This is part of the worship series,
"Amazing Love—An Advent Series Based on Hosea"
Series Introduction
Advent 1 | Advent 2 | Advent 3 | Advent 4
Second Sunday of Advent
All in the Family
Scripture
Hosea 11
Song Suggestions for Week Two
“My Soul in Stillness Waits” Haugen
“How Bright Appears the Morning Star” Nicolai
“My Faith Looks Up to Thee” Palmer
“Comfort, Comfort, Now My People” Olearius
“Our God Reigns” Smith
“Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence” Moultrie
“Joy to the World” Watts
Call to Worship
The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ.
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,’ ”
so John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And the whole Judean region 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 strap of his sandals. I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
—Mark 1:1–8 NRSVUE
OR
Lift up your heads, O gates!
and be lifted up, O ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in!
Who is the King of glory?
The Lord, strong and mighty,
the Lord, mighty in battle.
Lift up your heads, O gates!
and be lifted up, O ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in!
Who is this King of glory?
The Lord of hosts,
he is the King of glory.
—Psalm 24:7–10 NRSVUE
Call to Confession
Lord, 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 NRSVUE
Prayer of Confession
Lord, 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.
Lighting the Advent Wreath
Child: 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.
Advent Candle Song
“Light One Candle”(st. 1–2) Sleeth
Sermon Helps: “All in the Family”
This sermon opened with a true story of grieving parents who had raised their children lovingly, devotedly. Of the children, two ran off—hence the bulletin image—and broke contact with the family. Already suffering greatly, the parents’ devastation grew when one child died violently, and his body was never discovered.
That story provided the link to God’s reminiscences in Hosea 11 about how God had cared for his children Israel, “teaching Ephraim to walk.” It gave ample room to review briefly God’s history with Israel—this time not in terms of a spouse, as in Hosea 1, but in terms of parents—thus the major difference from the sermon of the first Sunday in Advent.
Parents do a lot of laughing as they teach their kids to walk, watching them tumble and get up. They also do a lot of rescuing. I recalled one occasion when my father pulled me from deep water. God did a lot of rescuing of his children—quails, manna, judges, and more. Kids rarely realize how deeply devoted parents are involved in their lives until they bear their own children.
Though homiletically risky, this passage provides a way that is scripturally faithful to portray God’s profound emotional and spiritual devotion to his children. Preachers might as well make the risky leap to get that across; we’re only trying to retell what God has told and lived.
While potentially a thoroughly dark sermon, this passage ends with an image of the lion-strong God roaring to call his children back. That is powerful mercy. The sermon too should end with a reminder of God’s faithful suffering and unexpected power. God is like a father whose son cracks up the car for the third time and is terribly injured in the accident; the father cries over the boy’s hospital bed in a combination of rejection, pain, and endless love. “Son, I begged you to drive carefully. Look what you’ve done to yourself. I don’t know now if you’ll ever walk again, much less drive. But I’m here anyway.” God’s presence is exactly what Advent recalls and promises.
Dismissal
As 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.
Revised Common Lectionary
Year B: Advent—Second Sunday in Advent
