Sunday, December 5, 2021 The Second Sunday of Advent

 

Candlelighting: A candle burns, the sign of your Word. God of the prophets, come to us again this Advent. 

May your Word be a lamp to our feet and a light on our path. ( from the Iona Community’s Candles and Conifers.) 

Hymn:      Hark the Glad Sound #29VU

Scripture Lessons:       Malachi 3:1-4

                                     Luke 1:67-79 p.900VU

                                     Luke 3:1-6

Meditation 

Prayer:  Child of promise 

Revealer of God come

Bringer of life come 

Come to the beaten and the battered

Come to the despised and the rejected

Come to all in whom the divine image is still distorted

We wait in joyful expectation

Come not as a distant emperor but as a helpless babe

Come not as a prince in a golden palace, but as a displaced and frightened refugee

Come not as a man of power, but in love and compassion 

Come to those outcast like shepherds in the field

Come to the rich and poor, young and old, male and female 

We wait in hopeful anticipation 

Come to bless all creation with your love

Come to bring salvation to the earth

Come to rule with Justice and in peace

Come, child of promise, open the windows of our hearts

Come Christ of compassion open the doors of our churches

Come prince of peace, open the pathways to our lives

We wait with all the people of the earth

Child of hope we welcome your coming

Child of life we welcome your coming

King of glory we welcome your coming. (by Christine Sine and printed in the Mission and Service Advent newsletter, 2012)

Hymn:      Hark the Herald Angels Sing   #48VU

FYI: Some plans have been made for the Advent-Christmas season, and some are still to be made:

Next Sunday, December 12th will be White Gift Sunday in Franklin and Ormstown. 

December 19th will be Communion Sunday in Howick. In Ormstown we will hold a hybrid service, both inside the sanctuary and also broadcast to the parking lot via FM transmitter (frequency 87.7) Franklin is planning to hold a Candlelight Christmas Communion service at 7:30pm. 

St Paul’s will not be holding a Christmas Eve service this year. 

More decisions still to come. 

Keep in mind that there are Gifts with Vision catalogues available in our churches and there are even more choices available on their online catalogue found at gifts with vision.ca, including giving vaccines to people around the world.