Lessons and Carols

December 22, 2024 Lessons and Carols 4th Sunday of Advent Year C Prelude Greeting Lighting of the Advent Candle Reader One: When the people were looking for deliverance, the prophet Micah declared, “But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah…from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient day.” (Micah 5:2). But what if Micah is also talking to us, proclaiming, “But you, O Wilmington, from you shall come forth for me…” What? What might God be calling forth from us? Congregation: God invites us to receive the promise of God’s salvation and the sustenance of God’s mercy and grace, enabling us to live the promise as God-bearers to the world. As Christ was born in Bethlehem, so too we answer God’s invitation to have Christ born among us today and every day. Reader Two: We light this candle of love as a sign of our commitment to live as people of God’s promise, a promise of salvation and flourishing for all people that springs forth from God’s love for all creation. (United Methodist Board of Discipleship) Light the fourth candle of the Advent wreath. Call to Worship One: We’re SO close! We eagerly wait for the birth of one who will stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord. Many: We’ve come today to remind ourselves of the one who is coming, even in the midst of all the parties and presents. One: For the gift of this child, the one of peace, is for ALL to live lives of security. Many: With destruction, war and pain all around, we plead “Come!” One: Come! For this is the one of peace. Many: Come, Holy One of Peace! (Disciples of Christ, Center for Faith and Giving) Opening Prayer On this almost-but-not-quite-there morning, God, we’ve come to give you thanks for Mary, who carried Jesus to his birth. We’ve come to thank you for our tangible anticipation of the Coming One, who became Love embodied. In this hour, renew in us strong hope which brings us peace because of the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus, the Christ. AMEN. (Disciples of Christ, Center for Faith and Giving0 A Sermon for all Ages Object: A magnifying glass. Good morning, boys and girls. Imagine what it would be like to make yourself as big as you wanted to be with a magic wand, or a special word. How big would you like to be? (Let them answer.) That's big. There is something about being big that is exciting. We can hardly wait until we grow up to be as big as our fathers and mothers. To be able to grow tall is wonderful. It's great to grow smart and strong. But the Bible is always telling us that it is even greater to grow another way. I want to talk to you about the way this morning. Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a true believer in God all of her life. Even when she was a child, she knew that God was something very special to her. I am sure that she prayed and worshiped God every day. But when she was told by God that she was going to have a child, and that the child was going to be special because it was going to be God's son, then she believed even more. Mary talked about her soul being magnified. How many of you have a magnifying glass? Do you know what a magnifying glass does? (Let them answer.) Right, it makes everything look larger and easier to read or see. Mary said that her soul was magnified. It was larger than before. Not only was it larger, but her love for God and the wonderful things that he was able to do was also larger for everyone else to see. Mary could not stop talking or praising God for the wonderful things that had happened to her. I wish that we could magnify all of our souls. All of us know something about God, and we think that he is great for the things that he has done for us, but how do we show it? Do we sing songs about God with glad hearts and joyful voices? Do we thank God in prayer and tell others how wonderful God is to share his world with us? Do we thank him for all of the good things that are in the world? That is what we call magnifying the Lord, to make God easy to see for everyone. Let your friends and neighbors know that you know how good God is to you. When you see a magnifying glass I want you to remember Mary, the mother of Jesus, and how happy she was to be able to serve God. When you think about how glad Mary was, then think about how glad you are to know God and share God's love in the same world with others. Amen. CSS Publishing, Lima, Ohio, Exegetical Aim: God can do some awesome things. Props: A Bible and photographs (or replicas) of some big things: elephant, tree, world, stars, or universe. The bigger the photo the better. Lesson: Good morning. (response) How is everyone doing? (response) Here is a question for you this morning, and I think you know the answer to it. How big is God? (response) Tell me. Show the respective pictures: Is God bigger than an elephant? (response) Sound incredulous: How is he bigger than an elephant? (response) Is God bigger than a tree? (response) How is God bigger than a tree? (response) Is God bigger than the world? (response)How can God be bigger than the world? (response) Okay, I know this one is impossible. Is God bigger than the universe? (response) Now how can he be bigger than the stars and the whole universe? (response) But that's the biggest thing ever! How can he be bigger than the universe? (response) For a touch of humor you might add as the very last question a picture of someone famous who will create laughter. Application: [Slowly as if you are thinking this through:] Okay. If God is bigger than an elephant and he is bigger than a tree, if he is even bigger than the world and the stars and the whole universe, then how can God be a baby and fit inside Mary's tummy? (response) Have the appropriate text marked:] It says right here in Luke chapter 1 verse 43 that Mary was the mother of our Lord. How can that be? How can God who is bigger than all things be a baby? In Mary's tummy? (response) That's the amazing thing about God. He is so big and strong and powerful that he even can become a baby in Mary's tummy. He can do whatever he chooses. He can be bigger than the world or he can be small like when he came to earth as the baby Jesus. But the most amazing thing of all is that he became a small baby because he loved us and he wanted to be with us. God is so amazing and so good. Let's Pray: God, we know that you are greater than all the trees and stars and things that are. And even though you are so much bigger than us, you became one of us and loved us. Amen CSS Publishing Company, Children's Sermons A to Z, by Brett Blair Prayer of Confession Lord, we are so excited. Christmas Eve Day is here. We want to jump ahead to the exciting and wondrous worship service that we will hold this evening. We are impatient to hear the whole story. Slow us down again, Lord. Cause us to look at the blossoming of the branch and remind us that your love is blossoming in our lives. As we hear Mary say "Yes!" to God's good news, help us to remember that God continually calls us to be those who will bear the good news to those in need. Forgive us when we forget to do that. Heal our wounds and bind up our spirits. Enable us to go into your world offering our lives, our gifts, our talents, for your glory. In Jesus' Name, we pray. AMEN. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Nancy Townley) Words of Assurance God's love and faithfulness have been at work in you. You are healed and forgiven. Rejoice in God's love and blossom. AMEN. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Nancy Townley) Lessons and Carols Script (Liturgist reads lessons 2, 4, 6) First Lesson Isaiah 40:1-8 The Good news of God’s Return Comfort for God’s people 40 Comfort, comfort my people! says your God. 2 Speak compassionately to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her compulsory service has ended, that her penalty has been paid, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins! 3 A voice is crying out: “Clear the Lord’s way in the desert! Make a level highway in the wilderness for our God! 4 Every valley will be raised up, and every mountain and hill will be flattened. Uneven ground will become level, and rough terrain a valley plain. 5 The Lord’s glory will appear, and all humanity will see it together; the Lord’s mouth has commanded it.” 6 A voice was saying: “Call out!” And another[a] said, “What should I call out?” All flesh is grass; all its loyalty is like the flowers of the field. 7 The grass dries up and the flower withers when the Lord’s breath blows on it. Surely the people are grass. 8 The grass dries up; the flower withers, but our God’s word will exist forever. Carol Go Tell it on the Mountain UMH 251 Second Lesson Jeremiah 23:5-6 Hope for those who are faithful Promise of a righteous and just king 5 The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up a righteous descendant[a] from David’s line, and he will rule as a wise king. He will do what is just and right in the land. 6 During his lifetime, Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. And his name will be The Lord Is Our Righteousness.[b Carol O Come All Ye Faithful UMH 234 Third Lesson Zechariah 9:9-10 Peace to a worn torn land Joy and protection for Judah and Ephraim 9 Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion. Sing aloud, Daughter Jerusalem. Look, your king will come to you. He is righteous and victorious. He is humble and riding on an ass, on a colt, the offspring of a donkey. 10 He[a] will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the warhorse from Jerusalem. The bow used in battle will be cut off; he will speak peace to the nations. His rule will stretch from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth. Carol What Child is This UMH 219 Fourth Lesson Haggai 2:6-9 A new temple more glorious than ever This is what the Lord of heavenly forces says: In just a little while, I will make the heavens, the earth, the sea, and the dry land quake. 7 I will make all the nations quake. The wealth of all the nations will come. I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord of heavenly forces. 8 The silver and the gold belong to me, says the Lord of heavenly forces. 9 This house will be more glorious than its predecessor, says the Lordof heavenly forces. I will provide prosperity in this place, says the Lord of heavenly forces. Carol Angels We Have Heard on High UMH 238 Fifth Lesson Luke 1:26-35, 38 Angel announces to Mary she will have a son Jesus’ birth foretold 26 When Elizabeth was six months pregnant, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a city in Galilee, 27 to a virgin who was engaged to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David’s house. The virgin’s name was Mary.28 When the angel came to her, he said, “Rejoice, favored one! The Lord is with you!” 29 She was confused by these words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 The angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Mary. God is honoring you. 31 Look! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be great and he will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of David his father. 33 He will rule over Jacob’s house forever, and there will be no end to his kingdom.” 34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How will this happen since I haven’t had sexual relations with a man?” 35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come over you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the one who is to be born will be holy. He will be called God’s Son 38 Then Mary said, “I am the Lord’s servant. Let it be with me just as you have said.” Then the angel left her. Carol Hark the Herald Angels Sing UMH 240 Sixth Lesson Mark 1:1-15 Jesus proclaims the coming of the Kingdom 1 The beginning of the good news about Jesus Christ, God’s Son,2 happened just as it was written about in the prophecy of Isaiah: Look, I am sending my messenger before you. He will prepare your way, 3 a voice shouting in the wilderness: “Prepare the way for the Lord; make his paths straight.”[a] John’s preaching 4 John the Baptist was in the wilderness calling for people to be baptized to show that they were changing their hearts and lives and wanted God to forgive their sins. 5 Everyone in Judea and all the people of Jerusalem went out to the Jordan River and were being baptized by John as they confessed their sins. 6 John wore clothes made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. He ate locusts and wild honey. 7 He announced, “One stronger than I am is coming after me. I’m not even worthy to bend over and loosen the strap of his sandals. 8 I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” Jesus is baptized and tempted 9 About that time, Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and John baptized him in the Jordan River. 10 While he was coming up out of the water, Jesus saw heaven splitting open and the Spirit, like a dove, coming down on him.11 And there was a voice from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I dearly love; in you I find happiness.” 12 At once the Spirit forced Jesus out into the wilderness. 13 He was in the wilderness for forty days, tempted by Satan. He was among the wild animals, and the angels took care of him. Jesus’ message 14 After John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee announcing God’s good news, 15 saying, “Now is the time! Here comes God’s kingdom! Change your hearts and lives, and trust this good news!” Carol When Christmas Morn is Dawning UMH 232 Bidding Prayer Beloved in Christ, as we await the great festival of Christmas, let us prepare ourselves so that we may be shown its true meaning. Let us hear, in lessons from Holy Scripture, how the prophets of Israel foretold that God would visit and redeem the waiting people. Let us rejoice, in our carols and hymns, that the good purpose of God is being mightily fulfilled. Let us celebrate the promise that our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, will bring all peoples and things into the glory of God’s eternal kingdom. The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. But first let us pray for the world that God so loves, for those who have not heard the good news of God, or who do not believe it; for those who walk in darkness and the shadow of death and for the Church in this place and everywhere, that it may in pure joy lift up the light of the love of God. These prayers and praises let us humbly offer to God, in the words and Christ himself taught us… (United Methodist Book of Worship) Lord’s Prayer Stewardship Moment Christmas is a time for giving gifts, even for people who have no recognition of the Biblical story of Mary, Elizabeth, or the baby Jesus. For us, however, who steadfastly try to place a crèche in front of all the candy canes, carefully wrapped packages and the blare of Hallmark movies, Christmas helps us recognize the remarkable gift of the infant who grew to become the Christ. It’s in response to that gift that we share gifts. With an effort, we’re able to reach beyond those with whom we live, work, or travel. Together, we’re able to share gifts with ________________ (list several of the ways your congregation shares gifts in this season; including outreach to children, families or other congregations, and the special day Christmas offering for Disciples in support of our own regional office and staff). We gladly give, remembering we are the hands and feet of Jesus for others. With joy, let us share our morning tithes, offerings and gifts. Prayer of Thanksgiving On this Sunday closest to Christmas Day, we offer these gifts to you, Generous God. Thank you for the ways you continue to provide for us and for all your beloved creatures. Encourage each of us to follow the pattern of constant and consistent giving that you’ve set. May we practice generosity so “when the song of the angels is stilled, when the star in the sky is gone…the work of Christmas” (from Howard Thurman) continues on! AMEN. (Disciples of Christ, Center for Faith and Giving) Announcements Closing Prayer for Facebook As you leave this place, may you go knowing that from generation to generation, we have been claimed and loved. From generation to generation, God has been by our side. From generation to generation, we are not alone. The God of yesterday and the God of tomorrow knows you by name, loves you, and calls you forth, saying, “Go be the person you are called to be, love wildly, do justice, and come back soon.” May it be so. Amen. (Sanctified Art.com, Anna Strickland) Community Time – Joys and Concerns Benediction As we seek the ways of God and our Creator’s intentions for our lives, May the Spirit of God enliven us as we love boldly, May the Spirit of God strengthen us as we create paths of peace. May the Spirit of God awaken us as we love generously and widely. A season of birth is imminent, for God’s love is with us as we seek our renewal of life. (United Church of Christ, Michelle Torigian) Brass Postlude

Time to Celebrate?

Zephaniah 3:14-20 December 15, 2024 3rd Sunday of Advent Year C Time to Celebrate ? Prelude Greeting Lighting of the Advent Candle Reader One: No matter what troubles overwhelm us today, Isaiah reminds us that in all of our preparation and passionate pursuit of God’s coming kin-dom, we must not forget that God’s salvation has come and is coming. “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation” (Isaiah 12:3). With joy you will remember that God’s salvation is already present among us. Congregation: Faced with the troubles and the suffering of the world, we choose to live in joyful presence to God and one another. We will not turn away from the pain and the hurt in our world, and we will not stop rejoicing in God, whose salvation fills us to overflowing that God’s love might flow through us and flood our troubled world with hope, peace, and joy. Reader Two: We light this candle of joy as a sign of our commitment to be present to ourselves, our friends, our families, and our neighbors that in sharing our vulnerable lives we might share in the glorious joy of God’s salvation together. Light the third (pink/rose) candle of the Advent wreath. Call to Worship L: Good friends, Rejoice. God is with you. P: Even though we are imperfect and too often have turned our backs on God, still God is with us. L: God's love is forever. You are beloved. P: Even when we behave in ways which are contrary to what God would have us do. L: God forgives and loves you and seeks your well-being. P: Praise be to God for such wondrous love. AMEN. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Nancy Townley) Opening Prayer Mighty God, in the face of challenges and difficulties, we turn to you. In the midst of great joy and deep appreciation, we turn to you. In this season of anticipation, we eagerly watch and actively wait for the gift of Jesus. Renew in us the ability to focus on you in these days which get so hectic. For some, we’re finishing the semester, for many, we’re wrapping up the calendar year, and for others, we anticipate a time of vacation. In the midst of it all, help us breathe deeply, slow our pace, and hear your still, small voice. AMEN (Disciples of Christ Center for Faith and Giving) Song Hail to the Lord’s Anointed UMH 203 A Sermon for all Ages Title: "God's Special Clean-Up Day". (AI generated) Story: • Introduction: Imagine your room is really messy with toys all over the floor, dirty clothes, and maybe even some old food crumbs. It's a big mess! But what happens when your mom says it's "clean-up day"? You pick up the mess and put things away, right? • Zephaniah's Message: Today we're going to learn about a special "clean-up day" that God wants to do in our hearts. A long time ago, there was a prophet named Zephaniah who told people that God was going to come and clean up all the bad things in their lives, like being mean to others, not listening to their parents, or forgetting to say thank you. • "The Day of the Lord": This special clean-up day is called "The Day of the Lord". It's like when you clean your room, you throw away the trash and keep the good things. God wants to throw away all the bad things in our hearts and keep the good things like kindness, love, and sharing. • Repentance: But before God can clean up our hearts, we need to do something important called "repenting." That means saying sorry for the things we've done wrong and asking God to help us be better. • God's Love: Even though God is going to clean up the bad things, he still loves us very much. Just like when you clean your room, your mom still loves you, right? God wants to make our hearts clean so that he can be really happy with us. Activities: • "Clean-Up" Game: Have the kids pretend to clean up a messy room, picking up "bad things" like anger, selfishness, and putting them in a pretend trash can. • "Clean Heart" Drawing: Give the kids paper and crayons to draw a picture of a heart and decorate it with happy things that show a clean heart. • Prayer Time: Ask the kids to pray and ask God to help them clean up the bad things in their hearts and let him fill them with love. Prayer of confession Great God, as we prepare to behold the birth of Jesus again, we are mindful of how we have failed to receive the fullness of that gift. The story points us to your glory, yet we struggle to join in the song of praise and thanksgiving. We are distracted and confused, so fo- cused on things of little significance we overlook the good news of great joy that you have prepared. Tell us again that the Savior is born. Tell us again that we are for- given. Tell us again that our lives can be abundant in faith, hope and love because of what you have given us in Jesus Christ. Amen. (Presbyterian Outlook, John Wurster) Assurance of pardon The angel tells Joseph that the child forming in Mary’s womb is to be named Jesus. “Call him Jesus,” the angel says, “For he will save the peo- ple from their sins.” From his birth through his resurrection, from age to age, Jesus is about salvation. This is good news! In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven! (Presbyterian Outlook, John Wurster) Passing of the Peace Scripture Zephaniah 3:14-20 Prayer for illumination Gracious God, illumine these words by your Spirit that we might hear what you would have us hear and be who you would us be, for the sake of Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh. Amen. (Presbyterian Outlook, John Wurster) Sermon Time to Celebrate? So last night was the Merry Mary Christmas at the Mar Theater in town. It was a packed house – many people from town and even many from church that gathered for an amazing Christmas concert. Diane Oswald’s son was a part of the band, and he has an amazing voice as he song the Grinch song. There were several artist who sang the songs of the season. Some of the songs were classics, some modern, popular songs that we are all familiar with, some new, there was even an original song – but they were all about the joy of Christmas. I don’t know about anyone else, but for me, it is just not Christmas until we start the singing. Music has a way of touching the spirit, of setting the mood, of getting us out of our seats. Neitchze – was a philosopher with a very pessimistic view on life – he said Friedrich Nietzsche said, “Without music life would be a mistake.” He’s right! The joy of Christmas is all in the music. Today is the third Sunday of the advent candle – pink Sunday. The Sunday where we celebrate even though we still live in the darkness of winter. Listening to music reminds us that our savior is coming and things will be okay. In the meantime keep a song in our hearts. One Mom says that when her children first received a video of Walt Disney’s Cinderella, they watched it almost nonstop for three days. Since it was warm outside, the family kept their windows open. Their neighbors were having their roof re-shingled by three burly men. As the Mom went out to get the mail one afternoon, she heard a roofer singing, “. . . put it together and what do you get?” From the other side of the house came a chorus of two more husky voices: “Bibbidi bobbidi, bibbidi bobbidi, bibbidi, bobbidi boo!” Personally, I can attest to the importance of keeping a song in our hearts. Long ago, annual conference was always at Northern Illinois University – and the first this we would do when we gather was have a worship service. The bishop would start out with a message. I didn’t want to be there at annual conference, I was in a terrible mood. All throughout the bishop’s sermon I sat frowning with my hands folded – I wanted him to know that I was unhappy. And he noticed that I was upset. After his sermon – we song one of the great hymns of the church, I don’t even remember what it was. I just know that I got so caught up in singing the song, that I forgot to be angry. In singing that song my whole mood changed, my experience of life changed, and I was able to fully be a part of annual conference and to be happy that I was there. Throughout this advent season, we have been looking at the promises of the lesser prophets. Many of these lessons we don’t get any other time of the year. The prophet of the day is Zephaniah. He was a nephew of King Hezekiah. His prophecy was during the reign of his cousin, Josiah. Josiah was one of the good kings he encouraged everyone to return to the ways of God. Things had declined in the nation so much, things were out of hand and there seemed to be no rules of conduct. People were looking for change, but all they saw was darkness. Zephaniah’s message was similar to what we heard last week from Micah. Be careful what you ask for – God’s presence means judgement for all of us. In order for things to get better there has to be judgement. But the good news is that God’s presence also brings mercy, grace, peace, love. Things will get better, but that is God’s doing not ours. Zephaniah’s advice to us – if you want things to get better then sing, rejoice, Praise God. He tells us to start singing, even in the darkness. Rev. Roy T. Lloyd tells a story that takes place in the midst of the Great Depression when a family of three Mom, Dad, and little six year old Peter had absolutely no money for store bought presents. Nevertheless, they were very inventive in celebrating Christmas. They decided to make pictures of the presents they would like to give one another if money were no object. So they drew pictures or cut out pictures from catalogs and magazines. They put the pictures into boxes, stuck some old bows on them, and put them under a scraggly Christmas tree. On Christmas morning the tree was heaped with riches. The gifts were only pictures, to be sure, but they were symbols of Christmas giving. There was a shiny new car for Dad and a red motor boat, some golf clubs, a new suit, some sweaters, and an all weather coat. Mom found her dream house and a diamond necklace, dresses, coats, and a vacation cruise. Most of the make believe presents were for little Pete. There were pictures of a camping tent, a new bicycle, a pedal car, and all kinds of toys and games. Now, of course, Mom and Dad didn’t expect anything from little Pete. But Pete, with a squeal of delight, crawled under the tree and pulled out a gift he had prepared all by himself. He handed his present to his parents with a smile and they opened it. They found a picture-gift more precious than all the others. It was drawn with first grade crayons. It was a picture of three people standing together with big smiles on their faces. They had their arms around each other. And under the picture, little Pete had printed a single word “us.” The light dawned and tears of joy filled the eyes of the parents because they realized that, in years to come, they may be able to give some of those Christmas presents they had only imagined, but they could never give a present more precious than the one they had received that year the gift of love they had for each other. (4) That is a story that must be told at Christmas. If that doesn’t make you heart sing, nothing will. Our lives are filled with love. God sings over us. And we sing of the wonders of Christmas. It begins with love. So do we sing because we are happy, or are we happy because we sing? Have you noticed that we all don’t sing the same songs? Every generation seems to have it own style of music. Driving home from church one Sunday, a father turned the radio to a country station. “How can you stand that stuff?” complained his 16-year-old son. “It’s all sad stuff about dogs and pickup trucks and bar rooms and broken hearts.” Knowing his son preferred rather loud rock music, the dad asked, “Well, what’s your music about?” “That’s the beauty of it,” the son said. “You just don’t know!” That is how many people feel about contemporary music – the lyrics are much simpler and less inventive. Last night I sat next to Sandy Hobbs, who gave wonderful commentary on the songs that were sung at the Christmas concert. Most of the songs she thought were wonderfully done. There were a few songs that she had never heard of, and one song – she commented that she could have done without – it made no sense to her. With every age and generation, words change, the tempo changes, even our response to the song changes. But when we sing sacred music – the topic that we sing about does not change. – We sing about God with us, we sing about our savior coming, we sing about the joy of God’s love. David Devine told a revealing story in the Washington Post sometime back. It was about a youngish white man in jeans, a long-sleeved tee shirt and a baseball cap who emerged from a subway station in Washington one Friday evening. He positioned himself against a wall beside a trash basket. From a small case, the young man removed a violin. Placing the open case at his feet, he threw in a few dollars and pocket change as seed money. Then he swiveled his case to face the people who passed by, and began to play. “In the next 43 minutes, as the violinist performed 6 great classical pieces, 1097 people passed by. Almost all of them on their way to work in mid-level Government jobs. No one knew that the violinist was one of the world’s leading classical musicians, Joshua Bell. Bell is an acclaimed virtuoso, who fills concert halls. One composer said of him: ‘He plays like a god.’” On this Friday morning Bell played on one of the most valuable violins ever made a Stradivari valued at $3.5 million. The train station provided good acoustics for Bell’s performance. His beautiful music filled the morning air. “A reporter stood observing and recording the event. In the first 3 minutes, 63 people walked past without seeming to notice the virtuoso. Then a man stopped, looked and quickly walked on. Across the 45 minutes Joshua Bell played, 7 people stopped to listen for at least a minute. 27 people gave money. Usually, in concert, Bell gets paid $1000 per minute. This day, in total, he received $32.17. At the end of each piece, there was no applause just silent indifference. The master musician was ignored. People walked past musical glory without giving it a second glance. “Except for two people. A postal worker named John described as a ‘smallish man with a baldish head.’ John had learned the violin as a youth. He recognized the quality of Joshua Bell’s performance and stood enjoying it from the distance. And then there was a demographer named Stacy. Stacy had seen Bell in concert 3 weeks before. She recognized him. And here he was, the international virtuoso, sawing away, begging for money. She had no idea what was going on, but whatever it was, she wasn’t about to miss it. Stacy positioned herself 3 meters away from Bell, front row, center. She had a huge grin on her face. The grin, and Stacy, remained planted in that spot until the end. Stacy told the reporter: ‘It was the most astonishing thing I’ve ever seen in Washington. Joshua Bell was standing there playing in rush hour, and people were not stopping, not even looking, and some were flipping quarters at him! Quarters! I was thinking, Omigosh, what kind of a city do I live in that this could happen?’” (5) One of the world’s great musicians playing on the street for coins. Only a few recognized him. It sounds somewhat familiar. Only a few recognized Christ in the stable of Bethlehem. Some star-struck shepherds, some magi from the East and a humble carpenter and his bride-to-be. But not many. And yet that event turned the world upside down. It was enough to start the whole world singing. And why shouldn’t it? Why shouldn’t all creation sing? And why shouldn’t we sing? After all, the God of all creation the God of the moon and the stars and the wind and the waves sings over us. Can you hear it? Listen closely. It is the song of everlasting love, hope peace and joy. It is the song of Jesus Christ. In the meantime, we still live in some dark times. And now it is about the get even colder. Let us follow Zephaniah’s advice and sing of Christ presence coming into the world. Gavin Ellis says that growing up he had a piano teacher who belonged to a musical society. This society did something quite interesting. They would make a point of listening for the song of angels on Christmas Eve. They believed that the angels rejoiced and celebrated each Christmas in honor of Christ . . . and so they would listen very closely at night on Christmas Eve. They would listen to the dogs bark. They would listen to the wind through the trees. They would listen to the things going on around them in the world . . . in creation to see if they could hear angel song. What would this angel song sound like? It would sound perfect. They listened for harmony and perfect pitch in the sounds of nature. It’s a strange thing to do; it’s kind of an odd way to spend Christmas Eve. But that’s what this piano teacher and his friends did. “There’s a romantic notion to what they did,” says Gavin Ellis, but he wondered to himself how many of them actually believed that angels were singing and how many of them were a part of the group because they just thought it would be neat if angels really did sing. How many of them believed, Gavin Ellis wondered, and how many of them just hoped? (2) Some people believe; others merely hope. Still, this is the testimony of Zephaniah: God sings over us. There is a carol that comes to mind when I think of God singing. This carol was written in 1962, only forty-seven years ago. It is the little carol, “Do You See What I see?” It begins like this: “Do see what I see, said the night wind to the little lamb?” The story of the song is very simple. It begins with the night wind, and the night wind sees what Christmas is all about. So the night wind tells the little lamb, and then the little lamb sees what Christmas is all about, and goes to the shepherd boy. The little shepherd boy sees the meaning of Christmas, and he goes to the mighty king and he says to the mighty king, “Do you know what I know?” Then the mighty king says to everyone, everywhere, in a deep, gruff voice, “Listen to what I say.” Then the king makes this announcement to his kingdom: “A child, a child, will bring you goodness and light.” (3) Do you see what I see? Do you hear what I hear? If we listen closely maybe we will hear the voice of God singing over us. Now you may wonder why we sing at Christmas time. And you may wonder why in the world would God sing over us? Let us pray….. Song Come Thou Long Expected Jesus UMH 196 Prayers of the People (Just print the title) Come, Lord Jesus. Bring your presence; bring your peace; bring your light. Comfort the sick, soothe the sorrowful, bind up the wounded. Calm our spirits. Ease our burdens. Mend our hearts. Come, Lord Jesus. Come, Lord Jesus. Bring your justice; bring your righteousness; bring your goodness. Reorder our priorities. Direct our efforts. Strengthen our resolve. Break down walls. Dismantle oppression. Overthrow tyrants. Come, Lord Jesus. Come, Lord Jesus. Bring your love; bring your compassion; bring your mercy. Heal our divisions. Seek out the lost. Restore the guilt-ridden. Widen our embrace. Teach us generosity. Show us how to forgive. Come, Lord Jesus. Come, Lord Jesus. Bring your passions; bring your fire; bring your stead- fastness. Inspire our witness. Motivate our mission. Energize your church. Open our minds. Extend our hands. Overcome our lethargy. Come, Lord Jesus. Come, Lord Jesus. Bring your hope; your tenderness; your promise. Build up our common life. Hold us in our frustrations. Brighten our dark- ness. Release us. Renew us. Redeem us. Come, Lord Jesus. Come, Lord Jesus, hear our cries; hear our whispers; hear our prayers. Now, with the confidence of the children of God, let us pray as Jesus taught, saying, “Our Father …”. (Presbyterian Outlook, John Wurster) Lord’s Prayer Stewardship Moment John the Baptist (as we know him) had not gotten the message about this being “Rejoice” Sunday. In Luke 3, John’s pointed preaching pushed hard against those who believed their connection to Abraham would provide a safe route around the mayhem which was coming. Those who were in the crowd wanted John to answer their question: “What should we do?” John’s instructions are clear! Share from your abundance! Give your second coat to someone without a coat. Feed the hungry. Two thousand years later, we still ask: “What should we do?” And the answer continues to ring out. Share from your abundance! Do you have more than one coat? Do you have more food than you can possibly eat? Friends, when we DO THIS, then it’s time to rejoice! Let us share our financial support, AND let us share from our abundance to encourage those who are without. Prayer of Thanksgiving God of all good gifts, thank you for this opportunity to respond to the teaching of John. Thank you for these gifts, filling the offering trays today. May we now be eager to respond to the needs of those around us. AMEN. (Disciples of Christ Center for Faith and Giving) Announcements Closing Prayer for Those on Facebook Advent invites each of us into a new way of living in a world to which the kin-dom of God has come and is yet coming. Go, now, blessed with the gift of togetherness, for it is only in being truly present with God and one another that we live as followers of the coming Messiah. Amen. Written by Dr. Lisa Hancock, Discipleship Ministries, June 2024. Community Time – Joys and Concerns Benediction Let us go trusting in Jesus Christ, the one who is surely coming. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the com- panionship of the Holy Spirit be with you and abide with you today and always. Amen. (Presbyterian Outlook, John Wurster) Additional Illustrations The songs encouraged by the prophet are quite different from the songs of our age. So much of the contemporary literature composed for the symphony orchestras is dissonant, discordant, and harsh sounding. Composers have always been wary of imitating models from other periods lest they be regarded as being uncreative and lacking in originality. In the search for new expressions, the composers reflect the times in which we live. They portray for us the confusion and incongruities of our age by creating music that grates both on our ears and our emotions. It is no small secret that the conductors of great symphony orchestras of our land have considerable difficulty with their boards of directors when they include too many of the contemporary works in their scheduled concerts. The same observations can be made about the popular music of the day. The complaints about the loud harsh music that is electrically amplified are not simply from an older generation that is out of sync with the younger. The questions are raised about music that it is totally unwholesome for the ears and may impair the hearing of young people at an early date. However, the more serious complaints are about music that also reflects a lack of morality and expresses only the more primitive passions of people. Besides complaining about loudness, the repetition, and the lack of artistry, one critic asked, “Why don’t the songs have an ending?” The answer is that bad music has no soul to reflect a genuine and positive hope. A Special Song One certainly cannot characterize all contemporary music, popular or classical, as decadent or lacking in soul. There is much contemporary composition that is commendable. However, it is important to note that the prophet who called for a song from God’s people did not look for them to express their sense of depression and lack of hope. He encouraged a song that would express divine hope in the midst of human confusion and terror. Martin Rinkart was such a hymn writer. Born in the latter part of the sixteenth century in Eilenburg, Germany, he received theological training and held several positions before returning to his home town as archdeacon. He served in that city for some thirty years, most of that time being during the Thirty Years War. Because Eilenburg was a walled city, people from miles around sought refuge there. The overcrowding resulted in famine and pestilence. One pastor left and two died, leaving Rinkart to minister alone. He read burial services for as many as forty and fifty persons in one day. His wife succumbed to the pestilence, and he survived an illness. Rinkart received little support from the town authorities, and eventually was even harassed by them. Totally exhausted he went to his grave, December 8, 1649. What he bequeathed to us was not only his untiring example of unselfishness but his great hymn, “Now Thank We All Our God.” In the midst of great tragedy and suffering he could offer the song of promise encouraged by the prophet. A New Song In the Advent Season it is customary for the Christian Church to sing the “Magnificat,” the Song of Mary. The Evangelist Luke placed this song on the lips of Mary, the Mother of our Lord, when she visited her relative, Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist. The song celebrates how God turns everything upside down and makes everything right. Johann Sebastian Bach interpreted this great hymn in the beautiful cantata “The Magnificat.” The one who gave real meaning to Mary’s song was our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is the fulfillment of the promises of mercy which God had spoken to the patriarchs, to Abraham and his posterity. By his humble and impoverished birth Jesus gave hope to the world. The life, death, and resurrection of the One born in the ignoble conditions of Bethlehem assured the world that God is always present working to give us hope and make our hearts glad. The world will be singing Christmas carols lustily again this year. The carols have been ringing out in McDonald’s and Burger King since the first of December. The Christmas music expands and grows yearly to be the largest repertoire devoted to one subject in all the world. People want their songs to bring them joy in the season meant to create joy. Yet many of those songs are ditties with no message of hope or promise. The song of promise the prophet teaches us is one we can sing when there is nothing to be joyful about. The song of promise does not fall flat when a season ends. The song of promise does not fade when the Christmas trees are taken down and the holly and tinsel are removed. This is a song of real promise. The song of which the prophet wrote is the song the Holy Spirit impresses on our hearts to celebrate the goodness of God. The song holds out hope and gladness for us as we realize, in the prophet’s word, that God daily “renews” God’s love for us in Christ Jesus. CSS Publishing Company, The Presence in the Promise, by Harry N. Huxhold A little boy was sitting at the table in the kitchen looking gloomy and sour: he had just been punished. Suddenly, he asked his mother, "God can do anything He wants, can't He?" To which the mother replied, "Of course." Then the boy asked rhetorically "God doesn't have any parents, does He?" Have you ever felt that way? Probably. At some time or another, we have all felt terribly hemmed in and beaten down by our supposedly loving parents. To Zephaniah, it was clear that what a person or a nation believes about God will largely determine their conduct. If God is seen as a kindly old grandfather in the sky who will simply wink at things done wrong, then there is no reason for anyone to make any change. If God is seen as impotent in the face of the all the other gods that can be worshiped, there is no reason to make any change. If God is seen as not being there at all, there is certainly no reason for anyone to make any change. But Zephaniah knew that none of these pictures was accurate, and so he was called to preach what he knew to be the truth. There will come a day. This last question may be the most relevant of all. A lot of people today seem to look upon the God question as a dead issue. They may still give casual assent to the concept as an interesting mental artifact brought over from the past, but see little utility in it for their own living. The stance of such persons is, at best, much like that of the little girl who wanted to know where God was. When told that God was everywhere she wanted to know if he was in the house, in her bedroom, behind the dresser, even under the bed on which she was being put to sleep. After having been assured that God was in all those places, she was later overheard saying an interesting and very candid prayer. "God," she was saying, "I know you are everywhere. I know you are in the house. I know you are in this room. I know you are behind that dresser and under this bed. But, God, if you move you’ll scare me to death." Several studies have shown, for instance, that persons who identify themselves as Christians and church members are more harshly judgmental and punitive in their attitudes toward social offenders than are persons who make no claims to such identity. The parallel to Jesus’ description of the self-righteous Pharisee is so close as to be truly shocking. We should be grateful to Harvard’s Professor Gordon Allport, however, for having done a study that shows that the Christians and church members who have seriously internalized the faith are more inclined to be compassionate and non-punitive in their attitudes than are persons who do not claim to be Christians or church members. A few years ago a group of junior high school students was given a test of musical terms. Here were some of their answers: 1. Music sung by two people at the same time is called a duel,” one young man wrote. Then he added, “I know what a sextet is but I had rather not say. 2. A xylophone is an instrument used mainly to illustrate the letter X, answered someone else. 3. Dirges are music written to be played at sad, sad occa¬sions . . . such as funerals, weddings, and the like. [Did they play a dirge at your wedding?] 4. Here’s one I like: What’s a refrain? Refrain means "don’t do it!" A refrain in music is the part you better not try to sing. 5. A virtuoso is a musician with real high morals. 6. Beethoven wrote music even though he was deaf. He was so deaf he wrote loud music . . . Beethoven expired in 1827 and later died from this. 7. Handel was half German, half Italian, and half English. He was rather large!” Regardless of our age or our vocation, most of us have a kind of music we can relate to. right! 1. Anne Lamott, Traveling Mercies (Pantheon, 1998), pp. 47 50. Cited by W. Gregory Pope, http://www.crescenthillbaptistchurch.org/oldsite/sermon 9 25 05.htm. 2. (http://www.day1.net/index.php5?view=transcripts&tid=90). 3. Cited by Edward F. Markquart, http://www.sermonsfromseattle.com/christmas_do_you_see.htm. 4. http://pastorgavinellis.blogspot.com/2005/11/luke 28 15 from silence came music.html. 5. John Mark Ministries. http://jmm.aaa.net.au/articles/20684.htm. ChristianGlobe Networks, Inc., Dynamic Preaching Sermons Fourth Quarter 2009, by King Duncan "Hum," went the phone. She had put me on hold for what seemed like the hundredth time. I had a cold which made me even more irritated. I was at the end of my rope - angry, disgusted, and stressed to what I thought was the limit. I was beginning to forget the reason I had phoned. Suddenly out of the background from the "hold" position of the telephone system of this mammoth mortgage corporation came some music. This was the ultimate insult. They were trying to calm an irate customer with "elevator music." Only it wasn't "elevator music." It was a Christmas carol. I listened as a secular mortgage company telephone system played: "Silent night, Holy night. All is calm; all is bright." I was laughing by the time the supervisor came to the phone. Music centered in God can do that. It can be a reminder of who you are. My sin of impatience became a laughing matter in the light of the coming Messiah. By the way, the supervisor could not answer my questions, but she told me that I could call her back. Music can soothe the savage beast in all of us. God-centered music can keep us close to God when we reach the breaking point. A gospel musician was away from home singing and inspiring people with his music. The phone rang. It was for him. The news was bad. His wife who was pregnant had lost the baby. "The baby is dead," he was told. That's staggering news. He started for home. A few days later his wife died. He had sung the gospel of comfort to many, but he could not find comfort anywhere. Friends and relatives tried in vain to help him with his grief, but it was all to no avail. He went to God in prayer ... and expressed his need in music. From his sorrow, Thomas A. Dorsey wrote the spiritual: Precious Lord, take my handLead me on, let me stand;I am tired, I am weak, I am worn.Through the storm, through the night,Lead me on to the light.Take my hand, precious Lord,Lead me home. Music centered in God can calm the violent darkness in all of us. Such music is the voice of one crying in the wilderness, "Through the storm, through the light, Lead me on to the light ..." John the Baptist along with Zephaniah and all the prophets were voices crying in the wilderness, "Prepare ye the way of the Lord." John and Zephaniah are vivid reminders of the remnant seeking the glory of God in everything. Our hopes and expectations can rise above the maddening crowd: "Precious Lord, take my hand, lead me on, let me stand." Sing aloud, O Daughter of Zion; Shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem. C.S.S. Publishing Company, PREVIEWS OF COMING ATTRACTIONS, by Ron Lavin Christmas cards, which once were sent to wish others peace on earth, goodwill, and blessings of the season, are now serving more commercial purposes. I love the story about an apartment building in New York City. It was early in December when all the residents awoke to find a greeting card taped to the outside of their apartment doors. The cards read, "Merry Christmas from the custodial staff." "Well, isn't that nice," one of the new residents thought to herself. "What a lovely, caring staff we have at our service." Then she promptly forgot all about the card. A week later, she came home from work to find another card taped to her door. This one said, "Merry Christmas from the custodial staff. Second notice." The third Sunday of Advent is traditionally "Rejoicing Sunday," as we remember and give thanks for God's great gifts to us. Imagine Zechariah and the people of God celebrating, and God is there in their very midst. All are singing and dancing in the streets, and God is singing louder than anyone else. There is rejoicing because the people have been forgiven. They were imprisoned in sin, but all is forgiven and their sentence is commuted. God is their salvation. God has come into their midst to save them. Zephaniah speaks in past, present, and future tenses. His words are fulfilled in the coming of Christ. He also points us to Christ's coming again. Christ is in our midst now, of that we can be assured. There will be a time still to come, when we will have our final homecoming with God. That will be the greatest celebration of all. Fear. One day in hot July, a farmer sat on the porch of his shack, smoking his corncob pipe. Along came a stranger from the city who asked, “How’s your cotton coming?” “Ain’t got none,” he replied. “Didn’t plant none. ’Fraid of the boll weevil.” “Well, how’s your corn?” “Didn’t plant none. ’Fraid o’ drought.” “How about your potato garden?” “Ain’t got none. Scairt o’ tater bugs.” The city stranger finally asked, “Well, what did you plant?” The farmer answered, “Nothin’, I just played it safe."1 Some of us are fearful of action because there may be some¬thing out there in life that we are not prepared to meet, so we play it safe and do nothing. Paralysis grips us. Sing! Shout! Rejoice! Exult! Why? because your Lord is King. The picture is that of the enthronement of a mighty king. It is a king who is triumphant, who "has turned away your enemies" (v. 15a). This king is enthroned in the midst of the people. He has a mighty presence among them; therefore, they do not need to fear disaster any more (v. 15b). On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands grow weak. The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory ... He has the power to remove disaster (v. 18) and to deal with all oppressors (v. 19a). During the spring of their senior year, seminary students begin the parish interview process in preparation for their first call as pastor. At one seminary, seniors are asked by a professor to respond to two specific questions. The first question is: What expectations do lay persons have for their next pastor? Seniors are overwhelmed by their own responses, which include the following: visionary leader, dynamic preacher (interpreted as entertaining and brief), excellent administrator, caring counselor, frequent visitor, fabulous fund-raiser, great with youth and children and elderly, super evangelist (interpreted as recruit new members to help meet the budget), young but experienced, twenty-four-hour crisis availability, and willing to accept less than the recommended minimum compensation package. Seniors are stunned. After class, one told her professor, "They anticipate that I will be a Messiah." Great anticipation, but neither realistic or achievable. The second question for these seminary students is: What do you expect from parishioners in your first congregation? Their answers are theologically articulate and conceptually sound. They focus on the theme of living out one's baptism as a member of the priesthood of believers. Now that's a theological mouthful! Students often expect their future parishioners to assume eagerly and willingly the actions of early Christians as evangelists, stewards, visitors of the sick and troubled, administrators, and teachers. Bible and prayer groups would abound. In their ideal congregation, parishioners would want their pastor to be a theologian-in-residence. They would hear the Word of God with joy and share the sacrament with zeal and excitement. They would be active in both member care and community outreach. They would bring an inclusive, open, and global perspective to ministry. Wow! If parishioners are anticipating the Messiah, seminarians are anticipating doing ministry in the Messianic Kingdom of Glory. his promise is for us today. It is just as real today as it was for Zephaniah 2,600 years ago. The Lord speaks to us, saying, "I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise" (v. 19). So, then, do not let your hands grow weak. Learn from the collective experience of God's people. The Lord your God is in your midst and has promised to deliver you. That's a fact. That's reason to rejoice. Here is Zephaniah's "anticipation proclamation." Here is the good news of Advent. Christ has come. Christ is coming. Christ will come again." CSS Publishing, Lima, Ohio, Where Is God In All This, by Tony Everett

The Last Prophecy

Malachi 3:1-4 The Last Prophecy 2nd Sunday of Advent Year C Prelude Greeting Lighting of the Advent Candle Reader One: The prophet Malachi calls us to watch for the messenger God will send us, a messenger who burns with a passion for God’s coming salvation. “For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap; he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the LORD in righteousness” (Malachi 3:2b-3). Congregation: In a world driven by a passion to maintain the status quo, we choose to live with a passion for God’s peace, to listen to those who call us to righteousness, and to submit ourselves to God’s grace, that we might be refined and purified until we reflect God’s love throughout the earth. Reader Two: We light this candle of peace as a sign of our commitment to passionately pursue the work of making peace in our hearts, our families, our communities, and throughout the earth until God’s kin-dom comes on earth as it is in heaven. Light the second candle of the Advent wreath. (United Methodist Board of Discipleship) Call to Worship Children of God, prepare the way! The Word of God is coming! We come to listen and receive God’s Word among us. Children of God, the prophets call to us now and from generations past, urging us to prepare and refine our hearts for the coming of the Word of God. Are you listening? We come to listen and prepare to receive God’s Word among us. Children of God, this is the mark of our preparation: that passion for God’s Word would burn within us, cleansing us and renewing us to reflect God’s love throughout the world. May God ignite our passion for God’s Word that has come among us as we listen, prepare, and receive all that God has for us today. Amen. Written by Dr. Lisa Hancock, Discipleship Ministries, June 2024. Opening Prayer Compassionate God, greet us with your grace this day, for we need you. We cannot save ourselves. Though we may be frantic with activity, our efforts do not yield peace, peace as you can give. Today we would be quiet enough to hear your voice. Today we would be still enough to feel your touch. Help us to find that place where we can receive as well as give, wait as well as act, and listen as well as speak. Our whole world needs your peace. Let us come before you and learn your ways, laying down our weapons and feeding the hungry. Come to us now, through Jesus the Christ. Amen. Written by Ruth C. Duck in Touch Holiness: Resources for Worship, Updated(Cleveland: Pilgrim Press, 2012), 5. For use in worship, using the following attribution: Reprinted by permission of the publisher from Touch Holiness, ed. Ruth C. Duck and Maren C. Tirabassi. Copyright © 1990 by The Pilgrim Press. Song Angels from the Realms of Glory UMH 220 A Sermon for all ages Each of us is holding a copy of the Bible. The Bible is God’s Word to us. The Bible is true. The Bible teaches us about God’s promises and plans for all men, women, boys and girls. Everything that God says He is going to do is going to happen. As we have studied God’s Word together we have had opportunities to see how God made promises to His people and how He has kept His promises. We have seen how God promised His people that if they would repent and turn away from their sin and turn back to Him, He would forgive them (Joel 2:13). God loves His people and will never stop loving them. Because He loves them He has to punish their sin. The Jewish people ignored the prophets God sent to warn them to turn away from their sin. God kept His word and punished them by sending them to Babylon for 70 years to be prisoners (Jeremiah 25:11). After 70 years God kept His promise to let His people return to Jerusalem. God sent prophets to encourage the Jewish people who returned to their city that was destroyed. He sent prophets like Haggai and Zechariah to remind His people that the Messiah would come and they would finally live peacefully with God’s blessings. God used Ezra and Nehemiah to help rebuild the temple and the walls. Today we are going to be studying Malachi the last minor prophet in the Old Testament. Let’s open our Bibles and find the Book of Malachi. The name Malachi means “my messenger”. God had a message for His people. Malachi reminded the people that God loved them. 1. What does Malachi’s name mean? (My messenger) 2. What did Malachi remind God’s people? (He loved them) 3. Why was God disappointed with His people? (They weren’t bringing the best offerings, the priests were not teaching the people to live according to God’s truth, they were robbing God and they said it was useless to serve God) 4. What kind of offering did God require the people to bring for a sacrifice? (An animal that wasn’t sick or injured, one without blemish) 5. What is the Day of the Lord? (The day God will punish all the wickedness on the earth) 6. How long was God silent after Malachi gave His message? (400 years) 7. What change do you need to make in your life to give God your very best? (Ministry to Children, Kelly Henderson) PRAYER OF CONFESSION God of Grace, you blow the breath of life into our lungs, you have formed us in your image. And yet we acknowledge that sometimes we are not who you would have us be. You challenge us to embrace the refining fire of your love, to meet you on the threshing floor of life, to be washed as with fuller's soap. But in our heart of hearts we would rather keep those things that would be removed in such an encounter. Through your Grace, life-giving God, accept us as we are, Unrefined, unwashed, the chaff mixed in with the grain. And help us to move into a new way of being ...time of silence... Listen! For this is Good News! God's Grace is wider than our wildest imaginings. God's Grace embraces us as we are and where we are and draws us out to be the people we were created to be. Thanks be to God! Amen. Written by Rev. Gord Waldie on his blog, Worship Offerings. http://worshipofferings.blogspot.ca/. Re-posted on the re:Worship blog at https://re-worship.blogspot.com/2013/08/prayer-for-grace-malachi-3-1-4.html. Scripture Malachi 3:1-4 Sermon The Last Prophecy The major themes of the advent season are prophecy and promise. In the 4 weeks before Christmas we look at the ancient promises that God made to the people of the world. And we follow along with how those promises and prophecies have played themselves out in modern times. Malachi is the last prophecy of the Hebrew Bible. It is believed that Malachi was the prophet Ezra – he convinced the Hebrews to purify themselves and to rebuild the temple so that they would have a place to come and worship God. The Hebrew bible never really says why – but it seems that after the words of Malachi – God slowed down in sending God’s words through prophets. There are 400 years between the end of the book of Malachi and the beginning of the book of Matthew- the New Testament begins in prophecy. In the new testament, we hear confirmation that all that the prophets said was fulfilled in the birth of Jesus. There are several places where the new testament says that God will not send any more prophets to the world. To be fair, the muslims do consider Jesus to be a prophet, but they say that Muhammad was the last prophet that God sent to the world. Either way, it is significant for us that as the age of prophecy ends, the age of fulfillment begins. The Holy Spirit speaks to us in a brand new way, the spirit works in the hearts of the righteous, in the life of Jesus Christ and in the words of scripture. It is interesting, that the last big question of the last Hebrew prophecy is still a question for today. Where is the God of justice? For some reason it seems like evil prevails. Crooked people seem to get aways with anything now. It seems like we live in a world where there are no rules, no respect, no need to do the right thing. Malachi is a series of conversations between God, God’s messenger, and God’s people. In our scripture, the message to us is two fold or may even three fold – first, don’t worry, justice is coming. God sees what is going on in the world. God does not have a police force to enforce righteousness, but God knows what is going on and who is doing it. The presence of God came to us in the life of Jesus Christ. - Second we need to prepare ourselves for the coming of justice in the world. It is easy for us to expect justice for other people. But God’s justice is for us all. Instead of focusing on what others are doing wrong, we need to focus on our own lives. When justice comes into the world permantly, how will that affect our own actions. - Third we have to be careful what we ask for. In order for the world to heal, it will be painful. God’s justice will be painful, but it will be in our own best interest. Sort of like old school medical cures. Today, medicine is sugar coated. They do everything to make medical cures comfortable. That was not so in the olden days. I used to hate to come down with a cold, because my mother would make me drink nasty cod liver oil. And as a child, it was never a good day when my mother would pull out the mercurochrome to put on a scape or sore. That stuff would burn and hurt so much more than the original wound. And yet supposedly, it bought about healing. The day they took that stuff off of the market was a good day. And yet that is a good image of what God’s justice is like. Malachi says that it is like a refiners fire – it will burn, but it will make you a better person. Justice leads to repentance, and repentance leads to forgiveness, grace and peace. Justice is coming, but it will affect us all. With God’s judgement better days are coming. If you thought that 400 years was a long time to wait for the biblical story to continue with the birth of Jesus, imagine to 2024 years since Jesus’ birth that we are waiting for Jesus to return. When we look at the news it is easy to believe that the spirit of God is not around. It seems that things have gotten out of hand. Even I ask God, if God is all powerful and has control of all of life, why does God allow the things in the world to go on? When will Jesus return and end all of this craziness? When will justice prevail? When will the prophecy be fulfilled? Experiment of couples juggling too much There was as advent experiment – where couples were asked to stand on stage and to literally juggle some important symbols of life – 10 couples were given a wedding ring, a soccer ball, a tablet computer, a crystal vase, a cup and a saucer, and a cross. As you can imagine, as the couples lined up and started juggling, you could hear broken glass, and bouncing balls everywhere. Every couple dropped these symbols as they tried to juggle them all at one time. That is the sound of the beginning of advent – the sound of chaos and broken glass. The sound of God shaken up our symbols, our priorities, our beliefs, our hopes and our dreams. But there was one couple that did not drop the things that they were juggling. They realized that they couldn’t keep everything in the air – so they took some time to prioritize what was most important to them – their faith – the cross, their children – the doll, and the wedding ring. Everything else had to be put aside. Most of the things that come to us that shake us – is God’s way of telling us that we cant have everything, we cant do everything, we cant be everywhere – so we have to be forced to pick what is really important to us – and focus just on those things, and let everything else fall to the ground and breaking. Being shaken up is a sign of God’s love. It is a sign that God plan for salvation is working full speed ahead. On the second Sunday of Advent – that is what the world sounds like – chaos, confusion, and wanting of a sense of justice. If 400 years is a long time, 2024 is so much longer. Advent starts with us wating for Jesus to return. When will that be? The New Testament prophecy sais that there is no way of us every to know. Remember the words of Malachi – the day is coming – so now we wait, we prepare, we open our hearts. God’s justice will affect all of the world. God’s peace will benefit us all as well. The coming of Christ is a moment for everyone to rejoice. Did you know that some of the most popular Christmas songs were actually written by Jewish people? These songs include: Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, Let is Snow, The Christmas song, It is the most wonderful time of the year, Santa Baby, Silver Bells, Winter Wonderland. There are many others. Perhaps it is just a matter of making money for them, perhaps they understand what it means to wait for the messiah, Perhaps God’s vision of a world where justice prevails and we all chose to live as righteous people is the fulfillment of a promise made to all of humankind, regardless of our religion or creed. This advent, remember that even in the midst of silence God still speaks. We can find peace, in a world where the unjust prevail. Let us pray…….. Song All the Earth is Waiting UMH 210 Pastoral Prayer Lord’s Prayer Stewardship Moment In Advent and during the Christmas season stories are often told of people eager to offer something to the baby Jesus. The story of the poinsettia comes from Mexico, focusing on two young children, so poor they picked weeds on the side of the path they walked to church. When they arrived to offer their weedy gift, they found the weeds blossomed into brilliant red when they laid them at the manger bed. The classic story of “The Other Wise Man” by Henry Van Dyke details the travels of Artaban, who wanted to join the wise men following the star. He had several gifts when he began his journey. Side-tracked when he used a gift to help a dying man, Artaban finally got to Bethlehem, only to discover Jesus and his family had left for Egypt. Artaban traveled for 33 years, searching for Jesus until he finally comes to Jerusalem, where his last gift is used to redeem a woman who was up for sale as a slave. What story might be told because of the gifts you bring to offer to the Redeemer today? Let us share our gifts with joy. Prayer of Thanksgiving With grateful hearts, O God, we bring our gifts and ourselves to offer our lives back to you. Thank you for redeeming us. Thank you for claiming us as your own beloved children. Accept this offering. Help us put it and ourselves to use this week, that we might share the Good News of your peace with the world. AMEN. (Disciples of Christ Center for Faith and Giving) Announcements Closing Prayer for Facebook May the Spirit of Light, The Christ of Love, And the God of Joy Infuse our souls with peace and a song of thanksgiving As we seek the presence of God in our world. Community Time Joys and Concerns (United Church of Christ Worship Ways) Benediction Go, now, blessed with a passion that refines, molds, and shapes each of our hearts to reflect God’s glorious love that transforms despair into hope, violence into peace, and distress into flourishing. Amen. Written by Dr. Lisa Hancock, Discipleship Ministries, June 2024. Postlude

Filled, emptied, refilled

November 10, 2024 Ruth 3:1-5, 4:13-17 25th Sunday After Pentecost Filled, emptied, refilled Year B Prelude Greeting Call to Worship Call to Worship #1 L: Come, take your rest this day P: Lord, free us from the stresses we have endured this week. L: Come, put your minds at ease. P: Lord, ease the burdens and frustrations of our lives. L: Come. For this is the house of the Lord. It is here that you will find peace. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Nancy Townley) Opening Prayer Merciful God, some of us come this morning having worked our worried fingers to the bone. Some of us yearn for rest. Some of us come filled with fear, or struggling with anxiety. Renew in us a sense of confidence that you DO bring beauty, provide security, and offer us deep “shalom”/peace/rest. May the reading of scripture, the proclamation of Good News, our voices raised in songs of praise all work together to provide confidence in you, and in your desires for us and for this world. AMEN. (Disciples of Christ, Center for Faith ad Giving) Song Love Divine, All Love Excelling UMH 384 A Sermon for All Ages The importance of loyalty Loyalty is an important trait to have in any relationship. It can be seen in Ruth and Naomi, who were loyal to each other despite being from different cultures. This lesson is a great way to teach kids about loyalty and how it can be important in their own lives. How loyalty can be applied to everyday life Loyalty is an important trait to have in life. It can be applied to everything from your relationships with family and friends to your job and your beliefs. In the Bible story of Ruth and Naomi, Ruth was a loyal friend to Naomi and did everything she could to help her. Naomi was also very loyal to Ruth and did everything she could to help her. This story shows us that it is important to be loyal to others, even when things are tough. The Bible is full of stories of loyal friends. Ruth and Naomi are two such friends. Ruth was a Moabite woman who was taken in by Naomi, an Israelite woman. Naomi was a widow who had lost her two sons in a famine. Ruth took care of Naomi and helped her to recover from her loss. In the end, Naomi and Ruth were able to return to their own people and culture, but they always remained loyal friends. This story is a great example of how being loyal to others can help us to recover from difficult times. (Ministry toChildren) Prayer for Transformation and New Life God of mercy and possibilities, forgive us for clinging to the measures of success and security in our world rather than trusting in the abundance of your creation. Help us to recognize the kindom coming and our role as participants in your realm. Liberate us from the bonds of consumerism, scarcity, and self-centeredness, and make us vessels of your love come alive in the world. Amen. (United Church of Christ Worship Ways, Cheryl Lindsay) Words of Grace Beloved, you are inheritors of the kindom of God. You receive riches beyond compare. The Holy One journeys with you and enables you to grow in grace, peace, and contentment. (United Church of Christ Worship Ways, Cheryl Lindsay) Scripture Ruth 3:1-5; 4:13-17 Sermon Filled, Emptied, Refilled Song Blessed Be the Name UMH 63 (sing twice) Prayer God who redeems, ground us in your ethic of love, tune our ears to voices long silenced, open our heart to each other and particularly those who suffer, and help us attend to the many extraordinary ways you are pres- ent to us in this world. In this moment of prayer, we pause to give thanks for … Our lungs that fill with every breath, reminding us we are alive … Our hearts that beat within us, leading us to love and relationship … Our hands and feet that guide and support us in work and service … Our minds that contemplate your great mysteries through Word and worship … God of grace, we offer our prayers for the needs of others and commit ourselves to serve as we have been served in Jesus Christ. In this signifi- cant moment in the life of our nation, we pause to pray for … Those we have elected to the privilege of political leadership … Those who are exhausted from navigating divisiveness and hostile disagreement … Those burdened by a future full of uncertainty and change … Those in need of courage to embrace change and move forward … Merciful God, empower us to love and minister to all who are suffering. Break into our lives to reveal your eternal wisdom and your path of righ- teousness. Call us to journey together in common purpose and common mission, to be the Body of Christ in this, your world. (Presbyterian Outlook, Terri McDowell Ott) Lord’s Prayer Stewardship Moment Invitation to the Offering (Just print the title) O Lord, you graciously pour out your blessings on us. Your gifts surround us. Despite our abundance, help us see the widow’s gift, for we long to give as she did, gladly giving all she had. All we have is a gift from your hand. Help us loosen our hands, giving to work of this church on your behalf, for in giving freely to you, we gain the opportunity to live abundant lives! Offering Prayer or Communion Prayer or Great Thanksgiving Take this, the gifts of our hands, and the enterprise of our families, and bless and multiply them for the sake of your kingdom alone. Amen. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Sheri Jackson Monson) Announcements Closing Prayer for Facebook To live as God’s people of abundance, while not giving in to the pull of our culture, you’re going to need the power of the Holy Spirit. Lift your hands and hearts, in the name of the Father, who sustains us, and the Son, who instructs us, and the Spirit, who leads us. Go forth to love and serve the Lord— the one who loves the widow and the orphan. Sing the Lord’s song of hope in dry lands! (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Sheri Jackson Monson) Community Time – Joys and Concerns Benediction When the needs of the world compel you, May the blessings of God assure you, May the abundance of God inspire you, and May the goodness of God embolden you To resist the systems of scarcity and To embrace a life of generosity, compassion, and mutuality In the presence of Creator’s abundance. Amen. (United Church of Christ Worship Ways, Cheryl Lindsay)

Encouraging one another through good deeds

Prelude Greeting Welcome to our worship service this morning, this is the 26th Sunday of Pentecost, third Sunday in November. Welcome to those joining in person, and those who are all over the globe joining us on Facebook. Today is a very special service – both the choir and the bells are a part of our service. But we also have special guest with us this morning as we have the priviledge of commemorating the 150th Annivsersary of Aoyama Guikin in Japan. Welcome to all of our special guest. We will have a special prayer service during this service to honor that anniversary. The organization which educates people of all ages started from the efforts of one Methodist missionary – Dora Schoonmaker. She was commissioned to go to Japan in 1874. She began her school on November 16, 1874. As we honor Dora’s spirit, begin our time of worship. Call to Worship (1 Samuel 2, Mark 13) Let our hearts rejoice in the God of hope and faithfulness. Our strength is in the maker of heaven and earth. Our foundation is the cornerstone that never fails. The rock of ages is a foundation like no other. Hope arises, as the tools of war are broken and the weak are given strength. Hope lives when the hungry are fed and the poor are lifted up. God comes bringing judgment to the ends of the earth, calling us to hope and faithfulness. Come, rock of ages, come quickly now. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Mary Scifres) Opening Prayer (1 Samuel 1) God of possibilities, fill us with your hope and faithfulness. Listen to us as we pour out our souls before you. Grant us the grace to be your people and to live your teachings. Live in us, that we may arise with hope and walk in love. In the name of Christ our rock, we pray. Amen. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Mary Scifres) Song My Lord what a Morning UMH 719 A Sermon for all Ages Dora’s family moved here to Wilmington when she was 5 years old. Her family lived near Phelan Acres. She spoke fondly about going to Sunday school every Sunday with her mother. Many of the churches all over Illinois started as Sunday schools. Even at a very young age she had a relationship with God. At about 8 years old – she read a pamphlet about a woman who accompanied her husband to India as a missionary. She was so inspired by the womans life, that she told her mother that she was going to be a missionary. As she got older, and she started to learn her place as a woman in this society, she thought it was an awful idea. She got so frustrated that she threw the article in the Kankakee River. But the dream lived on in her heart. Her family moved on the Channahon when she was about 11, and she became a teacher in Morris. But that dream never left her heart. She really did become one of the first missionaries sent to Japan at age 23. Dora’s story speaks wonderfully to our lesson today in the book of Hebrews. Jesus talks about the laws of God written down in our hearts and not on a piece of paper. Dora thought that if she threw the words of her calling away that they would disappear. She didn’t realize that God had written down the calling inside of her in her heart. That way, no matter what happened in her life, they would not be lost. She shared those words in love. A Covenant Prayer in the Wesleyan Tradition UMH 607 Before missionaries are sent out into the field, they go through a commissioning service – where they are prayed over, and they say a covenant to serve God faithfully in everything that they do. Dora was commissioned in Evanston in 1871 by the Women’s Foreign Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Here at the Wilmington Church, a unit of the Women’s Foreign Missionary Society was formed in 1900. This church has several women’s missionary groups. In 1940 – they all united into the Women’s Society of Christian Service. I will share with you their pledge from 1940. Pledge I desire to become a member of the Woman’s Society of Christian Service of the WILMINGTON Church. As such it is my purpose to join in helping to develop and support Christian work among women and children around the world; to develop the spiritual life; to study the needs of the world; to take part in such service activities as will strengthen the local church, improve civic community and world conditions; to enlist others in this Christian fellowship, and secure funds for the activities in the local church and the support the work undertaken at home and abroad for the establishment of a World Christian Community. To this end I will give prayer, service and an annual contribution to the total budget of the Society. Thus I will contribute to educate for, and promote the threefold program of the women of Methodism. Now I invite us to read part of the John Wesley Covenant Prayer that would be said by current United Methodist missionaries. Passing of the Peace Scripture Hebrews 10:10-25 Sermon Encouraging one another through Good Deeds Some years ago an English journal ran a contest. A prize was offered for the best definition of a "friend." A friend. How would you define a friend? Thousands of replies poured in: A friend is someone "who multiplies joys, and divides grief!" said one. No, thought another; a friend is someone "who understands our silence." A third person suggested: "A friend is a volume of sympathy bound in cloth." But the publishers picked this one as the winning entry: A friend is "the one who comes in when the whole world has gone out."That's it, isn't it? One who comes in when the whole world has gone out. The ancient Jewish wiseman, Ben-Sira, said a faithful friend is a sure shelter ” a rich treasure. (Ecclesiasticus 6:14) There's no better way to describe the idea of "faithfulness" than that. The fruit of the Spirit, says Paul in Galatians 5, is faithfulness. When God takes hold of our lives, when His Spirit molds and shapes us, there's a quality about us that people call faithfulness. There's a faithful person, they say. They might just as well say: She knows what it means to be a good friend! But faithfulness tends to be a tedious word in our society. Not long ago, the best-selling book across North America was HABITS OF THE HEART by Robert Bellah. He said individualism has won our hearts today. We honor the kingdom of self, and resent the claims others might try to lay on us. We lie to gain ” not just financially, but even in our relationships. If I don't think I'm getting anything out of a friendship, then it's my duty to myself to move on. If a marriage isn't working for me, there are no moral holds that bind me! I'm a free person! I have a right to my happiness, and the bonds of fidelity may not cramp my style! Friendship is costly. Faithfulness in our relationships, to each other, and even to God, requires a lot of us, and we're not so ready to pay the price! But a world without faithful friends takes its toll on us But a world without faithful friends takes its toll on us. A funeral director notes funerals have changed a lot in the last decades. People don't come to funerals anymore. Years ago you couldn't have a service at the funeral home for someone who had died; there just wouldn't be enough room for the family and the friends and the business associates who showed up. In fact, it was strange when somebody died alone, friendless, without someone to pay last respects. But now, he says, it happens all the time. We live for ourselves, and we die by ourselves. Those are the habits of our poor hearts. The message of the book of Hebrews is that when we have Christ in our lives, that we should never get tired of being friends. The whole point of church is to be a place where people can come and no matter who they are, they can be among friends. They are welcomed, they are loved, they are free to be faithful. The book of Hebrews talks about Jesus as our high priest. Except Jesus is different from other priest. Other’s had to keep doing rituals over and over again to have any power. Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice one time – and not only did he have the power to change things, he passed that power on to his followers. If Christ is our savior- we have that power today in our everyday lives. With Jesus power in our lives, we can have a bold relationship with God and go an live our lives in confidence. The book of Hebrews encourages us to come together and to be the church for one another and for the world. The book of Hebrews encourages us to not be afraid to pester one another into doing good works for the world. We don’t have to ever be afraid to be a friend. I could have imagined that for Dora Schoonmaker, it would have taken a lot of courage at 23, to travel alone to a foreign country- but her faith has told her that she was not alone, and that whatever the challenges – not to be afraid to be a friend. Over the summer, the Grundy County Historical Museum opened a permanent exhibit honoring Dora. There were several women from the Northern Illinois Conference Women of Faith Organization attended the ribbon cutting. They were inspired by Dora’s boldness. Many of them had the same concern. Today, when missionaries are deployed – they go through extensive cultural and language training before going to a country. Dora had little to no preparation. Many of the women asked how did she survive, without knowing Japanese. While on the tour of her life, I was able to ask, the author of the book about her, Rev. Keiko Tanamura, that question. She explained that she would have had an interpreter with her all of the time. She also said that when she was teaching her students – her would have communicated with them through love – the language of the heart. She taught the students how to be productive in life, but she also taught them about the love of Christ and her faith. Many of those students carried on her faith, long after she returned to America. An effort that started with a few girls, spread to an organization that educated thousands of students a year from kindergarten to grad school. Her story is an example of the power of Christian friendship. Christian Friendship is a bold combination of living in faith, holding on to hope and caring for one another in love. The greatest of these is love. Let us Inspire one another, give each other hope Create a space where people can come together, Gather, care, do goods deeds Let us pray…… Song Here I am Lord Prayer Service honoring the 150th Anniversary of the founding of Aoyama Gakuin in Tokyo Japan, through the missionary efforts of Dora Schoonmaker Anthem Invite us to say the Lord’s Prayer Stewardship Moment (inspired by Hebrews 10:19-25) In the letter to the Hebrews we read how the death of Jesus gives us assurance that our own lives are built up by faith, hope and love. Coming together for worship allows us to encourage each other to good deeds. Here we have opportunity to share our passion and enthusiasm for the work to which we are called. Today, let me describe one way this congregation acts out our faith. (describe one mission/outreach ministry, hopefully with a strong story of how a life has been strengthened because of what this congregation does.) OR, if you don’t have a particular ministry you can lift up from your congregation, speak for a minute of a ministry of the larger Church (your region, area, or a collection of congregations in your community). This might be your appeal for a special Thanksgiving offering. Your financial gifts, your time, and your “good talk” about this ministry all work to strengthen the witness we make as disciples of Jesus, the Christ. Let your energy, your financial support and your positivity come together today to build up not only this ministry, but also all the people who are impacted by the work which goes on week after week! With confidence, let us offer our gifts, knowing they support not only this particular piece, but also the work of the whole Church. Prayer of Thanksgiving Giver of all good gifts, thank you for this opportunity for each one of us to offer back a portion of what you give to us. Help us find ways to faithfully give from our resources as a sign of our faith, our hope and our love. AMEN (Disciples of Christ Center for Faith and Giving) Announcements Closing Prayer for Facebook Charge and benediction May we leave this house of worship reconciled, redeemed, and renewed by our time spent in the presence of God. May we leave this house of worship full of the hope our Savior provides. May the grace, hope, peace and love of the God the Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer be with us now and always. Amen. (Presbyterian Outlook, Terri McDowell Ott) Community Time – Joys and Concerns Pat Wise has several issues, Jean Stickel is recovering from a fall Benediction May the Spirit that leads through fire and flood The Spirit that baptizes with power The Spirit of expectation and hope Lead, strengthen, and guide you This week and always. Amen. Written by Valerie Bridgman in The Africana Worship Book, Year B (Nashville: Discipleship Resources, 2007), 221.

Prayers for all People

November 19, 2024 1 Timothy 2:1-7 Thanksgiving Organ and Tissue Donation Sunday Prayers for all People Year B Prelude Greeting Call to Worship L: Come, let us celebrate the wondrous gifts that God has given us. P: Throughout all our lives, God has blessed us with love and hope. L: Praise be to God who provides for us. P: May our hearts be truly grateful, and may we show our gratitude by the ways in which we live and care for others. L: Hallelujah! P: AMEN. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Nancy Townley) Opening Prayer Lord of bounty and blessing, we come to you this day in gratitude for all that we have been given. We are grateful for the blessings and for the opportunities to be of service to others in your holy Name. Bless each of us here, that we may become truly blessings to others. For we ask this in Jesus’ Name. AMEN. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Nancy Townley) Song Great is Thy Faithfulness UMH 140 A Sermon for all Ages Children’s Message What is an organ? A musical instrument? What is a tissue? Something in which to sneeze or to wrap a gift? And what is a donor? In The United Methodist Church, we celebrate Organ and Tissue Donor Sunday. In this case, an organ is a group of tissues in a living organism that has a specific form and function. Examples are your heart, kidneys and lungs. Sometimes, perhaps because of disease, a person’s organ quits working effectively, and they become very sick. That’s where the word “donor” comes in. A donor is an individual who shares an organ or tissue so that someone else can have a fuller life. On Organ and Tissue Donor Sunday, United Methodists encourage people to help others in this way. Newsletter Nugget “He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age.” —Ruth 4:15, NRSVUE Most of us take our health and our bodies for granted. We check that little organ-donation box on our driver’s license and, most likely, forget about it. But when we, or someone we love, is in need of an organ, cornea or tissue transplant, the situation becomes personal. That’s why Organ and Tissue Donor Sunday is so important. One of five special days without a churchwide offering, Organ and Tissue Donor Sunday is viewed as a time for United Methodists to come together around the issues of life and thanksgiving. Congregations are encouraged to include the topic in their worship services. Worship resources are available from nonprofit donor programs in the United States. Jesus said, “I came so that they could have life—indeed, so that they could live life to the fullest” (John 10:10b CEB). Organ and Tissue Donor Sunday is an opportunity to consider new ways to follow Jesus and to help others find abundant life. Adapted from Donate Life America website. Prayer of Thanksgiving (note that the prayer is in bold) Bounteous God, you have lavished your finest gifts on each one of us. We thank you for the many ways in which you have blessed our lives--with love, hope, friends, our church, and so many other things that we cherish. Help us be a blessing for others--that they may come to know you and rejoice in your love. Give us hearts of courage and confidence to step out into the world in service, bringing hope where there is doubt, peace where there is strife, love where there is discord. These things we pray in Jesus’ Name, AMEN. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Nancy Townley) Scripture 1 Timothy 2:1-7 Sermon Prayers for all People Thanksgiving did not become a national holiday for the United States until 1942, when president Roosevelt declared it as the 4th Thursday of November. I am told that he did that for economic reasons, so that Christmas shopping could begin the next day. So not only did he start Thanksgiving, but also black Friday. By the way, it is also no accident that election day is always in November. It was established in 1842 to have elections after harvest time. On a Tuesday, so that farmers had time to travel to the polls after church on Sunday. But back to the harvest festival - We know that it was president Lincoln who introduced the idea of thanksgiving to the nation. In 1863 I think he made a proclamation of a national day of prayer and thanksgiving. Yet did you know that a national day of prayer and thanksgiving goes all the way back to our first president, George Washington. First National Thanksgiving Proclamation Whereas, it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; Whereas, both the houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me "to recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness!" Now therefore, I do recommend next, to be devoted by the people of the states to the service of that great and glorious being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be, that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country. George Washington, 1779. Washington declared that We are a safe and happy nation under God, that God is the protector of our country, so we should have a public say of Prayer and Thanksgiving. Today – I think that we do well with the Thanks part of the holiday. We remember to say thank you to those around us. We even do well with the giving part. This is the beginning of giving season. We remember those in need, we make sure everyone has a table to go to on thanksgiving. It is the time of year to remember end of the year giving for the organizations that we care about. But I wonder how we are doing with the prayer part of Thanksgiving. Other than the grace, how much do we pray at Thanksgiving? Giving Meaningful Thanks I have noticed that at Thanksgiving time it is difficult for people to give God thanks and praise. You hear people say on that day that they are grateful but that is where it ends. They rarely direct their thankfulness to God. One year my daughter's school had a Thanksgiving day program for the parents. I was so saddened that during the program all they could sing about was "Tom Turkey." You would have thought that it was a poultry holiday. Not only is it difficult for us to give thanks, but it seems that we can not graciously receive thanks. If we listen carefully to various conversations we will notice that sometimes someone will say, "Thank you," only to have the other person say, "No, thank you." Obviously, giving thanks has become a meaningless exercise for many people. We have reduced it to the level of telling one another to "have a nice day." This is nothing new; in our text Jesus was having the same problem. So was one young mother who was preparing a dinner party at her home. She had spent all day in preparations for the big event. She was nervous and wanted everything to be just right for her guests. She had cleaned the house from top to bottom, polished the silver, arranged the flowers, and even made little name cards for each guest. Finally, the guests arrived and were eventually seated at the dinner table. The young mother turned to her daughter and asked her to offer the prayer. The daughter said that she did not know what to pray. "Just pray what Mommy would pray," the mother said. The little girl thought for a moment and then prayed, "Dear Lord, why did I invite all these people to dinner?"" John R. Steward, Lectionary Tales For The... Our scripture reminds us to pray for all people. To bring everything to God in prayer. This year I am sure that there are a lot of people who will bring our nation to God in prayer. There will be lots of discussions around the table about God overseeing our nation. But let us remember to bring all of our petitions to God. Before gathering, before the food, while we are alone, when we start our day – let us start our day in relationship with God. To put it easily, someone said The attitude of gratitude is important for several reasons: Thankfulness acknowledges that God is our provider. Thankfulness prevents a complaining spirit. Thankfulness creates a positive outlook on life Thankfulness invites joy to dwell in our hearts. Kent Crockett, Making Today Count for Eternity, pp. 161. 1 Timothy reminds us that there is only one God, On mediator, and at the heart of the matter, we are one people when we come together in prayer. At its heart and beginning, Thanksgiving is a political holiday. My prayer is that God spares us all from political talk at the thanksgiving table this year. But let us remember, that when we bring everything in prayer to God – we are all loved, protected, and united. Let us pray….. Song Come, Ye Thankful People, Come UMH 694 Pastoral Prayer God of infinite patience and power, how it must try your patience to watch us hurl ourselves into a season of greed and grumbling. Your blessings, your bounty, have been poured out to us that we may be strengthened to be your people in service to others. Yet we persist in attaching ourselves to the great “gimmies” of our world--“gimmie toys, gimmie wealth, gimmie power.” Today we have gathered here with an opportunity to step out of the race to possess, to praise you and thank you for the wonderful ways in which you have blessed our lives. We spend a lot of time looking for the big blessings, when all around us are the delightful blessings of everyday living--family, home, friends, the ability to enjoy laughter and share tears. There are so many ways in which you have touched our lives with your love. Help us develop for all of our lives an attitude of gratitude, never failing to thank you each day for your love and your blessings. Help us reach out to one another and to all those in need with this compassionate love. For we ask this in Jesus’ Name, AMEN. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Nancy Townley) Lord’s Prayer Special Presentation by Traci Brownlee (check spelling) Stewardship Moment On this Thanksgiving Sunday, perhaps someone in your congregation who attended a Disciple school could invite people to share a special day offering to support the work of Disciple colleges and seminaries. Or, you could use resources from Disciples Mission Fund by clicking here. Or, ask 3 different people to each share 1 minute to finish this sentence: “I give money to this congregation because I’m thankful for _________.” and share a closing sentence – “with thankful hearts, please share your financial gift as a sign of your gratitude for the ministry of this congregation.” Prayer of Thanksgiving With gratitude for all the blessings you pour into our lives, Generous God, we offer these gifts back to you. We pray they will be used to increase your Realm of peace. Bless all who have given gifts this day, that they may truly be part of the Way you showed to a yearning world through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, the Christ, Ruler of all. AMEN. (Disciples of Christ Center for Faith and Giving) Announcements Closing Prayer for Facebook One: Go into the world showing a gentle attitude toward everyone. Be joyful and thankful! Fill your mind with those things that are good and deserve praise: things true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honorable. Put into practice what you have heard here. And may the God who gives peace be with each of you. All: We go in the peace of Christ to love and serve all creation. (ReWorship.com, Kevin Little) Community Time – Joys and Concerns BENEDICTION Beloved of God, place your whole trust in God’s absolute abundant love. Feel the powerful presence of God in your life and know that God’s blessings are with you. Go in peace, and may God’s peace always be with you. AMEN. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Nancy Townley) Additional Illustrations Sermon Opener - In All Things Be Thankful - Ephesians 5:20 Back during the dark days of 1929, a group of ministers in the Northeast, all graduates of the Boston School of Theology, gathered to discuss how they should conduct their Thanksgiving Sunday services. Things were about as bad as they could get, with no sign of relief. The bread lines were depressingly long, the stock market had plummeted, and the term Great Depression seemed an apt description for the mood of the country. The ministers thought they should only lightly touch upon the subject of Thanksgiving in deference to the human misery all about them. After all, what was there was to be thankful for? But it was Dr. William L. Stiger, pastor of a large congregation in the city that rallied the group. This was not the time, he suggested, to give mere passing mention to Thanksgiving, just the opposite. This was the time for the nation to get matters in perspective and thank God for blessings always present, but perhaps suppressed due to intense hardship. I suggest to you the ministers struck upon something. The most intense moments of thankfulness are not found in times of plenty, but when difficulties abound. Think of the Pilgrims that first Thanksgiving. Half their number dead, men without a country, but still there was thanksgiving to God. Their gratitude was not for something but in something. It was that same sense of gratitude that lead Abraham Lincoln to formally establish the first Thanksgiving Day in the midst of national civil war, when the butcher's list of casualties seemed to have no end and the very nation struggled for survival. Perhaps in your own life, right now, there is intense hardship. You are experiencing your own personal Great Depression. Why should you be thankful this day? May I suggest three things? 1. We must learn to be thankful or we become bitter. 2. We must learn to be thankful or we will become discouraged. 3. We must learn to be thankful or we will grow arrogant and self-satisfied. ____________________ How to Be a Pilgrim The Pilgrims had the courage to act on their commitments, no matter what. Do we? Sociologist Robert Bellah, author of Habits of the Heart, is impressed by the power of religion. He once said, "We should not underestimate the significance of the small group of people who have a new vision of a just and gentle world. The quality of a culture may be changed when two percent of its people have a new vision (and act on it)." Christians make up far more than two percent of our town, far more than two percent of Massachusetts, far more than two percent of Americans. So, why don’t we have a greater effect: on issues of the environment, on justice for the needy, on the quality of life on Cape Cod? Could it be we need more courage to act on our commitments? To be a Pilgrim means to stand up for what you believe, no matter what. To be a Pilgrim also means sharing what you have, and turning thanks into giving. The Pilgrim colonists willingly shared all they had. During their first three years, all property was held in common. At one point, they were down to five kernels of corn per day for food. Still, they divided the corn kernels up equally. And, the original group of fifty that survived the first winter shared their limited food with the sixty newcomers who arrived in the spring. One of their finest moments came in 1623, at the first real Thanksgiving. The small colony hosted over ninety Native American braves for three days. There was eating and drinking, wrestling, footraces, and gun and arrow-shooting competitions. It was the Pilgrims’ way of saying "Thank you" to God, and to the Native Americans who had helped them survive. To be a Pilgrim means sharing and turning thanks into giving. How thankful and giving are we? Alex A. Gondola, Jr., Holidays Are Holy Days: Sermons for Special Sundays, CSS Publishing Company __________________ The Source of Thanksgiving I will remind you of that wonderful Children's holiday classic "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas." It was released a few years ago as a movie staring Jim Carrey. You'll recall in the story how the Grinch enters all the homes by way of their chimneys disguised as Santa Clause. He takes all the presents and ornaments, the trees and stockings, and even their food down to the last morsel. He drags his loot up to his mountain and then looks down upon Whoville with a sinister grin. He is listening for the cries and wailings of the people to start as they wake up on Christmas morning to discover a Christmas lost. What he hears instead surprises him. Up from the town of the Whos comes a joyful Christmas carol. They are singing. "Why?" he asks. It is because, he learns, Christmas resides not in things but in the heart which is thankful. He could not steal their gratitude. Brett Blair, www.eSermons.com Too Much Turkey In 1953, the Swanson food company found themselves with too much turkey on their hands after disappointing Thanksgiving sales. One innovative employee came up with the idea of packaging individual servings of turkey and vegetables in an oven-safe aluminum tray. Thus was born the first TV dinner. Reader’s Digest, June 2003, p. 26. Thanksgiving Sermon Opener This morning I would like to hold up for you three different scenes. The strange thing about these scenarios is that when you first hear them you will be hard pressed to understand why I selected these stories to exemplify Thanksgiving. On the surface they will seem to be the antithesis of Thanksgiving. Yet, I am convinced that at the heart of these stories is the real Biblical understanding of what it means to be thankful. The first scene comes from the Old Testament. It is the familiar story of Job. Job has come to represent for us the epitome of suffering. Near the end of the story we see that all of his children have been killed in an accident; he is facing financial ruin; he has been stricken with illness. In fact, it seems that if any person is justified in saying: Let's just skip Thanksgiving this year it would be Job. Yet, in the midst of all of this immeasurable suffering the voice of God comes to Job and says to him a very interesting statement. We read it in the 37th chapter the 14th verse. God says to Job: "Hear this O Job. Stop and consider the wondrous works of God." From all outward circumstances it seems as though Job has nothing at all to be thankful for yet here is God coming to him in the midst of it all and saying in effect, Job, it's time to count your blessings. Let's leave that story for a moment and take a look at a second. This one comes from the New Testament, the book of Ephesians. The Apostle Paul now finds himself squarely in the midst of a dingy Roman prison and facing serious charges. Things seem very bad indeed for Paul. But this is only one of a series of mishaps that has occurred during his stormy ministry. He has been shipwrecked, beaten nearly to death, imprisoned, and even many of his fellow Christians are now openly opposing him. Now he faces what surely seems to be a death sentence. In the midst of this situation Paul writes the Christians in Ephesus. Listen to what he has to say, "Thanks be to God through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who has blessed us in Christ with every blessing." Strange words from a man facing execution. Like Job, we are forced to ask the question What has he to be thankful for? Staff, www.eSermons.com Helping Others, Showing Gratitude A man named John Canuso made a deal with God. His nine-year-old daughter, Babe, had just been diagnosed with leukemia, and as he knelt at her bed, he swore: "You save my kid, I'll dedicate my life." God did indeed save his daughter. Babe is now 26, married and the mother of a one-year-old boy, a child she thought she'd never have, after all the radiation and chemotherapy. John kept his promise. John was a builder by trade. In 1974, the year his daughter became ill, he reached into his own pocket to renovate and furnish a rundown Philadelphia home that became the first Ronald McDonald House, a place where families could stay while their youngsters were being treated at Children's Hospital. John said, "Thank you, Lord. I'm glad you asked me to do something in my profession." Helping others was John's way of saying "thank you." King Duncan, ChristianGlobe Illustrations