 We welcome everyone to our services at Yetholm (10am) and Morebattle (11.15am) on the Third Sunday of Advent.
Hymn 284 – Hope is the candle (v3) Call to Worship God has called us To bring good news to the poor, to live with integrity God has called us To heal the broken-hearted, to bring justice to the hungry. The Spirit of God is within us We are the people of God Hymn 472 – Come thou long-expected Jesus Prayer of Adoration and Confession Loving God, we gather at this season of promise to worship you. We praise you for your love and your faithfulness, for you are the source of all hope and from you all joy springs. You are the one we expect, but your coming is always unexpected. You turn everything upside down and make all things new. Advent God of surprises, we worship you and wait for you to awaken our wonder and astound us with your arrival. Lord God, in this season of excitement and weariness, open our hearts to your presence, for we know you meet us and hold us; In and beyond the glitter, in and beyond the busyness and the rush. When we are tired and frayed, when we lose sight of what it is all about, when we put ourselves first and forget that you come to bring love, come close and restore us and forgive us we pray. Smooth down the mountains of our pride, and lift up the valleys of our doubts. Open a path in the wilderness of our lives that we might find our way to you again. Loving God, mend our broken hearts and help us to know ourselves forgiven and loved. In our thankfulness help us to wait and to watch for you, faithfully and truly all our days Lord’s Prayer Readings – Isaiah 61:1-4 (Pg 748) John 1:19-28 (pg 1063) Hymn 291 – When out of poverty is born Weekly Prayer Almighty God, your servant John the Baptist called people to change the way they lived and to prepare themselves for the coming of your son. Help us all to delight greatly in the God of our salvation, as our sovereign Lord makes righteousness and praise to spring up before all nations. Amen Sermon Who is the greatest singer of all time? I am sure we would all have different ideas. Who is the greatest prime minister of all time? Well, to preserve peace and harmony, we won’t go into that. Who is the greatest rugby player? Well, I was in a café recently and overheard two bearded gentlemen of a certain age discuss that very topic. Each made rather grandiose claims about their chosen player, each statement grander than the other. They had their facts to back up their arguments, but it amused me to see how they exaggerated their claims. John the Baptist does the opposite. When asked who he was, whether he was Elijah or even the Messiah, John immediately says no. He isn’t the Messiah; indeed, he wasn’t even worthy to tie the straps of his sandals. How wonderfully refreshing. These days, we are so used to people blowing their own trumpet, of so-called celebrities, who very few people have ever heard of, delighting in the fact that they are celebrities and invited onto every television show going to offer their views. John is zero-interested in that. While celebrities say that it is all about me; John on the other hand is saying that it is NOT about me. It is about the one who will come after him, the one for whom he is preparing the way. There are a number of mediaeval paintings which feature John, including one by Grunewald, who painted an altarpiece of the crucifixion. John was at the side of it (though of course he had died before Jesus) and he is pointing to Jesus. That is what John’s role was – to point to Jesus. He could have received all the adulation for himself – after all, people were flocking from all over Judaea and even Galilee to be baptised in the Jordan River. He could have thought that maybe he was the one. People like Andrew came and stayed and became followers. It could easily have gone to his head, BUT he pointed to Jesus; he pointed to the light. He insisted he was not himself the light, but rather pointed to the light. It is interesting that Andrew followed John, for he too did not glory in the fact that he was the first disciple and make a claim to be special, but stayed in the background, preferring to bring others to Jesus. John pointed to the Light. We need that light in our world today. There is climate change, and the COP conference that has just finished is being branded a Cop-out by many. There is anxiety as we approach Christmas with many struggling to buy basics let alone presents for their children. Then there are the wars – in Ukraine, in Israel and Palestine. At this time of Advent churches in the Middle East have wonderful nativity scenes with whole landscapes with a cave in the middle and Mary and Joseph and the baby. But a Lutheran church in Bethlehem has the Holy family in the midst of the rubble. And that is appropriate. For Christ should be in the midst of destroyed buildings in Gaza, Christ should be in the midst of kibbutz ravaged by terrorists. Christ should be born where there is suffering, for there he brings his light to shine and somehow redeems that situation. And that light, like the burning bush, can not be extinguished. As John the Baptist met people in the wilderness and pointed them to Christ, so Christ meets us in the wildernesses of our lives. There he seeks to bind up the broken hearted and bring hope to the prisoner and recovery of sight to the blind. In our reading from Isaiah, we read these words, familiar to us because Jesus quoted them as he preached his sermon in Nazareth. The Messiah would bring good news and would bring a crown rather than ashes, gladness instead of mourning, joy instead of despair. Today is called Gaudete Sunday which means rejoice, and we light the candle for joy. Despite the problems in our world, joy is there. The joy of a young baby brought to church for baptism who is accepted and loved and valued by God, included as part of the family. John the Baptist was an outsider, an oddity with his strange taste in clothing and his faddy cuisine, but he proved to be a model for what life lived in God’s service is all about. He pointed to one greater than himself, he pointed to Christ. He knew who he was and knew who he was not. That is quite smart. Hymn 319 – Of the father’s love begotten Prayers of Dedication and Intercession This Sunday, the Advent theme is Joy. Scripture and song remind us to rejoice in Lord. Let us think of our offering as an opportunity to spread joy in God’s world, even when the world seems uncertain. Rejoice in the Lord and give thankfully for Christ’s sake. God of justice and joy, we bring our gifts to you in gratitude for your unfailing goodness to us. Bless these gifts and use them to create justice and bring joy into the world in Jesus’ name. Come, Christ Jesus, be our guest, and enter our lives today with your blessing. We are lonely for you and the peace you bring. Draw near to us in friendship and faithfulness so that in this season which combines celebration in the face of uncertainty, we may know your presence… and sing with all your people: Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel. Come, Christ Jesus, be our guide, and show us the way to wisdom and gratitude. We are thankful for the kindness we know in friends and good neighbours, in warm houses and warm smiles, which hold off the darkness and fears for the future. Encourage us to reach out to those who need your embrace and ours… so that together we may sing of your presence: Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel. Come, Christ Jesus, be our hope and touch us with your healing and grace. We remember before you all those we know and those known to you alone who are living with loss or illness this season, those who face depression or discouragement, and all who will find it hard to be merry this year. Shine the light of your comfort into their lives… as we sing of the hope that dawns in your love: Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel. Come, Christ Jesus, be our king, and claim your rightful place in our hearts. Our world is struggling to find the justice and mercy you call for. Draw near to our leaders and all citizens working for peace and justice, and those striving to mediate or contain conflicts. Encourage honourable action and co-operation on all sides. Give hope to people under oppression and to those living with fear or hunger day by day. Hasten the day when the world’s peoples will live as neighbours reconciled in your truth and freedom. Hymn 286 – Tell out my soul Benediction
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