Week 1: God Comes to Mary and Mary Obeys
Luke 1:26–38 (Hope)
*Call to Worship
[Please rise in body or in spirit and join in this call to worship]
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
And it was perfect. Absolutely perfect.
And then a terrible lie came into the world.
Yet God promised to never destroy the world.
In this season, we await the coming Messiah.
We wait in hope with Mary for God’s rescue plan to come true,
for God’s promises do come true.
We wait and walk in this world with continued hope,
for the Messiah has come and will come again,
and in the end, everything will be made perfect.
Absolutely perfect.
*Song
"Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus" by Charles Wesley
*God’s Greeting and Mutual Greeting
*Song
"Hope of the Nations" by Brian Doerksen
Children’s Story
“A Pause” in God's Colorful Kingdom.
Candle lighting
[While the children are still up front]
We light candles in Advent to mark the weeks of waiting until Christmas. Each week, we will light another candle, reminding us of the ways that Jesus’ light fills our lives. On Christmas, we will light the final candle in the middle which we call the Christ candle.
Today, we light this candle with hope. Advent calls us to wait in hope, in expectation. Like our story today, we take a pause. We remember the really big promise that God made in the beginning. And like the Israelites did for generations, we wait—just for a few weeks—for the coming of the promised King. Noah waited for the water to clear. Abraham and Sarah waited for the promised child. And so too, we join in the big story, waiting for our Savior.
Psalm 27:14 says, "Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD."
[light candle]
Prayer
Dear God,
thank you for being with us in our waiting.
Thank you for always being a faithful God that we can put our hope in.
Help us to rely on you as we hope for the coming of Jesus.
Amen.
*Song
“He Came Down” (Hope stanza, 2 times) by John Bell
Week 2: Mary Visits Elizabeth and Jesus Responds
Luke 1:39–45 (Joy)
*Call to Worship
[Please rise in body or in spirit and join in this call to worship]
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
And it was perfect. Absolutely perfect.
And then a terrible lie came into the world.
Yet God promised to never destroy the world.
In this season, we await the coming Messiah.
We rejoice with Mary and Elizabeth,
because nothing is impossible with God.
We wait and walk in this world with joy,
for the Messiah has come and will come again,
and in the end, everything will be made perfect.
Absolutely perfect.
*Song
"Joy to the World" by Isaac Watts
*God’s Greeting and Mutual Greeting
*Song
"Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee" by Henry Van Dyke
Children’s Story
“He’s Here!” (Luke 1-2) in The Jesus Storybook Bible
Candle lighting
[While the children are still up front]
We light candles in Advent to mark the weeks of waiting until Christmas. Each week, we will light another candle, reminding us of the ways that Jesus’ light fills our lives. On Christmas, we will light the final candle in the middle which we call the Christ candle.
Today, we light this candle with joy. While we wait, we can have joy! The story of Christmas, like the stories throughout the Bible, shows us that nothing is impossible for God—and for this, we can have joy.
Psalm 98:1 says, "Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things!"
[light candle]
Prayer
Dear God,
thank you for doing marvelous things, miraculous things!
We praise you and we worship you.
We are filled with joy.
Continue to give us patience as we wait for Christmas
and give us joy in the waiting,
knowing that while we wait, you are doing marvelous things.
Amen.
*Song
“He Came Down” (joy stanza, 2 times) by John Bell
Week 3: Mary’s Song
Luke 1:46–56 (Peace)
*Call to Worship
[Please rise in body or in spirit and join in this call to worship]
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
And it was perfect. Absolutely perfect.
And then a terrible lie came into the world.
Yet God promised to never destroy the world.
In this season, we await the coming Messiah.
We wait with Mary, longing for peace and justice,
longing for the coming peace-filled kingdom.
We wait and walk in this world,
praying for peace and justice to come,
for the Messiah has come and will come again,
and in the end, everything will be made perfect.
Absolutely perfect.
*Song
"Even So Come" by Chris Tomlin et al.
*God’s Greeting and Mutual Greeting
*Song
"Savior of the Nations, Come" by St. Ambrose, translated by Martin Luther (German) and Williams Reynolds (English)
Children’s Story
“Mary and the God Who Turns Things Upside Down” in God's Colorful Kingdom.
Candle lighting
[While the children are still up front]
We light candles in Advent to mark the weeks of waiting until Christmas. Each week, we will light another candle, reminding us of the ways that Jesus’ light fills our lives. On Christmas, we will light the final candle in the middle which we call the Christ candle.
Today, we light this candle as a prayer of peace. Mary knew, because she had grown up hearing God's big story as passed down generation to generation, of God's big plan for the world—to send someone who would be the ultimate, peace-bringing king.
Psalm 107:9 says, "For the LORD satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things."
[light candle]
Prayer
Dear God,
thank you for being our promised peace.
Until you come again, give us a longing for peace and justice.
Help us to live lives as your agents of peace and justice in this broken world.
Amen.
*Song
“He Came Down” (peace stanza, 2 times) by John Bell
Week 4: God Comes to Joseph and Joseph Obeys
Matthew 1:18–24 (Love)
*Call to Worship
[Please rise in body or in spirit and join in this call to worship]
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
And it was perfect. Absolutely perfect.
And then a terrible lie came into the world.
Yet God promised to never destroy the world.
In this season, we await the coming Messiah.
We are called to love.
God demonstrates his love for us in sending Jesus to earth.
Joseph showed love for God and love for Mary, in obeying God.
We wait and walk in this world,
called to love God and love each other,
for the Messiah has come and will come again,
and in the end, everything will be made perfect.
Absolutely perfect.
*Song
"Love Has Come!" by Ken Bible
*God’s Greeting and Mutual Greeting
*Song
"Love Divine, All Loves Excelling" by Charles Wesley
Children’s Story
"The Light of the Whole World" in The Jesus Storybook Bible
Candle lighting
[While the children are still up front]
We light candles in Advent to mark the weeks of waiting until Christmas. Each week, we will light another candle, reminding us of the ways that Jesus’ light fills our lives. On Christmas, we will light the final candle in the middle which we call the Christ candle.
Today, we light this candle with love. In love, we see the big story: God loves the world he made so much that he planned, from the beginning, to redeem the world. As we journey through this year, we are seeing this story unfold over time. We are seeing God's plan of love play out. And, in the story of Christmas, we are seeing the ultimate love—a parent who sent their child into the world—ultimately to die—to save the rest of the world from sin. This is love.
Psalm 36:7 says, "Your love, LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies."
[light candle]
Prayer
Dear God,
Thank you for loving us so much
that you sent your son Jesus to earth to die for us.
This is amazing love.
Wow.
Help us to love others like that.
Amen.
*Song
“He Came Down” (love stanza, 2 times) by John Bell
Christmas: Jesus’ Birth
Luke 2:1–21 (Christ)
*Call to Worship
[Please rise in body or in spirit and join in this call to worship]
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
And it was perfect. Absolutely perfect.
And then a terrible lie came into the world.
Yet God promised to never destroy the world.
Today, we rejoice, for Christ has come! Hallelujah!
We rejoice with the angels and shepherds,
we rejoice with all of creation—for God’s plan from the beginning has been fulfilled!
And yet, the world has not been made perfect.
We wait and walk in this world with continued hope,
for the Messiah has come and will come again,
and in the end, everything will be made perfect.
Absolutely perfect.
*Song
"O Come, All Ye Faithful" by John Francis Wade, translated by Frederick Oakeley
*God’s Greeting and Mutual Greeting
*Song
"Once in Royal David's City" by Cecil Frances Alexander
Children’s Story
God's Colorful Christmas: Jesus Was Born to Save
Candle lighting
[While the children are still up front]
Today is Christmas. During Advent, which is the weeks leading up to Christmas, we lit a candle each week, marking the time of waiting for Jesus. Today, we get to light all the candles, celebrating and remembering that Jesus has come into the world—Jesus, our light, is here.
Today, we light this candle in celebration that Jesus has come—Jesus is our hope, our joy, our peace-bringer, and he fills the world with love.
Psalm 97:11–12 says, "Light shines on the righteous and joy on the upright in heart. Rejoice in the LORD, you who are righteous, and praise his holy name."
[light candle]
Prayer
Dear God,
thank you for being our hope, our joy, our peace-bringer,
and for loving us so much that you sent Jesus to us.
We love you God.
Amen.
*Song
“He Came Down” (4 stanzas—hope, joy, peace, love) by John Bell
Resources Used
