December 8, 2024
Lectionary Texts
Malachi 3. 1-4 — I am sending my messenger, like a refiner’s fire.
Luke 1. 68-79 — Zechariah’s song. God has raised up a savior…that we might serve God without fear… and you, child, shall be a prophet, preparing a way… God’s dawn will break upon us, leading us into peace
Philippians 1.3-11 — The One who began a good work in you will bring it to completion… May your love overflow…
Luke 3.1-6 — John the Baptist: “Prepare the way.” The crooked made straight, the rough made smooth.
Preaching Thoughts
Malachi
The fire of God is never a destroying fire, but a refining fire. Even the “consuming flames” we most fear consume only what we need to be rid of but can’t let go of ourselves. It sounds awful, but it’s a gift. We don’t have to be “pure” to be acceptable to God: God purifies us! So much of the spiritual life is not about achieving anything or attaining or acquiring anything, but letting go. Shedding. Allowing all that is not the pure gold of our souls to be burned away. Letting go can be painful, but the freedom it affords is worth it.
Luke 1
Sometimes I think Luke is a musical. He’s got songs in every scene, often in the style of those good old Broadway shows—that is, the Hebrew Bible. Here’s Zechariah’s song at the birth of John, in the style of the prophets. It’s sort of an overture, introducing all the themes Luke will hit in his Gospel. The first is that God has sent salvation, as promised in the Covenant, to rescue us from our enemies. We might think of our enemies as political enemies; Luke and his audience surely thought of Roman occupation. But I think of our enemies as whatever diminishes life. We are oppressed by a web of interlocking powers that enslave us, powers that include inner forces of guilt, shame, fear, attachments and desires, as well as all kinds of political, cultural and even religious forces that manipulate us, that inhibit our love and freedom, that diminish the life of Spirit in us, and that keep us from God. It’s these enemies that Jesus comes to save us from. In his loving self-giving, in his forgiveness and healing, we see God’s love poured out for us, that sets us free from all that crap that oppresses us. Salvation is a living relationship with God that sets us free, free to trust God and love profoundly like Jesus. Luke never defines salvation, but he’ll sing about it here, and at the nativity, and then not mention it again until we’ve seen it in action, and Jesus will proclaim that “salvation has come to this house” with Zacchaeus (Lk. 19.9). The point of salvation is not to get our sins “paid for” or to go to heaven but to “serve God without fear, in holiness and righteousness before God all our days” (1.75). This is the life Jesus makes possible and invites us into. That’s what we anticipate in Advent: the coming of the One who can set us free.
The second part of Zechariah’s song is addressed to John—and us: Prepare a way for God by showing people forgiveness. The dawn of God’s grace is coming, to save those who live in the shadow of death, and to guide us in the way of peace. Zechariah sings for us the promise of Advent.
Philippians
Some people talk about having “been saved,” as if it happened one day. But salvation is a life-long relationship. It’s something that God has already begun in us, but is still being brought to completion. The hope of Advent is looking toward this ongoing process, the unknown but reliable future that awaits us because God is at work in us and for us. Our love will increasingly overflow (1.9), and this will not only prepare us for the day of the coming of Christ—the overflowing of our love is the coming of Christ into the world.
Luke 3
Luke takes pains to identify the political power structure of Judea and Galilee and then makes it clear: the Word of God came to someone outside that power structure, a nobody in the wilderness. Luke sets the scene in his musical, and then lets loose with another song: Isaiah steps on stage and sings his “Prepare the Way” song. That song has a theme Mary will repeat in her song: that God raises the lowly and brings down the powerful, that the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth. The message in Isaiah was a word of hope to people who were in exile: a broad, smooth road through the wilderness, on which God would come to bring them home! It’s a lovely image for travelers who welcome road improvements, but like any highway project, there’s a mess first. It’s disrupting work for the crooked to be made straight. There’s a lot of demo involved before the remodel. It’s a mess to interrupt unjust systems and replace them with justice. It’s disrupting for us to go through repentance and make our lives straight when we’ve gone crooked. For all those rough places in the world to be smoothed out, there will be a lot of upheaval, resistance, conflict, and letting go. Crisis, even. But that’s the world-changing promise we hold in our hearts in Advent: that God will change things, including us. The change, as hard as it may be, will give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and guide our feet into the way of peace. That’s the welcome, awful, awesome, death-and-resurrection change that we anticipate and prepare for in Advent.
Call to Worship
Click here for Advent Resources: Advent Candle Lighting prayers (two series), Advent Wreath prayers, and music including Eucharistic prayers & responses, weekly litanies and more.
1. [from Malachi 3.1-4]
Reading: “See, I will send my messenger,
who will prepare the way before me.
Then suddenly the One you are seeking will come to the temple;
the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,”
says God Almighty.
But who can endure the day of that coming?
Who can stand when the Messenger appears?
For God’s chosen will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap,
and will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver;
and will purify the people and refine them like gold and silver.
RESPONSE
Leader: God of love, purify us in the refining fire of your Spirit.
All: Set us free from all that does not help us serve you.
Remove from us all that is not love.
By your Spirit living in us, help us prepare a way for your coming.
Alleluia! Come, O Jesus, come!
2. [Philippians 1.6, 9-11]
Reading: I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.
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CANDLE SONG The Promises of God (2 Peter 1.19)
RESPONSE
Leader: Holy One, light of our peace, this Advent candle shines to prepare your way.
All: Prepare a way to come to us; redeem us in our darkness.
Prepare your way around us, that the crooked be made straight.
Prepare your way within us, that our rough places be made smooth.
God of grace and love, may all flesh see your salvation. Alleluia!
3.
READING: [Luke 1.78-79]
By the tender mercy of our God,
the dawn from on high will break upon us,
to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.
RESPONSE
Leader: God of mercy, your light dawns upon us.
All: We open our hearts in joy.
Your grace gives light in our darkness.
We rise from the shadow of death.
You lead us into a new day.
Guide us into the way of peace.
4.
Leader: God of promise, God of Mystery,
you have sent a messenger to awaken us.
All: May the promise of your dawn awaken our hearts and minds.
May the light of your promise guide our steps and lead us toward you.
May the joy of your coming sustain us and uplift us.
God of Love, God of Presence,
you have given us a message for the world.
May the light of your coming shine within us.
May your Spirit, alive in us, make us signs of your coming.
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, and dawn within and among us now.
5.
Leader: We light this candle as an act of hope.
All: In the darkness and gloom the light of your coming rises.
Even in the mysterious darkness,
the light of your healing moves along roads and rivers and nerves,
deep within silent places.
In the darkness you are here.
Come, O Light, and make us whole.
Dear Child, prophet of the most high, grant us healing and forgiveness.
By your tender mercy, may your dawn from on high break upon us,
to give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Collect / Prayer of the Day
1.
As we prepare our homes for the holidays let us also prepare our hearts. Let every decoration, card and cookie be an act of readiness for your coming. God of love, help us prepare a room for Christ to be born in us this holy season. Speak the Word to us that will make room in our hearts for love. Amen.
2.
God of love, your prophet cries to prepare a way for you. In the wilderness of our hearts, in the rough places of our society, prepare your way with your life-changing Word. Speak to us, and make the crooked straight, for the sake of your mercy. Amen.
3.
God of life, the prophet cries that a way be made for the coming of the Holy One. Make a way into our hearts. Speak to us and re-create us. We throw open the windows of our souls, that we may hear you, that the light of your dawning may flood our hearts. O come, thou Dayspring, enlighten us, who sit in darkness and the shadow of death.
4.
Holy One, you send your prophets among us to speak to us. You send messengers to awaken us, to alert us, to attract us to your light. In Scripture now you speak to us, and call us to new lives. Help us to listen and hear, to receive and be transformed. This is the news we have been waiting for. Speak to us; we want to hear. Amen.
5.
Stir up our hearts, O God, and prepare us for your coming. May the mountains and valleys of our hearts be leveled out, the rough places be made smooth by the healing power of your Word in us. Speak your Word, and we shall be healed. Amen.
6.
Gracious God, through all our doubt and despair prepare a way for hope.
Through our selfishness and fear, prepare a way for love.
Through our resistance and control, prepare a way for grace.
Through our anger and enmity, prepare a way for peace.
O You Who Are Coming, prepare your way in us. Amen.
Listening Prayer
(Suitable as a Collect, preparation for hearing scriptures, confession, or invitation to prayer)
1.
Creator God, World-Maker,
World-Changer, Heart-Changer,
prepare your way in me.
Make the crooked straight,
the rough places smooth.
Prepare your way in me.
2.
God, we are in exile
from peace, from justice,
from our hope, from our true selves.
Prepare a way for our return.
Bring to completion what you have begun in us.
Prepare your way into us;
enter our hearts, and refine them,
that our love may overflow.
Guide our feet into the way of peace.
Prayer of Confession
The grace of God be with you.
And also with you.
Trusting in God’s tender mercy, let us confess our sin to God with one another.
Gracious God,
we confess the darkness and cold in our lives.
We have not lived at peace with you, with our neighbors,
or even with our own souls.
Forgive our sin, heal our hearts,
and grant us your peace.
Be born in us again,
that by your grace we may live in your light.
O come to us, Beloved, and save us! Amen.
Reading
CANTICLE (Luke 1. 68-79)
Sung Response: O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel.
Blessed be God, the God of Israel,
who has visited us as God’s own people, and redeemed us.
God has raised up a mighty savior fur us
in the house of God’s servant David.
So God spoke through the holy prophets from of old,
that we would be saved from our enemies,
and from the hand of those who hate us.
Thus God has shown the mercy
that God promised to our ancestors.
God has remembered God’s holy Covenant,
the promise God made to Abraham:
that being rescued from the powers that destroy us,
we might serve God without fear,
in holiness and righteousness,
in God’s presence all our days.
Response
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the most high:
you will go before the Holy One to prepare God’s ways,
to give knowledge of salvation to God’s people
by the forgiveness of their sins.
By the tender mercy of God,
the dawn from on high will break upon us
to give light to those who sit in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Response
Eucharistic Prayer
Note: Even though it’s Advent people are eager to jump ahead and sing Christmas Carols. I’ve addressed this with Advent service music to familiar carol tunes: Advent Table Songs (invitation to communion) four whole Eucharistic Prayers and 24 sets of Eucharistic Responses (Sanctus, Memorial Acclamation and Amen).
1.
Beloved, God is with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to God.
Let us give thanks to the Faithful One, our God.
It is good to give God thanks and praise.
We thank you, God, for in the beginning in the darkness and void,
you brought forth light. You prepared Creation for us.
With the light of love, in the image of love, you created us.
In the darkness and chaos of our brokenness you have sent us a savior
who has set us free from all that diminishes life.
You judge the forces of oppression and set all your beloved free.
You level the ridges and fill in the canyons,
and make a way smooth for your people.
You prepare for us a way toward justice,
and walk with us on that path, and guide our feet in the way of peace.
We long for such peace in our lives.
So at your invitation we come to this table you have prepared for us
to feast in celebration of our freedom, and to sing your praise:
[Sanctus]
Blessed is the one who comes in your name,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ, who embodied your love.
He made room for the poor and outcast,
and held a sacred space for those who were broken.
He died and rose again,
and promised to prepare a place for us.
In his love he showed us how to live, and prepared a way for us to follow. [The Blessing and Covenant…]
Jesus said “Do this in remembrance of me.”
As often as we break this bread and share this cup
we remember his death and resurrection until he comes again.
Remembering these, your mighty acts in Jesus Christ,
we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving
as a living and holy sacrifice, in union with Christ’s offering for us,
as we proclaim the mystery of our faith:
[Memorial Acclamation]
Pour out your Holy Spirit on these gifts of bread and cup,
that they may be for us the body and blood of Christ.
Pour out your Holy Spirit on us,
that we may be for the world the Body of Christ.
In this meal prepare in us a place for your love,
that we may go before you, proclaiming forgiveness,
and bearing your light to those who dwell in darkness
and in the shadow of death.
In this meal, may your mercy dawn upon us,
and lead us in the way of peace.
[Amen]
_______________
2.
May God be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to the Beloved.
Let us give thanks to the Holy One our God.
It is good to give God thanks and praise.
We thank you, God, for you create us in the image of your love.
You make Covenant with us to be our God,
and to set us free from oppression.
You guide us in creating a new realm of justice and mercy.
You give us Jesus: to proclaim our forgiveness,
to change our hearts, to guide our feet in the way of peace,
to give us your Spirit, to heal your world.
Therefore with all creation we sing your praise.
[Sanctus]
We thank you for the gift of Jesus, your Christ, who came among us in your love.
He loved and healed, he taught with prophetic power.
He was crucified, but you raised him from the dead.
He lives among us, refining our hearts,
that our love may overflow..
[…The Blessing and Covenant…]
With gratitude we remember your mighty acts in Jesus Christ.
In praise and thanksgiving we offer ourselves
as a living and holy sacrifice,
in union with Christ’s gift for us.
We proclaim with joy the mystery at the heart of our faith.
[Memorial Acclamation]
Pour out your Holy Spirit on these gifts of bread and cup,
that they may be for us the Body and Blood of the Beloved, Jesus Christ.
Pour out your Holy Spirit on us, that we may be the Body of Christ,
refined by the fire of your grace, overflowing with your love,
and joining you in smoothing out the rough places in this world.
By your Spirit in us, prepare the way of justice and peace.
[Amen]
_______________
3.
Blessed be God, the God of Israel,
who has visited us and redeemed us.
God spoke through the holy prophets from of old,
that we would be saved from our enemies,
and from the hand of those who hate us.
Thus God has shown the mercy
that God promised to our ancestors.
God has remembered God’s holy Covenant,
the promise God made to Abraham.
Therefore with one voice we sing God’s praise.
[Sanctus]
Blessed are all who come in God’s name,
and blessed is Jesus, who enfleshed God’s Covenant with us.
God has raised up a mighty savior fur us
in the house of God’s servant David.
that being rescued from the powers that destroy us,
we might serve God without fear,
in holiness and righteousness,
in God’s presence all our days.
[The Blessing sand Covenant]
Remembering your mighty acts in Jesus,
we offer ourselves as we proclaim the mystery at the heart of our faith:
[Memorial Acclamation]
Pour out your Holy Spirit on these gifts,
that they may be for us the Body of Christ.
Pour out your Holy Spirit on us,
that we may be the Body of Christ for the world.
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the most high:
you will go before the Holy One to prepare God’s ways,
to give knowledge of salvation to God’s people
by the forgiveness of their sins.
By the tender mercy of God,
the dawn from on high will break upon us
to give light to those who sit in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.
[Amen]
————————————
* The Blessing and Covenant
[I usually don’t print the words. I want people to be looking at the bread, not their bulletins.]
On the night in which he gave himself for us
Jesus took bread, blessed it,. broke it, and gave it to his disciples,saying,
“Take and eat; this is my body.”
In the same way, after the supper he took the cup,
blessed it with thanks and gave it to them, saying,
“Drink of this, all of you. This is my blood,
poured out for you and for many, in a new Covenant,
which is the forgiveness of sin.”
As long as we break this bread and share this cup
we remember his death and resurrection, until he comes again.
Prayer after Communion
1.
Gracious God, we thank you for this mystery in which you have given yourself to us. You have visited and redeemed us, according to your promise in Christ. You have saved us from all that would diminish our lives, so that we may serve you without fear, in holiness, in your presence, all our days. Send us into the world now to go before you to prepare your ways. By your tender mercy, may your dawn break upon us and within us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace. Amen.
2.
Leader: We bless you, God, for you have visited and redeemed your people.
You have raised up a savior for us,
and saved us from all that diminishes life,
so that we may serve you in holiness without fear.
And you, children, will be called the prophets of the Most High;
for you will go before our God
to prepare the ways of the Promised One,
to give knowledge of salvation to God’s people
by the forgiveness of their sins.
By the tender mercy of our God,
the dawn from on high will break upon us,
to give light to those who sit in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Benediction
[Luke 1.78-79]
Leader: By the tender mercy of our God,
the dawn from on high will break upon us,
All: to give light to those who sit in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Suggested Songs
(Click titles to view songs and hear audio clips on the Music page.)
All songs with “Advent” tag, especially:
Benedictus (Song of Zechariah) [Luke 1.68-79]
(Tune Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us)
Bles-sed be the God of Is-ra-el! You
came among us to redeem.
You have raised a mighty savior for us,
as the prophets used to dream.
As you promised, you have saved us,
so that we may serve with grace,
unafraid, with holy spirits,
in your presence all our days.
You, child, go before our God as prophet:
show the people mercy’s way,
so they know they are forgiven, saved and
brought into a brand new day.
Day is dawning—tender mercy!
Grace and light of God, increase!
Come to those in death and shadows.
Guide us in the ways of peace.
Blessed Be Our God [Luke 1.68-79] (Original song)
Blessed be our God, who’s come to us,
raising a mighty savior for us,
as of old God promised,
to save us from the enemies of life,
freeing us to serve in holiness.
Serve, child as a prophet of our God,
going before to make a way:
go to all the people;
show them their salvation from God,
show them the forgiveness of their sin.
By the tender mercy of our God,
dawn from on high will break upon us,
giving light to people
who sit in darkness and the shade of death,
guiding us into the way of peace.
Prepare Your Way in Me [Luke 3.1-6] (Original song)
Prepare your way in me, Love, prepare your way in me.
Prepare your way in me, Love, prepare your way in me, my Love.
1. Make my rough places smooth, the crooked make straight, my Love.
2. Lay your hand at my root, that I may bear fruit, my Love.
3. Come and empty my heart of all things but you, my Love.
4. Guide my feet in your way; fill me with your peace, my Love.
The Promises of God [1 Peter 1.19] (Original song)
Pay attention my friends, to the promises of God,
like a candle shining in a dark place,
’till the morning star rises brightly in your hearts,
so that even in the darkness you may walk in the light of God.