Order of Service – 4th December 2022

The Order of Service follows below.

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Kardlayirdi Karnungga
A light on the hill

Advent 2
December 4^th, 2022

We acknowledge the Kaurna people as the traditional carers of the land on which our church is built.

Welcome

Introit

Comfort, Comfort – Robin Mann

Call to Worship

One: Prepare the way!
All: Deck the halls and light the candles.
One: Prepare the way!
All: Open the doors and sing a song of hope.
One: Prepare the way!
All: Make space in our hearts for a new kind of love.
One: Christ is coming.
All: Prepare the way!

Prayer

We Sing: O Come, O Come Emmanuel

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
and ransom captive Israel,
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel.
O come, O key of David, come,
and open wide our heavenly home;
make safe the way that leads on high
and close the path to misery.

Rejoice! rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel.
O come, O dayspring, come and cheer
our spirits by your advent here;
disperse the gloomy clouds of night
and death’s dark shadows put to flight.

Rejoice! rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel.

Together in Song 265. Anon., Latin, 18th cent. or earlier based on Antiphons from 9th cent. or earlier tr. John Mason Neale 1818-66 alt. Public Domain.

Report back from Jo Palmer – Pacific Australian Emerging Leaders Summit

Lighting of the Advent Wreath

As we prepare to light the second candle of the Advent Wreath, let us remain seated as we sing: Christ Be Our Light.

♪ Longing for peace, our world is troubled.
Longing for hope, many despair.
Your word alone has pow’r to save us.
Make us your living voice.

♪ Christ, be our light!
Shine in our hearts. Shine through the darkness.
Christ be our light!
Shine in your Church gathered today.

The purple splendour stretches to the sky as the Jacaranda whispers, “peace, beauty and possibility are yours.”
All of creation sings of God’s promises:
peace and goodwill to all the earth.

Open us to the witness of creation: the surprise of the sunrise and the call of the sunset to lay aside what has been.
All of creation speaks wisdom:
peace and goodwill to all the earth.

Let our hearts be shaped by the grand oak trees and soaring red gums for their years call us to look beyond our lifespan to the future wellbeing for all the planet.
All of creation calls to us:
bring peace and goodwill to all the earth.

God of peace and reconciliation, unclench our fists that we might offer peace to others; still our restless hearts that we might be a source of calm in a time of anxiety; breathe empathy into our being that our words and actions may bear witness to the peace you offer.
May your peace dwell in our lives and bring peace and goodwill to all the world.

Amen.

♪ Christ, be our light!
Shine in our hearts. Shine through the darkness.
Christ be our light!
Shine in your Church gathered today.

Passing of the Peace

The peace of our God be with you.
And also with you.

Community News and Notices

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Children’s Time

Children may go downstairs for Sunday School. Parents, you are welcome to join your child in Sunday School if you feel your child may need your assistance. Alternatively, you may wish for your child to remain with you for the duration of worship. A small collection of toys is available at the back of the church for your use.

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 11:1-10

A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.

Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins. The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den. They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.

From this shines forth the Word of God.
Thanks be to God.

Advent Monologue Karan Hudson

I am November 27 in your advent calendar. And today I am waiting for peace.
Can this wait?
I have heard it said that in the days to come He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.
This waiting is not passive, oh no. Don’t for one minute imagine a gentle reclining lounge space with piped music and canapes. No, this space is filled with the cries of the people who have been enduring wars and conflict, terror and oppression. It’s a hard place to exist.
Think of villagers in Ukraine whose homes have been shelled or who have had to flee to safer parts of their own country in that conflict. No peace there.
Think of the teens who have run away from home because of domestic violence in their homes, where hands and voices not children are raised. Not such a peaceful life.
Or maybe a woman refugee in Uganda who has escaped Sudan where her family have mostly been killed and houses burned. Not much peace here either.
Or maybe think about a child whose parents have been blown up by a car bomb in Kabul in a seemingly endless cycle of violence. Does this seem like peace to you?
I am anticipating peace here because I am working toward it, one conversation, one day, one action at a time. I anticipate peace with my prayers, words and actions every day. If we speak and listen to one another with kindness and work for justice, then will we unlearn war in so doing? And I wait for the one who was promised. What about you?

Choral Anthem

Your Coming Lord – LF Bartlett

Scripture Reading: Matthew 3:1-12

In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 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.’” Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan, and they were baptised by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 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? Bear fruit worthy of repentance. 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. 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. I baptise 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 baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 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.”

The Gospel of Christ, Light of the World.
Thanks be to God.

Sermon

We Sing: All Are Welcome

Let us build a house where love can dwell
and all can safely live,
a place where saints and children tell
how hearts learn to forgive.
Built of hopes and dreams and visions,
rock of faith and vault of grace;
here the love of Christ shall end divisions:

All are welcome, all are welcome,
all are welcome in this place.
Let us build a house where prophets speak,
and words are strong and true,
where all God’s children dare to seek
to dream God’s reign anew.
Here the cross shall stand as witness
and as symbol of God’s grace;
here as one we claim the faith of Jesus:

All are welcome, all are welcome,
all are welcome in this place.
Let us build a house where love is found
in water, wine and wheat:
a banquet hall on holy ground
where peace and justice meet.
Here the love of God, through Jesus,
is revealed in time and space;
as we share in Christ the feast that frees us:

All are welcome, all are welcome,
all are welcome in this place.
Let us build a house where hands will reach
beyond the wood and stone
to heal and strengthen, serve and teach,
and live the Word they’ve known.
Here the outcast and the stranger
bear the image of God’s face:
let us bring an end to fear and danger:

All are welcome, all are welcome,
all are welcome in this place.
Let us build a house where all are named,
their songs and visions heard
and loved and treasured, taught and claimed
as words within the Word.
Built of tears and cries and laughter,
prayers of faith and songs of grace,
let this house proclaim from floor to rafter:

All are welcome, all are welcome,
all are welcome in this place.

Offering

To give electronically please go to bpuc.org/give

Prayers of the People

Communion Liturgy
All are welcome to take part in this meal

Setting of the Table

Great Prayer of Thanksgiving

May God be with you.
And also with you.

Lift up your hearts!
We lift them up to our God.

Let us give thanks to God our Creator.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.

… And so we raise our voices, together with heaven and earth your people throughout all time and in all places, and all of creation, saying:
Holy, holy, holy God, of all creation and life,
Heaven and earth are full of your glory,
Hosanna in the highest!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of God.
Hosanna in the highest!

The Lord’s Prayer

And now with the confidence of the children of God, let us pray the prayer Jesus taught us saying…

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins,

as we forgive those who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial

and deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours

now and forever. Amen.

Breaking of the Bread

The gifts of God for the people of God.
Thanks be to God.

(distribution of the elements)

Prayer After Communion

We Sing: Go Now in Peace

Go now in peace, go now in peace,
may the love of God surround you
everywhere, everywhere you may go.

Sending Forth and Benediction

Choral Blessing

Christmas Prayer – Agnestig

Postlude

Please come and share morning tea in the basement. There are stairs behind the organ and a ramp between the church and the car park leading to the basement.

Compiled with the assistance of A Sanctified Art, Spill the Beans and Words for Worship.