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Advent (in preparation for the service)

Advent is a season of waiting. During Advent, we are waiting for something to come into the world, something to be born for us and in us. It is an expectant waiting, and it it requires not will, but willingness -- a willingness to receive the new, the unexpected. It requires a decision to be open to the ways God will be at work in our lives. This season is an advent-ure and we have a part to play -- waiting, opening, staying watchful. Something new is coming. Consider that Christmas will be a time of giving and receiving. God has a wonderful gift for you. Prepare to receive it.

 

Call To Worship

L:  How shall we prepare this house for the coming King?

P:  With branches of cedar, the tree of royalty.

L:  How shall we prepare this house for the coming of our
     Savior?

P:  With wreaths of holly and ivy, telling of his passion,
     death, and resurrection.

L:  How shall we prepare our hearts for the coming of the
     Christ?

P:  By hearing again the words of the prophets, who foretold
     the saving work of God.

L:  For God did not send the Son into the world to condemn
     the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

All:  Glory to God in the Highest!

Prayer of Preparation

 God of justice and God of mercy, on this second Sunday of Advent we await the glorious return of your Anointed One.

We wait with confidence. We trust in your mercy, because you have promised us a kingdom under the righteous rule of your Messiah.  Yours will be a Kingdom of justice, peace, and compassion.  A world without strife, wars, hunger, and pain. 

Prepare our hearts and minds for your purposes. May we be able to prepare the way for Christ into the hearts of the people in our neighborhood, community, nation, and world. God of all nations, races, confessions, and cultures; in Christ you became one with us in our humanity. Enable us to live as grace-filled people, spreading the good news wherever we go in Jesus name. Amen.

 

Lighting The Second Candle Of The Advent Wreath

General Introduction (repeated each week or not as desired) Our Advent Wreath reminds us of the approaching celebration of Jesus' birth
* the evergreen leaves remind us that God's love is everlasting
* the round wreath symbolizes God's eternal love
* the light of the candles stands for the light which Jesus brought into a dark world.
Each Sunday in Advent another of the candles in the circle is lit. The Christ candle is lit at midnight on Christmas Eve (or on Christmas Day if no Christmas Eve service).

Responsive Reading for 2nd Advent:

L: We light this candle as a symbol of Christ the Way.

P:  May the Word sent from God through the prophets
     lead us to the way of salvation.

L:  May the Love of Christ fill our hearts and minds;

P:  May we be found faithful to His commission on the Day
      of our Lord's glorious return.

Hymn: O come, O come, Emmanuel, or other Advent hymn