Third Sunday of Advent: Liturgy

Today is the Third Sunday of Advent

We Light the Third Candle:The Rose Candle(pink)

Today is also known as “White Gift Sunday.”

White Gift Sunday dates back to 1904 in Ohio. It was the idea of the wife of a Methodist minister and her two daughters. Borrowing from a Chinese tradition
in which the people gave their king gifts wrapped in plain white paper so that every gift would look the same, the women created this day, the third Sunday of advent, as a day when parishioners could bring gifts to the church for others in the community who were in need. As with the Chinese tradition, the white paper allows for the ability for each person to be able to give what they are able, anonymously so that people who can only give a little will not be embarrassed.

The White Gift shares in the spirit of Christ and the God of love at Christmas. God loved us and gave the gift of His Son to us to show that love. In turn, we give gifts of love to people in need, throught the year and as Christmastime.

White Gift Sunday celebrates the stewardship of God’s love and giving at the time of year when we remember the coming of the King of Kings.

Advent Liturgy~

Voice 1: The Third Candle of Advent is the Candle of Joy. It reminds us of the joy that Mary felt when the angel, Gabriel told her that a special child would be born to her- a child who would save and deliver the world.

Voice 2: God wants us all to experience Joy!The angel who announced to the shepherds that Jesus had been born told them: “Fear Not! I bring you Good Tidings of Great Joy for all people. Unto you is born this day…A Savior …The Messiah!”

Voice 3: We light this candle to remember that Jesus brings gifts to us…
Sight for the blind…
Dancing for the crippled…
Freedom for captives…
Beauty for ashes…
Laughter for mourning…
Peace for despair…

Voice 4: We light this candle today to remind us that He brings Joy to all who trust in Him.

~Light the Two Purple Candles,And the One Rose Candle~

Prayer:
Loving God,
We thank You for the joy that you bring us.
Help us prepare for this gift.
Bless our Christmas preparations.
Fill us with your joy.
Help us to know how to bring Your joy to others.
Amen.

Scripture Reading:
Isaiah 61

Hymn:
Joy to the World!

~Extinguish Candles~

Fourth Sunday of Advent

Today, We Light the Fourth Candle: The Love and Angels Candle (3rd purple)

We Celebrate the growing brightness…
&
We Celebrate that His coming is closer!

The angels were the first creatures
to proclaim the coming…
They came to Mary, Joseph, Elizabeth, Zechariah, and to the shepherds…
To tell them that God was going to send a Savior to His people

so that we would know that He loves us!

Voice 1: The Fourth Candle of Advent is the
Candle of Love. Its light reminds us of the
love that God had for us.

John 3:16
For God so loved the world
that He gave His only Son…

Voice 2: Jesus shows us God’s love…
He is God’s love in human form.

Voice 3: Love is patient…
Love is kind and envies no one.
Love is never boastful

or conceited, rude or selfish.
Love is not quick to take offense,

it keeps no record of wrongs,

it does not gloat over other people’s troubles

but rejoices in the right, the good, and the true.

There is nothing that love cannot face;

there is no limit to its hope…

Love never fails!

Voice 4: We light this candle today to remind us of
how God’s perfect love is found in Jesus.

~Light the Three Purple Candles,
And the One Rose Candle~

Prayer:
Loving God,
We thank You for your love!
Thank you for Jesus.
Help us to receive the Gift of Your son.
Help us to be worthy of that love
by loving others in Your name.
Amen.

Hymn:
Love Came Down at Christmas

~Extinguish Candles~

Today is the Third Sunday of Advent

We Light the Third Candle:The Rose Candle(pink)

Today is also known as “White Gift Sunday.”

The tradition dates back to 1904 in Ohio. It was the idea of the wife of a Methodist minister and her two daughters. The women created the day borrowing from a Chinese tradition in which the people gave their king gifts wrapped in plain white paper so that every gift would look the same. They initiated this on the third Sunday of advent and asked parishioners to bring gifts to the church for others in the community who were in need. As with the Chinese tradition, the white paper allows for the ability for each person to be able to give what they are able, anonymously, so that people who can only give a little will not be embarrassed.

The White Gift Sunday idea gives us another way to share in the spirit of Christ and to emulate the God of love at Christmas. God loved us and gave the gift of His Son to us to show that love. In turn, we give gifts of love to people in need, through the year and as Christmastime. Additionally, we remember the gifts given by the Three Kings to the King of Kings. Finally, the "sameness" of the gifts reminds us that Our God put on flesh so that He would appear as one of us...

Advent Liturgy~

Voice 1: The Third Candle of Advent is the Candle of Joy. It reminds us of the joy that Mary felt when the angel, Gabriel told her that a special child would be born to her- a child who would save and deliver the world.

Voice 2: God wants us all to experience Joy! The angel who announced to the shepherds that Jesus had been born told them: “Fear Not! I bring you Good Tidings of Great Joy for all people. Unto you is born this day…A Savior …The Messiah!”

Voice 3: We light this candle to remember that Jesus brings gifts to us…
Sight for the blind…
Dancing for the crippled…
Freedom for captives…
Beauty for ashes…
Laughter for mourning…
Peace for despair…

Voice 4: We light this candle today to remind us that He brings Joy to all who trust in Him.

~Light the Two Purple Candles,and the One Rose Candle~

Prayer:
Loving God,
We thank You for the joy that you bring us.
Help us prepare for this gift.
Bless our Christmas preparations.
Fill us with your joy.
Help us to know how to bring Your joy to others.
Amen.

Scripture Reading:
Isaiah 61

Hymn:
Joy to the World!

~Extinguish Candles~

Second Sunday of Advent~ An Easy-to-do-at-Home-Liturgy (Video and Text)

Today, We Light the Second Candle:
It is "The Peace of Bethlehem Candle," and it is also purple.

It Symbolizes Peace

Prayer:

Loving God,
We Desperately need the Peace that you have promised.
We know that such peace is only found in Jesus.
Thank you for giving us Jesus.
Thank you for the peace you give us through Him.
Help us to prepare our hearts to receive Him.
Bless our hearts, soften our hearts,
Humble our lowly hearts as we receive your peace.
Amen.

~Light the Two Purple Candles~

Voice 1: The Second Candle of Advent is the “Candle of Peace”. It is sometimes called the “Bethlehem Candle” to remind us of the place and the preparations that were made to receive and cradle the Christ-child.

Voice 2: The Angels proclaimed: “Peace on Earth!” and announced God’s that God’s intention is to bestow peace upon us through the gift of His Son. Peace is a gift, and we must actively receive it. God gives us the gift of peace when we turn to Him in faith.

Voice 3: The prophet Isaiah calls Christ the “Prince of Peace.” Through John the Baptist and the other prophets, God asks us to prepare our hearts for the Christ-child’s coming. We are like Bethlehem… We decide whether out hearts will be like the Inn- no room…or like the lowly manger- humbly willing to house the King of Kings.

Voice 4: Our hope is in God and in His Son, Jesus Christ. Our peace is found in Him. We light this candle to remind us of the peace He brings us.

Prayer:

Loving God, thank you for the peace you give us in Jesus.
Thank you for preparing our hearts to receive Him.
As this Season of Advent continues, and throughout the year,
Continue to Bless and soften our hearts,that we might continue to Receive,
and then to Re-transmit Your Peace.
Help us to be Your Peace to a World that so desperately needs it.
We ask in the name of the One Born in Bethlehem…
Amen.

Hymn: Silent Night

~Extinguish Candles~

Along the Way~An Advent Reflection

No doubt you’ve heard the euphemism before: “It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey.” My kids used to roll their eyeballs every summer as I would repeat that line as we set off for our annual weeklong get-away at the seashore. Only an hour-and-a-half away by car, the Delaware seashore called to us. The kids couldn’t wait to get to the beach, but I knew a secret that they did not: the vacation began the moment we locked our seatbelts into place…and I was determined to make it so. In the twenty-something years between my growing up and theirs, something had occurred: a super highway had been built that could get you from one end of the state to the other in less than two hours. Gone was the unnecessary and inconvenient meandering trip through the back roads and marshes of Delaware. But as a child, I never considered those rides through the cornfields, saltwater marshes and small towns to be an annoyance or a hindrance. They were part of the journey, part of the scenery… I knew every small town, fruit stand, ramshackle farm and cornfield. I delighted in playing the “alphabet game,” couldn’t wait to stop at the bird sanctuary to see nesting Blue Herons, and savored every moment at the rest stop that had tables at which we enjoyed a languid pre-beach picnic. The sights I saw along the way were sentinels pointing me in the direction of my destination, but they also enhanced the journey. Truth be told, they were some of the most memorable parts of the whole expedition…they in fact, were an inseparable part of the whole vacation. And so, every summer, I would subject my children to this longer, ‘unnecessary’, and ‘inconvenient’ car ride. And every summer-what fun and joy we would encounter along the way!

Just as I learned on those summer vacations…drawing close to a destination always involves the process of getting there. So it is during the Advent Season, as we attempt to draw close to Jesus…the joy can be found in the ‘getting there.’

Awhile back, I received a “tweet” from Rick Warren (author of Purpose Driven Life and pastor of Saddleback Church) that said:

“Study the STOPS of Jesus, not just his steps-the interruptions he allowed. Every healing was an interruption! R U flexible?”

Those one-hundred and forty (or less) characters prompted me to think again about a phrase in scripture that I love…If you look at the life of Jesus as depicted in the gospels, an often overlooked phrase crops up fairly frequently: “along the way.” The Gospels are full of occasions in which Jesus and his followers stop “on their way” to their “intended goal” to do important life-affirming things.

We see an incredible example of this in Mark 5 where “on the way” to heal a dying girl, Jesus first heals the Geresene demoniac (of “we are Legion for we are many” fame), and then he also heals a woman who had been hemorrhaging for twelve years. In fact, by the time he gets to his “destination,” the ill girl has died. Undaunted, Jesus resurrects her. This story reminds us in a profound way that the ‘bus-stops’ and fellow sojourners that we meet along the way of life are as important as the destination. Through them, we learn the importance of being flexible enough to give these encounters the full attention they deserve. Finally, we see that everything always tends to pan out in the end, even if at first blush it appears that we have arrived “too late” to our destination.

With this in mind, as we wind our way through the Advent Season, may we make a special effort to be attuned to the ministrations of the Holy Spirit, and be ever alert for “divine appointments” as we seek to draw closer to Jesus. It is my prayer that we keep in mind that the re-discovering of the Christ-child is our ultimate goal…but may we also be ever aware to the possibilities of finding Him in our interactions with the sojourners whom we encounter “along the way.”

First Sunday of Advent~ An Easy-to-do-at-Home-Liturgy (Video and Text)

First Candle: The Prophesy Candle (purple)~
Symbolizes hope and expectation.

We await all that the prophets promised would come to pass…

As our nights grow longer and our days grow short,
we look on these earthly signs-
light, and green branches-
and we remember God’s promise to our world~

Christ, Our Light and Our Hope, will come.

Hear the words of the Prophet Isaiah:

The people that walked in darkness
Have seen a great light;
On those who lived in a land as dark as death,
A light has dawned.
You have increased their joy
and given them gladness;
They rejoice in your presence
as those who rejoice at harvest.
Isaiah 9:1-2

Prayer:
Oh God~
Rejoicing, we remember the promise of your Son!
Shine your blessings upon us.
May Christ shine on us and brighten our way by guiding us in His truth.
Amen

Voice 1: Today we celebrate the first week of advent. We remember the hope we have in Jesus.

Voice 2: The prophets of Israel all spoke of the coming of The Christ…of how a Savior would be born…that He would be a King from the line of David. They spoke of how he would rule the world wisely and bless all nations.

Voice 3: As the followers of Jesus, we await His return. We light this candle to remember that as he came to us humbly in a manger at Bethlehem and gave light to the world, so He is coming again in power to deliver His people.

Voice 4: We light this candle to remind us to be alert and to watch for His return.

~Light the Candle~

Prayer:
Lord, thank you for coming!
As we wait for you…
as we celebrate this Holy Season-
Let us not lose our focus.
Help us to keep our eyes on You.
Help us to see You.
Amen

Hymn:
O Come, O Come- Emmanuel!

~Blow Out Candle~

What is Advent?~ A Video Tutorial

Adventitious Thoughts~ What is Advent?

You don't have to limit your understanding of Advent to a chocolate calendar, and you don't have to be 'put off' by traditions and practices that you didn't grow up learning. Whether you’re a novice or an ‘old hand’ at Celebrating Advent-Advent is for anyone who is interested in cultivating an awareness of the importance of developing a Spirituality of Waiting...Our relationship with God is hallmarked by phases of waiting- we waited for Jesus to come to Bethlehem...We wait for Him to come to us personally each day...And We wait for Him to return again to the Earth in Glory!

What is Advent?

It is the tradition of observing the four weeks preceding Christmas which was started by Christians in the Middle Ages.

The word “advent’ means…“Coming”…“Arrival”…

The Focus of the advent season is the Coming of the Christ-child…The Fulfillment of God’s promise….

The Spirit of Advent is that of …Expectation…Anticipation…Preparation…Longing…And Hope…

Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas which is nearest to November 30th

Advent ends on December 24th.

An Advent Wreath is usually a circular wreath that is made with evergreens and has five candles~ four around the wreath and one in the center. The circle of the wreath reminds of us God himself…His eternality…His unending mercy…He is the Alpha and the Omega…the beginning and the end…In Him is life everlasting…

The green of the wreath speaks of the hope we have in everlasting life… of renewal…of newness…His mercies are new every morning!

The candles symbolize the light of God coming into the world through the birth of His Son.The four outer candles and the four weeks of advent represent the period of waiting between the prophets Malachi and the birth of Jesus.There are five candles…each lit on successive Sundays.There are three purple or blue candles which symbolize hope, royalty and penance.One pink or rose colored candle represents Joy…
The large white candle which is in the center is the Jesus candle- it represents Hope fulfilled…The light of the candles reminds us that Jesus is the light of the world that comes into our darkness.We are reminded that we have been called out of darkness into His Marvelous Light…

Prayer Before Advent: Father, today as we begin our time of preparation for the celebration of the birthday of Your Son, we ask that you prepare our hearts to receive Him. May the darkness…fear…shame…hopelessness…and sin that block us from truly knowing and worshipping You recede and the shadows fade away as His light shines in our lives…Amen.


The focus of the advent season is the Coming of the Christ-child…The fulfillment of God’s promise….

But…there is a double focus…

Past & Future…Christ has come…Though He is present in the world today through his Holy Spirit…Yet we wait for him to Come Again…

Even so, Lord Jesus~ Come!