Advent 2020 | A Great Light: A Little Light (November 29, 2020)

Please participate in the following liturgy, reading aloud all the parts in bold italics.

Welcome & Invitation

Call to Worship

We find the mighty God in the most unlikely places.
An empty tomb, an infant in a stable.

Today, may we find him afresh, slipping through each crack of the unlikely corners of our lives.
Come, Lord Jesus.

Bless the Lord who forgives all our sins.
His mercy endures forever.

Song: All Who Are Thirsty

All who are thirsty
All who are weak
Come to the fountain
  Dip your heart in the stream of life

Let the pain and the sorrow
Be washed away
In the waves of His mercy
  As deep cries out to deep (we sing)

Come, Lord Jesus, come
    Abba Father, come
       Holy Spirit, come

Scripture Readings: Isaiah 9:2-7

“The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine… For you will break the yoke of their slavery and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders…

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end.”

The Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God

Song: All Things Right

In a broken world, this will be our hope
  Jesus is coming, your Kingdom is coming

We will sing these words
  from the depth of our souls
  Jesus is coming, your Kingdom is coming

Though walking in darkness,
   we have seen a great light
The King has come, to set all things right

Emmanuel, God with us, heaven’s plan
   Jesus is coming, your Kingdom is coming
Justice and peace, power and love, in our hands
   Jesus is coming, your Kingdom is coming

And the government is on His shoulders
  And His reign will ever increase
Wonderful counselor, Mighty God
  Eternal Father, Prince of Peace

Centering Prayer: The Candles of Advent

Scripture Reading: Matthew 5:14-16

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

The Gospel of the Lord
Praise to You, Lord Christ

Homily: A Little Light

Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor:

All:
Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you
in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done,
and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart;
we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
For the sake of Your Son Jesus Christ,
have mercy on us and forgive us;
that we may delight in Your will,
and walk in Your ways, to the glory of Your Name.
Amen.

Silent confession (space to confess our sins and wait in God’s presence).

The Lord has already shown you mercy.
The Lord has already had compassion on you.
The cross of Jesus has turned mourning into dancing,
And washed clean the ashes of repentance.
Jesus strengthens our weak knees
When we still have a long way to go.
Be free! We are forgiven.
Laugh out loud! We are forgiven.
Love God with everything! We are loved.

Silent assurance (space to receive God’s merciful love and say “thank you” in response)

The Great Thanksgiving (Eucharist & Sacrament of Desire)

Now let’s draw near in the presence of our Savior.

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.

And so this day, we join with Saints and Angels
in the chorus of praise that rings through eternity,
lifting our voices to bless you we say:

Holy, Holy, Holy
Lord God Almighty
heaven and earth are full of Your glory,
Glory to you, O Lord most high.

On the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying,
“This is my body given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

In the same way he took the cup saying,
“This cup is the new covenant sealed in my blood, poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me.”

Is the Father with us?
He is.
Is Christ among us?
He is.
Is the Spirit here?
He is.

This is our God.
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

We are his people.
We are redeemed.

Therefore by taking this bread & drinking this cup, we proclaim the mystery of our faith:
Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.

These are the gifts of God for the People of God. Take them in remembrance that Christ died for you, And feed on him in your hearts by faith, with thanksgiving.

Alternatively, for those who are not receiving communion, the Sacrament of Desire may be prayed.

Sacrament of Desire

Now, in union, O Lord with the faithful at every altar of Your Church,
I present to You my soul and body
with the earnest prayer that I will remain united to you.
And since I cannot now receive You sacramentally,
I pray that you would come to me spiritually.
I unite myself to you, and embrace you with my soul’s affection.
Let nothing separate me from you,
that I may live and die in Your love.
Amen.

Song: Mystery

Sweet Jesus Christ my sanity
Sweet Jesus Christ my clarity
  Bread of heaven, broken for me
  Cup of salvation held up to drink
Jesus the Mystery

Christ has died and
Christ is risen,
  And Christ will come again

Celebrate his death and rising
  Lift your eyes, proclaim his coming
Celebrate his death and rising
  Lift your eyes, lift your eyes

Into marvelous light I’m running
   Out of darkness, out of shame
By the cross You are the Truth,
   You are the Life, You are the Way

Community Life

A Little Light

Share “a little light” and support our friends at Canopy Life this Advent. For each $25 you donate, Canopy Life will send a candle to three friends of your choosing and include them in a series of Advent devotionals throughout the season. Get started by going to canopylife.org/littlelight

Christ the King on Your Screen

As many of you know, Ivy Loving painted an amazing image of Christ the King to celebrate Jesus and his Kingdom over the past few months. We captured her painting and turned it into a computer wallpaper and an iPhone background images you can use for your lock or home screen. Go to thepari.sh/christtheking to download the artwork and keep Christ the King at the forefront of your mind this Advent season.

The Cross of Christ

All our problems,
We send to the cross of Christ!

All our difficulties,
We send to the cross of Christ!

All the devil’s works,
We send to the cross of Christ!

And all our hopes,
We set on the Risen Christ!

Blessing & Sending

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
Thanks be to God.