"Unforeseeable Favor"

Call to Worship (Isaiah 35)

In the midst of the barren land, flowers burst into bloom. In the midst of the dry desert, streams of water gush forth. In the midst of sorrow and sighing, joy and gladness dance together. We shall see the glory of God!

Opening Prayer (Isaiah 35)

God of Glory, we rejoice in the good news of your promises. Come into our parched world and shower us with your gushing, abundant water of life. Enter into our brokenness, and renew us with the strength of your love. Be born anew in our hearts and in our world. Come, Jesus; come. We are ready!

Offertory

Just as John prepared the way for Jesus, so we have opportunity to prepare the way of the Lord in our own time and place.  One way that happens is through our decisions to offer our time, talent and treasure to support the on-going ministries of this congregation.

With your contributions today or by the end of this calendar year, you’ll help us finish 2022 in a positive position. This time of offering will encourage all of us to rejoice in what we can accomplish as Jesus followers!

Prayer

We come to you, O God, with adoration and praise, as well as thanksgiving.   Our anticipation grows as we come nearer the day we’ll celebrate the birth of your Son, whom we know as the Christ.  Open our hearts that we may truly receive that gift and know the true joy of life with you.  Amen.

2 Samuel 9:1-12 New International Version

David and Mephibosheth 9 David asked, “Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” 2 Now there was a servant of Saul’s household named Ziba. They summoned him to appear before David, and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” “At your service,” he replied. 3 The king asked, “Is there no one still alive from the house of Saul to whom I can show God’s kindness?” Ziba answered the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is lame in both feet.” 4 “Where is he?” the king asked. Ziba answered, “He is at the house of Makir son of Ammiel in Lo Debar.” 5 So King David had him brought from Lo Debar, from the house of Makir son of Ammiel. 6 When Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he bowed down to pay him honor. David said, “Mephibosheth!” “At your service,” he replied. 7 “Don’t be afraid,” David said to him, “for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.” 8 Mephibosheth bowed down and said, “What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?” 9 Then the king summoned Ziba, Saul’s steward, and said to him, “I have given your master’s grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family. 10 You and your sons and your servants are to farm the land for him and bring in the crops, so that your master’s grandson may be provided for. And Mephibosheth, grandson of your master, will always eat at my table.” (Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.) 11 Then Ziba said to the king, “Your servant will do whatever my lord the king commands his servant to do.” So Mephibosheth ate at David’s[a] table like one of the king’s sons. 12 Mephibosheth had a young son named Mika, and all the members of Ziba’s household were servants of Mephibosheth.

Benediction Let the love of God flow into your hearts. Believe in the power of God to change your life. Behold the goodness of God in creation and in others. Be at peace and celebrate God’s good news. Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.