2nd Sunday of Advent - Year C

Texts:  Malachi 3:1-4; Luke 1:68-79; Philippians 1:3-11; Luke 3:1-6

Call to Worship
It is in the watching, and in the waiting
that we hear the promises made so long ago.
It is in the questions, and in the hoping
that we give thanks every time we hear the glad news.
It is in the coming, and in the going
that we welcome the One who is our Delight, our Joy.


Prayer of the Day
We give thanks every time
we think of your promises,
God of Advent blessings:
for through you, they are
not just empty words, but
life which will never end,
hope which will endure all things,
joy which shines in every shadow.

We give thanks every time
we remember your advent,
Dawn from on high:
for in you, we see
God's dreams for us;
in you, we hear the good news
of sins forgiven, of life renewed;
in you, we find our heart's true home.

We give thanks every time
we experience your presence,
Refining Spirit of God:
for with you, we walk
down the pathways of peace;
with you, we can fill in
the potholes of poverty;
with you, we taste God's grace and love.

We give thanks to you every time,
God in Community, Holy in One,
even as we pray together, saying,
Our Father . . .


Call To Reconciliation
So many talking, so much noise - how do we hear God's words? So many people, such crowded days - how do we see the One coming to us? Let us confess how the distractions of our lives keep us from knowing, and living, the true meaning of this season. Please join me, as we pray saying,

Unison Prayer of Confession
Forgive us, Alive God,
that in the music in the stores and the jingles in the air,
we do not hear the songs of the angels;
that in the hustle and bustle of every day and every one,
we do not see the child standing alone in tears,
the family struggling for existence,
the outcasts pushed further away from hope;
that in the pitches over the airwaves and online,
we do not find the peace, the hope, the joy,
all the gifts you offer to your children.

Pour out your tender mercy upon us, God of blessings, and finish what you have started in us. As we share in your grace, may we also share in the work of the gospel of peace, of hope, of reconciliation begun in the birth of Jesus, our Brother, our Savior.

Silence is observed

Assurance of Pardon
Like a warm shawl, God drapes tender mercy around our souls; like the moon on a winter night, God's Light breaks through our shadows, showing us the path to life.
The street of peace, the avenue of hope, the path of grace, the road to service - hand in hand, we walk the ways of our God. Amen.


Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
As we wait to celebrate the holy birth, may God be with you!
And also with you!
As we wait for Christ's return, let us lift our hearts.
We lift them to the God who comes to us in every time, and every place.
As we trust the One who comes to us, let us give thanks to the God of Advent.
Joy is the gift of our hearts, praise is the song on our lips.

Glory and thanksgiving are the gifts
we offer to you, Approaching God.
On the very first day of eternity,
you began to create all that is true and just,
all that is beautiful and blameless,
proclaiming that all you shaped and formed
to be 'Good!'
Our ancestors danced in Eden's fields,
hearing the music of the your grace.
But they turned away from you,
preferring to stumble over the rough ways of sin,
seeking the cold company of death.
You persisted in your hopes for us,
calling to us through the mouths of holy prophets,
but we continued to chase after pain and power.
Then you sent John, the messenger of righteousness,
proclaiming the coming of the One
who brings your kingdom of justice and peace.

So, we join our voices with our sisters and brothers,
of every time, of every place who,
from the first day of life to the last,
glorify your name, singing:

Holy, holy, holy, God of promises and providence.
All creation delights in your coming.
Hosanna in the highest!


Blessed is the One who comes in joy and hope.
Hosanna in the highest!

Holy are you, Promise-keeping God,
and blessed is Jesus Christ, Dawn from on high.
Into the midst of the status quo
of rulers and events beyond our control,
he came to place our feet
on the kingdom's street called Peace;
into the shadows of our lives,
caused by sin and defiance,
he carries the light of your grace;
taking the brokenness of our world,
he reshapes us into your people;
into that shadow of dread called death,
he strides in obedience and faith,
so that we might be brought to life.

As we prepare for the rememberance of his birth,
as we celebrate his life, death and resurrection,
we would sing that mystery we call faith:

We remember Christ's birth with joy;
we celebrate Christ's death and resurrection with hope;
we await Christ's return on the Day of grace.

Come to us now, God of Advent,
pouring out your Spirit of renewal
upon the gifts of the bread and the cup,
transforming them into sacramental grace.
Through these simple gifts,
transform us from ordinary people
into citizens of your kingdom,
our arms and hearts wide open to all.
Fill us with the bread of heaven,
so we might feed the hungriest of your children;
pour the cup of grace into us,
so we might overflow with love,
a compassionate people with passion for justice.

And when your Day finally comes,
when we are gathered around your Table in glory,
we will sing our thanksgiving through all eternity to
God in Community, Holy in One. Amen.

Blessing
Into our silence and into our songs:
come, Lord Jesus, Dawn from on high.
Into our hopes and into our hearts:
come, Lord Jesus, way of peace.
Into our yearnings and into our complacency:
come, Lord Jesus, salvation of our God.

(c) 2009 Thom M. Shuman