Dec 20, 2015 -- Fourth Sunday of Advent

20151220 Order of Worship

Prelude

Welcome/Announcements

Call to Worship

     Not in the mighty places of power,

     but in little Bethlehem,

     in a room out back:

     The Messiah is coming.

     Not born in nobility and wealth,

     but of Mary and Joseph,

     who pondered and planed wood:

     The Messiah is coming.

     Not announced by prophets, priests, and kings,

     but by two women,

     who were the first to know:

     The Messiah is coming.

     Nothing will be impossible for God,

     but when and where we least expect it,

     look among the straw and the stars:

     The Messiah is coming.

Hymn – Rejoice Give Thanks verses 1&2, Brian Wren

Refrain:

Rejoice, give thanks for God is near us,

Loving, true, and kind,

And the peace of God in Jesus Christ

Will guard our heart and mind.

1. Turn on the porch light,

Dazzle the dark night.

God is coming soon.

God is coming soon

Through someone, somehow,

Next year, here and now,

Midnight, morning, noon.

     So don’t be tempted or distracted

     By the daily grind,

     And the peace of God in Jesus Christ

     Will guard our heart and mind.

Refrain

2. Just like a snowplow,

Scraping a road now,

Prophets clear the way.

Prophets clear away

Our shame and sadness,

Blame and business,

Calling us to pray.

     In love’s great furnace we’ll be burnished,

     Rescued and refined,

     And the peace of God in Jesus Christ

     Will guard our heart and mind.

Refrain

Lighting the Advent Candle

(Begin with the first three candles lit.)

The Gospel of Luke tells how Mary meets her cousin Elizabeth:

When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting,

the child leaped in her womb.

And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit

and exclaimed with a loud cry,

“Blessed are you among women,

and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” (Luke 1:41-42)

God speaks in many ways:

through dreams, visions, new ideas,

and the kicking of a child not yet born.

We light our fourth candle,

asking that we may hear God’s call

in our body, mind, and spirit.

(Light the fourth candle.)

Living Christ, give us faith to trust you,

hope to follow you,

love to live you,

and wisdom to know you.

We trust you, we love you, we praise you.  Amen.

Hymn – Rejoice, Give Thanks, verse 3

Refrain

3. Here is a newsbreak

Healing our heartache:

Christ will bring us home!

Christ will bring us home,

Where no one’s outcast,

And we’ll have at last

Freedom and shalom.

     In hope we’re living, let thanksgiving

     All our fears unwind,

     And the peace of God in Jesus Christ

     Will guard our heart and mind.

Refrain

A Time With Young Disciples

First Reading – Micah 5:2-5

But you, Bethlehem of Ephrathah,
     of the clans of Judah, are no poor relation—
From your people will come a Ruler
     who will be the shepherd of My people, Israel,
Whose origins date back to the distant past,
     to the ancient days.

So God will abandon Israel
     only until the now-laboring mother gives birth,
And then those of His people who survive
     will be gathered back together with the rest of Israel.
And he will stand and feed his flock in the power of the Eternal One,
     with the majesty of the name of the Eternal, his True God.
And they will live in safety, for his greatness will extend to the farthest parts of the earth.
He will be our peace.

Response

This is the Word of God for the people of God, to which God’s people respond:

Thanks be to God.

Hymn – UMH #230 O, Little Town of Bethlehem

O little town of Bethlehem,
how still we see thee lie;
above thy deep and dreamless sleep
the silent stars go by.
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
the everlasting light;
the hopes and fears of all the years
are met in thee tonight.

For Christ is born of Mary,
and gathered all above,
while mortals sleep, the angels keep
their watch of wondering love.
O morning stars together,
proclaim the holy birth,
and praises sing to God the king,
and peace to all on earth!

How silently, how silently,
the wondrous gift is given;
so God imparts to human hearts
the blessings of his heaven.
No ear may hear his coming,
but in this world of sin,
where meek souls will receive him, still
the dear Christ enters in.

O holy Child of Bethlehem,
descend to us, we pray;
cast out our sin, and enter in,
be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels
the great glad tidings tell;
o come to us, abide with us,
our Lord Emmanuel!

Second Reading – Luke 1:39-55

Mary immediately got up and hurried to the hill country, in the province of Judah, where her cousins Zachariah and Elizabeth lived. When Mary entered their home and greeted Elizabeth, who felt her baby leap in her womb, Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

Elizabeth shouted praises, “You are blessed, Mary, blessed among all women, and the child you bear is blessed!  And blessed I am as well, that the mother of my Lord has come to me!  As soon as I heard your voice greet me, my baby leaped for joy within me.  How fortunate you are, Mary, for you believed that what the Lord told you would be fulfilled.

And Mary sang, “My soul lifts up the Lord!
     My spirit celebrates God, my Liberator!
     For though I’m God’s humble servant,
        God has noticed me.
    Now and forever,
        I will be considered blessed by all generations.
     For the Mighty One has done great things for me;
        holy is God’s name!
     From generation to generation,
        God’s lovingkindness endures
        for those who revere Him.

     God’s arm has accomplished mighty deeds.
        The proud in mind and heart,
        God has sent away in disarray.
     The rulers from their high positions of power,
        God has brought down low.
    And those who were humble and lowly,
        God has elevated with dignity.
     The hungry—God has filled with fine food.
        The rich—God has dismissed with nothing in their hands.
     To Israel, God’s servant,
        God has given help,
     As promised to our ancestors,
        remembering Abraham and his descendants in mercy forever.

Response

This is the Word of God for the people of God, to which God’s people respond:

Thanks be to God.

*Call to Confession

In the world, and in this season, there are many claims on our lives.  We take this time to remember that Christ has claimed us as his own.  We acknowledge before God and one another that we have not followed Jesus Christ with all our heart and mind and strength.  Trusting in God's grace, let us pray.

*Confession

     God our Savior, we ask for your mercy. 

     Though we have heard Mary's song,

     we still seek security in pride and power and possessions. 

     Though we know your story, we resist the costs of following you. 

     We pass by those considered lowly in this world. 

     We turn away from hungry people who still wait to be filled. 

     Forgive us, we pray.  Help us to work for the justice you intend. 

     Make us messengers of the peace you bring. 

     As we wait for you, turn our apathy into acts of love and service. 

     We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, Emmanuel.  Amen.

*Assurance of Pardon

Friends, God is for us and not against us.  For that very reason, God sent the Son into the world--not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.  Believe the good news: In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven!

*Hymn – The Lowly Will Be Lifted Up, by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette (tune CAROL, UMH #218)

     The lowly will be lifted up, the humble will arise,
     And hungry homes will overflow with all that God supplies.

     O God, we sing of blessedness as we await Christ's birth;
     May we who know abundant love reach out to love your earth.

     As Mary sang her thanks and praise, we sing of living Bread.
     May we reach out to share Christ's life till all the world is fed.

     It's living Bread we gladly share, and bread for bodies, too.
     Remind us, when we feed the poor, we're giving food to you.

+Please Pass the Peace of Christ+

     God, you uphold the cause of those who hunger, long-oppressed.
     May we your church seek justice here, and share your blessedness.

     In many ways, you bless your world with good and wondrous things;
     And so with Mary, we proclaim, "With joy my spirit sings."

Prayer Time

     Sharing Joys and Concerns

     Pastoral Prayer

     Lord’s Prayer

Choral Cantata – Images of Adoration, Pepper Choplin

1.      Beautiful Candlelight

2.      Beautiful Christmas, Beautiful Child

3.      Little Bitty Babe in a Manger

4.      Forever Evergreen

5.      Red is the Color of Love

6.      We have Seen the Star!

7.      As We Bow Before the King  --

As the choir sings, please bring your offering as we “Journey to the Manger”.  Please choose a chrismon, a symbol of Jesus Christ, and place it on the tree before returning to your seat.

Dedication of the Offering

You deliver us, O God, from exile, separation, and despair

into communion with each other, with you, and with your good news. 

We thank you for all that draws us close together,

astounding us with lives transformed by gratitude. 

Accept our gifts as signs of our gratitude for what you give us every day

and as honor to your presence in our world;

for the sake of those who stand in need 

and Jesus Christ, who saves us.  Amen.

    

8.      Celebrate the Child!

Benediction

Postlude