Advent 2
Peace
December 8
Luke 3:1-6
Prepare the Way
Meaning of Service
Advent Wreath
Nativity
Chrismon Tree/lighting
DECEMBER 8, 2024
SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT
10:00am
CHIMING OF THE HOUR
WELCOME & MEANING OF THE SERVICE
As we begin the Christian Year, we also celebrate the Holy Season known as Advent. It is a time when we prepare ourselves for the coming of our Messiah. Advent means “Coming.” We celebrate these days of Advent in expectation and preparation for Christ’s arrival.
Through the centuries, Christians have observed a time of waiting and expectation before celebrating the birth of the Savior at Christmas. The Advent season is a time for reflection and preparation, but its mood is joyful. Advent has been enriched by Christian tradition to reflect its distinctive Christian meaning. It proclaims the revelation of God’s love as expressed in Christ’s birth in a humble stable, His sacrificial death on the cross, and His victorious resurrection! It points to the hope of Christ’s coming again as the King of kings and Lord of Lords. Advent makes innkeepers out of all of us, asking each of us to make room for the arrival of Christ The King. Let us, today, prepare Him room in our hearts, our lives, and our homes!
PRELUDE “Divinium Mysterium” Joe Utterback
LIGHTING OF ADVENT CANDLES
Watch and wait for Christ’s coming!
We light candles of hope, peace, joy, and love, remembering the promises of God with prayer.
Hear these words from the prophet Malachi:
See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight — indeed, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?
For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap; he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the LORD in righteousness. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years.
We light this candle in hope. Light the first candle closest to the congregation.
We light this candle in peace. Light the second purple candle
Let us pray…
Lord, we look forward with excitement and perhaps dread the day of Christ’s coming to earth. Prepare our hearts, refine our spirits, mold us to your will as we await your son and our savior. Amen.
Advent Response
O Come, O Come Emmanuel
O come, O come Emmanuel and ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here, until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, thou Wisdom from on high, who orderest all things mightily:
To us the path of knowledge show; and teach us in her ways to go.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
THE NATIVITY
One of the most heart-warming expressions of Christmas is the Nativity. The Nativity speaks of the mystery of God’s wisdom. Why God chose to send his son into our world as a baby of humble birth, born in common surroundings, we do not know. What we do know is that God reached out to all people including the poor and wealthy, the simple and the wise, the powerless and the powerful. All who found him knelt in humility before him. Knowing God is possible because he came to us, at our level. Whenever we see a Nativity we find ourselves with Mary and Joseph; with the Shepherds, and with the Wise Men; bowing before the manger, overwhelmed by God’s expression of love in coming to us.
Today we display a Nativity in our sanctuary
*HYMN No. 108 “Of the Father’s Love Begotten” vs. 1-5
1 Of the Father’s love begotten,
ere the worlds began to be,
he is Alpha and Omega;
he the source, the ending he,
of the things that are, that have been,
and that future years shall see,
evermore and evermore!
2 By his Word was all created;
he commanded; it was done:
heaven and earth and depths of ocean,
universe of three in one,
all that sees the moon’s soft shining,
all that breathes beneath the sun,
evermore and evermore!
3 O, that birth forever blessed
when the Virgin, full of grace,
by the Holy Ghost conceiving,
bore the Savior of our race,
and the babe, the world’s Redeemer,
first revealed his sacred face,
evermore and evermore!
4 This is he whom seers in old time
chanted of with one accord,
whom the voices of the prophets
promised in their faithful word.
Now he shines, the long-expected.
Let creation praise its Lord,
evermore and evermore!
5 O ye heights of heaven, adore him.
Angel hosts, his praises sing.
Powers, dominions, bow before him,
and extol our God and King.
Let no tongue on earth be silent;
every voice in concert ring,
evermore and evermore!
THE CHRISMON TREE
Today, the Christmas tree is the center of our festivities. Glittering with lights and ornaments, it is a part of the beauty and meaning of Christmas. There are several legends and stories about the Christmas tree.
The first use of the Christmas tree was in the medieval German Paradise Plays, held outdoors and portraying the creation of humankind. The Tree of Life was a fir tree decorated with apples. Later other ornaments were hung upon them, such as paper flowers and gilded nuts. In England branches or whole trees were forced into bloom indoors for Christmas. From these beginnings the use of a tree at Christmas was established. Martin Luther was perhaps the first to use a lighted tree.
The story is told that on one Christmas Eve Martin Luther wandered outdoors and became enraptured with the beauty of the starry sky. Its brilliance and loveliness led him to reflect on the glory of the first Christmas Eve as seen in Bethlehem’s radiant skies. Wishing to share with his wife and children the enchantment he had felt, he cut from the forest an evergreen, glistening with snow, and took it home. He placed upon it candles to represent the glorious heavens he had seen. The use of a candle-lighted tree spread to all Europe, then America came to regard it as the central ornament of Christmas.
THE CHILDREN’S MESSAGE
UNISON PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION
Please join me in the unison prayer…
Jesus Christ, Word of God,
dwell in us as we turn to these pages,
holy ancient stories that proclaim your truth.
In the Spirit, give us ears to hear and hearts to believe.
Amen.
SCRIPTURE Luke 3:1-6
3 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, 2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, 4 as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah,
“The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
make his paths straight.
5 Every valley shall be filled,
and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
and the crooked shall be made straight,
and the rough ways made smooth,
6 and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’ ”
Pause…
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God!!
ANTHEM “How Beautiful the Mountains” Eugene Butler
SERMON “Prepare the Way”
When God Is Ready, God Will Come – Timing….
The word of God comes, when God is ready. “The Coming of God” is the title of the first poem in Ann Weems’ collection of Advent and Christmas poetry, “Kneeling in Bethlehem,” that describes this well. Here is her poem:
The Coming of God
Our God is the One who comes to us
in a burning bush,
in an angel’s song,
in a newborn child.
Our God is the One who cannot be found
locked in the church,
not even in the sanctuary.
Our God will be where God will be
with no constraints,
no predictability.
Our God lives where our God lives,
and destruction has no power
and even death cannot stop
the living.
Our God will be born where God will be born,
but there is no place to look for the One who comes to us.
When God is ready
God will come
even to a godforsaken place
like a stable in Bethlehem.
Watch . . .
for you know not when
God comes.
Watch, that you might be found
whenever
wherever
God comes.
When God is ready God will come. To a stable in Bethlehem, and so anywhere. Our God comes. So watch, for we know not when God comes. Watch, that we might be found whenever and wherever God comes. Isn’t that all that John the Baptist is really saying to us today? Prepare the way of the Lord. By waiting. By watching. By listening.
Saying Yes to God
And then, by saying “Yes.” The renowned Lutheran statesman, Dag Hammarskjold, describes the power of this saying “Yes” in a wonderful way, in a remarkable journal of his describing his inner life of faith (Markings). In that journal he wrote:
“I don’t know Who — or what — put the question, I don’t know when it was put. I don’t even remember answering. But at some moment I did answer Yes to Someone — or Something — and from that hour I was certain that existence is meaningful and that, therefore, my life, in self-surrender, had a goal.
From that moment I have known what it means ‘not to look back,’ and ‘to take no thought for the morrow.’ Led by Ariadne’s thread of my answer through the labyrinth of Life, I came to a time and place where I realized that the Way leads to a triumph which is a catastrophe, and to a catastrophe which is a triumph, that the price for committing one’s life would be reproach, and that the only elevation possible to man lies in the depths of humiliation. After that, the word ‘courage’ lost its meaning, since nothing could be taken from me.”
That is what it means, I think, to have the word of God come. And to say yes to its call. It means being certain that existence is meaningful. It means being led through the labyrinth of life. It means that our life, in self-surrender, now has a goal; it now has a purpose.
On the outside, it may mean being involved in business or politics or teaching or nursing or caring for little ones or any number of other things. But below the surface, all that now matters is serving our God. In the place that God has put us; in the circumstances that we have been given. With the gifts that we have. Faithfully sharing our time, talent, and treasure. Being good stewards of what God has given us. And the only way to do that faithfully is by hearing God’s voice. By doing as John the Baptist teaches us today.
After the word of God came to John in the wilderness, what did he do? Today’s gospel reading tells us:
“He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, ‘The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’” – Luke 3:3-4
John begins proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And calling on everyone to prepare the way of the Lord. What are we to do? Repent, and prepare.
There is a famous Christian from the 2nd century, Tertullian, who combined these two aspects when he wrote that to prepare the way of the Lord through repentance is to “prepare the home of our heart by making it clean for the Holy Spirit.” Prepare the home of our heart by making it clean for the Holy Spirit. Or, as the great Christmas hymn, “Joy to the World,” puts it: “Let every heart prepare him room.”
And isn’t that ultimately what all of this is about? Preparing the home of hearts for the coming of Christ? That’s what really matters this season. Preparing the way of the Lord, by preparing the home of our heart.
Here’s a simple suggestion for doing this: As we decorate our homes this season for Christmas, we can at the same time reflect on how we can decorate our hearts for Christ. What items in our hearts need to be dusted off, or repaired, or simply thrown away? What things in our life need changing? What areas in our hearts might need additional decorations? These are all ways to prepare the way of the Lord through repentance. To get ready for the word of God to come to us, just as it came to John in the wilderness, and to all of God’s people in so many different and wonderful ways.
And that is really all that John the Baptist is trying to get us to do today, when he calls on us to prepare the way of the Lord. He is inviting us to repent. To clean up our hearts. And to focus on our relationship with Christ. His call to repent is really a call to turn from all the stress of the season, and simply return to the Lord.
It’s why we are here, after all. To listen again to the word of God as it comes to us. And to focus ourselves back on what truly matters. And when we do this, we find again the thread that can lead us through the labyrinth of this life. The thread that shows us the way. The way that fills our valleys, and makes low our mountains. The way that helps us to hear the still, small voice. The way that leads us to turn aside to see the burning bush. The way, above all, that leads to a life like no other, the life that is promised to all who desire it, the life that comes from life with Jesus. Let us follow this way always. To the glory of God. Amen.
Commentary and Liturgy from the Book of Common Worship (PCUSA), “Call to Worship” Website, PCUSA Book of Confession, The New Interpreter’s Commentary, James Laurance, David Lose and Scott Hoezee.
*AFFIRMATION OF FAITH The Apostle’s Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty, Maker of heaven and earth;
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy Catholic Church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen.
*HYMN No. 106 “Prepare the Way, O Zion”
1 Prepare the way, O Zion,
your Christ is drawing near!
Let every hill and valley
a level way appear.
Greet One who comes in glory,
foretold in sacred story.
Refrain:
O blest is Christ who came
in God’s most holy name.
2 He brings God’s rule, O Zion;
he comes from heaven above.
His rule is peace and freedom,
and justice, truth, and love.
Lift high your praise resounding,
for grace and joy abounding.
Refrain:
O blest is Christ who came
in God’s most holy name.
3 Fling wide your gates, O Zion;
your Savior’s rule embrace,
and tidings of salvation
proclaim in every place.
All lands will bow rejoicing,
their adoration voicing.
Refrain:
O blest is Christ who came
in God’s most holy name.
THE PASTORAL PRAYER & THE LORD’S PRAYER
Holy, beloved God,
we come before you seeking strength and comfort,
someone to help us bear the load
or to give us a load worth bearing.
In our praying,
give us open ears to hear your assurances
and open hearts to feel your peace,
even as we say together:
God of peace,
hear our prayers.
We pray for the church,
this family of hopeful people,
persistent in faithfulness and graciousness,
marked by a willingness to work in kindness
and not count the hours or the cost.
As the world darkens and the days grow short,
may Christ’s light in us
shine with a steady flame,
bringing light, bringing healing,
bringing reconciliation, and bringing peace.
We pray for common sense,
and the touch of faithful humility that marked the life of your son, our Savior.
that we may determine to live lives of kindliness and grace.
God of peace,
hear our prayers.
God of faithfulness and truth,
we pray for the world around us,
for peoples whose names we do not know
yet whose hurts fill the news,
and whose afflictions touch us not nearly long enough.
We can change a channel, or turn a page,
but they endure the long days and months
of famine and thirst,
of war and feud,
of corruption and despair.
Solutions may not be easy for all the ills of this world,
but in each hurting place send your Spirit,
that those who do have the power to effect the changes
needed for justice, peace and honor
may use their power for wellbeing of all.
God of peace,
hear our prayers.
In this season of Advent, where many watch and wait, be with those who at this time
wait by a hospital bedside,
watch anxiously for results in exams and tests
wait for news of an interview,
watch for a loved one to return.
May all who wait with anxiety find your peace,
and all who watch with fearfulness be calmed by your steady heart.
God of peace,
hear our prayers.
For ourselves,
the hopes and hurts, the brightness and gloom
that populate our waking and our sleeping hours.
Help us to separate our needs from our wants,
that we may discern where priorities in our ordered lives should lie. In a world where consumption rules
and many have become accustomed to plenty,
remind us of the privileges we take for granted,
and the bounty we believe is our right, and not your gift. Soothe our spirits, and fill us with good things —
the things which make for peace.
God of peace,
hear our prayers.
We pray for those who lie close to our hearts:
[intercessory prayers may be offered]
God of peace,
hear our prayers.
And now we pray as Jesus taught us, saying, “Our Father …”.
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
OFFERING OF TITHES & OFFERINGS
With gratitude for all God has given us, let us return our offerings to God, passing the plates along the aisle as we remember that it takes all of us together to make this church strong.
OFFERTORY
*RESPONSE N0. 108 “Of the Father’s Love Begotten”
6 Christ, to thee with God the Father,
and, O Holy Ghost, to thee,
hymn and chant and high thanksgiving
and unwearied praises be.
Honor, glory, and dominion,
and eternal victory,
evermore and evermore! Amen.
*PRAYER OF DEDICATION
Generous God, we thank you for all our blessings, and offer these gifts back to your service, that this church might continue to shine your light into the world. Amen.
*HYMN No. 105 “People, Look East”
1 People, look east. The time is near
of the crowning of the year.
Make your house fair as you are able;
trim the hearth and set the table.
People, look east and sing today:
Love, the Guest, is on the way.
2 Furrows, be glad. Though earth is bare,
one more seed is planted there.
Give up your strength the seed to nourish,
that in course the flower may flourish.
People, look east and sing today:
Love, the Rose, is on the way.
3 Birds, though you long have ceased to build,
guard the nest that must be filled.
Even the hour when wings are frozen
God for fledging time has chosen.
People, look east and sing today:
Love, the Bird, is on the way.
4 Stars, keep the watch. When night is dim
one more light the bowl shall brim,
shining beyond the frosty weather,
bright as sun and moon together.
People, look east and sing today:
Love, the Star, is on the way.
5 Angels, announce with shouts of mirth
Christ who brings new life to earth.
Set every peak and valley humming
with the word, the Lord is coming.
People, look east and sing today:
Love, the Lord, is on the way.
*BENEDICTION
Go out in peace.
Not a storebought peace, or an ignorant peace
or an easy peace.
But go out in the peace that comes from God,
who has begun good work in you,
who has scrubbed you clean until you shine,
who has straightened every crooked place,
who is a light in shadowed places.
Go out with a peace to change the world.
And as you go,
may the love of God who made you,
the strength of Christ you saved you,
and the wisdom of the Spirit who enlivens you,
go with you now and forevermore.