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Call to Worship
Click Here for Audio Advent 3 - Joy 2021
When I look around, I see shadows of sadness, families who have lost loved ones [in the tornados this weekend], people in prison, people who are isolated and feel on their own…
When I look around, I see shadows of grief, people dreading the holidays because of painful memories, because they're recently divorced, [because they have lost loved ones,] because they don't want to spend another Christmas alone…
In the face of sadness, we light a candle of joy...
In the face of grief, in the face of loss, we light a candle of joy... (Light the third candle in your Advent wreath.)
May the light from this candle overwhelm the world.
May the light from this candle say to all that God’s joy is coming, on earth as it already is in heaven.
Friends, be not afraid, God’s joy is at hand!
https://www.saltproject.org/progressive-christian-blog/2020/11/17/advent-candle-lighting-litanies
Opening Prayer
Click Here for Audio of Opening Prayer
Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid. Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your holy Spirit that we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy names. Amen.
The Lessons
From the Prophet Isaiah (12.3)
With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
The Wisdom of the Psalter (30.5)
Misfortune lasts for only a moment,
while divine goodwill endures for a lifetime.
Weeping may last throughout the night,
but at daybreak there is rejoicing.
Words of the Apostle Paul (Philippians 4.4)
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.
A Reading from Luke’s Gospel (3.10-16)
The crowds asked John the baptizer, "What should we do?"
In reply John said to them, "Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise."Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, "Teacher, what should we do?"
He said to them, "Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you."
Soldiers also asked him, "And we, what should we do?" He said to them, "Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages."
As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, "I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming…He will baptize you with the holy Spirit and fire.
Reflection by Rev. Dr. BK Hipsher
CLICK HERE for Audio of "Joy Is On The Way"
Joy is on the Way
It’s hard to believe we’ve arrived at the third Sunday of Advent. We’re now past the halfway point in our journey to Christmas. Just two weeks from today we will gather for our Christmas I Sunday service. All the hustle and bustle will be subsiding, all of the presents will be opened and most of the family visits and meals done. But today we feel the the mounting excitement of all that is to come in the next two weeks.
Advent 3 is the Sunday we celebrate joy. This is a hard thing as we review the past week, the rising numbers of CoVid… again, the news of devastating tornados in the US over this weekend, troop build ups on the border of Russia and Ukraine, and refugees on the border of Poland, the US, and other countries around the world. And yet here we are, on the edge of Christmas when we sing Joy to the World.
In Advent we live in a liminal space between the now and what will be. We wait and we look forward to the happy day when hope, peace, joy, and love are born anew in the world, for that day when the world pauses in its violence and anxiety to sing Silent Night together. Christmas is a time to spiritually rest, to renew our spirits, and to consider what a world that truly celebrates Christmas all year round could be like.
And when we get just a glimpse of what the world could be – unified, aware that we are all one family – the joy that fills our hearts is overwhelming. That is what Advent 3 is all about, contemplating the feeling of joy that we all can have when we awaken to the reality that we are all one human family, one beloved tribe.
What would it take to bring this concept, this idea to reality? Imagination. That is it. No complicated psychology, no international political science. Just the human imagination focused on the fact that we are all children of the One Parent who created us in her image, created us to love all of his creation.
It is no coincidence that hope, peace, and joy are the first three candles on our Advent wreath. These are the building blocks of love. Hope wipes away despair, peace conquers anxiety, and joy fills our hearts with laughter and forgiveness. This is the road to love, the love of Christ that fills us with compassion and calls us to be what we were made to be – kind, caring, empathetic, people who understand that hate is always overcome by love just as light obliterates the darkness.
In these last two weeks of our Advent journey let us open our hearts to the joy that is around us even as we pray for those who are grieving and experiencing pain. Let us remember that joy comes to us in supporting those who have a particularly difficult time at the holidays. Our joy need not trample on the emotions of another because we can channel our joy into being present to those who need us, lending a hand, offering to listen, sometimes just sitting quietly together.
Let us open our hearts to one another. Let hope and peace and joy overflow within us as our hearts fill with compassion for the world. When we embrace the joy of the season we, too can sing out the words of Mary the mother of Jesus, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior …” Amen
For a list of music suggested to meditate on for this service click the link below: