This is part of the worship series,
"Be Not Afraid”
Series Introduction and Prelude
Advent 1 | Advent 2 | Advent 3 | Advent 4 |
Longest Night | Christmas Eve | Epiphany 1 | Epiphany 2
Advent 1
The Hopes and Fears of All the Years
We Wait and We Hope
Choral Introit
“Comfort, My People” Callanan
Advent Candle Lighting: Hope
On this first Sunday of Advent, we light the candle of hope. [Light candle.] Isaiah gives us a vision of a kingdom yet to come where everything has been made new and where creation is at peace. “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—and he will delight in the fear of the Lord” (Isaiah 11:1–3). We light this candle of hope as a sign of our waiting and expectation for the coming Christ.
Song
“Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming” German
Responsive Reading
I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
my soul waits for the Lord
more than those who watch for the morning.
We wait and we hope.
O Israel, hope in the Lord!
For with the Lord there is steadfast love,
and with him is great power to redeem.
We wait and we hope.
Glory to God the Father, to Jesus the Messiah, and to the Holy Spirit.
We wait and we hope. Amen.
—adapted from Psalm 130:5–7, NRSVUE
Songs
“Christ, Be Our Light” (vs. 1, 2, 4, and 5) Farrell
“Here I Am to Worship” Hughes
Prayer of Confession
We wait and we hope. For many of us, Christmas feels like a time in which we do neither. The season has become one of parties and extra activities, plans with family, year-end deadlines, and purchasing gifts. There is not much space for us to wait and feel hopeful. So this morning we begin our time of prayer by carving out some space for silence, for silent prayers to God or maybe just for silence before God.
[Silence]
Emmanuel, God with us, in this Advent season, we confess how difficult it is to slow down. We don’t want to wait patiently for anything, and instead we buy into the busyness of the season, leading many of us to feel a lack of joy and a lack of hope. When we look at the world around us, it’s hard to feel hopeful about the world, about our nation, about ourselves. We are surrounded by death, destruction, and pain, and we long for a day when your promised kingdom comes to make all things new. Give us hope that this day is indeed coming, and help us to rest in this because your promises are always true. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon
Our hope for a new creation is not tied to what humans can do, for we believe that one day every challenge to God’s rule will be crushed. His kingdom will fully come, and the Lord will rule. Come, Lord Jesus, come.
—Our World Belongs to God, para. 55, © 2008, Christian Reformed Church in North America, Grand Rapids MI. www.crcna.org. Used by permission.
Song
“Eternal Weight of Glory” Kimbrough
We Rest in God’s Word
Scripture Reading
Isaiah 11:1–10
Message
“The Hopes and Fears of All the Years”
Prayer of Response
Eternal God, for whom all people wait and search, open our eyes, closed by fear and blinded by self-pity, that we may see clearly the anxieties and uncertainties that beset our days. These are the very circumstances that make us impatient for your return.
—Adapted from John T. Ames, Let Us Pray; Reformed Prayers for Christian Worship. Edited by Martha S. Gilliss. © 2002, Geneva Press. Used by permission.
Refrain: The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee, O Christ. (“O Little Town of Bethlehem,” adapted Brooks)
For all those whose fears cause them to fight, who are caught up in conflicts or escalating tensions; for people and nations who bait and taunt one another, who threaten violence, who begin and perpetuate wars: teach us vulnerability to name our fears, to experience hope, and to trust in you.
Refrain
For all those whose fears cause them to fly, who cannot name or feel or know the depths of their own sorrow or anger, who are so hidden they cannot even find themselves, who pretend when the work of holiness demands honesty: teach us vulnerability to name our fears, to experience hope, and to trust in you.
Refrain
For all those whose fears cause them to freeze, who feel stuck in patterns and behaviors they know are not healthy or wise but do not know how to do or to be anything other than what they’ve always done and always been; for people and nations stuck in the way things have always been, who are afraid to imagine a new way forward: teach us vulnerability to name our fears, to experience hope, and to trust in you.
Refrain
Remember your church, O Christ; send your Spirit of unity, courage, and holiness. Give joy to all your faithful servants; have mercy on all who suffer persecution for your name’s sake; uphold them by your strong Spirit. Bring an end to divisions between Christians; gather us in one visible communion. Teach us vulnerability to name our fears, to experience hope, and to trust in you.
—Adapted from an ecumenical prayer from France
Refrain
We pray for all who are leading the nations. Give them a sense of what is right, that they may work toward peace, the common good, and human flourishing for all. Call each of us as we enter our workplaces, communities, and homes to bring your presence with us, bearing signs of your light in dim and dark places. Teach us vulnerability to name our fears, to experience hope, and to trust in you.
—Adapted from an ecumenical prayer from France
Refrain
Eternal God, ever faithful to your promises, the earth rejoices in hope of our Savior’s coming and looks forward with longing to his return at the end of time. Prepare our hearts to receive him when he comes, for he is Lord forever and ever. Amen.
—Adapted from Baker’s Worship Handbook: Traditional and Contemporary Service Resources. Paul E. Engle. Baker Books, a division of Baker Book House Company, 1998. © 1998, Paul E. Engle. Used by permission. bakerpublishinggroup.com.
