​December 11th, 2022 Worship Services "Is He the One? ” by Pastor Joyce  Chamberlin 
December 11, 2022
3rd Sunday of Advent
Gathering
 
MUSICAL OFFERING
 
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Covid protocols are beginning to be eased.  We begin to move beyond the Covid protections.  This morning the offering will be taken in the pews as our ushers pass the plates.  We will pause for the Passing of the Peace, but ask that you avoid shaking hands due to the virulent nature of the flu, as well as covid.  Communion for this day will continue as before with the pre-ordered communion kits.  We continue to ask any who are not vaccinated to please wear a mask for the protection of our more vulnerable members.
Fellowship.  Please join us after service for fellowship in Calvin Hall.
Annual Congregational Meeting will be held immediately following our worship.
Please join us for Worship on Christmas morning—9:30 AM
 
PRAYER REQUESTS:  Joan Pinkston, Dr. Dykstra, Harlan Marx, Karla Trude, Kolleen Klemmedson
 
PRELUDE
 
*CALL TO WORSHIP
 
L:  God is making the final preparations for an amazing thing!  Now is the Advent of the long-awaited Messiah, our bringer of hope, our Prince of Peace, our leader of love.
 
P:  We wait, we prepare, we make straight the way.
 
L:  We celebrate the coming of Christ with the lighting of the Advent candles.
 
P:  We are a people of hope, a people of peace, a people of love.
 
L:  At first there was the frail light of a single candle of hope, daring to pierce through the darkness of despair and sin,
 
P:  Then there was a candle of peace, the gentle and persistent fire, the one that calls out the violent forces and lets in God’s deep and tranquil Spirit.
 
L:  Today we light the candle of love.  No other word so adequately captures the spirit and goal of our faith.  No other word so completely describes what we know of our God.
 
P:  For God so loved the world….
 L;  For God so loved the world that a child was given.  A savior was made in the form of Love Incarnate.  And Love was allowed to live on….
 
P:  We gather, then, in Christian Love;
 
L:  We give thanks for a love that passes understanding, and we await the dawning of God’s pervasive and enduring love once more this Christmas season.  Amen.
 
Lighting the candles of Hope, Peace and Love.
 
*GATHERING PRAYER
 
We come, Gracious Lord, to be awakened from our lethargy, to be roused from the dullness of our routine, to be filled with the assurance of your hope and life.  May our eyes be opened this day as you set prisoners free and lift those who are bowed down.  Happy are we for the God of Jacob is our help.  Amen
 
*HYMN O Come, All Ye Faithful #41   (You may be seated.)
 
CALL TO CONFESSION
 
Along with the Holy Family, we travel the roads to Bethlehem.  Soon we will be seeking the stable that houses a savior.  Let us prepare our souls for the coming of our Christ.  Please join me in confessing our shortcomings and failings to our God of peace that we, too, might become a part of God’s healing this season.
 
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
 
Precious Lord.  How busy we are preparing for your entrance into our world!  Buying gifts, baking cookies, decorating and planning our parties.  We hardly have time to reflect upon the meaning of your arrival.  Forgive us for the mundane busyness which keeps our hearts and minds from the important work of the season.  Forgive us for concentrating on our own agenda instead of asking how we can join with your spirit of love. Help us to rejoice with the angels and to do our part to make peace on earth a reality in our world.  Amen.
 
WORDS OF ASSURANCE
 
The angels’ songs floated above the hillside.  It came to everyday shepherds who, like us, had failed and fallen short of God’s design.  God announced his greatest joy to these sinners!  Today the grace of God still falls on sinful souls, and his forgiveness still opens doors of healing and love. This is the gift of the season.  Let us receive God’s grace and know we are forgiven. Amen
 
SONG OF PRAISE     Gloria Patri     #579
 
PASSING THE PEACE
      May the peace of Christ be with you.
     And also with you.   (Please take a moment to greet one another.)
 
INTERLUDE
 
Word
 
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
 
O Lord, we too ask, “Are you the one?”  As we prepare to hear the scriptures and to consider your word this day, whisper into our hearts.  Assure us again that in you hope and healing blooms forth in our world.  Let us open our hearts to you, Loving Savior.  Amen.
 
SCRIPTURE LESSONS          Luke 1: 46 – 55  NRSV
 
And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior,
for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. 
He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly;
He has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,
According to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”
Matthew 11:2-22  NRSV
 
When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples, and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?”   Jesus answered them,
“Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them.  And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.”
 
 
As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John:  “What did you go out into the wilderness to look at?  A reed shaken by the wind?  What then did you go out to see?  Someone dressed in soft robes?  Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. What then did you go out to see?  A prophet?  Yes, I tell you and more than a prophet.  This is the one about whom it is written,
 
       ‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
        Who will prepare your way before you.’
 
Truly I tell you, among those born of women, no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”
 
SERMON:                                  Is He the One?
“Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?”  Doesn’t that seem a strange questions coming from John the Baptist?  After all, it was John who encountered Jesus out in the wilderness at the Jordan River.  At that point Jesus had come to be baptized.  John replied, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”  John had recognized Jesus as being that one about whom he had previously spoken, “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.”
Jesus was known to John then.  He was the Messiah sent from God!  What happened?  Why the question now?
But if we consider John’s experiences, maybe it’s not so strange.  It’s the difference between the theoretical that is expected and the lived experience.  On a theoretical basis, John recognized Jesus as the Messiah, the one God had promised who would come to save the people.  The Spirit of God had given him that insight even before he was born.  When John’s mother, Elizabeth saw her cousin, Mary, approaching the baby in this older woman’s womb jumped for joy.  Even before their birth the two knew one another and God’s intent.  We don’t know if those two boys knew one another in their growing up years, but when John was out at the Jordan River, preaching, proclaiming, calling for repentance, Jesus arrived.  At that point the Spirit once again interceded to make John aware of Jesus’ identity.
But that was some time ago.  A lot had happened since then.  The paths of these two men of God had gone in different directions. Perhaps John was aware of some of Jesus’ doings—maybe not.
But John’s own situation had changed dramatically.  We learn from the Gospels of Mark and Luke that John had come afoul of King Herod. John had criticized the king for marrying his brother’s wife!  And for that he’d gotten thrown into jail.  We can assume that jail was not a comfortable place to be.  Mark tells us that Herod liked to listen to John, so he had that going for him, but not much else.
I’ve not been to jail, but I would imagine there’s a lot of time to think—to second guess one’s self.  He perhaps wondered if things were happening in accord to God’s design.  In other words, did he get it right in proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah? John had a very specific idea of who the Messiah would be and what he would do.  Baptize with fire.  Judging and dividing the wheat from the chaff, burning that chaff with unquenchable fire.  Those were the predictions of John.  Do you hear judgement, even harsh judgement?  Do you hear that this Messiah would have the power to make himself known to all of Judea?
But that didn’t seem to be what was going on.  If John knew anything about Jesus’ ministry thus far, it was about a sermon preached to crowds of people on a mountainside.  He might have heard that Jesus had called disciples, was going about healing people, cleansing a leper, raising a little girl to life or restoring sight to two blind men. Where, he might ask was the fire, the judgement, the power to make all of Judea turn back to God and repent of their sins?
“Are you the one or should we wait for another?”  It’s a very real question and aren’t we still asking it?
We live in a world where God is mentioned more as an exclamation, “OH GOD!” or as a curse than as a loving force that has any claim upon our lives.  If we start talking about God at our card club or at Kiwanis, they will think we’ve gone over the edge!
But that’s not the case with John. He’s in the God business.  Claiming God and working to bring in God’s kingdom is his life mission.  He’s in jail.  Jesus is out in the world but not acting as John had expected.  So this servant of the Lord grows impatient.  “Are you the one or should we wait for another?”
But do you hear how Jesus answers?  There’s not a succinct, “I am he.”  Instead he tells John’s disciples to return and report what they have heard and seen.  “The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised and the poor have good new brought to them.”  And finally, “Blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.”
Jesus is asking John to carefully consider the words of Isaiah as that prophet defined what the servant of the Lord would be and do. And what is that?  From Isaiah 61:  “The Lord has anointed me; He has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Jesus invites all of us to consider what it means that the Messiah has come.  That’s how we will know him—when we see these things being done in Christ’s name.  They are centered, not in judgement and vengeance, but in caring, love, relationship and justice.
That’s still how we recognize Jesus in our midst.  And the people who recognize Jesus as Savior and Lord will be about these things!  That’s the beauty of this season.  It’s a time when people are especially aware of caring for those in our community.  Toys for Tots, An angel tree gift to adopt a child or family to give them some important things that they need, the many food drives to make sure that people have a nice meal at Christmas, donations to our favorite charities, time spent volunteering on behalf of our community.  These are things that mark the season, but perhaps they should be things that mark our lives in general as disciples of Jesus Christ.
That’s what Mary’s song lifts, I think.  This young maiden who has lived a righteous life  is chosen to do a VERY difficult thing.  To bear the Son of God when all those around her are lifting eyebrows, assuming that this unmarried girl who finds herself pregnant has committed a sin that in many circles would have gotten her kicked out of the community if not stoned to death at the city gate!  How frightening that must have been!  She will live in the shadow of that suspicion her whole life while also trying to do her best by this son who was destined to bring God’s love into our world.
Mary in the midst of this traumatic news sings a song of praise which also defines what her baby son would be and do.  “My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” She has a choice to make.  God has invited her to offer her body and her future to his cause, but she can say, “No thank you.”  God always gives us a choice.  She accepts the invitation and proclaims as she repeats what she has heard from the Angel Gabriel. “Future generations will call me blessed because God has done great things for me.” How frightening that must have been, but she moves forward into God’s plan for her.  Then she lists the ways this event, this baby will right the wrongs of society.  That;s the focus, not about making her life comfortable.
God has shown strength with his arm.
He’s scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.  ( in other words, he has cast them into confusion.)
He’s brought down the powerful from thrones while lifting up the lowly.  (There’s a sharing of resources and blessings.)
He’s filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty.  (Maybe they need to understand what it feels like!)
And He’s helped Israel according to the promises made to Abraham and his descendants.
Isn’t Mary’s song about God fulfilling the promises he made, not only to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but also by the prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Micah, Amos and them all.
God will re-order society.  God will bring about a more just society.   God will wipe away tears and offer healing and hope.  And not just to those who have resources.  God will send his Son to be the resource for millions!  This baby who will form inside of Mary will call all of us to be a part of God’s care for our world.
That’s what this baby whom Mary will bring into our world will be all about.  That was what Jesus asked John’s disciples to report back to their boss.
And when we ask, “What is this time of year all about?  What are we to be about as the people of Jesus Christ? These things become our agenda, too.
Peace on Earth.  That was the angels’ songs.  But peace on earth isn’t a magic thing that transforms us into calm and caring souls overnight.  Peace on earth arrives when all God’s people, folks from every corner of the earth have the things they need for life and well-being.  Peace comes when the distribution of resources is such that everyone gets a piece of the pie—maybe not a completely equal piece, but a piece that offers life.
Jesus arrives into our world to offer that peace and hope and healing.
Jesus, are you the one?  Of course he’s the one.  That’s what our faith tells us.  That’s what John’s disciples reported back to him once they had an opportunity to think about it.  That’s what we are called to be about.
John might have been the first to ask the question, but it’s been asked millions of times throughout the ages.  It continues to be asked, and now we come together to live that answer.  To be a part of God’s healing and hope in our world to sing our own songs of praise and peace into our community.  Come Lord, Jesus.  Amen.
 
   
 
*HYMN                                  Gentle Mary Laid Her Child                                         #27
(You may be seated.)
 
Eucharist
CALL TO OFFERING
 
RECEIVING OUR GIFTS
 
PRAYER OF THANKS AND COMMITTAL
 
*DOXOLOGY Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow #592
 
*HYMN                                  We Come as Guests Invited #517
(You may be seated.)
 
INVITATION TO THE LORD’S TABLE
 
THE GREAT THANKSGIVING
 
Leader: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
 
People:  Emmanuel, Messiah, Savior, Lord, Jesus.
 
Leader:  All of these names and titles are for the Son of God who comes to us, a people who walk in darkness.
 
People: You come, O Lord, to shine the light of God into our lives and to offer us the gift of joy and peace and fulfillment.
 
Leader:  From the stable in Bethlehem, lit with starlight, filled with the wonder of shepherds, you journeyed through the land spreading God’s love to all who would receive you.  For our sins you suffered.  For our failings you were nailed to that cross on Golgotha.  But God lifted you from the grave and now you come to us, your people where ever we gather in your name, even to this small church in Clinton, Iowa.
 
People:  Come, Lord Jesus to this place, to this table, to our messed up, upside down lives.
 
Leader:  Come, Lord Jesus and offer to us that peace that was promised so long ago.
 
People:  We come to your table eagerly, and we joyfully drink from the cup of life.  We feast on the bread which is your body broken for us.
 
Leader:  Help us to stop and listen.  Help us to hear you in the silence of our hearts.  Help us to release our tight grip upon the illusion of our control.
 
People: We invite you to take the reins of our lives. Help us to sing your praise and to follow where you will lead us, always knowing your presence along the way,
 
Leader:  Welcome Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
 
People:  Welcome Emmanuel, Messiah, Savior, Lord, Jesus.  
 
All:  Thank you, Lord.  Amen
 
RECEIVING THE BREAD AND CUP
 
COMMUNION PRAYER
 
LORD’S PRAYER
 
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.
Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors;
and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, now and forever. Amen.
 
HYMN Joy  To the World #40
 
Sending Forth
*CHARGE & BLESSING
 
*POSTLUDE
 
* Sections of the service preceded with * are times to stand if you are able to do so.
Bold text is to be read together aloud as a congregation.
Presbyterians practice open communion which means anyone who seeks to be in a relationship with Christ is welcome at the table regardless of denomination, age, or status. The communion elements are already in your pew, and you will be instructed when to eat the wafer and when to drink the juice.
 
 
 

December 4, 2022
SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT
Gathering

MUSICAL OFFERING

ANNOUNCEMENTS
Let me remind you quickly of our protocols for everyone’s safety.                    
· Attendance was taken by Ushers as you entered.
· Masks are required by those not vaccinated  as well as social distancing
· Offerings may be placed in the plate by the doors.
· Please write your prayer request on the Yellow cards.  An usher will pick them up during the 1st hymn.
· Please join us after service for fellowship in Calvin Hall
We will be Hosting the Santa Clause event December 3rd along with the Gateway Community Center.
Also mark your calendars for December 11th for our annual meeting right after church in the sanctuary.

PRAYER REQUESTS  Bob Bock, Joan Boyd, Wanda Hirl, Marilyn Neymeyer, Joan Pinkston, Maxine Wagner, Annette Conzett, Jo Lefleur  Judy Welcher, Dr Dyke, Harlan Marx, Lois Seger, Jon Ryner, Abagail Niles, Helanah Niles, Kay Werner, Ukraine, Arlene Pawlik, Angela and Tristan, Bonnie Pillers, Deb Weller and Joyce  Chamberlin and family as they mourn the passing of her father.

PRELUDE

LIGHTING THE ADVENT CANDLES
L:  The season of Advent continues.  Four thousand years of waiting for the Messiah, commemorated by the lighting of four candles.
P: We join with a hopeful throng in the lighting of the Advent candles, symbols of our faith and signs of God’s love.
L: We are a people of hope.  Last Sunday the frail light of a single candle dared to pierce through the darkness of desolation and sin.
P:  Hope lives in us and will abide with us.
L:  Today we will light the candle of peace.
P:  This light, too, must brave great darkness.
L:  In an age when people so seldom find peace within themselves, and when all the earth stands under threat of total annihilation, we light a fire called peace.
P:  Peace that is not merely the absence of war and conflict, but peace that is the fullness of blessing for all--that is the peace for which we dare to hope.
L:  The Christ comes to bring peace to those who have been separated from God and one another.
P:  In the name of that Child born so long ago, we light the candle of peace as we also seek to follow Christ’s teaching lifting up our hope for peace for our world today.
Lighting the candles of Hope and Peace

*GATHERING PRAYER
We come to worship today bearing the Hope of Advent in our hearts. We come seeking Peace not only for our own spirits but for our world that envy, strife, and discord may cease. We come to find the light that still shines in the darkness dispersing our gloomy clouds and dark shadows. As we worship, Emmanuel, may your light and peace fill us to overflowing, that we may offer hope to those around us. Amen.
*HYMN O Come, O Come, Emmanuel #9
(You may be seated.)

CALL TO CONFESSION Philippians 1:9-11
9 I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. 10 For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. 11 May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God.

PRAYER OF CONFESSION 
Let us confess our sins and weaknesses to the Son of God. 
Lord Jesus, this is the season when we expect love to overflow as we reach out to help our neighbors, give to charities, bring gifts and goods to our family and friends. But this is also the season when we feel overwhelmed, overtired, overcommitted, and overspent. Help us to truly understand what is MOST important as the scripture says, and to let go of that which is unnecessary or not helpful. Let our character, our actions, and our words speak of your goodness and bring you much praise and glory. Amen.

WORDS OF ASSURANCE Philippians 1:6 
I’m convinced that God, who began this good work in you, will carry it through to completion on the day of Christ Jesus. 
Through Christ we are forgiven.  Thanks be to God!
 
SONG OF PRAISE Gloria Patri #579

PASSING THE PEACE 
(Please greet those around you as we all say these words in unison.)
May the peace of Christ be with you. And also with you. 

INTERLUDE
Word

PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
As we come before you, Prince of Peace, may our ears and minds and hearts be open to your Word for us this day.

OLD TESTAMENT LESSON Malachi 3:1-4, NIV 
“I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty.

2 But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, 4 and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years.

GOSPEL LESSONS Matthew 3:1-12 
3 In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, 2 ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’3 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.”’
4 Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan, 6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.7 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? 8 Bear fruit worthy of repentance. 9 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. 10 Even now the axe 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.11 ‘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. 12 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.’
SERMON                                                 Be Alert!

I was in 7th grade when my Sunday School teacher asked if our class would assist with a dinner that the church was hosting.  Pouring coffee, picking up dirty dishes, helping people carry their tray.  These were the types of things with which we could help.  It sounded like fun and I was in!  
After the meal everyone was invited to the sanctuary where a new film was to be shown.  “A Thief in the Night.”  I still remember the name.  Trauma can do that to a person!  The film was presented from the perspective of a teen aged girl.  Her dad was shaving in the bathroom and Mom was making pancakes, but suddenly they were gone.  Just vanished.  The electric razor still hummed in the sink.  Pancakes bubbled on the griddle, but her parents were no where.  All over the city it was the same.  Cars had crashed because the driver had vanished.  The newspaper stand was vacant.  People were rushing around looking for a friend or parent.  And then the story got REALLY scary with all that happened next.  I was so happy to see my Mom when she came to pick me up.
That night I lay in my bed thinking about that movie.  At one point I snuck to my parents’ bedroom just to make sure they were still there. Whew, they were!  
The movie presented “The Rapture,” which is only two verses in our reading for today, “Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left.  Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. And then the admonishment:  Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.”  It’s a concept that has tickled people’s imaginations for centuries.  It’s spawned movies like the Left Behind series, and it has frightened many—including my 7th grade self!
But I want to suggest that this fear is not a very good vehicle for teaching God’s love, or for helping people to offer their lives to Jesus Christ.  We can’t scare people into belief! But eventually that fear goes away and so does their commitment to Christ.   We can’t scare them into a relationship with our Lord.  
I don’t think that was Matthew’s purpose for writing this, though.  By the time he wrote the story of Christ, his world had already been turned upside down.  A Jewish revolt had attempted to force Rome to abandon their iron grip on Judea and Jerusalem.  But Rome had too much to lose if they allowed this one small region to rebel.  It would encourage other people to take up arms.  So Rome stomped on the Jewish people like one might stomp on a bug.  They sent armed forces in massive numbers, and the city was obliterated.  The temple was destroyed, and people were slaughtered.  The survivors fled the land, leading to what is called the diaspora.  The scattering of both Jews and Christians.  (Of course this was what allowed the Christian faith to spread to other lands!)
Matthew was writing to those Christians who were suffering from the persecution they were experiencing at the hands of the Jews.  You, see the Jews believed that God had allowed this catastrophe because he was unhappy that these Christians had lifted Jesus as one who was equal with God—in spite of the absolute rule that God’s people should have only one God. 
“Hold the faith,” Matthew warned, and he lifted words from Jesus that not only predicted the chaos and persecution they were now experiencing, but which also promised that Christ would return to welcome the faithful into a new Kingdom of righteousness and love.  
This chapter is a treatise in how to be a Christian in times when all the forces seem to be against the faithful.  How to trust that God has even this crisis in hand and can manage it.  That’s the key that people needed. They needed it then, and don’t we need it now, too?
So what do we take from these verses?  After all, it’s been over 2000 years and Jesus has not yet returned, at least not in the manner predicted here.  Does that mean he’s not going to return?  There’s been no rapturing away of millions of people in the blink of an eye.  At least not in supernatural ways.
I want to suggest that Jesus’ first appearance in our world might give us a hint.  People had been waiting for a Messiah, one who would come in the likeness of King David to reclaim the throne and bring peace and justice to God’s people.  They had been waiting for a very long time.
But do you notice that instead of charging in with an army of angels, Jesus arrived into our world in the most unlikely way—a tiny baby who had no cradle or comfortable nursery.  He was born in a stable.  He was greeted by shepherds, the despised of the day.  He was offered gifts by gentiles, men who would never be accepted in a good Jewish Synagogue.
God’s son came to us quietly, unobtrusively, under the radar and without fanfare.   If people weren’t paying attention they might never have recognized him for the Messiah which God had promised.  But lucky for you and I, some of them were paying attention!
Is it possible that Jesus’ second arrival comes in a similar way?  Is it possible that he comes to us quietly, individually by virtue of the people we meet, the experiences we encounter, the love we feel and the questions we ask?  And then, if we are paying attention, if we discern Christ’s presence, then we are invited to be a part of that presence in our world.  We’re invited to share God’s love with others so they, too, can experience Jesus’ arrival.  They, too, can see the way he transforms our world.  It’s a divine pyramid plan in the most positive kind of way.  1 becomes 2, become 4, becomes 8, becomes 16, becomes 32 and so forth.  It might not be as dramatic as in the movies, but doesn’t it feel more Christ-like?  More loving?  More respectful of our right to say no thank you? 
These passages offer us important words.  Our response to Christ’s arrival is SO vital.  We can’t go on as before—or as if nothing has changed.  Our lives have been changed.  The trajectory has shifted.  Now our goal is to live Christ’s love and graciousness.  Now we are called to be a part of the peace that is God’s desire for our world.
Isaiah lifts up an image in which Jerusalem and the temple become the epicenter of God’s activity. People from all over the world stream to the Temple to learn, to absorb this holiness, to get direction for their lives.  “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob that he may teach us his ways, and that we may walk in his paths.”
What would it be like to substitute First United Presbyterian Church for the mountain of God?  It would go like this, “Come let us go to First United Presbyterian church, the place of our Lord’s Spirit, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.”  How does that sound to you?
There might have been a time when people would wander in our doors just because we are a church in the community, and it was assumed that this would be a place of God.  But that time is no more. Our culture has shifted.  Now we need to demonstrate to people that the Spirit can be found here.  We need to be about the work of Christ that invites others to come and experience Jesus here.  That means not only taking care of one another, but also working to lift up hurting people out there.
This church has decided to call a full time pastor.  To make that feasible, we need to grow our congregation into a size that better fits this wonderful building that has been gifted to us.  To invite people into these doors means we have to show them that we have something to offer, something that they need, something that is precious and will help them grow into Christ.
The first thing we can offer is community.  To walk with one another, to support one another, to be present together in the struggles of life, to celebrate together and to ask questions together, to laugh and to cry and to know that these others have our back.  That they will go out of their way to be there for us when we need them.  People crave community and we live in a world where community can be a hard thing to find.  Jesus said love one another and this is exactly what he’s talking about.  We need to practice community and work at enjoying and loving one another.
The second thing people want is a way to offer their gifts to make a difference in our world.  People want to be relevant.  They want to make a difference in people’s lives, to leave a positive impression on our world.  To be a part of something good and joyful and healing is a wonderful blessing for us.  When we offer those opportunities in the name of Jesus Christ, we are giving a gift even as we receive a gift.  It fills hearts and souls.  It makes our community a better place for us all.
We have the ability to be that mountain of the Lord, but it will take all of us.   It will require that we step out of our comfort zone and offer something special and sacred to our neighbors.  It means we open ourselves to God’s Spirit and experience Jesus a little more surely in our own lives.
And if we can do this, we will become a part of Christ’ arrival here in Clinton, Iowa.  We will know the joy of the kingdom in which mechanisms of war are transformed into tools that sustain our lives and our community.
Let’s be alert.   Let’s watch.  Let’s prepare ourselves to be a part of Christ’s coming. He comes as a babe in a manger.  He comes as a force for goodness and life.  May we be a part of his arrival and in the process blessing abound and peace grows and blooms.
Come Lord Jesus.
Amen.
 
 

 
*HYMN Benedictus #601
(You may be seated.)
 
PASTORAL PRAYER
 
LORD’S PRAYER
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.
Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors;
and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, now and forever. Amen.
 
OFFERING OUR LIVES
As we move through this Advent season, may we be mindful of those in need around us, that we might be your messengers of hope and help. Amen.
 
*DOXOLOGY Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow #592
 
*AFFIRMATION OF FAITH
L: It is through Christ’s reconciling work that we are the church,
united to God and to other believers.
 
P: As the church, we are the salt of the earth. We are the light of the world.
 
L: We are entrusted with the message of reconciliation in and through Jesus Christ.
 
P: As the church, we are witnesses by both word and deed.
 
L: We proclaim the new heaven and the new earth, in which righteousness dwells.
 
P: As the church, we proclaim that God’s life-giving Word and Spirit
has conquered sin and death.
 
L: God conquers irreconcilation, hatred and bitterness.
 
P: As the church, God’s life-giving Word and Spirit enable us to live in a new obedience, God opens new possibilities of life for society and the world.
 
All: We declare ourselves ready to venture out on the road of obedience and reconciliation-- servants of the God who wishes to bring about justice and true peace among people.*
 
*HYMN Go, Tell It on the Mountain #29
(You may be seated.)
 
Sending Forth
 
​ 
*CHARGE & BLESSING              
 
POSTLUDE
 
* Sections of the service preceded with * are times to stand if you are able to do so.
Bold text is to be read together aloud as a congregation.
The Affirmation of Faith was written by Barbara Hedges-Goettl and included in worship resources for the Belhar Confession on the Presbyterian Church USA website under Office of the General Assembly.