This bulletin includes the order of service as well as the readings. The items in bold italics are intended for audience response.
The Gathering
Opening Hymn
The Acclamation
Alive and kicking are you, holy and living God.
You come to your people and set us on fire!
Advent Wreath Lighting
(A member of the congregation lights the Advent candles as the following is said.)
In this ugly time, filled with division and danger, we light these candles to remind us that God radiates justice, healing, and peace.
Reader: We light this candle (these candles) for all who long for the triumph of good over evil:
- For those who hunger for food and those who hunger for justice,
- For the earth groaning under the weight of climate change,
- For survivors of domestic and sexual abuse and all tortured by prejudice,
- For the end of war and for the flourishing of every LGBTQ soul,
- For innocent children suffering because adults cannot get it together.
Come, Lord Jesus, and bring your light to our world.
Advent Collect
Let us pray.
God of hope, who promises the dawn of a spectacular new day, we gather in expectation. Beat those swords into plowshares! Wipe every tear away! Stir up our hearts! Focus us on what comes ahead and how we can rise! Strengthen our resolve to work for a world where all your children flourish.
Amen.
The Word
First Reading
Zephaniah 3:14-20
A reading from the book of Zephania.
14-15 So sing, Daughter Zion!
Raise your voices, Israel!
Daughter Jerusalem,
be happy! celebrate!
God has reversed his judgments against you
and sent your enemies off chasing their tails.
From now on, God is Israel’s king,
in charge at the center.
There’s nothing to fear from evil
ever again!
16-17 Jerusalem will be told:
“Don’t be afraid.
Dear Zion,
don’t despair.
Your God is present among you,
a strong Warrior there to save you.
Happy to have you back, he’ll calm you with his love
and delight you with his songs.
* * *
18-20 “The accumulated sorrows of your exile
will dissipate.
I, your God, will get rid of them for you.
You’ve carried those burdens long enough.
At the same time, I’ll get rid of all those
who’ve made your life miserable.
I’ll heal the maimed;
I’ll bring home the homeless.
In the very countries where they were hated
they will be venerated.
On Judgment Day
I’ll bring you back home—a great family gathering!
You’ll be famous and honored
all over the world.
You’ll see it with your own eyes—
all those painful partings turned into reunions!”
God’s Promise.
Hear what the Spirit is shouting out to God’s people.
Thanks be to God.
Psalm
We follow the responsive recitation method for the Psalm, where the leader alternates verses with the congregation. The items in bold italics are intended for audience response.
Canticle 9 (Isaiah 12:2-6)
“Yes, indeed—God is my salvation.
I trust, I won’t be afraid.
God—yes God!—is my strength and song,
best of all, my salvation!”
3-4 Joyfully you’ll pull up buckets of water
from the wells of salvation.
And as you do it, you’ll say,
“Give thanks to God.
Call out his name.
Ask him anything!
Shout to the nations, tell them what he’s done,
spread the news of his great reputation!
5-6 “Sing praise-songs to God. He’s done it all!
Let the whole earth know what he’s done!
Raise the roof! Sing your hearts out, O Zion!
The Greatest lives among you: The Holy of Israel.”
Second Reading
Philippians 4:4-7
A reading from James’ letter to the Philippians.
4-5 Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!
6-7 Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
Hear what the Spirit is whispering in our ears.
Thanks be to God.
Gospel Reading
Luke 3:7-18
The story of Jesus, our hope and guide.
Glory to you, Jesus, our light.
7-9 When crowds of people came out for baptism because it was the popular thing to do, John exploded: “Brood of snakes! What do you think you’re doing slithering down here to the river? Do you think a little water on your snakeskins is going to deflect God’s judgment? It’s your life that must change, not your skin. And don’t think you can pull rank by claiming Abraham as ‘father.’ Being a child of Abraham is neither here nor there—children of Abraham are a dime a dozen. God can make children from stones if he wants. What counts is your life. Is it green and flourishing? Because if it’s deadwood, it goes on the fire.”
10 The crowd asked him, “Then what are we supposed to do?”
11 “If you have two coats, give one away,” he said. “Do the same with your food.”
12 Tax men also came to be baptized and said, “Teacher, what should we do?”
13 He told them, “No more extortion—collect only what is required by law.”
14 Soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?”
He told them, “No harassment, no blackmail—and be content with your rations.”
15 The interest of the people by now was building. They were all beginning to wonder, “Could this John be the Messiah?”
16-17 But John intervened: “I’m baptizing you here in the river. The main character in this drama, to whom I’m a mere stagehand, will ignite the kingdom life, a fire, the Holy Spirit within you, changing you from the inside out. He’s going to clean house—make a clean sweep of your lives. He’ll place everything true in its proper place before God; everything false he’ll put out with the trash to be burned.”
18-20 There was a lot more of this—words that gave strength to the people, words that put heart in them. The Message! But Herod, the ruler, stung by John’s rebuke in the matter of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, capped his long string of evil deeds with this outrage: He put John in jail.
The good news of Jesus, our way and truth.
Praise to you, Jesus, our hope and life.
Sermon
The Prayers
Advent Affirmation of Faith
We believe in God, the Creator, who formed the heavens and the earth,
and entrusted us to care for all creation with love, humility, and justice.
We believe in Jesus Christ, God with us, born of Mary, who proclaimed good news to the poor, freedom to the oppressed, healing to the wounded, and justice to those forgotten and cast aside.
We believe in the Spirit of God, who moves over the waters of chaos, bringing life, renewal, and hope; who stirs us to protect the earth, to defend the marginalized, to stand against racism, war, and abuse,and to honor the dignity of women and all people.
We believe in the coming of Christ, who will make all things new, who calls us to prepare the way of peace, to work for justice, and to walk humbly with God.
In this season of hope, we commit to act with courage and compassion, for the sake of creation, for the least among us, and for the glory of God.
Amen.
Prayers of the People
God of hope, hear our prayers:
We pray for the hungry or homeless. Energize us to call on our leaders to eliminate poverty by taxing the ultra-wealthy and relieving burdens on the working poor. Empower this church to do our bit to provide for the needs of all.
Come, Christ, and bring your justice.
We pray for the earth, suffering from human exploitation. Empower leaders who stop new fossil fuel development and accelerate the spread of renewable energy for all. Protect all species. Teach us to respect our only home.
Come, Christ, and bring your justice.
We pray for survivors of violence, prejudice, and abuse. Give them safety, healing, and vindication. Teach those who mistreat others to cut it out and change their nasty ways.
Come, Lord Jesus, and bring your peace.
We pray for an end to war and the flourishing of love and understanding among all nations. Instead of missiles and warheads, direct governments to spend for education, healthcare, and housing for all.
Come, Lord Jesus, and bring your peace.
We pray for all whom society replaces dignity and inclusion with hatred and scorn. Let us be a place that affirms the sacred worth of every person.
Come, Lord Jesus, and bring your joy.
Celebrant: Almighty God, as we await your coming, kindle in us a passion for your justice and a commitment to your peace, that we may labor for the triumph of your realm.
Amen.
The Confession and Absolution
Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.
God of mercy,
we confess that we have sinned against you,
in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done,
and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart;
we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
Forgive us, we pray.
Strengthen us to live in hope and work for justice,
so that we may reflect your love in the world. Amen.
Celebrant: Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you all your sins through Jesus Christ, strengthen you in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in the zone, in the moment, in God. Amen.
The Peace
Leader: May Christ’s peace be with you, always.
People: And with you, too.
Announcements
The Meal
God. Be. With. You.
And with you!
Lift up your hearts.
We are through the roof with joy.
Let us shout out thanks to our God.
It is right to give God thanks and praise.
It is 100% right to give you thanks, God. In Jesus Christ, you came to dwell among us, to redeem what was broken, and to renew the face of the earth. You call us to be your partners in building a world so good, so cool that everyone wants in.
Holy One, from the first breath of creation to the cries of the prophets,
you have called forth life and justice. You nurtured freedom in the womb of history, birthed liberation for the enslaved and hope for the oppressed. Through Mary’s courage and Christ’s body, you entered our brokenness, turning tables and hearts, proclaiming a world where all are free.
Your Spirit moves still—through resistance, solidarity, and love — writing the story of salvation in every act of justice and every whisper of grace.
We gather now, part of this sacred, unfolding story, to remember, to renew, to rise.
On the night before his death, Jesus gathered with his friends, taking bread, giving thanks, and breaking it. “This is my body,” he said. “It’s broken for you. Whenever you eat it, remember me.”
After supper, he took the cup, lifting it in gratitude. “This cup is the new covenant,
poured out in love for all. Whenever you drink it, think about me.”
As we break this bread and share this cup, we step into the mystery that defies time, reason, and expectation.
Christ has died—love facing death head-on.
Christ is risen—hope breaking through the rubble.
Christ will come again—possibility rewriting the ending.
Spirit of creation, breath of the universe, fall fresh on us.
Infuse this bread and cup with the pulse of your presence. Make this bread and cup the essence of Christ’s love. Make us the essence of Christ’s presence.
Strengthen us to be your hands, your feet, your heart in this fractured world.
May our lives scream mercy, echo justice, and embody hope — until the day Christ’s glory saturates everything. May this meal ripple out, healing wounds, mending divides, and renewing the earth— until your dream of wholeness is fully alive in us, around us, through us.
Amen.
An Advent Our Father
Let’s pray together in the spirit that Jesus taught us:
Our Creator, Root of All Life, Your name echoes through the mountains, sings in the rivers, and dances in the skies.
May your power rise like the sun over every land and tribe. May your will be done in the fields we till, in the markets we trade, and in the stories we tell.
Give us today the food we need, the strength to work, and the wisdom to share.
Forgive us when we harm others. Help us forgive those who have harmed us.
Lead us away from the path of greed and violence. Guide us into the rhythm of life,
where all walk free and none are forgotten.
For the earth and all its beauty, the power to create and restore, and the glory of love belong to you, now and always.
Amen.
Breaking of the Bread
Christ, our liberation, has been offered for us.
So let’s celebrate the feast of new life!
These are God’s gifts for all of us, God’s people. Remember the love of Christ, given for you. Nourish your soul with gratitude and prayer.
Post-Communion Prayer
God of all that is, was, and will be,
We thank You for this feast of grace and love.
Here, at this table, we’ve tasted connection—
to You, to one another, to all creation.
In the breaking of bread and the sharing of the cup,
we’ve glimpsed a world made whole,
a table where all are welcome,
and there’s always enough.
As we leave this sacred moment,
help us carry its energy into the everyday—
into the messy, beautiful, chaotic now.
Let the bread fuel us for justice,
let the cup refresh our hope.
We step into the world ready to love louder,
to risk kindness, to practice peace.
May the spirit of this meal keep nudging us forward,
toward mercy, toward courage, toward You.
Thanks be. Always. Amen.
The Blessing & Closing
Our Advent blessing is in the form of a haiku, an ancient Japanese poetic form in which the first line has five syllables, the second line seven, the third line five.
Grace-current – like water.
Life! It blooms where love takes root.
Go! You can be light.
Closing Hymn
The Dismissal
Go into the world in hope, to proclaim justice, peace, and love.
Thanks be! Yes! Yes! Yes!