From the Silence

Advent Candle Lightings with Year C prophecies

Each will take place at the beginning of worship, led by a Leader, a “Prophet” reading from the back or a far corner, and “Lighters”—two or more people, perhaps a family, at the Advent wreath, who may break up the reading as they wish; someone might light while others read. The bold type is for the congregation to read.

Advent 1

Leader: Let us worship God.

Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth. _{Psalm 124:8}

Lighters: Advent is the time to prepare for Christmas,

to prepare for Christ’s promised coming, long ago and any minute.

As we prepare on this first Sunday of Advent,

we hear these words of the prophet Jeremiah:

Prophet: “Watch for this,” God says.

“The time is coming,” God says.

“The time is coming when I will keep the promise that I made

to the families of Israel and Judah.

When that time comes,

I will make a fresh and true shoot sprout from the David-Tree.

He will run the country honestly and fairly.

He will set things right.

That’s when Judah will be secure and Jerusalem will live in safety.

The motto for the city will be ‘God has set things right for us.’” _{Jeremiah 33:14-16}

Lighters: We light the first Advent candle, remembering God’s promise. (light the candle)

Thanks be to God, who keeps every promise to us!

Everyone sing “Awake! Awake and greet the new morn” (Sing! A New Creation #91), stanza 1

Leader: May the Lord be with your spirit.

Grace be with you.

Advent 2

Leader: Let us worship God.

Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth. _{Psalm 124:8}

Lighters: Advent is the time to prepare for Christmas,

to prepare for Christ’s promised coming, long ago and any minute.

As we prepare on this second Sunday of Advent,

we hear these words of the prophet Isaiah:

Prophet: 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.

Fear of the Lord will be all his joy and delight.

He won’t judge by appearances, won’t decide on the basis of hearsay.

He’ll judge the needy by what is right,

render decisions on earth’s poor with justice.

His words will bring everyone to awed attention.

A mere breath from his lips will topple the wicked.

Righteousness will be his servant-robe, tied with a belt of faithfulness. _{Isaiah 11:1-5}

Lighters: We lit the first Advent candle for God’s promise.

We light the second candle, remembering that the promise is personal. (light the candle)

Thanks be to God, whose promise comes to us in his Son!

Everyone sing “Awake! Awake and greet the new morn” (Sing! A New Creation #91), stanzas 1-2

Leader: May the Lord be with your spirit.

Grace be with you.

Advent 3

Leader: Let us worship God.

Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth. _{Psalm 124:8}

Lighters: Advent is the time to prepare for Christmas,

to prepare for Christ’s promised coming, long ago and any minute.

As we prepare on this third Sunday of Advent,

we hear these words of the prophet MY-cuh:

Prophet: But you, Bethlehem, David’s country, runt of the litter—

from you will come the leader who will shepherd-rule Israel.

He’ll be no upstart, no pretender.

His Lighters tree is ancient and distinguished.

Meanwhile, Israel will be in foster homes

until the birth-pangs are over and the child is born,

and the scattered brothers and sisters come back home to the Lighters of Israel.

He will stand tall in his shepherd-rule by God’s strength,

centered in the majesty of God-Revealed.

And the people will be secure,

for the whole world will hold him in respect—

Peacemaker to the world! _{Micah 5:2-5a}

Lighters: We lit the first Advent candle for God’s promise,

the second for the person God promised to send.

They were both blue candles, the color of hope.

We light the third candle, a pink and joyful candle,

remembering and rejoicing that God’s promise wasn’t vague;

it mentioned a specific place. (light the candle)

Thanks be to God, whose promise is real in our here and now!

Everyone sing “Awake! Awake and greet the new morn” (Sing! A New Creation #91), stanzas 1-3

Leader: May the Lord be with your spirit.

Grace be with you.

Advent 4

Leader: Let us worship God.

Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth. _{Psalm 124:8}

Lighters: Advent is the time to prepare for Christmas,

to prepare for Christ’s promised coming, long ago and any minute.

As we prepare on this fourth Sunday of Advent,

we hear these words of the prophet MAL-uh-kigh:

Prophet: “Look! I’m sending a messenger on ahead to clear the way for me.

Suddenly, out of the blue,

the Leader you’ve been looking for will enter his Temple—

yes, the Messenger of the Covenant, the one you’ve been waiting for.

Look! He’s on his way!”

That’s the word from the mouth of God-of-the-Angel-Armies.

But who will be able to stand up to that coming?

Who can survive his appearance?

He’ll be like a refiner’s white-hot fire.

He’ll be like the strongest lye soap at the laundry.

He’ll take his place as a refiner of silver, a cleanser of dirty clothes.

He will purify the descendents of LEE-vigh and refine them like gold and silver

until they’re fit for God, fit to present offerings of righteousness.

Then, and only then, will Judah and Jerusalem be fit and pleasing to God,

as they used to be in the years long ago. _{Malachi 3:1-4}

Lighters: We lit the first Advent candle for God’s promise,

the second for the person God promised to send,

the third for the place where God’s promise took on flesh.

We light the fourth Advent candle, and the wreath becomes quite bright,

because of the power that comes with God’s promise. (light the candle)

Thanks be to God, whose promise changes our lives and our world!

Everyone sing “Awake! Awake and greet the new morn” (Sing! A New Creation #91), stanzas 1-4

Leader: May the Lord be with your spirit.

Grace be with you.