St. Columba's Anglican United Church

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St. Columba's Sunday Service

Rev. Elaine Julian

Sunday, December 20, 2020

Order of Service and Hymns

Playlist

The word of the Lord came to Nathan: Go and tell my servant David: Are you the one to build me a house to live in? I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent and a tabernacle. (2 Samuel 7:4-6)

God’s People Gather …

Acknowledgment of Land

Advent Candle Lighting (Love)
It won’t be long now. Our Advent waiting is almost over. In the last three weeks, we have lit the candles of hope, peace and joy. (Light the first three candles.) The day of Emmanuel, God-with-Us, is very near. Love is the theme of this day.

All: What does love look like?
…Love is a solitary figure carrying a cross, carrying the weight of all the world’s pain and sadness, yours and mine, too.

All: What does love feel like?
…Love feels like God.

All: What is it like to live in love?
… May its light help us to find our way.
The fourth candle is lit.

All sing: MV 220 “Hope Shines as the Solitary Star”
Love shines like a solitary star.
Faith is the inner light.
You and I together mirror the Light of Lights,
and illumine the pathway home.

Advent reading written by John Moses, Aylesford UC, Aylesford, NS. Gathering, Advent/Christmas/Epiphany 2020-2021, page 68-69. Used with permission.

Call to Worship
Listen to hear the angel speak:
Greetings, most favoured one! The Lord is with you. Do not be afraid, for nothing is impossible for God!”
God, we long to hear your angel messengers speaking in our heart. Silence all but your words of love, that the rustle of wings and the song of the heavens will be heard in worship. Amen.

Hymn: Good Christian Friends, Rejoice

Good Christian friends, rejoice,
With heart and soul and voice.
Now we hear of love divine:
Love! Love! Growing thickly like a vine,
A branch which bears a fruit so fair,
Of patience and of tender care.
A candle flames in love, a candle flames in love.

Affirmation of Faith
We praise and thank you, O God, for you are without beginning and without end. Through Christ, you created the whole world; and through Christ you preserve it. You make the day for the works of light and the night for the refreshment of our minds and bodies. Keep us now in Christ so that we may truly worship and adore you. Amen.

Story Time: “Jesse Tree”

Prayer of Confession:
Prepare the Way of the Lord! Let us make our confession to God.
God of unconditional love, we measure our loves against yours: your love is vulnerable, helpless as a new-born babe – our love is often cautious, well-defended; your love is offered humbly – we often seek to impress with our devotion; your love is free, ours comes with strings attached. Loving God, forgive us. Heal our imperfect loves, purify our hearts, and teach us to love as you have loved us. Amen.

Words of Assurance
The Good News of this Advent season is forgiveness of sin and new life. Let us commit our lives to Christ’s way of hope and peace.
Thanks be to the Advent God, who comes among us, setting us free to love and serve. Amen

To Hear God’s Word

Song of Mary Luke 1:47-55 (VU pp. 898-899)
The Epistle: Romans 16: 25-27

Hymn: MV 120 My Soul Cries Out

My soul cries out with a joyful shout
that the God of my heart is great,
And my spirit sings of the wondrous things
that you bring to the ones who wait.
You fixed your sight on your servant's plight,
and my weakness you did not spurn,
so from east to west shall my name be blest.
Could the world be about to turn?

My heart shall sing of the day you bring.
Let the fires of your justice burn.
Wipe away all tears for the dawn draws near,
and the world is about to turn!

Though I am small, my God, my all,
you work great things in me,
and your mercy will last from the depths of the past
to the end of the age to be.
Your very name puts the proud to shame,
and to those who would for you yearn,
you will show your might, put the strong to flight,
for the world is about to turn.

My heart shall sing of the day you bring.
Let the fires of your justice burn.
Wipe away all tears for the dawn draws near,
and the world is about to turn!

From the halls of power to the fortress tower,
not a stone will be left on stone.
Let the king beware for your justice tears
ev'ry tyrant from his throne.
The hungry poor shall weep no more,
for the food they can never earn;
there are tables spread, ev'ry mouth be fed,
for the world is about to turn.

My heart shall sing of the day you bring.
Let the fires of your justice burn.
Wipe away all tears for the dawn draws near,
and the world is about to turn!

Words: Rory Cooney; Music: traditional melody, Ireland; arr. Rory Conney. Music: Public Domain. Words and arrangement copyright © 1990 GIA Publications Inc. All rights reserved. OneLicense.net License #A-720359 (#00762).

The Gospel Luke 1:26-38

Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.
Thanks be to God.

Sermon

Offertory Hymn: VU 366 Like a Child

like a child love would send to reveal and to mend,
like a child and a friend Jesus comes
like a child we may find claiming heart soul and mind
like a child strong and kind Jesus comes

like a child we will meet ragged clothes dirty feet
like a child on the street Jesus comes
like a child we once knew coming back into view
like a child born anew Jesus comes

like a child born to pray and to show us the way
like a child here to stay Jesus comes
like a child we receive all that love can conceive
like a child we believe Jesus comes

VU 541 The Doxology
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
praise him, all creatures here below;
praise him above ye heavenly host;
praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

Words: Thomas Ken, ca 1674; Music: Genevan Psalter 1551. Copyright Public domain.

Offertory Prayer

Prayers of the People
In our Shared Ministry Cycles of Prayer we pray for Anna, our bishop-elect and the congregation of Holy Trinity, North Saanich and the Rev. Penelope Kingham. ....
We praise you, God of promise, and give you thanks for Mary, a daughter of Israel: who sang the songs of David, who knew the deeds of Judith, and held in her heart the burning words of Isaiah. Enter our hearts, as we praise you with thanksgiving. Hear us as we pray for ourselves and those close to us. Fill our hearts, as we ask your blessing upon the world and all its people. We pray as Mary did: may your name be holy, may the hungry be filled, may the proud be scattered, and the oppressed raised. May your love be ever with your people. Amen.

Collect

The Lord’s Prayer

Closing Hymn: VU 60 O Come All Ye Faithful

O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem;
come and behold him, born the King of angels:
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord.

Kila, kila, Kunts ekikuli
Ka unts Gikumaya i Jesus Christ
Gak yutla; Mayuglum kwa nalak
Kila kunts zilwaki Ki
Kila kunts zilwaki Ki
Kunts zilwakik Christ kunts Gikumaya

Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation,
sing, all ye citizens of heaven above;
Glory to God in the highest:
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord.

Yea, Lord, we greet thee, born this happy morning;
Jesus, to thee be all glory given;
word of the Father, now in flesh appearing:
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord.

Words: Latin, John Francis Wade, ca. 1743, English, Frederick Oakeley, 1841, Old Kwakiutl translation; Music: attrib. John Francis Wade, ca. 1743. Copyright: Public domain.

Benediction and Commissioning

Threefold Amen

Announcements:
Music reprinted and podcast with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-720359. All rights reserved.
• You can contact Elaine Julian by email at incumbent@stcolumbaporthardy.ca or phone her at the church office. If you leave a message, she will reply as soon as possible.
• St. Columba’s Church will not be recording a service for Sunday, December 27. Check the website for links to a number of Sunday or seasonal services.
• There will be no Bible Study Dec. 22 or 29.
• Celtic Prayer on Zoom is cancelled on Dec. 24 and 31.
• Mission Focus is J C Memorial Church on the Gwa'sala-'Nakwaxda'xw Nation
• A bag lunch will be available on Sunday morning just after 11 AM for those who need a meal. Gloria will be available at the church to give you the lunch. There will also be lunch available December 27.

Next Week’s Readings
HEBREW SCRIPTURE Isaiah 9:2-7
PSALM 96 (VU p. 816)
EPISTLE Titus 2 :11-14
GOSPEL Luke 2 :1-14 (15-20)

Thought of the Day:
Love stops the cooking to hug the child. Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the spouse. Love is kind, though harried and tired. Love doesn’t envy another’s home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens…
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. Video games will break, pearl necklaces will be lost, golf clubs will rust, but giving the gift of love will endure.
(From a PMRC Advent written by Sharon Jaynes, based on 1 Corinthians 13)

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