Come, Lord Jesus A Guide to Advent Services in the Home December 2018 (Year C)
Notes and Acknowledgements: I hope you enjoy adapting these Advent services for use in your home. There is no set Anglican liturgy for Advent observance at home, and you should feel entirely free to exchange or omit elements of the service to suit the time and attention spans available in your household on a given evening. You may divide the leader s role among those present; children especially will want to light (and then to blow out!) the candles. If you are unfamiliar with a given hymn, O Come, O Come, Emmanuel is always appropriate for Advent and can be substituted for the hymns suggested, or you can sing along with a recording on the Internet. There basic structure for the service is taken from An Order of Worship for the Evening in the Book of Common Prayer. At least two other sources were used in the (non-biblical) readings about the theme of each Sunday, but these were compiled several years ago and their exact origins now are lost in history! If you happen to find them, please notify me and I would be delighted to give proper credit where it is due. Where there is a longer and a shorter option in the Lectionary for the Scripture readings, the shorter option was chosen. When the fourth Sunday of Advent falls on Christmas Eve, the Christmas liturgy may be used either on Christmas Eve after sunset, or on Christmas Day. Three resources are provided here in the introduction rather than in the body of each of the services: the lyrics for O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, which you may want to sing at the beginning of the service if you are not using it later on; the scripture readings for each of the Sundays; and the Lord s prayer. Susan Raedeke, Equipping Pastor Immanuel Anglican Church Lectionary Readings for Year C (1979 BCP) YEAR C Psalms OT NT Gospels Advent 1 (Dec 2) 50:1-6 Zechariah 14:4-9 1 Thess. 3:9-13 Luke 21:25-31 Advent 2 (Dec 9) 126 - Philippians 1:1-11 Luke 3:1-6 Advent 3 (Dec 16) 85 Zephaniah 3:14-20 Philippians 4:4-9 Luke 3:7-18 Advent 4 (Dec 23) 80:1-7 Micah 5:2-4 Hebrews 10:5-10 Luke 1:39-56 Christmas Eve or Day 97 Isaiah 62:6-12 Titus 3:4-7 Luke 2:1-20
O Come, O Come Emmanuel O come, O come, Emmanuel And ransom captive Israel That mourns in lonely exile here Until the Son of God appear Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel O come, O come, Thou Lord of might Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai's height In ancient times didst give the law In cloud, and majesty and awe Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free Thine own from Satan's tyranny From depths of hell Thy people save And give them victory o'er the grave Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel O come, Thou Dayspring, come and cheer Our spirits by Thine advent here Disperse the gloomy clouds of night And death's dark shadows put to flight Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel O come, Thou Key of David, come And open wide our heavenly home Make safe the way that leads on high And close the path to misery Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel O come, Thou Wisdom from on high And order all things, far and nigh To us the path of knowledge show And cause us in her ways to go Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel O come, desire of nations, bind In one the hearts of all mankind Bid Thou our sad divisions cease And be Thyself our King of peace Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel The Lord s Prayer Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
The First Week in Advent: HOPE Leader: Light and peace, in Jesus Christ our Lord. People: Thanks be to God. All: If I say, Surely the darkness will cover me, and the light around me turn to night, darkness is not dark to you, O Lord; the night is as bright as the day; darkness and light to you are both alike. Leader: Let us pray. Almighty God, we give you thanks for surrounding us, as daylight fades, with the brightness of the vesper light; and we implore you of your great mercy that, as you enfold us with the radiance of this light, so you would shine into our hearts the brightness of your Holy Spirit; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Leader or Readers: [A] This is the first week of Advent. Advent means "coming," and in this season we prepare for the coming of the presence of Jesus Christ. [B] One of the ways we prepare our hearts for his coming is by making an Advent wreath and lighting its candles. This reminds us of some of the gifts Jesus brings to the world hope, peace, joy, and love. The Advent wreath itself is in the shape of a circle. A circle has no beginning and no end. This reminds us that there is no beginning and no end to God and that God's love and caring are forever. The light from the candles, which grows stronger each week in Advent, reminds us that Jesus is the light of the world. [C] Today we light the candle of Hope. A hope is different from a wish. Wishes may or may not come true, but real hope in Christ is sure and certain. Whatever God promises, He will do. The people of Israel hoped in God's promises and were not disappointed. Again and again God delivered Israel from its enemies. We too have the same experience of salvation. That is why we believe in God's promise to send Jesus to us once again to judge the world and establish his kingdom forever upon the earth. (The candle of Hope is lit.)
[D] Hope is like a light shining in a dark place. As we look at the light of this candle we celebrate the hope we have in Jesus Christ. *Read Lectionary Scriptures All sing or say: Come, O long-expected Jesus, Born to set your people free; From our fears and sins release us By your death on Calvary. Israel's strength and consolation, Hope to all the earth impart, Dear desire of ev'ry nation, Joy of ev'ry longing heart. Born your people to deliver, Born a child and yet a king; Born to reign in us forever, Now your gracious kingdom bring. By your own eternal Spirit Rule in all our hearts alone; By your all-sufficient merit Raise us to your glorious throne. *Prayers, including the Lord s prayer, may be offered here. Leader: Let us pray - Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this earthly life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to unending life; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Leader: Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our Fathers, creator of the changes of day and night. You give rest to the weary, you give fresh strength to those who are exhausted, and you give us a reason to sing each evening. As you have protected
us this morning, so be with us in the coming night; keep us from every sin, every evil, and every fear; for you are our light, our safety and salvation, and the strength of our life. To you be glory for endless ages. Amen. People: Thanks be to God.
The Second Week in Advent: PEACE Leader: Light and peace, in Jesus Christ our Lord. People: Thanks be to God. All: If I say, Surely the darkness will cover me, and the light around me turn to night, darkness is not dark to you, O Lord; the night is as bright as the day; darkness and light to you are both alike. Leader: Let us pray. Almighty God, we give you thanks for surrounding us, as daylight fades, with the brightness of the vesper light; and we implore you of your great mercy that, as you enfold us with the radiance of this light, so you would shine into our hearts the brightness of your Holy Spirit; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Leader or Readers: [A] Last week we lit the first candle in our Advent wreath, the candle of Hope. We light it again as we remember that Christ, who was born in Bethlehem, will surely come again to fulfill all of God's promises to us. (The candle of Hope is lit.) [B] The second candle of Advent is the candle of Peace. Peace is one of the things that we hope for. Christ brought peace when he first came to us and he will bring everlasting peace when he comes again. [C] The prophet Isaiah called Christ the Prince of Peace. When Jesus came, he taught people the importance of being peace makers. He said that those who make peace shall be called the children of God. [D] We light the candle of Peace to remind us that Jesus is the Prince of Peace and that through him peace is found. Peace is more than the absence of fighting and conflict; the peace of the presence of God is a deep sense of well-being that rests in a restored, right relationship with Him that stretches out to include others, and creation as well. (The candle of Peace is lit.) [E] Peace is like a light shining in a dark place. As we look at this candle we celebrate the peace we find in Jesus Christ.
*One or more Scriptures may be read. All sing or say: Hark! a herald voice is calling: 'Christ is nigh,' it seems to say; 'Cast away the dreams of darkness, O ye children of the day!' Startled at the solemn warning, Let the earth-bound soul arise; Christ, her Sun, all sloth dispelling, Shines upon the morning skies. Lo! the Lamb, so long expected, Comes with pardon down from heaven; Let us haste, with tears of sorrow, One and all to be forgiven; So when next he comes with glory, Wrapping all the earth in fear, May he then as our defender Of the clouds of heaven appear. Honour, glory, virtue, merit, To the Father and the Son, With the co-eternal Spirit, While unending ages run. Amen. *Prayers, including the Lord s prayer, may be offered here. All: Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Leader: Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our Fathers, creator of the changes of day and night, giving rest to the weary, renewing the strength of those who are spent, bestowing upon us occasions of song in the evening. As you have protected us in the day that is past, so be with us in the coming night; keep us from every sin, every evil, and every fear; for you are our light and salvation, and the strength of our life. To you be glory for endless ages. Amen. People: Thanks be to God.
The Third Week of Advent: JOY Leader: Light and peace, in Jesus Christ our Lord. People: Thanks be to God. All: If I say, Surely the darkness will cover me, and the light around me turn to night, darkness is not dark to you, O Lord; the night is as bright as the day; darkness and light to you are both alike. Leader: Let us pray. Almighty God, we give you thanks for surrounding us, as daylight fades, with the brightness of the vesper light; and we implore you of your great mercy that, as you enfold us with the radiance of this light, so you would shine into our hearts the brightness of your Holy Spirit; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Leader or Readers: [A] We light the candle of Peace and the candle of Hope again as we remember that Christ, who was born in Bethlehem, will come again to judge the world and bring it everlasting peace. (The candles of Hope and Peace are lit.) [B] The third candle of Advent is the Candle of Joy. When the angel Gabriel told Mary that a special child would be born to her she was filled with joy. She sang a song that began with the words: My soul magnifies the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my saviour. [C] Just as the birth of Jesus gave great joy to his mother, so his presence in the world gave joy to those who had none before. He healed them and gave them hope and peace when they believed in him. From hope, peace, and love grow joy. [D] We light the candle of Joy to remind us that when Jesus is born in us we have joy and that through him there will be everlasting joy on earth. The joy of the Lord is even deeper and stronger than happiness. We delight in and celebrate God, and He delights in us, too. (The candle of Joy is lit.) [E] Joy is like a light shining in a dark place. As we look at this candle we celebrate the joy we find in Jesus Christ.
*One or more Scriptures may be read. All sing or say: Gaudete (English translation) Rejoice, Rejoice! Christ is born Of the virgin Mary, Rejoice! It is now the time of grace That we have desired; Let us sing songs of joy, Let us give devotion. The closed gate of Ezechiel Has been passed through; From where the light rises Salvation is found. Therefore let our assembly now sing, Sing the Psalms to purify us; Let it praise the Lord: Greetings to our King. *Prayers, including the Lord s prayer, may be offered here. Leader: Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen. Leader: Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our Fathers, creator of the changes of day and night, giving rest to the weary, renewing the strength of those who are spent, bestowing upon us occasions of song in the evening. As you have protected
us in the day that is past, so be with us in the coming night; keep us from every sin, every evil, and every fear; for you are our light and salvation, and the strength of our life. To you be glory for endless ages. Amen. People: Thanks be to God.
The Fourth Week of Advent: LOVE Leader: Light and peace, in Jesus Christ our Lord. People: Thanks be to God. All: If I say, Surely the darkness will cover me, and the light around me turn to night, darkness is not dark to you, O Lord; the night is as bright as the day; darkness and light to you are both alike. Leader: Let us pray. Almighty God, we give you thanks for surrounding us, as daylight fades, with the brightness of the vesper light; and we implore you of your great mercy that, as you enfold us with the radiance of this light, so you would shine into our hearts the brightness of your Holy Spirit; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Leader or Readers: [A] Last week we lit the candle of Joy. We light it and the candles of Hope and Peace again as we remember that Christ, who was born in Bethlehem, will come again to fulfill all of God's promises and bring us everlasting peace and joy. (The candles of hope, peace, and joy are lit.) [B] The fourth candle of Advent is the Candle of Love. God's love is a perfect love. It holds nothing back. God, in love, gives us everything we need to live a life of hope and peace and joy. [C] The Bible says that God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. Jesus shows us God's perfect love. [D] This is what love is like: Love is patient, love is kind and envies no one. Love is never boastful or conceited, rude or selfish. Love is not quick to take offense, it keeps no records of wrongs, it does not gloat over other people's troubles, but rejoices in the right, the good, and the true. There is nothing that love cannot face, there is no limit to its faith, to its hope, to its endurance.
[E] Love never ends. We light the candle of Love to remind us that Jesus brings us God's love and shows us how to love others. (A person lights the candle of Love.) [F] Love is like a light shining in a dark place. As we look at this candle we celebrate the love we find in Jesus Christ. *One or more Scriptures may be read. All sing or say: What Child is this, who, laid to rest, On Mary's lap is sleeping? Whom angels greet with anthems sweet, While shepherds watch are keeping? This, this is Christ, the King, Whom shepherds guard and angels sing: Haste, haste to bring Him laud, The Babe, the Son of Mary! Why lies He in such mean estate, Where ox and ass are feeding? Good Christian, fear: for sinners here The silent Word is pleading. This, this is Christ, the King, Whom shepherds guard and angels sing: Haste, haste to bring Him laud, The Babe, the Son of Mary! So bring Him incense, gold, and myrrh, Come, peasant, king to own Him. The King of kings salvation brings; Let loving hearts enthrone Him. This, this is Christ, the King, Whom shepherds guard and angels sing:
Haste, haste to bring Him laud, The Babe, the Son of Mary! *Prayers, including the Lord s prayer, may be offered here. Leader: Let us pray: All: Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Leader: Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our Fathers, creator of the changes of day and night, giving rest to the weary, renewing the strength of those who are spent, bestowing upon us occasions of song in the evening. As you have protected us in the day that is past, so be with us in the coming night; keep us from every sin, every evil, and every fear; for you are our light and salvation, and the strength of our life. To you be glory for endless ages. Amen. People: Thanks be to God.
Christmas Eve (or Christmas Day) Leader: The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. People: And also with you. Leader: Jesus Christ, the son of Mary, the son of God is born this night. People: God's word has been made flesh among us. Leader: The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. People: Those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness - on them a light has shined. Leader: You, O Lord, have multiplied the nation. You have increased its joy. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder. People: His name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Leader: He is also called Emmanuel, for in him God is with us. (All four Advent candles, and the Christ candle are lit.) All: We honour Messiah with Christ candle's flame our Christmas Eve candles glad tidings proclaim. O Come all you faithful, rejoice in this night, as God comes among us, the Christian's true light. *One or more Scriptures may be read. All sing or say one or both of the following hymns: It came upon the midnight clear, That glorious song of old, From angels bending near the earth To touch their harps of gold! Peace on the earth, good will to men, From heaven's all gracious King!
The world in solemn stillness lay To hear the angels sing. Still through the cloven skies they come With peaceful wings unfurled And still their heavenly music floats O'er all the weary world; Above its sad and lowly plains They bend on hovering wing. And ever o'er its Babel sounds The blessed angels sing. Yet with the woes of sin and strife The world hath suffered long; Beneath the angel-strain have rolled Two thousand years of wrong; And man, at war with man, hears not The love song which they bring: O hush the noise, ye men of strife, And hear the angels sing. For lo! the days are hastening on, By prophet bards foretold, When, with the ever-circling years, Shall come the Age of Gold; When peace shall over all the earth Its ancient splendors fling, And all the world give back the song Which now the angels sing. or O come, all ye faithful, Joyful and triumphant, O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem.
Come and behold Him, Born the King of Angels! O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord. Sing, alleluia, All ye choirs of angels; O sing, all ye blissful ones of heav'n above. Glory to God In the highest glory! O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord. Yea, Lord, we greet Thee, Born this happy morning; Jesus, to Thee be the glory giv'n; Word of the Father, Now in the flesh appearing, O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord. *Prayers, including the Lord s prayer, may be offered here. (for Christmas Eve) Leader: Let us pray. Eternal God, this holy night is radiant with the brilliance of your one true light. May that light illuminate our hearts and shine in our words and deeds. May the hope, the peace, the joy, and the love represented by the birth in Bethlehem this night fill our lives and become part of all that we say and do. May we share the divine life of your son Jesus Christ, even as he humbled himself to share our humanity. Amen.
or (for Christmas Day) Leader: Almighty God, you have given your only-begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and to be born this day of a pure virgin: Grant that we, who have been born again and made your children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by your Holy Spirit; through our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom with you and the same Spirit be honor and glory, now and for ever.amen. Leader: O God, you make us glad by the yearly festival of the birth of your only Son Jesus Christ: Grant that we, who joyfully receive him as our Redeemer, may with sure confidence behold him when he comes to be our Judge; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. People: Thanks be to God.