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A service for the second Sunday in Advent
Sunday 6th December 2020
Prepared by Margaret Woods
“God Is With Us When We Need Comfort”
Opening Prayer: Gracious God, we come before you now with praise and thanksgiving, rejoicing in this time of Advent, as we recall the coming of your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. We ask that you will speak to us through the words of scripture and hymnody, and that our hearts will be opened to your living presence. Receive then our worship as we acknowledge your love for each one of us, and through it, we ask that we may be equipped to live as your people, even in these difficult times. Amen.
Hymn No.78. Singing the Faith.
Give thanks with a grateful heart,
give thanks to the Holy One,
give thanks because He’s given
Jesus Christ, his Son.
Give thanks with a grateful heart,
give thanks to the Holy One;
give thanks because he’s given
Jesus Christ, his Son.
And now let the weak say, ‘I am strong,’
let the poor say; ‘I am rich,’
because of what the Lord has done for us;
And now let the weak say, ‘I am strong,’let the poor say, ‘I am rich,’
because of what the Lord has done for us; Give thanks.
PRAYERS.
Almighty God, we are reminded during this season of Advent, of the coming of your Son, your wonderful gift to the world, and particularly to us today. We bring to you our wholehearted worship and adoration. We praise you in that you have called us to be your people, and have given us the light of Christ Jesus our Saviour that continues to guide us even through the darkest of times.
We confess that because this wonderful story has become so familiar to us we get caught up in all the social preparations and planning, and are in danger of forgetting the truth of what matters most. Forgive us Lord, for, without realising what we are doing, we push Jesus to the edges of our celebrations. And so we ask that in this time of joyful activity our hearts will be opened to receive the living Christ into our lives so that our celebrations will be a genuine rejoicing in His love. We ask in His precious name and for your glory’s sake. Amen.
Reading: Isaiah 40: 1-11. Comfort for God’s people.
Comfort, comfort my people says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lords hand double for all her sins.
A voice of one calling in the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall be made level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
A voice says, “Cry out.” And I said, “What shall I cry?”
“All people are like grass, and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.”
You who bring good news to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good news to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, “Here is your God!”
See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and he rules with a mighty arm. See his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.
He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.
Reflection:
Do you find it hard just now to feel peace and comfort? COVID 19 has caused such anxiety in many lives. Many of us have not been able to go out to the supermarket, meet with our friends, use public transport – often a lifeline for our independence, and we feel isolated and alone, wondering how long the situation will last. Political leaders have caused us confusion and even as I write this message the debate has gone on as to whether parts of the country should be in level one, two or three, depending on how rampant the virus is in our different areas. It’s sometimes hard for us to know who to believe, who to trust, and the questions keep coming: “How long is this going on? Who can we trust? When will it all end?
Isaiah was disillusioned with the leaders of his day. Many of them were corrupt and self-seeking, but Isaiah didn’t give up hope and neither must we. Isaiah saw that one day a new kind of leader would arrive and Advent is the time when we look to the One who came, who comes to us today and will come again. The leader above and beyond all leaders – the Servant King!
Isaiah’s message is one of comfort and restoration as he reveals God’s purpose. He was focussed on God’s ultimate victory. Advent faith finds its fulfilment in the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Whatever our circumstances, when we put our trust in Him, He is our hope and salvation. God is with us when we need to feel peace and comfort.
Hymn No.169, Singing the Faith.
Come, though long-expected Jesus,
Born to set thy people free,
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in thee.
Israel’s strength and consolation,
Hope of all the earth thou art
Dear desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.
Born thy people to deliver,
Born a child and yet a king,
Born to reign in us for ever,
Now thy gracious kingdom bring.
By thine own eternal spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By thine all-sufficient merit
Raise us to thy glorious throne.
Reading from Mark 1: 1-8 The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet.
“I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way” – a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’
And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him and the Jordan river. John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.
Reflection
Like Isaiah, John the Baptist was not well received and his message not understood. But what we can understand is that Jesus did not arrive unexpectedly. Isaiah clearly predicted the coming of a great person, sent by God himself, who would offer salvation and eternal peace to Israel and the entire world. Then, as Mark tells us, John the Baptist announces that the long awaited Messiah had finally come and would soon be among the people.
In our world today God continues to work to show us that Jesus does not come unannounced or unexpected. Yet, as all of us know, many still reject Him. As Christians we have the witness of the Bible, and we love to read those announcements, yet a large number of people, even those we know, choose to ignore the message, just as it was ignored in John the Baptist’s day. God shows us how much He loves us by having allowed this essential part of Himself to live among us as a man. Let each one of us in this Advent season prepare to welcome God in Jesus into every part of our celebrations. God is never distant. He is right beside us now. God is always with us. Let us accept that truth for ourselves and know His blessings in our lives. Amen.
Prayers of Intercession. Heavenly Father, we hold before you all those affected by the Corona Virus and ask that you will draw near to them with your healing love. We don’t necessarily know their names but we entrust them into your care. We pray too for medical teams across the world, battling with lack of bed space and resources, and not least with exhaustion. We pray too for our Government and the responsibility that is theirs in these difficult days. Give them clarity of mind as they try their best to meet the needs of our country at this time. We pray for our circuit ministers and local preachers as they continue to bring us your word. Please guide each one of us and all those we meet. Through the generations your people waited in hope and expectation. Now in this present darkness help us to re-live that waiting with them, re-live that small bright hope as it brightens into the full glory of the coming of Jesus Christ our Saviour. In His name we pray. Amen.
Hymn No. 185. Singing the Faith.
Sing we the King who is coming to reign;
Glory to Jesus, the Lamb that was slain!
Life and salvation his empire shall bring.
Joy to the nations when Jesus is King:
Come let us sing: Jesus is King,
Jesus is King, Jesus our King:
This is our song, who to Jesus belong;
Glory to Jesus, to Jesus our King
All shall be well in his kingdom of peace;
Freedom shall flourish and wisdom increase;
Justice and truth from his sceptre shall spring;
Wrong shall be ended when Jesus is King
Souls shall be saved from the burden of sin;
Doubt shall not darken his witness within;
Hell has no terrors, and death has no sting;
Love is victorious when Jesus is King:
Kingdom of Christ, for your coming we pray;
Hasten, O Father, the dawn of the day
When this new song your creation shall sing;
Satan is vanquished and Jesus is king.
Blessing. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace. And the blessing of God remain with you throughout this festive season, knowing that wherever you are He will never abandon you. Amen.