Koonung Heights Uniting Church – Service of Worship at Home
Advent 4 – 19 December – 10am or whenever possible
You may like to light a candle during your time of worship.
Feel free to text the Peace to other members of the congregation.
We Sing: “Light one Candle” – (Click on this link and skip the ads – TIS words below)
Acknowledgement of Country:
As we meet to worship today,
I acknowledge the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung People of the Kulin nation,
the first inhabitants and custodians of this place
from time beyond remembering.
I pay my respects to their elders,
past and present, and to future generations.
I pray the God who brings hope, peace, love and joy
will continue to bless each one of us.
Call to Worship:
In a womb a child is forming. Joy is coming.
The miracle of miracles. Joy is coming.
The world still waits. Joy is coming.
Lord, we, your people, wait patiently,
hanging on for Advent joy.
Lord, we bring you ourselves,
we bring you our worship.
Advent Wreath:
We come to Advent and gather around a wreath to light candles.
The wreath reminds us of the circle of our human community and the lights illuminate the many ways in which we bring ourselves to the incarnation,
God’s longed-for presence among us – human and holy,
Emmanuel – God with us and God coming to us.
We have lit the candles of hope, peace and love.
We now light the candle of joy,
in spite of missing things which we thought
were essential to Christmas.
God’s joy ignites embers under loss and sorrow
and brightens the path which leads to Christ.
Emmanuel, God be with us in the week to come,
lighting hope, peace, love and joy
on the wick of our lives,
so that we may shine on our world
your unconditional welcome to all.
Amen.
We Sing: “Joyful, joyful, we adore you” – (Click on this link & skip the ads – TIS words below)
Prayer of Adoration and Confession:
God, our Parent,
ever-loving, all-knowing,
abundant in mercy and kindness.
Your care of your children is unending,
and you treasure each one of us for who we are,
whatever we are, whatever our ability
or age, or background,
whomever we love, and wherever we are.
You delight in our uniqueness and potential.
We marvel at your unending love,
your compassion for our needs that you stand with us,
you hold us, you carry us, you inspire us:
you hear our prayers and answer them,
even in ways we do not realise or expect.
Throughout our lives are signposts, symbols and signs
pointing ever toward your presence,
invitations to come close to you,
to rest in your love,
and to know the assurance of your ongoing attention,
whether that is in this building, or our homes,
or the wide world around us.
Merciful God,
we confess that sometimes we do not see
or do not grasp the opportunities
to be with you,
to know you,
to speak to you,
that we do not offer help when we can,
show your love when we can.
In silence and in the surety of you grace, love and forgiveness
we bring to you our own prayers.
(Moment of silence)
Loving God, Creator of all that we are,
all that we have, all that we could ever want,
help us to come together in prayer,
to draw close to you in prayer,
and to live lives to your glory
and the care of a world so in need of your love.
Amen.
Words of Assurance:
The ancient promises of God are fulfilled.
God does not forget us.
God’s mercy extends from generation to generation.
Let our souls rejoice in God!
The Peace:
The love of Christ lives in each of us, bringing us joy and hope.
The peace of Christ be with you always … and also with you.
A Time for All:
So it is the fourth week of Advent and during our Advent journey we have thought about anticipating, preparing, and looking for signs and taking risky journeys. This week, let’s think about sharing with others.
Our readings today talk about people sharing their anticipation of what is coming. After Mary meets up with Elizabeth they share the anticipation of what awaits them with each other. Mary also sings a song declaring the good things that God has done and is doing in the lives of the people. Sharing good news isn’t about rules and regulations. It’s about the good news of Christ who came to be one of us. Just like God shared good news with us when Jesus was born at Christmas, we are able to share good news too.
I’d like to share a good news email that I received from a member of the congregation this week. It began this way …
This morning, I suddenly and unexpectedly had some thoughts about Christmas, so I wrote them down straight away, and I am sending them to you before embarrassment has a chance to prevent me. By tomorrow, or even this afternoon, they might seem silly, as such thoughts often do. I’m sure when you hear these words you will, like me, feel that they are silly at all.
I am not a gardener. In fact, I am so lazy about gardening, that I have a courtyard that is little more than a jungle of weeds. Recently, however, my unprepossessing garden has been honoured by visits from some magnificent, colourful birds. I feel really thrilled when I watch them and listen to their voices. They are undaunted by the wild, ungoverned weeds, joyfully feeding on the shoulder-high thistles, and climbing and swinging in the overgrown branches of the big tree. They bring beauty and life into that neglected place.
One morning it suddenly occurred to me, that here was a parallel with Christmas. Like a wonderful, undeserved gift, God has been sending some of his most marvellous creations – Australian native birds – into the messiness and disorder of my garden, a reminder of how he sent his most precious gift of all, his son Jesus, into the messiness and disorder of human life. The beautiful birds brought me a reminder of God’s love at Christmas.
I have tried to photograph the birds, but somehow it seems impossible to see them properly in a photo. Despite their brilliance, they are easily camouflaged among plants; wonderful in itself. I thought I glimpsed a message about Jesus here too. Despite his brilliance, I can easily miss seeing and hearing him, when I am lumbering through life, preoccupied with myself. Just as I could choose to ignore the birds, and miss out on the joy and wonder of observing them, God does not force me to give him my attention. He is still there, however, whether I notice him among the clutter of my thoughts or not.
Thanks, Peta, for sending this email, for sharing your thoughts and for allowing me to share them more widely. Thanks for the insights you have brought us.
Let us pray
Loving God,
As we continue to wait for Christmas, and anticipate just how wonderful it might be, remind us that part of the wonder is in sharing with others. Help us to share with one another the joy of knowing you, not just as the baby that was born, but as the One who is with us always.
Amen.
Bible Reading: Micah 5:2-5a –
The Ruler from Bethlehem
2 But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah
who are one of the little clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to rule in Israel,
whose origin is from of old,
from ancient days.
3 Therefore he shall give them up until the time
when she who is in labour has brought forth;
then the rest of his kindred shall return
to the people of Israel.
4 And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth;
5 and he shall be the one of peace.
We Sing: “O little town of Bethlehem” – (Click on this link & skip the ads – TIS words below)
Bible Reading: Luke 1:39-55 – Mary Visits Elizabeth
39 In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, 40 where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit 42 and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 43 And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? 44 For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”
Mary’s Song of Praise
46 And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
48 for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of
his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me
blessed;
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
50 His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
52 He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly;
53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,
55 according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”
Watch and listen to the reflection
Reflection: Leaping for joy!
When was the last time you leapt for joy? Not just got excited, but actually leapt for joy, even if only internally? It’s something you might see little children doing when they are so excited about something that they jump about because they just can’t keep still. I think I might have seen some of this joy in the recent news footage of people arriving at the Queensland airport and seeing family they had been separated from for so long. There is certainly joy which comes when what you’ve been waiting for finally happens.
The discipline of waiting is something we have become very used to. Over the last year (or two) we have waited for many things: a lifting of restrictions, the opportunity for human contact, a chance to come together for worship, the borders to open so we feel like one country again. We have learned that at times we need to wait … even with the apparent convenience of shopping online the things we order rarely arrive immediately. We have come to accept that waiting is a part of life. Yet there can also be joy in the waiting.
Throughout Advent we anticipate the arrival of something massive that is going to bring about change … and while we anticipate we also wait. Waiting is a story told often in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) particularly by the prophets who share a vision of something that is to come but isn’t here yet. Micah is no different, as he points to the dramatic intervention of God, projecting that it will happen from within one of the small clans of Judah. Bethlehem is a little, insignificant place, but this is where God will choose to show up. In much of the Hebrew Bible, God’s actions are revealed to the most unexpected people and families, or come from within their stories. While God’s intention is massive, it takes place within the ordinary circumstances of human life and struggle.
Today’s gospel text also captures the need for patient waiting as the two pregnant women visit with one another. There is something special that happens as they share their experience with one another … the pregnant anticipation of divine intentions through birth is wrapped up in the emotion of all expectant parents who have to remain patient as they wait for the big event that will change life forever.
There is so much going on in this passage. Part of the story is the intimate encounter between the two pregnant women who both contemplate the new and mysterious life that is growing within each of them. Two women, for whom pregnancy has come about in a remarkable way, are able to be with each other while they anticipate and celebrate the child that each one will have. Part of the story is also that the conversation and joy Mary and Elizabeth share, transfigures in our mind and heart the mystery of a God who changes the context, expectations, dreams and reality of the human family, having “lifted up the lowly [and] filled the hungry with good things” (Luke 1:52-53).
While God could have chosen any way for the good news of the kingdom to break into human history, the reality is that God chose Mary and Elizabeth, and they came through. In a day and age when women tended to be overlooked, God’s entrance is made through these women and the children they carry. In a day and age where women were often given little voice, Mary and Elizabeth shout and sing and foretell the miraculous things that are going to come about.
The role of each of these ordinary women is impressive. Look at Mary: she takes off to see Elizabeth up in the Judean hill country all by herself. Whether she goes to give support, or to receive some herself, the fact that she goes at all is incredible. Most historians tell us that people didn’t travel unless there was some culturally compelling reason to do so, and that a woman would never undertake this trip alone. But here is Mary, pregnant with her child, doing the unthinkable.
While Elizabeth had done the more socially and medically accepted thing, she is a formidable woman too. Immediately upon seeing Mary, she shouts out in joy. The child in her womb kicks as Mary enters and Elizabeth overflows in her blessing of Mary. You can just see them, can’t you, throwing their arms in the air and hugging each other, happy to see each other and happy for new beginnings.
Elizabeth also becomes the first person in the story of Luke’s gospel to call Jesus, Lord (Luke 1:43), interestingly the name Jesus will be mainly called after his resurrection. Yet right at the beginning, before he is even born, before the story is set out, Elizabeth recognises the new sign of life that is coming. She is the first to notice.
It is Mary who shows the initiative in going to visit Elizabeth and yet it is the meeting of both women that leads to the blessing and rising up of the Holy Spirit. It is in the interaction and the sharing, when two or three are gathered, that the outpouring of prophetic song is enabled.
As Mary and Elizabeth come together to share their experience, God’s work of resetting the human condition becomes the reality that is joyfully proclaimed. As Mary sings “my soul magnifies the Lord” (1 Luke 46), she is caught up in reflecting the all-encompassing life-force of God, the God who comes to live with humanity and, in doing so, changes our reality.
Do we magnify God in our lives, reflecting all that God has done and is able to do? Do we leap for joy when we think of the difference a relationship with God has made to us? Do we turn our eyes away from power and establishment and influence, and instead focus on God’s kingdom values?
As we patiently await the coming of Jesus, may we continue to work to shift the story of our human family to one that is more in line with the values Jesus spoke of, lived and came to achieve in God’s creation. We might even find moments to leap for joy along the way.
Amen.
We Sing: “Come thou long expected Jesus” – (Click on this link & skip the ads – TIS words below)
Prayer for Others (written by Margaret Lord):
Advent God, who comes to us in hope, peace, love and joy,
we thank you for the hope that sustains us,
for the love that nourishes our hearts,
for peace that enables us to live in friendship with others
and for the joy that lights and inspires our lives.
Yet we know that to live in peace, but ignore the shattered lives of others,
to be loved, and not care for the unloved,
and to celebrate our own enjoyment selfishly,
are all actions that contradict what we know of you,
and which deny the very message we speak.
So on this Sunday in Advent we come together to pray for others:
For those who find it hard to hold on to hope:
– who are buffeted by the hard realities of life.
– who face illness or loss, where things will not “get better”.
– who have tried so hard, and yet….
For those who long for peace:
– people whose lives are stressful for whatever reason or circumstance.
– those devoted to creating and maintaining peace through diplomacy and mediation.
-people dedicated to working for justice, without which there can be no peace.
For those who feel unloved:
– whose life circumstances have been harsh.
– who carry guilt for past estrangements.
– who have maybe come to feel that they are unlovable.
For those for whom joy seems far away:
– whose loneliness is made worse by parties, laughter and other people’s joy.
– bereaved people still hurting from the death of someone they have loved.
– families where everyone’s lives have been damaged by family break-up, and the
dismantling of their hopes.
– older people now living on their own who may not see other people over Christmas.
Lord in their hopelessness, anxiety, and loneliness,
may these your children know the presence of the Wonderful Counsellor,
and receive comfort through us.
In silence you are now invited to pray for those particularly on your mind today.
Let us now join in the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples:
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name;
Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil.
For the Kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever.
Amen.
We Sing: “Tell out, my soul” – (Click on this link & skip the ads – TIS words below)
Blessing:
May the presence of God bring joy into our lives.
May the hope of this season, bring peace into this world.
May this time of preparation bring space to our lives
for faith to grow and spread,
this day and every day.
Go with the Advent promises of hope, peace, love and joy.
And the blessing of God,
Creator, Redeemer and Comforter,
go with you.
Amen.
Thanks to all those who have assisted in preparation for this liturgy with encouragement, prayers and conversation. I have also utilised the following resources:- Spill the Beans (Issue 41), By The Well Podcast, Texts for Preaching, Ministry Matters, and Billabong Worship Resources.