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Call to Worship (based on Psalm 16)
L: I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.
P: I keep the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
L: Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body also rests secure.
P: For you do not give me up to Sheol, or let your faithful one see the Pit.
ALL: You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

 

Advent (read at the beginning of the service)

Advent is a season of waiting. During Advent, we are waiting for something to come into the world, something to be born for us and in us. It is an expectant waiting, and it it requires not will, but willingness -- a willingness to receive the new, the unexpected. It requires a decision to be open to the ways God will be at work in our lives. This season is an advent-ure and we have a part to play -- waiting, opening, staying watchful. Something new is coming. Consider that Christmas will be a time of giving and receiving. God has a wonderful gift for you. Prepare to receive it.

 

Call To Worship (adapted from a "Hanging of the Greens" litany)

L:  How shall we prepare this house for the coming King?

P:  With branches of cedar, the tree of royalty.

L:  How shall we prepare this house for the coming of our
     Savior?

P:  With wreaths of holly and ivy, telling of his passion,
     death, and resurrection.

L:  How shall we prepare our hearts for the coming of the
     Christ?

P:  By hearing again the words of the prophets, who foretold
     the saving work of God.

L:  For God did not send the Son into the world to condemn
     the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

All:  Glory to God in the Highest!

Prayer based on the Lections
by Rev. F. Schaefer

   God of justice and God of mercy, on this second Sunday of Advent we await the glorious return of your Anointed One.  We also anticipate with great joy the celebration of His coming in the flesh at Bethlehem.

We wait with confidence. We trust in your mercy, because you have promised us through your prophet Malachi a kingdom of justice, righteousness, and mercy.   You are sending us--your messengers--into the field of a mighty harvest of souls, just as you sent John to prepare the way for salvation through Jesus, our Lord.

By your Holy Spirit help us to watch and be at peace, knowing that His glorious return could be even today.  In Jesus name. Amen.

 

Lighting The First Candle Of The Advent Wreath

General Introduction (repeated each week or not as desired) Our Advent Wreath reminds us of the approaching celebration of Jesus' birth
* the evergreen leaves remind us that God's love is everlasting
* the round wreath symbolizes God's eternal love
* the light of the candles stands for the light which Jesus brought into a dark world.
Each Sunday in Advent another of the candles in the circle is lit. The Christ candle is lit at midnight on Christmas Eve (or on Christmas Day if no Christmas Eve service).

 

Responsive Reading for 2nd Advent:

L: We light this candle as a symbol of Christ the Way.

P:  May the Word sent from God through the prophets
     lead us to the way of salvation.

L:  May the Love of Christ fill our hearts and minds;

P:  May we be found faithful to His commission on the Day
      of our Lord's glorious return.

Hymn: O come, O come, Emmanuel

 

Prayer for the World and it Peoples (Church of Scotland 20th century)

O God, you are the hope of all the ends of the earth, the God of the spirits of all flesh.  Hear our humble intercession for all races and families on earth, that you will turn all hearts to yourself.
Remove from our minds hatred, prejudice, and contempt for those who are not of our own race or color, class or creed, that, departing from everything that estranges and divides, we may by you be brought into unity of spirit, in the bond of peace. Amen.

 

Closing Prayer
Navaho Prayer for Peace

Peace before us
Peace behind us
Peace under our feet
Peace within us
Peace over us
Let all around us be peace