Advent Love
How Does a Weary World Rejoice?
We Sing Stories of Hope
Good Morning! Welcome to our 4th Sunday in the season of Advent. The Sunday of Love. This morning we will have special music by the choir and handbells. We will be singing a couple carols and exploring Mary’s Magnificat. Thank you so much for joining us! May God bless you and MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Prelude - “O Little Town of Bethlehem” [by L.H.Redner] Sarah Park
THIS IS THE DAY!
This is the Day (This is the Day)
that the Lord has made (that the Lord has made)
We will rejoice (we will rejoice)
And be glad in it (and be glad in it)
This is the Day that the Lord has made
We will rejoice and be glad in it!
This is the Day (This is the Day)
that the Lord has Made!
Welcome to the Mantua Center in this Season of Advent.
We are a community seeking to have open minds, open hearts, and open arms.
- Thank you for joining us here in the house and online. Welcome to everyone!
- ANNOUNCEMENTS
- Tonight’s Service: 6:45 Carol Sing, 7:00pm Candlelight
Advent Candle Lighting - Leighton & Aspen Baynes .
*Opening Hymn - When God is a Child #132, v.4
4 Love is a flame that burns in our heart.
Jesus has come and will never depart. [Refrain]
[Refrain]
When God is a child there's joy in our song.
The last shall be first and the weak shall be strong,
and none shall be afraid.
Prayers of the People & the Lord’s Prayer - Becky Tipton
Invitation to Generosity
Invitation - Katie Baird
Offertory - “Let Earth receive Her King” [Arr.by John Purifoy] MCCC Choir
The Doxology - O Come, O Come Emmanuel #119, v. 4
4 O come, Desire of nations, bind
all peoples in one heart and mind;
bid envy, strife and quarrels cease;
fill the whole world with heaven's peace.
Refrain:
Rejoice, rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
Offering Prayer - Katie Baird
Children’s Moment - Rev. Chad Delaney
- In the Stable that Bob Built
A Christmas Prayer
Loving God,
Please bless the children in our church, our community and world.
Help each little one be blessed by the story of Jesus’ Birth.
That they may share in the song of the angels,
The excitement of the shepherds,
And the seeking of the wise ones.
May each child know the comfort of your love.
For those who are tired in mind, body, or soul…Give Strength
The peace of your presence. The Joy of your heart.
May their Christmas morning bring smiles and laughter.
May each one be blessed with love, acceptance, and grace in their home, in their school, and in the church. AND May your Light shine in each of one of them now and always. Amen.
Prayer of Preparation Rev. Chad Delaney
Family of faith, we all know that a small group of convicted people can change the world. That’s how it’s always been. People like Mary, people like Zechariah, people like John the Baptist. And yet, we rarely feel like we can be one of those people. We downplay our ability to make a difference. We choose pessimism over optimism. We sweep hope under the rug for the sake of realism. We forget the words to Mary’s song. Fortunately for us, our God carries enough hope and grace for all of us. So let us go to God in prayer. Let us speak the truth of our lives, and let that honesty change us. Friends, let us pray:
ONE: Holy God, teach us how to sing Mary’s song of hope for the world.
ALL: Forgive us for holding hope so loosely.
ONE: Forgive us for allowing the realities of today to define tomorrow.
ALL: We know that this world needs people of hope and love, so today we
pray: turn us into those people.
ONE: We believe that hope can change people.
We believe love can transform the world.
ALL: We believe ordinary people can make a difference.
ONE: We long for a better world and to be the love you want to see in the world.
ALL: We know you are with us. Help us tell the story of love and
sing songs of hope. Amen.
Communion
Meditation - Sally Hoffman
Communion Hymn - “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear” #153, v.1-2,4
1 It came upon the midnight clear, that glorious song of old,
from angels bending near the earth to touch their harps of gold;
"Peace on the earth, good will to all from heaven's all-gracious King!"
The world in solemn stillness lay to hear the angels sing.
2 Still through the cloven skies they come, with peaceful wings unfurled,
and still their heavenly music floats o'er all the weary world;
above its sad and lowly plains they bend on hovering wing;
and ever o'er its Babel-sounds the blessed angels sing.
4 For lo, the days are hastening on, by prophet seen of old,
when with the ever-circling years, shall come the time foretold;
when peace shall over all the earth its ancient splendors fling,
and the whole world send back the song which now the angels sing.
Prayer - Sandi Kossick
Words of Institution -Sandi Kossick
Music: “What Child is This?”
Special Music
“Joy to the World” - MCCC Handbells
Scripture - Luke 1:46-55
Loving God,
the grass withers and the flowers fade, but your Word stands forever.
So today we pray—help us to truly hear it.
Allow your words to sink deep into the marrow of our bones.
Allow your words to lift our hearts in hope,
that we might feel one day closer to your promised day.
With hopeful and grateful hearts we pray, amen.
46 And Mary said, ‘My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
50 His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
52 He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly;
53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,
55 according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’
Sermon - We Sing Stories of Hope- Rev. Chad Delaney
Music is a wonderful and powerful part of our experience of Christmas. Together we sing Advent hymns of anticipation like O Come, O Come Emmanuel and Come, O Long Expected Jesus. We sing our carols and especially look forward to our candlelight service tonight where we will hear and sings some of our most beloved songs. Each one tells our story in a way that touches us deeply--mind, body, and soul.
Tonight we will hear a song that inspired the basis of our theme this Advent.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn;
The words of O Holy Night resonate deeply, inspiring joy and hope!
Turns out that “O Holy Night” has a unique and powerful history. The song was originally written in 1843 by a French poet who was an atheist, but was commissioned by the local priest to write a poem for Christmas. The music, then, was supplied by a Jewish composer in 1847. Once these origins were discovered, however, unfortunately many churches banned it from being sung in their churches. Still, the song got out and the message was inspiring to so many.
A couple stories emerged about the hymn. One was during the Franco-Prussian war in 1871 when a French soldier supposedly started singing “O Holy Night” on Christmas Eve during the fighting. The story goes that the soldier suddenly stood up in his trench unarmed, faced the confused German enemies, and broke out into the song. The Germans sang a carol of their own and hostilities ceased for 24 hours as both camps celebrated Christmas.
Meanwhile, over in the United States, the hymn was translated into English by an American Unitarian minister in 1855 by John Sullivan Dwight. Verse 3 was particularly striking in his translation and created quite the stir:
Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is Love and His gospel is Peace;
Chains shall he break, for the slave is our brother,
And in his name all oppression shall cease,
Why did this create a stir? John Dwight was an outspoken abolitionist decrying the evils of slavery at the time. He once wrote: “three or four millions of our human brethren [are] in slavery and the United States is committing “moral suicide.” O Holy Night was fighting words, making good trouble words, and became a rallying cry (particularly verse 3) by abolitionists fighting slavery.
Music is powerful.
The music--the stories we sing--is a doorway for God’s word to speak to us in a different way. It gives voice to the activity of God in the world. Hans Christian Andersen said, “Where words fail, music speaks.”
Our scripture today is a song from Mary commonly known as the Magnificat which celebrates what God has done and what God will do. Her song is reminiscent of the songs of Miriam and Hannah in days of old. An expression of gratitude, excitement, joy….and also Justice.
51 God has shown strength with his arm; God has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
52 God has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly;
53 God has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.
This isn’t just a quaint song extolling the virtues of an awesome God…Mary’s song is a song of resistance. Resistance to the oppression of the powerful. Resistance to the forces of greed and violence. Resistance to all the death-dealing parts of our world. What her Son would stand for as well.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer once wrote: “The song of Mary is the oldest Advent hymn. It is at once the most passionate, the wildest, one might even say the most revolutionary Advent hymn ever sung. This is not the gentle, tender, dreamy Mary whom we sometimes see in paintings...It is instead a hard, strong, inexorable song about the power of God and the powerlessness of humankind.”
The Magnificat has even been controversial over the years. Discouraged or even banned because of its “revolutionary fervor”. Josh Porterfield wrote about how in Argentina, “the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo—whose children all disappeared during the Dirty War—placed the Magnificat’s words on posters throughout the capital plaza. The military junta of Argentina outlawed [then] any public display of Mary’s song.”
Mary’s Song sings of the Incarnation of God. That this child to be born will not only impact her life in her little village in the Galilee, but will bring Joy and JUSTICE to the entire world…something Heaven and Nature can and will Sing about with JOY!
For generations, people of faith have been fighting the powers and principalities, combating disease and death. Life is filled with struggle. Yet still…we keep singing stories of hope. Singing the story of God’s love for the entire world. With Mary, we keep insisting that Joy and Justice, that Love and Justice always go together.
46 And Mary said, ‘My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
52 The Lord has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly;
As we sing the carols of our faith, may we be comforted and filled with joy. Together we pause and give thanks for the gifts of the season and memories of goodness. AND let us listen for the challenge of an incarnational faith. That as followers of Christ, we not only celebrate his miraculous birth, but together seek to incarnate the Gospel in the world.
_ when we bring smiles to people's faces
_ when we feel the children and support their families
_ when we fight racism and prejudice
_ when we listen deeply to those longing to be heard
_ when we say all and really mean all
We help make Joy and Justice and Love come to life in the world. God’s word made into flesh in and through us as Christ’s Church.
The Work of Christmas by Howard Thurman
When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flock,
The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among others,
To make music in the heart.
What is the story we will sing? What will be born in us today? Amen.
*Closing Hymn - Hark! The Herald Angels Sing #150, vs. 1-3
1 Hark! the herald-angels sing, "Glory to the new-born King;
peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!"
Joyful, all ye nations, rise, join the triumph of the skies;
with the angelic host proclaim, "Christ is born in Bethlehem."
Hark, the herald-angels sing, "Glory to the new-born King!"
2 Christ, by highest heaven adored, Christ, the everlasting Lord!
Late in time behold him come, offspring of a Virgin's womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see; hail the incarnate Deity,
pleased in flesh with us to dwell, Jesus, our Emmanuel.
Hark, the herald-angels sing, "Glory to the new-born King!"
3 Hail, the heaven-born Prince of Peace! Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all he brings, risen with healing in his wings,
mild he lays his glory by, born that we no more may die,
born to raise us from the earth, born to give us second birth.
Hark, the herald-angels sing, "Glory to the new-born King!"
Benediction - Rev. Chad Delaney
- This Advent we have been blessed by the Gift of Music from the Handbells, the Choir, Jan Green, Sarah, and Ryan & Karly Lind. We have explored passages from the Gospel of Luke, especially hearing about the story of Elizabeth and Zechariah, Mary and Joseph.
- All under the theme: “How does a Weary World rejoice?”
- Though we may be experiencing heavy things in our lives, there is still room for Joy and for Christ to come within us in a new way.
- We hope you have found big and small ways to rejoice in this season.
- We hope to see you tonight at our Candlelight Service. 6:45 for the Carol Sing.
Family of faith,
as you leave this place, you go into a weary world—
so speak tenderly. Do the good that is yours to do.
Choose connection. Hold onto hope.
And remember that Christ took on flesh for you.
You are God’s beloved. So go rejoicing. Go singing a song of hope.
The world needs it. The world needs you. Amen.
Postlude - “God Rest you Merry, Gentleman” [Arr. by J.Stainer] Sarah Park