1st Sunday in Advent
Psalm 25 - Prayer for Guidance and for Deliverance
1 To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
2 O my God, in you I trust;
4 Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
teach me your paths.
5 Lead me in your truth, and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all day long.
10 All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness,
for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.
Hymn – Hills of the north, rejoice www.youtube.com/watch?v=chWCaWouiEc
1 Hills of the north, rejoice,
river and mountain-spring,
hark to the advent voice;
valley and lowland, sing.
Christ comes in righteousness and love,
he brings salvation from above.
2 Isles of the southern seas,
sing to the listening earth;
carry on every breeze
hope of a world’s new birth:
in Christ shall all be made anew;
his word is sure, his promise true.
3 Lands of the east, arise!
He is your brightest morn;
greet him with joyous eyes,
let praise his path adorn:
your seers have longed to know their Lord;
to you he comes, the final Word.
4 Shores of the utmost west,
lands of the setting sun,
welcome the heavenly guest
in whom the dawn has come:
he brings a never-ending light,
who triumphed o’er our darkest night.
5 Shout, as you journey on;
songs be in every mouth!
Lo, from the north they come,
from east and west and south:
in Jesus all shall find their rest,
in him the universe be blest.
Charles Ernest Oakley (1832–1865) and Editors of English Praise,
Prayer
Gracious and almighty God, we meet together this morning, at the start of another advent season. We come today with a sense of awe and wonder as we hear the familiar words which remind us of your coming into this world. In the midst of unprecedented times, we worship you, the unchanging and ever-present God.
We praise you today for the power of your word, for the way you have spoken to so many people across the generations, and you still speak to us today through the pages of scripture.
We thank you for that sense of wonder that we feel when we know you are near to us, when we consider all that you have and are continuing to do in the world and in our lives, and when we recognise your face in the faces of those we meet.
Forgive us Lord, when in our weakness, we reduce you to something smaller than you are. When we try to fit you into a timeslot in our lives, when it is convenient for us to meet with you. Forgive us when we forget your majesty and power and attempt to do your work in our own strength alone. Forgive us, when our worship becomes ordinary and safe, a habit rather than a time of reawakening and excitement.
In the life of your Son, you have revealed to us true love and mercy. May we receive your forgiveness for the times we fall, and help us as we seek to be your people, to be refreshed by your Spirit, and to live as a people of light and love.
In Jesus’ name we ask it. Amen
Readings
Jeremiah 33: 14-16
The Righteous Branch and the Covenant with David
14 The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfil the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 15In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 16In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name by which it will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’
Luke 21: 25-36
The Coming of the Son of Man
25 ‘There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. 26People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27Then they will see “the Son of Man coming in a cloud” with power and great glory. 28Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.’
The Lesson of the Fig Tree
29 Then he told them a parable: ‘Look at the fig tree and all the trees;30as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. 31So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 32Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. 33Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
Exhortation to Watch
34 ‘Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day does not catch you unexpectedly, 35like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. 36Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.’
Here are words of anticipation that something wonderful is about to happen, and we all need to be ready. This will not be just a run-of-the-mill event but something which is going to shake the very earth and heavens, such is it’s importance. It has been foretold for generations, and now we have to be ready and look for the signs that it is happening.
Our theme for today is “Open to Wonder”. Not wonder as in “I wonder?”, but wonder as in being overwhelmed by a marvellous and fantastic event. This is what advent should be about – the coming of God on earth, which should be something so marvellous, beyond our imagining. If we are just preparing for the birth of a baby, we have missed the point.
Hymn – Lo, he comes with clouds descending www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIszhvHjBxQ
1 Lo, he comes with clouds descending,
once for favoured sinners slain;
thousand thousand saints attending
swell the triumph of his train:
Alleluia!
God appears on earth to reign.
2 Every eye shall now behold him
robed in glorious majesty;
we who set at nought and sold him,
pierced and nailed him to the tree,
deeply wailing,
shall the true Messiah see.
3 Those dear tokens of his passion
still his dazzling body bears;
cause of endless exultation
to his ransomed worshippers:
with what rapture
gaze we on those glorious scars.
4 Sing, amen, let all adore thee,
high on thine eternal throne;
Saviour, take the power and glory,
claim the kingdom for thine own:
come, Lord Jesus!
Everlasting God, come down!
Charles Wesley (1707–1788)
Reflection
I love to watch medical programmes on tv, especially programmes showing surgery. It might sound a bit gory, but I am fascinated with what surgeons are able to do. For a non-medical person it is something quite remarkable – opening the patient’s chest to cut a hole in their heart so they could replace a new valve, or operating on a patient’s brain while they were still conscious. A comment was made about the surgeons which I hadn’t thought about before. Surgeons have to have a certain ego and confidence to be able to operate, which comes from the experience of doing that operation many times before. It left me with a sense of awe and wonder, but that is the last thing we want in a surgeon!
Awe is not a word we often use in everyday speech, but there is a lot to wonder about in the world, and a lot that should fill us with a sense of awe. As technology allows us to engage and learn about so much that we would not otherwise know, have we lost the ability to be lost in awesome wonder?
We all know the Christmas story very well, and that predictability can be a danger if it takes away from the wonder of the story. As a Minister, it is a challenge each year to tell the Christmas story in a new way. This year we are sharing in Las Posadas to encourage us all to think again about this story we know so well. But actually, the reality of the story itself is so full of wonder, if we really think about it, there doesn’t need to be anything new to be found. We just need to allow ourselves to be open to the story, and allow God to work within us as we engage with the reality of God being amongst us in a uniquely physical way.
Let’s think about the story and the wonder that it contains:
Mary – a teenage girl, visited by an angel – to bear a child who is the Son of God
Joseph – had a dream, was challenged to do what was right which demanded obedience to reject the convention of the day – are we afraid of the reality of responding?
Shepherds – saw an awesome sight of angels in the sky, rushed to Bethlehem with excitement – does this story still excite us and fill us with joy?
Wise men - inquisitive, curious, never seen anything like the star before despite their education, and were drawn to find out it’s significance– do we need to find out more?
Does the birth of Jesus, almighty God in the body of a human, a story that is beyond our comprehension, fill us with awe and wonder? Or do we reduce the story to the birth of a baby in a cow shed?
The common factor which unites all the character’s in this story is that from nothing they suddenly become unexpectedly involved in what God was doing, and they were challenged to respond and to be a part of it. We also need to be open to the wonder of what God is doing in the world today. We might not fully understand it or know how to respond to it, but that doesn’t mean it’s not happening or that it’s not true.
Advent is a time of preparation, and if we are going to engage properly with this story again, we need to set aside some time, to think and to gaze in wonder at the reality of what we are celebrating. Perhaps, in this strangest of years, when our usual traditions are curtailed, we might be able to find some time to really think about the awesomeness of the story we are celebrating. Gazing in wonder at a new-born baby in a manger is awesome, but that baby is God incarnate, and 2000 years should not be allowed to dull the significance for us. We need to move beyond the romantic and well-trodden ground of nativity stories, and gaze in wonder at the reality of God living amongst us, allowing us to experience him for ourselves in a tangible and real way. We need the story to speak to us in new ways.
We lose the ability to wonder when we are faced with a story which is too familiar, that’s why we need a new perspective, something that sparks our imagination and encourages us to wonder about the reality. I can’t tell you what that is, because it will be different for each of us. It might be as simple as reading the story from a different biblical translation than we are used to, and suddenly well known phrases change, and our thoughts can be reawakened.
Opening our minds to God’s awesome presence amongst us might be like trying to stuff a huge gift into a very small stocking. The gift itself is what is important, and it should fill us with amazement and wonder, that it could be revealed in an event as everyday as the birth of a baby.
As we travel through advent this year, many of the traditions we are used to will not be able to happen. So let’s use this as a positive opportunity. We can put aside the predictability of previous years, so that we to can simply gaze in awe and wonder, and allow God to work in us a remarkable feat of unexpected surprise and wonderment that will uniquely challenge us this year.
Let it be so. Amen
Intercessions & Lords Prayer
Loving God, we thank you for the good news of your incarnation, and the assurance it gives that you know what it is to be human, that you are not distant or confined to stories of the past, but that you shared our human nature.
Hear our prayers, as we pray for those for whom Christmas is not a time of celebration: for the poor and hungry, the homeless and sick, the lonely and bereaved, the oppressed and persecuted.
We continue to pray for those affected by the coronavirus pandemic; those who are sick, have long-term effects, and those who have lost loved ones; those who have lost their jobs, livelihoods and businesses; those suffering from mental health issues and the breakdown of relationships…..
Loving God, may your light reach into the darkest places of the world, so that there may be hope rather than despair, joy rather than sorrow, love rather than hatred.
We pray for our families and friends, and for all those in need at this present time.
We pray for the churches in our Circuit, this week for Weston, and their minister, Jan Tate
God of light and hope, look upon us in love, and fill us with the Spirit of Jesus that we may love you and serve you in your kingdom.
Protect us during this advent period and keep us watchful in prayer as we await the coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ, who is the light of the world, and who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen
Let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us
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 trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power, and the glory
for ever and ever.
Amen.
Hymn – O, Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
www.youtube.com/watch?v=USM71JqV30o
1 O Lord, my God, when I in awesome wonder
consider all the works thy hand hath made,
I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder,
thy power throughout the universe displayed:
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to thee:
how great thou art, how great thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to thee:
how great thou art, how great thou art!
2 When through the woods and forest glades I wander
and hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;
when I look down from lofty mountain grandeur,
and hear the brook, and feel the gentle breeze:
3 And when I think that God, his Son not sparing,
sent him to die, I scarce can take it in
that on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,
he bled and died to take away my sin:
4 When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
and take me home — what joy shall fill my heart;
then shall I bow in humble adoration,
and there proclaim: my God, how great thou art:
Stuart K. Hine (1899–1989), vv. 1, 2, 4 based on O store Gud 1885by
Carl Gustaf Boberg (1859–1940)
Blessing
Let your light shine on us, so that we may be warmed and strengthened to show your light all around.
And the blessing of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, be with you, now and forever more. Amen
Rev. Martin Slocombe
CCLI Licence 354889