For the week of December 8 – 2nd Sunday of Advent
Morning Prayer: Out of the embrace of mercy and righteousness, You have brought forth joy and dignity for Your people, O Holy One of Israel. Remember now Your ancient promise:
make straight the paths that lead to You, and smooth the rough ways, that in our day we might bring forth Your compassion for all humanity. Amen. (Lectionary Prayers)
Morning Hymn: #216 Lo, How a Rose e’er Blooming © permission CCLI License #1368989
- Lo, how a Rose e'er blooming from tender stem hath sprung!
Of Jesse's lineage coming, as those of old have sung.
It came, a floweret bright, amid the cold of winter, when half spent was the night. - Isaiah 'twas foretold it, the Rose I have in mind;
with Mary we behold it, the Virgin Mother kind.
To show God's love aright, she bore to us a Savior, when half spent was the night. - O Flower, whose fragrance tender with sweetness fill the air,
Dispel in glorious splendor the darkness everywhere.
True man yet very God, from sin and death now save us, and share our every load.
Malachi 3:1-4 (CEB)
3 Look, I am sending my messenger who will clear the path before me;
suddenly the Lord whom you are seeking will come to His temple.
The messenger of the covenant in whom you take delight is coming,
says the Lord of heavenly forces.
2 Who can endure the day of His coming? Who can withstand His appearance?
He is like the refiner’s fire or the cleaner’s soap. He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver.
He will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver.
They will belong to the Lord, presenting a righteous offering.
4 The offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord
as in ancient days and in former years.
Prayers of Intercession: Thank You, Lord, for hearing our prayers for those dear to our hearts. We now pray as You have taught us: 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, and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us, not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Offering spotlight: On Sunday morning there were loads of gifts under the Christmas trees in both the church Sanctuary and the Lighthouse, the fulfillment of wishes from the children served and loved by KidsPeace. Thank you for your generosity. Thank you for providing The Lighthouse for a magical Christmas party for the children, for their families, and for the staff of KidsPeace. Some of these children have not had happy childhoods, but this will be a happy memory for them. Pray that they always remember feelings of being welcome inside our building.
Offering prayer: Loving God, in this Advent season, we bring our offerings with hearts open to Your call. Just as John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus, may our gifts help prepare the way for Your kingdom. Use these offerings to bring hope, justice, and transformation. Help us to look beyond the surface, to see Your work in surprising places and people. Bless our giving, that it may shine with the presence of Emmanuel. In Christ’s name, we pray. Amen. (Discipleship Ministries)
Hymn of preparation: #211 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.
Refrain: Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
- O come, Thou Wisdom from on high, and order all things far and nigh;
to us the path of knowledge show and cause us in her ways to go. Refrain: - O come, O come great Lord of might, who to Thy tribes on Sinai’s height
In ancient times once gave the law in cloud and majesty and awe. Refrain:
- O come, Thou Root of Jesse’s tree, an ensign of Thy people be;
Before Thee rulers silent fall; all people on Thy mercy call. Refrain:
Scripture: Luke 1:68-79, 3:1-6 (CEB)
Luke 3:1-6
3 In the fifteenth year of the rule of the emperor Tiberius—when Pontius Pilate was governor over Judea and Herod was ruler[a] over Galilee, his brother Philip was ruler[b] over Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was ruler[c] over Abilene, 2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas—God’s word came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 John went throughout the region of the Jordan River, calling for people to be baptized to show that they were changing their hearts and lives and wanted God to forgive their sins. 4 This is just as it was written in the scroll of the words of Isaiah the prophet,
A voice crying out in the wilderness:
“Prepare the way for the Lord; make His paths straight.
5 Every valley will be filled, and every mountain and hill will be leveled.
The crooked will be made straight and the rough places made smooth.
6 All humanity will see God’s salvation.”[d]
Luke 1:68-79
68 “Bless the Lord God of Israel because He has come to help and has delivered His people.
69 He has raised up a mighty Savior for us in His servant David’s house,
70 just as He said through the mouths of His holy prophets long ago.
71 He has brought salvation from our enemies and from the power of all those who hate us.
72 He has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors,
and remembered His holy covenant,
73 the solemn pledge He made to our ancestor Abraham.
He has granted 74 that we would be rescued from the power of our enemies
so that we could serve Him without fear, 75 in holiness and righteousness in God’s eyes,
for as long as we live.
76 You, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord to prepare His way.
77 You will tell His people how to be saved through the forgiveness of their sins.
78 Because of our God’s deep compassion, the dawn from heaven will break upon us,
79 to give light to those who are sitting in darkness
and in the shadow of death, to guide us on the path of peace.”
Message: Pastor Becky Cuddeback
How did you make out looking for signs of the Kingdom of God? Did you see an ad for help? One promotion for an AA meeting or a food distribution? Do you know that Agape runs a code blue shelter in the winter? So, if you didn’t see a sign, how were you a sign of the Kingdom of God breaking through?
Advent is the training ground for us. We take Jesus’s story and apply it to our lives and our living. We have given our hearts over to this story of love, God’s love for us and God’s love for all creation.
Advent is an invitation to us to be part of the story of Jesus: the love of God. Advent/Christmas isn’t an anniversary of the birth of Jesus. It is a new revelation in a new time, because it is good news in a broken world and a broken world is in need of prophets.
Ordinarily we think about John in Lent. John kicks off the Lenten season proclaiming repentance, yet his story begins before the birth of Jesus. His father prophesied John’s position at his birth verse 76: “You, child will be called a prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare His way.” John is joining the ranks of the Old Testament prophets, like Isaiah, Malachi, Amos, Hosea, Daniel, Elijah, Elisha, Jeremiah, Haggai, just to name a few.
John is a New Testament prophet and so are you. You go before the Lord, preparing His way.
Now, before I lose you in disbelief, let’s look at what prophets do:
They deliver messages from God; they tell the good news of Jesus Christ. In some circles, that could also be labeled as an evangelist. Evangelism is a loaded, troubled word, hijacked by some for personal gain. Yet at its core, in the very beginning, it was a term for one who tells the good news of Jesus. I know you may be picturing the person on a street corner with a bullhorn and pamphlets. But that isn’t good news, that is manipulation. The good news is only the good news if shared in a relationship, to walk alongside another in the acceptance of the salvation story. This affirms another’s worth and brings them from darkness into light.
Another aspect of the work of a prophet is seeing injustice, oppression, and abuse and identifying it for what it is: sin. There are those sins we commit, our personal sins. Those sins contained in Proverbs 6: 16-19: “There are six things that the Lord hates, seven things detestable to Him: snobbish eyes, a lying tongue, hands that spill innocent blood, a heart set on wicked plans, feet that run quickly to evil, a false witness who breathes lies, and one who causes conflicts among relatives.” Then Galatians 5:19-21 lists more: “ The actions that are produced by selfish motives are obvious, since they include sexual immorality, moral corruption, doing whatever feels good, idolatry, drug use and casting spells, hate, fighting, obsession, losing your temper, competitive opposition, conflict, selfishness, group rivalry, jealousy, drunkenness, partying, and other things like that. I warn you as I have already warned you, that those who do these kinds of things won’t inherit God’s kingdom.”
Or maybe it’s just as easy to remember the 7 deadly sins – lust, gluttony, greed, laziness, wrath, envy, and pride. You get it, right? The “me” sins, the sins that terrorize me and those in direct relationship with me.
But a prophet points to the sins that become part of the fabric in which we live. We may not engage in those sins on a personal level, but those sins have so infected the world around us – like classism, racism, bigotry, sexism, materialism, and generational poverty. The prophet can look at a situation, point to the underlying sin and call the entire system into repentance.
The prophet can see the world through scripture, and draw the necessary parallels between the ageless words of scripture and what is happening in real time in our reality. We rely on Ecclesiastes 1:9: “Whatever has happened – that’s what will happen again; whatever has occurred – that’s what will occur again. There’s nothing new under the sun.”
The prophet regardless of the situation, will always call for repentance. It is about a right relationship with God – personally, corporately as a church, together with community and with creation. All with the ultimate goal of healing all the brokenness. Because that is the good news, Jesus heals our brokenness and gives us the ability to heal ourselves, others and all creation.
Advent is an invitation to usher in the Kingdom of God, to be an active heart in the realization of the Kingdom. We have embraced the good news of Jesus, now employ it, to be prophetic, speaking healing into broken places. Calling for a turning away from the sins that kill us and others. You are prophets, prophets of the Most High God. That is God’s gift to us. We can speak these words verses 78-79: “Because of our God’s deep compassion, the dawn from heaven will break upon us, to give light to those sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide us on the path of peace.” Prophets of the Most High God! Go and bring peace. Amen.
Closing Hymn: #240 Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
- Hark! the herald angels sing, "Glory to the new born King,
peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!"
Joyful, all ye nations rise, join the triumph of the skies;
with th' angelic host proclaim, "Christ is born in Bethlehem!"
Hark! the herald angels sing, "Glory to the new born King!" - Christ, by highest heaven adored; Christ, the everlasting Lord;
late in time behold Him come, offspring of a virgin's womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see; hail th' incarnate Deity,
pleased with us in flesh to dwell, Jesus, our Emmanuel.
Hark! the herald angels sing, "Glory to the new born King!" - Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace! Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings, risen with healing in His wings.
Mild He lays His glory by, born that we no more may die,
born to raise us from the earth, born to give us second birth.
Hark! the herald angels sing, "Glory to the new born King!"
The blessing: May the Lord bless you and keep you and make His face shine upon you this week.
