For the week of December 7 – 2nd Sunday of Advent
Morning Prayer: God of timeless grace, You fill us with joyful expectation. Make us ready for the message that prepares the way, that with uprightness of heart and holy joy we may eagerly await the kingdom of Your Son, Jesus Christ, who reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen. (Lectionary Prayers)
Morning Hymn: #211 O Come, O Come, Emmanuel verses 5-7
- O come, Thou Key of David, come, and open wide our heavenly home.
The captives from their prison free, and conquer death’s deep misery.
Refrain: Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
- O come, Thou Dayspring, come and cheer our spirits by Thy justice here;
disperse the gloomy clouds of night, and death’s dark shadows put to flight. Refrain: - O come, Desire of nations bind all peoples in one heart and mind.
From dust Thou brought us forth to life; deliver us from earthly strife. Refrain:
11 A shoot will grow up from the stump of Jesse;
a branch will sprout[a] from his roots.
2 The Lord’s spirit will rest upon him,
a spirit of wisdom and understanding,
a spirit of planning and strength,
a spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord.
3 He will delight in fearing the Lord.
He won’t judge by appearances,
nor decide by hearsay.
4 He will judge the needy with righteousness,
and decide with equity for those who suffer in the land.
He will strike the violent[b] with the rod of his mouth;
by the breath of his lips he will kill the wicked.
5 Righteousness will be the belt around his hips,
and faithfulness the belt around his waist.
6 The wolf will live with the lamb,
and the leopard will lie down with the young goat;
the calf and the young lion will feed[a] together,
and a little child will lead them.
7 The cow and the bear will graze.
Their young will lie down together,
and a lion will eat straw like an ox.
8 A nursing child will play over the snake’s hole;
toddlers will reach right over the serpent’s den.
9 They won’t harm or destroy anywhere on my holy mountain.
The earth will surely be filled with the knowledge of the Lord,
just as the water covers the sea.
10 On that day, the root of Jesse will stand as a signal to the peoples. The nations will seek him out, and his dwelling will be glorious.
Lighting the Candle of Peace: If you have an Advent Wreath at home, please light two of the purple candles.
Hymn: #196 Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus
- Come, Thou long expected Jesus, born to set Thy people free;
from our fears and sins release us, let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel's strength and consolation, hope of all the earth Thou art;
dear desire of every nation, joy of every longing heart. - Born Thy people to deliver, born a child and yet a King,
born to reign in us forever, now Thy gracious kingdom bring.
By Thine own eternal spirit rule in all our hearts alone;
by Thine all sufficient merit, raise us to Thy glorious throne.
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: Blessing the children, staff and families of KidsPeace: The gifts that surround our trees represent offerings to the Christ child. The staff and families of KidsPeace are grateful that we have fulfilled the wishes of children under their care. KidsPeace will hold a Christmas party for the children in the Lighthouse on Saturday – a day of feasting and games to show these children they are important and are valued.
Offering prayer: Persistent God of new paths, we have been called to prepare the way—not with platitudes, but with changed hearts and lives. In this season of turning and anticipation, we offer these gifts as signs that we long to live by Your story. Use them and use us to bear fruit worthy of repentance: fruit of justice, compassion, hospitality, and peace. Let our generosity reflect the nearness of Your kingdom and the urgency of Your call. In the wilderness of fear and want, may this offering clear a path for hope to be seen, known, and shared. In the name of the one who is coming and is already among us—Christ, our Lord. Amen. (Discipleship Ministries)
Hymn of preparation: #213 Lift Up Your Heads Ye Mighty Gates
- Lift up your heads, ye mighty gates; behold, the King of glory waits;
the King of kings is drawing near; the Savior of the world is here! - Fling wide the portals of your heart; make it a temple, set apart
from earthly use for heaven's employ, adorned with prayer and love and joy. - Redeemer, come, with us abide; our hearts to Thee we open wide;
let us Thy inner presence feel; Thy grace and love in us reveal. - Thy Holy Spirit lead us on until our glorious goal is won;
eternal praise, eternal fame be offered, Savior, to Thy name!
Scripture: Matthew 3:1-12
3 In those days John the Baptist appeared in the desert of Judea announcing, 2 “Change your hearts and lives! Here comes the kingdom of heaven!” 3 He was the one of whom Isaiah the prophet spoke when he said:
The voice of one shouting in the wilderness,
“Prepare the way for the Lord;
make His paths straight.”[a]
4 John wore clothes made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. He ate locusts and wild honey.
5 People from Jerusalem, throughout Judea, and all around the Jordan River came to him. 6 As they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River. 7 Many Pharisees and Sadducees came to be baptized by John. He said to them, “You children of snakes! Who warned you to escape from the angry judgment that is coming soon? 8 Produce fruit that shows you have changed your hearts and lives. 9 And don’t even think about saying to yourselves, Abraham is our father. I tell you that God is able to raise up Abraham’s children from these stones. 10 The ax is already at the root of the trees. Therefore, every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be chopped down and tossed into the fire. 11 I baptize with water those of you who have changed your hearts and lives. The One who is coming after me is stronger than I am. I’m not worthy to carry His sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 12 The shovel He uses to sift the wheat from the husks is in His hands. He will clean out His threshing area and bring the wheat into His barn. But He will burn the husks with a fire that can’t be put out.”
Message: Repent! For the Kingdom has come near! Pastor Becky
Change your hearts and lives. This is a clearer call to us than the traditional call of repentance. Hopefully this will be easier and clearer for us to work with.
The proclamation of the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven is the long-awaited cry. It's been waiting since the Angel spoke to Zachariah, since Mary encountered her Angel. Elizabeth, Joseph, Simeon, Anna, they too knew Jesus was bringing the Kingdom. And now, 30 years later, we hear the official decree from John the Baptist himself as he calls out to prepare the way for the Lord.
Repent sounds harsh and condemning, and that is ordinarily how we hear John's call, as a condemnation. But what if it's an invitation into something greater? What if it isn't the turn or die statement we've come to know it as?
On this day along the Jordan River, John has two audiences and two messages. One audience is the ordinary people, those going about their daily lives, surviving, caring for their families. We don't know their religious backgrounds. There are some Jews and some Romans. There are others that have been placed there by war and there are those who chose to come.
They are hearing John's call and responding. Their eyes are looking towards something better, a world with justice and mercy. They are looking for a future with hope. They're looking for something or someone to have faith in and John is inviting them into this coming Kingdom.
Yet this invitation will require change on their part. Allegiances and alliances will have to be severed. It will require seeing each other differently. They will need to see each other as true neighbors. They'll need to come together in new ways to see this Kingdom and to live in this Kingdom. They are responding. They're confessing their sins and being baptized. They're committing to live into this new life.
At the same time, John has an audience of those in control of the temple and the synagogues, the Pharisees and the Sadducees. Now we're going to tread lightly here and I will remind you that we are far enough removed from the historical event of Jesus on the Earth that those in control and authority inside the Church can resemble the characterizations of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. So because we look to Scripture to be the living Word of God, we must orientate ourselves correctly. And to do that, we have to acknowledge we're not part of the first audience.
We need to hear John's message to the second audience because John is speaking to the ones on the inside who have been in connection with the gospel message, who have had the benefit of living within the fellowship. The ones that have already been taught about God, that know the scriptures and come together under a common name of those belonging to the Most High God.
John's message again comes off as harsh. He calls them children of snakes. He equates them with those that ride on their laurels. He insinuates that they're hypocrites and name droppers. Those are not exactly names that one strives for. They don't really reflect who we desire to be, yet probably not too far off from how Christians are seen.
Yet John invites us as well, with one requirement: Produce fruit. The requirement comes because of what they and us have had access to yet didn't utilize. It acknowledges what we have done to keep that first audience away. It reveals the barriers, the hoops that have been put in place by us to keep ourselves safe and comfortable.
John's call is the work of Advent, preparing for the coming of Jesus. We change our hearts and lives to produce fruit, not out of fear of hell, but for the inclusion of all in the Kingdom of heaven.
What does this change look like? As one of those on the inside, it's changing not what we hold sacred, but changing how we offer it so others can experience it. Change looks like shedding ideas of conformity. It's rejecting the narrowness of “we have never done it this way before”.
It's also giving up bemoaning what the world does or has become.
The new year will have us looking at new ways to be the church, new possibilities and entry points for new people. John is calling in advance of Jesus: Change your hearts and lives! We know the Kingdom of heaven is coming. Jesus goes so far as to say that it is near. Let us be like John and prepare the way, starting with our hearts and our lives. So all will come to know Jesus. Amen.
Closing Hymn: #431 Let There Be Peace on Earth
Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me;
Let there be peace on earth the peace that was meant to be.
With God our creator, children all are we. Let us walk with each other in perfect harmony.
Let peace begin with me let this be the moment now.
With every step I take let this be my solemn vow:
To take each moment and live each moment in peace eternally.
Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.
The blessing: May the Lord bless you and keep you and make His face shine upon you this week.
