Third Mid-week Advent Service Dec 19, 2018

The Service in PDF format is at: 12-19-2018 Mid-Week Advent Service

or the service is as follows:

Mid-Week Advent Service

12/19/2018

Pre-Lude Music

Welcome

Procession

Leader: Jesus Christ, you are the light of the world;

All: the light no darkness can over-come;

Leader: Stay with us now, for it is evening,

All: and the day is almost over.

Leader: Let your light scatter the darkness,

All: and shine within your people here.

Evening Hymn

All:

Joyous light of heavenly glory, loving glow of God’s own face, you who sing creation’s story, shine on every land and race. Now as evening falls around us we shall raise our songs to you, God of daybreak, God of shadows, come and light our hearts anew.
In the stars that grace the darkness, in the blazing sun of dawn, in the light of peace and wisdom, we can hear your quiet song. Love that fills the night with wonder, love that warms the weary soul, Love that bursts all chains asunder, set us free and make us whole.
You who made the heaven’s splendor, every dancing star of night, make us shine with gentle justice, let us each reflect your light. Mighty God of all creation, gentle Christ who lights our way, Loving Spirit of salvation, lead us on to endless day.

Evening Thanksgiving

Leader: May God be with you all,

All: and also with you;

Leader: Let us sing our thanks to God,

All: It is right to give God thanks and praise.

Leader: Blessed are you, Creator of the universe – from old you have led your people by night and day. May the light of your Christ make our darkness bright, for your Word and your presence are the light of our pathways, and you are the light and life of all creation.

All: Amen

Psalmody, Readings and Canticles

Psalm 141

All: Let my prayer rise up like incense before you, the lifting up of my hands as an offering to you.

Group One: O God, I call to you, * come to me now; O hear my voice when I call to you, Let my prayer rise up like incense before you, the lifting up of my hands as an offering to you. Keep watch within me, God; deep in my heart may the light of your love be burning bright. Let my prayer rise up like incense before you, the lifting up of my hands as an offering to you. All praise to the God of all Creator of life; all praise ge to Christ and the Spirit of love. Let my prayer rise up like incense before you, the lifting up of my hands as an offering to you.

* At this point Group two starts

(Silence for meditation)

Leader: May our prayers come before you, O God, as incense, and may your presence surround and fill us, so that in union with all creation, we might sing your praise and your love in our lives.

All: Amen.

Readings

Reading: 1 Kings 11:1-10

King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter—Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. They were from nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been. He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites. So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the LORD; he did not follow the LORD completely, as David his father had done. On a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable god of Moab, and for Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites. He did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods. The LORD became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the LORD’s command.

Reading: Matthew 12: 38-42

Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.” He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here. The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now something greater than Solomon is here.

Hymn: “What Child is This ”

1 What child is this, who, laid to rest,
On Mary’s lap is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet
While shepherds watch are keeping?
This, this is Christ the king,
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing;
Haste, haste to bring him laud,
The babe, the son of Mary!

2 Why lies he in such mean estate
Where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christian, fear; for sinners here
The silent Word is pleading.
Nails, spear shall pierce him through,
The cross be borne for me, for you;
Hail, hail the Word made flesh,
The babe, the son of Mary!

3 So bring him incense, gold, and myrrh;
Come, peasant, king, to own him.
The King of kings salvation brings;
Let loving hearts enthrone him.
Raise, raise the song on high,
The virgin sings her lullaby;
Joy, joy, for Christ is born,
The babe, the son of Mary!

Message “Jesus is the Son of Solomon”

The Annunciation

Luke 1: 26-28, 30-32, 38

Leader: An angel went from God to a town called Nazareth to a woman whose name was Mary. The angel said to her, “Rejoice, O highly favored, for God is with you. You shall bear a child, and his name sall be Jesus, the Chosen One of God Most High.” And Mary said, “I am the servant of my God, I live to do your will.”

(Immediately to “The Magnificat”)

The Magnificat

Luke 1: 46-55

My soul proclaims your greatness O God, and my spirit rejoices in servant here, and blessed be all my life though. Great and mighty are you. O Holy One, strong in your kindness evermore. How you favor the weak and lowly one, humbling the proud of heart.
You have cast the mighty down from their thrones, and uplifted the humble of wondrous things, and left the wealthy no part. Great and mighty are you, O Faithful One, strong is your justice strong your love. As you promised to Sarah and Abraham, Kindness forever more.
My soul proclaims your greatness O God, and my spirit rejoices in servant here, and blessed be all my life though.

Litany and Prayers

All: (Hum first round then sing) God of mercy, Hold us in love,

Leader: In peace, in Peace, we pray to you: