James C. Dekker

This sending litany originally appeared in "Amazing Love—Advent 3: A Second Honeymoon."SendingPeace to all, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.Lord, send the living waters of your Spirit to enliven us, to bring forth new love and life. Immanuel, come quickly.In the name of Christ, whose birth we remember, whose coming we await, go in peace to love and serve the Lord.

This prayer of confession originally appeared in "Amazing Love—Advent 3: A Second Honeymoon."Prayer of ConfessionLord, we confess that so often we have not shared the love that you gave us through Jesus.O Lord, grant us a loving spirit. Fill us with abundance and teach us to share your love with others.

This call to worship originally appeared in "Amazing Love—Advent 3: A Second Honeymoon."Call to WorshipPrepare the way for the Lord.Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low.Crooked roads will become straight, the rough ways smooth.All the people will see God’s salvation.—based on Isaiah 40:3–5Revised Common LectionaryYear B: Advent—Second Sunday of Advent

This call to worship originally appeared in "Amazing Love—Advent 2: All in the Family."SendingAs we anticipate Jesus’ birth with great excitement, may we also find peace in the knowledge of Christ’s salvation, who was the shepherd of his people Israel.Lord, shine in our hearts and lives, lead us in our way, and guide us in our walk. In this Advent season, we stand on tiptoe, awaiting your coming. Immanuel, invade our lives.In the name of Christ, whose birth we remember, whose coming we await, go in peace to love and serve the Lord.

This call to worship originally appeared in "Amazing Love—Advent 2: All in the Family."Call to ConfessionLord, you were favorable to your land;    you restored the fortunes of Jacob.You forgave the iniquity of your people;    you pardoned all their sin.Let me hear what God the Lord will speak,    for he will speak peace to his people,    to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts.Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him,    that his glory may dwell in our land.Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet;    righteousness and peace will kiss each other.Faithfulness will spring up from the ground,    and righteousness will look down from the sky.The Lord will give what is good,    and our land will yield its increase.Righteousness will go before him    and will make a path for his steps.—Psalm 85:1–2, 8–13 NRSVUEPrayer of ConfessionLord, we confess that sometimes we do not feel your presence. We often live in distress and sorrow.O Lord, let your face shine on us again. Show your might and deliver us from evil, that we may experience your peace. Amen.Revised Common LectionaryYear A: Season after Pentecost—Proper 14 (19)Year B: Advent—Second Sunday of AdventYear B: Season after Pentecost—Proper 10 (15)Year C: Season after Pentecost—Proper 12 (17)

This sending litany originally appeared in "Amazing Love—Advent 1: God's Love Rejected."SendingMay our Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father and God’s Spirit, who have given us such encouragement and bright hope, strengthen us in every good word and deed.Lord, fill us with hope, enlarge our vision that we may trust and reflect your promises. Immanuel, come quickly.

This candle lighting originally appeared in the Advent series "Amazing Love: An Advent Series Based on Hosea."Lighting the Advent Wreath—Week 1Child: Why do we light the first Advent candle?Parent: We light one candle today because this candle represents our time of waiting for the coming Savior. This first candle reminds us of the light of hope that the prophets promised to us in the Old Testament. Each Sunday in Advent we will light one more candle as the promise unfolds.Child: Who will bring this light of hope to the world?Parent: Jesus is coming! The promise of the prophets is coming true. Jesus, the light of the world, has come to earth and will come again.Lighting the Advent Wreath—Week 2Child: Why do we light this second Advent candle?Parent: We light two candles today because the second candle points to the peace that God gave to us through Jesus.Child: Why do we light one more candle each Sunday in Advent?Parent: Because Jesus is coming again. Because light gradually pushes out darkness. Jesus, the light of the world has come to earth and will come again.Lighting the Advent Wreath—Week 3Child: What does this third Advent candle mean?Parent: We light three candles today because the third candle means love, which God gave to us through Jesus. Jesus’ birth and the coming of God’s love was first told to Mary and has since been spread through all the world. We too must share Jesus’ love with each other.Child: Why do we light one more candle each Sunday in Advent?Parent: Because Jesus is coming again. Because as light gradually pushes out darkness, love gradually pushes out hate. Jesus, the light of the world has come to earth and will come again.Lighting the Advent Wreath—Week 4Child: Why do we light four candles today?Parent: We light four candles today because it is the shortest, darkest time of the year. We need more light today than ever.Child: I remember too that Jesus is the light of the world.Parent: Every candle we light reminds us that the light of Jesus pushes darkness away from our livesAdvent Candle Song“Light One Candle”(st. 1) Sleeth Note: This song is best used by adding one stanza each week and adapting the music where needed to end appropriately.

This litany of confession originally appeared in "Amazing Love—Advent 1: God's Love Rejected."Advent Litany of ConfessionIn 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,Lord, forget our sins. Remember your love. Remember each one of us. Remember your people everywhere.In this Advent season of waiting,Lord, we wait for your salvation. We wait for your leading. We wait for your coming.—based on Psalm 25:1–10Prayer of ConfessionO Lord, forgive our sins, even though they are great. We come before you, knowing that we have failed to follow you. Lord, turn to us and be gracious to us, for without you we are lonely and distressed. We look to you for refuge, because our hope is in you.—based on Psalm 25:11–22Revised Common LectionaryYear C: Advent—First Sunday of Advent

This is part of the worship series, "Amazing Love—An Advent Series Based on Hosea"Series Introduction Advent 1 | Advent 2 | Advent 3 | Advent 4Fourth Sunday in AdventFlourish Like GrainScriptureHosea 14; John 12:23–26Song Suggestions for Week Four“My Soul in Stillness Waits” Haugen“Change My Heart, O God” Espinosa“Savior of the Nations, Come,” Luther “Breathe on Me, Breath of God” Hatch “O Christians, Haste” Thomson“To God Be the Glory” Mills Call to Worship From Scripture: Psalm 96In Song: “Humble Thyself in the Sight of the Lord” HudsonLighting the Advent WreathChild: Why do we light four candles today?Parent: We light four candles today because today is the shortest, darkest day of the year. We need more light today than ever.Child: I remember too that Jesus is the light of the world.Parent: Every candle we light reminds us that the light of Jesus pushes darkness away from our lives and God’s world.Advent Candle Song“Light One Candle”(st. 1–4) Sleeth  Sermon Helps: “Flourish Like Grain”The final Advent sermon before the Christmas celebration is based on the surprisingly joyful and hopeful chapter 14. Replete with images of growth and blossoming, this passage must surely have seemed unrealistic during Assyria’s great threat to Israel’s territory and sovereignty. And, in fact, Israel did succumb to Assyria’s conquest. So then, where were hope and joy?This passage reminds God’s people not to place hope in human might as Israel had done by trying alliances with Egypt, even with Assyria itself. (Psalm 146 would surely be a fitting reference somewhere in this service, perhaps as a reading immediately following the sermon.) Instead, God promises to change the definition of prosperity and security. Love and forgiveness will replace superiority and power politics.Two images from the Scripture passages can be used in this sermon for vivid communication of Christian truth. From Hosea 14 comes the image of “dew to Israel.” In that arid land, the dew would at rare times be so heavy that it would provide enough moisture for growth. That is, int he most unlikely place and time, God’s love, blessing, and power can take root and flourish. Yet the second image from John 12 of the seed dying turns human attention to Christ—who flourished by dying, who turned human power upside down.Thus in Advent and at Christmas, which is the time of God’s “coming down,” God’s people also must look forward to Good Friday, to the death of God’s Son and Seed, and to Jesus’ resurrection. Jesus sacrificed himself—but in dying brought new life. God’s people can sacrifice themselves by bringing hope and life to hopeless refugees, by waiting for wayward children. Or, to return to the guiding image of Hosea, a closing example can be made of a spouse sacrificing herself or himself, waiting beyond human endurance for the other to return.   Revised Common LectionaryYear B: Advent—Fourth Sunday of Advent

This is part of the worship series, "Amazing Love—An Advent Series Based on Hosea"Series Introduction Advent 1 | Advent 2 | Advent 3 | Advent 4Third Sunday of AdventA Second HoneymoonScriptureHosea 3Song Suggestions for Week Three“My Soul in Stillness Waits” Haugen“Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus” Wesley “Lord, I Pray” Keegstra- De Boer “Comfort, Comfort, Now My People” Olearius“Angels from the Realms of Glory” Montgomery “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” Wesley Call to WorshipWhen the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,    we were like those who dream.Then our mouth was filled with laughter    and our tongue with shouts of joy;then it was said among the nations,    “The Lord has done great things for them.”The Lord has done great things for us,    and we rejoiced.Restore our fortunes, O Lord,    like the watercourses in the Negeb.May those who sow in tears    reap with shouts of joy.Those who go out weeping,    bearing the seed for sowing,shall come home with shouts of joy,    carrying their sheaves.—Psalm 126 NRSVUE OR the following reading.Prepare the way for the Lord.Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low.Crooked roads will become straight, the rough ways smooth.All the people will see God’s salvation.—based on Isaiah 40:3–5Prayer of ConfessionLord, we confess that so often we have not shared the love that you gave us through Jesus.O Lord, grant us a loving spirit. Fill us with abundance and teach us to share your love with others.Lighting the Advent WreathChild: What does this third Advent candle mean?Parent: We light three candles today because the third candle means love, which God gave to us through Jesus. Jesus’ birth and the coming of God’s love was first told to Mary and has since been spread through all the world. We too must share Jesus’ love with each other.Child: Why do we light one more candle each Sunday in Advent?Parent: Because Jesus is coming again. Because as light gradually pushes out darkness, love gradually pushes out hate. Jesus, the light of the world has come to earth and will come again.Advent Candle Song  “Light One Candle”(st. 1–3) Sleeth Sermon Helps: “God’s Love Returned: The Second Honeymoon”The theme of Hosea 3 returned us to the marriage motif. This very brief chapter recalls the conditions of reconciliation between Hosea and Gomer—in other words, between God and his “spouse” Israel.Both for review purposes and because the vein of marriage issues is so rich to mine, this passage provided an opportunity to explore ways that we break our vows with God. The emphasis in this sermon differed significantly from that of the first Sunday in Advent by looking beyond individual examples of unfaithfulness to broader societal issues. Imagine, for example, how an invisible God feels when we ignore him in our age of visible technology and power, in an age of powerful laptops and one hundred channels. We often are tempted to think God is not much of a god.In such a situation of betrayal and abandonment, though, God doesn’t let things lie. God’s Word comes again, as in the living parable of Hosea and Gomer’s marriage. Hosea takes the first step towards reconciliation—as God does with erring people at any time, as God did with Israel in her history, time and again.Here the compelling image of a second honeymoon—both from the bulletin cover/banner and in a description—can show ways to keep our relationship with God in shape. Good and honorable relationships in life can grow from that root. For a relationship to revive or grow in a place where there’s deep betrayal or merely normal daily friction—be that a marriage, a friendship, a church, a committee, a business, or a job—somebody has to make the start. God did and does that in history, in Christ, so people can do that on a human scale.DismissalPeace to all, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.Lord, send the living waters of your Spirit to enliven us, to bring forth new love and life. Immanuel, come quickly.In the name of Christ, whose birth we remember, whose coming we await, go in peace to love and serve the Lord.Revised Common LectionaryYear B: Advent—Third Sunday of Advent