Read-along Service for Sunday, December 15, 2024 – Third of Advent

Trinity-St. Andrew’s United Church
Order of Worship
Sunday December 15, 2024 – Third Sunday of Advent

Prelude
Words of welcome, announcements 

Lighting the Christ Candle
As we light our Christ Candle, we are reminded that we gather in the name of Jesus, who is the light of the world.  He bids us to come, just as we are, even if we are tired, worn, and weary.  As the winter draws nearer, may we seek to shine our light in the darkness.

Candle Lighting Song  Isn’t He

Isn’t He (Isn’t He)
Beautiful? (Beautiful?)
Beautiful, (Beautiful)
Isn’t He? (Isn’t He?)

Prince of Peace, Son of God,
Isn’t He? Isn’t He?

Call To worship
Our call to worship this morning comes from Saint Paul who proclaims “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. For God is near.  So do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Come, let us share this gift of joy as we worship God together. 

Hymn                            Hope Is a Star                                                     VU 7

1. Hope is a star that shines in the night,
   leading us on till the morning is bright.
   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.

2. Peace is a ribbon that circles the earth,
   giving a promise of safety and worth.                Refrain

3. Joy is a song that welcomes the dawn,
   telling the world that the Saviour is born.          Refrain

4. Love is a flame that burns in our heart,
   Jesus has come and will never depart.                       Refrain

Lighting the Advent Candle – John & Margaret Wilson, Jacob Wilson, Kylie Wilson & Hannah Wilson

Reader 1: Today we light three candles. The first candle is called HOPE and it reminds us to have the courage to begin again.

Reader 2: The second candle is called Peace. It encourages us to actively seek to be in harmony with the ever changing world we live in.

Reader 1: Today’s candle is called Joy. Our lives are forever changed by the presence of God who is with us.

Reader 2: Come, all is ready. Let the light of these candles, called HOPE and PEACE and JOY, bring brightness to your spirits.

Prayer of Approach
Loving God, we open our hearts to you. We seek your healing grace and the gift of your transforming love. Free us from our selfishness. Banish our fears, we pray. Forgive us for our doubts. Help us to trust in your goodness so we might take delight in all you have provided. May we enter into the fullness of joy, which is to behold you in all things. May we enjoy you and serve you this day and always. Amen.

Scripture Reader: Leslee Gervais
Scripture:                    Isaiah 12:2-6
Gospel Lesson:          Luke 3:7-18 

Hymn                  God of All Places                                      VU 4

1. God of all places; present, unseen;
   voice in our silence, song in our midst,
   we are your people, knowing, unsure:
   come, Lord Jesus, come!

2. God of all dreaming, near and yet far;
   vision unheard of, wake us to rest.
   We are your presence sent forth, afraid:                     Refrain

3. God of all people, dust and the clay;
   breath of a new wind, fire in our hearts,
   light born of heaven, peace on the earth:          Refrain
   

Homily   “Tidings of Comfort and Joy” 

Special Music

The offering
We give thanks for everyone who continues to support TSA and our many ministries. Your gifts of support and encouragement mean a lot to us.  You can get more information about making a donation by contacting the church office or by visiting our website. There are also many opportunities to volunteer in our ministries so you can share your talents For all the gifts you share, for all the people you bless by your serving and giving as a disciple of Jesus, we give thanks.

Offering Song             For the Gift of Creation                             VU 538

For the gift of creation, the gift of your love,
and the gift of the Spirit by which we live,
we thank you and give you the fruit of our hands.
May your grace be proclaimed by the gifts that we give. 

Offering Prayer
Gracious God, your servant John the Baptist encouraged us to share what we have so that everyone might have what they need. You are the source of all life and of all abundance. On this day, we give thanks knowing you are our salvation. So we will trust and will not be afraid, for you are our hope and our strength. Use these gifts we share, the gifts of our time, our talents, our hearts and our hands, so we might help to spread your joy in our world. Amen. 

Hymn                  Gentle Mary Laid Her Child                                         VU 46
(to the tune of Good King Wencelsas)

1. Gentle Mary laid her child lowly in a manger;
   there he lay, the undefiled, to the world a stranger.
   Such a babe in such a place, can he be the Saviour?
   Ask the saved of all the race who have found his favour.

2. Angels sang about his birth, wise men sought and found him;
   heaven’s star shone brightly forth, glory all around him.
   Shepherds saw the wondrous sight, heard the angels singing;
   all the plains were lit that night, all the hills were ringing.

3. Gentle Mary laid her child lowly in a manger;
   he is still the undefiled, but no more a stranger.
   Son of God of humble birth, beautiful the story;
   praise his name in all the earth; hail the King of glory!
   

Pastoral Prayer, Lord’s Prayer 

Hymn                  Angels, from the Realms of Glory                                VU 36

1. Angels, from the realms of glory,
   wing your flight o’er all the earth;
   ye who sang creation’s story,
   now proclaim Messiah’s birth:
   come and worship, come and worship,
                      worship Christ, the newborn King.

2. Shepherds in the field abiding,
   watching o’er your flocks by night,
   God with us is now residing,
   yonder shines the infant Light:                 Refrain

3. Sages, leave your contemplations;
   brighter visions beam afar;
   seek the great desire of nations;
   ye have seen his natal star:                      Refrain

4. Saints before the altar bending,
   watching long in hope and fear,
   suddenly the Lord, descending,
   in his temple shall appear:                       Refrain

Benediction
As we leave this time together behind, we are invited to be people of joy. May joy live in your heart. May you share the joy of Christmas with everyone you meet. We share the joy by seeing the good in each other. We hare the joy by remembering the good times and by hoping for better times to come. We share the joy by praying for our hurting world. May a song of joy be in your heart this day, and always.   Amen.

Choral Amen               Gloria (Glory to God)                                          VU 37

Gloria, gloria, in excelsis Deo!
Gloria, gloria, alleluia, alleluia.
Glory to God, glory to God, glory in the highest!
Glory to God, glory to God, hallelujah, hallelujah!

Postlude

Tidings of comfort and Joy       Text: Isaiah 12:2-6     Luke 3:7-18
by Rev. James Murray at Trinity- St. Andrew’s United Church, Renfrew. December 15, 2024

Each Sunday in December we look at some of the great gifts God gives us at Christmas. We take the time to ponder these gifts of hope, peace, joy and love, in hopes that they will grow in us. Of these four gifts, joy is perhaps the hardest gift for us to nurture.

I think one reason we are hesitant to share our joy publicly is because of our Puritan ancestors. The Puritans were so uptight they actually banned the celebration of Christmas because people were having too much fun.  And heaven knows you should never have fun in life. And especially not in church.

Despite our mistrust of joy, we do talk and sing about joy quite a bit. At Christmas we all love to sing the Isaac Watts hymn ‘Joy to the World’. One of the best loved hymns we have is called “Joyful joyful we adore thee”. That hymn uses Beethoven’s Ode to Joy as the melody. And who can forget Bach’s sublime “Jesu joy of man’s desiring”.

There are also lots of pop songs that speak about joy. Do you remember Three Dog Night’s song “Joy to the world”. As a kid I found the line “Jeremiah was a bullfrog” to be absolutely hilarious.

So I’d like to test your memory. Who remembers the title of this song about joy. The verse starts off with
“You work, you work, for years and years. You’re always on the go. You never take a minute off.
Too busy makin’ dough. Someday you say you’ll have your fun. when you’re a millionaire…
Imagine all the fun you’ll have, In your old rocking chair.”

That’s the first verse of “Enjoy yourself, It’s later than you think”. “Enjoy Yourself” was written by Carl Sigman. He describes Joy as something we should not fear or put off experiencing. This was a powerful message when it was written for the Protestant Work Ethic was still king. The song was a top ten hit in 1950 for several artists including Doris Day and Benny Goodman.

This morning is all about joy. Joy is one of the central emotions of our existence. Joy is the foundation of our lives. Without Joy, love cannot last. Without joy, life is not worth living. In the Christmas carol “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” we hear the great line “Tidings of comfort and joy”. We all do need some measure of comfort and joy in our lives.

Now the fiery preaching of John the Baptist is not meant to scare us into being good. John’s words are meant to be a source of comfort to us when we face difficult times. John the Baptist gives us simple words of wisdom about how to live our lives in a way that treats other people well. He invites us to share what we have so everyone can experience the comfort of knowing they have enough, even if it is just for today. These acts of mindful sharing open us up to a wellspring of joy in our lives. The promise of Jesus’s birth states if we are willing to accept this gift, to trust it, to live it, we will have joy in abundance. And God applauds us when we show the world that we are experiencing this life-changing joy.

To enjoy something is to find delight in that moment.  We can find joy in many different kinds of situations. We can find joy looking at a beautiful view or a piece of art. We can find Joy in our relationship with other people. For some joy is a rare mountain top experience. For those who are open to it, joy can be a daily companion.

For many people, music can be a great source of joy. I don’t know if you’ve noticed or not how our choir has really been growing and making some amazing music this past fall. They have been tackling everything from traditional classical pieces to a contemporary chorus with great energy.  Have you noticed how even though they sing such formal serious music, they are at heart such a happy bunch together? Choirs always have some special form of camaraderie that seems different from the experience of the people in the pews.  If you were to ask anyone why they sing in a choir, the choice of music will only ever be part of the reason why. In order to sing together, they must breathe together. They must listen to each other. They must seek harmony in every note they sound. They can hear when one of their fellow chorister’s hearts are breaking. They get an intense thrill when they hear their sound together becoming much more than the sound of their individual voices. Because they share this emotional experience, the act of singing together brings them a deep sense of joy.

It is the same with our celebrations of Christmas. The colourful sights and happy sounds are only part of the experience. We are attracted by all the bright glitzy gifts, but they are not the heart of the season. We find the true joy of Christmas is found in the people we share the celebration with. This is why so many people make a big effort to be with family. We find the joy of Christmas by sharing it with those whom we love. And if we don’t have family to be with, we make the effort to make a new family, with our gathered friends.

The beauty of Christmas is that we can share this joy in so many different ways. And these gatherings don’t have to fall on December 25^th to count as being part of Christmas. This year I’m going to be enjoying having three very different Christmas dinners. My first Christmas dinner happens this Tuesday. Our Community Friendship Lunch is hosting a Christmas meal with turkey pot pie. We are preparing for a hundred people to share in this feast. We do hope you will come and join in. My second Christmas dinner happens on Friday. Christine and I will be taking a turkey down to my brother’s place, where we will gather with my mother and my cousin’s family for a traditional feast including pumpkin pie. The third Christmas dinner happens on December 25^th. For the first time ever Christine and I will be driving to Toronto on Christmas Day to share in meal prepared by our three sons and their partners. I’m not sure what all they will be cooking for that meal, but I know it will be a lot of fun.

Such gatherings are glad tidings of comfort and joy. This is why people seek to be generous at this time of year. We want everyone to feel the comfort of having enough, even if it is just for one day. We want everyone to feel the joy of being connected to something bigger than ourselves.

For God is with us in these days. The spirit of Christ is being born in us. So it’s never too late to enjoy yourself.