First 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 Savior of the nations, come Johann Sebastian Bach
Lighting of the Advent Candle
One: The Gospel of John speaks of Christ as the true light coming into the world. In commemoration of that coming, we light candles for the four weeks leading to Christmas and reflect on the coming of Christ. It is significant that the church has always used the language–the coming of Christ–because it speaks to a deep truth. Christ is coming. Christ is always coming, always entering a troubled world and wounded hearts. And so we light the first candle, the candle of hope, and dare to express our longing for peace, for healing, and the well-being of all creation.
All: Loving God, as we enter this Advent season, we open all the dark places in our lives and memories to the healing light of Christ. Show us the creative power of hope. Prepare our hearts to be transformed by you, that we may walk in the light of Christ. Amen.
Hymn Red 135* “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus”
Come, thou long-expected Jesus,
born to set thy people free;
from our fears and sins release us;
let us find our rest in thee.
Israel’s strength and consolation,
hope of all the earth thou art;
dear Desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.
Born thy people to deliver,
born a child, and yet a king,
born to reign in us for ever,
now thy gracious kingdom bring.
By thine own eternal Spirit
rule in all our hearts alone;
by thine all-sufficient merit
raise us to thy glorious throne.
Call to Confession
Confession of Sin
Dear Spirit who inspired Gabriel and whispered marvelous things to him so that he might proclaim them to the world, hear us as we pray. Today, we hear the word “hope” proclaimed as we consider the story of Mary from a little town called Nazareth. We marvel that you can do great things with humble people with even humbler beginnings. We are quick to say, “No,” or “I can’t,” or “Out of the question,” when your Spirit calls us to move beyond what we think is possible. You call us out of comfort zones. You ask us to stick out our necks. You see possibility, and we focus on fear. Forgive us, and move us to faith-filled, shaky-kneed stances that testify to hope—hope in you, hope in Christ, hope in faith, hope for this time and this place. In Jesus’ 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
Holy Spirit, come near, and open the word to us, as we open our hearts and minds to hear it. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
First Scripture Reading (In Unison) Isaiah 11:1-4,6
A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them.
Special Music
Second Scripture Reading Luke 1:26-38
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.
Sermon Rev. Robin Miller Currás
The Journey: Walking the Road to Bethlehem
Introducing Mary of Nazareth
Hymn Red 139* “To A Virgin Meek and Mild”
To a virgin meek and mild
came an angel holy,
greeting her, the undefiled,
in her chamber lowly:
Hail, to thee, thou blessed one,
chosen mother of God’s Son!
Through a wondrous birth he shall come to earth,
and shall reign as a King,
as a King forever,
Jesus, blessed Savior.
By the sages long foretold,
now the day is nearing;
promises of God unfold,
in the Son appearing.
He the child of Bethlehem,
branch divine of Jesse’s stem,
shall have great increase as the Prince of Peace,
and the earth shall be filled with the Lord’s salvation,
Hope of every nation.
Affirmation of Faith from the Second Helvetic Confession
We…believe and teach that the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, was predestined or foreordained from eternity by the [Creator] to be the Savior of the world. And we believe that he was born, not only when he assumed flesh of the Virgin Mary, and not only before the foundation of the world was laid, but by the [Author of Creation’s Story] before all eternity in an inexpressible manner. Amen.
Offertory O thou the central orb Charles Wood
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 Red 138* “Savior of the Nations, Come”
Savior of the nations, come,
show yourself, the virgin’s son.
Fill with wonder, all the earth,
that our God chose such a birth.
Not by human power or seed
did the woman’s womb conceive;
only by the Spirit’s breath
was the Word of God made flesh.
Christ laid down his majesty,
passed through dark Gethsemane.
Though he left his Father’s home,
Christ now sits on God’s own throne.
Christ in glory, intercede
for your creatures’ suffering need.
Let your resurrecting power
soon complete the victory hour.
Praise to you, O Lord, we sing.
Praise to Christ, our newborn King!
With the Father, Spirit, one,
let your lasting kingdom come.
Benediction
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