Advent Week 1

Pastoral Welcome

Announcing the laying of the greens

Grab an item or two

At home feel free to join in however is approporiate and contextual for you

Call To Worship

Pastor: Something stirs deep within us – a longing, a hope, People: A thirst for joy, a hunger for peace, a yearning for blessing. Pastor: We know deep within that our hopes and fears People: Will be met by angel songs and baby sighs. Pastor: It is Advent - People: Season of waiting, hoping, yearning. Pastor: Advent - All: Time to go home.

Pastoral Prayer

Righteous one, to you alone we lift our souls; in you alone, we place our trust; for you alone we wait all day long. For you are the God of our salvation, abounding in mercy and steadfast love. Help us remain alert and watchful for the coming of your promised one— the one who comes with power and glory, the one drawing near to bring our salvation.

Lord in your Mercy; Hear our prayer

God, bless those who mourn and grieve, who ache with loss for someone so much loved.

Lord in your Mercy; Hear our prayer

God, bless the people who are hungry for justice and who cannot wait for everyone to have their rights.

Lord in your Mercy; Hear our prayer

God, bless all who are merciful, who have learned to forgive even those who hurt them hard.

Lord in your Mercy; Hear our prayer

God, bless all who are pure in heart, in whom there is no vengefulness, but only love.

Lord in your Mercy; Hear our prayer

God, bless the peacemakers, the ones who, by their words and deeds, can change the world.

Lord in your Mercy; Hear our prayer

God, bless the persecuted ones, and keep them safe from those who would hurt them.

Lord in your Mercy; Hear our prayer

God, so rich in blessings for your children, we rejoice in your promises and in your boundless and transforming grace. We ask that you would bless our inmost spirits that we raise to you now in this moment of Silent Worship.

let us embrace the costly blessings which you desire for us,

blessings that confound the wisdom and strength of this world.

Teach us to be your agents of preservation in a world touched by death,

and beacons of hope in a world shrouded in darkness.

Transform us into your image through the crucible of the cross,

writing your mandates upon our hearts, made pure by you perfect love.

We pray all of these things in your name and in the name of the one who has taught us to pray saying....

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and ever.

Amen.

Candle Reading

This advent season, we desire the gift of Jesus and for God’s Kingdom to come. And so, we light the first advent candle - the candle of HOPE.

Hope speaks toward something that will happen in the future. Hope guides our faith to trust in things which are beyond this present moment. Hope is more than just a word or a feeling. It is a belief that, without regard to today’s circumstances, God is working for good and we will experience God’s love as the future unfolds.

Today, many of us experience Advent and Christmas as celebrations. In the midst of these wonderful days that lead us to Christmas, there are many of us who are hurting in present circumstances and HOPE for better things to come. There are many in our community and in our world who are suffering in pain, loss, or injustices.

And so together we continue to HOPE for the light and love of Jesus to be known. Jesus reminds us that God has not forgotten us. In Jesus, we can have HOPE that the next moment is already being impacted, renewed and redeemed in God’s promise of love LET US PRAY

God - in this season of expectation and wonder, remind us that HOPE isn’t a present under the tree waiting to be opened. Help us remember HOPE is an extension of our faith, our trust, our belief that you are a God that keeps your promises. Remind us that we can trust you to be present and active in our future. Thank you for Jesus, for Christmas, and we pray that your kingdom come. Amen.

Celebration And Offertory

Breakthrough Prayer Initiative responses

“With our new prayer emphasis, please let us know how the following prayer has impacted you?”

I picked up wind-blown trash in my broader neighborhood and patiently encouraged a grocery clerk on her second day on the job

This is a simple, heartfelt way to begin the day. Calming and encouraging

This is something that’s been on my mind recently. What I can do to let God’s light shine through me. This prayer shows me support and makes me want the light to be bright.

Giving

Over the next couple of weeks you will hear more about some of the specifics of the handful of organizations that they do every year

One of the mission items that is particularly in need this year is diapers

Missy Reams told me last week that many little ones living in poverty have health issues related to dirty diapers because their parents can't afford diapers to change them as often as needed.  Bidwell alone distributed almost 72,000 diapers last year.

Our church has set a goal to be able to supply 10,000 diapers to our community this advent season.

You can participate in that by designating that in your monetary donation, or through bringing donated diapers to our Uptown location anytime throughout the week.

Sermon

Me Section

Think about the “do my duty to God and my queen”

to do my duty to God and the King

To do my duty to God and the queen

If you don’t like the king language maybe you can substitute the language of kingdom or sovereignty in it’s place when you hear me say kingdom

Introduce Series

The Jesus we so often see

We think about Baby Jesus in the womb

We think about Meek and Mild

Last year we asked that question of “What Child is this?”

Jesus is not just a baby, but comes as a long awaited King

Christ as a King is not in the same form that we expect Christ to be

What type of King is Jesus?

What type of authority of dominion does Jesus bring into the world?

Are we prepared for that Kingdom to come today?

The theme transitions nicely from last weeks new heaven/new earth

Scripture

Jeremiah 33:14–16 NRSV

14 The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 15 In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 16 In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name by which it will be called: “The Lord is our righteousness.”

Making Sense of the Scripture

People in Exile

Their temple has been destroyed

Temples are the physical manifestation of a cultural and ethnical identity

The other component of their identity was kingship

What type of king do you long for?

They have been disappointed by Kings

It is the long standing awaited arrival of a king...The King of Egypt had dissappointed, the king of bablyon had disappointed. They abandonded kingship because there was not such thing as a righteous king that could be found.

There was a line of David - which had it’s own issues

That line of David was the best of bad examples of kings in the collective memory

Simply put the people didn’t have a good rolemodel of a kingdom or of a king

This ruler would make things right

Stages of Exile/Stages of Grief

This is peak exile, and particularly late exile....This is the meaning making/reconstructing of exile that is happening - this is the later part of prophetic. Where the anticipation is being built.

Where is hope in their story? Where is hope in our story?

V. 16

Jeremiah 33:16 NRSV

16 In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name by which it will be called: “The Lord is our righteousness.”

The people’s very identity will be that the Lord is righteous

That is how they might know each other and how they would be known

Justice - Justness - Things will be right

This ruler would make things right

The king comes to make things right

Justice doesn’t just come to the royalty, or to the high ups

That is not who Jeremiah is speaking to

The king comes for the every person

Matthew 5:1–10 NRSV

1 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. 8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

We are citizens of the Kingdom

when we participate in the kingdom we understand it better

The scandal of the kingdom of God it is isn’t actually about what we are receiving, it is about how we are able to participate

Christmas often becomes about the things that we receive

The gifts the surprises, the familiar experiences and events that we attend year in and year our.

That making right in the world

The kingdom that we were told about in Jeremiah is your job now, it is my job now

This passage speaks of the blessing that it is to be a part of the kingdom of God to participate in the kingdom of God

What could our church look like?

If we embraced this season of advent not just as any other. But what if we treated this very moment and this time as the final home stretch before the kingdom of God came here on earth as it is in heaven.

If we really believe truly that this kingdom of righteousness and justice is descending on our earth at Christmas time. That king is going to be here at Faith Chapel during our Christmas eve service, what might God do with that size of dream.

Advent is the time when we long for so much that we are bursting at the seams with longing - do we long for the coming of the kingdom?

What does it mean to do you duty to God and to the king? And by that I mean the king Jesus, who Kingdom is descending.

Benediction

The kingdom has come and is coming that will make all things right so go fourth from this place as citizens of the kingdom of God to shine the light of Christ so that others can know. Go now in peace to love and serve. Amen!