Worship Guide - Second Sunday of Advent

Worship Guide

December 4, 2022

Second Sunday of Advent

 

Creating Disciples of Jesus who Transform the World

 

ENTRANCE WITH PRAISE

 

Lighting of the Advent Candle

 

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.

Rejoice! Rejoice!

Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

 

Greetings:

 

Minister:    The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you!

People:     And also with you!

 

Special Music:  Donna

 

Centering Words:

 

A righteous branch grows out of the root of Jesse—a branch that brings justice and peace. Let us prepare our hearts to receive the blessings of this branch in our lives and in our world.

 

 

*Call to Worship:

 

Leader:   A shoot has come forth from the stump of Jesse.

People:   The spirit of the Lord rests upon his shoulders.

Leader:   Wisdom guides his feet.

People:  Righteousness is the belt around his waist.

Leader:   Faithfulness is the mantle upon his shoulders.

People:  Counsel and might cover his head.

Leader:   A shoot has come forth from the stump of Jesse.

People:  God’s promised salvation is at hand.

Leader:   Come! Let us pray.

 

ALL: Mighty One, the spirit of the Lord rests upon your chosen one: the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. As we behold your glory in the heavens, breathe your passion for justice into our hearts, that we may defend the poor, deliver the oppressed, and help the weary. In this season of Advent, may your righteousness flourish and may your peace abound, that none shall hurt or destroy on all your holy mountain. Amen.

 

Hymn: “Star Child”

 

Star-Child, earth-Child go-between of God,

love Child, Christ Child, heaven's lightning rod,

This year, this year, let the day arrive

when Christmas come to everyone,

everyone alive!

 

Street child, beat child, no place left to go,

hurt child, used child, no one wants to know,

This year, this year, let the day arrive

when Christmas come to everyone,

everyone alive!

 

Grown child, old child, memory full of years,

sad child, lost child, story told in tears,

This year, this year, let the day arrive

when Christmas come to everyone,

everyone alive!

 

Spared child, spoiled child, having, wanting more,

wise child, faith child, knowing joy in store,

This year, this year, let the day arrive

when Christmas come to everyone,

everyone alive!

 

Hope for peace Child, God's stupendous sign,

down to earth Child, Star of stars that shine,

This year, this year, let the day arrive

when Christmas come to everyone,

everyone alive!

 

PROCLAMATION OF THE WORD

 

Words of Assurance

 

Hold fast to the promises of God—promises of steadfast love and forgiveness.

Abide in the grace of Christ. Rest in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Do this and you will know life eternal.

Thanks be to our God. Amen

 

*Gospel Reading: Matthew 3:1-12

 

1 In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 3 This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said,

 

“The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:

‘Prepare the way of the Lord,

     make his paths straight.’ ”

 

4 Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan, 6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

 

7 But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruit worthy of repentance. 9 Do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor’; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. 10 Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

 

11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

 

Leader:   This is the Word of God, for the People of God

People:  Thanks be to God!

 

WORD AND RESPONSE

 

Time with Young Friends:  “Jesus Loves Me

 

Children’s Message: “Qwirkle”

 

Hymn: “Spirit Song”

 

Oh let the Son of God enfold you

with his Spirit and his love.

Let him fill your heart and satisfy your soul.

Oh let him have the things that hold you,

and his Spirit like a dove

will descend upon your life

and make you whole.

 

Jesus, oh Jesus

come and fill your lambs.

Jesus, oh Jesus

come and fill your lambs.

 

Oh come and sing the song of gladness

as your hearts are filled with joy.

Lift your hands in sweet surrender

to his name.

Oh give him all your tears and sadness;

give him all your years of pain,

and you'll enter into life in Jesus' name

 

Jesus, oh Jesus

come and fill your lambs.

Jesus, oh Jesus

come and fill your lambs.

 

Sermon: “Stand as a Signal” Isaiah 11:1-10

 

1   A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse,

and a branch shall grow out of his roots.

2   The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him,

the spirit of wisdom and understanding,

the spirit of counsel and might,

the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

3   His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.

He shall not judge by what his eyes see,

or decide by what his ears hear;

4   but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,

and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;

he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,

and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.

5 Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist,

and faithfulness the belt around his loins.

6   The wolf shall live with the lamb,

the leopard shall lie down with the kid,

the calf and the lion and the fatling together,

and a little child shall lead them.

7   The cow and the bear shall graze,

their young shall lie down together;

and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

8   The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp,

and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.

9   They will not hurt or destroy

on all my holy mountain;

for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord

   as the waters cover the sea.

 

10 On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.

 

RESPONSE TO THE WORD

 

 Prayers of the People: Joys and concerns

Silent Prayer, Pastoral Prayer

 

THE SACRAMENTS OF HOLY COMMUNION

 

Invitation, Prayer of Confession and Pardon:

 

Christ our Lord invites to his table

all who love him,

who earnestly repent of their sin

and seek to live in peace with one another.

Therefore, let us confess our sin before God

and one another.

 

Merciful God,

we confess that we have not loved you

with our whole hearts.

We have failed to be an obedient church.

We have not done your will,

we have broken your law,

we have rebelled against your love,

we have not loved our neighbors,

and we have not heard the

cry of the needy.

Forgive us, we pray.

Free us for joyful obedience,

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

 

Hear the good news:

Christ died for us while we were yet sinners;

that proves God's love toward us.

In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!

 

In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven.

Glory to God. Amen

 

 The Great Thanksgiving  

 

The Lord be with you

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts

We lift them up to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God

It is right to give our thanks and praise.

 

It is right, and a good and joyful thing,

always and everywhere

to give thanks to you,

Father Almighty, creator of

heaven and earth.

You formed us in your image and

breathed into us the breath of life.

When we turned away, and our love failed,

your love remained steadfast.

You delivered us from captivity,

made covenant to be our sovereign God,

and spoke to us through your prophets, who looked for that day when justice shall roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream, when nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.

And so,

with your people on earth

and all the company of heaven

we praise your name and join their unending hymn:

 

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord,

God of power and might,

heaven and earth are full of your glory.

Hosanna in the highest.

Blessed is he who comes

in the name of the Lord.

Hosanna in the highest.

 

Holy are you, and blessed is your Son Jesus Christ, whom you sent in the fullness of time to be a light to the nations

You scatter the proud in the imagination of their hearts and have mercy on those who fear you from generation to generation.

You put down the mighty from their thrones and exalt those of low degree.

You fill the hungry with good things, and the rich you send empty away.

Your own Son came among us as a servant, to be Emmanuel, your presence with us.

He humbled himself in obedience to your will and freely accepted death on a cross.

 

By the baptism of his suffering,

death, and resurrection,

you gave birth to your church,  

delivered us from slavery to sin and death,

and made with us a new covenant

by water and the Spirit.

 

On the night in which he gave himself up for us, he took bread, gave thanks to you, broke the bread, gave it to his disciples, and said:

 

"Take, eat; this my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me."

 

When the supper was over, he took the cup,

gave thanks to you, gave it to his disciples, and said:

 

"Drink from this all of you;

this is my blood of the new covenant,

poured out for you and for many

for the forgiveness of sins.

Do this, as often as you drink it

in remembrance of me."

 

And so,

in remembrance of these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ,

we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving

as a holy and living sacrifice,

in union with Christ's offering for us,

as we proclaim the mystery of faith

 

Christ has died;

Christ is risen;

Christ will come again.

 

Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here,

and on these gifts of bread and wine.

Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ,

that we may be for the world the body of Christ,

redeemed by his blood.

       By your Spirit make us one with Christ,

one with each other,

and one in ministry to all the world,

until Christ comes in final victory,

and we feast at his heavenly banquet.

Through your Son Jesus Christ,

with the Holy Spirit in your holy Church,

all honor and glory is yours, almighty Father,

now and forever.   Amen

 

And now with the confidence of children of God, let us pray:

 

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed by 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 trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, and the power and the glory forever.

Amen

 

Sharing of the Cup and Loaf

 

Moment of Prayer and Meditation

 

Prayer of Thanks

 

Eternal God, we give you thanks

for this holy mystery

in which you have given yourself to us. 

Grant that we may go into the world

in the strength of your Spirit,

to give ourselves to others,

in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Amen

 

SENDING FORTH

 

Hymn: “O How I Love Jesus”

 

There is a name I love to hear,

I love to sing its worth,

it sounds like music in the ear,

the sweetest name on earth.

 

O how I love Jesus, O how I love Jesus,

O how I love Jesus, because he first loved me.

 

It tells me of a Savior's love,

who died to set me free;

it tells me of his precious blood,

the sinner's perfect plea.

 

O how I love Jesus, O how I love Jesus,

O how I love Jesus, because he first loved me.

 

It tells of one whose loving heart

can feel my deepest woe;

who in each sorrow bears a part

that none can bear below.

 

O how I love Jesus, O how I love Jesus,

O how I love Jesus, because he first loved me.

 

Benediction