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The Advent-ure Of Peace

Worship
Zephaniah 3:14-20
Philippians 4:4-7
Luke 3:7-18
Third Sunday of Advent - C
Dallas A. Brauninger
Lectionary Worship Aids
Series V, Cycle C
First Lesson: Zephaniah 3:14-20
Theme: The Advent-ure Of Peace

Call To Worship
Leader: All of us meet troublesome relationships.

People: We come yearning for solutions.

Leader: We know about arguing with ourselves and disagreeing with others.

People: We come wanting to resolve and settle.

All: Come, Christ, we await your peace.

Collect

Peace-giving God, who promises to lead us toward agreement and who calls us home to our true selves, renew within us a sense of your enduring peace. Amen.

Prayer Of Confession

God who removes disaster from us, God who turns away enemies of fear and turmoil, God who rejoices over us with gladness, renew us with the lasting peace of your love. In the name of Christ. Amen.

03C Hymns
"[O][Oh] Come, O Come, Emmanuel" Tune: VENI EMMANUEL

"My Heart Sings Out With Joyful Praise" Tune: MARIAS LOVS NG

"People In Darkness Are Looking For Light" (vv. 1-3) Tune: ADVENT1

* * *

Second Lesson: Philippians 4:4-7
Theme: Amazing Peace

Call To Worship

Rejoice in God for God is near. Let us rejoice in God by unfolding our souls. Let us rejoice by sharing ourselves with God and with those around us. And we will know a peace that we had not expected. Come, let us worship God.

Collect

We come to you, O God, with hearts thankful for your generous
spirit. Hear our songs and prayers of thanksgiving because you are near to show us the way of peace. Amen.

Prayer Of Confession

Dear God, we want to move beyond protecting our gentleness so much that we become closed in upon ourselves. We equate gentleness with exposing our vulnerability. We forget that tenderness also uncovers strength. Help us to glimpse the peace that can come from compassion. In Jesus' name. Amen.

03C Hymns
"Mary And Joseph In Bethlehem Town" Tune: SABRA

"Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" Tune: MENDELSSOHN

"Gentle Mary Laid Her Child" Tune: TEMPUS ADEST FLORIDUM

* * *


Gospel: Luke 3:7-18
Theme: God Is Able

Call To Worship
Leader: God is able,

People: And so are we.

Leader: God is able to do what seems impossible.

People: We are able to bear amazing fruit from our resources.

Leader: Come, let us worship our able, empowering God.

Collect

God, who offers us a reason to change our ways and who invites us to discover that we, too, are able to be kind, to share, and to choose fair ways, to you we return thanks. Amen.

Prayer Of Confession

When we live out the faith of our baptism, O God, we begin to understand our responsibility for how we live. Strengthen our resolve to act beyond self-interest. Open our ears to hear that we are able to live as you would have us live. In the name of the coming Savior. Amen.

03C Hymns
"Awake! Awake, And Greet The New Morn" Tune: REJOICE, REJOICE

"[On River Jordan's Bank][On Jordan's Bank][The Baptist Shouts][On Jordan's Shore]" Tune: WINCHESTER NEW

"Healing River Of The Spirit" Tune: JOEL or BEACH SPRING

____________

1. Sing verses 1, 2, and 3 of this Advent Hymn on Advent 3. Sing verse 3 as a closing response after the benediction.
UPCOMING WEEKS
In addition to the lectionary resources there are thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
Advent 3
30 – Sermons
120+ – Illustrations / Stories
27 – Children's Sermons / Resources
20 – Worship Resources
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Plus thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...

New & Featured This Week

The Immediate Word

Dean Feldmeyer
Christopher Keating
Thomas Willadsen
Katy Stenta
Mary Austin
Nazish Naseem
For December 21, 2025:

SermonStudio

Garth Wehrfritz-Hanson
Pastor: Advent God: We praise and thank you for the word of promise spoken long ago by your prophet Isaiah; as he bore the good news of the birth of Immanuel–so may we be bearers of the good news that Immanuel comes to be with us. God of love:

Cong: Hear our prayer.
Richard A. Jensen
Our Matthew text for this week comes from the first chapter of Matthew. Matthew's telling of the Jesus' story is certainly unique. Matthew tells of the early years of our Savior stressing that his name is Jesus and Emmanuel; that wise sages from the East attend his birth; that Joseph and Mary escape to Egypt because of Herod's wrath. No other Gospel includes these realities.
John N. Brittain
I am so old that I can actually remember when there was a difference between the number of "shopping days" until Christmas and the number of calendar days. They always ran a little box with that magical number on the front page of the Cleveland Press, itself now a faded memory. (For those of you under a certain age, this was because in the day most stores were not open for business on Sunday. Can you believe it?) I am, however, not too old to recall worries that the central message of Christmas was being overshadowed by commercialism and consumerism.
Stephen M. Crotts
Some years ago I was in a London theater watching a Harold Pinter play. The drama was not very good really. I was getting bored. Then right in the middle of the play the theater manager walked on stage, excused himself, and made an announcement. The actors stared. The audience looked shocked. Me? I thought it was all part of the play. Such interruptions are rare in a theater. But nonetheless, the stage manager felt that it was necessary this time. His announcement was nothing trivial like, "Some owner has left his car lights on." Nor was it a terrifying message like, "Fire! Fire!
Beverly S. Bailey
Hymns
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (UM211, PH9, LBW34, CBH172, NCH116)
The God Of Abraham Praise (UM116, PH488, NCH24)
O Hear Our Cry, O Lord (PH206)
Hail To The Lord's Anointed (UM203)
Blessed Be The God Of Israel (UM209)
Emmanuel, Emmanuel (UM204)
People Look East (PH12, UM202)
Savior Of The Nations, Come (LBW28, CBH178, PH14, UM214)
The Virgin Mary Had A Baby Boy (CBH202)
Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus (PH1, 2,UM196, NCH122)

Anthem

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Prayers usually include these concerns and may follow this sequence:

The Church of Christ

Creation, human society, the Sovereign and those in authority

The local community

Those who suffer

The communion of saints


These responses may be used:


Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer

Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.
Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:
Just before the first Christmas, an angel appeared to Joseph to tell him that Jesus would also be called "Emmanuel", meaning "God With Us." Let us listen to the guidance of the angels today as we prepare to receive God With Us once again.

Invitation to Confession:
Jesus, fill me with the awe of Christmas.
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, fill me with the mystery of Christmas.
Christ, have mercy.
Jesus, fill me with Emmanuel -- God with us.
Lord, have mercy.

StoryShare

Argile Smith
C. David Mckirachan
Scott Dalgarno
Stan Purdum
Contents
What's Up This Week
"Samantha" by Argile Smith
"I'm Pregnant" by C. David McKirachan
"You'd Better Watch out..." by C. David McKirachan
"Terribly Vulnerable to Joy" by Scott Dalgarno
"The Great Christmas-Tree Battle" by Stan Purdum


What's Up This Week
Keith Hewitt
Contents
"The Cell" by Keith Hewitt
"Angels Among Us" by Constance Berg
"The Perfect Imperfect Pageant" by Gregory L. Tolle


* * * * * * * * *

Emphasis Preaching Journal

If you are an "Advent purist," one who refuses to preach Advent sermons that lapse into the Christmas season, this day -- December 24 -- presents a challenge! Fortunately, the texts for the day give you the freedom to "stand on the edge" between the two seasons. The lessons from Isaiah and Matthew are so full of the promise of the One who is to come that you cannot help but shout, "It's all about Jesus!" We like to move along linear time lines, from event to event. In the Advent season that has meant a steady mounting of theme upon theme as we prepare for the glorious message of Christmas.
Over the years, I grow more cynical about Christmas and just about everything that goes along with it. I have not become a scrooge, although the advancing years have made me more careful with my pennies. It is not that I cannot be moved by the lights, the music, and the fellowship of the holidays. I have not become an insensitive, unfeeling clod. My problem is that the language and the images and the music seem to have fallen short in expressing what must have been the feelings of the real human beings going through the events recounted in this story.

David Kalas
Schuyler Rhodes
The apostle Paul begins his letter to the Romans by identifying himself as one who was "set apart for the gospel of God." The underlying Greek word, which we traditionally translate "gospel," is euaggelion.

The "eu" prefix is familiar to us. We know it from English words like euphemism, eulogy, and euphoria. In biblical Greek, as in our contemporary usage of the prefix, "eu" means "good."

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What an exciting day this is! Today is the day before Christmas and tonight is Christmas Eve! People have different ways of doing things. Some people open their presents on Christmas Eve. How many of you do that? (Let them answer.) Others open their presents on Christmas Day. Which of you will open your presents tomorrow? (Let them answer.) Some open gifts on other days. Would any of you like to share another time when you open presents? (Give them the opportunity to answer.)

Why do you suppose we open gifts at this time of the year? (Let them answer.)
Teachers and Parents: It is good for children to learn to
respect the name of Jesus because of all that he has done and
continues to do for all of us. If they realize what the name
means, who the man was, and what he did for all of us, they will
be much less likely to abuse the name or use it in casual ways
that cause offense.

* Read Philippians 2:10 and explain that we will play a game
based on this text, which tells us that every knee should bend at
the name of Jesus. Count the children who will play, and put
Good morning! In the Gospel reading we heard that an angel
appeared to Joseph in a dream and told him that he was to name
the baby who would be born to Mary "Jesus." (Show them the card
with Jesus written on it.) Now why do you think the angel told
him to use that name? Why didn't he want the baby to be named
Fred or Harry or Bob? (Let them answer.)

It has to do with the meaning of the name "Jesus." Does
anybody know what the name means? (Let them answer.) The name

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