First Week in Advent - Hope
Hope
First Sunday in Advent
November 29th, 2020
Call to Worship
From Psalm 139
Reader 1: Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
Reader 2: If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
Reader 1: If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
even the darkness will not be dark to you;
Reader 2: The night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
Opening Prayer
Merciful God, give us grace that we might cast away the works of darkness by the power of your light. Remind us of the great gift of your Son, who was there when all things were created, who came and lived among creation, and who is with us now. Amen.
Scripture Reading
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:1-5, NIV
Reflection
As the seasons change, and the days are short and the nights long, we are reminded of the power of light. Light helps us see; it brings us joy; it provides warmth, gives life to the world, etc. When you consider God as light, what benefit do you experience God bringing to your life?
Psalm 30 says “Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” One way to think of hope is to trust that even if it is nighttime, morning will come. Hope is looking to the horizon when all is dark, trusting the sun will rise again. Is there a time in your life when you felt you were sitting in darkness and hope for the future sustained you?
Break it down for Kids
Have you ever been in a really dark room? How do you feel when it’s dark? Have you ever turned on a lamp in a dark room? How do your feelings change? How does light help us? God has often been compared to a light in the darkness. Did you know God is with you, even when it’s scary and dark? Just like you can turn on a light when it’s dark, we can pray to God and trust God is here for us.
Candle Lighting
Light candle #1
We light this candle to remind ourselves that no amount of darkness can overcome the light. When the night comes, we can look to the hills and see God’s light breaking through in the morning. May we never lose hope as we become people of light.
Carol
O Come, All Ye Faithful
O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem;
come and behold him born the King of angels;
Refrain: O come, let us adore him; O come, let us adore him;
O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord!
Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation,
sing, all ye citizens of heav'n above;
glory to God, all glory in the highest;
Refrain
Closing Prayer
Lord, help us to look for your light. Help us to trust that when life feels dark, it is not dark to you. You have not abandoned us, for there is nowhere we can go to escape your presence. In your Son’s holy name, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
