We Gather To Worship God

Welcome and Announcements

Carol:              #17 O Come All Ye Faithful

The Lighting of the Advent Candle: The Candle of Faith: Behold and Believe!

Reader 1: Blessing upon blessing has been showered upon us by God.

Reader 2: The lame shall walk; the blind shall see; the deaf shall hear.

Reader 1: There will be peace and hope in God’s land.

Reader 2:  Be of good courage. Behold! God is blessing and redeeming us!

Today we light three candles. The first is the candle of Patience, reminding us to watch and wait for what God is about to do. [Light the first candle]

Reader 1 The second candle is the candle of Readiness, enabling us to look at our lives, to get rid of all those things that keep us from God, to change our ways and live as God would have us live. [The second candle is lighted]

Reader 2 The third candle is the candle of Faith, through which we behold the love and mercy of God and believe in God’s presence with us. [The third candle is lighted]

Reader 1: Come, see the lights. Let their brightness fill you.

Reader 2:  Come, feel the warmth of the lights. Let them give you comfort.

Reader 1:  Come, draw near to the lights, for God is breaking through to you.
 

Reader 2:  Come, rejoice in the lights, God is with us!

Carol: # 9 Good Christian Friends Rejoice

Opening Prayer (Unison)                                                          

O God, you know the deserts and the parched places in our lives. We seek your healing power. Lead us on this Advent journey to the place of new birth and to the place of our redemption; for we ask this in Jesus’ Name. AMEN.

We Hear God’s Word

Carol #13 It Came Upon the Midnight Clear Verses 1&2

 Reader 1:
That song sounds so sweet! Why can’t I be comfortable with those words of angels bending near the earth to touch their harps of gold? This world is such a dark place where hatred, violence, and war abound. Mistrust and hostility are the ways in which most people live. Even the people we should be able to trust fall short of the mark. Where is the sweetness and comfort of God?

Reader 2:
It is here--that sweetness and comfort--but you need to look about you. Look around. See these people? They are the sweetness--even in their stressful lives--they are beloved by God, just as you are. There are angels who bring to us words of comfort. They act in silent ways--not with loud trumpets to proclaim their presence, but with a gentle touch, an encouraging word. Do not fear. God is with us.

Carol: #13 It Came Upon the Midnight Clear Verses 3&4

Reader 1:
These words are wonderful, but life is more of an uphill climb and crushing load than the sweet songs of the angelic host. It’s tough out there in the world. Everybody wants something from everybody else. Compassion and fair play are rarely seen these days. It’s a hard-knock life, to quote a musical; you get as good as you give. You have to grab for everything. Life is crushing us all the time. Look at this season; it is supposed to be happiness and joy; and yet, how many of these people are fighting not to dissolve into tears, to feel the losses and pressures, to not be jolly all the time? It’s not easy.

Reader 2:
Life can be difficult, that’s true, but we are not in this alone. In the midst of the difficulties, the trials and tribulations, God is with us--sometimes lifting us, sometimes carrying us, sometimes bringing us opportunities for calmness and service. Listen to God. Open your heart to all the good possibilities for love and help that surround you each day. Can you reach out to someone else who is having a hard time? Can you offer your time to care for someone? Can you take time to just look at the world, at the beauty of creation? Can you take time to be present to God? Slow down a little. Do not make life such a rush and crush. You are beloved and important to God. Treat yourself as a beloved one. Be patient. Be helpful. Believe in all the goodness, for it is within you and around you.

Carol:  #13 It Came Upon the Midnight Clear Verse 5

Reading  In Search of our Kneeling Places from Kneeling in Bethlehem by Ann Weems

In each heart lies a Bethlehem,

  An inn where we must ultimately answer

    Whether there is room or not.

When we are Bethlehem bound

  We experience our own advent in God’s

When we are Bethlehem bound

  We can no longer look the other way

    Convientely  not seeing stars

       Not hearing angel voices.

We can no longer excuse ourselves by busily

  Tending our sheep or our dominions.

This Advent let’s go to Bethlehem

  And see this thing that God had made known to us.

In the midst of shopping sprees

  Let’s ponder in our hearts the Gift of Gifts.

Through the tinsel

  Let’s look for the gold of the Christmas Star.

In the excitement and confusion, in the merry chaos,

  Let’s listen for the brush of angel wings.

This Advent, let’s go to Bethlehem

  And find our kneeling places.

Carol: #21  O Little Town of Bethlehem

We Respond to God

Prayers of the People

As we wait with joy for the glory of God to shine upon us, let us offer prayers to the Holy One who opens the eyes of the blind.

For the peace of the world, and for our unity in Christ.

(Prayers may be offered aloud or in silence)                                                                                       We wait with believing hearts                                                                                                                     Come, O Lord, and save us.                                                                                             

For Rev. Elder Nancy Wilson our Moderator  and for Rev. Elder Diane Fisher and all the Elders, for all church leaders, and those who minister in Christ, and for all the holy people of God.

(Prayers may be offered aloud or in silence)                                                                                           We wait with believing hearts                                                                                                             Come, O Lord, and save us.    

For the church throughout the world and the faithful in every place.

(Prayers may be offered aloud or in silence)                                                                                           We wait with believing hearts                                                                                                                     Come, O Lord, and save us.    

For the leaders of the nations and all in authority.

(Prayers may be offered aloud or in silence)                                                                                          We wait with believing hearts                                                                                                                     Come, O Lord, and save us.    

For justice, peace, and freedom among peoples of the earth.

(Prayers may be offered aloud or in silence)                                                                                           We wait with believing hearts                                                                                                                     Come, O Lord, and save us.    

For travelers, for the sick and the suffering, for the hungry and the oppressed, and for those in prison.

(Prayers may be offered aloud or in silence)                                                                                        We wait with believing hearts                                                                                                                     Come, O Lord, and save us.   

For the dying and the dead.

(Prayers may be offered aloud or in silence)                                                                                         We wait with believing hearts                                                                                                                      Come, O Lord, and save us.    

For our deliverance from all affliction, strife, and need.

(Prayers may be offered aloud or in silence)                                                                                           We wait with believing hearts                                                                                                                       Come, O Lord, and save us.    

 Joining our voices with all the saints and angels of God, let us offer ourselves and one another to the living God through Christ. (Prayers may be offered in silence)

O Key of David, scepter of the house of Israel, who opens and none can shut, who shuts and none can open, come and free the captives from prison, who sit in darkness and the shadow of death. For we ask this in the name of Christ who has taught us to pray in this spirit saying…

Our Creator who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name;

thy dominion come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.  For thine is the dominion, the power and the glory, for ever and ever.  Amen

Carols: # 25 The First Nowell

# 4 Away In a Manger

Reception of Tithes and Offerings 

Carol  # 10 Good King Wencesles

We Commune Together

The Eucharistic Prayer:

May the God of Advent wonder be with you.
And also with you.
People of God, lift up your hopeful hearts.
We lift them to the One who fills us
with all joy and peace.
Blessed be the One who comes to speak for the poor,
to set free those imprisoned by despair.
 

May the glory of the One who welcomes all to this Table
fill our sisters and brothers throughout creation.
 

 God of Wonder:
your Spirit did not rest,
but transformed chaos into creation,
the mountains crying 'Glory!' with one voice,
the hills echoing the glad refrain.
You welcomed us into
your garden of peace and hope,
but we flocked to sin and death,
those entertainers who seduce us
with their temptations and tricks.
The prophets were sent
to help us understand our brokenness,
but we turned our backs
when they sang of your hopes for us.
And so, you prepared Jesus
to come to us, so we might know
the very nearness of your dominion.
Therefore, we would join our voices
with those of every time and place,
who sing of your glory:

Blessed be the God of Advent,
who alone showers us with grace!
O come, people of God,
let us walk in the Hope
which paves the paths to God’s dominion!

Holy are you, God of all creation,
and blessed is Jesus Christ, your Child,
who became our servant to save us.
He came,
so that those who could only speak
in anger to one another,
might sing songs of peace at your Table.
 

 He came,
to shower the living waters of grace
upon our hope-parched souls.
 

He came,
to sweep death from
the bottoms of our hearts,
so we might dance
in your life forever.

Even now, as we prepare to celebrate
his birth, and ache for his return,
we sing of that mystery we call faith:

In rejection's stable, Hope was born;
on death's cruel tree, Hope cried out;
in our hearts, we long for Hope to return.

In hope we celebrate O God what Jesus did so long ago;

on the night before he died,
he, took bread;
when he had given you thanks,
he broke it, gave it to his disciples, and said:

 Take, eat, this is my body
which is given for you;
do this to remember me.
After supper he took the cup;
when he had given you thanks,
he gave it to them and said:
This cup is the new covenant in my blood
poured out for you;
do this as often as you drink it
to remember me.

 Come to us in these moments,
God of Advent,
pouring your Spirit
upon the bread and the cup
that we might be drenched
by your grace and peace.
Then, when we are filled
with your justice and righteousness,
send us forth into the wilderness
of despair and loneliness,
to bring joy and hope;
to be servants to the poor;
to be voices for those silenced by oppression;
to become a bumper crop of reconciliation
in a world strewn with the stumps
from the violence of war and fear.

Then, when all time has ended,
all pain and hurt is gone,
you will welcome everyone to your Table,
where we can sing 'Glory!' with one voice
to Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. Amen.

Sharing Communion

Carols During Communion 

# 23 Once In Royal Davids City

# 20 O Holy Night

Silent Prayer Following Communion

Carol: # 6 Ding Dong Merrily on High

We Go Forth to Live with Christ

 The Blessing and Sending Forth:

"Meister Eckhart once said: ‘What good is it that Christ was born 2,000 years ago if he is not born now in your heart?’

ALL:

"Lord, we do far too much celebrating your actual coming in our hearts. I believe in God, but do I believe in God-in-me?    I believe in God in heaven, but do I believe in God-on-earth?  I believe in God out there, but do I believe in God-with-us?

"Lord, be born in my heart. Come alive in me this Christmas! Amen."

Carol: # 2 Angels We Have Heard On High

Passing the Peace:  (Please feel free to shake hands, or offer hugs as you feel comfortable. Offering the words….”The Peace of Christ” and join us for refreshments following the service.)