Third Sunday of Advent
Grace Presbyterian Church
Seeking to equip people to live as Christian disciples wherever God has placed them.
Welcome And Opening Prayer
Prelude My soul doth magnify the Lord Johann Sebastian Bach
Lighting of 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. Joy is a gift of faith, and a byproduct of clinging to the vine who is Jesus. In John 15, after Jesus encouraged the disciples to cling to him and by so-doing, bear fruit, he said, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” Whereas happiness is subject to circumstance and fleeting, joy is spiritual and stems from our connection with God. We need joy in our lives just as we need the Spirit of God in our lives: real presence, wherever we find ourselves, to whatever circumstance we are called, forever and ever, amen.
One: Let us pray:
All: Loving God, you created us for relationship with you. You created us for joy. 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. Prepare our hearts to be transformed by you, that we may walk in the light of Christ. Amen.
Hymn Red 143* “For Ages Women Hoped and Prayed”
For ages women hoped and prayed
To bear the Anointed One
Both Israel’s Savior and the world’s
The new day’s shining Sun
Did they not know did they not guess
What pain would then be theirs
If God’s anointed graced their home
In answer to their prayers
Young Mary did not think to hope
For miracles of birth
And God chose her to be the one
To make Christ’s home on earth
So Mary sang her heartfelt praise
Of God who sets things straight
The mighty fall the weak are raised
The hungry fill their plate
Our hearts rejoice as Mary’s song
Becomes our hymn of praise
For Christ has come Emmanuel
To claim our years and days
Both present now and coming still
Accomplished fact and dream
We join the song that Mary sings
An earthly heavenly theme
Call to Confession
Confession of Sin
Gracious God, forgive us for taking things for granted or more importantly, taking people for granted. We pray that we might be a people for whom “thank you” rolls easily off our lips. May praise for the giftedness of others be our trademark! May we be encouragers and happy for other people’s successes! May jealousy be an infrequent guest in our hearts! Lord, may we build others up even as we long to be built-up ourselves. May we delight in the blessedness of others and tolerate shortcomings knowing that the same gift is offered to us! May grace abound in all we say and do! With your help, and in your name, we pray… (Let us continue, personalizing this prayer for ourselves, in silent prayer.)
Assurance of Pardon
Gloria Patri
Passing of the Peace
Prayer for Illumination in Unison
Lord, open our hearts and minds by the power of your Holy Spirit, that as the Scriptures are read and your word is proclaimed, we may hear with joy what you have to say to us today. Amen.
First Scripture Reading (In Unison) Luke 1:39-45
In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”
Second Scripture Reading Luke 1:46-56
And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”
And Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.
Sermon Rev. Robin Miller Currás
The Journey: Walking the Road to Bethlehem
Mary’s Visit to Elizabeth
Hymn Green 102* “My Soul Proclaims with Wonder”
My soul proclaims with wonder the greatness of the Lord;
rejoicing in God’s goodness, my spirit is restored.
To me has God shown favor, to one the world
thought frail,
and every age will echo the angel’s first “All hail.”
God’s mercy shields the faithful and saves them from defeat
with strength that turns to scatter the proud in their conceit.
The mighty have been vanquished, the lowly lifted up.
The hungry find abundance; the rich, an empty cup.
To Abraham’s descendants the Lord will steadfast prove,
for God has made with Israel a covenant of love.
My soul proclaims with wonder the greatness of the Lord;
rejoicing in God’s goodness, my spirit is restored.
Affirmation of Faith from the Larger Catechism
Q. What are the duties required in the first commandment?
A. The duties required in the first commandment are, the knowing and acknowledging of God to be the only true God, and our God; and to worship and glorify [God] accordingly, by thinking, meditating, remembering, highly esteeming, honoring, adoring, choosing, loving, desiring, fearing…, believing…; trusting, hoping, delighting, rejoicing in…; being zealous for…; calling upon…, giving all praise and thanks, and yielding all obedience and submission to [God] with the whole [person]; being careful in all things to please [God], and sorrowful when in anything [God] is offended; and walking humbly with [our God].
Offertory Mary, did you know? Mark Lowry and Buddy Greene
Norma Prescott, Julie Daidone, Gwen Blackman, vocals
Liz Moulthrop, violin
Doxology
Pastoral Prayer/The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Hymn Green 104* “Blessed be the God of Israel”
Blessed be the God of Israel who comes to set us free
and raises up new hope for us: a branch from
David’s tree.
So have the prophets long declared that with a mighty arm
God would turn back our enemies and all who wish us harm.
With promised mercy will God still the covenant recall,
the oath once sworn to Abraham, from foes to save us all,
that we might worship without fear and offer lives of praise,
in holiness and righteousness to serve God all our days.
My child, as prophet of the Lord you will prepare the way,
to tell God’s people they are saved from sin’s eternal sway.
Then shall God’s mercy from on high shine forth
and never cease to drive away the gloom of death and lead us into peace.
Benediction
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