The Fourth Sunday of Advent
REFLECTION
Who was ever so great as that blessed woman, the Mother of God, the Virgin Mary? …But what we leave out is the distress, the dread, the paradox…She is not a holy queen who sits in state and plays with an infant god…she is just an obscure girl, unmarried and mysteriously pregnant; no one else saw the angel, and no one could understand her. Mary needs no worldly admiration, any more than Abraham has need of tears, for she was not a heroine, and he was not a hero, but both of them became greater than such, not at all because they were exempted from distress and torment and paradox, but they became great through these things…A paradoxical and humble courage is required to grasp the whole of the temporal by virtue of the absurd, and this is the courage of faith.
— Soren Kierkegaard, Fear and Trembling
Mary’s sung testimony of the hungry being filled and the rich being sent empty away reflects nothing less than a moral imagination where the world will be set right side up again. And so, what does this mean for us as an Advent people in this our time? It means that we must carry forth into the world as Mary did a moral imagination. A moral imagination is grounded in the absolute belief that the world can be and will be made better—it will be just… A moral imagination disrupts any notion that the world as it is, it the way it should be or ultimately is going to be.
— Kelly Brown Douglas, “To Be an Advent People”
COLLECT
God made known in the friendship of women, the word of greeting and unseen life enwombed: give us the courage of the teenage mother who brings into the world a song of joyful revolt and a God who needs her love; through Jesus Christ, the one who is to come. Amen.
PRELUDE
Messiah - G.F. Handel
Part I, No 17. “Glory to God”
GREETING
Rev. Jay Wilson (he/him), 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
Every valley shall be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
and the rough places a plain.
Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all people shall see it together,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
— Isaiah 40:4-5
The Lord will give you a sign.
Look, the virgin is with child
And she will bear a son,
And shall name him Immanuel (God with us).
— Isaiah 7:14
Let us walk in the light of the Lord.
PRAISE
SONGS
The Sun Will Rise
John Arndt, David Gungor, 2014
All Things New
Horatius Bonar, 1846 · Philip Brooks, 1868
Karl Digerness, 2021 · Clint Wells, 2010
RENEWAL
CALL TO CONFESSION
from John 8:12, NRSV
Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Merciful God, always with us, always coming: We confess that we do not know how to prepare for your Advent. We have forgotten how to hope in your steadfast love; we have ignored the promise of your kingdom; we get distracted by all the busyness of this season. Forgive us, God. Grant us the simple wonder of the shepherds, the intelligent curiosity of the Magi, and the patient faith of Mary and Joseph, that we may journey with them to Bethlehem and find the good news of a child born for us. Still our restless hearts, and fill us with joyful expectation, as we eagerly await the kingdom of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
SILENT CONFESSION
SONG OF RENEWAL
The King Shall Come
Early Greek Hymn trans. by John Brownlie, 1907
Traditional American Kentucky Harmony, 1816
WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT
from John 11:25-26
Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” This is the good news.
Thanks be to God!
PASSING THE PEACE
The peace of Christ be with you all.
And also with you.
SONG
Be Our Peace
Karl Digerness, ©2020
BLESSING OUR CHILDREN & YOUTH
Rev. Fred Harrell (he/him)
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: As we worship together this Advent season, may God give you patience as you learn to watch and wait for God’s new creation, and may God fill you 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!
COMMITMENT
WORDS OF WELCOME
Rev. Fred Harrell (he/him)
SCRIPTURE
Janet Harris, Reader
Matthew 1:18-25, NRSV
Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means, “God is with us.” When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.
Reader: The Word of the Lord.
All: Thanks be to God.
SERMON
Rev. Dr. Scot Sherman (he/him)
Joseph’s Dream: Mary’s Moment of Trust
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
Almighty God, giver of every good and perfect gift, teach us to render to you all that we have and all that we are, that we may praise you, not with our lips only, but with our whole lives, turning the duties, the sorrows, and the joys of all our days into a living sacrifice to you, through our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
MUSICAL OFFERING
Miriam
Pierce Pettis © 1996 Polygram Music Publishing
COMMUNION
INVITATION TO THE LORDS TABLE
CONFESSION OF FAITH: FROM THE BELHAR CONFESSION*
We believe in the triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who gathers, protects and cares for his Church by his Word and his Spirit, as God has done since the beginning of the world and will do to the end. We believe in one holy, universal Christian Church, the communion of saints called from the entire human family.
We believe that Christ's work of reconciliation is made manifest in the Church as the community of believers who have been reconciled with God and with one another. That unity is, therefore, both a gift and an obligation for the Church of Jesus Christ. Our unity as the people of God is manifested and active as we: love one another; as we experience, practice and pursue community with one another; as we give ourselves willingly and joyfully to be of benefit and blessing to one another.
As the body of Christ we share one faith, have one calling, are of one soul and one mind; have one God and Father, are filled with one Spirit, are baptized with one baptism, eat of one bread and drink of one cup, confess one Name; are obedient to one Lord, work for one cause, and share one hope. To the one and only God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, be the honor and the glory forever and ever. 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
SONG
String Quartet No.1 in D - Tchaikovsky
II. Andante cantabile
COMMUNION PRAYER
We give you thanks, O Lord, for these heavenly gifts;
kindle in us the fire of your Spirit
that when Christ comes again
we may shine as lights before his face;
who is alive and reigns now and for ever. Amen.
PASTORAL PRAYER
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
Joy to the World
Isaac Watts, 1719, George Frederick Handel, 1742
BENEDICTION
May Christ the Sun of Righteousness shine upon you, scatter the darkness from before your path, and make you ready to meet him when he comes in glory; and the blessing of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all evermore.
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
Messiah - G.F. Handel
Part I, No 12. “For Unto Us”
MAGIK*MAGIK QUARTET
Alisa Rose, violin
Evan Price, violin
Ivo Bokulic, viola
Lucas Chen, cello
MUSICIANS
Jeff Marrs, drums
Adam Shulman, piano
Jason Muscat, bass
Minna Choi, vocals
Karl Digerness, vocals/guitar
* The Belhar Confession has its roots in the struggle against apartheid in South Africa. Drafted in 1982, this "outcry of faith" and "call for faithfulness and repentance” addresses three key issues: unity of the church and unity among all people, reconciliation within church and society, and God's justice. In 2010, The Reformed Church in America adopted the Belhar as one of its standards of unity.