Call to Worship: Lighting of the Advent Candle (Winifred/Abiola/Me)
Song: Lo he comes with clouds descending
Prayers: Wait for the Lord (Taize Chant)
We give you all thanks and praise, O God, or even when heaven and earth pass away, your words will never pass away.
Like a potter you created the earth, and we are all the work of your hands. At your presence even the mountains quake, and yet to your people who wait for you, you are the light, revealing our salvation.
In your child, Jesus, you have come among us, teaching us to live in readiness for your reign.
Though he was killed, you raised him to life, restoring to us the light of your presence, and enriching us in every way so that we are not lacking in your gifts as we await the day when he comes on the clouds in glory and gathers his faithful ones from the ends of the earth; all who do right and remember you in their ways.
Therefore, with our hearts lifted high, we offer you thanks and praise at all times through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen
Our God is faithful and has called us into relationship with Christ.
Though we fail him often, God will not abandon us; but gives you grace and strength so that you may be blameless on the day of the Lord. Sisters and Brothers, your sins are forgiven; be at peace.
The Lords prayer
Notices and Offering
Setting the Scene: Advent Calendar. "Invitation"
Song: Come on and Celebrate!
Bible Readings:
Hymn: O come O come Immanuel
Talk / Sermon
Hymn:
Gracious God: sharpen our hearing, rekindle our imaginations, help us attentively respond to your Word. Amen.
Pic: Four Candles
I wonder what Advent and Christmas mean to you? Each year we come towards this time with a mixture of feelings and memories. For the young, it is hoped that Christmas will be a time of happiness and expectations, a time to share in the giving and receiving of expressions of love from friends and family. For many of us, there is a love of this season – we love the smell as the Christmas tree when its brought in and decorated, love the Christmas shopping, love the family get-togethers, and all that goes in to this very special season. Yet not everyone shares these thoughts. For some Christmas is a time thoughtful reflection, memories of former days, some good, some not to good. An unresolved time of unanswered prayers and unfulfilled promises. Some people look at Christmas with a kind of half dread – is it really that time again?
When God contemplated Christmas – that first Christmas, the sending of his only son to earth, he would have shared these feelings. He would have shared these feeling of anticipation in giving his son for our sakes, because He loves us, he would have wanted so much to share his Son with us, to restore fallen humanity, to build bridges again between God and humanity.
For the sake of the family of God he would have been warmed in his heart at what was to come as a result of Christ’s coming. Yet also God would have also felt the pain. Knowing what would happen to Christ, knowing how he would be despised and rejected, knowing how we would hurt him and kill him – is it fair to say that God may have half-dreaded this whole experience too! Regardless, God didn’t hold back – but he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him would not have to live a pointless life and end it with no hope, but could enjoy a life with God that lasts forever and begins now!
With this mixtures of emotions, shared among us, and shared in the heart of God, we enter Advent 2005. And as we offer an invitation to Jesus again to come to us. O come, O come Immanuel.
The first Sunday in Advent is all about invitation – a two way invitation – the invitation from us to Jesus to come afresh into our lives “O come, O come Immanuel, and ransom captive Israel!”, and from God to us – to get ready for Christ’s return, to come towards Christmas with that spirit of readiness, and anticipation about that second Advent..
These two invitations make Advent a powerful season. For these two invitation form an agreement, a contract between God and his people. Here we see echoes of that Old Testament covenant relationship – I will be your God, and you will be my people, as we say “Even so Lord Jesus, come and God invites us to draw close to him. Don’t forget when two parties agree on an arrangement, the arrangement usually happens.
Ill: David and I used to have a friend who would often make half-hearted invitations to friends in the church, she never really meant it when she said “You must come around sometime” it was always said with what appeared to be a measure of sincerity, but it became an awkward joke in the fellowship that no one ever did get around to her house. At the point of agreeing that we really must come round, reasons always prevailed as to why this couldn’t happen this week, maybe another week! It was the same with gifts, she would promise birthday gifts, wedding presents, baby gifts – but there were always reasons why she would bring them next time!
For a meeting to happen and an arrangement to work out successfully both parties have to agree, both parties have to be clear in the getting ready and meeting together. Advent is a time like this, it’s about God getting ready to come to us, and about us getting ready to receive Christ. Advent is not simple the run up to Christmas, its so much more than that: – despite the fact that my three main heads this morning are entitled Ready, Steady, Go!
Ready:
Pic: Get Ready
When I say get ready to my family, a number of things happen. Some people get ready very quickly and will want to leave almost immediately, sitting in the car waiting, soon becoming inpatient if the delay is long. Others suddenly find other things they need to do in that last minute and go and do them. These things can vary to things to do with going, to things that they were going to get around to doing sometime, and suddenly now seems like the ideal time! Getting ready can be a very frustrating time for all concerned.
Try and think of a time when you were getting ready –
Maybe getting ready for church this morning;
Ready for your own wedding,
Getting ready to receive news from the doctor,
Getting ready to go to bed.
How does it feel to get ready?
It doesn’t feel – we just do it!
It depends what we are getting ready for.
Wedding – excited
Doctors – fearful
Bed – relieved
The truth is we spend a lot of our lives getting ready for the next thing to happen, and the majority of the time we don’t feel excited and fearful, we just get on with it – its part of life. Jesus tell us we are to get ready for his return, it is part of life! Corporal Jones on Dad’s Army would have said “Don’t panic! Don’t panic!” But Jesus said: Watch and Pray.
We so often miss the many comings of the Lord because we live in hyperactivity.
We are forever rushing from one thing to another.
We rush from the breakfast table (if we even stop for that meal) to school or to work.
From work we rush to bring the kids to their after school activities or we ourselves catch a quick half an hours of telly with a quick cup of tea, until it all begins again.
After dinner we rush home to the next round of activities, church does, shopping, parents evenings at school, finally falling into bed exhausted only to begin the same routine the next morning.
When and where do we find the time to watch for the Lord amidst this beehive of activity?
That is to what Advent calls us—to make some little space in time for communing with God so that gradually we grow into the habitual presence of God.
It is not that the activities in which we are involved are bad.
Advent is here to remind us to watch and pray, remind us to be ready to find space to encounter Christ.
We are to watch how you live, watch out for other people, watch out for Him coming to you in the stranger, in the homeless and helpless. Watch.
And pray – Jesus says: keep in communication with me, so when I come you will know me. Talk openly to me, bring me your concerns and your joys, Let prayer be a living conversation an open channel where we are both always available.
This invitation to get ready is indeed a mutual invitation, we are to get ready for Jesus, and Jesus is getting ready for us. We are to always remember that we have no idea when Jesus is coming back. But we are on the welcoming committee, not part of the planning committee.”
This is the kind of preparation God requires. We are to be ready by being always watchful and always prayerful.
Steady:
Pic: Steady blue
(Don’t go daft!)
In the last few months two things have been said to me about the second coming from people in the church. One comment was made that no one mentions it anymore! Well, I do, at Advent especially – for this is the time when the Christian Calendar points us to Christ’s words of his imminent return, but I believe we need to be steady about this. I am aware, as I am sure you are; of certain theological persuasions that particularly dwell on the return of Christ, urging the people to live as if Christ were coming back today, striving and praying that it will be in our lifetime, constantly aware that we don’t know the time or the place, therefore they encourage people to walk the tight-rope of possibility. This not knowing can creats a spirit of fear and trembling.
Have a look at this:
http://www.raptureready.com/rap2.html
I find this rather amusing, but I fear some folks may take it all rather seriously. This is the Rapture Index, put together by some not very steady folks (must be Americans!) to make us aware of the things that are going on in the world at any one time, and alleging them to the things that scripture says about Jesus return. They tell us that on Friday the chance of the rapture (of Jesus coming again) happening on that day, when you make the comparison between the events in the world and the Biblical prophecies was 71.5%
This site tells us that on 24 Sept 01we were at a record high, which went right down to a record low in Dec 93! Oh yes, some people are indeed watching the signs of the times, they are monitoring carefully the events of the world ever aware that Jesus is coming back again – and it may be today! Which by the way is down/up from Friday at %!!
When we think about Jesus return there is a sense of urgency that we cannot escape from. Time in Linear, and most of us have to confess, that we appear to be moving through it faster than we would choose. This week we have watched the demise of George Best, headlines that said : His days are numbered, quickly turned to His hours are numbered – and then he was gone. The Psalmist says (113:15) As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; 16 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more.
Often I have heard what I call the bus gospel preached; “Repent now for you may be run over by a bus tomorrow!” This kind of preaching today seldom holds any attraction and those who do respond often have to deal with feelings of fear and guilt that this kind of pressure has tapped into. Jesus speaks about Good News – Good news of his return, good news that is an invitation, not a threat, good news that urges us to be watchful not fearful. There is a difference. Jesus is coming back again, it may be today – but it may not be, we are simply to be steady .
Another voice within the fellowship said: “Don’t tell me about the second coming, it doesn’t hold any appeal to me”. Should it hold an appeal? Probably yes, a steady appeal to bring us comfort and hope, an appeal that speaks about fulfilled promises and a better way to live. In John chapter 14, we hear Jesus speaking peace to his worried friends as they attempt to contemplate what lies ahead for Jesus and themselves:
1"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God [a]; trust also in me. 2In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
There is a danger that we can spent too long asking the wrong question! Jesus tells us not to map out the timing of his return, but rather warns us be steady and secure as we wait . He comes to bring an end to this worlds order; he will come again to re-establish his Kingdom.
Go:
http://www.whatsaiththescripture.com/Graphics/Jesus.Comes.JPG
Ready – Steady – Go! Time goes on – and so do we – we go on into Advent 2006 – on towards Christmas, on through our lives, on towards the return of Christ. .
We have no choice but to go, ever aware of our linear concept of time, moving towards Christ as he moves towards us.
We do not go alone, for the Christ who will come again is with us through his Holy Spirit; and we go in faith and hope.
Together as Church, we enter the seasons of Advent and Christmas.
From their earliest celebration, these seasons were viewed and celebrated as paschal seasons. As such, they celebrate Christ’s coming among us as Light to banish the fear of darkness and death and to lead us to new light and life.
Advent and Christmas catch us up into the Easter Event.
The Easter Event, we know, profoundly changed both time and history. The line that separated earthly time and eternal time has been erased. Because of Jesus’ coming and living among us, we who exist in time also exist in eternity.
Time itself participates in eternity. Time is not just passing away. In all that we do, we are not just passing the time. Our time is the stuff of which our eternity is made.
We are continuing to go through the process of our transformation. We go into today, into Advent, into the future aware that nothing can separate us from God’s great love. He is with us as we go forward, the fullness of God’s presence is forever our strength and stay.
Conclusion:
http://www.hfonline.co.uk/features/feature4/images/ready_steady_go.gif
The Season of Advent is meant to awaken us again to that truth. We live such hectic lives.
Advent calls us to get Ready – by being watchful and prayerful
To be steady – not to enter into frenzied activity, not by getting over anxious, but to know God’s peace deep within our being.
Andsto go - and know that our journey onwards, into the unknown of today, and tomorrow is in the company of our all loving, all knowing, ever present Father. Let us pray
Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus - help us to see you - to be prepared for when you come again - and help us now - to celebrate this season - with hope and peace - and with joy and love. Amen
Responce: Oh the Love of my Lord
Intercessions: World Aids Day.
http://www.unaids.org/en/default.asp
We join with the worldwide church in expressing our solidarity against diseases that are crippling nations, communities and families.
We pray that we may work to break down barriers of prejudice, fear and complacency, which prevent us from addressing health issues of critical importance to people's lives.
We ask for strength for those who are battling with health problems that are killing children, young people and adults; may we build up our care, love and support for those who are sick, bereaved or orphaned.
May we be always faithful in prayer as we see the increase of disease, poverty, famine and conflicts in communities and nations.
May God our Father who upholds and sustains us grant all these things in the name of his Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen
Hymn: Come thou long expected Jesus
Benediction: Even so Lord Jesus – come!
The Grace
