2
Advent b December 7, 2014
Is.
40:1-11 Psalm 85:1-2,8-13
2 Peter 3:8-15a,18 Mark 1:1-8
Sunday School Themes
Light two Advent Candles today as we count down towards Christmas
On the Jesse Tree, add pictures of honey and locust to signify the diet of John the Baptist
Introduce John the Baptist as a "set up man" for Jesus
Teach them about the Baptism of John the Baptist and why the Jordan River Baptism is important
John the Baptist taught that even though people were born into a faith tradition, each person had to renew their individual commitment to God.
The Jordan River was the last crossing for the people of Israel to enter their Promised Land
The Baptism of John meant that each person had to enter the Promised Land by personal choice
Talk about John's dress and diet and how he lived in the wilderness so he could hear God clearly and not be distracted by life in the city.
Talk about the fancy religious word for education: Repentance.
Repentance means the future state of mind that one has after learning something new.
But repentance means that after we learn new things we also change our behaviors.
A sermon lesson for this day:
What does a blocker do in football for a
running back? He pushes and shoves
tacklers out of the way so the running back can run far with ball.
What do we use bulldozers and earthmovers
for? We used them to build straight and
level roads so we can get places quicker in our cars.
Today we read about a man named John the
Baptist. And John the Baptist is a
person who was like a blocker or like a bulldozer.
He was like a blocker, in that he pushed
aside everything, to prepare a way for Jesus Christ. He was like a bulldozer in that he was trying
to help people come directly to knowledge of God.
John the Baptist lived a very different
life. He camped out all of the time. He lived out amongst the wild animals all of
the time. He probably slept in
caves. He wore a camel hair robe and do
you know what he ate: He ate
grasshoppers and honey?
John came and he wasn’t very popular, because
he saw some things that were wrong that needed to be corrected. And no one likes to be corrected, do we? When our parents or teachers correct us, it
is not always fun. But why do they
correct us? Because they want us to be
better.
John the Baptist corrected people, because he
believed that they could be better. And
he really wanted them to be introduced to Jesus Christ. Because Jesus Christ
was an important gift from God to us.
Today, when we think about John the Baptist,
let us remember that sometimes we need to be corrected so that we can get
better. What If we never were corrected, then we could not get better. It does not always feel good to be corrected,
but remember we do want to get better.
And the only way to get better is to have someone show us how.
Jesus Christ showed us how to be
better. He showed how to love God with
all our hearts and how to love our neighbors.
Let us be thankful today for the people that God gives to us to help
correct our behavior so that we can become better. That is what the season of Advent is about:
Correcting our behavior so that we can be better. Amen.
Family Service with
Holy Eucharist
December 7,
2014: The Second Sunday of Advent
Gathering Songs: Light a Candle, Prepare
the Way of the Lord; Jesus Stand Among Us, Lord, I Lift Your Name on High
Song: Light A Candle (tune: Jimmy Crack Corn)
1
Light a candle for hope today, light a candle for hope
today, light a candle for hope today.
Advent time is here.
2
Light a candle for peace today,…….
Liturgist:
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy
Spirit.
People: And Blessed be God’s kingdom, now and
forever. Amen.
Liturgist:
Oh God, Our hearts are open to you.
And you know us and we can hide nothing from you.
Prepare our hearts and our minds to love you and
worship you.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Liturgist: The
Lord be with you.
People: And also with you.
Liturgist: Let us pray
Stir up your power, O Lord, and with
great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let
your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus
Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now
and for ever. Amen.
First Litany of Praise: Alleluia
(chanted)
O God, you are Great! Alleluia
O God, you have made us! Alleluia
O God, you have made yourself known to us! Alleluia
O God, you have provided us with us a Savior! Alleluia
O God, you have given us a Christian family! Alleluia
O God, you have forgiven our sins! Alleluia
O God, you brought your Son Jesus back from the dead! Alleluia
Liturgist: A reading
from the Prophet Isaiah
A
voice cries out: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD, make
straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level,
and the rough places a plain.
Liturgist: The Word of the Lord
People: Thanks be to God
Liturgist: Let
us read together from Psalm 85
and to those who turn their hearts to him.
Children’s Creed
Doxology
Our grateful praise we offer to you God, our Creator;
You have made us in your image
And then you gave us your Son, Jesus, born of Mary, nurtured by Joseph
Post-Communion Prayer
Everlasting God, we have gathered for the meal that Jesus asked us to keep;
People: Thanks be to God!
and to those who turn their hearts to him.
Children’s Creed
Doxology
Our grateful praise we offer to you God, our Creator;
You have made us in your image
And then you gave us your Son, Jesus, born of Mary, nurtured by Joseph
Post-Communion Prayer
Everlasting God, we have gathered for the meal that Jesus asked us to keep;
People: Thanks be to God!
I will listen to what the LORD God is saying, * for he is
speaking peace to his faithful people
Truly, his salvation is very near to those who fear him, *
that his glory may dwell in our land.
Mercy and truth have met together; * righteousness and peace
have kissed each other.
Litany Phrase: Thanks
be to God! (chanted)
Liturgist:
For the good earth,
for our food and clothing. Thanks
be to God!
For our families and
friends. Thanks be to God!
For the talents and
gifts that you have given to us.
Thanks be to God!
For this day of worship. Thanks be to God!
For health and for a
good night’s sleep. Thanks be to
God!
For work and for play. Thanks be to God!
For teaching and for
learning. Thanks be to God!
For the happy events
of our lives. Thanks be to God!
For the celebration
of the birthdays and anniversaries of our friends and parish family.
Thanks
be to God!
Liturgist: The
Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark
People: Glory to you, Lord Christ.
The beginning of the
good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,
"See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will
prepare your way; the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: `Prepare the
way of the Lord, make his paths straight,'" John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness,
proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people
from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem
were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan ,
confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel's hair, with a leather
belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed,
"The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy
to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with
water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."
Liturgist: The Gospel of the Lord.
People: Praise to you, Lord
Christ.
Sermon – Father Phil
We did not make
ourselves, so we believe that God the Father is the maker of the world.
Since God is so great
and we are so small,
We believe God came
into our world and was born as Jesus, son of the Virgin Mary.
We need God’s help
and we believe that God saved us by the life, death and
resurrection of Jesus Christ.
We believe that God
is present with us now as the Holy Spirit.
We believe that we
are baptized into God’s family the Church where everyone is
welcome.
We believe that
Christ is kind and fair.
We believe that we
have a future in knowing Jesus Christ.
And since we all must
die, we believe that God will preserve us forever. Amen.
Intercession
Litany Phrase: Christ,
have mercy. (chanted)
For fighting and war to cease in our world. Christ, have mercy.
For peace on earth and good will towards all. Christ, have mercy.
For the safety of all who travel. Christ, have mercy.
For jobs for all who need them. Christ, have mercy.
For care of those who are growing old. Christ, have mercy.
For the safety, health and nutrition of all the children in
our world. Christ, have mercy.
For the well-being of our families and friends. Christ, have mercy.
For the good health of those we know to be ill. Christ, have mercy.
For the remembrance of those who have died. Christ, have mercy.
For the forgiveness of all of our sins. Christ, have mercy.
Liturgist: The
Peace of the Lord be always with you.
People: And also with you.
Song during the preparation of the Altar and the receiving
of an offering.
Offertory
Song: Prepare the Way of the Lord (Renew! # 92) Sing four times
Prepare the way of the Lord. Prepare the way of the Lord,
and all people will see the salvation of our God.
Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him, all
creatures here below.
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host. Praise Father, Son, and
Holy Ghost.
Prologue to the
Eucharist
Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, for to them belong
the kingdom of heaven.”
All become members of a family by birth or adoption.
Baptism is a celebration of our birth into the family of
God.
A family meal gathers and sustains each human family.
The Holy Eucharist is the special meal that Jesus gave to
his friends to keep us together as the family of Christ.
The Lord be with you
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts
We lift them up to
the Lord.
Let us give thanks to God.
It is right to give God thanks and praise.
It is very good and right to give thanks, because God made
us, Jesus redeemed us and the Holy Spirit dwells in our hearts. Therefore with Angels and Archangels and all
of the world that we see and don’t see, we forever sing this hymn of praise:
Holy, Holy, Holy (Intoned)
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God
of Power and Might. Heav’n and earth are
full of your glory.
Hosanna in the
highest. Blessed is he who comes in the
name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
Hosanna in the Highest.
(Children may gather around the altar)
The Celebrant now
praises God for the salvation of the world through Jesus Christ our Lord.
And you gave us many men and women of faith to help us to
live by faith:
Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob
and Rachael.
And he called us to be sons and daughters of God.
Your Son called us to live better
lives and he gave us this Holy Meal so that when we eat
the bread and drink
the wine, we can know that the Presence
of Christ is as near to us as
this food and
drink that becomes a part of us.
And so, Father, we bring
you these gifts of bread and wine. Bless and sanctify them by your Holy Spirit
to be for your people the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ our Lord. Bless and sanctify us by your Holy Spirit so
that we can we love God and our neighbor.
On the night when Jesus was
betrayed he took bread, said the blessing, broke the bread, and gave it to his
friends, and said, "Take, eat: This is my Body, which is given for you. Do
this for the remembrance of me."
After supper, Jesus took
the cup of wine, gave thanks, and said, "Drink this, all of you. This is
my Blood of the new Covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the
forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of
me."
Father, we now celebrate
the memorial of your Son. When we eat this holy Meal of Bread and Wine, we are
telling the entire world about the life, death and resurrection of Christ and
that his presence will be with us in our future.
Let this holy meal keep
us together as friends who share a special relationship because of your Son
Jesus Christ. May we forever live with
praise to God to whom we belong as sons and daughters.
By Christ, and with
Christ, and in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit all honor and glory
is yours, Almighty Father, now and for ever. AMEN.
And
now as our Savior Christ has taught us, we now sing,
(Children rejoin their parents and take up
their instruments)
Our Father: (Renew # 180, West Indian Lord’s Prayer)
Our Father who art in
heaven: Hallowed be thy name.
Thy Kingdom come, Thy
Will be done: Hallowed be thy name.
Done on earth as it is
in heaven: Hallowed be thy name.
Give us this day our
daily bread: Hallowed be thy name.
And forgive us all our debts: Hallowed be thy name.
As we forgive our debtors: Hallowed be thy name.
Lead us not into temptation: Hallowed be thy name.
But deliver us from evil: Hallowed be thy name.
Thine is the kingdom, power, and glory: Hallowed be thy name.
Forever and ever: Hallowed be thy name.
Amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.
Amen, amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.
Breaking
of the Bread
Celebrant: Alleluia.
Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.
People: Therefore let us keep the feast.
Alleluia!
Words of Administration
Communion Song:
Jesus Stand Among Us, (Renew! #17)
1-Jesus stand among us, at the meeting of our
lives, be our sweet agreement at the meeting of our eyes; O, Jesus, we love
You, so we gather here, join our hearts in unity and take away our fear.
2-So to You we’re gathering out of each and
every land. Christ the love between us
at the
joining of our
hand; O, Jesus, we love You, so we gather here, join our hearts in unity and
take away our fear.
3-Jesus stand among us, the breaking of the
bread, join us as one body as we worship Your, our Head. O, Jesus, we love You, so we gather here,
join our hearts in unity and take away our fear.
We have remembered
his words of blessing on the bread and the wine.
And His Presence has been known to us.
We have remembered
that we are sons and daughters of God and brothers
and sisters in Christ.
Send us forth now
into our everyday lives remembering that the blessing in the
bread and wine spreads into each time,
place and person in our lives,
As we are ever
blessed by you, O Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Closing Song: Lord, I Lift Your Name on High (Renew! # 4)
Lord I lift your
name on high; Lord, I love to sing your praises. I’m so glad you’re in my life;
I’m so glad you
came to save us. You came from heaven to
earth to show the way,
from earth to the
cross my debt to pay. From the cross to
the grave, from the grave to the sky;
Lord, I lift your
name on high.
Dismissal
Liturgist: Let us
go forth in the Name of Christ.
