4 Advent '23

Thank you to Woodwinds of the Bighorns for providing special music today.

GATHERING SONG “Awake! Awake, and Greet the New Morn” #242

DIALOGUE

Surely God is my salvation;

I will trust, and will not be afraid,

for the Lord God is my strength, and my might;

and has become my salvation.

A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse,

and a branch shall grow out of his roots.

The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him;

his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. (Based on Isaiah 11:1-3; 12:2)

OPENING PRAYER (Isaiah 35)

The Lord be with you. And also with you.

Let us pray. God of our salvation, you speak through angels and prophets, telling us: “Be strong, do not fear! For I will come and save you.” Open our eyes and unstop our ears, that we may sing for joy at the coming of your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS

Blessed be the holy Trinity, ☩ one God, who comes to wake us from sleep, who leads us into the light of grace. Amen.

Let us prepare the way of the Lord by confessing our sin against God and neighbor.

Silence for reflection and self-examination.

God of all time,

we confess that we have not prepared for your merciful reign among us.

We ignore our neighbors in need and fail in the labor of justice and peace.

In your mercy forgive us.

Grant us wisdom to welcome your light and to seek the things that will endure

until Christ comes again in glory. Amen.

Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God.

In ☩ Jesus Christ your sins are forgiven and all things are made new.

Rejoice in this good news! Amen.

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Stir up your power, Lord Christ, and come. With your abundant grace and might, free us from the sin that would obstruct your mercy, that willingly we may bear your redeeming love to all the world, for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

FIRST READING: Isaiah 60:1-3, 19-20

Arise, shine; for your light has come,

and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.

For darkness shall cover the earth,

and thick darkness the peoples;

but the LORD will arise upon you,

and his glory will appear over you.

Nations shall come to your light,

and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

The sun shall no longer be

your light by day,

nor for brightness shall the moon

give light to you by night;

but the LORD will be your everlasting light,

and your God will be your glory.

Your sun shall no more go down,

or your moon withdraw itself;

for the LORD will be your everlasting light,

and your days of mourning shall be ended.

Following a brief silence for prayer and meditation:

Thus says the Lord: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you.

You have called us by name; we are yours.

HYMN “All Earth Is Hopeful” #266 In this recording, stanza one in Spanish first...

SECOND READING: Isaiah 40:1-5

Comfort, O comfort my people,

says your God.

Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,

and cry to her

that she has served her term,

that her penalty is paid,

that she has received from the LORD’s hand

double for all her sins.

A voice cries out:

“In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD,

make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

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.”

Following a brief silence for prayer and meditation:

Thus says the Lord: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you.

You have called us by name; we are yours.

GOSPEL HYMN “My Soul Proclaims Your Greatness” #251

GOSPEL: Luke 1:26-38

The holy gospel according to Saint Luke. Glory to you, O Lord.

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you."

But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."

Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?"

The angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God."

Then Mary said, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her.

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.

Following a brief silence for prayer and meditation:

Thus says the Lord: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you.

You have called us by name; we are yours.

REFLECTION – MARY FOUND FAVOR Pastor Phil Wold - (with a bit of hoarseness)

HYMN OF THE DAY “From Heaven Above” #268

THE SIGN OF PEACE IS SHARED

The peace of Christ be with you always. And also with you.

THE OFFERING AND OFFERING PRAYER

Let us pray. Blessed are you, O God, maker of all things. Through your goodness you have blessed us with these gifts: our selves, our time, and our possessions. Use us, and what we have gathered, in feeding the world with your love, through the one who gave himself for us, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen

PRAYERS

God of Zechariah, you break into our fearful world with news of joy and gladness. Give light to all who sit in darkness, and guide our feet into the way of peace.

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

God of Mary, you know the fears of your people. Lift up the lowly, especially those who are sick, those who mourn, those who are hungry, and all in need of your care.

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

God of Joseph, your message calls us to let go of our fears and place our trust in you. Sustain us in your hope as we await our Savior’s birth.

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

God of all creation, you name us as your precious and chosen people and redeem us through Christ. Take hold of our hearts and shine your love through our lives.

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

Here other prayers may be offered.

Teach us to boldly pray in the words our Savior gave us:

LORD’S PRAYER

SENDING SONG “Joy to the World” #267

BLESSING

Soon, the angel will announce to the shepherds, “Fear not! I bring you good news of great joy.” As we await the coming of Christ, may the God of our salvation grant you peace and joy, hope and gladness

Amen.

DISMISSAL

Fear not! Christ is coming soon.

Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!

POSTLUDE

New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.