Sunday Dec. 18, 2022

Advent Candle Lighting: Candle of Love

  • O Come, O Come Emmanuel doubles as a prayer for the first and second coming of Christ. It takes us into the mind of old Israel, longing for the first coming of the Messiah. And it goes beyond that longing by voicing the yearning of the church of Christ for the Messiah, Jesus Christ, to consummate the history of redemption.

  • Israel needed rescue from captivity. And so do we. When we sing the first few words of this song, we can remember the depth of God’s love for us by sending His Son Jesus—God wrapped in flesh—to rescue us from our sins and ourselves. He not only redeemed the world through His death and resurrection, but He walked our world in physical form—just like we do.


    Hymn: instrumental & congregation, verse 1

    O come, O come, Emmanuel,

    And ransom captive Israel,

    That mourns in lonely exile here,

    Until the Son of God appear.

    Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

    Shall come to thee, O Israel

  • The common tune, linked in 1851 to the lyrics we are singing, captures the plaintive mood of longing. It is not the same as the exuberant “Joy to the world, the Lord has come,” or the vigorous and bounding, “Hark the herald angels sing, glory to the newborn King.” It is an excellent musical match to the mood of the song. Longing. Aching. Yearning. Hoping.

    The Christian life oscillates between these two poles: the overflowing joy of the “already” redeemed and the tearful yearning of the “not-yet” redeemed. Not that we ever leave the one or the other in this life. We are “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing”.

    Hymn: instrumental & congregation, verse 2

    O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free

    Thine own from Satan's tyranny;

    From depths of hell Thy people save,

    And give them victory o'er the grave.

    Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

    Shall come to thee, O Israel.


    1 John 4:9-10

    This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.


    Hymn: instrumental & congregation, verse 3

    O come, Thou Dayspring, from on high,

    And cheer us by Thy drawing nigh;

    Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,

    And death's dark shadows put to flight.

    Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

    Shall come to thee, O Israel.


    Sydney's poem

    Hymn: instrumental & congregation, verse 4


    O come, Thou Key of David, come

    And open wide our heav'nly home;

    Make safe the way that leads on high,

    And close the path to misery.

    Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

    Shall come to thee, O Israel.

    Reading: Matthew 1:22-23

    22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”[a] (which means “God with us”).


    Hymn: instrumental & congregation, verse 5


    O come, Adonai, Lord of might,

    Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai's height,

    In ancient times didst give the law

    In cloud and majesty and awe.

    Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

    Shall come to thee, O Israel.

Songs:

Silent Night

Verse 1

Silent night holy night

All is calm all is bright

Round yon virgin mother and Child

Holy Infant so tender and mild

Sleep in heavenly peace

Sleep in heavenly peace

Verse 2

Silent night holy night

Shepherds quake at the sight

Glories stream from heaven afar

Heav'nly hosts sing alleluia

Christ the Savior is born

Christ the Savior is born

Verse 3

Silent night holy night

Son of God love's pure light

Radiant beams from Thy holy face

With the dawn of redeeming grace

Jesus Lord at Thy birth

Jesus Lord at Thy birth

O Little Town of Bethlehem

Oh little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by
Yet in thy dark streets shineth, the everlasting light
The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.


For Christ is born of Mary, and gathered all above
While mortals sleep the angels keep their watch of wondering love
Oh morning stars together, proclaim thy holy birth.
And praises sing to God the king, and peace to men on earth.

We Three Kings

Verse 1

We three kings of Orient are

Bearing gifts we traverse afar

Field and fountain moor and mountain

Following yonder star

Chorus 1

Star of wonder star of night

Star with royal beauty bright

Westward leading still proceeding

Guide us to thy perfect light

Verse 2

Born a King on Bethlehem's plain

Gold I bring to crown Him again

King forever ceasing never

Over us all to reign

Verse 3

Frankincense to offer have I

Incense owns a Deity nigh

Prayer and praising all men raising

Worship Him God most high

Verse 4

Glorious now behold Him arise

King and God and Sacrifice

Alleluia Alleluia

Earth to heaven replies

Teaching: Love of Advent

1 John 4:7-12

“Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us, and his love is perfected in us.”

1 Corinthians 13:13

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

John 3:16

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

1 John 3:16

“We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.”

John 15:9-17

9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other.”

Philippians 2:5-11

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, assuming human likeness. And being found in appearance as a human, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross. Therefore God exalted him even more highly and gave him the name that is above every other name, so that at the name given to Jesus every knee should bend,  in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Communion:

  • Communion is on the front table.

  • spend some time reflecting on Jesus’ love for you and your role in bringing his love to others.

Benediction:

May Christ's presence empower you this advent season. 

May the hope of Christ illuminate your path. 

May the peace of Christ rule your heart and home. 

May the joy of Christ radiate into your neighborhood.  

And may the love of Christ compel you to serve the city. 

Now glory and honor be to Him who, 

became flesh, dwelt among, was crucified, and lives again even now.

Amen. 

Jared King