Prelude: Organ Voluntary
The Introit
Our King and Savior now draws near.
Come let us adore him.
The Lighting of the Advent Candles
Today is the Second Sunday of Advent and we will light the Candle of Peace. Last Sunday we lit the candle of hope. The light of peace and hope shine brightly in anticipation of Christ.
(Light the 1st and then the 2nd Candles)
God of power and mercy open our hearts in welcome. Remove the things that hinder us from receiving Christ with joy so that we may share his wisdom and become one with him when he comes in glory, for he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
The Procession
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (verses 1-4)
The Confession
Jesus said,
The first commandment is this: Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is the only Lord. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.
Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbour.
Most merciful God,
We confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.
Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you all your sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen you in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in eternal life.
Amen.
Trisagion
The Collect of the Day
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray.
Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
The Liturgy of the Word
The First Lesson: Isaiah 11:1-10
A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins.
The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder's den. They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19: Deus, judicium
1 Give the King your justice, O God, * and your righteousness to the King's Son;
2 That he may rule your people righteously * and the poor with justice;
3 That the mountains may bring prosperity to the people, * and the little hills bring righteousness.
4 He shall defend the needy among the people; * he shall rescue the poor and crush the oppressor.
5 He shall live as long as the sun and moon endure, * from one generation to another.
6 He shall come down like rain upon the mown field, * like showers that water the earth.
7 In his time shall the righteous flourish; * there shall be abundance of peace till the moon shall be no more.
18 Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, * who alone does wondrous deeds!
19 And blessed be his glorious Name for ever! * and may all the earth be filled with his glory. Amen.
The Second Lesson: Romans 15:4-13
Whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope. May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of the truth of God in order that he might confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written,
"Therefore I will confess you among the Gentiles, and sing praises to your name";
and again he says, "Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people"; and again, "Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples praise him"; and again Isaiah says, "The root of Jesse shall come, the one who rises to rule the Gentiles; in him the Gentiles shall hope."May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
The Sequence Hymn: Prepare the Way, O Zion, Page 22
The Gospel: Matthew 3:1-12
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.
Glory to you, Lord Christ.
In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’”
Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit worthy of repentance. Do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
“I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Christ.
The Sermon: The Rev’d. Hank Tuell
The Nicene Creed
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, Eternally begotten of the Father. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten not made, of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Prayers of the People
In joyful expectation of his coming to our aid we pray to Jesus.
Come to your Church as Lord and judge. We pray for Andrew, Allen and Mary our Bishops and for Hank our Priest. Help us to live in the light of your coming and give us a longing for your kingdom.Let us pray to the Lord.
Come, Lord Jesus and hear our prayer.
Come to your world as King of the nations. We pray for Joe our President, Kathy our Governor and Eric our Mayor. Before you rulers will stand in silence. Let us pray to the Lord.
Come, Lord Jesus and hear our prayer.
Come to the suffering as Savior and comforter. We pray for Dr. John Abraham, Harold Carrington, Gweneth Chase, Trevor Chase, Carole Cramer, George Cramer, Pat Deasey, Paul DeFelice, Francine Densieski, Arthur Elwell, Anthony Esposito, Henrietta Gowac, Dillon Gonzalez, Dice Grigg, Lillie Johnson, Pauline Johnson, Diane Khan, Chris Kilpert, and Robert Lane. Break into our lives, where we struggle with sickness and distress, and set us free to serve you forever. Let us pray to the Lord.
Come, Lord Jesus and hear our prayer.
Come to us as shepherd and guardian of our souls. Give us with all the faithful departed a share in your victory over evil and Death, especially Connie Serrano. Let us pray to the Lord.
Come, Lord Jesus and hear our prayer.
Come from heaven, Lord Jesus, with power and great glory. Lift us up to meet you, that with the Virgin Mary, Saint John and all your saints, we may live and reign with you in your new creation. Let us pray to the Lord.
Come, Lord Jesus and hear our prayer.
Come, Lord Jesus, do not delay; give new courage to your people, who trust in your love.
By your coming, raise us to share in the joy of your kingdom on earth as in heaven, where you live and reign with the Father and the Spirit, one God for ever and ever.
Amen.
The Peace
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
And also with you.
Let us offer one another a sign of peace.
The Announcements
Offertory Hymn:Hail to the Lord’s Anointed, Page 23
The Great Thanksgiving - A
The Sursum Corda
It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to give thanks to you, Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.
Here a Proper Preface is sung or said on all Sundays, and on other occasions as appointed.
Therefore we praise you, joining our voices with Angels and Archangels and with all the company of heaven, who for ever sing this hymn to proclaim the glory of your Name:
The Sanctus & Benedictus: S-114
Therefore we praise you, joining our voices with Angels and Archangels and with all the company of heaven, who for ever sing this hymn to proclaim the glory of your Name:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.
Holy and gracious Father: In your infinite love you made us for yourself; and, when we had fallen into sin and become subject to evil and death, you, in your mercy, sent Jesus Christ, your only and eternal Son, to share our human nature, to live and die as one of us, to reconcile us to you, the God and Father of all.
He stretched out his arms upon the cross, and offered himself, in obedience to your will, a perfect sacrifice for the whole world.
On the night he was handed over to suffering and death, our Lord Jesus Christ took bread; and when he had given thanks to you, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, and said, “Take, eat: This is my Body, which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.”
After supper he took the cup of wine; and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and said, “Drink this, all of you: This is my Blood of the new Covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me.”
Therefore we proclaim the mystery of faith: Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
We celebrate the memorial of our redemption, O Father, in this sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. Recalling his death, resurrection, and ascension, we offer you these gifts.
Sanctify them by your Holy Spirit to be for your people the Body and Blood of your Son, the holy food and drink of new and unending life in him. Sanctify us also that we may faithfully
receive this holy Sacrament, and serve you in unity, constancy, and peace; and at the last day bring us with all your saints into the joy of your eternal kingdom.
All this we ask through your Son Jesus Christ. By him, and with him, and in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit all honour and glory is yours, Almighty Father, now and for ever. Amen.
And now, as our Savior Christ has taught us, we are bold to say,
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
The Breaking of the Bread
The Fraction Anthem S-165
The Invitation
The gifts of God for the people of God.
The Communion
Communion Hymn: Jesus, Jesus
The Post Communion Prayer
Let us pray.
Eternal God, heavenly Father, you have graciously accepted us as living members of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ, and you have fed us with spiritual food in the Sacrament of his Body and Blood. Send us now into the world in peace, and grant us strength and courage to love and serve you with gladness and singleness of heart; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Blessing
Recessional: Hark a Thrilling Voice is Sounding
The Dismissal
Let us go forth into the world, rejoicing in the power of the Spirit.
Thanks be to God.
The Postlude: Organ Voluntary