Bulletin – Sunday, December 11, 2022 – Third Sunday of Advent

Sunday, December 11, 2022
Third Sunday of Advent
Radiate Joy

Approach

Lighting the Advent Candle

One:   We have lit the first two candles, one for hope and one for peace. Today we light the third candle, the candle of joy. This should be the easy one, because joy is all around us—in the children, the lights, the music, the gathering together. But how often do we let our preparations—or our memories—push joy to the side? Joy is like an underground spring that wells up within us, but joy is also a choice, an attitude. Like a muscle, it needs to be exercised. So today we open ourselves to joy, trusting that God has already planted it in us. We are called to radiate joy in our lives. All we need to do is give it care and offer it to share.
All:      Loving God, we open ourselves to you, trusting that this is how you made us: you created us for joy-filled hearts and lives. Show us the creative power of hope. Teach us the peace that comes from justice. Fill us with the kind of joy that cannot be contained, but must be shared, so that we radiate joy in all that we do. Prepare our hearts to be transformed by you, that we may walk in the light of Christ. Amen.

Call to Worship

One:   Our souls proclaim your greatness, O God.
All:      And our spirits rejoice in you.

One:   We will praise you as long as we live.
All:      We will sing praises to you our whole lives long.

One:   We will not trust in the powerful of this world,
All:      But will trust in you—Creator of heaven and earth,

One:   the One who gives food to the hungry,
All:      the One who enacts justice for the oppressed.

One:   Our souls proclaim your greatness, O God
All:      as we worship you in this place.

(adapted from Joanna Harader)

Hymn – “My Soul Cries Out”

My soul cries out with a joyful shout that the God of my heart is great,
And my spirit sings of the wondrous things that you bring to the ones who wait.
You fixed your sight on your servant’s plight, and my weakness you did not spurn,
So from east to west shall my name be blest.
Could the world be about to turn?

My heart shall sing of the day you bring.
Let the fires of your justice burn.
Wipe away all tears, for the dawn draws near,
And the world is about to turn!

Though I am small, my God, my all, you work great things in me,
And your mercy will last from the depths of the past to the end of the age to be.
Your very name puts the proud to shame, and to those who would for you yearn,
You will show your might, put the strong to flight,
For the world is about to turn.

My heart shall sing of the day you bring.
Let the fires of your justice burn.
Wipe away all tears, for the dawn draws near,
And the world is about to turn!

From the halls of power to the fortress tower, not a stone will be left on stone.
Let the king beware for your justice tears every tyrant from his throne.
The hungry poor shall weep no more for the food they can never earn,
There are tables spread, every mouth be fed,
For the world is about to turn.

My heart shall sing of the day you bring.
Let the fires of your justice burn.
Wipe away all tears, for the dawn draws near,
And the world is about to turn!

Though the nations rage from age to age, we remember who holds us fast;
God’s mercy must deliver us from the conqueror’s crushing grasp.
This saving word that our forebears heard is the promise which holds us bound,
‘Till the spear and rod can be crushed by God,
Who is turning the world around.

My heart shall sing of the day you bring.
Let the fires of your justice burn.
Wipe away all tears, for the dawn draws near,
And the world is about to turn!

Prayer of Approach and Confession

Holy God of Joy, we rejoice in the reality of who you are. We live within the joy of your love for us. Our contentment comes and goes. Our happiness ebbs and flows. Our feelings depend upon our circumstances, our physical health, our brain chemistry.

But our joy is deeply rooted in our identity as your beloved children. And we give you thanks. But when our spirits despair and we deny our blessedness, forgive us, O God. When we ignore the mighty things you have done, when we doubt your mercy, forgive us, O God. When we are proud in the thoughts of our hearts, when our power rests on the oppression of others, when our wealth causes others to go hungry, forgive us, O God.

We come today to find joy in you, to radiate joy in you, as we come we ask for your forgiveness and guidance in the name of Love Incarnate, your son. Amen.

(adapted from Joanna Harader)

Words of Assurance

Response

Jesus came bringing us joy,
Jesus came bringing us joy,
Jesus came bringing us joy,
Hallelujah, forevermore!

Time for All Ages

Hymn – “Joy Shall Come”

Joy shall come even to the wilderness,
And the parched land shall then know great gladness;
As the rose, as the rose shall deserts blossom,
Deserts like a garden blossom.
For living springs shall give cool water,
In the desert streams shall flow;
For living springs shall give cool water,
In the desert streams shall flow.

Joy shall come even to the wilderness,
And the parched land shall then know great gladness;
As the rose, as the rose shall deserts blossom,
Deserts like a garden blossom.
For living springs shall give cool water,
In the desert streams shall flow;
For living springs shall give cool water,
In the desert streams shall flow.

The Word

Scripture Reading:           Isaiah 35:1-10

                ¹ The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus ² it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the LORD, the majesty of our God. ³ Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. ⁴ Say to those who are of a fearful heart, “Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God. He will come with vengeance, with terrible recompense. He will come and save you.” ⁵ Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; ⁶ then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; ⁷ the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp, the grass shall become reeds and rushes. ⁸ A highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Holy Way; the unclean shall not travel on it, but it shall be for God’s people; no traveler, not even fools, shall go astray. ⁹ No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there. 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.

Scripture Reading:           Luke 1:46-55

                ⁴⁶And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, ⁴⁷ and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, ⁴⁸ for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; ⁴⁹ for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. ⁵⁰ His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. ⁵¹ He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. ⁵² He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; ⁵³ he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. ⁵⁴ He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, ⁵⁵ according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.
Thanks be to God!

Anthem – “She Walked in the Summer”

Meditation – “Radiate Joy”

Anthem – “When Will the Little King Come?”

Offering / Response

May the Spirit of the Christ Child show us how in love to live
For the joy and peace of Christmas is for us to share and give,
May the story of God’s coming, God with us – Emmanuel,
Fill the world with light of Christmas as in awe we do God’s will.

The Response

Prayers of the People

One:   Great God of the prophets and truth-tellers, Great Voice of Truth who speaks through unexpected voices, Great Power of the Universe who works mighty deeds…from fragile possibilities,…we gather her to know Your presence and to listen for Your truth….We listen in Your presence. We listen for You.

One:   Let our listening reach to hear the voice of young Mary. Let us listen for her voice,…the voice of an adolescent girl in an insignificant village…in a marginal province,…far from the centers of power.

One:   Extend our listening to hear her where she may be speaking today:…an adolescent girl in a village in rural China…wo parents really wanted a boy;…a girl in a remote native village in Latin America…leading the singing in a small church;…a 14-year-old working for a tiny wage in a crowded factory somewhere making our high-priced running shoes;…a 15-year-old helping her village in West Africa recover from civil war;…a high school student in a Canadian inner city…resisting a culture of violence daily to attend school.

One:   Extend our listening, God,…to hear the song of truth and hope. You are putting in their mouths. Extend our listening, God, to sense the motion of a future You are moving in their midst,…a future world put right. Extend our listening, God,…that we may receive and affirm and listen…with the eager ears of elderly Elizabeth,…wise with years of waiting.

One:   Let us listen fully and deeply for the hope You are preparing. Let us greet Your hope with Elizabeth’s joy greeting Mary. Let us feel the future moving in us as well. Let us listen fully and deeply for the hope. You are preparing in us. Let us listen deeply to the truth speaking in us. Let us listen fully to the hope You place in us.

One:   Extend our listening…to the deepest reaches of our own souls, God of Truth. Extend our listening through the cares…that each of us brings on our hearts this morning. Extend our listening through the financial worries…and the preoccupations with our health,…our concern for loved ones whose lives are straying out of control,…our angers and aggravations, our inundation with activity. Extend our listening into all that we bring today…to hear there the transforming truth about our lives. Extend our listening to those in this community, and beyond, that we lift up to you this day…that they might feel your presence with them.…Extend our listening until we listen with all that we are, our whole beings. Extend our listening until we hear with Your whole voice. Extend our listening until we become the voice that speaks as Mary to say,…”My soul magnifies God and my spirit rejoices.” May the listening of our souls enlarge Your listening…until we truly hear You from unexpected places…in the farthest reaches of the earth…and the most remote territories of our own souls….Extend our listening that we may magnify You. Amen.

(adapted from Dr. Susan Elliott)

Hymn – “Go Tell It On The Mountain”

Go, tell it on the mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere.
Go, tell it on the mountain
That Jesus Christ is born.

While shepherds kept their watching
O’er silent flocks by night,
Behold, throughout the heavens
There shone a holy light.

Go, tell it on the mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere.
Go, tell it on the mountain
That Jesus Christ is born.

The shepherds feared and trembled
When lo, above the earth
Rang out the angel chorus
That hailed our Saviour’s birth!

Go, tell it on the mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere.
Go, tell it on the mountain
That Jesus Christ is born.

Down in a lonely manger
The humble Christ was born,
And God sent our salvation
That blessed Christmas morn.

Go, tell it on the mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere.
Go, tell it on the mountain
That Jesus Christ is born.

Benediction

Rejoice in God always, and again I say, rejoice for God has created you with the capacity for joy. We will find what makes us joyful, and make that our gift to the world. Trust in God’s good will for all creation and open yourself to God’s gentle, transforming love. We will welcome new possibilities in our lives. We will offer ourselves to God’s goodness. We will go forth in hope, and peace, and joy.

Response – “You Shall Go Out With Joy”

You shall go out with joy and be led forth with peace;
The mountains and the hills will break forth before you,
There’ll be shouts of joy, and all the trees of the field
Will clap, will clap their hands!

And all the trees of the field will clap their hands,
The trees of the field will clap their hands,
The trees of the field will clap their hands
While you go out with joy!