The light of God through the birth of Christ!

Hello beloved Thirdway and anyone else choosing to share the advent ceremony with us!

Here is our literature for lighting the Christ candle tonight - it's the final candle we'll be lighting together in anticipation of tomorrow's miracle, the birth of Christ.  If you wanna get real wild, you could even wait until midnight to light it.  This time around, you'll need at least two readers for the liturgy, and then one for each candle, if you've got enough people. - 

I pray that God will bless you deeply as you go through the readings together.  May hope, peace and God's neverending goodness be stirred up in your hearts, pulling you into the mercy of tomorrow's lovely and generous gift.

The light of God is coming to you, through the birth of Christ.

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reader1

Justice is far from us, 

and righteousness does not reach us.

reader2

Do not be afraid.

r1

We look for light but all is darkness;

for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows.

r2

Do not be afraid, 

for unto us a child is born!

r1

Like the blind, we grope along the wall, 

feeling our way like men without eyes.

At midday, we stumble as if it were twilight;

we look for justice, but find none, 

for deliverance, but it is far away.

r2

Do not be afraid,

I bring you good news of great joy

that will be for all people!

(sing together)

The light of God through the birth of Christ!

r1

Arise, shine, for your light has come,

and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.

See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples,

but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you.

Nations will come to your light,

and kings to the brightness of your dawn. 

 r2

Lift up your eyes and look about you;

All assemble and come to you;

your sons come from afar, 

and your daughters are carried on the arm.

Indeed, you will look and be radiant,

your heart will throb and swell with joy.

r1

No longer will violence be heard in your land, 

nor ruin or destruction within your borders,

but you'll call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise.

The sun will no longer be your light by day,

nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, 

for the Lord will be your everlasting light,

and your God will be your glory.  

r2

Your sun will never set again,

and your moon will wane no more;

the Lord will be your everlasting light,

and your days of sorrow will end.

Then all your people will be righteous 

and they'll possess the land forever.

The least of you will become a thousand,

the smallest a mighty nation.

I am the Lord; in its time, I will do this swiftly.

r1

Do not be afraid.

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light;

on those living in the land of the shadow of death, 

a light has dawned.

For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given,

and the government will be on his shoulders.

He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.

r2

Do not be afraid,

I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people.

Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you;

he is Christ the Lord.

Glory to God in the highest,

peace on earth, and goodwill to all men,

on whom God's favor rests!

The light of God through the birth of Christ!

The light of God through the birth of Christ!

The light of God through the birth of Christ!

(if you've got 5 candles, light each candle as you read.)

r1

It is because of the zeal of the Lord Almighty 

that all of these things will be accomplished!

We light the candle of hope, 

in faith that the birth of Christ is coming.

r2

We light the candle of peace, 

because wholeness and shalom will come with the birth of Christ.

r3

We light the candle of joy, 

because God has chosen to be near us

through the birth of Christ.

r4

We light the candle of love,

because God so loved the world that he gave his only son,

that whoever believes in him will not perish, but have eternal life.

r5

We light the candle of Christ,

because the consolation and salvation of the world

have come through the birth of Christ.

All the earth is waiting!

And we too, wait expectantly for your kingdom, 

as it comes in fullness.

The light of God through the birth of Christ!

The light of God through the birth of Christ!

The light of God through the birth of Christ!

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Advent art by Rudy Arnold
Advent liturgy pulled from Isaiah 9, 59, 60, & Luke 2  

Advent: Love.

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In Isaiah, it was written to Ahaz, king of Judah, 

"The hearts of my people are shaken, 

as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind."

The Lord spoke to Ahaz, "Ask me, ask the Lord your God for a sign,

whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights."

But Ahaz said, "I will not ask; 

I will not put the Lord to the test."

Isaiah said, "Why do you try the patience of my God?

This is the sign that the Lord himself will give you:

The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son,

and he will be called Immanuel, which means "God with us".

The love of God through the birth of Christ.

This is the story of the birth of Christ.

Mary, a young virgin, was expecting to give birth to her first child.

She was to give him the name Jesus, which means "the Lord saves".

An angel of the Lord told her that he will also be called Immanuel,

which means "God with us."

While Mary was pregnant with this child,

she was also pledged to become the wife of Joseph,

a man who belonged to the house of David.

Joseph and Mary traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem, 

and while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born.

Because there was no room for them at the inn,

Mary gave birth to her son, Jesus, in a cattle stall.

She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger.

There were shepherds living out in the fields nearby,

keeping watch over their flocks at night.

An angel of the Lord appeared to them.. they were terrified.

But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid.

I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people.

Today, a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord."

The love of God through the birth of Christ.

Joseph and Mary traveled to Bethlehem,

and it was there in a cattle stall that their son was born.

They named him Jesus, which means, "the Lord saves".

Nearby, there were shepherds living out in the fields,

keeping watch over their flocks at night.

An angel of the Lord appeared to them

and the glory of the Lord shone around them.

They were terrified, but the angel said to them,

"Do not be afraid, for I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people.  

Today, a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord!

This will be a sign to you - you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Suddenly, a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel. 

They were all praising God and saying, 

"GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST,

AND ON EARTH, GOODWILL AND PEACE TO MEN,

ON WHOM GOD'S FAVOR RESTS."

When the angels had left them, the shepherds said to one another,

"Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened,

which the Lord has told us about."

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and this baby,

who was lying in the manger.

The love of God through the birth of Christ!

As was promised in Isaiah,

"To us, a child is born, to us a son is given,

and the government will be on his shoulders.

He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his kingdom and his peace, 

there will be no end.

He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, 

establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness

from that time on and forever.

(time to light the candles!)

It is the zeal of the Lord Almighty that will accomplish this."

We light the candle of hope, in faith that the birth of Christ is coming.

We light the candle of peace, because wholeness and shalom will come with the birth of Christ.

We light the candle of joy, because God is choosing to be near to us, through the birth of Christ.

And now today, we also light the candle of love, because God so loved the world, 

that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, 

but have eternal life.

All of the earth is waiting, Lord.

The love of God through the birth of Christ

All of the earth is waiting for the Advent of Christ.
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen us

with power through his Spirit in our inner beings,

so that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith.

And I pray that we, being rooted and established in love,

may have power, together with all the saints,

to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,

and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - 

that we may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

All the earth waits for you, Lord.

And we too, wait expectantly for your kingdom, as it comes in fullness. 

Amen.

Advent: Joy!

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This is the story of the birth of Jesus foretold.

An angel of the Lord came to Mary of Galilee, 

a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, 

and the angel said to her, 

"Greetings, you who are highly favored!

The Lord is with you."

He told her, "Don't be afraid, for you have found favor with God.

You will become pregnant and you'll give birth to a son, whom you will name Jesus."

The joy of God through the birth of Christ!

The angel of the Lord said to Mary,

"You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, whom you will call Jesus.

He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High.

The Lord God will give him the throne of his father, David, 

and he will reign forever.  His kingdom will never end."

"How can this be?" Mary asked, "since I am a virgin?"

"The Holy Spirit will come to you," he replied,

"and the power of the Most High God will overshadow you,

so that this holy one to be born may be called the Son of God.

Even Elizabeth, your relative, is going to have a child in her old age.

She who was said to be barren is in her sixth month.

For nothing is impossible with God."

Mary answered, 

"May it be to me as you have said,

for I am the Lord's servant."

The joy of God through the birth of Christ!

"Even Elizabeth.. who was said to be barren,

is going to have a child in her old age.

For nothing is impossible with God."

And so Mary went to Elizabeth, her relative,

and when she greeted her, the baby in Elizabeth's womb leapt,

and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

She shouted, "Blessed are you among women!

And blessed is the child that you will bear!!

How is it that I am so favored, 

that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

For as soon as the sound of your voice reached my ears, 

the baby in my womb leapt for joy!

Blessed are you, Mary, for you have believed 

that what the Lord has said to you will be accomplished!"

After hearing this, Mary praised God. 

She said, "My soul glorifies the Lord,

and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour!"

For nothing is impossible with God.

The joy of God through the birth of Christ!

My soul glorifies the Lord (for nothing is impossible with God)

My spirit rejoices in God my Saviour.. (for he has not forgotten me)

From now on all generations will call me blessed,

for the Mighty One has done great things for me.

Elizabeth has said, "Who am I that God would be mindful of me?

Why am I so favored that the Lord would come to me?"

Even Zion has said, "The Lord has forsaken me,

the Lord has forgotten me."

Who am I that the Lord would come to me?

But God has said to us,

"Can a mother forget the baby at her breast?

And have no compassion on the child she has borne?

Though she may forget, I will not forget you.

See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;

your walls are ever before me!"

And so we light the candle of hope, because the birth of Christ is coming.
We light the candle of peace, and we rest in God's wholeness, because the advent of Christ is near.

And now today, we also light the candle of joy, because the Lord has not forgotten us.

The birth of Christ is coming!  

The joy of God through the birth of Christ!

Even Zion has said, "The Lord has forsaken me,

the Lord has forgotten me."

Who am I that the Lord would come to me?"

But God has said to us,

"Can a mother forget the baby at her breast?

And have no compassion on the child she has borne?

Though she may forget, I will not forget you.

See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;

your walls are ever before me!"

"Shout for joy, O heavens; 

rejoice, O earth;

burst into song, O mountains!

For the Lord comforts his people

and will have compassion on his afflicted ones.

Oh Lord, that we would see your face, that we would hear your voice..

That our hearts would leap for joy, even at the sound of the voice of your bride.

All the earth is waiting for your Advent, for your coming.

We wait for you, and we will gladly search for your kingdom, as it comes in fullness.  

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Advent: Peace.

Holy SnowDay!!

Anyone else still in their pj's drinking coffee?  

Well, since we've chosen to cancel Thirdway's Sunday meeting today, I thought I'd share with you the advent reading we would have done this morning.  I've gotta tell you, folks, it's a total bummer to have to miss lighting the candle of Peace with you all.  But I want to encourage you to get together with your family members, your snowball fight mates, your small group, or whoever is nearest and dearest to you this week, and celebrate the advent - the anticipation and celebration of Christ's coming birth.  

One easy way to do this is to get nice and cozy with each other, grab two candles, some matches, and get a volunteer to lead the readings.  Heck, you could even have 3 readers - one for the narrator, one for the angel, and one for Zechariah.  Got a guitar? Lead your fellow advent-celebratees in our response prayer - it's a total cinch!  Just listen to the Eustace link on the right side of this page for a reminder of the easy peasy notes.  Or make up your own melody!  Of course, you're welcome to simply read the response prayer together, but I challenge you to SING.  And smile and laugh.  Then when all of this is done, go grab another snowball or that second cup of eggnog.

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Luke 1

This is the story of Zechariah the priest and his wife Elizabeth, who was barren.

Zechariah was burning incense in the temple when an angel of the Lord appeared before him,

"Do not be afraid, Zechariah..  God has heard your prayer.  

Your wife will bear you a son.  And many will rejoice because of his birth."

The peace of God through the birth of Christ.

Zechariah the priest was burning incense in the temple,

and an angel of the Lord said to him.

"God has heard your prayer.

You will have a son and he will be named John.

He'll be a delight to you and many will rejoice because of his birth.

He will prepare the way for the Lord."

But Zechariah said, "How can I be sure of this??

I am an old man, and my wife is well along in years."

The angel answered, 

"I stand in the presence of God, 

and I have been sent to tell you this good news.

And now because you didn't believe my words, 

you will not be able to speak until this promise has been fulfilled."

And so it was, that when Elizabeth gave birth to her child, 

they went to Zechariah, to find out what his name should be,

and because he could not speak, he wrote for them, "His name is John."

Immediately, his tongue was loosed, 

and he began to speak aloud again, praising God.

The peace of God through the birth of Christ.

Elizabeth the barren..  gave birth to a son, by the mercy of God, 

and all of her neighbors and relatives shared her joy.

And Zechariah named him John, because of the good news given to him,

by an angel of the Lord.

He praised God, and he prophesied,

"Blessed be the God of Israel, who has come to set us free!

My child will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,

to give his people the knowledge of salvation

through the forgiveness of their sins!

It is by the tender mercy of our God, 

that the rising sun will come to us from heaven

to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death,

and to guide our feet into the path of peace."

The peace of God through the birth of Christ.

"It is by the tender mercy of God,

that the rising sun will come to us from heaven

to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death,

and to guide our feet into the path of peace."

(have a buddy light the candles of hope and peace as you read this part!)

And so today, we light the candle of hope, and the candle of peace,

because we, alongside all of creation, wait for the wholeness and rest that come through the birth of Christ.

The peace of God through the birth of Christ.

The peace of God through the birth of Christ.

(take a moment of silence to pray and contemplate

the value of lighting the candle of hope and the candle of peace

with the family that God has placed around you)

(Closing prayer)

This is the week for us to remember the coming

 of God's true peace through the birth of Christ, 

To be inspired by his faithfulness..  

to be refreshed in our wait for wholeness.  

May we join all of creation, 

as it looks to the promise of the rising sun, 

which will surely come to us from heaven, 

and cast away the shadow of death and brokenness.

All the earth is waiting, Lord.  

And we look expectantly for your kingdom,
as it comes in fullness.  

Amen.

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"There's no such thing as canceling church," is what I can hear my friend, Bryan Ward, saying.

So true, true, true.  Have a lovely, restful day.  

And may God's peace restore your soul, your hope, your everything.  

Advent: Hope.

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Luke 3

The word of God came to John in the wilderness.

He went into all the country around the Jordan,

preaching a baptism of repentance 

for the forgiveness of sins.

The hope of God through the birth of Christ.

The word of God came to John, son of Zechariah, in the wilderness.

He went into all the country around the Jordan, 

preaching a baptism of repentance 

for the forgiveness of sins.

A voice of one calling in the wilderness..

The hope of God through the birth of Christ.

As it was written in the book of Isaiah, 

the word of God came to John, son of Zechariah.

A voice of one calling in the wilderness, 

"Prepare the way for the Lord!

And make straight paths for him.

For every valley shall be filled in, 

and every mountain and hill shall be made low.

The crooked roads shall become straight, 

and the rough ways shall be made smooth.

And all people will see God's salvation."

The hope of God through the birth of Christ.

The crooked roads shall be come straight, 

and the rough ways shall be made smooth.

And all people will see God's salvation.

And so today, we light this candle of hope

because we, alongside all of creation, needed the birth of Christ. 

 

The hope of God through the birth of Christ.

The hope of God through the birth of Christ.

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This is the week for us to remember our need for God,

To let him speak to us of our sins..

To show us the poverty of our souls.

We can only have hope if we can truly understand

that there is an absence within ourselves that only God can satisfy.  

May we join all of creation in its need for restoration, 

in its need for Jesus, our soon and coming King.  

We anticipate your birth, Lord.

And we wait expectantly for your kingdom, 

as it comes in fullness.