Liturgy, Advent 2: The X(mas) Files: WHAT?, Isaiah 61:1-4/Luke 4:16-30 (December 10, 2023)

*You are welcome to use or adapt any of my resources for free, but I ask that you provide proper citation AND comment on this post to let me know.*

Hymns:

Hymn GTG #86, “The People Who Walked in Darkness”
Hymn GTG #90, “Wait for the Lord"
Hymn GTG #852, “When the Lord Redeems the Very Least”

Hymn GTG #772, “Live Into Hope”

*Call to Worship & Advent Wreath

Leader: We gather today in joyful anticipation of hearing the old, beloved stories of our faith. But familiarity can lead to complacency.
People: Prepare ye the way, listening anew with open ears and hearts!
Leader: Let us dig deeper into these holy words and ask, “What is this Messiah all about?”
People: Prepare ye the way, exploring the familiar with inquisitive minds and spirits.
Leader: [Lighting purple candle] As we listen, as we explore, as we prepare, we also wait.
People: Come, O Prince of Peace.


Call to Confession (based on Isaiah 61:3)

Leader: The prophet Isaiah says that those to whom the Anointed One is sent will be called oaks of righteousness – yet we are anything but. Let us confess our shortcomings in the confidence that God’s grace is sufficient to cover us all.


Popcorn Prayer of Confession (based on Luke 4:22, 28)

You are invited to speak a word or short phrase that describes a personal or collective sin of which you repent and seek forgiveness.

When the gathered community is finished sharing, we pray together:

People: O Divine Mystery, we are like Jesus’ fellow Nazarenes: we celebrate the Messiah’s message when we think it will benefit us, but we are filled with rage when we realize all that it demands of us. Your Good News is for us to share with all people, not to hoard for those just like us. Help us to hear your gospel as a divine challenge instead of divine approval, as a global mission instead of personal validation. In your mercy, hear our prayers…

(Silent prayers of personal confession)

Declaration of Forgiveness (based on Isaiah 61:2-3)

Leader: The Anointed One has been sent to comfort those who mourn, to give them the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit. With a spirit of praise, I proclaim to you: in Jesus Christ, we are forgiven!
People: Thanks be to God!