4th Sunday of Advent, Year C

		December 19, 2021 A LITURGY FOR WORSHIP Use As Much Or As Little As You Choose
		CENTERING IN PREPARATION The days become shorter. The nights grow longer. It is as if daylight has given way to darkness. Yet, God is in it all. God is our light. The splendor of God's radiance shines all night long. And, adds luster to the day. In a moment of silence, let us breath deeply of God's presence. Let the light of God illumine every place of darkness. OPENING WORDS Our souls magnify the Lord, And our spirit rejoices in God our Savior. For God has looked with favor upon us, and called us blessed; For the Mighty One has done great things for us, and holy is God’s name. God scatters the proud, brings down the powerful, sends the rich away empty; God lifts up the lowly, fills the hungry with good things. God is with us; God remembers the promises made to our ancestors; God is entering our world and our lives again in a new way. OPENING PRAYER Intimate God, we yearn for the light of your coming and the warmth of your embrace; focus our hearts on the truly important and keep us centered on that still point, Jesus our Emmanuel, who is alive with you and the Holy Spirit, one God now and for ever. Amen. LIGHTING THE FLAME OF LOVE THE GLORIA The very air we breathe is filled with joyous expectation. The one who has done great things for us is with us now. Glory to God in the highest! —Scifres, Mary. The Abingdon Worship Annual 2021. PRAYER FOR THE DAY O God of Elizabeth and Mary, you visited your servants with news of the world's redemption in the coming of the Savior. Make our hearts leap with joy, and fill our mouths with songs of praise, that we may announce glad tidings of peace, and welcome the Christ in our midst. Amen. PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION While Mary and Elizabeth were pregnant with very different sons, they shared a joyous expectation for the miracles of God growing within them. As we hear their stories, let us listen with expectation and hope for the miracles that God is birthing within us. —Scifres, Mary. The Abingdon Worship Annual 2021. FIRST READING Psalm 146 1 Praise God Most High! Praise God, O my soul! 2 I will praise God as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God all my life long. 3 Do not put your trust in earthly rulers, in mortals, in whom there is no help. 4 When their breath departs, they return to the earth; on that very day their plans perish. 5 Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the God of Hosts, 6 who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith forever; 7 who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. God sets the prisoners free; 8 God opens the eyes of the blind. God lifts up those who are bowed down; God loves the righteous. 9 God watches over the strangers; God upholds the orphan and the widow, but the way of the wicked God brings to ruin. 10 God our Sovereign One will reign forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise God! SECOND READING Luke 1. 26-38 26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And Gabriel came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! God is with you.” 29 But she was much perplexed by these words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. 36 And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of God; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her. THIRD READING Luke 1. 39-45 39In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, 40where she entered the house of Elizabeth and Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit 42and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 43And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my God comes to me? 44For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. 45And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by God.” FOURTH READING Luke 1. 46-56 Mary said, “My soul magnifies God, 47and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48for God has looked with favor on the lowliness of this servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 49 For you, the Almighty, have done great things for me, and holy is your Name. 50 Your mercy reaches from age to age for those who fear you. 51 You have shown strength with your arm; you have scattered the proud in their conceit; 52 you have deposed the mighty from their thrones and raised the lowly to high places. 53 You have filled the hungry with good things, while you have sent the rich away empty. 54 You have come to the aid of Israel your servant, mindful of your mercy— 55 the promise you made to our ancestors—to Sarah and Abraham and their descendants forever.” 56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then returned home. PRAYER OF RESPONSE Stir up your power, O God, and come to set us free by the righteousness of your birth in our midst, by the light of your face shining upon us, and by becoming our brother, our friend, our salvation. We pray this in the name of the Holy Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, one God, mother of us all. Amen. —Feasting on the Word Worship Companion: Liturgies for Year C. CALL TO CONFESSION OF OUR BROKENNESS In the world, and in this season, there are many claims on our lives. We take this time to remember that in our baptism, Christ claimed us as his own. We acknowledge before God and one another that we have not followed Jesus Christ with all our heart and mind and strength. Trusting in God’s grace, let us pray. —Feasting on the Word Worship Companion: Liturgies for Year C. PRAYER FOR OUR BROKENNESS We confess, O God, that we have not heeded the call of Mary, the call to do justice and extend mercy, as You have extended mercy to us. We confess, O God, that the words of Mary are challenging, even frightening, when we ponder them. We confess, O God, that Mary speaks of what You will do in scattering the proud, bringing down the powerful from their thrones, and sending the rich away empty. We confess, O God, that at times we are the proud, the powerful, and the rich. We come before You, O God, remembering Your Son who came into the world and filled the hungry with good things, who lifted up the lowly. May we live into Your ways of justice, even when it is hard, and heed the call of Mary this Advent and Christmas. Amen. WORDS OF HEALING AND ASSURANCE The Mighty One has done great things for us, and holy is God’s name. Christ has come, and Christ will come again, into our world and our lives in a new way. Despite the challenges and suffering we experience, we hold on to this hope: God made promises to our ancestors, and God makes promises to us. God will see us through. Go in peace, serve God, love and forgive one another. Amen. PRAYER OF INTERCESSION ╬ For the Church: that our hearts may leap for joy as we recognize God-with-us in the people and events of our lives. . . ╬ For all believers: that we, like Mary, may believe that God will do great things in and through our ordinariness. . . ╬ For a spirit of joy: that we may be grateful for all the gifts and opportunities that God offers us and rejoice in the blessings which come to us each day. . . ╬ For new parents and expectant parents: that God will bless their children with health and help them to care for and nurture their children both physically and spiritually. . . ╬ For all couples desiring to conceive: that God will fulfill their wish and help them to witness faith, hope, and love to their children. . . ╬ For all children who are at risk, who have run away, who are in institutional settings, or who have been trafficked: that God will guide them to someone whom they can trust and bring them to safety. . . ╬ For all who live in Bethlehem and the hill country of Judah; for Christians, Jews, and Muslims: that God’s Spirit will open new pathways of peace and bring forth new hope for all who live in fear. . . ╬ For spiritual companions and guides: that we may each find a wise and trusted soul who will accompany us as we discover how God is at work in us and the world around us. . . ╬ For refugees who have fled violence or oppression: that God will protect them from harm, give them strength to face their challenges, and guide them to places of safety. . . ╬ For anyone experiencing fear, anxiety, or depression: that the birth of Christ may bring light into their lives and freedom to their hearts. . . ╬ For all who are traveling during this season: that they may arrive safely and have renewing visits with family and friends. . . ╬ For all who are away from home during the Christmas season, particularly missionaries, aid workers, and members of the military: that God will fill their hearts with peace and reunite them with loved ones in the New Year. . . ╬ For all whose lives seem unimportant: that they may listen for God’s call and advance God’s saving plan through their lives and deeds. . . ╬ For all who were injured or lost homes or businesses in the recent tornadoes: that God will heal their wounds, keep them safe from further harm, and help them access the resources that they need. . . ╬ For the sick: that God will heal all who are suffering, give them hope, and renew the strength of all who are caring for them. . . ╬ O God, of all compassion and mercy, hear our prayers and come to fulfill your promise of just peace. Blessed are you and blessed is your Kin-Dom. Amen. —Joe Milner PRAYER OF JESUS Our God, like a loving parent, your realm is established in the highest heavens. Your name is exulted most sacred above all names. Your realm comes to earth in your prophets and servants, that your will be done. Give us today the portion we need. Forgive us for taking more than we need. We forgive those who have taken from us without need. Do not put us to the test. But, deliver us from all evil. For yours is the Kin-Dom and the glory and the power, forever. Amen. PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING AND DEDICATION God of Wonder and Mystery: it is almost Christmas. We watch and wait for the Christ-child to be born, as we watch and wait for signs of Your coming into our world and our lives in an unexpected way. Call us to be with the lowly, the marginalized, the poor and the hungry. Call us to work in solidarity with the oppressed, rather than simple acts of charity that make us feel good. Call us to remember the young girl with child, who faced scrutiny and persecution. Call us to remember a people under the rule of empire, desperately waiting for change. Call us to remember how You came into our world and pulled the rug out from under us, and that You’re about to do it again. Call us to remember, so we may be ready. Call us into Your labor and delivery of the new reign on earth as it is in heaven. Amen. SENDING FORTH Go forth in the magnificant One whose ways are justice and peace. Be like Mary to proclaim the goodness of our God, and to serve in the way of Jesus in caring for those who are least among us. DISMISSAL WITH BLESSING And the blessing of God, who births love into the world, keep you firmly in the way of love. For love was born at Christmas, and love was born to share. Love be yours and love be mine. Love be for all.