First Sunday in Advent: Living in peace as God's children

First Sunday in Advent:

LIVING IN PEACE AS GOD’S CHILDREN

: This drawing by eight year old Caryl Noreen B. Cruiz from the Philippines illustrates God's creation: beautiful landscapes, fresh air, no trash, many trees, clean water, a beautiful bird, rice and songs.

Resources for the service:

♦ Advent candles on a candle stand or Advent wreath

♦ A blue or purple cloth

♦ Six long strips of cloth in different colours

♦ A pole

In preparation:

For all four Sundays in Advent:

♦ Use a palm tree, bamboo tree or other appropriate tree as a Christmas tree. In Malaysia, a palm tree is used as a decoration in the festive season and symbolizes goodwill.

♦ During the Advent season, the Advent candles are placed in front of the palm (or other) tree.

♦ At Christmas, this tree will be decorated as a Christmas tree.

For the first Sunday in Advent:

♦ Decide on whether there will be a sermon or a story on interreligious peace or the presentation of a project with an interreligious element as the heart of the service.

♦ Choose an appropriate song to follow the sermon/story/peace project presentation as well as a well known hymn during the offering.

♦ Appoint six people to give the six readings from the sacred texts.

GATHERING

Prelude

Call to worship

Advent means coming:

We are waiting for the second coming of the Prince of Peace;
we are celebrating the first coming of the Prince of Peace.

Advent means coming:

In earnest expectation, we pray for the days
when the nations shall beat their swords into ploughshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
when nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more.

(Isaiah 2:4)

Advent means coming:

In sincere anticipation, we hope for the time
when love and faithfulness meet together,
when righteousness and peace kiss each other,
when faithfulness springs forth from the earth,
and righteousness looks down from heaven.

(Psalm 85:10-11)

In prayer and anticipation let us come before the Lord of the universe.
In humbleness we worship the Lord of the nations.

♪ Song: Varum Dheevene (Come, our prince of peace)

Greetings

Peace be with you and the mercy and blessing of God.

And also with you.

Let us greet one another with a sign of peace.

(As instrumental music is played, the congregation is invited to greet each other with a simple bow or other gentle gesture that conveys peace. The word “Shanti” can be used in the act of greeting.)

Lighting of the first Advent candle

(The first candle is lit, if possible by a family. A blue or purple cloth is placed surrounding the candle stand/wreath forming a womb-like shape. Only the first verse of the song “Come, O Prince of Peace” is sung.)

We light this first Advent candle:

in remembrance that all humans are born from the Divine Womb;

in prayer for reconciliation between nations;

in hope for peace between religions;

in joyful anticipation of the coming of the Prince of Peace.

♪ Song: Come, O Prince of Peace (verse 1 only)

Prayer of confession and absolution

Let us come humbly before God, asking for God’s mercy.

O Creator of all living things,

yours is the earth and all that is in it,

yours is the world and those who live in it.

Yet we often deny that all people are created in your image;

that all people are born from your loving womb;

that we, regardless of our religions, share a common humanity.

Compassionate One, we ask:

♪ Song: Lord, have mercy

O Wisdom,

yours is the eternal truth,

yours is the everlasting knowledge.

You always revealed yourself in many ways to all people

in different times and places.

Yet we often claim to be the only owners of your truth.

We reject any spiritual truth outside Christianity,

because we are afraid of denying your truth

revealed in Christian scripture and traditions.

Compassionate One, we ask:

♪ Song: Lord, have mercy

O Almighty One,

you command us to love one another,

you instruct us to be messengers of peace.

Yet we often cannot accept those who are different from us

as our sisters and brothers.

We often fail to honour believers of other faiths.

We often choose a violent approach in dealing with differences and

religious diversity.

We often fight and kill each other in your name and under the banner of

our religions.

Compassionate One, we ask:

♪ Song: Lord, have mercy

O Holy Mystery,

you have revealed your loving being to us

although dimly as in a mirror.

You grace us with your presence through the Holy Spirit.

You want us, all people, to share in your salvation.

Yet we often forget that you are always present

and working in every place and every time;

in every work that brings justice, peace and reconciliation in the world;

in every good deed for the well being of your creation;

in every effort to bring salvation to all humankind.

Compassionate One, we ask:

♪ Song: Lord, have mercy

This is what the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One says:

"I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you,

who directs you in the way you should go.

If only you had paid attention to my commands,

your peace would have been like a river,

your righteousness like the waves of the sea.

Your descendants would have been like the sand,

your children like its numberless grains;

their name would never be cut off

nor destroyed from before me."

(Isaiah 48:17-19)

♪ Song: Great Lord of heaven and earth

PROCLAMATION

Prayer of illumination

God of Alpha and Omega,

your promises come to us bringing hope.

Grant us the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding to listen to your word,

the Spirit of counsel and of power to do your will,

the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord to be your messengers

of peace.

In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray.

Amen.

First Bible reading

Isaiah 11:1-9

A shoot shall come out from the stock of Jesse,
and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him,
the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and might,
the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.

He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide by what his ears hear;
but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist,
and faithfulness the belt around his loins.

The wolf shall live with the lamb,
the leopard shall lie down with the kid,
the calf and the lion and the fatling together,
and a little child shall lead them.
The cow and the bear shall graze,
their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp,
and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.
They will not hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain;
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.

The Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Second Bible reading

I Thessalonians 3:9-13

How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy that we feel before our God because of you? Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you face to face and restore whatever is lacking in your faith.

Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you. And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love for you. And may he so strengthen your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.

The Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

♪ Song: Al’leeluyaa

(As the Alleluia is sung, the Bible is carried into the midst of the assembly where it is read. After the Gospel reading it is returned to the altar accompanied once again by the Alleluia.)

Gospel reading

Luke 21:25-36

‘There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see “the Son of Man coming in a cloud” with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.’

Then he told them a parable: ‘Look at the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.’

‘Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day does not catch you unexpectedly, like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.’

The Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, O Christ.

♪ Song: Al’leeluyaa

Sermon

Telling a story of peace on interreligious relationship

(Invite a person of a non-Christian religion to tell a story about how his/her religion perceives and practices peace. If that is not appropriate, read a story - or show a video or power point presentation - about peace building between religions or an activity in a local area that is done together by different religious communities, such as food distribution, shelter, etc.)

♪ Song

(Choose a song that takes up the theme of the story.)

RESPONSE

Readings from sacred texts

(Several persons read the texts below. Each person carries one of the differently coloured strips of long cloth. After reading their text, each one ties one end of the cloth to the top of the pole, while still holding on to the other end. Later, after all the readings have been read, the readers, still holding one end of their piece of cloth, circle the pole in different directions weaving the strips of cloth together into a braided shape. This action symbolizes unity in diversity. The action can be presented differently, for example by attaching the strips of cloth together in the shape of a rainbow, as long as the symbol of unity in diversity can be seen and well understood.)

Reading of Luke 10:27 and Matthew 7:12

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself. In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.