**Please note this service is based on the format from “Out of the Blue” © 2022 by Barn Geese Worship. Used by permission of Barn Geese Worship and adapted by Rev. Jennifer Marlor.
**NRSV translation used for the readings, unless otherwise stated.
Introduction
For God,
change can be small, evolutionary, atomic. A crumbled resistance, a slightly
different direction, a fresh idea in the middle of the night.
For God, change can rain down
like a tempest, a flood in every street that sweeps into our lives with energy
that does not yield or listen.
God is urgently waiting to
finally arrive.
God, we have been waiting for
you, too.
Yet you often arrive before
we notice: in the place we did not expect, in the word we did not hear.
Do not be afraid, your angels always
say, right before you change a life.
You are here to change this place. We are not afraid.
Thanksgiving for
Baptism
God, you have
given water your power to end and your capacity to nurture life again. So, we
remember the rainwater that fell on Noah and his family, a flood that no creature could return
to the cloud. We remember the water of the Red Sea that stepped aside to let
your people walk to liberation and swept away the enemies of freedom. And in
Advent, we remember that your salvation breaks forth like water from a womb: a
sign that your child will be born to us once more, and nothing can stop this.
In the waters of baptism, we have been submerged in this same powerful sign.
God, pour out the water of
life. Carry us in the current of your irresistible will. Pull us with the
steady tide of your tenderness. When we swim against you, sweep us into your
mercy. We cannot control your salvation; your love flows everywhere, even over
our heads.
God, thank you for the water that breaks the grip of the world and erodes the edifice of sin. Thank you for the water that nurtures life as it begins again. Amen.
Gathering Hymn – People Look East (ELW #248)
The Greeting
Peace to you and welcome, from the God who fills life with resilience, the
Savior who rushes to offer forgiveness, the Spirit who supports us with
endurance.
And also with you.
Lighting of the
Advent Wreath
In deep blue darkness, lighting a
single candle creates only uncertainty.
Light dances around uncertain shapes, and the dark refuses to yield its
secrets.
The flame from the candles
on our Advent wreath represents our flickering glimpse of the goodness God has
hidden in divine darkness.
In time we will apprehend
every blessing hinted from ancient prophecies and prepared under the cover of
deep darkness.
But not yet, not fully.
When deep blue darkness steps aside for softly spreading flame, we take
comfort from the warmth of living light. This candle, our second candle, on our
Advent wreath represents the joy of life, which spreads as we share it. Godly
cheer can comfort us, even when our surroundings remain a mystery. In time
every person will know the warmth of God’s love.
But not yet, not fully.
Prayer of the Day
Let us pray.
Stir up
our hearts, Lord God, to prepare the way of your only Son. By his coming
nurture our growth as people of repentance and peace; through Jesus Christ, our
Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God,
now and forever.
Amen.
Readings
A reading from
the book of Isaiah (11:1-10)
A shoot shall come out from the stock of Jesse,
and a branch shall
grow out of his roots.
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.
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;
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.
Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist,
and faithfulness the belt around his loins.
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.
The cow and the bear shall graze,
their young shall lie
down together;
and the lion shall eat
straw like the ox.
The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp,
and the weaned child
shall put its hand on the adder’s den.
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.
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.
Word of God,
Word of Life.
Thanks be to God.
Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19
Give the king your justice, O God,
and
your righteousness to a king’s son.
May he judge your people with righteousness,
and
your poor with justice.
May the mountains yield prosperity for the
people,
and
the hills, in righteousness.
May he defend the cause of the poor of the
people,
give
deliverance to the needy,
and
crush the oppressor.
May he live while the sun endures,
and
as long as the moon, throughout all generations.
May he be like rain that falls on the mown
grass,
like
showers that water the earth.
In his days may righteousness flourish
and
peace abound, until the moon is no more.
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
who
alone does wondrous things.
Blessed be his glorious name for ever;
may
his glory fill the whole earth.
Amen and Amen.
A reading from the letter of Paul to the
Romans (15:4-13)
For whatever
was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by
steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope.
May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony
with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, so that together you may
with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Welcome one
another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. For
I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of the
truth of God in order that he might confirm the promises given to the patriarchs,
and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is
written,
‘Therefore I
will confess you among the Gentiles,
and sing praises to your name’;
and again he
says,
‘Rejoice, O
Gentiles, with his people’;
and again,
‘Praise the Lord,
all you Gentiles,
and let all the peoples praise him’;
and again
Isaiah says,
‘The root of
Jesse shall come,
the one who rises to rule the Gentiles;
in him the
Gentiles shall hope.’
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Word of God, Word of Life.
Thanks be to God.
Gospel
Acclamation
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according
to Matthew. (3:1-12)
Glory to you, O Lord.
In
those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming,
‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 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.”’
Now John wore
clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was
locusts and wild honey. Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going
out to him, and all the region along the Jordan, and they were baptized by him
in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
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? Bear fruit worthy of
repentance. 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. Even now the axe 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.
‘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. 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.’
The Gospel of our Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
Sermon
Let the words of
my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord. Amen.
Following
the genealogy and a relatively long birth and infancy narrative during the
first chapters of Matthew, he jumps ahead over the decades to the time of Jesus
as an adult, starting with an introduction to John the Baptist.
In
future chapters, we will read about the baptism of Jesus by John and the
Temptation in the Wilderness, all leading to the ministry of Jesus, which
doesn’t begin until chapter 4 of Matthew.
Many
connections are made between the events and persons in the opening scenes and
the chapters that follow.
Among
them, a connection is made between John the Baptist and Jesus as the Messiah.
The
book of Malachi had closed with a divine promise, in which God declares: “Lo, I
will send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the Lord
comes.”
Matthew
makes the connection between that promise and John the Baptist. For Matthew,
John signifies the return of Elijah: “He is Elijah who is to come.”
John
comes out ahead of Jesus and gives instructions in how to prepare for Jesus'
arrival.
Advent
is a time to prepare for remembering and re-experiencing the birth of Jesus,
and to prepare for the second coming of Jesus and the final manifestation of
the Realm of Heaven.
Throughout
Advent, the church thinks afresh about how to join God in the movement towards
a world that is more like the realm of heaven.
And
I can think of no better Advent guide than John the Baptist, whose instructions
for preparation are condensed into one word: “Repent!”
John
in Matthew’s Gospel is an end-time prophet whose message is that the time has
come to repent because the agent through whom God will affect the
transformation from this age to the next is now revealed: Jesus.
Repentance
is the first step towards joining Jesus in the community moving towards the
Realm of Heaven.
The
root meaning of “to repent” is “to turn” or to have a dramatic change of mind
and direction.
To
repent is turn away from the values and practices of the old age such as
idolatry, violence, injustice, exploitation, slavery, and scarcity.
To
repent is to turn away from those sins and turn towards the values and
practices of the Realm of God.
In
this context, repentance includes feeling sorry for one’s personal sins, but it
is much more.
To
repent is more than just saying “I’m sorry.”
As
I mentioned, the heart of the word repentance means turning around, starting
over, taking another direction, choosing another course.
All
of those actions by their nature call into question the value or rightness of
one’s current behavior.
Repentance
also underscores that change isn’t necessary for change’s sake, but rather that
change is necessary because we’ve become aware that our actions are out of step
with God’s deep desire for peace and equity for all God’s people and – taking
Isaiah’s vivid imagery in the second reading seriously – for the whole of
creation.
Repentance,
in short, is realizing that you’ve been traveling one way, that God is pointing
you a different way, and that you humbly change course accordingly.
Once
named that way, of course, repentance can get pretty daunting pretty quickly.
I mean, goodness, there are so many things I could repent of, we as a community and nation could repent of, even we as a species could and should repent of.
·
Pollution
and climate change.
·
Poverty
and food scarcity.
·
Racial
and gender injustice.
·
The
lack of clean water.
·
Crime
and violence.
·
And
the list goes on.
I’m
overwhelmed just thinking about it!
It’s
mighty tempting to give up on the whole repentance thing, hunker down with our
current and comfortable friends and biases, and get back to watching our
favorite television series on Netflix.
I’d like you to consider three things, on this, the 2nd Sunday in Advent:
· Take a moment to daydream what God’s vision would be for you.
·
What
do you think God wants you to be and to do?
God
invites us to dream something beyond what we can presently see.
In
some ways, that is exactly what the Isaiah passage chosen for this Sunday is –
God’s dream about a different world where there is no predator or prey, no fear
or hatred.
It’s
not a goal to be achieved, but a dream by which to set a course.
Imagine
how peaceful the world would be without fear or hatred.
Now choose one element of your life of which you would like to repent – that is, change direction – and name this Advent as a time to do that.
· Is there an unhealthy relationship you want to repair or address?
· Can you imagine using your time differently and toward better ends?
·
Is
there some practice or habit you might take up that would produce more abundant
life for you or those around you?
Finally, can you identify one element of our communal lives that needs repentance?
· How can we contribute to that?
· Volunteer at a local charitable agency?
·
Get
to know someone who is quite different from them – ethnically or politically or
generationally – and try to build a more robust community in this way?
How
about identifying one communal issue and begin praying for it daily, open to
how God might direct our time and actions to contributing to change?
If
we can think of repentance more concretely and, indeed, engage in just two acts
of repentance – one personal, one more communal – we might go a long way in
redeeming not just repentance but Advent itself.
Because
Advent has shrunk, I think, in our imaginations.
For
too long we’ve concluded that Advent, otherwise known as December, is the
season when we are scolded for not preparing for Christmas adequately:
Slow
down, stop buying presents, make time for church, don’t get caught up in the
holiday glitz. Do you know what I mean?
I
just don’t think that’s what Advent is really all about.
I
think the point of Advent is to make room for Christ’s arrival, to be surprised
again that God was and continues to be willing to enter into our lives and
history and take on our vulnerability in order to give us hope.
God
isn’t supposed to do that. God is supposed to sit up in heaven alternatively
smiling or frowning down at us depending on our behavior.
But
the God we know doesn’t do that.
The
God we know in Jesus comes down out of heaven to take on our lot and our life
and give us hope by being with us and for us, not screaming repentance but
inviting more abundant life and helping us to see in the face of our neighbor
not a competitor for scarce resources but a brother or sister in Christ.
If
Advent is a time to slow down, it’s so that we can have more authentic life,
not less Christmas.
Advent
is a season of hope.
And
if repentance takes hold, then it will lead to peace. It will place the
neighbour before us, so that we might be in peaceful relationship.
Advent
is a time of multiple preparations – for a baby to be born; for the baby, grown
into a man, to begin his ministry; and for the Messianic Son of Man, crucified
and resurrected, to return.
This
second week of Advent causes us to remember that because of Jesus we can
experience a Christmas free from turmoil and chaos.
Regardless
of our circumstances or our situations, Jesus offers us peace and hope that
passes all understanding.
In
the name of the Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier. Amen.
Hymn of the Day – Come Thou Long Expected Jesus (ELW #254)
Advent Creed
We believe in God:
The
Source of all things.
The
God of Abraham and Sarah.
The
Holy One who freed the slaves from Egypt.
The
God who is steadfast love and mercy.
The
God who made a straight path in the wilderness and who promises to make all
things new.
We believe in Jesus:
The
Messiah, who is Emmanuel: God with us.
He
is King-of-Kings yet born of Mary.
Jesus
showed God’s love through healing and teaching,
Jesus
chose the way of servant-suffering by dying on a cross.
After
three days he rose from the dead.
He
is the Lord, the first born of the new creation.
We believe in the Holy Spirit:
The
One who inspires faith.
Who
has spoken through the prophets and preachers and common people,
The
One who breathes new life into the church and the world,
The
Lord and giver of life.
Who
is making all things new.
We
believe that God is still creating,
We
believe that Jesus is present with us.
We
believe that the Holy Spirit is calling us forth in love and mercy.
This is our hope, this is our faith. Amen.
Prayers
of Intercession
As we prepare for the fullness of
Christ’s presence, let us pray for a world that yearns for new hope.
Silence
God, you renew the church in every age. We give thanks for hymn writers and
theologians (especially John of Damascus, whom we commemorate today). Inspire
teachers, writers, and musicians to delight and instruct your people.
God, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
You give us a vision of creation in harmony, when hurting and destruction
will be no more. Teach us to be stewards of the earth and companions to its
creatures. Restore to balance and wholeness what human greed has harmed.
God, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
You defend the cause of all who are poor and oppressed. Raise up leaders who
will govern with equity and serve the common good. Guide judges, lawmakers, and
public officials to protect the rights of those who cannot advocate for
themselves.
God, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
You deliver those in need from suffering and fear. Come to the aid of any
who are exploited or abused, especially children, elders, and victims of human
trafficking. Provide safety and help to our neighbors without shelter,
refugees, and those fleeing violence.
God, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
You urge your people to welcome one another as you have welcomed us. Nurture
ministries of hospitality and care in this and every congregation. We pray for
people who are homebound, hospitalized, or separated from loved ones.
God, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
You embrace all who have died trusting in your promises, and we give thanks
for their faithful witness. Sustain us in hope until we are united with them in
the joy of your eternal presence.
God, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
God of our longing, you know our deepest needs. By your Spirit, gather our
prayers and join them with the prayers of all your children. In Jesus’ name we
pray.
Amen.
The
Peace
The
peace of Christ be with you always.
And also with you.
Offering Hymn – Prepare the Royal Highway (ELW #264)
Offering Prayer
Let us pray.
God, we have labored and
toiled for our money
and our time and our
families and our freedom.
We have cherished what we
thought was ours.
Yet in a moment, we
recognize that every truly good thing
was a treasure we had taken
from your open hand.
We give you these gifts as
a sign of your love and faithfulness.
Use them to grow more hope
in this world.
All this we ask in your
holy name.
Amen.
Great
Thanksgiving
Holy Jesus, be our guest. For you are already here.
God is with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts in praise.
We lift them to our God.
Let us give thanks to the God of our
salvation.
It is right to give our thanks and praise
Holy God, once you made
humankind you could do nothing but love them.
Holy Spirit, once you called
the prophets,
you gave them words to afflict
and words to heal,
and they could do nothing but
speak them.
Holy Jesus,
once you committed to take the
human frame,
you walked the path to the
end.
You did not rush through
childhood.
You never used your power for
yourself.
You faced your enemies on
their terms.
You taught your friends until
they learned.
You allowed yourself to die
the same way you were born:
as a fragile person,
in a filthy place,
where bare flesh and blood were spilled to give life.
This is rarely a kind world,
but you love it anyway.
This was rarely an innocent
world,
but you saved it anyway.
We are rarely peaceful people,
but you have swaddled us in peace.
We will always hunger for
healing.
Nurse us with grace
Sanctus
While Pilate rested in his
palace,
and the city of Jerusalem slept,
while the priests set their
plot in motion,
the disciples sat down at the
table.
The bread was on the table;
the wine was in the glass.
This was the night for which
Jesus was born.
Even if you know this is part
of God’s plan,
you might still grieve.
To say goodbye to your closest
friends,
who do not know you will die.
To end the chapter of
friendship with the one you love,
before they turn away.
Even good days bring sadness
and loss.
And it was a good day, that
final day, filled with certainty and hope,
when Jesus lingered at the
table and took that bread and cup.
That night,
the night in which he was
betrayed,
our Lord Jesus took bread,
and gave thanks,
broke it, and gave it to his
disciples, saying:
Take and eat; this is my body,
given for you.
Do this for the remembrance of
me.
Again, after supper, he took
the cup,
gave thanks, and gave it for
all to drink, saying:
This cup is the new covenant
in my blood,
shed for you and for all
people
for the forgiveness of sin.
Do this for the remembrance of me.
At a meal like this, we savour the
food while it lasts;
we cling to love before we
step out of reach.
And we pray that God will give
us each day the blessing we share in this place.
Holy Spirit, just as you made
a stable into a nursery fit for the sovereign of heaven, you make this table a
holy cradle for salvation.
You fashion this bread and
wine into the presence of Christ’s love.
And you make us your people,
who can never separate from you again.
The Lord’s Prayer
So, we pray as Jesus 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 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 and ever. Amen.
Invitation
to communion
People of God, come to the table
and encounter the God who
waits to love you.
Thanks be to God!
Distribution of communion
Table
Blessing
The body
and blood of our Lord
Jesus
Christ strengthen you
and keep
you in his grace.
Amen.
Prayer
after communion
As we have feasted around the table,
let us pray.
Faithful God,
in this meal you have remembered
your mercy,
bringing heaven to earth in
the body and blood of Christ.
As we wait for the day when
all your promises will be fulfilled,
sustain us and strengthen
us by this holy mystery.
Guide us toward your
promised future,
coming to birth in Jesus
Christ our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
Blessing
The peace
of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the
knowledge and love of God, and of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord: And the
blessing of God almighty, ☩ the Son, and the Holy Spirit be amongst you and remain with you always.
Amen.
Sending
Hymn – Blessed Be
the God of Israel (ELW #250)
Dismissal
God, we do not know the end to
which you call us.
God, let us be your
servants, wherever this road goes.
God, you could have judged us,
but you chose us.
You have made us worthy so
we might speak your words.
You alone guide us down the
path that leads to life.
Every other path is no
longer a path for me.
Go in peace. Serve the lowly.
Thanks be to God.
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