibilities.
God, you are our Creator and Redeemer in Christ, the newborn child. Prepare the way in our hearts for his arrival. Grant us peace in repentance, joy in our humility to receive him anew this season. Through Him, Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray saying, “Our Father, who art in heaven…Amen.”
Time out for Teaching: The meaning of Advent
Today we change the colors in the sanctuary from the green of ordinary time to purple of advent. Have you ever wondered why advent and lent are the same liturgical color?
What do you imagine the purple symbolizes?
Christ's Royalty
Our Penitence
And combine those factors with a healthy dose of hope, we find ourselves in waiting mode.
Advent is a time of waiting. Expecting greatness from our creator God, just as Mary did, quietly pondering in her heart all she had seen and heard, as the Son of God grew larger inside of her.
We wait for the same thing.
So what do you truly hope God will bring about, when the time comes? I hope for peace and justice. I hope for a final healing of all hurts. I hope to meet God one day, although I also hope that I will have measured up to God's expectations.
Go into Advent with your mind set to see God at work right now in your life. I would also challenge you to take some time each day to do something - draw a picture, take a short walk, or read the Christmas story a little bit each day, to make sure you don't rush headlong into Christmas. Advent is a process of preparing to receive the newness of life that is offered us in Jesus our Lord and newborn King.
Mark 13:24-37
24 “But in those days, after that suffering,
the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light,
25 and the stars will be falling from heaven,
and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
26 Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory. 27Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.
28 “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 30 Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
32 “But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. 34 It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. 35 Therefore, keep awake — for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, 36 or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. 37 And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.”
Isaiah 64:1-9
Ron Why don’t you tear the sky apart and come down? The mountains would see you and shake with fear. They would tremble like water boiling over a hot fire. Come and reveal your power to your enemies, and make the nations tremble at your presence!
Sharon: There was a time when you came and did terrifying things that we did not expect. The mountains saw you and shook with fear.
Barbara: No one has ever seen or heard of a God like you, who does such deeds for those who put their hope in him.
Lou: You welcome those who find joy in doing what is right, those who remember how you want them to live.
Ron: You were angry with us, but we went on sinning. In spite of your great anger we have continued to do wrong since ancient times.
Sharon: All of us have been sinful. Even our best actions are filthy through and through.
Barbara: Because of our sins we are like leaves that wither and are blown away by the wind.
Lou: No one turns to you in prayer. No one goes to you for help. You have hidden yourself from us and have abandoned us because of our sins.
Ron: But you are our father, Lord.
Sharon: We are like clay, and you are like the potter. You created us, so do not be too angry with us or hold our sins against us forever.
All: We are your people; be merciful to us.
Sermon: Dawdling to Christmas
As we rushed about packing up the turkey, cranberries and sweet potatoes, my mom was feeling disappointed. She couldn't find the little pilgrims. The little pilgrims are candles, a little boy and a little girl, about 2 inches high. For many years, the little pilgrims have had a place of honor amongst the Thanksgiving fixings.
But this year, it seemed like the little pilgrims were hiding from us. And we were running out of time before we had to drive 45 minutes to my Aunt and Uncles house with all that food and a Labrador retriever. My mom fretted over those little Pilgrims: "I wish we could find the little pilgrims. They're always there at Thanksgiving. Your brother always looks for them..." Of course, my brother IS 40 years old now! I could tell she was kind of sad, but logically resigned herself to the fact that the pilgrims would be at Thanksgiving this year.
My mother, in her wisdom, understood what those little Pilgrims meant to her. They weren't just cute decorations that only come out one day a year. They were about family and the wonderful tradition of sitting at a special meal with dear loved ones. In spite of much we were running around getting ready to leave, she took a moment to put it all in perspective I think.
I don't have to tell you how crazy life gets this time of year! Sometimes the holidays make us so anxious we can lose sight of why our even the littlest traditions mean so much. So what do you do when you can no longer celebrate a favorite holiday tradition? It's happened to all of us. If we fail to acknowledge how much it hurts and why, we run the risk of becoming like a tree without roots. We can very easily lose touch with the bigger picture: Our faith. Not to mention missing out on the richness of the season.
The ancient Israelites also feared what would happen to them. The passage from Isaiah today is about when they returned from being in exile. They lamented having lost so much. Their traditions had been desecrated. Buildings destroyed. Places of worship broken down. They had been struck down, disappointed. No longer could they seek spiritual comfort in the same way that their fathers and mothers did. They felt rootless. No wonder we hear these ancient voices crying out in anguish and anger. We can relate to that.
But there is also something good in this reading, believe it or not. It is this image of a community of voices talking to God about their disappointment. They cry out for justice, but they cling to God in spite of their sense of loss and confusion. They felt rootless, yet still found out when they appeared to have lost everything, they still had each other. They took their time to still gather and petition God what was truly on their hearts. This is very important. It is the source of all worship, and the beginning of all things being made new, by praying to Him, particularly together as a community of faith.
We often forget to take that time out for God during this busy time of year, and acknowledge the losses. What's different this year for you? The loss of a loved one? Another sort of painful loss during 2014? Or perhaps you think your loss is small, but matters greatly like the little pilgrims?
This Advent, take time out from the crazy and busy preparations for Christmas. Dawdle a little bit to consider what Advent means to you. What do you hope will come of this season? Acknowledge the tragedy and darkness you have come through. It is precisely the reason why Jesus was born, to be a beacon of hope for the nations.
And you can have time for this if you consider practicing your traditions, perhaps not every single one but the best and favorite ones, savor them deeply as to why they matter to much to you. And make sure that this season is rich with meaning. Amen.