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December 14, 2025: Third Sunday of Advent

Phyllis Fleming

Sunday, December 14, 2025

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December 14, 2025

Third Sunday of Advent

Find this service at www.graceunitedthornbury.ca/live

Leading us today in Worship:
Worship Leader: Phyllis Fleming
Music Director: Dr. Christopher Burton
Lay Leader: Sandy Eagles

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

We Gather

PRELUDE: la fille aux cheveux de lin - C. Debussy

A Stewardship Second
Rejoice in being able to use your gifts to do God’s work.

GREETING (2 Cor. 13:13)
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all!
And also with you!

WELCOME & INTRODUCTION

A SONG TO BEGIN: VU #2 - “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus” v.1
Come, thou long-expected Jesus,
born to set thy people free:
from our fears and sins release us,
let us find our rest in thee.

OUR COMMITMENT to SAFE SPACE & ACKNOWLEDGEMENT of the LAND
We believe all people are made in the image of God and are entitled to dignity and respect. At Grace United Church we try to offer a safer, inclusive and generous space for all who are seeking a faith community. We offer full participation of people of all sexual orientations and gender identities, all races, ages and abilities in the life and work of the ministry.
Grace United Church is situated on the traditional territory of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation. We acknowledge that they are the first stewards of this land and we respect their histories and past and present cultures. We will work to recognize and remove barriers to reconciliation.

CALL to WORSHIP
God has called us to be together, in this place, at this time.
We come with our whole selves, to worship our God who has created and is creating.
We are called to wait for the coming of the Christ-child.
We ready our hearts to receive the gift of joy during this Advent time of waiting.
The Spirit moves among us, inviting us into a deeper connection with the Divine.
Come, let us worship.

*OPENING HYMN: VU# 222 – “Come, Let Us Sing”
1. Come, let us sing to the Lord our song,
we have stood silently too long;
surely the Lord deserves our praise,
so joyfully thank God for our days.

2. O thirsty soul, come drink at the well;
God’s living waters will never fail.
Surely the Lord will help you to stand,
strengthened and comforted by God’s hand.

3. You dwell among us and cause us to pray,
and walk with each other following your way;
our precious brothers and sisters will grow
in the fulfilling love they know.

4. Deserts shall bloom and mountains shall sing
to the desire of all living things.
Come, all you creatures, high and low,
let your praises endlessly flow.

OPENING PRAYER
O Lord our God,
We come to you this day with joy and singing.
We praise you, for you strengthen us in our weakness,
and water the desert places of our lives so that we blossom like spring flowers.
You open our eyes and unstop our ears, and our tongues never cease praising you.
In your presence, sorrow and sighing flee away, and we obtain joy and gladness.
Draw near to us in this hour of worship, we pray.
Amen.

We Listen

MINISTRY of MUSIC: Intermezzo in A Major - J. Brahms

Theme Conversation: Joy

Advent Candle Lighting (DS)
First we will light the candles of hope & peace.
(The first two candles are lit.)

Today we kindle the Advent candle of joy.
(The pink candle is lit.)

We welcome the spark that dances with the Holy Spirit, the spark that fires and inspires our souls, the spark of creativity and wonder.
Come, Holy Stranger, evangelist of joy on this Advent journey: welcome us as we welcome you.
We receive the light of joy.

HYMN: VU# 7 – “Hope is a Star”, v. 3
3. Joy is a song that welcomes the dawn,
telling the world that the Saviour is born.
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.

Prayer and lighting of the children’s lantern

PRAYER of CONFESSION and WORDS of ASSURANCE (AU)
Beloved Saviour,
Forgive us when we fail to be patient like the farmer who waits for the precious crop from the earth …
Forgive us when our hearts weaken …
Forgive us when we grumble against one another and against you …
Remind us of James’ teaching to be patient, to strengthen our hearts, not to grumble, and to remember the lives of the prophets and saints who came before us.
(a time of silent prayer)
Modern day saints and prophets, take courage, for the coming of Christ is near.
Thanks be to God!

PRAYER for ILLUMINATION
As we prepare to listen for what the Bible is saying to us, let us pray:
Advent is a time of waiting.
We acknowledge that sometimes we find it hard to wait, O God.
Advent is a time of preparation.
Open our hearts and minds, O God, so that we may prepare for the Christ-child to be born in us.
Help us to receive your word to us, O God,
Your word of Joy for today, in words written long ago. Amen.

SCRIPTURE READINGS

Isaiah 35:1-10 – reading from the Common English Bible (CEB)
The desert and the dry land will be glad;
the wilderness will rejoice and blossom like the crocus.
They will burst into bloom,
and rejoice with joy and singing.
They will receive the glory of Lebanon,
the splendor of Carmel and Sharon.
They will see the Lord’s glory,
the splendor of our God.
Strengthen the weak hands,
and support the unsteady knees.
Say to those who are panicking:
“Be strong! Don’t fear!
Here’s your God,
coming with vengeance;
with divine retribution
God will come to save you.”
Then the eyes of the blind will be opened,
and the ears of the deaf will be cleared.
Then the lame will leap like the deer,
and the tongue of the speechless will sing.
Waters will spring up in the desert,
and streams in the wilderness.
The burning sand will become a pool,
and the thirsty ground, fountains of water.
The jackals’ habitat, a pasture;
grass will become reeds and rushes.
A highway will be there.
It will be called The Holy Way.
The unclean won’t travel on it,
but it will be for those walking on that way.
Even fools won’t get lost on it;
no lion will be there,
and no predator will go up on it.
None of these will be there;
only the redeemed will walk on it.
The Lord’s ransomed ones will return and enter Zion with singing,
with everlasting joy upon their heads.
Happiness and joy will overwhelm them;
grief and groaning will flee away.

James 5:7-10 - reading from the Common English Bible (CEB)
Therefore, brothers and sisters, you must be patient as you wait for the coming of the Lord. Consider the farmer who waits patiently for the coming of rain in the fall and spring, looking forward to the precious fruit of the earth. You also must wait patiently, strengthening your resolve, because the coming of the Lord is near. Don’t complain about each other, brothers and sisters, so that you won’t be judged. Look! The judge is standing at the door!
Brothers and sisters, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord as an example of patient resolve and steadfastness.

Luke 1:46-55 - reading from the New King James Version (NKJ)
And Mary said:
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;
For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.
For He who is mighty has done great things for me,
And holy is His name.
And His mercy is on 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 put down the mighty from their thrones,
And exalted the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
And the rich He has sent away empty.
He has helped His servant Israel,
In remembrance of His mercy,
As He spoke to our fathers,
To Abraham and to his seed forever.”

RESPONSE
These words from scripture are meant to guide us, nurture us, and teach us.
Thanks be to God!

SUNG RESPONSE: VU #884 - “You Shall Go Out with Joy”
You shall go out with joy and be led forth with peace;
the mountains and the hills will break forth before you;
there’ll be shouts of joy, and all the trees of the field
will clap, will clap their hands!
And all the trees of the field will clap their hands, xx
the trees of the field will clap their hands, xx
the trees of the field will clap their hands xx
while you go out with joy.

MESSAGE: Reversals

We Respond

*HYMN: VU #14 – “To A Maid Whose Name Was Mary”
1. To a maid whose name was Mary,
the angel Gabriel came.
“Fear not,” the angel told her,
“I come to bring good news,
good news I come to tell you,
good news, I say, good news.”

2. “For you are highly favoured
by God the Lord of all,
who even now is with you.
You are on earth most blest,
you are most blest, most blessed,
God chose you, you are blest!”

3. But Mary was most troubled
to hear the angel’s word.
What was the angel saying?
It troubled her to hear,
to hear the angel’s message,
it troubled her to hear.

4. “Fear not, for God is with you,
and you shall bear a child.
His name shall be called Jesus,
God’s offspring from on high.
And he shall reign forever,
forever reign on high.”

5. “How shall this be,” said Mary,
“that I should be with child?”
The angel answered quickly,
“The power of the Most High
will come upon you shortly,
your child shall be God’s child.”

6. As Mary heard the angel,
she wondered at his words.
“Behold, I am your handmaid,”
she said unto her God.
“So be it, I am ready
according to your word.”

INVITATION to the OFFERING
In God’s Kin(g)dom there is joy. Great joy! It comes from taking care of others and being taken care of ourselves. Your gifts to this church do that locally, while your gifts to the Mission and Service of the United Church of Canada do it across Canada and globally. It feels so good to be generous!

Hymn of Dedication: VU# 542 –“We Give You But Your Own”
We give you but your own,
whate’er the gift may be;
all that we have is yours alone,
we give it gratefully.

PRAYER of DEDICATION for OUR OFFERINGS
O God, may gifts given here today, and those we have given by PAR [or on-line, or by e-transfer] help to create joy: joy across the world, joy within our homes, and joy within ourselves. Amen.

Donate online: www.graceunitedthornbury.ca, select “DONATE”
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
or Offering Plate at the back of the sanctuary.

Tap your debit card at the door of the church, and Donate to Grace United Church through CanadaHelps.org. Our account is set up with them now and it is easy to register. Tax receipts are given automatically at the time of giving.

Care, Prayer, Share

MEMORIES and BLESSINGS TREE

PRAYERS of the PEOPLE & the LORD’S PRAYER (VU 910)

WHAT’S UP AT GRACE?

We Go Out

*HYMN: VU #59 - “Joy to the World”
1. Joy to the world! the Lord is come:
let earth receive her King!
Let every heart prepare him room,
and heaven and nature sing, and heaven and nature sing,
and heaven, and heaven and nature sing.

2. Joy to the earth! the Saviour reigns:
let all their songs employ,
while fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
repeat the sounding joy, repeat the sounding joy,
repeat, repeat the sounding joy.

3. No more let sins and sorrows grow,
nor thorns infest the ground:
he comes to make his blessings flow
far as the curse is found, far as the curse is found,
far as, far as the curse is found.

4. He rules the earth with truth and grace,
and makes the nations prove
the glories of his righteousness
and wonders of his love, and wonders of his love,
and wonders, wonders of his love.

*COMMISSIONING (KF)
Let us go now in peace and with confidence;
may God bless you with a holy joy
and gift you with open hearts to give and to receive blessing.
Go joyfully from this place to love and serve the Lord.

*BENEDICTION

*SUNG BLESSING: VU #424 - “May the God of Hope Go With Us” v. 1
1. May the God of hope go with us every day,
filling all our lives with love and joy and peace.
May the God of justice speed us on our way,
bringing light and hope to every land and race.
Praying, let us work for peace,
singing, share our joy with all,
working for a world that’s new,
faithful when we hear Christ’s call.