Hanging of the Greens
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HANGING OF THE GREENS November 29, 2020 Greeting, Announcements and Opening Prayer As we enter the Holy Season of Advent, we prepare ourselves for the coming of our Messiah. Advent means “Coming.” We celebrate these days of Advent in expectation and preparation for Christ’s arrival. The Advent season is a time of reflection, but its mood is joyful. Advent makes innkeepers out of all of us, asking each of us to make room for the arrival of Christ the King. Let us, today, prepare Him room in our hearts, our lives, and our homes! Hymn: Come, Thou Long–Expected Jesus 196 1. Come, thou hope of all the earth thou now thy gracious long-expected Jesus, art; dear desire of every kingdom bring. born to set thy people free; nation, By thine own eternal spirit from our fears and sins joy of every longing heart. rule in all our hearts alone; release us, 2. Born thy people to by thine all let us find our rest in thee. deliver, sufficient merit, Israel’s strength and born a child and yet a King, raise us to consolation, born to reign in us forever, thy glorious throne https://youtu.be/aKEUlJRQVbA?t=209 Call to Worship Leader: We turn to you, O God, in the midst of our lives, In the midst of the Holiday rush. People: We gather together to remember your mighty works of old. Leader: We lay our hopes and fears before you, in joyful anticipation of the future you are bringing into being. People: We come to open our hearts to your presence in this Advent season, that we might celebrate the birth of your son and sing with uplifted hearts, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and goodwill to all.” Scripture Reading: Isaiah 9: 2, 6-7 The prophet Isaiah shares these words of hope again to us today: Isaiah 9:2: “The people walking in darkness have seen a great Light, on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned… Isaiah 9:6-7: For to us a child is born, to us a son is given. And the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end; He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing it and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.” Introduction to the Service This is a special service called “The Hanging of the Greens” to mark the beginning of the church season of Advent. Today we will decorate our place of worship with various traditional items and symbols to remind us of the birth of Christ. The custom of decorating churches and homes with evergreens at Christmas began in ancient times. Some of these decorations are already in place (door wreaths, tree); others will be put in place as we go through the service. As we prepare our sanctuary for the celebration of Advent and Christmas, it helps us to prepare our hearts as well for Christ to come in. So come, let us transform this sanctuary and our hearts to receive the Light of the world which has been given to us through the love of God. The Advent Wreath Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 23: 5-6 “For the time is coming, says the Lord, when I will place a righteous branch upon King David’s throne. He shall be a King who shall rule with wisdom and justice and cause righteousness to prevail everywhere throughout the earth.” The Advent wreath is a symbol of Christ’s endless love and faithfulness. On each of the four Sundays of Advent, we will light one more candle to symbolize another step in our preparation for the coming of Christ. Each of the four outside candles can represent our need for readiness, repentance, hope and promise in our hearts. The center candle in the middle, the Christ candle, will be lit on Christmas Eve to remind us of the gift of love God gave us in the birth of Jesus Christ. LIGHTING OF THE FIRST ADVENT CANDLE A Star for Hope Reader: (holding up a star): This is a star! It reminds us of Jesus. Reader: The star reminds us of Jesus. Jesus said that strange things will happen to the sun, moon, and stars. The nations on earth will be afraid of the roaring sea and tides, and they won’t know what to do. Every power in the sky will be shaken. Reader: Then the Son of Man will be seen, coming in a cloud with great power and glory. When all of this starts happening, stand up straight and be brave! You will soon be set free. Reader: Jesus told them a story: “When you see a tree putting out leaves, you know that summer will soon come. So, when you see these things happening, you know that God’s kingdom will soon be here. The sky and the earth won’t last forever, but my words will. Don’t spend all of your time thinking about eating or drinking or worrying about life. If you do, the final day will suddenly catch you like a trap. That day will surprise everyone on earth.” Reader: Today we light the first candle of Advent, the candle of Hope. In a world where many people are afraid, we are called to share our hope. (Light 1 purple candle) The star reminds us that Jesus is our hope, for today and for the future. Reader: Jesus was. Jesus is. Jesus will come again. Amen. Hymn: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel p.211 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKEUlJRQVbA 1. O come, O come, Emmanuel, times once and conquer death’s and ransom gave the law deep misery. captive Israel, in cloud and majesty [Refrain] that mourns in and awe. 6. O come, thou Dayspring, lowly exile here [Refrain] come and cheer until the Son 4. O come, thou Root our spirits by thy of God appear. of Jesse’s tree, justice here; [Refrain] an ensign of disperse the gloomy 2. O come, thou wisdom thy people be; clouds of night, from on high, before thee rulers and death’s dark shadows and order all things silent fall; put to flight. far and nigh; all peoples on thy [Refrain] to us the path of mercy call. 7. O come, Desire of knowledge show [Refrain] nations bind and cause us in her 5. O come, thou Key all peoples in ways to go. of David, come, one heart and mind. [Refrain] and open wide our From dust thou brought 3. O come, O come, heavenly home. us forth to life; great Lord of might, The captives from their deliver us from who to thy tribes prison free, earthly strife. on Sinai’s height in ancient [Refrain] Refrain: Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel. Hymn: All Things Bright and Beautiful p.147 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txmpkFSoWuo [Refrain] the sunset 4. God gave us 1. Each little flower and the morning eyes to see them, that opens, that brightens up the sky. and lips that we might tell each little bird that sings, [Refrain] how great is God made their 3. The cold wind God Almighty, glowing colors, in the winter, who has made and made their tiny wings. the pleasant summer sun, all things well. [Refrain] the ripe fruits [Refrain] 2. The purple-headed in the garden: mountains, God made them every one. the river running by, [Refrain] Refrain: All things bright all things wise and beautiful, and wonderful: all creatures the Lord God great and small, made them all. The Greens Scripture: Isaiah 11: 1-2: “A shoot shall come out of the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.” DECORADING WITH EVERGREENS Around the world, many kinds of greenery are used to decorate the church at Christmas-time. Among ancient Romans, evergreens were an emblem of peace, joy, and victory. The early Christians placed them in their windows to indicate that Christ had entered the home. Holly and ivy, along with pine, and fir are called evergreens because they never change color. They are ever – green, ever – alive, even in the midst of winter. They symbolize the unchanging nature of God. And they remind us of the everlasting life that is ours through Christ Jesus. Hymn: Deck the Halls (In green book p175 for pianist) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgEVI8DEkF8 Deck the halls with boughs of Holly, Fa la la la la, la la la la; ‘Tis the season to be jolly, Fa la la la la, la la la la. Don we now our gay apparel, Fa la la la la, la la la la; Toll the ancient Yuletide carol, Fa la la la la, la la la la. THE CHRISTMAS TREE The Christmas tree has become a central focus in the holiday decorations in our homes. Sometimes we forget that it too has a larger meaning that points back to Christ. Martin Luther, who began the Protestant Reformation and the Lutheran church, is the one credited with starting the tradition of a Christmas tree.