Sunday service for 17 December 2023, third Sunday of Advent

Sunday 17 December 2023 — NL2-15, Advent 3
Gourock St. John’s Church of Scotland
Service prepared by Rev. Teri Peterson
Manse: 632143 
Email: TPeterson (at) churchofscotland.org.uk
Email Charlene, Parish Assistant: CMitchell (at) churchofscotland.org.uk
Email Rob, student minister: RThomson (at) churchofscotland.org.uk

Prelude Music (praise band)

*We Gather As God’s Family (As the Bible is brought in, we stand and sing)
A family gathered in love,
striving for justice and joy,
blessing the broken-hearted,
and sharing the hope of God’s kingdom.

Welcome & Announcements

Call to Worship
One: Can you hear it?
All: God speaks —
through angel messengers, through quiet whispers,
in the voices of others, and in the nudges of our hearts.
One: Sometimes dramatic and sometimes subtle,
All: Love comes to us.

Online Hymn: All the Earth Was Waiting (Resound….Praise Band)
*Sanctuary Hymn 306: O Come, All Ye Faithful (vv. 1-3)

Lighting the Advent Candle
One: Look at the world —
All: But it feels like endless bad news
pain / turmoil / anger / grief / war / poverty
One: Look at the world —
All: The world is weary.
*All sing: (hymn 303 it came upon the midnight clear v3)
But with the woes of sin and strife
the world has suffered long;
beneath the angels’ hymn have rolled
two thousand years of wrong;
and warring humankind hears not
the love-song which they bring;
oh, hush the noise and still the strife
to hear the angels sing.

One: Hush the noise.
Look closely.
You may have to
squint.
You may have to
peer
into the shadows.
But when you do…

~Candle is lit~

joy / laughter / friendship / hope / generosity / mercy

One: Look at the world —
All: The world God so loves
One: This is where the Messiah comes
not some faraway galaxy
not waiting for a perfect world
not a safe, sanitised, rose-tinted past
not where there’s plenty of room and plenty of time.
Here.
All: A thrill of hope: Emmanuel, God with us.

*Hymn 273, vv 1 & 5: 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 thee, O Israel.

O come, thou Dayspring, come and cheer
our spirits by thine advent here;
disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
and death’s dark shadows put to flight:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel.

Prayer (Rob)
Heavenly Father,

As we gather in your presence today, we bring our hearts before you in the spirit of confession, we acknowledge the moments when doubt has overshadowed our faith, and when fear has gripped us instead of trust.

Forgive us, O God, for the times we have questioned the unfolding of your plan in our lives.

Forgive us when we say “not me, not now, not like this”, when we doubt we have what it takes to be part of building your kingdom.

Forgive us for the times we think we are too tired, too busy, too weak, too old, too young, not experienced enough to follow your calling and that someone else might do it.

Forgive us when we deny your promises to us, after all you have done for us and the many times you have demonstrated your trustworthiness.

We adore You, Lord, for your mercy and grace, that surpass our understanding. For the everyday miracles and wonders of your creation we take for granted.

We are so thankful for your patience with us, for the comfort of your word in scripture and for those who you put in our lives to keep us on track.

You are the one true and living God, who provides for His people. Be it mana from heaven or more subtle blessings, you sustain us and ensure we endure.

In these moments reflection together, reveal to us that which is in our hearts that needs your light.

Grant us the humility to confess these shortcomings and the courage to turn toward the light of your forgiveness and the yoke of your Gospel work.

Teach us to embrace your promises.

We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, who showed us how to live, who taught us how to love and who carried our burdens on the cross.

Amen.

Sanctuary Hymn: All the Earth Was Waiting (Resound….Praise Band)

Sanctuary Children’s Time

Scripture Reading: Luke 1.5-25, 57-80 (New Revised Standard Version)
In the days of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah. His wife was a descendant of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. Both of them were righteous before God, living blamelessly according to all the commandments and regulations of the Lord. But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were getting on in years.
Once when he was serving as priest before God and his section was on duty, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and offer incense. Now at the time of the incense-offering, the whole assembly of the people was praying outside. Then there appeared to him an angel of the Lord, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was terrified; and fear overwhelmed him. But the angel said to him, ‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John.
You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or strong drink; even before his birth he will be filled with the Holy Spirit. He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. With the spirit and power of Elijah he will go before him, to turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.’ Zechariah said to the angel, ‘How will I know that this is so? For I am an old man, and my wife is getting on in years.’ The angel replied, ‘I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. But now, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time, you will become mute, unable to speak, until the day these things occur.’
Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah, and wondered at his delay in the sanctuary. When he did come out, he could not speak to them, and they realised that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. He kept motioning to them and remained unable to speak. When his time of service was ended, he went to his home.
After those days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she remained in seclusion. She said, ‘This is what the Lord has done for me when he looked favourably on me and took away the disgrace I have endured among my people.’

Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. Her neighbours and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her.
On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him Zechariah after his father. But his mother said, ‘No; he is to be called John.’ They said to her, ‘None of your relatives has this name.’ Then they began motioning to his father to find out what name he wanted to give him. He asked for a writing-tablet and wrote, ‘His name is John.’ And all of them were amazed. Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began to speak, praising God. Fear came over all their neighbours, and all these things were talked about throughout the entire hill country of Judea. All who heard them pondered them and said, ‘What then will this child become?’ For, indeed, the hand of the Lord was with him.
Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke this prophecy: 
‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
   for he has looked favourably on his people and redeemed them. 
He has raised up a mighty saviour for us
   in the house of his servant David, 
as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, 
 that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us. 
Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors,
   and has remembered his holy covenant,
the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham,
   to grant us that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies,
might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness
   before him all our days. 
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
   for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, 
to give knowledge of salvation to his people
   by the forgiveness of their sins. 
By the tender mercy of our God,
   the dawn from on high will break upon us, 
to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
   to guide our feet into the way of peace.’
The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day he appeared publicly to Israel.

For the word of God in scripture
for the word of God among us
for the word of God within us
thanks be to God.

Sermon: Practice Joy
I used to have a minister who would pray before the sermon and often included the line “God, let something happen here today — something that isn’t in the bulletin.” Can you imagine a bunch of Presbyterians praying that God would show up and speak out of turn, up-ending the carefully planned order of service?

I’ve been thinking a lot about that prayer as I’ve been ponder the story of Zechariah, and how he was in the literal holiest place on earth and yet seems not to have expected to encounter God there. It makes me wonder: do we expect to meet God when we come to worship? We think our church buildings or our home prayer spaces are special places, set aside and holy. But do we have holy, special experiences in them? We gather in worship following traditions handed down for generations because they have been meaningful ways for people to connect with God…do we have meaningful connections with God when we do those same traditions? What do we expect will happen when we come to worship, when we open God’s word, when we pray?

Zechariah was a priest — one of thousands of Levite priests living all around the country. They were divided into orders, and each order spent about two weeks out of every six months on duty. During that week, they’d serve in the Temple in different ways, offering the sacrifices people brought in, caring for the place, and facilitating people’s worship. And each afternoon, one priest would be randomly chosen to go into the holiest room and make the special incense offering, and then come out and offer a blessing to the people who gathered to pray. This was a huge honour, a major special opportunity, most likely a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Zechariah would be going in to the space where God promised to be present, praying on behalf of the people, and bringing the blessing back out to them.

And yet when he went in, he was shocked to meet God’s messenger there. In the holiest place on earth…he still never expected to encounter God.

Thankfully, God is not constrained by our expectations!

We often wonder about Zechariah’s question to the angel — having been given a message of such unbelievable joy, the question that came first to his mind was a question of how he could be certain that something happening in his wife’s body was for real. The consequence Gabriel gives him suggests to me that part of the reason Zechariah wanted that certainty was so he could talk about it with anyone and everyone, not only sharing their long-prayed-for joy but perhaps more like almost boasting about their blessing and the special status of their son, or comparing his holy experience with other people’s. Instead, he’ll have to spend many months in silence…trusting Elizabeth’s testimony about her own experience, but not being able to tell her about his.

I suspect those months of silence were a joy for Elizabeth…but I wonder if they were a joy for Zechariah too? Unable to make pronouncements, to explain, to control the narrative, all he could do was watch as Elizabeth first stayed in the house for months — perhaps until she was absolutely certain and past the most likely points of loss, perhaps until she began to show and so everyone around would also know what had happened, perhaps until Mary visited in the sixth month and the joy bubbled over. And Zechariah would have to watch but not participate. For the priest, the man with the authority and the answers, to have to sit on the sidelines while the women have the physical experience of God must have been a challenge. Though he had his moment in the holy place and didn’t know what to do, the women around him know exactly what to do. And he had to watch and learn.

I like to think that in those months — which remember would also have included Zechariah’s next shift on duty in the Temple, since they went for two weeks every six months — Zechariah took the opportunity to practice the discipline of joy. Because the thing about joy is that it can’t be controlled. It can’t be created or explained or planned or forced…it’s always one of those things that isn’t in the print. We can hope for it, yes, but we can’t make joy happen. So maybe you’re wondering how joy can be a discipline if we can’t make it? Well…because joy is a product of our spiritual lives. The more connected we are to God, the more we submit ourselves to God’s way, the more we get our relationship with God in the right order and right priorities, the more chance we have of joy. When we are trying to control everything, we squeeze out the space where joy slips in. When we have to be able to explain, we build God and ourselves a box and it doesn’t have room for joy. When we talk more about ourselves and our ideas and our plans, or worse when we compare ourselves to others and try to find ways we’re better or worse, that focus means we miss God appearing. Joy is a consequence of paying attention to what God is doing, and following that direction rather than insisting on setting our own.

So Zechariah was forced into months of paying attention. Months of watching and listening and praying without any chance to control how the story would be told. Months of looking for what God was doing in the bodies of other people. Months of practicing not being in charge.

That’s a hard discipline for a lot of us. Some of us (cough cough) like to be in control, like to make sure everything is safe and secure before we take a step into the path God has laid out for us. To practice joy, then, is to practice making room for God to turn up and do something new — something that isn’t in the bulletin.

When Zechariah was finally able to speak again, he took his opportunity to declare God’s goodness, to find his family’s place within God’s story, not on top of it, and to sing of how God’s mercy was breaking like the dawn, bringing light to those who were grasping about in the shadows of their own words and controls and plans and ideas. All those months of practice bubbled over in praise for the One who had burst his expectations and met him in both the once-in-a-lifetime moment and the common yet holy experience of becoming a parent.

What joy might bubble over when we too practice expecting God to show up in the big and small moments?

May it be so. Amen.

Hymn 320: Joy to the World

Sanctuary Offering (choir to sing)

*Sanctuary Offering Response: Hymn 305 verse 5
What can I give him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb,
if I were a wise man I would do my part,
yet what I can I give him,
give my heart.

Sanctuary communion: Invitation to the Table
A meal is an ordinary thing — and yet also it is exactly when Christ promised to meet us. Whenever we break bread, whether in a sacred space or an ordinary kitchen, the table is where our eyes are opened to recognise Christ alongside us, setting our hearts alight with joy and courage. This table is like any other table in that way — when we expect his promise to be true, we will see him. This isn’t a Presbyterian table, it doesn’t belong to this church or to me, it belongs to Christ. He is the one who keeps promises. He is the one who breaks through our expectations and does a new thing. He is the one who feeds multitudes with only a handful of crumbs. He is the one whose way we walk, trusting that he will lead us on to joy. So come, whatever your state of mind today, and see our God in the flesh among us, hosting this meal where we thought we knew what to expect but it turns out he is here, just as he promised.

Prayer and Lord’s Prayer

Hear our prayers, O God —
prayers of gratitude for your promise fulfilled,
and prayers of longing for your kingdom to come.
Hear our prayers, O God —
the prayers we hold out to you, lifting them, ready for your care,
and the ones we hold tightly, not sure if we can hand them over just yet.
Hear our prayers, O God —
prayers offered together in this holy place
and prayers we barely dare to think in the secret corners of our hearts.
Hear our prayers, O God.
~moment of silence~
Turn the eyes of this world to your future,
that where we are too focused on ourselves we may instead seek the good of those who come after us,
passing on not only our wisdom
but also the abundance of your creation, the love of neighbour, and a future with hope.
May those in positions of power choose empathy over greed.
May those who are insulated from consequences choose compassion over selfishness.
May those who have outsized influence choose to listen to those whose voices have been silenced.
Turn our hearts to the work of being good ancestors,
building your kingdom as we love our neighbour yet to be.
~moment of silence~
We are waiting, O God —
waiting for a blessing that doesn’t seem to be coming,
waiting to feel safe enough to follow your way,
waiting for our wishes to be granted.
Even now you are breaking in,
pushing your way into this world,
through the pain and mess, the cries and love,
the deep breaths and inexplicable joy.
We remember those whose pain seems never ending, and does not bring forth life.
We remember those who cry out without relief.
We remember those who cannot catch their breath.
We remember those whose bodies no longer work the way they once did,
and especially those who are treated as if one disability means they cannot be whole or included.
We remember those who cannot wait any longer for justice.
We remember those who live with danger we cannot imagine.

And on the 17th day of the month we join our hearts as your church family to pray:
*For Inverclyde Royal Hospital, the Larkfield Unit, and Orchard View — for the doctors, nurses, and all the staff, and for the patients and families who are served there. May your Spirit of Healing be in that place.

*For the leaders of St John’s congregation: for the elders, the Kirk Session, the Session Clerk, the Treasurer, the pastoral care team, the flower team, and the many other volunteers.

*For the land, people, and governments of the nations of Yemen, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait, and Iran.

We pray you would be powerfully present,
and that even if we wonder, even if we can’t find the words to explain,
your favour might fill this world today
and bring peace, hope, joy, and love to all people and all creation.
~moment of silence~
Hear our prayers, O God,
in the name of the One who is coming, your Word made flesh, Jesus the Christ, who taught us to pray together:

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.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen.

Sanctuary communion:
Words of Institution
Communion of the People
Music during communion: Light of the World (Lauren Daigle)
Prayer After Communion

*Sanctuary Hymn 804: You Shall Go Out With Joy (praise band)

Benediction

Go from this place to practice joy: letting go of control and comparison, paying attention, expecting — despite all the evidence — that dawn will break and God will appear to lead us in the paths of peace.
And as you go, may the Spirit of God go above you to watch over you. May the Spirit of God go beside you to be your companion. May the Spirit of God go before you to show you the way, and behind you to push you into places you might not go alone. And may the Spirit of God go within you, to remind you that you are loved more deeply than you can possibly imagine. May the fire of God’s love burn brightly in you, and through you into the world. Go in peace. Amen.

*Sung Benediction Response (John L Bell, tune Gourock St John’s)
Now may the Lord of all be blessed,
Now may Christ’s gospel be confessed,
Now may the Spirit when we meet
Bless sanctuary and street.

Postlude Music

Announcements

* This Advent we are asking everyone to update your Gift Aid information, so we can ensure we are maximising our Gift Aid opportunities. Please fill in a new Gift Aid form so that we can update our records!

* Today is the last day to bring your cards for the Christmas Post: Our youth organisations will again deliver Christmas cards in Gourock and in the west end of Greenock. Delivery is just 30 pence per card. The money raised by the Christmas Post funds our youth ministries throughout the year, so it’s a good cause as well as saving you a lot of money compared to the post office!

* The next Bowl & Blether is TOMORROW 18 December, with doors open from 11:30-1:30. It’s a great opportunity to get out and meet some people and have a meal and some social time! This month our donations at Bowl & Blether are going to support those who use the Grieve Road Pantry with some groceries for Christmas.

*** The service for the Longest Night — a quiet candlelight Christmas service for those looking for light in the darkness, for praying for peace, for recognising the griefs of the season and seeking a more contemplative opportunity to worship and pray amidst the lights and cheer — is on Thursday 21 December at 7pm in the sanctuary. All are welcome.

*** Next Sunday, 24 December, we will have our Fourth Sunday of Advent service at 11am, and our Christmas Eve Family Service at 7pm. All are welcome! 

*** Christmas Morning we have a family worship time at 10am. Everyone is invited to bring along a gift you’ve received to show!

* We worship in the sanctuary on Sundays at 11am, and all Sunday worship is also online. If you are able, please enter by the front door in Bath street, and only those who need step-free access should use the back door. If you feel unwell, please worship online, to protect both yourself and others in our community.

* Starter Packs are short of Razors/Shaving Foam, Bathroom/Kitchen Cleaner, Tea Towels and Cleaning Cloths.
The FoodBank are requesting UHT milk, rice pudding, long-life fruit juice & confectionery. You can bring donations to the church and place them into the boxes in the vestibule. Thank you!

* Did you know that the ministry we do at St John’s costs about £3000 per week? Everything we do is funded by your generous giving — all our support for young people, older people, bereavement care, community outreach, worship, study, spiritual growth, and community work is because of your offering. If you would like to set up a standing order in order to facilitate your spiritual discipline of giving, or if you would like to make an extra gift to support the ministry St. John’s does in our parish, you can give online by clicking here. If you would like to set up a standing order, please contact Teri and she can give you the treasurer’s details. You can also send your envelopes to the church or the manse by post and we will ensure they are received. 
It is also possible to donate to the work of the new parish assistant, speak to Anne Love about how to go about directing new donations to that new item in the budget.

* Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Youtube, and to sign up for our email devotions! Midweek you can watch Wine and the Word on Youtube, pray with video devotions on Facebook, and consider a new angle on something with a devotional email. Feel free to share with your friends, too!

* Registration is now open for Jump Into January, the Winter mini-Exploratorium: 3rd-4th January, 9am – 1pm, we’ll be Jumping Into January with children in P1-P7 — tell all the kids you know! If you can volunteer for breakfast club (8am), during the morning, or in the kitchen for snacks and lunch, please speak to Teri or Charlene or Graham Bolster.

* Wednesday Evening Bible Study meets at 7:30pm at the manse, and then will take a break for the 27th and 3rd, returning on 10 January.

* Free period products are available in the church toilets for anyone who might need them, thanks to Hey Girls and Inverclyde Council.