Advent 2020: Week 3: JOY

Hey friends! I'm looking forward to sharing a few words of JOY with you tonight. 

Here's this week's playlist:

Advent Week 3: JOY

And here's a bit of liturgy. Tune in to my instagram at 7 to read with me!

Lighting of  Advent Candles

Incarnate God

God who knows our humanity

who bears our grief

hears our worries  

and shoulders our burdens

Let us choose to rejoice today in your presence

to celebrate the glory of your coming to earth

to revel in the brilliance of your birth

like Mary, whose soul cried out in glee

and John, who leapt in his mother's womb

Let us sing, even dance

Though the world is weary

and our hearts stay heavy

We lay our burdens at your feet tonight

and lift our heavy heads to the heavens

Rejoicing with the angels

For your glory came to dwell with us

In your death we bury our sorrow

and in your resurrection seek the rebirth birth of our Joy.

Psalm 16

Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.

2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;

    I have no good apart from you.”

...

5 The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup;

    you hold my lot.

6 The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;

    indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

7 I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;

    in the night also my heart instructs me.[d]

8 I have set the Lord always before me;

    because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being[e] rejoices;

    my flesh also dwells secure.

10 For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,

    or let your holy one see corruption.[f]

11 You make known to me the path of life;

    in your presence there is fullness of joy;

    at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Habakuk 3:17-19

Though the fig tree should not blossom,

    nor fruit be on the vines,

the produce of the olive fail

    and the fields yield no food,

the flock be cut off from the fold

    and there be no herd in the stalls,

18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord;

    I will take joy in the God of my salvation.

19 God, the Lord, is my strength;

    he makes my feet like the deer's;

    he makes me tread on my high places.

John 16: 16-24

16 Jesus went on to say, “In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.”

17 At this, some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?” 18 They kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.”

19 Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, “Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me’? 20 Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. 21 A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. 22 So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. 23 In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.

Reading:

Chapter 21 of Honest Advent by Scott Erickson

A Sky Full of Children by Madeline L'Engle 

Closing Prayer:

God of Joy

Restore in us tonight and throughout this season

the Joy of our salvation

Break the barriers within us

the unhealthy walls we have built

within our spirits

the restraints that hold us back from true gladness

the binding lies that tell us we are anything but your beloved children

Change our hearts, oh God, from wells of bitterness and fear

to springs of gladness

streams of living water

fountains of freedom

overflowing with the fullness of your joy

Advent 2020 Week 2: PEACE

Well, friends. This week has been a crazy busy week, and I haven't had as much time to prepare a reading on Peace as I would have liked, but I'm showing up again on this second Sunday of Advent hoping that the God of Peace will calm my spirit a bit and meet us all where we are in the midst of this hectic season that for many of us is anything but peaceful!

Here's this week's playlist:

Advent Week 2: PEACE

And here's tonight's liturgy for you. Tune in to my instagram at 7 (just a few minutes) to read with me!

Lighting of the First and Second Advent Candles

God of Peace.

Still our hearts 

Which these days feel too weak and weary to welcome the beauty of your kingdom

Quiet our minds

Which stay awake too many nights worrying over unresolved conflicts

Comfort our spirits

As we wrestle with all that we do not understand about this world you created.

Remind us again of your command 

That we should not fear

For your child is born among us

And the whole earth is ruled

By the Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:2-8

2 [c] The people who walked in darkness

    have seen a great light;

those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,

    on them has light shone.

3 You have multiplied the nation;

    you have increased its joy;

they rejoice before you

    as with joy at the harvest,

    as they are glad when they divide the spoil.

4 For the yoke of his burden,

    and the staff for his shoulder,

    the rod of his oppressor,

    you have broken as on the day of Midian.

5 For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult

    and every garment rolled in blood

    will be burned as fuel for the fire.

6 For to us a child is born,

    to us a son is given;

and the government shall be upon[d] his shoulder,

    and his name shall be called[e]

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

7 Of the increase of his government and of peace

    there will be no end,

on the throne of David and over his kingdom,

    to establish it and to uphold it

with justice and with righteousness

    from this time forth and forevermore.

The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Matthew 2:2-23

2 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men[a] from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose[b] and have come to worship him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:

6 “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

for from you shall come a ruler

    who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” 9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. 12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

The Flight to Egypt

13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” 14 And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt 15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

Herod Kills the Children

16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:

18 “A voice was heard in Ramah,

    weeping and loud lamentation,

Rachel weeping for her children;

    she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”

The Return to Nazareth

19 But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead.” 21 And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. 23 And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.

Reading: 

Chapter 17 of Honest Advent by Scott Erickson

Christ's History and Ours by Gustavo Gutierrez

Closing Prayer:

Prince of Peace,

Fill us with your power and

Light within us the flame of justice and mercy

And show us where we are called

To bring your government of grace to earth

Liberate the captives

And break the chains of oppression

That we may see your kingdom of peace

On earth as it is in heaven