Bulletin – Sunday, December 17, 2023 – 3rd Sunday in Advent
Sunday, December 17, 2023
3rd Sunday in Advent
Approach
Welcome
Call to Worship
The spirit of God is one me because God anointed me; God sent me to bring good news to the poor, heal the heartbroken, announce freedom to all captives, I will sing for joy in God, explode in praise from deep in my soul. Come, let us worship.
Hymn – “Good Christian Friends, Rejoice” (VU #35)
Good Christian friends, rejoice with heart and soul and voice!
Give ye heed to what we say: News! News! Jesus Christ is born today.
Ox and ass before him bow, and he is in the manger now.
Christ is born today! Christ is born today!
Good Christian friends, rejoice with heart and soul and voice!
Now ye hear of endless bless: Joy! Joy! Jesus Christ is born for this!
He hath opened heaven’s door, and we are blest forevermore.
Christ was born for this! Christ was born for this!
Good Christian friends, rejoice with heart and soul and voice!
Now ye need not fear the grave. Peace! Peace! Jesus Christ was born to save!
Calls you one and calls you all to gain his everlasting hall.
Christ was born to save! Christ was born to save!
Lighting the Advent Candles
The first two candles are lit.
One: Today is the third Sunday in the season of Advent. We have relit the first two candles in our Advent wreath, to remind us of God’s gifts of hope and peace. Today we will light the third candle, the pink one, representing joy. Sometimes, the challenges of the world overwhelm us. But God’s abundance is with us, and the spark of joy is within our grasp.
The third candle is lit.
All: We are together, not alone. We gather on this third Sunday in Advent with gratitude and overflowing generosity, blessed multiple times by our generous God. We are witnesses to joy. The joy of Christ is good news, unexpected and surprising in its overflowing. The warm glow of the Divine lightens our hearts.
Response – “We Light This Candle”
We light this candle for Joy.
Await the new life within.
May our hearts now live each day,
So Joy can find a way,
So Joy can find a way.
Prayer of Approach and Confession
We hear the instruction to rejoice and praise you, gracious God, in every situation; yet, there are many times when joy and praise do not percolate from our hearts.
When have you been too busy or tired to praise God?
When has your situation been so bad that the last thing you were going to take the time to do was to thank and praise God? When have you looked at the suffering of others and wondered why God has seemingly forgotten to love justice, righteousness, and peace?
Our hearts want to lament. We weep. We feel angry. We do not rejoice, and we do not praise you. Forgive us.
Forgive us for expecting your justice and your peace to blossom when we see suffering in the world.
Words of Assurance
Remind us that you are always at work, bringing good news to the oppressed, binding up the broken-hearted, proclaiming liberty to the captives and forgiving us when we falter. Help us rejoice and do justice even when our spirits are weak, because you are with us and encourage us to try again. Amen.
Response – “I am Walking a Path of Joy” (MV #221)
I am walking a path of joy,
I am walking a path of joy,
I am walking a path of joy,
Lead me home,
Lead me home.
The Word
Scripture Reading: Psalm 126 (VU #126 – Refrain 1)
One: When God brought Zion’s captives home, it seemed to us like a dream.
All: But then our mouths were full of laughter, and our tongues uttered shouts of joy.
One: Then they said among the nations; “God has done great things for them.”
All: Truly God has done great things for us, and therefore we rejoice.
Refrain: We’ll sing the song of joy, we’ll sing the song of joy!
One: Restore our fortunes, O God, as streams refresh the Negev.
All: Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy.
One: Those who go out weeping, carrying seed for sowing,
All: Shall come home with songs of joy, bringing in their sheaves.
Refrain: We’ll sing the song of joy, we’ll sing the song of joy!
Scripture Reading: Isaiah 61: 1-4, 8-11
1 The spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners, 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, 3 to provide for those who mourn in Zion—to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit. They will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, to display his glory. 4 They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations.
8 For I, the Lord, love justice, I hate robbery and wrongdoing; I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. 9 Their descendants shall be known among the nations and their offspring among the peoples; all who see them shall acknowledge that they are a people whom the Lord has blessed. 10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my whole being shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. 11 For as the earth brings forth its shoots and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations.
Scripture Reading: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast to what is good; 22 abstain from every form of evil.
23 May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely, and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.
Thanks be to God!
Hymn – “When God Restored Our Common Life”
When God restored our common life, our hope, our liberty,
At first it seemed a passing dream, a waking fantasy.
A shock of joy swept over us, for we had wept so long;
The seed we watered once with tears sprang up into a song.
We went forth weeping, sowing seeds in hard, unyielding soil;
With laughing hearts we carry home the fruit of all our toil.
We praise the One who gave the growth, with voices full and strong.
The seeds we watered once with tears sprang up into a song.
Great liberating God, we pray for all who are oppressed.
May those who long for what is right with justice now be blest.
We pray for those who mourn this day, and all who suffer wrong;
May seeds they water now with tears spring up into a song.
Reflection – “Rejoice Always?”
Anthem – “He Will Be The Love”
To the world, a Child will come.
To the world, a Son will be given,
And a great light will shine in the darkness.
To the world, a Child will come.
To the world a Son will be given,
And our hearts will never be the same.
He will be the love we have longed for.
He will be the love we have needed.
To a world that has no hope,
To a world that has no peace,
He will be the face of the Father;
He will be the hands of God above.
To a world that’s lost in night,
He will be the Light;
He will be the Love.
When we know the Child, the Christ,
When our hearts are open to Jesus,
Then His great light will shine through our spirits.
We will show the world His love.
We will give the world a taste of heaven,
And the world will never be the same.
He will be the love we have longed for.
He will be the love we have needed.
To a world that has no hope,
To a world that has no peace,
He will be the face of the Father;
He will be the hands of God above.
To a world that’s lost in night, we will be the Light;
He will be the Love, the Love,
He will be the Love.
The Response
Offering
Offering Response – “May the Spirit of the Christ Child”
May the Spirit of the Christ Child show us how in love to live
For the joy and peace of Christmas is for us to share and give.
May the story of God’s coming, God with us – Emmanuel,
Fill the world with light of Christmas as in awe we do God’s will.
The Letter
Prayers of the People
One: Lord, hear our prayer.
All: And in your love answer.
Response – “A Christmas Lord’s Prayer”
Our Father in heaven, all praise to your name.
Your kingdom in heaven, on earth be the same.
By mortals and angels, come, Lord reign alone;
O hear us and bless us, from heaven’s high throne.
The bread that we yearn for provide us each day;
As we forgive others, our sins take away;
In times of temptation, to lead us be near;
From evil deliver your children most dear.
For yours is the kingdom, o’er all things you reign,
And yours is the power, all things you maintain.
To you be the glory, resounding again
From all of creation, forever. Amen.
Hymn – “Tomorrow Christ is Coming (VU #27)
Tomorrow Christ is Coming, as yesterday he came;
A child is born this moment, we do not know its name.
The world is full of darkness, again there is no room,
The symbols of existence are stable, cross and tomb.
Tomorrow will be Christmas, the feast of love divine,
But for the nameless millions the star will never shine.
Still is the census taken with people on the move;
New infants born in stables are crying out for love.
There will be no tomorrows for many a baby born;
Good Friday falls on Christmas when life is sown as corn.
But Jesus Christ is risen and comes again in bread
To still our deepest hunger and raise us from the dead.
Our God becomes incarnate in every human birth.
Created in God’s image, we must make peace on earth.
God will fulfil Love’s purpose and this shall be the sign:
We shall find Christ among us as woman, child, or man.
Benediction
Response – “Saviour, Dwell with Us that We”
Saviour, dwell with us that we may go forth, your light to be.
Send us out, good News to sing; hope, peace, joy and love to bring.
God incarnate, with us dwell. Come, O come, Emmanuel.
Come, Lord Jesus, don’t delay; shine your joy through us this day.
Saviour dwell with us that we may go forth, your light to be.
