Third Sunday of Advent

Third Sunday of Advent – 13 December 2020

The Faith Nurture Forum would like to thank Very Rev Dr Susan M Brown, Minister of Cathedral, for her thoughts on the third Sunday of Advent.

“We may not all be gathered in the same building, but at this time, when we need each other so much, we are invited to worship together, from where we are – knowing that God can hear us all and can blend even distant voices into one song of worship.” National Worship Team

As the restrictions on our ability to meet in groups continue, and regulations around access to church buildings may be subject to further change, worship leaders continue to deliver their services both online and offline.

We can help to facilitate participation from the whole congregation by exploring imaginative approaches to our use of technology in the service in ways that suit both physical gatherings and video-conference style settings, such as:

• Opening and closing moments of worship that help people mark out a time set apart with God • Introducing various parts of the worship service to help worshippers understand the character and purpose of each one (framing) • Enabling conversations or prayers in breakout groups • Holding spaces that allow people to go deeper in worship • Using the chat function and microphone settings to allow people to actively participate in prayer, e.g. saying the Lord’s Prayer together unmuted, in a moment of ‘holy chaos’ • Using music and the arts as part of the worship

Useful links:

Latest information for churches around Covid-19 is on the Church of website here

Tips for creating and leading worship online are on the Resourcing Mission website here

Listen to samples of every song in the Church Hymnary 4th edition (CH4) and download a selection of recordings for use in worship on the website here Introduction ...... 3 Scripture passages ...... 3 Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 ...... 3 Psalm 126 ...... 4 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 ...... 4 John 1:6-8, 19-28 ...... 5 Sermon ideas ...... 6 Prayers ...... 7 Alternative Material and Advent Resources ...... 10 Musical suggestions ...... 13 Introduction

Past Advents have offered the opportunity for the re-telling of the story of the birth of Christ in imaginative ways as a ‘warm up’ to hearing and exploring the real story. These re- tellings have been serialised over the 4 Sundays of Advent and have usually involved all ages in a scripted but not overly rehearsed drama of sorts. They try to explode some of the myths that have grown around Christmas allowing for more room to explore the Biblical facts. We have told the story x-factor style, for example, with people deciding who stays in and who leaves the Christmas story – in order to recognise that God’s plans cannot be thwarted. We had a Dr Who version which brought the past and present together – recognising that all times are in God’s hands – and a Harry Potter version where we considered how love is the greatest power anyone can be gifted.

With the likelihood of restrictions in place, Advent 2020 will have a very different feel and flavour and offer a different set of challenges and opportunities than in past years. Whatever the circumstances, the message it carries however, is no less relevant, inspiring, wonderful and mind-blowing!

It may even be, that at a time when fear and isolation, poverty and threat, are affecting people’s mental health as well as our physical well-being – the world has an even greater need to hear of the Love that came and comes, to touch the earth; bringing with it peace and goodwill towards all and drawing us into God’s heart and God’s kingdom.

Scripture passages I like to read the passages as early as possible and literally, to walk with them, mulling them over as I take the dog out for his early morning exercise, which at this time of the years is usually in the pitch dark! Those times offer space to reflect on what I have read and allow my thoughts to go off at various tangents before settling on what I feel I am being led to focus on. The summaries of the passages below are the pre-walking background reading that prepares the soil for Spirit led exploration.

Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11

This is a passage that could well serve as the remit of the Church’s Faith Impact Forum! It certainly inspires so much of the work the Forum does. Coming as it does though, so close to Christmas, we tend to hear Isaiah’s words through the lens of the coming Christ child. It is Christ who has come to set us free; to heal us and help us, to carry us and to bring us comfort and joy. Read in that way it certainly does up the feel-good factor at a time when

people (we) really need to hear of the hope and of the promise Christmas carries at its heart. But this passage from Isaiah is not only about God’s amazing longing to heal the broken human condition, there is in these words, a challenge to God’s people, to be not only recipients of that reconciling love that leads to Jesus’ birth, but to be the bearers of that love in our time and place.

Isaiah is asking:

What is it we are doing to work with God to bring about healing and justice? What are we saying in God’s name, that helps to raise up the downtrodden? How are we working to bring peace? To set prisoners free? Who are our hands reaching out to and our hearts opening up to?

Isaiah’s words are both wonderful…. And challenging!

Psalm 126

A short, upbeat Psalm. Or is it? The writer talks of God restoring the fortunes of Zion. It is easy in our 21st Century materialistic outlook, to think of that in terms of ‘things’. The footnote in the NRSV corrects that skew and reminds us that it is the people who are restored rather than what the people have.

So many people find Christmas difficult - for all manner of reasons. Poverty, bereavement, health issues and a discontent with consumerism to name but a few. It is a time of year when all sorts of emotions are heightened – and possibly even more so this year. This Psalm talks to everyone across the broadest spectrum of feelings and says – you are not alone. There is someone who understands. And better still – who is able to offer hope.

There is also a hint of what has been commented on in the Isaiah passage. Those who sowed in sorrow and who reap in joy and who come home carrying their sheaves, do so as a reflection of God’s goodness and so in response, in thanksgiving, should they not share their bounty with those who are still waiting to receive?

1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

These words are possibly the closing words of the earliest writing in the New Testament. I have quoted these verses when praying a blessing on someone who has just taken their membership vows. They are rapid-fire, bite-size pieces of advice we would all do well to

remember. The only trouble is, simple and succinct as they are, these words are not easy to follow!

The context is that Paul is writing to a church, a congregation, who have suffered loss. Paul wants them to know however, that death and sorrow and sadness, do not have the last word. Christ will come again and in the meantime they are to keep busy. That busy-ness is to include rejoicing, praying, giving thanks, discerning what God is doing, and testing things out. Waiting so far as Paul is concerned, is not about sitting back: it is not something passive, but rather a time for continuing to grow in faith and a time to celebrate God’s goodness while modelling everything that is good and peaceful, letting God’s Spirit shine.

John 1:6-8, 19-28

In John’s Gospel, John (Jesus’ cousin) is simply John. No ‘the Baptist’ at the end of his name. For the Gospel writer, that is deliberate. The writer wants to make it abundantly clear that John’s primary function is not to stand in the river Jordan baptising people, instead his primary function is to witness to Jesus. Which is why in this Gospel, we don’t read of John baptising Jesus. John is not the light, we are told, “he came to testify to the light” (NRSV) When we pick up his tale a few verses later, John himself says as much. John, we’re told, is asked who he is and he chooses to answer that question, in relation to the one he bears witness to. He says: I am not… the Messiah. I am not Elijah. I am not a prophet. I do though, echo Scripture and point to the light.

And here’s the amazing thing about God. God’s Son is sent into the midst of humanity to redeem and restore the world, and God relies on a human being to signpost that fact. John does so however, acutely aware of his own limitations: “I baptise with water” (John says) “Among you stands one whom you do not know, the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal.”

The fourth Gospel’s account of who John is and what he is about, offers the opportunity to talk about identity and to consider who we each are in relation to Christ. It also challenges us as to do as John did and to use every opportunity to point to the light that dispels every darkness – especially perhaps, at Christmas in a 2020 which has dimmed the lives of so many.

Sermon ideas

I find myself drawn to identify where pin pricks of light exist in the current climate and to encouraging others to look for them and point to them too. At the time of writing this, there appears no end in sight for a pandemic that has had and is having still, detrimental affects on the mental health of every age group. As Christians who hold on to hope even in the darkest, shadowy valleys, where can we point in order to help people find the anchor and security they need, which will lead to their finding comfort and strength and peace and joy?

The Good News of the coming Christ, talks far more to the life there is beyond the ‘things’ so many are tempted to hold onto and set store by. Is this a year for talking about relationships as being among the greatest gifts we can receive – the gift of family relationships and friendships, but more especially the gift of being loved into relationship with God in Christ? Can we emphasise the light that comes from spending time with God, its ability to re-balance our lives, and give it meaning and purpose?

And given that shopping could well be problematic, could this be a year for rejoicing in what we already have rather than hope to get? With the understanding that as we rejoice and give thanks, and as we count our blessings, we have the privilege and responsibility of sharing God’s goodness with those who have so much less?

How can we spread the light in these times that are so dark for so many in our communities and in the far wider world around us? Can we expand our Christmas vision, to light up the whole world in every corner?

These questions could be offered for discussion if you meet for worship online. Breakout rooms could be created with the ensuing conversations forming the basis of the prayers of intercession and perhaps even helping to shape the priorities and direction of the congregation in the coming year.

One thing is clear from all the passages for today and that is – we are not passengers when it comes to God’s mission in the world. Christ came for us, to work with us and through us. How do we plan to share in the vision God has for our community, nation and world – knowing of course, that God goes before and behind, is above us too…?

Prayers

Opening prayer – written by Christian Aid Scotland Even if we cannot gather in person Emmanuel, God with us

Even if some Christmas traditions have had to go Emmanuel, God with us

Even if we might not get to hug family and friends Emmanuel, God with us

Even if we cannot sing carols beside each other Emmanuel, God with us

Even if Christmas cheer is harder this year Emmanuel, God with us

Approach Lord Jesus, You came And come To all

You came And come Especially to the poorest And the most vulnerable

Come to us here, Lord Jesus To help and to heal the poverty of our souls To refresh and inspire us Even through the weakness of our faith…

Come - to love and to hold us – To give us the courage Always to point to You For Your names’ sake. Amen

Confession (silence) in the stopping in the pausing in the quiet we cannot avoid what we are not

Our faults our lack of faith our lack of vision and of action our lack of trust in You – all bubble to the surface

You, Father God, see what we are and still stand by us offering us hope and above all, forgiveness

Help us here Help us now – to recognise that it was with us in mind that You sent the baby Jesus It was with us in mind that He grew to live and die and to rise again Because that’s what You think we are worth

May Your love set us free this day and always – these things we ask in the name of that Son, whose praise we sing and who taught us when we pray to say together:

Our Father…

Intercession Creator God, we thank You, for Your Son – the Light of the world. We thank You too, for those in every generation who have faithfully pointed to Him and who have spread His light in even the darkest times.

Lord Jesus,

May we find the courage to point to the hope and comfort and peace You offer, especially in times of difficulty and sorrow. May we witness to Your love and Your goodness Your presence and Your compassion.

And thank You – thank You for the family of Your people meeting throughout the world this day – all of us gathered only too aware of our faults and our limitations, but knowing too, that You, Lord Jesus, can take the tiniest spark and fan it into a raging fire.

Give us the courage and the desire to seek to serve You as best we can – and in that service may we reflect the life You lived.

We offer You our prayers for those who struggle with this season. We think of the bereaved, of those who cannot afford to celebrate as they might want, of those with no one to share a table, and of those for whom childlessness is accentuated at this time.

Lord God, You understand and share tears and silences, disappointments and regrets. Bring Your comfort, fill with Your strength, and grant all Your peace…

We pray too, for places in the world where conflict and violence are rife… For places where nature has been harsh – and we have been thoughtless in caring for Your creation: Give us greater concern for one another and an even greater willingness to do whatever we can for each other and for the world itself.

So may we work with You, Lord God, to make this world, the world You intended it to be – a world where people care and love and laugh a world where justice reigns and peace is evident and where all know they belong.

These prayers, along with our gratitude for the birth of Your Son, we offer You in His name and for His sake. Amen

Blessing Comfort, joy and peace be Yours. Know how blessed You are and go to be that blessing to all around You.

May God Almighty hold you and all whom you love in the palm of His hand this day and always. Amen

Alternative Material and Advent Resources

Create your own Advent prayer chain We invite you to create a prayer chain by making one loop of the chain each day in Advent, taking a few moments every day to reflect and pray for what we are all waiting for – for God’s vision for the world to be realised.

The Christian Aid Advent Prayer chain can be used each day as an activity to help us reflect and pray during Advent, provide an opportunity to pray as a whole church family and the daily activities could also be adapted to form the basis of intercessory prayers in a service of worship.

We’ve offered a prompt or question for each day of Advent and encourage you to write a prayer or draw a picture on each link of your prayer chain and connect it to the link from the previous day. We hope that by the end of Advent you will have created a Christmas decoration linking together all your hopes and prayers for God’s world and cultivated a sense of waiting with hope as you journey towards Emmanuel, God with us!

You will need: • Some A4 pieces of paper • A ruler and scissors to cut a 1.5cm strip each day • Pens or pencils • Glue stick or sticky tape • Five minutes every day of Advent!

Sunday 13 December – Link 15: ‘He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly.’ Luke 1:52. Write or draw this verse from Mary’s Magnificat on the link for today and pray with all who wait for the day when their voice is heard and heeded. You can watch a full reading of the Magnificat here at caid.org.uk/christmasresources

Monday 14 December – Link 16: Pray with all who wait for the support to lift themselves out of poverty caused by the climate crisis. Praise God for Christian Aid partner BRACED in Ethiopia who provide seeds, animals, fodder and a community savings group to communities in Ethiopia.

Tuesday 15 December – Link 17: Pray with all who wait for a reliable and close water supply like the pond that Kawite’s community now has easy access to in Ethiopia. She shares, ‘The pond is not only for me. It has changed the life of this village.’ Thanks be to God. Find out more about Kawite at caid.org.uk/hope

Wednesday 16 December – Link 18: Pray with all who wait for a better possible world. Take a moment to think about the world as it could be, if it were filled with God’s love and justice. Write or draw on your prayer chain link some of your ideas and prayers for this better world.

Thursday 17 December – Link 19: Pray with all who wait for the meek to inherit the earth. Pray that the different kind of power demonstrated in Advent and Christmas will inspire our prophetic presence in the world. The kind of power found in ‘setting aside privilege, finding God in the smallness and vulnerability of a baby in a womb’. (Rachel Held Evans)

Friday 18 December – Link 20: Pray with all who wait with hope this Advent. ‘Hope has two beautiful daughters. Their names are anger and courage: anger at the way things are, and courage to see that they do not remain the way they are.’ (Attributed to Augustine Bishop of Hippo)

Saturday 19 December – Link 21: Pray with all who wait for the day when their ‘dream that will not die’ is realised. Listen to our recording of the carol written for Christian Aid When Out of Poverty is Born at caid.org.uk/christmasresources How might we help prepare for that day?

Other Advent resources

• Christmas Aid Carol On the first Sunday of Advent, churches around the UK will sing together in solidarity for the world’s poorest. We hope to create a national act of worship, singing the Christian Aid carol written by Kathy Galloway: ‘When out of poverty is born’. You can find the carol on YouTube: https://youtu.be/MzwyjnACz0o

• The Magnificat This is a song of apocalyptic hope that the world will be turned upside down. You’ll find a recording of it here: christianaid.org.uk/resources/churches/meditation-advent

You will find more resources on the Christian Aid website to use throughout Advent. Go to www.christianaid.org.uk/scotlandchristmas and www.christianaid.org.uk/appeals/key-appeals/christmas-appeal/resources for the Christian Aid carol, prayer and worship resources, and fundraising ideas.

• Christmas Service Guide – Love Builds Hope, including a service of Nine Lessons & Carols

• A video sermon by Paula Gooder

• A video conversation between Rev Dr and Sally Foster-Fulton

• Prayer candle shield – download and print the template then decorate your candle shield as an act of reflection and prayer

Alternative material provided by Christian Aid Scotland 2020

Musical suggestions

Our online music resource is here: you can listen to samples of every song in the Church Hymnary 4th edition (CH4) and download a selection of recordings for use in worship.

Advent hymns can be found from CH4 273 onwards. You will also find there an Advent playlist of suggested songs for the season.

• CH4 284 – “Hope is a candle” – suitable for candle lighting

• These words, written by , can be sung to the Gaelic Lullaby (CH4 563)

1. Here we light the first of four 3. Here we light the third bright flame To show the way to the stable door. A light to show who takes our blame A light for hope in a darkened land A light for love in a darkened land To tell us God still holds our hand To tell us God still holds our hand Burning so brightly, brightly, Burning so brightly, brightly, brightly brightly Burning so brightly, Burning so brightly, Shining out for all the world. Shining out for all the world.

2. Here we light our candle two, 4. Here we light the fourth of four A light so bright for me and you. To carry us right to heaven’s door. A light for peace in a darkened land A light for joy in a darkened land To tell us God still holds our hand To tell us God still holds our hand Burning so brightly, brightly, Burning so brightly, brightly, brightly brightly Burning so brightly, Burning so brightly, Shining out for all the world. Shining out for all the world.

You are free to download, project, print and circulate multiple copies of any of this material for use in worship services, bible studies, magazines, etc., but reproduction for commercial purposes is not permitted.

Please note that the views expressed in these materials are those of the individual writer and not necessarily the official view of the Church of Scotland, which can be laid down only by the General Assembly.