____________________________________________________

 

Call to Worship

L: Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
P: For the Lord, our God is coming to us!
L: Tell the poor, gather the lowly.
P: For the Lord, our God is coming to us!
L: The trees of the fields and all nature are awaiting eagerly the redemption of the earth.
P: For the Lord, our God is coming to us!  
L: Let us praise the God of our salvation.  Let us hail God's Anointed One with shouts of joy.  Let us worship God!

Call to Worship (based on Psalm 146)

L: Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul!
P: I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God all my life long.
L: Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help.
P: Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD their God,
L: who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith forever;
P: who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free;
L: the LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous.
ALL: Praise the LORD!

 

 

Prayer of Hope and Preparation

God of Life and Joy, on this third day of Advent we joyfully celebrate your certain promise of the new world to come.  We rejoice in anticipation of your promise to turn our wasteland into fruitful land.  Help us prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ, the light of the world. Illuminate us as we are waiting and watching.

O God, giver of inexplicable joy, bless the church of Christ that we may celebrate aright the incarnation of your love in the person of Jesus.  May the whole world recognize the healing and saving ministry of Christ through us as we reach out to a world filled with dark shadows. Amen.

Prayer for a Better World

We praise you, LORD for your great mercy in Christ Jesus, our high priest who gave himself for us--once and for all. Through your Son Jesus you call us to love you with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.  In our weakness we do not know how to love as we ought. Teach us, God of love, hear our prayer. We praise and thank you for those who strive for peace and justice in our world. Bless their endeavors so that the senseless killing might cease, that the earth may be cleared of hunger, poverty, injustice and war and that we may start to love one another as we love ourselves.  Amen.

 

 

Lighting The Third Candle Of The Advent Wreath

General Introduction (repeated each week or not as desired) Our Advent Wreath reminds us of the approaching celebration of Jesus' birth
* the evergreen leaves remind us that God's love is everlasting
* the round wreath symbolizes God's eternal love
* the light of the candles stands for the light which Jesus brought into a dark world.
Each Sunday in Advent another of the candles in the circle is lit. The Christ candle is lit at midnight on Christmas Eve (or on Christmas Day if no Christmas Eve service).

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 35:10

Responsive Reading for 3rd. Advent

L: We light this candle as a symbol of Christ our Joy

P: May the joyful promise of your presence, O God, make us rejoice in our hope of salvation.

L: May the Joy of Christ fill our hearts and minds

P: May the joy of our salvation spread to our neighbors and our communities until all the world chimes into our shouts of praise.

Hymn: "Joy to the World"  or other Advent song

 

Advent Reading for 3rd Advent:

Third Week: WATCH . . . 

Why do we watch? Because the weather of our hearts is frosty . . Because night's dimness makes knowledge rare . . 

Why do we watch? Because three candles make a small glow . . Because one star brightens the firmament . . . 

Why do we watch? Because the stars themselves are watching . . . Because the sun and moon are eclipsed . . . 

Why do we watch? We watch for the world's hope . . We watch for the Star . . . 

(Third Verse of "People, Look East") Stars keep the watch, when night is dim, one more light the bowl shall brim, shining beyond the frosty weather, bright as sun and moon together. People look east and sing today: Love, the Star, is on the way.