Introduction to this Service:
Everyone is asked to bring a candle and a candle holder with them to worship. Additional candles should be provided for those who forget or did not know. The kind of candle used at many Christmas Eve services with the paper drip guard works well. The theme of the service is that Jesus Christ is the light of the world and so are we. Jesus served as a luminary, a light, a beacon for people to find their way to a saving belief in God. Jesus was the light of the world. But Jesus also called his followers to be the light of the world (Matthew 5:14-16).
Listeners are invited to think about a person or persons who have served as reflections of the light of Christ in their lives. These luminous individuals, while making no claim to being perfect, have represented what is good, noble, righteous, caring, and godly. People are encouraged to give thanks to God for those who have been Christ's light to them and to let them know how much their lives and Christian witness have meant.
The challenge is made to begin to be Christ's light in the world as we are and where we are. The Lord Jesus Christ wants each of us to be a light, now. If we will offer Christ ourselves, he will take our offering and transform us into light which brings glory to God.
CELEBRATING THE LORD'S DAYSECOND SUNDAY IN ADVENT
OPENING SENTENCE1 John 1:5-7"This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin."
PRELUDE"Starlight"Keith Thomas
PARISH ANNOUNCEMENTS
*WELCOMING ONE ANOTHERShake hands with those around you. Introduce yourself to those you do not know by name. Please remain standing for the "Gathering."
*GATHERING"Adoration"Randy Vader
*ADVENT WREATH CANDLE LIGHTING CEREMONY Leader: The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness -- on them has light shined. (Isaiah 9:2)
People: Lord, send us your light that we might see. Send us your Son that we might be free.
Leader: We light the Advent Candles in expectation that Jesus Christ, the light of the world, is coming again. (Light two candles.)
People: Praise be to you, Lord Jesus Christ, who was, who is, and who is to come! Amen.
HYMN"Shine, Jesus, Shine"Graham Kendrick
CHILDREN'S MESSAGE
GIVING OF TITHES AND OFFERING
OFFERTORY ANTHEM"The Birthday of a King"W.H. Neidlinger
PRAYER OF CONFESSIONGracious and forgiving God, in this Advent Season we are called upon to set aside time to worship you and make new commitments. We need to take time to turn from our sin, reflect on your gifts to us, and consider how we might best dedicate ourselves to you once again. Forgive us for being consumed with other agenda that pushes you to the margins of our lives. As we consider the privilege and joy of lighting candles in recognition that you are the light of the world, so also help us to honor your expectation that we be your lights in the world for others. Make this season truly holy for us. We pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. PRAYER SONGS "Arise, Shine"Steven Urspringer and Jay Robinson "Emmanuel, Emmanuel"Bob McGee
MORNING PRAYER and LORD'S PRAYER
ANTHEM"Arise, Shine, for Your Light Has Come"Vader
*FIRST GOSPEL LESSONJohn 8:12, 9:1-11 Leader: This is the Word of the Lord. People: Thanks be to God. Amen.
*SECOND GOSPEL LESSONMatthew 5:14-16 Leader: This is the Gospel of our Lord. People: Praise be to you, Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
*HYMN"Hark! The Herald Angels Sing"Charles Wesley
MORNING MESSAGE"Let Your Light Shine"
CANDLE LIGHTINGPlease keep the lighted candles upright and tip the unlighted candles as you pass the light along your row. Watch that no clothing or hair gets near the flame. At the conclusion of our hymn and blessing we will sing "Shalom" and raise our candles. Please extinguish them after "Shalom" but take the light of Christ with you into the world.
*HYMN"I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light"Kathleen Thomerson
*BLESSINGGo forth to reflect Christ's light in a darkened world that is searching for light, truth, and meaning. Know that the Lord loves you and desires to use you daily in being light for others. Amen.
*SHALOMRoger N. Deschner *BLESSING ONE ANOTHER and POSTLUDE "O Magnify the Lord"Dick and Melodie Tunney
*All who are able please stand
John 8:12, 9:1-11; Matthew 5:14-16
Let Your Light Shine
On this, the second Sunday of Advent, our worship is centered around the theme of light. The Gospel of John is filled with references to light. In the prologue of the Gospel, John 1:1-5, we encounter these words:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. (emphasis added)
A few verses later in John 1:9 we read, "The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world." To whom is the author referring? John is referring to Jesus Christ. The morning lesson from John 8:12 makes this explicit. Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life." Again, in John 9:5 Jesus stated, "As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."
Jesus' role of bringing light to a world in darkness is portrayed throughout the Gospel of John. One vivid story which is found in John chapter nine is of Jesus healing the man born blind. This man had walked in literal darkness for his entire life. The man's condition of blindness was used to make clear that Jesus was the light and that his light was not just figurative but literal. Jesus had power to bring light to those in physical darkness as well as those in spiritual and emotional darkness.
At first, everyone was in awe. They could hardly believe that the man before them was the one born blind. No one had ever been healed of a condition such as this (see John 9:32). The fellow was then brought to the religious authorities who could certify his healing. A great controversy arose because the man had been healed on the Sabbath; work of any kind, including good work, was considered to be unlawful on the Sabbath. What began as something worthy of praise and thanksgiving became ugly and controversial.
Those who saw themselves as defenders and preservers of the faith became resisters of God and deniers of Jesus the Messiah, God's Son. So certain were they of their own ability to discern truth from falsehood, good from evil, they stopped trusting in God and, instead, trusted in their own understanding and righteousness. They refused to accept the new understandings of the faith that God was trying to show them in the life and ministry of Jesus. Claiming to be children of the light they, in fact, dwelled in darkness, while those who recognized they were living in sin and darkness openly and gladly received Jesus, God's Light for the world (see John 9:39-41).
Jesus challenged the religious status quo of his day. He shook things up. He made people rethink their faith and the way they were living. He served as a luminary, a light, a beacon for people to find their way to a saving belief in God. Jesus was the light of the world.
Jesus said, "As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world" (John 9:5). We realize that Jesus was crucified in the first century. Because of this, some might say that the light is no longer here. Would you agree?
Thoughtful Christians would probably reply, "No and yes." Why is this? While it is true that Jesus died nineteen centuries ago, it is also true that he rose from the dead on the third day following his crucifixion on the cross. Although it is true that Jesus is no longer with us in the flesh, we affirm that he is alive and at work in us and our world through the Holy Spirit, which he sent to be with us following his ascension into heaven. While Jesus, the person, is no longer with us, the Spirit of Jesus is very much alive and working through the agency of the church, Christian organizations, and people of faith.
This leads us to affirm that not only is Jesus the light of the world, but so are we. Jesus claimed precisely this in Matthew 5:14-16:
You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. (emphasis added)
If we think about it, most of us can identify a person or persons who have served as reflections of the light of God in our lives. These individuals, although making no claim to being perfect, have represented to us that which is good, noble, righteous, caring, and godly. On your bulletin write the names of these persons. I encourage you to give thanks to God for those who have been Christ's light for you. If they are alive, I hope you will call, visit, or write to them in the coming week to let them know how much they have meant to you. Tell them how they have been God's light and love to you.
I now want to share a secret with you. It is a simple secret. Let Christ use you to be a light where you are. Don't wait to start being a light until you get your life all sorted out or all your problems fixed. If you wait, you will never get started! You will miss the simple, yet profound opportunity to influence and shape the lives of those closest to you. The Lord Jesus Christ wants you to be a light, now. If you will offer him yourself, he will take your offering and transform you into light which brings glory to God. He will help you step outside old patterns that hinder and bind just as he did the blind man and the religious leaders of his day. I encourage you to resolve today to be Christ's light in the world. You can make a difference! Take a moment now to write in your bulletin what you can do to light a candle to be a light to someone.
(You can end the message here or close by using an illustration of someone who has been a light for you and made a difference in your life. An alternative would be to obtain the story titled "A Candle in the Darkness."1)
This story is about a nineteen-year-old boy by the name of Daniel Gavra whose Christian faith led him to light a candle in the darkness to protest the oppressive regime of the notorious dictator, Ceausescu, in Romania. His courage and that of others in the face of great personal suffering galvanized a nation to rise up and overthrow the communist government. Daniel helped to spark a revolution that is still being felt today. Romania is a democratic country thanks to the effort of people like Daniel Gavra who were willing to put their lives on the line for the sake of the Gospel and for basic human rights.
You and I can make a difference where we are if we are willing to take a stand. Don't wait for someone else to do it. Be the first to light your candle. And let your light shine!
Let us pray. Dear God, we have been blessed, touched, inspired and warmed by the light others have shared with us. Help us now to take our light, to lift it up with courage and conviction. May we embrace the wonderful secret of the light of Christ: that you can and will use us as we are and where we are. Help us to begin now, not when we think we are ready. Awaken us to the simple yet profound opportunities to influence and shape the lives of those closest to us. Grant us courage to offer ourselves, our talents and resources, so that you can take our gifts and transform them into light which will bring glory to you, O God. Just as Jesus did for the blind man and religious leaders of his day, help us to be free from old, no longer faithful patterns that hinder and bind. Lord, we want to be Christ's light in the world. Help us to make a difference. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
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1. Rice, Wayne. More Hot Illustrations for Youth Talks. Grand Rapids, MI: Youth Specialties, Zondervan Publishing House, 1995, pp. 17-18.