How Does a Weary World Rejoice?
The First Sunday of Advent - "We Acknowledge our Weariness..."
Luke 1:1-23 (Zechariah & Elizabeth are promised a child) Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19
Good Morning Church Family! Welcome to the Season of Advent! This Advent season we will explore the theme “How does a weary world rejoice?” What are you weary about in this time? We hope to make space for you to bring your weariness to God and still find reason to rejoice. Please check out our website if you want more information about our Advent Schedule and/or want to find ways to connect with our congregation. We are so glad you are here and may God bless you richly this Christmas season! Welcome to worship!
Prelude - “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty ”[by J.B.Dykes] 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 as we think and pray together on “How Does a Weary World Rejoice”.
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
- We have Advent Calendars in the entranceway.
- MCCC Christmas Party coming up this Saturday. Details in the bulletin. We really hope you come!
- Craft show and CYF retreat
- Bulletin changes
- $19,000+
Though we are weary, we rejoice….
In our belief in a God who hears our prayers, who knows the shape and form of our weariness.
We rejoice in our belief that God wants joy and delight for us, not just survival and existence.
We rejoice in a God who looks ahead, who is not done dreaming for the world—
a God who sends hope in the form of people and change, movements and Spirit.
And so we return to this space.
We bring our hope and our weariness like two sides of the same coin,
and we trust that God is already at work.
Yes, we believe in a God who hears our prayers.
Thanks be to God for a love like that.
Amen.
Advent Candle Lighting - Marge Monroe & Kathy Meier
*Opening Hymn - When God is a Child #132, v. 1
1 Hope is a star that shines in the night,
leading us on till the morning is bright.
[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 - Rev. Nancy Humes
Invitation to Generosity
Invitation - Katie Baird
Offertory - Sarah Park
Music: “Take the name of Jesus with you” [by W.H.Doane]
Response “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
- Chrismons
- Lamb - Represents the gentleness of Christ born in the manger.
- Circle - eternal life
- Crown - Christ the King
- Dove - symbol of Peace
- Star - star that shone brightly in the sky,
- Triangle - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit / Creator, Christ, and Holy Spirit
Special Music - “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silent” MCCC Handbells
Prayer of Preparation - Rev. Chad Delaney
Introduction
In this Advent Season we will spend a little extra time preparing our hearts, minds, and spirits to come to the Lord’s Table. Advent is a season of waiting and expectation…and also examination. How might I be more prepared to receive the newborn king in my heart and life again? Today, we acknowledge our weariness and recognize that no matter what space we are in emotionally, spiritually, or physically…God will meet us where we are.
Let’s pray the prayer of preparation
ONE: Gracious God, we are weary. For weary bodies that ache and cry out, we pray:
ALL: We have pushed ourselves so hard. Remind us of our need for Sabbath rest.
ONE: For weary minds that feel overwhelmed and saturated with news, we pray:
ALL: Forgive us for creating so many distractions. Remind us that in the quiet, we can hear you.
ONE: For weary hearts that long to feel the joy of this season, we pray:
ALL: Forgive us for being impatient with ourselves. Remind us that healing takes time, and that joy and grief can coexist.
ONE: For the weary edges of our faith that struggle to hold onto hope,
ALL: Remind us that your good news knows no bounds. Amen.
ONE: No matter how weary we are within ourselves and in the world, no matter how God’s love keeps showing up for us.
ALL: We are loved. We are claimed. We are forgiven. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Communion
Meditation - Brian Hurd
*Communion Hymn - Emmanuel, Emmanuel #134
Emmanuel, Emmanuel, his name is called Emmanuel.
God with us, revealed in us, his name is called Emmanuel.
Prayer & Lord’s Prayer - Katie Baird
Words of Institution - Katie Baird
Music: “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” [by Sufjan Stevens] Ryan & Karly Lind
Scripture - Luke 1:5-23
5 In the days of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah. His wife was a descendant of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6Both of them were righteous before God, living blamelessly according to all the commandments and regulations of the Lord. 7But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were getting on in years.
8 Once when he was serving as priest before God and his section was on duty, 9he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and offer incense. 10Now at the time of the incense-offering, the whole assembly of the people was praying outside. 11Then there appeared to him an angel of the Lord, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12When Zechariah saw him, he was terrified; and fear overwhelmed him. 13But the angel said to him, ‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John. 14You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or strong drink; even before his birth he will be filled with the Holy Spirit. 16He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17With the spirit and power of Elijah he will go before him, to turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.’ 18Zechariah said to the angel, ‘How will I know that this is so? For I am an old man, and my wife is getting on in years.’ 19The angel replied, ‘I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20But now, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time, you will become mute, unable to speak, until the day these things occur.’
21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah, and wondered at his delay in the sanctuary. 22When he did come out, he could not speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. He kept motioning to them and remained unable to speak. 23When his time of service was ended, he went to his home.
Sermon - “We Acknowledge our Weariness” - Rev. Chad Delaney
“How does a Weary World rejoice?” is the question we have before us this season. Together we’ll explore together what it means to have Joy alongside all the other emotions of our lives. And, of course, we already know its possible to have joy alongside sorrow…Confusion… Pain… Exhaustion. It is part of life.
A couple summers ago when we planned CJ’s graduation party. It was a lot of work planning, preparing, and getting everything ready. It was exhausting physically and emotionally. And...there was so much joy.
If you’ve experienced the flurrying work of the Kid’s Weekend Meals team or the Loaves & Fishes crew you’ll see tons of time, energy, work that goes into making all that happen…and deep satisfaction in knowing there are fuller bellies and calmer households…weariness and joy together.
Have you not been to a funeral when you laughed, cried, and felt so filled with God’s presence. As the Spanish Jewish poet Yehuda HaLevi once wrote reflecting on a loved ones’ death: “For your life has lived in me, your laugh once lifted me, your word was a gift to me. To remember this brings painful joy.” Grief and Joy side-by-side.
In truth…joy and weariness are no strangers…yet we may wonder if true Joy is possible in the midst of all the struggle in the world. Or we might even wonder if JOY is appropriate when so much is wrong in the world. Should I have joy…when there is war and starving peoples?
We also may have it in our minds that JOY will only come when ALL is well with the world. It's kind of like when one of the kids is out late and your waiting up because you just won’t quite be able to get to sleep until they are all safe & sound. Maybe we have said that when it comes to joy… I can’t have JOY until __________ . Until…..what?
Sometimes we may even resist the idea of Joy…to protect ourselves. Afraid to Hope that something better is on the horizon. Afraid to believe the arc of the history bends toward justice….because….what if it doesn’t? People who don’t get their hopes up don’t have to experience the feeling of disappointment…so let’s just be numb and unexpectant. Life will be easier that way.
Zechariah may know a little about what we are talking about this morning. The beginning of the Gospel of Luke launches into a story about a priest Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth who have loved God and served God blamelessly their whole life, and yet carry with them extraordinary grief. In the world they live in to have children was to obey the first command in the bible (be fruitful and multiply) and it was to help God’s people survive and persist to the next generation. In that time, the implications in their life, culture, and world were far different than today, yet many today experience the of their same grief.
So when the Angel of the Lord comes to him and says:
‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John. 14You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth,
Zechariah can hardly believe it. Downright skeptical. He says, “How will I know that this is so? For I am an old man, and my wife is getting on in years.” What do you hear in his response?
- We’ve been down this road before and all it led to is pain. Angel…Do not fool around with this.
- Before I talk to Elizabeth about this, I need to know this for sure. Do you have some proof?
- I’ll need some confirmation because we can’t let ourselves feel this JOY without some kind of assurance
- “How will I know that this is so?”
In other words, we can see that when we think about letting some hope and Joy in there is some fear and vulnerability. Can I let myself experience the Thrill of Hope…that Joy might come? How will I know that this is so?
His skepticism is noted by the Angel and Zechariah is struck mute. Perhaps for Zechariah his incessant need for clarity, explanation, and “this has got to make sense”-ness would only get in the way of his accepting this miraculous gift. Sometimes, we can speak and think TOO MUCH and we just have to be quiet, let God be God, and let ourselves experience the Joy, the thrill of hope that COMES because we live in a world where God’s light still shines.
But…what about you? Are you hesitant to hope? Cautious about joy? Do you actively try to curb your enthusiasm? I know I do sometimes. Maybe this Advent we can try on Hope…try on Joy…see how it fits. Maybe it's been awhile and it will be a little uncomfortable. But let’s give it a shot for this season…let ourselves long for a brighter day. A better present and future. Trusting that God is still working EVEN in the midst of our weariness and struggle.
In 1922, Langston Hughes wrote a famous poem called “Mother to Son” and it speaks to the resilience of hope. It appeared in his book “The Weary Blues” and depicts the heaviness of living life as a black person facing the obstacles and dangers that accompany racism in America. It speaks deeply to the question: In the face of the evil in the world, what shall we do, how do we keep hope alive?
“Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes
Well, son, I’ll tell you:
Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.
It’s had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor—Bare;
But all the time I’se been a’climbin’ on,
And reachin’ landin’s,
And turnin’ corners,
And sometimes goin’ in the dark,
Where there ain’t been no light.
So boy, don’t you turn back;
Don’t you sit down on the steps,
’Cause you finds it’s kinder hard;
Don’t you fall now—
For I’se still goin’, honey,
I’se still climbin’,
And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.
As we reflect on our lives, as we see what is happening in the world, as we struggle…we come face-to-face with our own weariness…don’t be afraid to acknowledge it. Life ain’t no crystal stair. Acknowledge our confusion, questions, fears, grief, long-suffering. Don’t avoid it, name it, share it with God, claim it as part of your story, AND let’s still believe, still TRUST…that joy still comes. That there are gifts of joy all around us. That even as a church we might hold up in this weary world we live in a resilient, persistent, tenacious, STUBBORN hope that will not be extinguished. Courage to be believe.
So then People of God…Do not be afraid, do not turn back, don’t sit on the steps, keep going, keep climbing, keep hope alive because God is here, God is With Us (Emmanuel), and God is not done with this world yet. Amen.
*Closing Hymn - “Come, O Long Expected Jesus” #125, vs. 1-2
1 Come, O long-expected Jesus, born to set your people free.
From our fears and sins release us; Christ, in whom our rest shall be.
You, our strength and consolation, come salvation to impart;
dear desire of every nation, joy of many a longing heart.
2 Born your people to deliver, born a child, and yet a king,
born to reign in us forever, born your gracious realm to bring.
By your own eternal Spirit rule in all our hearts alone;
by your all-sufficient merit raise us to your glorious throne.
Benediction - Rev. Chad Delaney
- Grab Advent Calendar
- Join us for coffee downstairs or after church discussions
- Stay for fellowship and Sunday School
- Candlelighters, Bells, Ryan and Karly
In the midst of chaos, Let’s be peace.
Surrounded by anger, Let’s be love.
In the presence of despair, Let's be hope.
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. The world needs it.
Amen.
Postlude - “O come, O come, Emmanuel” [Arr by T. Helmore] - Sarah Park