Lighting of the Advent Candle
(responsive reading)
Reading for Fourth Sunday: Isaiah 9:6-7
For a child has been born for us,
A Son given to us;
authority rests upon his shoulders;
and He is named wonderful counselor,
mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
His authority shall grow continually,
and there shall be endless peace
for the throne of David and his kingdom.
He will establish and uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time onward and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
We light this candle as a symbol of the Prince of Peace.
May the visitation of your Holy Spirit, O God,
make us ready for the coming of Jesus, our hope and joy.
O come, O come, Emmanuel.
Reading for 3rd Sunday:
Isaiah 35:10
And the ransomed of the Lord shall return,
and come to Zion with singing;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
they shall obtain joy and gladness,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
We light this candle as a symbol of Christ our Joy.
May the joyful promise of your presence, O God,
make us rejoice in our hope of salvation.
O come, O come Emmanuel.
Response:
O Come, O Come Emmanuel (vs. 3)
O come, O come, great Lord of Might,
who to thy tribes on Sinai's height in ancient times
once gave the law in cloud and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
3rd Sunday in Advent
A TIME TO REJOICE
Reader: Tonight we light the 1st two candles and recall that our celebration expresses our joy that Jesus came to live among men and to show us how kind and good and loving God is.
As we light our 3rd candle of Advent (light candle) and think of God's great gift to us, we are filled with a desire to worship and praise Him, to rejoice and thank Him, and somehow to show our gratitude to Him.
Scripture Readings:
Matthew 2:11
Songs:
We Three Kings
We three kings of Orient are
Bearing gifts we traverse afar,
field and fountains, moor and mountain,
following yonder star.
O, star of wonder, star of night,
star with royal beauty bright.
Westward leading, still proceeding,
guide us to thy perfect light.
Joy to the World
Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And heaven and nature sing,
and heaven and nature sing,
and heaven, and heaven, and nature sing.
Discussion Point:
Talk about joy. As we walk these days leading up to Christmas, how much joy do we see in the faces of people around us or in each other? What is joy and how do we get it?
Prayers:
Dear God, through our imagination we share the Christmas joy with all Your children across the nation and around this world. May they sense our love for them as we tonight feel Your and their presence among this family. Amen.
Oh God, accept our gifts of gratitude and love. May we be aware of the needs of others and eager and able to fill these needs. Lord, help the joy we feel in our hearts will be reflected on our faces. "Happy are the people whose God is our Lord!" (Psalm 144:15)
Amen.
Scripture Readings from 12/6/09
Malachi 3:4
Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13
Luke 3:1-18
2nd Sunday in Advent
Responsive Reading
Mark 1:2-4
As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,
"See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way;
the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
'Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight,'
John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness,
proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
We light this candle as a symbol of Christ the Way.
May the Word sent from God through the prophets
lead us to the way of salvation.
O come, O come Emmanuel.
I'm terribly sorry for not getting this posted earlier in the day, but I've been desperately hoping my bulletin from today's Worship Service would magically appear. Alas, it would seem I left it sitting in the chapel. I'll certainly get it and post both the scripture readings and the Advent readings from today-so keep an eye out.
Drawing from the children's Advent booklet, here are the readings and songs selected for them to share with their families.
2nd Sunday in Advent
A TIME OF PROPHECY & LOVE
The 2nd candle of the Advent wreath reminds us of how the Old Testament hinted to us that our Lord Jesus would come. In a mysterious and strange way, the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Micah, and Malachi told us to expect the Messiah. We light this candle, then, in rememberance of those long ago who spoke of the coming of the Light of the World and that Jesus came to earth to tell us of God's love.
Scripture Reading: Isaiah 9:6
Songs: Away in a Manger
O Come All Ye Faithful
Prayer: Oh God, we thank you for this Advent season. We give thanks that Jesus has taught us about Your loving care--that loving you and others is an important things for us to remember. Amen.
Discussion: What might it have been like for those prophets who wer given the gift of prophecy-to have the awareness of the coming of the Light of the World.
Talk about love. Love has many voices and it speaks in many places. What are the voices of love? (Smiling at a friend, etc.) How might we pass along the love God has given to us.
If you have yet to set up your Nativity scene, do it tonight!
Blessings on your week,
Becca
Today, 11/29, is the first Sunday in Advent. This is an incredibly special time of year and we hope you'll spend some time this evening as a family to celebrate the preparations of Jesus' birthday!
Today's 1st Advent Reading in Response came from Isaiah 60:2-3:
For darkness shall cover the earth,
and thick darkness the peoples;
but the Lord will rise upon you,
and his glory will appear to you.
Nations shall come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
As the first candle was lit, here went the reading:
We light this first candle as a symbol of Christ our Hope.
May the light sent from God shine in our darkness to show
us the way to salvation. O come, O come, Emmanuel.
The Sunday School children received their own Advent wreaths and a booklet of guidelines for the season, each week I will post the suggested verses and songs so you might use them as well.
1st Sunday: A Time of Preparation
Songs: Joy to the World (1st & 3rd verses)
Readings: Isaiah 42:10
Matthew 22:35-40
Prayer: Dear God, help us as we prepare for Christmas, as we prepare our hearts.
Help us to remember what Christmas really means. Guide us as we plan our
days. May we not fill them so completely that there is no room left for Him.
We thank You for the gift of Jesus, for the gift of Your love. Amen.
Thought for the Week: "Prepare a road for the Lord through the wilderness, clear a
highway across the desert for our God....Thus the glory of
the Lord be revealed..." -Isaiah 40:3,
Have a wonderful week, we'll see you in church!
Becca
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