The Second Sunday of Advent
REFLECTION
In the morning it takes the mind a while
To find the world again, lost after dream
Has taken the heart to the underworld
To play with the shades of lives not chosen.
She awakens a stranger in her own life,
Her breath loud in the room full of listening.
Taken without touch, her flesh feels the grief
Of belonging to what cannot be seen.
Soon she can no longer bear to be alone.
At dusk she takes the road into the hills.
An anxious moon doubles her among the stone.
A door opens, the older one’s eyes fill.
Two women locked in a story of birth.
Each mirrors the secret the other heard.
— John O’Donohue, The Visitation
COLLECT
Lord of the wilderness way, whose word scours our smooth evasions: take us on the unbending road to the raw center of our world with a cry of invitation and the call of sudden grace; through Jesus Christ, the one who is to come. Amen.
PRELUDE
GREETING
Rev. Melisa Blankenship (she/her), Worship Leader
Leader: The Lord be with you.
ALL: And also with you.
PREPARATION
CALL TO WORSHIP
In this season of Advent, we wait in expectation for the coming light of Christ.
Advent means coming
We are preparing ourselves for the days
When the nations shall beat their swords into plowshares,
And their spears into pruning hooks;
Nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
Neither shall they learn war any more.
— Isaiah 2:4
The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
The leopard with the kid,
The calf and the lion and the fatling together,
And a little child shall lead them.
— Isaiah 11:6
Let us walk in the light of the Lord.
PRAISE
SONGS
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
Plainsong, 13th cent.
All Who Hear
Eric Marshall, ©2012
PRAYER OF ADVENT HOPE
God of hope, ever faithful to your promises, you call us from the exile of sin with the good news of restoration; you build a highway through the wilderness; you come to us and bring us home. Comfort us with the expectation of your saving power, made known to us in Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
RENEWAL
CALL TO CONFESSION
Jesus, Matthew 26:41
“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
You bring our fear into the light of love; we prefer to hide in the shadows. Lord have mercy.
Lord have mercy.
You promise healing for the earth; we turn our backs on our common world. Christ have mercy.
Christ have mercy.
You come near in the vulnerable word made flesh; we worship distant idols of celebrity and power. Lord have mercy.
Lord have mercy.
SILENT CONFESSION
WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT
Galatians 4:4-5, NRSV
When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. In Christ, we are loved and forgiven.
Thanks be to God!
PASSING THE PEACE
The peace of Christ be with you all.
And also with you.
SONG
Seeds of Peace
John Arndt, David Gungor, Dave Campbel, ©2016
BLESSING OUR CHILDREN & YOUTH
Leader: People of God, what is our prayer for our children and youth?
People: May the Lord be with you.
Children: And also with you.
Leader: May God give you patience as you learn to watch and wait for God’s new creation, and may you filled with hope as you trust in God’s promise to make all things new, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit
All: Thanks be to God!
SONG OF ASSURANCE
My Help, My God
Sandra McCracken, Based on Psalm 42, ©2015
COMMITMENT
WORDS OF WELCOME
Rev. Jonathan Gundlach (he/him)
SCRIPTURE
Luke 1:39-45, NRSV
In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”
Reader: The Word of the Lord.
All: Thanks be to God.
SERMON
Rev. Jonathan Gundlach (he/him)
The Visitation: Mary’s Moment of Community
OFFERING OURSELVES & OUR GIFTS
The offering is a way for Christians to support the mission and ministry of the church. Christians offer a sacrificial portion of their resources–time, talents, possessions–as an act of faith and gratitude in response to God’s grace. While many at City Church make their regular contributions through online giving and automated bill pay, offerings are a part of our worship service as an opportunity for the regular, proportionate and generous giving of the resources God has given us.
OFFERING PRAYER
Generous God, you have blessed us to be a blessing to others. May these offerings bring renewal and hope to our city and our world. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.
MUSICAL OFFERING
In A Land By Death O’ershadowed
by Kate Bluett, Latifah Alattas, Isaac Wardell, Paul Zach, ©2021
COMMUNION
INVITATION TO THE LORDS TABLE
CONFESSION OF FAITH: APOSTLES CREED
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts!
We lift them up to the Lord!
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
SONG
Sanctus
Peter Schltes, ©1966
Together we proclaim the mystery of the faith:
Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.
WORDS OF INSTITUTION
Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us;
Therefore let us keep the feast.
DISTRIBUTION OF THE BREAD & CUP
The Gifts of God for the People of God
COMMUNION PRAYER
Eternal God, we thank you that in Christ you give yourself into our hands: may we who have tasted life proclaim the coming feast when many will come from east and west, from north and south to greet the Lord of all; we ask this in the name of Christ. Amen.
PASTORAL PRAYER
God, our hope, we rejoice that you became flesh and made your dwelling among us, even as we long for your return.
As we wait, our hearts overflow with gratitude: for the beauty of creation, for signs of peace and reconciliation, for our city and all those who work for its flourishing.
For all these reasons and so much more we give you thanks and praise.
As we celebrate the first coming of your Son as a helpless child, we also yearn for his return, for the day in which there will be no more sorrow, pain, or death.
God of justice, we pray for peace and an end to the violence and oppression that plague our world.
Bring your healing to San Francisco, to those in our city and church living with addiction, chronic illness or loneliness. Empower us, by your Holy Spirit, to serve our neighbors in need, just as Jesus came not to be served, but to serve and give his life away for others. We offer these prayers in the name Jesus Christ, our source of hope, and the one who taught us to pray...
THE LORD'S PRAYER
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial, and deliver us from evil.For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen.
SONG
Come Thou Long Expected Jesus
Charles Wesley, 1744, Rowland Hugh Pritchard, 1855
BENEDICTION
May the God who brings heaven close to earth give truth to our judgment and flame to our longing, that our hearts might be ready to be born again in love; and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be upon you and remain with you always.
Amen.
DISMISSAL
Let us go forth to serve the world as those who love our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Thanks be to God!
POSTLUDE
MUSICIANS
Jeff Marrs, drums
Jason Muscat, bass
Adam Shulman, piano
Christi Chew, vocals
Karl Digerness, guitar/banjo/vocals