During Advent we anticipate Christ’s coming as an infant as well as Christ’s return, when the earth will be renewed and all will be well. We should be startled and amazed by that reality—that Christ, a member of the Trinity, God’s own self, came down from heaven to earth. What kind of God does that? Who is this God that became like one of us? What is God like?
In this series we take on the curiosity of a wondering child as we examine different aspects of God’s character. This series was originally conceived with weekly readings from What Is God Like?, a book by Rachel Held Evans and Matthew Paul Turner and beautifully illustrated by the Malaysian artist Ying Hui Tan (Convergent Books, 2021). But this series works equally well if you choose not to include the readings.
Some additional ideas for engaging your congregation with the question “What is God like?” include finding a couple of teens to make short videos of congregants answering that question—or, if they’re brave, to film the responses of individuals on the street—and then edit the videos to share as a sermon opener. Another approach is to invite children and adults alike to share artistic responses to the question. Then take photos of the responses and display the photos during the series.
If someone were to ask you what God is like, what would your answer be? What descriptive and metaphorical images come to mind?
—RW
WEEK ONE
God Is Like a Fort
Call to Worship
[Reading from What Is God Like?]
The God who makes us feel safe is the God who gives us hope.
Today we light the first Advent candle: the candle of hope.
Song of Gathering
“All Earth Is Waiting” (vs. 1 and 2) Vaquero, LUYH 57, SNC 93
Advent Litany
In this Advent season of waiting on the Lord,
We trust the Lord’s goodness.
We rely on God’s mercy.
We find shelter in God’s steadfast love.
In this Advent season of waiting on the Lord,
We walk in the Lord’s way.
We follow God’s example of love.
We keep our covenant promises.
In this Advent season of waiting,
Remember your love.
Remember each one of us.
Remember your people everywhere.
Forgive us our sins.
In this Advent season of waiting,
Lord, we wait for your salvation.
We wait for your leading.
We wait for your coming.
Amen.
—Harry Boonstra, based on Psalm 25:1–10. Adapted from Reformed Worship 9 © September 1988, Worship Ministries of the Christian Reformed Church.
Song of Praise
“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” Neale (trans.), LUYH 61, GtG 88, SSS 73
God’s Greeting
The God who is there when you feel safe, brave, or loved
is here with you now.
Grace and peace to you from our God.
Call to Confession
When we are children, our understanding of God is both expansive and personal. God is as close as any friend, yet there’s nothing our God cannot do.
Somewhere along the way our view of God often gets smaller and controlled. Our imaginations get stunted, and God is suddenly distant and abstract, an idea rather than a friend.
In this Advent season, as we prepare for the most surprising of actions God has taken— becoming human as a helpless infant— we offer this prayer of confession:
Prayer of Confession
God of mystery and wonder,
forgive us for thinking we can contain you and control you.
We confess that we forget who you are—
a God of delightful surprise and deep belly laughs.
Forgive us for assuming you are distant,
and for forgetting you know what it’s like to be in our skin.
You are bigger than what we can imagine,
but you know every trial and temptation we face.
Revive our imaginations,
restore our childlike faith,
and renew us with wonder and joy,
all for your name’s sake. Amen.
Words of Assurance
Please rise in body or spirit to hear God’s good news for us:
In Jesus, God came into our world and is coming again.
In Jesus, all things will be made new.
In Jesus, we are forgiven and can be at peace.
Thanks be to God!
Together we remind ourselves what it means to live
as God’s forgiven children by singing the words of Jesus:
Seek ye first the kingdom of God.
Call to Holy Living
“Seek Ye First” Lafferty, LUYH 899, GtG 175, SSS 126
Passing the Peace
As God has given us peace through Christ,
so let us be at peace with one another:
The peace of Christ be with you.
And also with you.
Scripture
Psalm 46
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Sermon
“God Is Like a Fort”
Song of Response
“Mary’s Song (Our King of Peace)” Kimbrough, www.wendellk.com
Lord’s Supper
Invitation to the Table
Friends, the table is set for our special meal.
There is bread and wine ready to be shared.
This meal helps us remember Jesus
because he shared meals just like this with his friends.
And as we get ready to celebrate Jesus coming into our world at Christmas,
we look forward to sharing this meal with Jesus when he comes again.
Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
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 the Lord, our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
God, giving you thanks is the right thing to do
because you made us, the world, and everything in it.
All the good things we see come from you.
You have always loved us,
but people have not always loved you.
So you sent Jesus into our world as a child
to show us how to live
and to bring us back to you again.
So we join your people everywhere, singing:
Each week a different version of the Sanctus is sung such as:
“Holy, Holy, Holy,” v. 4 Heber, LUYH 538, GtG 1, SSS 450
Institution
God, we thank you that on the night before Jesus died
Christ shared a meal with his friends.
There he took some bread
and gave thanks to you, God.
He broke it into pieces and gave it to them.
“This is my body,” he said.
“Do this, and remember me.”
Later, he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to you.
He shared it with them and said,
“This is my blood, which brings new life.
Do this, and remember me.”
Consecration
Lord, send your Holy Spirit so that this bread and cup
may be for us the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.
And as we partake may we remember Jesus, who died,
was raised to new life by you
and is alive forever.
May your Spirit make our hearts glad to share that life
and desire to live in him.
Help us care for your world and for each other
in the way that Jesus showed us.
Until Christ comes again,
with all your people
in every time and every land
we worship you and say “Amen.”
Communion
During communion people came forward to stations where they received the elements from church leaders. Each week different music was played.
Sending Song
“Come and Fill Our Hearts” Taizé, LUYH 528, GtG 466
Christmas Resources
Because this series originated in a campus chapel, where most students are gone for Christmas Day, there is no Christmas Eve/Day service in the series. However, there are several Christmas liturgies available through Reformed Worship that would pair well with the series. Consider adapting one of the following:
- “Christmas Is Hope: Glory to God” (RW 29)
- “To Us a Child Is Born” (RW 33)
- “What Child Is This” (RW 93)
- “The Whole Story of Christmas” (RW 105)
WEEK TWO
God Is Like a Gardener
Call to Worship
[Reading from What Is God Like?]
The God who makes us feel brave is the God who showers us with love.
Today we light the first two Advent candles: the candle of hope and the candle of love.
Song of Gathering
“All Earth Is Waiting” (vs. 1 and 2) Vaquero, LUYH 57, SNC 93
Opening Prayer
Loving God,
You bring us hope and joy.
Open our hearts to welcome
your Son, Jesus Christ.
May he find us to be good soil for his good news to grow.
In his name we pray. Amen.
Song of Praise
“Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus” Wesley, LUYH 56, GtG 82, SSS 64
God’s Greeting
The God who is there when you feel safe, brave, or loved
is here with you now.
Grace and peace to you from our God.
Call to Confession
Trusting God is simple, but also hard. It is difficult to have childlike faith. Instead we want to be in charge of our own destinies by getting things right, by having all the right answers. But God is not concerned about us thinking all the right things or even doing all the right things. God longs for us to love and trust. Let us pray.
Prayer of Confession
God, we love you and we trust you—or at least we try to love and trust. Sometimes it is easier to say we trust you when we are really relying on ourselves. It is easier to make following you a mental exercise instead of a way of life. Forgive us. Help us to change. Give us the faith of a child, the trust a young one has in her parents’ love, all so we can love your world even better. Amen.
Words of Assurance
“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!”
—Isaiah 49:15, NIV
Our God is the faithful one, and worthy of our trust. God forgives us and renews us. Thanks be to God!
Because God loves and forgives us, we live for God. We remind ourselves what that means by singing the words of Jesus: Seek ye first the kingdom of God.
Call to Holy Living
“Seek Ye First” Lafferty, LUYH 899, GtG 175, SSS 126
Passing the Peace
As God has given us peace through Christ,
so let us be at peace with one another:
The peace of Christ be with you.
And also with you.
Prayer for Illumination
God who is with us, guide us by your Word. Help us to again receive you in the flesh. May the promised Messiah lead us into all wisdom and truth. Amen.
Scripture
Jeremiah 32:1–15
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Sermon
“God Is Like a Gardener”
Song of Response
“Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming” Baker (trans.), LUYH 79, GtG 129
Lord’s Supper
Sending Song
“Come and Fill Our Hearts” Taizé, LUYH 528, GtG 466
WEEK THREE
God Is Like Light
Call to Worship
[Reading from What Is God Like?]
The God who makes us feel loved is the source of our joy.
Today we light three Advent candles: the candle of hope, the candle of love, and the candle of joy.
Song of Gathering
“Hear Now, You House of David” Ordinary Time, www.ordinarytimemusic.com/music
Advent Litany
In moments of discouragement, even despair:
The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not overcome it.
In moments of confusion, even bewilderment:
The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not overcome it.
In moments of loneliness, even abandonment:
The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not overcome it.
Because Emmanuel came to be God with us:
The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not overcome it.
Song of Praise
“My Soul Cries Out with a Joyful Shout (Canticle of the Turning)” Cooney, LUYH 69, GtG 100, SSS 68
God’s Greeting
The God who is there when you feel safe, brave, or loved
is here with you now.
Grace and peace to you from our God.
Call to Confession
We live in a world of quick fixes. Of two-day delivery. Of television on demand. With computers in our pockets most of the day, we expect immediate responses to texts and emails. So it makes sense, then, that we struggle to sit with hard feelings, that we work hard to rush through or quickly past sadness, heartbreak, and uncertainty—both ours and others’. But as the season of Advent teaches us, light and healing are slow-building things. This morning, let us confess our discomfort with darkness and difficulty and our urge to quickly rush to the light and good news.
Prayer of Confession
God, this morning we confess that we have a hard time with hard times. We want to put bandages on deep wounds and pretend that everything is going to be OK. We want to say magic words and wipe all the tears away. We are shortsighted, and we are control freaks. We are unable to surrender our hurt and discomfort to you, so we often end up causing harm and heartbreak for ourselves and others. God, help us to surrender, help us to heal, and help us to be agents of your persistent, present, and slow-growing light.
We pray this in the name of Jesus, the Light of the world, who stepped into our darkness. Amen.
Words of Assurance
Sisters and brothers in Christ, the promise is true:
God loves us. God forgives us. God is coming to us,
even now, to save us.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
Call to Holy Living
“Seek Ye First” Lafferty, LUYH 899, GtG 175, SSS 126
Passing the Peace
As God has given us peace through Christ,
so let us be at peace with one another:
The peace of Christ be with you.
And also with you.
Prayer for Illumination
Light of the world, shine on us today, so we can see your face and feel the warmth of your love. In your name, Jesus. Amen.
Scripture
John 1:1–5
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Sermon
“God Is Like Light”
Song of Response
“Drive Out the Darkness” The Porter’s Gate, www.theportersgate.com
Lord’s Supper
Sending Song
“Come and Fill Our Hearts” Taizé, LUYH 528, GtG 466
WEEK FOUR
God Is Like a River
Call to Worship
[Reading from What Is God Like?]
Our God is like a refreshing, peaceful river.
Today we light four Advent candles: the candle of hope, the candle of love, the candle of joy,
and the candle of peace.
Song of Gathering
“Hear Now, You House of David” Ordinary Time, www.ordinarytimemusic.com/music
Advent Litany
Our souls proclaim your greatness, O God.
And our spirits rejoice in you.
We will praise you as long as we live.
We will sing praises to you our whole lives long.
We will not trust in the powerful of this world,
but will trust in you—Creator of heaven and earth,
the One who gives food to the hungry,
the One who enacts justice for the oppressed.
Our souls proclaim your greatness, O God,
as we worship you in this place.
Song of Praise
“Mary’s Song (Our King of Peace)” Kimbrough, www.wendellk.com
God’s Greeting
The God who is there when you feel safe, brave, or loved
is here with you now.
Grace and peace to you from our God.
Prayer of Confession
Triune God,
We are here on the cusp of Christmas celebrations,
and we acknowledge that too often
our understanding of the incarnation is tame and controlled.
Because you chose to come to earth as a helpless child,
it is easy to assume we can be in charge of your world, your mission, your purposes.
Forgive us for seeking to control you.
Forgive us for taming the wild and wonderful grace of the Holy Spirit.
Forgive us for seeing your power as our prerogative.
Give us trust so we can turn to you with humble hearts
and believe that your loving purposes
are much deeper and more comprehensive
than our own could ever be. Amen.
Words of Assurance
Please rise in body or spirit.
The Lord shows us grace. The Lord overflows in steadfast love.
Even our mistakes do not separate us from God’s love,
but give us an opportunity to know that God is forgiving.
Children of God, you are forgiven. Be at peace.
Call to Holy Living
“Seek Ye First” Lafferty, LUYH 899, GtG 175, SSS 126
Passing the Peace
As God has given us peace through Christ,
so let us be at peace with one another:
The peace of Christ be with you.
And also with you.
Prayer for Illumination
Faithful God,
you chose Mary, full of grace,
to be the mother of our Sovereign and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Now fill us with your grace, that with her
we may understand your ways,
rejoice in your salvation,
and embrace your will;
through Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
Scripture
Revelation 22:1–7
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Sermon
“God Is Like a River”
Song of Response
“I’ve Got Peace Like a River” Spiritual, GtG 623, SSS 276
Lord’s Supper
Sending Song
“Come and Fill Our Hearts” Taizé, LUYH 528, GtG 466
Reformed Worship subscribers can find the above graphic with variations in the “Art and Visuals” section of the Digital Library.