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December 18, 2022 - Sunday Service
Rev. Christine Smaller
Rev. Christine Smaller
Sunday, December 18, 2022
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December18th, 2022                     

Advent 4: Love 

Find this service at www.graceunitedthornbury.ca/live

Leading us today in Worship:
Worship Leader:  Rev. Christine Smaller
Music Director: Dr. Christopher Burton
Scripture Reader: Mike Weller   

~ Leader: regular font ~ All: bold font ~ Sung words: bold italics
Asterisk * Indicates when the congregation may stand if able.   

PRELUDE: 
“Romance” ~ Clara Wieck-Schumann   

ADVENT CANDLE LIGHTING:
Over a hundred people, from the ages of two to eighty years old, were asked the question, “What makes you feel connected; what makes you feel loved?” From the voices of different generations, hear their answers: 

(Answers) 

What about you? (Congregational Responses)  

Today we light the candle of love as a reminder that from the very first generation, God has surrounded us with love. May this good news—these threads of love—notonly weave deeper connections between neighbors, but shape our actions and allow us to see God more clearly. 

Candle is lit. 

In a lonely world, let this light shine bright.
From generation to generation, we are held in God’s love.
Thanks be to God for that good news.
Amen. 

Candle Lighting Hymn:  
VU 7  Hope is a Star  V. 1, 2, 3 & 4
1. Hope is a star that shines in the night,
leading us on till the morning is bright.
Refrain:
When God is a child there’s joy in our song.
The last shall be first and the weak shall be strong,
and none shall be afraid. 

2. Peace is a ribbon that circles the earth,
giving a promise of safety and worth.
Refrain:
When God is a child there’s joy in our song.
The last shall be first and the weak shall be strong,
and none shall be afraid. 

3. Joy is a song that welcomes the dawn,
telling the world that the saviour is born.
Refrain:
When God is a child there’s joy in our song.
The last shall be first and the weak shall be strong,
and none shall be afraid. 

4. Love is a flame that burns in our heart,
Jesus has come and will never depart.
Refrain
When God is a child there’s joy in our song.
The last shall be first and the weak shall be strong,
and none shall be afraid. 

WELCOME & DECLARATION OF SAFE SPACE   

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THE TRADITIONAL TERRITORY
Long ago, all of this land was covered by ice
Clothed in a winter without end
But God our Creator brought back the warmth
Pulling back the ice and revealing this land
Plants and animals returned to the land
And it was good
Then God gave to the land many peoples
And many peoples to the land
To care for one another
To live together
And in this time, we give thanks to the traditional stewards of Treaty 18 land.
We recognize we live and worship on land traditionally held by the Anishinaabek, Six Nations of the Grand River, Haudenosaunee, and Wendat-Wyandot-Wyandotte peoples.
We celebrate all who make this place a home today
We celebrate together with love
As a people called to love and serve others
We eagerly await the day where the law of the land is love
Where all will share its abundance together
We work and wait for that day, when all will live together
in hope, peace, joy and love.Amen. 

*OPENING HYMN:   
VU 9   People, Look East 
1. People, look east. The time is near
of the crowning of the year.
Make your house fair as you are able,
trim the hearth and set the table.
People, look east and sing today:
Love the guest is on the way. 

2. Furrows, be glad. Though earth is bare,
one more seed is planted there:
give up your strength the seed to nourish,
that in course the flower may flourish.
People, look east and sing today:
Love the rose is on the way. 

3. Birds, though you long have ceased to build,
guard the nest that must be filled;
even the hour when wings are frozen
God for fledging time has chosen.
People, look east and sing today:
Love the bird is on the way. 

4. Stars, keep the watch. When night is dim
one more light the bowl shall brim,
shining beyond the frosty weather,
bright as sun and moon together.
People, look east and sing today:
Love the star is on the way. 

5. Angels, announce with shouts of mirth
Christ who brings new life to earth.
Set every peak and valley humming
with the word, the Lord is coming
People, look east and sing today:
Love the Lord is on the way. 

PRAYER OF APPROACH:
God of today and tomorrow,
When Mary was pregnant and afraid, she ran to her cousin Elizabeth’s house. Elizabeth threw open the door with joy and showered blessings upon her.
How often do we have that same opportunity?
How often do we leave the door locked, the curtains drawn, and the lights off?
How often do we shower critique or judgment instead of blessings and joy?
Gracious God, forgive us for our wrongs. We want to see you when we see our neighbour. Amen. 

WORDS OF ASSURANCE:
Friends, this is what I know—
God delights in us.
God throws open the door, just like Elizabeth, and says,
“Come on home. There is room for you here!”
And in that moment, we are blessed.
In that moment, we are forgiven.
In that moment, we are seen, healed, and welcomed home.
So rest in this good news: you are saved by grace.
Let us respond together, using the words from Mary’s song:
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant,
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed.”
(Luke 1:46:55 NRSV) 

GOOD NEWS CANDLE   

AFFIRMATION OF FAITH:
We believe that creation is inextricably linked.
We belong to one another in an undeniable way.
We are bone of bone and flesh of flesh, life breathed into dust.
We believe that God invites us to live into that truth—to love without abandon,
to see the good in one another,
to trust that all belong to God.
We know that this life of connection is easier said than done,
which is why we gather in this space, week after week, generation after generation, to be reminded:
We see God in each other.
This we believe. Amen. 

PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION:
God of all,
we are a mixed bag
of distracted and forlorn,
eager and anxious.
We hope that you might
move through the obstacle course
we build up
around our hearts—
made out of questions and defenses—
and douse us in good news.
For at the end of the day,
all we want is to know that we are not alone,
that you are always near.
So knock on our door,
Sweet talk the guard dog we place in front of our
vulnerable hearts,
and come right in.
Make yourself at home.
Pull us close and tell us your story
of unbelievable good news.
We are listening.
We are grateful.
Amen. 

READINGS: 

Luke 1:39-58 
In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.” 
And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
    and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 
for he has looked with favor on the lowly state of his servant.
    Surely from now on all generations will call me blessed, 
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
    and holy is his name; 
indeed, his mercy is for those who fear him
    from generation to generation. 
He has shown strength with his arm;
    he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. 
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones
    and lifted up the lowly; 
he has filled the hungry with good things
    and sent the rich away empty. 
He has come to the aid of his child Israel,
    in remembrance of his mercy, 
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
    to Abraham and to his descendants forever.” 

And Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home. 

Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son.  Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her.

RESPONSE:
The word of God for the people of God.
Thanks be to God. 

ANTHEM 
“Love Is the Touch” ~ J. Bell 

MEDITATION

*HYMN:  
MV 120   My Soul Cries Out
1. My soul cries out with a joyful shout
that the God of my heart is great,
and my spirit sings of the wondrous things
that you bring to the ones who wait.
You fixed your sight on your servant’s plight,
and my weakness you did not spurn,
so from east to west shall my name be blest.
Could the world be about to turn?
Refrain
My heart shall sing of the day you bring.
Let the fires of your justice burn.
Wipe away all tears, for the dawn draws near,
and the world is about to turn. 

2. Though I am small, my God, my all,
you work great things in me,
and your mercy will last from the depths of the past
to the end of the age to be.
Your very name puts the proud to shame,
and to those who would for you yearn,
you will show your might, put the strong to flight,
for the world is about to turn.
Refrain
My heart shall sing of the day you bring.
Let the fires of your justice burn.
Wipe away all tears, for the dawn draws near,
and the world is about to turn.

3. From the halls of power to the fortress tower,
not a stone will be left on stone.
Let the king beware for your justice tears
ev’ry tyrant from his throne.
The hungry poor shall weep no more,
for the food they can never earn;
there are tables spread, ev’ry mouth be fed,
for the world is about to turn.
Refrain
My heart shall sing of the day you bring.
Let the fires of your justice burn.
Wipe away all tears, for the dawn draws near,
and the world is about to turn.
 

4. Though the nations rage from age to age,
we remember who holds us fast:
God’s mercy must deliver us
from the conqueror’s crushing grasp.
This saving word that our forebears heard
is the promise which holds us bound,
‘til the spear and rod can be crushed by God,
who is turning the world around.
Refrain
My heart shall sing of the day you bring.
Let the fires of your justice burn.
Wipe away all tears, for the dawn draws near,
and the world is about to turn.
 

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE:  

THE LORD’S PRAYER:
As a child turns to a loving caregiver who watches over them, we turn in prayer to you O God, who are our heavenly parent, our mother,
Our Father who art in heaven…

PASSING the PEACE of CHRIST:
The Peace of Christ be with you all.                           
And also with you. 

Everyone is invited to share the peace of Christ by offering a message in the chat box.  You may also wish to think of someone you would like to pass the peace to this week. 

MUSIC for PASSING the PEACE:   
Consolation” ~ F. Liszt 

DEDICATION of OFFERING: 

Donate online:   www.graceunitedthornbury.ca,  select “Give”
     or contact the office by email: accounting@graceunitedthornbury.ca
     or  phone: 519-599-2438 to arrange a cheque pick-up, or an e-transfer
     Mail: Grace UC, 140 Bruce St. S. PO Box 219, Thornbury, ON N0H 2P0

Care, Prayer, Share 

ANNOUNCEMENTS 

*CLOSING HYMN:   

VU 35 Good Christian Friends, Rejoice
1. Good Christian friends, rejoice
with heart and soul and voice!
Give ye heed to what we say: News! News!
Jesus Christ is born today.
Ox and ass before him bow,
and he is in the manger now.
Christ is born today!
Christ is born today!  

2. Good Christian friends, rejoice
with heart and soul and voice!
Now ye hear of endless bliss: Joy! Joy!
Jesus Christ was born for this! 
He hath opened heaven’s door,
and we are blest forevermore.
Christ was born for this! Christ was born for this! 

3. Good Christian friends, rejoice
with heart and soul and voice!
Now ye need not fear the grave: Peace! Peace!
Jesus Christ was born to save!
Calls you one and calls you all
to gain his everlasting hall.
Christ was born to save!
Christ was born to save!
 

*COMMISSIONING and BENEDICTION:
As we leave this place, may we go knowing that
from generation to generation,we have been claimed and loved.
From generation to generation,
God has been by our side.
From generation to generation,
we are not alone.
The God of yesterday and the God of tomorrow knows you by name, loves you, and calls you forth,saying, “Go be the person you are called to be,love wildly, do justice, and come back soon.”
May it be so. Amen. 

*SUNG BLESSING:  
MV 213 Take Up His Song
Take up his song of love
and go into the world.
Take up his song of love
in ev’ry moment.
In ev’ry moment of the journey,
we’re laying down our lives;
lay them down, in love,
lay them down, and take up his song. 

POSTLUDE:
“Pastorale” from Messiah ~ G.F. Händel

*****

RESOURCES USED

LITURGY SOURCES:
The following are used with permission:
Sanctified Art: “From Generation to Generation”  

HYMNS and SUNG VERSES
- Hope is a Star:” Words: Brian Wren 1985. Music: Joan Collier Fogg 1987. Words and music copyright  © 1989 Hope Publishing Company. One License #608577
- “People Look East:” Words: Eleanor Farjeon 1928. Music: French folk melody, harm. Martin Fallas Shaw 1928. Words copyright © David Higham Associates. Harmony copyright © Oxforde University Press, 1928. One License #608577
- “My Soul Cries Out:” Words: Rory Cooney, 1990. Music: traditional melody, Ireland: arr. Rory Cooney, 1990. Words and arrangement copyright © 1990 GIA Publications, Inc.One License #608577
- “Good Christian Friends Rejoice:” Words: Latin, 14th-century; trans. John Mason Neale 1853, alt. Music: German melody; Alan Smith 1988. Harmony copyright © 1989 The United Methodist Publishing House OneLicense # 608577
- “Take Up His Song:’Words and music: Laura A. Herman, 2005, arr. Robin King, 2006.Words and music copyright © 2005 Laura A. Herman. Arrangement copyright  © 2006. Robin King. 

SCRIPTURE PASSAGES:
Scripture Passage from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission.  

Prelude: “Romance” ~ Clara Wieck-Schumann 
Anthem: “Love Is the Touch” ~ J. Bell. Words: Alison M. Robertson, 1998. Music: John L. Bell 1998. Words copyright © 1998 Alison M. Robertson. Music copyright © WGRG, GIA Publications, Inc.. One License #608577
Music for Passing the Peace:  “Consolation” ~  F. Liszt
Postlude: “Pastorale” from Messiah ~ G.F. Händel