The Season of Advent | 2nd Sunday 10 Dec 2023
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Opening:
Blessed Lord, who caused all Holy Scriptures
to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn,
and inwardly digest them,
that by patience and the comfort of your holy Word
we may embrace and ever hold fast
the blessed hope of everlasting life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
“A voice cries out in the desert:
‘Prepare the way for the Lord!
Make his paths straight!’ ”
(Mark 1:3)
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Fairest Lord Jesus – with Phil Webb and the Grace Community Church Congregation
1.Fairest Lord Jesus, Ruler of all nature,
O Thou of God and man the Son;
Thee will I cherish, Thee will I honor,
Thou my soul’s glory, joy, and crown.
2.Fair are the meadows, fairer still the woodlands,
Robed in the blooming garb of spring;
Jesus is fairer, Jesus is purer,
Who makes the woeful heart to sing.
3.Fair is the sunshine, Fairer still the moonlight
And all the twinkling, stary host;
Jesus shines brighter, Jesus shines purer
Than all the angels heav’n can boast
4.Beautiful Savior, Lord of the nations,
Son of God and Son of Man!
Glory and honor, Praise, adoration,
Now and forevermore be Thine!
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From the Old Testament: Isaiah 40:1-11 (GW)
Comfort My People
40:1 “Comfort my people! Comfort them!” says your God.
“Speak tenderly to Jerusalem and announce to it
that its time of hard labor is over
and its wrongs have been paid for.
It has received from the Lord double for all its sins.”
A voice cries out in the desert:
“Clear a way for the Lord.
Make a straight highway in the wilderness for our God.
Every valley will be raised.
Every mountain and hill will be lowered.
Steep places will be made level.
Rough places will be made smooth.
Then the Lord’s glory will be revealed
and all people will see it together.
The Lord has spoken.”
A voice called, “Call out!”
I asked, “What should I call out?”
“Call out: All people are like grass,
and all their beauty is like a flower in the field.
Grass dries up,
and flowers wither when the Lord’s breath blows on them.
Yes, people are like grass.
Grass dries up,
and flowers wither,
but our God’s word will last forever.”
Go up a high mountain, Zion.
Tell the good news!
Call out with a loud voice, Jerusalem.
Tell the good news!
Raise your voice without fear.
Tell the cities of Judah:
“Here is your God!”
The Almighty Lord is coming with power
to rule with authority.
His reward is with him,
and the people he has won arrive ahead of him.
Like a shepherd he takes care of his flock.
He gathers the lambs in his arms.
He carries them in his arms.
He gently helps the sheep and their lambs.
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From Psalms: Psalm 85 – Second Sunday of Advent – Catholic Music Initiative
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From the Epistles: 2 Peter 3:8-15a (GW)
3:8 Dear friends, don’t ignore this fact: One day with the Lord is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. The Lord isn’t slow to do what he promised, as some people think. Rather, he is patient for your sake. He doesn’t want to destroy anyone but wants all people to have an opportunity to turn to him and change the way they think and act.
The day of the Lord will come like a thief. On that day heaven will pass away with a roaring sound. Everything that makes up the universe will burn and be destroyed. The earth and everything that people have done on it will be exposed.
All these things will be destroyed in this way. So think of the kind of holy and godly lives you must live as you look forward to the day of God and eagerly wait for it to come. When that day comes, heaven will be on fire and will be destroyed. Everything that makes up the universe will burn and melt. But we look forward to what God has promised—a new heaven and a new earth—a place where everything that has God’s approval lives.
Therefore, dear friends, with this to look forward to, make every effort to have him find you at peace, without ⌞spiritual⌟ stains or blemishes. Think of our Lord’s patience as an opportunity ⌞for us⌟ to be saved.
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Heaven And Earth – Hillsong Worship
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Gospel Reading: Mark 1:1-8 (GW)
John Prepares the Way
1:1 This is the beginning of the Good News about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
The prophet Isaiah wrote,
“I am sending my messenger ahead of you
to prepare the way for you.”
“A voice cries out in the desert:
‘Prepare the way for the Lord!
Make his paths straight!’ ”
John the Baptizer was in the desert telling people about a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. All Judea and all the people of Jerusalem went to him. As they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River.
John was dressed in clothes made from camel’s hair. He wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey.
He announced, “The one who comes after me is more powerful than I. I am not worthy to bend down and untie his sandal straps. I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
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The Violet Sanctus ~ Kathryn Miller
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+ 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, our heavenly Father, who, in your great mercy, has promised forgiveness of sins to all those who sincerely repent and with true faith turn to you, have mercy upon us, pardon and deliver us from all our sins, confirm and strengthen us in all goodness, and bring us to everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
+ Lord of Heaven’s Armies, we pray for swift and total victory over all evil in the Holy Land. Set free the hostages, and deliver from bondage every person captivated by the evil death cult terrorizing the Middle East. And finally, grant heavenly wisdom to those guiding Israel militarily, politically and diplomatically, as well as those who will restore Israel spiritually, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
+ Hasten, O Father, the coming of your kingdom; and grant that we your servants, who now live by faith, may with joy behold your Son at his coming in glorious majesty; even Jesus Christ, our only Mediator and Advocate. Amen.
Closing: FaithandWorship.com | John Birch
May the Lord, when he comes,
find us watching and waiting.
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you. I will remove your stubborn hearts and give you obedient hearts. I will put my Spirit in you. I will enable you to live by my laws, and you will obey my rules. Then you will live in the land that I gave your ancestors. You will be my people, and I will be your God.
They started to spread the Good News about the Lord Jesus to Greeks. The Lord’s power was with his followers, and a large number of people believed and turned to the Lord.
You imitated us and the Lord. In spite of a lot of suffering, you welcomed God’s word with the kind of joy that the Holy Spirit gives. This way, you became a model for all the believers in the province of Macedonia and Greece. From you the Lord’s word has spread out not only through the province of Macedonia and Greece but also to people everywhere who have heard about your faith in God. We don’t need to say a thing about it. They talk about how you welcomed us when we arrived. They even report how you turned away from false gods to serve the real, living God and to wait for his Son to come from heaven. His Son is Jesus, whom he brought back to life. Jesus is the one who rescues us from ⌞God’s⌟ coming anger.
Be alert at all times. Pray so that you have the power to escape everything that is about to happen and to stand in front of the Son of Man.”
The Peanut Gallery 