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IlluminateGo Light Your World!Advent Worship Series – Week 2Love with the LightDecember 8, 2013WORSHIP SERVICE OUTLINESEach worship outline contains all elements needed for your worship service. The order of each service presented is only a suggestion. No doubt changes will be needed to accommodate the flow and worship style of your corps. The outlines are flexible and allow opportunities to “cut and paste” as needed. If you are blessed with instrumental or vocal music resources, you may find there is more structured material here than needed. Please include the headings of each section in your bulletin.Announcements and OfferingDrama – The Bachelorette The Candle of LoveThe Candles of AdventReader 1: Last Sunday we lit the first candle in our Advent wreath, the prophecy candle, which is the candle of hope. We light it again as we remember that Christ, who was born in Bethlehem, will come again to fulfill all of God’s promises to us. [A person lights the HOPE candle.]Reader 2: The second candle of Advent, the Bethlehem candle, is the candle of love. God’s love is a perfect love. He holds nothing back. God, in love, gives us everything we need to live a life of hope and peace.Reader 1: The Bible says, “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16, NKJV).? God comes in Jesus to show us his perfect love.Reader 2: “Love is kind and patient, never jealous, boastful, proud, or rude. Love isn’t selfish or quick tempered. It doesn’t keep a record of wrongs that others do. Love rejoices in the truth, but not in evil. Love is always supportive, loyal, hopeful, and trusting” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7, CEV).?Reader 1: Love never ends. We light the candle of love to remind us that Jesus brings us God’s love and shows us how to love others. [A person lights the LOVE candle.]Reader 2: Love is like a light shining in a dark place. As we look at this candle, we celebrate the love we find in Jesus Christ.Reader 1: Let us pray: “Thank you, God, for the love you give us. We ask that as we wait for all your promises to come true, and for Christ to come again, that you would remain present with us. Help us today and every day to worship you, to hear your word, and to do your will by sharing your love with each other. We ask it in the name of the One who was born in Bethlehem. Amen.” * Adapted from Gary Lee Waller, Celebrations and Observances of the Church Year (Kansas City: Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City, 2009), 89-94.? Scripture quotations marked NKJV are from the New King James Version (NKJV). Copyright ? 1979, 1980, 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission.? Scripture quotations marked CEV are from the Contemporary English Version ? (CEV), copyright ? by American Bible Society, 1991, 1992. Used by permission.HC#121 – Joyful, Joyful SB#39 – Joyful, joyful, we adore TheeHC-121TB-367 - EuropeHCD11–T11HTD3-T11 (4 vs.)Additional Optional SongsSB#103 – Christians awake, salute the happy mornTB-476 – sameHTD10-T1 (3 vs.)SB#113 – Joy to the world! TB-87 – Joy to the World!HTD4-T9 (3 vs.)SB#262 – Love divine, all loves excellingTB-370 – HyfrydolTB-361 – BlaenwernHTD1-T14 (3 vs.)HTD5-T3 (3 vs.)Call to Worship: This week two flames appear on the Advent wreath, hope and love. Our anticipation begins to build knowing that the Light of God is increasing and the darkness is decreasing. The brightness of the two flames is a sign that together as the family of God we are beacons of love to the chaotic seas of our world as we prepare to celebrate the coming of our Savior.God’s love for us began before we were ever created. In the midst of God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—love is eternal and infinite. All things were created out of God’s love. So God called all creation good.Humans marred the goodness of creation by rejecting God. Our angry “No!” to God didn’t sidetrack his plan. In love, God came into this world and pursued us to the point of death, even death on a cross. It is the love of God that illuminates our world in Christ Jesus, our Lord, and fills us with the responsibility to love our neighbor as ourselves. (Illuminate: An Advent Experience, page 32)HC#89 – Knowing YouSB#565 – All I once held dear,HC-89TB-725 – Knowing YouHCD7-T19Additional Optional SongsSB#124 – Silent night! Holy night! TB-842 – Stille NachtHTD4-T15 (3 vs.)HC#72 – EmmanuelHC-72HCD6-T12Children’s Moment: A Voice in the Wilderness [See “Children’s Moment” after drama script. The idea is the same as the Responsive Scripture. Do not use both the Children’s Moment and the Responsive Scripture.]John the Baptist Prepares the WayResponsive Scripture: Leader:Instead of having angels, shepherds, or wise men prepare us for Christmas, the gospel of Mark gives us a weather-beaten prophet wearing camel-hair clothes and a leather belt. This desert prophet, known as John the Baptizer, is the first person Mark wants us to meet as he gets ready to tell us the good news. Mark spends no time at all on the stories of the first Christmas. There is simply this announcement:All:1The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, 2?as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “I will send my messenger ahead of you,who will prepare your way”— 3?“a voice of one calling in the wilderness,Leader:Mark does not get to Jesus right away because he wants us to pay attention to John’s preaching. Standing knee deep in the turbid waters of the Jordan River, John calls out to the crowds gathered along its banks…All:‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’”Leader:John’s message is an urgent call to make our relationship with God our first priority. All:4?And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5?The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. 6?John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. Leader:Clearly John’s message is a great Christmas message after all—the God people have been seeking is about to come looking for them. Because he is coming, they need to be ready, and the only way to be ready is to declare publicly their confession by the baptism of repentance. And this was his message: All:7?“After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8?I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” Leader:John knows that what he is doing is not about himself. His is the voice in the wilderness of our busy and chaotic lives, calling us to get ready for the great coming of God—to prepare our hearts to receive the One who is Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. The scriptures that illuminate the mysteries of Christmas urge us to find this place of confession and repentance. So we listen to this desert prophet, the Baptizer, the most unlikely of Christmas characters. We get on with the business of straightening things up in our lives only to discover that the One who is coming is already here.(Illuminate: An Advent Experience, pages 28-30, Mark 1:1-8, NIV)HC#169 – HallelujahHC-169HCD15-T19Additional Optional SongsHC#110 – He is HereHC-110HCD9-T20Advent Prayers – Members of the congregation read the following prayers concluding with the Pastoral Prayer.Prayer #1:Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. (Psalm 25:4-5)Prayer #2:Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep. O Lord, you preserve both man and beast. How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings. (Psalm 36:5-7)Prayer #3:Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love. (Psalm 31:16)Prayer #4:Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell. (Psalm 43:3)Pastoral PrayerMessage: Love with the LightHC#120 – In the MangerHC-120HCD10-T20Additional Optional SongsHC#139 – There is a MessageHC-139HCD12-T19SB#153 – Thou didst leave thy throne and thy kingly crown TB-94 – MargaretHTD10 –T6 (4 vs.)Benediction: Women:Light of light, we humbly pray, shine upon your world today. Break the gloom of our dark night and fill our souls with love and light.Men:Redeemer, come, with us abide. Our hearts to you we open wide. Let us your inner presence feel; your grace and love in us reveal.All:Come, O long expected Jesus, born to set your people free. From our fears and sins release us, and let us find our rest in you. (Illuminate: An Advent Experience, pages 33-39)Go Light Your WorldHC#140 – O Come, All Ye FaithfulSB#116 – O come, all ye faithfulHC-140TB-496 – Adeste FidelesHCD12-T20HTD3 –T1 (3 vs.)Additional Optional SongsHC#151 – Fairest Lord JesusSB#77 – Fairest Lord JesusHC-151TB-206 - AscalonHCD14-T11HTD5-T1 (3 vs.)Song: Go Light Your World (The Candle Song)By Chris Rice, published by Word Music (SATB – 0 80689 1407 3)There is a candle in every soul Some brightly burning, some dark and cold And there is a spirit who brings a fire Ignites a candle and makes his home Carry your candle, and run to the darkness Seek out the helpless, confused and torn And hold out your candle for all to see it Take your candle, and go light your world Take your candle, and go light your world Frustrated brother, see how he's tried to Light his own candle some other way See now your sister, she's been robbed and lied to Still holds a candle without a flame 'Cause we are a family whose hearts are blazing So let's raise our candles and light up the sky Praying to our Father, in the name of Jesus Make us a beacon in darkest timesIlluminate – Week #2DRAMAThe BacheloretteBy Martyn Scott Thomas? Copyright 2012 by Martyn Scott Thomas. All rights reserved. Used by ic:LoveScripture:John 15:9-16Synopsis:A bachelorette tries to decide between two eligible bachelors.Characters:Nichole – the BacheloretteBrad – Bachelor #1Jesus – Bachelor #2Props/Costumes:Three stools. Casual dress. A white shirt or jacket for Jesus.Setting:Nichole’s stool should be set to one side. She should not look at the bachelor’s (as if a dividing screen is up).Running time:4 minutes[Nichole is seated stage left and Brad and Jesus are seated stage right. They should face forward throughout the sketch.]Nichole:Hello bachelors, my name is Nichole. Give me your best greeting.Bachelor 1:Well Nichole, this is Bachelor number one and by the sound of your voice, I’d say heaven is definitely missing an angel.Nichole:How sweet. Bachelor number two?Bachelor 2:Nichole, I’ve been waiting a long time for us to meet. I look forward to a long and meaningful relationship.Nichole:[impressed] Ooh. My heart just melted a little. Bachelor two, tell me about our first date.Bachelor 2:We’d take a long walk along the beach, watch the sunset and I’d cook us some fresh caught fish on an open fire.Nichole:Very nice. Number one?Bachelor 1:You seem like a fun girl, so I’d take you somewhere fun. Maybe a carnival where we could ride the rides, I could hold you in my arms if you got scared, we’d eat some cotton candy, and I’d win you a giant stuffed animal by ringing the bell.Nichole:That does sound fun. Number one, do you believe in love at first sight?Bachelor 1:How can I answer that if I haven’t seen you yet?Nichole:Very smooth. Number two, what’s your favorite animal and why?Bachelor 2:It’s hard to pick just one when they’re all so special to me.Nichole:Oh, a real animal lover.Bachelor 2:But I’d have to say the platypus because it’s such a unique design.Nichole:[unsure] That’s definitely an unexpected answer. [pause] Back to you, Number one. Tell me something nice you’ve done for your mother.Bachelor 1:When I was six, I gave her a bouquet of dandelions for her birthday.Nichole:[sweetly] Aw.Bachelor 1:And for the last ten years, it’s been a dozen roses.Nichole:Bonus points for you. How about you, Bachelor two?Bachelor 2:I made sure that at my death, she’d be taken care of by a very close friend.Nichole:[unsure] That’s very [searching] thoughtful. Number one, describe your ideal woman.Bachelor 1:That depends; what color is your hair?Nichole:It wouldn’t be fair to tell you.Bachelor 1:Seriously, my ideal woman would be energetic, fun-loving, a little daring and a great kisser.Nichole:I’d have to say, “guilty” on all counts. [laughing] What about you, Number two?Bachelor 2:I want all women to let their inner beauty show and be content with who they were made to be. She should be kind, compassionate and full of faith.Nichole:Good answer. Now our final question, Bachelor number one, what does love mean to you?Bachelor 1:Love is a puppy’s wet kiss, the smell of Mom’s cooking, an ear to listen and a shoulder to cry on. Love is two people lost in each other’s eyes and the promise of a whisper. And most of all love is forever.Nichole:[sighing and fanning herself] Be still my heart. Bachelor number two, same question, what does love mean to you?Bachelor 2:Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.Nichole:I’m not sure I understand.Bachelor 2:True love comes from God alone. As God has loved me, so I also love you. And this is my command: Love each other as I have loved you.Nichole:[confused] Okay, well I love you, too. [pause] Well, I guess I need to decide now. Bachelor number one . . .Bachelor 1:You know I’m the man for you.Nichole:Or Bachelor number two . . .Bachelor 2:I can show you love like no other.Nichole:You both had really good answers. Oh, this is so hard to pick. But I think I’m going to go with . . . [Blackout]IlluminateGo Light Your World!Advent Worship Series – Week 2December 8, 2013Children’s Moment: A Voice in the WildernessTheme:Preparing for the coming King.Object:Some cleaning equipment (mop, pail, broom, feather duster, etc.)Scripture:I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way—a voice of one calling in the wilderness, “Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.” (Mark 1:2-3, NIV)Do you always keep your room neat and clean? Are all your toys picked up? Are there any clothes on the floor or hanging over the back of a chair? Did you make your bed this morning? Are there any “dust bunnies” hiding under the bed? If you knew I was coming to visit this afternoon, would you have to rush home to make sure everything was in order?My mother was a very good housekeeper, and although our house always looked great to me, I can still remember what happened if my mother found out that company was coming. [Pull out cleaning equipment one-by-one as you talk.] She brought out the broom, the mop and pail, sponges, window cleaner, bathroom cleaner, dust rags, furniture polish, etc. Then she called all the children together and assigned each of us the jobs that we were to do. When we were finished, she checked to make sure that not a speck of dirt or dust remained.Can you imagine what it would have been like around our house if we had been expecting somebody really important—someone like a king or queen? Well, that is what our Bible lesson is about this morning: the coming of a King. Not just any king, but the King of kings—Jesus! The Bible tells us that in the days before Jesus began his ministry, a man called John began preaching and telling the people to prepare for the coming King. I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way—a voice of one calling in the wilderness, “Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.” (Mark 1:2-3, NIV)When John told people to prepare for the King, he didn’t mean that they should go home and sweep the floor, pick up their toys, and make their beds (although, that’s important!). He meant that they should prepare their hearts. How? By repenting of their sins and turning toward God.It is important for you and me to make our hearts ready for the coming King, too. We do that by confessing our sins and asking God to forgive us. If we will do that, the Bible tells us that he will forgive us and make our hearts clean. Then we will be ready for Jesus when he comes.Father, every day we do things for which we need your forgiveness. We ask you to forgive us and make our hearts clean so that we will be ready to welcome the coming King. Amen.IlluminateGo Light Your World!Advent Sermon – Week 2December 8, 2013Love with the LightScripture: Mark 1:1-8Introduction:I like being comfortable, don’t you? I also like it when things make sense to me. I’m not the only one, am I? At Christmas time I enjoy thinking about Bethlehem and all the familiar characters of the Christmas story. That’s my comfort zone. I especially appreciate Luke’s gospel. There I get Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, and the angelic choir. For good measure, he even reminds me of Elizabeth, Zechariah, and the birth of John the Baptizer.Matthew is pretty good too. Sure, he makes us wade through that genealogy; so-and-so was the father of you-know-who, and on and on. But eventually we get to Mary and Joseph—and, of course, Jesus. We even get the villainous King Herod and the exotic visitors (the Magi, Kings, or Wise Men) and their gifts. You know the story.Mark, though, doesn’t take us to Bethlehem or the Christmas story with its wide array of characters. No, he gives us John the Baptizer at the start of his narrative of the life of Jesus. John is certainly an interesting character. Look at the description Mark gives. He is an unusual messenger with a compelling message, but he puts me out of sorts too. He makes me uncomfortable. God loves us so much that He sometimes makes us uncomfortable. It can be hard for us to understand John the Baptizer today—as hard for us as it was for the people who gathered in the wilderness to hear his words some 2000 years ago. Few people then really comprehended what he meant when he declared his mission was “to prepare the way for the Lord and make straight paths for him” (v. 3). Fewer still could even begin to understand him when he said, “After me comes the one…whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie” (v. 7). And among those who responded to his message of “Repent and be baptized,” there must have been complete confusion when he declared, “I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit” (v. 8). All sorts of questions: What was John about? Why did he do what he did? And what importance does he have for us?John the Baptizer is a very compelling voice in Advent, the voice of the coming of Jesus to earth to intervene in the relationship between God and ourselves.I.Prepare What he said was not merely a word about Jesus, it was the Gospel itself; it was the beginning of the Good News for the whole world.We find John the Baptizer and his message at the beginning of Jesus' ministry on earth. John and his message are still a good beginning for all those who want to walk with Jesus, for all those who want to find their way out of the wilderness.Illustration: It is a fact, as the old Chinese proverb tells us, that a journey of a thousand miles must begin with one step.John came to point out what that step must be. He pointed out that the way of the Lord must be prepared and that way is not simply a highway in the desert (echoes of Isaiah 40:3), but a highway in our hearts, a direction and a step that we must take if we are to be ready for Christ's coming.Illustration: Richard Fairchild uses the following illustration: A university professor went to visit one of the great Zen masters. “Master,” he said, “Teach me what I need to know to have a happy life. I have studied the sacred scriptures. I have visited the greatest teachers in the land, but I have not found the answer. Please teach me the way.”At that point the great master served tea to his guest. He poured his visitor's cup full and then kept on pouring and pouring. The tea began to run over the rim of the cup and across the table, and still he poured until tea was pouring off the table onto the floor.The professor watched this until he could no longer restrain himself: “Stop. No more will go in.”“Like this cup,” the great master said, “You are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you the way unless you first empty your cup?”Wow! How can WE welcome Christ if we have no room in our hearts for him, if we are not prepared?II.RepentJohn the Baptizer came to prepare the way of the Lord, not by building a highway in the wilderness of Judea, but by preparing the hearts of all who were willing to hear him and to repent. John called the people to hear his message and to take action so that they would be able to greet the Messiah and to walk his way.“Repent, and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 3:2), he cried out, for “after me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie” (Mark 1:7).Repent. What does the word “repent” mean? Quite simply it means to turn around, to change direction, to face a new way and to begin to walk that way, leaving the old way behind.John isn’t the only one to emphasize the importance of repentance. Hear the words of Jesus: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near” (Matthew 4:17). Such repentance is not limited to being sorry for getting caught (worldly sorrow) but being sorry enough for what we have done that we want a transformation of who we are (godly sorrow). “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death” (2 Corinthians 7:10).Illustration: Much as the professor had to empty himself to learn the way of Zen, so each of us must change direction if we are to truly see the Lord and walk with him out of the proverbial wilderness.Our wilderness is contained in our hearts. Jesus makes that painfully clear to the Pharisees—and to us—in Matthew 23:25-28. It is not what is outside that defines our wilderness; it is what is inside. It is created by our actions and by our inaction.But those things outside do have an influence, and they can, especially at certain times of year, point out to us just how barren and how unfruitful our present way is.At Christmas time we more easily detect the hazards of a life unprepared for Jesus. We more easily see what we lack and more vividly experience our need for God—for someone, for anyone who will ease our burdens.It can be such a lonely time. A lonely time not only for those who are literally, humanly speaking alone, but a lonely time for those who have no peace, for those who have been deceived into thinking that they can buy happiness for themselves and their families by purchasing bigger and better gifts.It can be a barren time, a time without joy, for those who think that somehow all that they need is to be found at the office party or in having just the perfect tree or the nicest decorations on the block.Even for those of us who value the Good News of Jesus, this can be a time of year that reveals our need for a new way of doing things. It’s a time of year that shows that we too need to repent and that we too need to empty our cups so that they can be filled with the water of life.III.RestIn many ways we all are in a wilderness at this time of year, a wilderness not of rocks and sand, but a wilderness that is just as desolate and which keeps us feeling spiritually dry.Busyness is a feature of that desert, continual rounds of shopping, meetings, parties, kettles, rehearsals, and concerts. Busyness exhausts us physically and emotionally.Noise assaults us from all sides: from the din of the large malls to the incessant carols; tunes and advertisements blaring out of our TVs; from speakers in the middle of our cities and on our own radios.We are pressured to be happy, to be full of cheer and to enjoy ourselves—even when we are too tired or wrapped up in our private grief.There is the pressure to buy. We feel compelled to spend money we do not have, charging up great debts so that our families and friends can have toys and gadgetsthat they do not really need.We are pressured to give. We are buffeted by appeals for every charity imaginable (and we in The Salvation Army are certainly among that number!), and we are asked to work harder and longer, so that we might somehow make our family happier. Yes, we are in a wilderness, both inside and outside, and we need the way of the Lord to be made ready in our midst so that we can emerge from that wilderness and come to the place where there is rest; the place of hope, joy, peace, and love; the place where our God resides. It’s just a foretaste of what Peter describes in 2 Peter 3:13: “But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.”Roy Bonisteel has suggested some ways we might prepare the way in our own lives and in the lives of others (content found in the United Church Observer). These things constitute a kind of about-face in terms of how many of us go through Advent; a kind of repentance, as it were. Bonisteel suggests that instead of doing more things during the Christmas season, we might do less, gear down, and relax a little more. Easier said than done!He suggests that these precious Christmas days are too precious to spend marching to other people's tunes. It is a month to say NO:NO to meetings that I can just as well put off until January.NO to invitations that I will resent when the date arrives.NO to demands that take me away from home.When I say NO to these things, I can say YES to other things:YES to trying out that new Christmas punch or cookie recipe.YES to writing newsy letters (or Facebook messages) to neglected friends and relatives.YES to sharing Christmas stories and singing the beautiful songs of the season with the children in my life.YES to playing with my children (or grandchildren for some of us) and cuddling up to my spouse.Illustration: Listen to what a spiritual leader in another denomination, someone equivalent to our territorial commander, suggested in an Advent letter to his people:I will speak a word of encouragement and support to a fellow worker, a family member, a neighbor, or a stranger whose actions touch my life.I will invite a stranger—or someone who I know is lonely—to dinner.I will read the scriptures and pray for my church and my world.I will let go of some activity so that I will have more time for my family, my church home, and my friends.I will meditate each day on God's generosity and his call to live by his love.The repentance that most of us need (the turning around that most of us require) is not a hard thing. It is a change of attitude toward life and toward the things we think are important.Repentance is not so much about beating one’s breast and saying what a miserable sinner one has been. It is not saying I'm sorry over and over again. Instead, repentance is doing things in a new way, a way that gives life both to you and to others, a way that allows Christ to enter more deeply into our hearts.Conclusion:We do know something more about John the Baptizer than did the people who first heard him 2000 years ago. We know that the One who followed, the One that he called people to prepare for, was the Lord of Life, a man who bestowed health and wholeness on those who were ready for him. Jesus is the ultimate expression and demonstration of God’s love.John's words are still important to us. John calls us to the new life revealed in Jesus because God loves us and loves being with us. John reminds us that if we are to have that life, we must do more than simply want it. We must prepare ourselves for it by changing our direction and by doing certain things differently than we have ever done them before.To repent is to recognize that the old ways in which we have travelled lead us nowhere; and then to turn around, to ask for God's forgiveness and help, and to start walking in the way that leads us to the light. Repentance is a beginning that is blessed by God, a beginning that we need to make each day, one day at a time.As we turn to face the Son, our lives are warmed and his light shines on our path. As we walk forward from the place where we were, we find our paths are made straight, the valleys in our way are raised up, the mountains and hills are made low, the rough places are leveled, and the rugged places become a plain. Why? Our God walks with us.Find true love in the words of the prophet Isaiah: “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for…” (Isaiah 40:1-2).IlluminateGo Light Your World!Advent Sermon (CONDENSED) – Week 2December 8, 2013Love with the LightScripture: Mark 1:1-8Introduction:John is certainly an interesting character. He is an unusual messenger with a compelling message. It can be hard for us to understand John the Baptizer today. What was John about? Why did he do what he did? And what importance does he have for us?John the Baptizer is a very compelling voice in Advent, the voice of the coming of Jesus to earth to intervene in the relationship between God and ourselves.I.Prepare What he said was not merely a word about Jesus, it was the Gospel itself; it was the beginning of the Good News for the whole world.We find John the Baptizer and his message at the beginning of Jesus' ministry on earth. John and his message are still a good beginning for all those who want to walk with Jesus, for all those who want to find their way out of the wilderness.Illustration: It is a fact, as the old Chinese proverb tells us, that a journey of a thousand miles must begin with one step.John came to point out what that step must be. He pointed out that the way of the Lord must be PREPARED and that way is not simply a highway in the desert (echoes of Isaiah 40:3), but a highway in our hearts, a direction and a step that we must take if we are to be ready for Christ's coming.Illustration: A university professor went to visit one of the great Zen masters. “Master,” he said, “Teach me what I need to know to have a happy life. I have studied the sacred scriptures. I have visited the greatest teachers in the land, but I have not found the answer. Please teach me the way.”At that point the great master served tea to his guest. He poured his visitor's cup full and then kept on pouring and pouring. The tea began to run over the rim of the cup and across the table, and still he poured until tea was pouring off the table onto the floor.The professor watched this until he could no longer restrain himself: “Stop. No more will go in.”“Like this cup,” the great master said, “You are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you the way unless you first empty your cup?”How can we welcome Christ if we have no room in our hearts for him, if we are not prepared?II.RepentJohn the Baptizer came to prepare the way of the Lord, not by building a highway in the wilderness of Judea, but by preparing the hearts of all who were willing to hear him and to REPENT. John called the people to hear his message and to take action so that they would be able to greet the Messiah and to walk his way.Repent means to turn around, to change direction, to face a new way and to begin to walk that way, leaving the old way behind.Hear the words of Jesus: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near” (Matthew 4:17). Such repentance is not limited to being sorry for getting caught (worldly sorrow) but being sorry enough for what we have done that we want a transformation of who we are (godly sorrow). “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death” (2 Corinthians 7:10).Each of us must change direction if we are to truly see the Lord and walk with him out of the proverbial wilderness. Our wilderness is contained in our hearts. Jesus makes that painfully clear to the Pharisees—and to us—in Matthew 23:25-28. It is not what is outside that defines our wilderness; it is what is inside. It is created by our actions and by our inaction.Even for those of us who value the Good News of Jesus, this can be a time of year that reveals our need for a new way of doing things. It’s a time of year that shows that we too need to repent and that we too need to empty our cups so that they can be filled with the water of life.III.RestWe all are in a wilderness at this time of year which keeps us feeling spiritually dry.Busyness is a feature of that desert; continual rounds of shopping, meetings, parties, kettles, rehearsals, and concerts. Busyness exhausts us physically and emotionally.Noise assaults us from all sides; from the din of the large malls to the incessant carols, tunes and advertisements blaring out of our TVs and on our radios.We are pressured to be happy, to be full of cheer and to enjoy ourselves—even when we are too tired or wrapped up in our private grief.There is the pressure to buy. We feel compelled to spend money we do not have, charging up great debts on gifts for our families and friends.We are pressured to give. We are buffeted by appeals for every charity imaginable, and we are asked to work harder and longer, so that we might somehow make our family happier. We need the way of the Lord to be made ready in our midst so that we can emerge from that wilderness and come to the place where there is REST; the place of hope, joy, peace, and love; the place where our God resides. Illustration: Roy Bonisteel suggests that these Christmas days are too precious to spend marching to other people's tunes. It is a month to say NO:NO to meetings that I can just as well put off until January.NO to invitations that I will resent when the date arrives.NO to demands that take me away from home.When I say NO to these things, I can say YES to other things:YES to trying out that new Christmas punch or cookie recipe.YES to writing newsy letters (or Facebook messages) to neglected friends and relatives.YES to sharing Christmas stories and singing the beautiful songs of the season with the children in my life.YES to playing with my children (or grandchildren for some of us) and cuddling up to my spouse.Illustration: A denominational leader suggested in an Advent letter to his people:I will speak a word of encouragement and support to a fellow worker, a family member, a neighbor, or a stranger whose actions touch my life.I will invite a stranger—or someone who I know is lonely—to dinner.I will read the scriptures and pray for my church and my world.I will let go of some activity so that I will have more time for my family, my church home, and my friends.I will meditate each day on God's generosity and his call to live by his love.The repentance that most of us need is a change of attitude toward life and the things we think are important. It is doing things in a new way, a way that gives life both to you and to others, a way that allows Christ to enter more deeply into our hearts.Conclusion:We do know something more about John the Baptizer than did the people who first heard him 2000 years ago. We know that the One who followed, the One that he called people to prepare for, was the Lord of Life, a man who bestowed health and wholeness on those who were ready for him. Jesus is the ultimate expression and demonstration of God’s love.John still calls us to the new life revealed in Jesus because God loves us and loves being with us. John reminds us that if we are to have that life, we must do more than simply want it. We must prepare ourselves for it by changing our direction and by doing certain things differently than we have ever done them before.To repent is to recognize that the old ways in which we have travelled lead us nowhere; and then to turn around, to ask for God's forgiveness and help, and to start walking in the way that leads us to the light. Repentance is a beginning that is blessed by God, a beginning that we need to make each day, one day at a time.As we turn to face the Son, our lives are warmed and his light shines on our path. As we walk forward from the place where we were, we find our paths are made straight, the valleys in our way are raised up, the mountains and hills are made low, the rough places are leveled, and the rugged places become a plain. Why? Our God walks with us.Find true love in the words of the prophet Isaiah: “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for…” (Isaiah 40:1-2). ................
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