Worship Resources for November 27–First Sunday of Advent

More Advent and Christmas Resources can be found here, including Advent Candle-Lighting/Wreath Liturgies: http://rev-o-lution.org/resources/advent-and-christmas-resources/

Revised Common Lectionary, year B: Isaiah 64:1-9; Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19; Mark 13:24-37; 1 Corinthans 1:3-9

While towards the end of Pentecost we focused on the Reign of Christ in the here and now as it is in heaven, as we turn the corner into Advent we begin the lectionary cycle again, smoothly going from the Reign of God that we are participating in now to an eschatalogical view, taking us beyond where we are now, into the fulfillment of God’s creation. And yet Advent is a time preparing for the incarnation, the Word becoming Flesh. We are preparing for Christ’s birth at the same time we are preparing for the Second Coming, or Christ’s coming into our lives in a new way.

Isaiah 64 speaks of a time after the Exile, when the people are returning to their homeland, when all should be right, all things should be made level, but they are not. Isaiah 64 reminds us that even when we have glimpses of God’s work being fulfilled on earth–the end of a war, the reconciliation of a people, the rescue of an oppressed group of people–God’s work is not fulfilled. There is still injustice, still war, still greed and heartache. “Oh that you would tear open the heavens and come down!” Isaiah pleas with God to just end it all, just come and make everything right NOW. How have we longed for that instant justice in our lives! But at the same time, we know that we have done wrong, that we have our faults and shortcomings. As we read from the prophet Amos a few weeks ago, “Why do you want the day of the Lord? It is darkness, not light…” (Amos 5:18-19). We desire for God to intervene and make things right in our world, but we also know that if God did just that, we also would need to be judged. So until that day, we watch and wait, as the season of Advent prepares us to watch and wait for signs of Christ’s presence, Christ’s return, in our world.

Psalm 80 cries out to God for mercy, for restoration in the face of defeat. Psalm 80 also calls upon God to intervene, to hear the prayers of God’s people and to restore the people to their former state, where they are known as the people of God. In the face of oppression by one’s enemies, Israel does not think that God has abandoned them, but instead, there is a sense that God’s presence is not felt. The psalmist cries out for God to restore them, and perhaps to restore that sense that God is always with them.

Mark 13:24-37 is a call for the watching and waiting that the season of Advent reminds us to do, echoing the parable of the Bridesmaids a few weeks ago–we are to be prepared and to be ready for Christ’s to be made known to us in a new way. Keep awake, the writer of Mark reminds us. Many interpreters over the years have pointed to these eschatalogical verses as proof that there will be an end of the world and the end times are near; but perhaps it is (as the band REM always sang) the end of the world as we understand it. Rather, another way of thinking of it; the boundary between earth and heaven, already blurred by the fact that we can participate in the reign of Christ on earth, will cease to be. Death will be no more, as the prophets declared. We are to watch and wait for the signs, but we do not know when or exactly how this will happen. But we do know that God’s desire for us is life, for reconciliation and for restoration, and that our understanding of heaven is based upon this.

1 Corinthians 1:3-9 is the opening of the letter to the church in Corinth, reminding them that all of us are called into fellowship with Christ Jesus, that we have been given spiritual gifts by God and have been given strength for our time here on earth, so that we might be “blameless” on the day of our Lord. In other words, God has given us what we need to fully participate in Christ’s reign on earth, to do Christ’s work in this world, and that if we use what God has given us and follow what Christ has called us to do, we will be ready for that time when we meet Christ in a new way, when we see Christ again.

The end times are tough to talk about because there are actually few passages describing them in the entire Bible, and those that do use descriptions beyond our comprehension: “the powers of heaven will be shaken,” “stars will fall from the sky,” “The Son of Man will gather on the clouds.” We have seen artistic interpretations of these descriptions over the two thousand years since Christ’s resurrection, but we still do not fully understand, nor should we expect to. But what we do know is this: just as the people were waiting for a Messiah before Jesus came, so we are waiting for our Messiah to re-enter our lives, to turn things upside down, to blot out the line between earth and heaven, life and eternity. We watch and wait, as we were called to do. This waiting is an active waiting–seeking out the lost and least. This watching is an active watching–we are seeking Christ’s presence in a new way in the lives of others that we encounter and have relationship with.

Call to Worship:
Leader: The years have passed, the distance grows, the silence deepens;
People: We watch and wait for the Lord.
Leader: Wars have been fought, diseases have ravaged, famines have overrun;
People: We watch and wait for the Lord.
Leader: Depression, anxiety, loss, defeat, and hopelessness have entered in;
People: We watch and wait for the Lord.
Leader: Where is your God? Where is your Christ?
People: Christ is Coming into the world in a new way–watch, wait, and know!
Leader: Despite the darkness, light continues to shine.
People: Come, let us worship The Light of the World, entering into our hearts again.

Prayer of Confession:
Ancient of Days, we confess that time and distance have made us forget the passion that Your prophets had, the trust of Your disciples, the courage of the early believers. We get caught up in the busy-ness around us and can’t be bothered to watch and wait for signs of Your return. We want things now, instantly. Forgive us, O God, for not watching and waiting for Your presence in a new way. Forgive us, O God, for our blind acceptance of the world as it is rather than our allegiance to Your reign coming to earth. Call us into the spirit of Advent, to turn away from commercial Christmas that ends in a few short weeks, into a life of active watching and participating in Your reign now and in the time to come. In the name of the Living Word, Jesus the Christ, we pray. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon:
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty. Heaven and earth are full of Your glory. You restore us, O God, and renew a right spirit in our hearts. We are forgiven, loved, and reconciled to You. In the name of the resurrected Jesus, we pray. Amen.

Prayer:
God of Advent, God of watching and waiting, give us patience when we lack it. Give us courage when we are weak. Grant us mercy when we feel small. Grant us justice when we feel wronged. Keep us to the paths of love and peace that Your son modeled for us and taught us. Help us to actively watch and wait for ways we can participate in Your reign now, so that others may recognize Your love and light in our world, returning in a new way. We are all Your people, O God, and all of us are in need in this time of a little extra strength, a little extra courage, a little extra hope so that we might follow You in the best way we can. In the name of Christ, the Source of all our Strength and Courage and Hope, we pray. Amen.