Universal peace from God's unitive power
Worship
LECTIONARY WORSHIP AIDS
Series II
Exegetical note: This eschatological ("latter days") vision, the core of which also appears in the opening verses of Micah 4, makes the temple site at Jerusalem ("the mountain of the house of God") a kind of magnetic pole, to which all nations of the world will be inexorably drawn for (1) instruction in righteousness, (2) political arbitration, and (3) lasting peace - all under God's power.
Call to Worship
(based on Psalm 122)
Leader:
Let us be glad to be at the house of God!
People:
LET US REJOICE AND GIVE THANKS TO GOD'S HOLY NAME!
Leader:
For the house of God is a place of divine judgment!
People:
AND THE HOUSE OF GOD IS A PLACE OF LASTING PEACE!
Collect
Righteous God, you have established your holy city and all your houses throughout the world as havens of divine instruction and safe harbors of peace. Enable us to ease all tensions and strife, especially between nations and races and creeds: that your divine and universal love may triumph and war and hatred may cease. In the name of the coming Prince of Peace we pray. Amen
Prayer of Confession
God of Peace, we confess with deep sadness that we do not always operate as coworkers with you in the enterprise of world peace, but instead sow the seeds of lasting discord with our prejudices, our stereotypes, our jokes, and even our blind and uncritical patriotism. Forgive us, we pray, draw us to your divine will, instruct us in your holy ways, and make us more worthy bearers of the name of the One who comes in Peace. In his name we pray. Amen
First Sunday in Advent
Second Lesson: Romans 13:11-14
Theme:
The Christian's place on "the edge of night"
Exegetical note: Notwithstanding the non-occurrence (or "delay") of the second coming of Christ, which Paul and his followers saw as imminent, references in these hortatory verses to an "hour" and "full time" provide a new slant on the effect of the "first" coming, namely, that, with the "dawning" of this "new light," the Christian stands "on the edge of night," surrounded by but awakened from the "darkness" and the evil works that it has veiled.
Call to Worship
Leader:
Arise from darkness, Christians, and face the Light!
People:
FOR THE BIRTH OF CHRIST IS THE DAWN OF A NEW AGE!
Leader:
Awake from sleep, Christians, and behold the new day!
People:
FOR, THOUGH YET SURROUNDED BY NIGHT, WE MAY NOW LIVE IN THE GLOW OF THE RISING SON!
Collect
Radiant God, you sent Jesus to illumine a world darkened by evil and sin. Point us toward his Light: that, our faces warmed and brightened by the dawn he brings, we may live redeemed lives of purity and love, even though we still can feel the cold darkness of the passing evil age on our backs. Yearning for the coming of your Light we pray. Amen
Prayer of Confession
God of Light, it saddens us deeply to realize how much and how often we succumb to the spiritual darkness that surrounds us, despair over the evil that assails us, and fail to look in hope and anticipation toward the bright dawning of your Reign and the coming of your Christ. Forgive us, 0 God, and transform us into true children of Light in the image and likeness of Jesus. In his name we pray. Amen
First Sunday in Advent
Gospel:
Matthew 24:36-44
Theme:
God's reliable unpredictability
Exegetical note: This passage comes toward the end of Matthew's version of the "Little Apocalypse" in Mark 13 and, like its source, emphasizes the unpredictability of the expected and desired parousia, and the consequent need for watchfulness and readiness. For Advent, the passage provides an excellent reminder that, despite the reliability of God's promises, God acts in God's own good time, and therefore predictions and pronouncements about when (or, for that matter, how) God may or may not act in the future are, at best, imprudent.
Call to Worship
Leader:
Watch, sisters and brothers, for the doings of God are always a surprise!
People:
GOD GRANTS US GRACE IN GOD'S GOOD TIME!
Leader:
Be ready, Christians, for the comings of the Christ are always unexpected!
People:
THAT THE CHRIST COMES IS A CERTAINTY; WHEN THE CHRIST COMES IS A MYSTERY!
Collect
God of saving surprises, you sent a Christ who caught off guard even those who anticipated and expected him, and showered your grace in ways no one could have foreseen. Make us ready and watchful: that, whenever your unprecedented and unpredictable acts of redemption do come upon us, we may be open and receptive to all of their benefits. In the name of the coming Christ we pray. Amen
Prayer of Confession
God of reliable mercy, we confess that we often try to anticipate your acts of redemption and to figure out what your future holds, and that we wind up entrusting our destinies to our guesses rather than to your graces. Forgive us our presumption, we pray, and teach us to look for the kind of surprises that you presented in the coming of the Christ. In his holy name we pray. Amen
Call to Worship
(based on Psalm 122)
Leader:
Let us be glad to be at the house of God!
People:
LET US REJOICE AND GIVE THANKS TO GOD'S HOLY NAME!
Leader:
For the house of God is a place of divine judgment!
People:
AND THE HOUSE OF GOD IS A PLACE OF LASTING PEACE!
Collect
Righteous God, you have established your holy city and all your houses throughout the world as havens of divine instruction and safe harbors of peace. Enable us to ease all tensions and strife, especially between nations and races and creeds: that your divine and universal love may triumph and war and hatred may cease. In the name of the coming Prince of Peace we pray. Amen
Prayer of Confession
God of Peace, we confess with deep sadness that we do not always operate as coworkers with you in the enterprise of world peace, but instead sow the seeds of lasting discord with our prejudices, our stereotypes, our jokes, and even our blind and uncritical patriotism. Forgive us, we pray, draw us to your divine will, instruct us in your holy ways, and make us more worthy bearers of the name of the One who comes in Peace. In his name we pray. Amen
First Sunday in Advent
Second Lesson: Romans 13:11-14
Theme:
The Christian's place on "the edge of night"
Exegetical note: Notwithstanding the non-occurrence (or "delay") of the second coming of Christ, which Paul and his followers saw as imminent, references in these hortatory verses to an "hour" and "full time" provide a new slant on the effect of the "first" coming, namely, that, with the "dawning" of this "new light," the Christian stands "on the edge of night," surrounded by but awakened from the "darkness" and the evil works that it has veiled.
Call to Worship
Leader:
Arise from darkness, Christians, and face the Light!
People:
FOR THE BIRTH OF CHRIST IS THE DAWN OF A NEW AGE!
Leader:
Awake from sleep, Christians, and behold the new day!
People:
FOR, THOUGH YET SURROUNDED BY NIGHT, WE MAY NOW LIVE IN THE GLOW OF THE RISING SON!
Collect
Radiant God, you sent Jesus to illumine a world darkened by evil and sin. Point us toward his Light: that, our faces warmed and brightened by the dawn he brings, we may live redeemed lives of purity and love, even though we still can feel the cold darkness of the passing evil age on our backs. Yearning for the coming of your Light we pray. Amen
Prayer of Confession
God of Light, it saddens us deeply to realize how much and how often we succumb to the spiritual darkness that surrounds us, despair over the evil that assails us, and fail to look in hope and anticipation toward the bright dawning of your Reign and the coming of your Christ. Forgive us, 0 God, and transform us into true children of Light in the image and likeness of Jesus. In his name we pray. Amen
First Sunday in Advent
Gospel:
Matthew 24:36-44
Theme:
God's reliable unpredictability
Exegetical note: This passage comes toward the end of Matthew's version of the "Little Apocalypse" in Mark 13 and, like its source, emphasizes the unpredictability of the expected and desired parousia, and the consequent need for watchfulness and readiness. For Advent, the passage provides an excellent reminder that, despite the reliability of God's promises, God acts in God's own good time, and therefore predictions and pronouncements about when (or, for that matter, how) God may or may not act in the future are, at best, imprudent.
Call to Worship
Leader:
Watch, sisters and brothers, for the doings of God are always a surprise!
People:
GOD GRANTS US GRACE IN GOD'S GOOD TIME!
Leader:
Be ready, Christians, for the comings of the Christ are always unexpected!
People:
THAT THE CHRIST COMES IS A CERTAINTY; WHEN THE CHRIST COMES IS A MYSTERY!
Collect
God of saving surprises, you sent a Christ who caught off guard even those who anticipated and expected him, and showered your grace in ways no one could have foreseen. Make us ready and watchful: that, whenever your unprecedented and unpredictable acts of redemption do come upon us, we may be open and receptive to all of their benefits. In the name of the coming Christ we pray. Amen
Prayer of Confession
God of reliable mercy, we confess that we often try to anticipate your acts of redemption and to figure out what your future holds, and that we wind up entrusting our destinies to our guesses rather than to your graces. Forgive us our presumption, we pray, and teach us to look for the kind of surprises that you presented in the coming of the Christ. In his holy name we pray. Amen
