St. John the Baptist Anglican Church

Duncan, BC

St. John the Baptist Anglican Church - Duncan is live

Advent 1

Guest Speaker

Sunday, November 28, 2021

Scripture

Playlist

Advent 1

As we gather, we recognize that we live, work and play in the traditional lands of the Cowichan Tribes and Coast Salish People.

We continue to commit ourselves to the work of reconciliation and relationship-building with our First Nations neighbours.

Welcome.

Look up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.

Luke 21.28

O come, let us worship.

Almighty God,

To you all hearts are open, all desires known,

and from you no secrets are hidden.

Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts

by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,

that we may perfectly love you,

and worthily magnify your holy name;

through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Opening Hymn:

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

Public Domain

O come, O come, Emmanuel,

and ransom captive Israel

that mourns in lonely exile here

until the Sone of God appear.

Refrain:

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

shall come to you, O Israel.

O come, O Wisdom from on high,

who orders all things mightily;

to us the path of knowledge show,

and teach us in her ways to go.

(Refrain…)

O Come, O come, great Lord of might,

who to your tribes on Sinai’s height

in ancient times once gave the law,

in cloud and majesty and awe.

(Refrain…)

O come, O Rod of Jesse’s stem,

from every foe deliver them

that trust your mighty power to save,

and give them victory o’er the grave.

(Refrain…)

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.

(Refrain…)

O come, O Dayspring from on high

and cheer us by your drawing nigh;

disperse the gloomy clouds of night,

and death’s dark shadow put to flight.

(Refrain…)

O come, Desire of nations, bind

in one the hearts of humankind;

O bid our bitter conflict cease,

and be for us our Prince of Peace.

(Refrain…)

All: We light this candle to bring into a dark world,

the light of Hope.

All: (Tune: Away in a Manger)

A candle is burning,

a flame warm and bright;

A candle of Hope

in December’s dark night.

While angels sing blessings

from heaven’s starry sky

our hearts we prepare now,

for Jesus is nigh.

Trisagion (said):

Holy God,

holy and mighty,

holy immortal one,

have mercy upon us.

Collect of the Day:

Almighty God,

Give us grace to cast away the works of darkness

and put on the armour of light,

now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son,

Jesus Christ came to us in great humility;

that on the last day,

when he shall come again in his glorious majesty

to judge both the living and the dead,

we may rise to the life immortal;

through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever. Amen

The Proclamation of the Word

1st Reading: Jeremiah 33. 14-16

The Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Psalm 25

To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul; my God, I put my trust in you;

let me not be humiliated, nor let my enemies triumph over me.

Let none who look to you be put to shame;

let the treacherous be disappointed in their schemes.

Show me your ways, O Lord,

and teach me your paths.

Lead me in your truth and teach me,

for you are the God of my salvation;

in you have I trusted all the day long.

Remember, O Lord, your compassion and love,

for they are from everlasting.

Remember not the sins of my youth and my transgressions;

remember me according to your love,

and for the sake of your goodness, O Lord.

Gracious and upright is the Lord,

Therefore, he teaches sinners in his way.

He guides the humble in doing right

and teaches his way to the lowly.

All the paths of the Lord are love and faithfulness

to those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.

God of compassion and love,

forgive our sins, relieve our misery, satisfy our longing,

and fulfil all our hopes for peace;

through your Son Jesus Christ, our Redeemer.

2nd Reading: 1 Thessalonians 3. 9-13

The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Gradual Hymn:

Come Down, O Love Divine

Public Domain.

Come down, O love divine,

seek Thou this soul of mine,

and visit it with thine own ardour glowing;

O Comforter, draw near,

within my heart appear,

and kindle it, thy holy flame bestowing.

O let it freely burn,

till earthly passions turn

to dust and ashes in its heat consuming;

and let Thy glorious light

shine ever on my sight,

and clothe me round, the while my path illuming.

Let holy charity

mine outward vesture be,

and lowliness become mine inner clothing;

true lowliness of heart,

which takes the humbler part,

and o'er its own shortcomings weeps with loathing.

And so, the yearning strong,

with which the soul will long,

shall far out pass the power of human telling;

for none can guess its grace,

till they become the place

wherein the Holy Spirit finds a dwelling.

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

The Good News of Jesus

according To: Luke 21: 25-36

Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

The Gospel of Christ,

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

Sermon: The Venerable Brian Evans

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be ever acceptable to you O Lord. Amen.

HOPE IN THANKSGIVING

Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians opens with these words today: How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we feel before our God because of you?”

Then Paul explains how he wishes to thank God: ·

He want s to visit them again, face to face to hear from them personally. ·
He wants to share with them in the abundance of love they have shown towards each other. ·
That their hearts may be blameless before God. That last verse is like a short prayer: “And may you so strengthen your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.”

On Sunday we will have shared, in this province, one of—possibly—the worst—disaster in our history.

Along side of the real heartache, sorrow, despair, and anguish, we have heard of the many stories of hope. ·

There are the fishing and hunting guiders assoc. who are transporting people, animals, and supplies up and down the Fraser River. ·
The group in Lower Mainland who could put together 3000 meals along with other essential goods in just over 24 hours. ·
The first horse rescue with helicopter in the history of the province. ·
Listening to the Mayors of Princeton and Spences Bridge speak of the heroic efforts of friends and strangers. ·

These heroic actions examples valor, fearlessness, courage, and in some cases daring, action against all the odds. We hear stories of people being like nearly superhuman. All of these stories, are set before us as we listen to the music, scriptures, and prayers to begin Advent.

FIRST, Paul tells us something beyond the simple gathering with friends at Thanksgiving. Paul challenges us to go further—to welcome within ourselves, those outside of our comfort zone. To be “thanksgiving people”, God requires more of us—our need to move beyond simply those for whom we like.

Advent is a clear call for us to look forward to that encompassing message in the Nativity of Christ—to be prepared, to be pleased, to be present, with those we know AND those we do not know.

At various times in our lives, we find ourselves in those positions.

In my vocation as a parish priest, the simple move to a new community can be daunting. To say little of the synonyms like; overwhelming, intimidating, frightening, outright scary. Then I stop and consider what it must be like for folk in the pew.

When I want to see faith, all I have to do is look out at the pews every day. Even the empty pews speak to me of a people who at one time trusted God, and God’s call, to the work of thanksgiving.

When we offer ourselves to this level, then we discover the peace and beauty of the world because of our actions of thanksgiving.

SECOND, Paul calls us to share in a concept of mutual love: “May the Lord make you increase, and abound, in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love for you.”

Advent is a time for new beginnings—an opportunity to give consideration afresh to demonstrating mutual love. Advent is like Lent: a time for us to be more intentional.

One of the key words in all of this is “more”. This is not to say we are not already living out this mutual love.

At the same time, it is a gentle reminder.

Jesus continually crossed borders, literally and figuratively. Jesus never strayed away from the lepers, cripples, the blind, the physically handicapped, the widow—the list is nearly endless.

THIRD, Paul calls us to actions of proper conduct. “May he so strengthen your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless before our God and Father, in the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Advent challenge to transform our lives of faith, and make them more conforming with Christ. It’s a time to cast out hatred, pride, jealousy, arrogance, and things that create violence.

To be able to sing with great gusto that wonderful, what I call campfire praise song, ‘If I Had a Hammer’. Hammering out justice, peace, hope and joy.

A PONDERING THOUGHT. Maybe one year, we could use those words and tune for our Advent Candle lighting.

TWO illustrations for this week:

The first is of a young lad who, on weekly shopping trips for groceries with his mother, assisted her in getting the groceries for a neighbour who was a shut-in. Each week, he would carry the groceries to the neighbour’s house. ………When wanting to play with his friends, he was wanting to just leave the groceries and not assist in putting them away. Instead, he stayed.

That day the lady gave him a dollar rather than the customary 25 cent piece. Now what should he do with the money. Treats for himself? Then noticing the Christmas Cards, he thought to give it to the lady who he knew had no family and spent Christmas alone.

A few weeks later, upon her death, on the bedside table stood one lone Christmas card.

Second story (Illustration):

One day, a young man answered a want-ad for a farm hand. He told the owner about his previous experience, which was abundant, and his references were impeccable. He ended the interview in a rather odd way, however, by telling the owner that he could count on him, because he could sleep during the wind. The owner was confused but he could not argue with the man’s credentials, so he was given the job.

Late one night, a fierce Midwest storm arose. It was two in the morning but the farmer arose, got dressed, and went outside to see what needed to be secured. First, he checked the barn, but the doors were closed, shutters were locked tight, and the animals were tethered and safe. He next checked the springhouse, the pump-room, and storage shed, and all the trucks.

Everything was secured. He ran from place to place, thinking most assuredly, that something must be out of order. Finally, the owner stuck his head in the bunkhouse, and saw the farmhand fast asleep.

He remembered the curious statement of the farmhand when he was interviewed, “I can sleep during the wind.” The farmer smiled and thought to himself, “Yes, he is at peace and has done all things well. He can sleep during the wind.”

Today, we light the first candle in our Advent Wreath. May this candle be a demonstration of our thanksgiving for our life, while at the same time an outward and visible symbol of our mutual love, and right conduct with others, as a people with concern for all that is happening in our midst at this time.

Saint Ignatius of Loyola offers these words of advice: “May all we do, and say, give greater glory and honour to God.

So, as we pray our prayer over the gifts, may the God of love will be stirred within us. . …..

….. Thanks be to God. Amen.

The Apostles Creed:

Let us confess the faith of our baptism, as we say:

I believe in God, the Father almighty,

creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.

He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit

and born of the Virgin Mary.

He suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, died, and was buried.

He descended to the dead.

On the third day he rose again.

He ascended into heaven,

and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy catholic Church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting. Amen.

The Prayers of the People

Let us pray to conduct ourselves in ways that are pleasing to God.

Our common prayer response is

“Christ, our Justice, hear our prayer”.

Through the grace and peace of your Holy Spirit, strengthen us in our commitment to live peaceably with one another.

We pray: