The Second Sunday of Advent
Opening Hymn #65: Prepare the way, o Zion
Collect of the Day
Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
A reading from the Prophet Isaiah, Chapter 11, Verses 1 – 10
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.
His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide by what his ears hear;
but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist,
and faithfulness the belt around his loins.
The wolf shall live with the lamb,
the leopard shall lie down with the kid,
the calf and the lion and the fatling together,
and a little child shall lead them.
The cow and the bear shall graze,
their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the
ox.
The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp,
and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.
They will not hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain;
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.
The Word of the Lord / Thanks be to God
Psalm 72: 1 – 7, 18 – 19
1 Give the King your justice, O God, *
and your righteousness to the King’s Son;
2 That he may rule your people righteously *
and the poor with justice;
3 That the mountains may bring prosperity to the people, *
and the little hills bring righteousness.
4 He shall defend the needy among the people; *
he shall rescue the poor and crush the oppressor.
5 He shall live as long as the sun and moon endure, *
from one generation to another.
6 He shall come down like rain upon the mown field, *
like showers that water the earth.
7 In his time shall the righteous flourish; *
there shall be abundance of peace till the moon shall be no more.
18 Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, *
who alone does wondrous deeds!
19 And blessed be his glorious Name for ever! *
and may all the earth be filled with his glory.
Amen. Amen.
A reading from Paul’s letter to the Romans, Chapter 15, Verses 4 – 13
Whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope. May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of the truth of God in order that he might confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written,
“Therefore I will confess you among the Gentiles,
and sing praises to your name”;
and again he says,
“Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people”;
and again,
“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles,
and let all the peoples praise him”;
and again Isaiah says,
“The root of Jesse shall come,
the one who rises to rule the Gentiles;
in him the Gentiles shall hope.”
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Word of the Lord / Thanks be to God
Sequence Hymn #67: Comfort, comfort ye my people
Deacon The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
People Glory to you, Lord Christ.
A reading from the Gospel according to Matthew, Chapter 3, Verses 1 – 12
In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said,
“The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight.’”
Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit worthy of repentance. Do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor’; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
“I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
Deacon The Gospel of the Lord.
People Praise to you, Lord Christ.
Parish Prayer List
Cheryl W., the Brokaw Family, Debbie L., Margo, the Ewing Family, Becky V., Sydney F., the Saver Family, Robert M., Amy C., Cindy W., the Gomez Family, Sue M., the Blanchard Family, Alex M., Ethan T., the Tiedemann Family, Amy A., the Merrill Family, Jaime B., Marilyn R., Polly T., Pat M., Aspen G.
Offertory Choir Hymn: O come, Emmanuel
Communion Taize
Eucharistic Visit: Birgitta Clark
Closing Hymn #616: Hail to the Lord’s anointed
The Altar Flowers are given by Robin & Doug Finch, to the Glory of God and in honor of Nicholas Myra, who never ceased to work for the welfare of children, the safety of sailors,
the relief of the poor, and the help of those tossed by tempests of doubt or grief.
Serving today:
8:00 A.M.
Celebrant: Fr. Joseph Farnes
Lectors: MaryKay Peterson & Anita Wallinger
Eucharistic Minister: Anita Wallinger
Altar Guild: Anita Wallinger
10:00 A.M.
Celebrant: Fr. Joseph Farnes
Lectors: Dean Hagerman & David Hutchins
Eucharistic Minister: David Hutchins
Altar Guild: Linda Stark & Holly Melgard
Ushers: Laura Harbert & Kelsey Bullinger
Sunday School: Sue Nims
Music Director: Shauna Emara
Music: Amy Hutchins
Camera: Michael Englesby
Coffee Hour: Nancy Foster
The Anglican Communion Cycle of Prayer: Each Sunday we pray for a different province (regional or national church) of the Anglican Communion, of which the Episcopal Church is part. The Anglican Communion is made up of churches that share spiritual roots and connectedness with the Church of England. This week we pray for the Church of Bangladesh. The Church of Bangladesh (COB) is a united church that traces its Anglican and Presbyterian roots back centuries to the time of English colonial rule over the whole of India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. It became an independent province of the Anglican Communion after Bangladesh separated from Pakistan in 1971. From the outset Bangladesh has been distinguished by oppressive poverty, unequal access to resources, religious conflict, and the crowding of a growing population in a small territory. Americans may be most aware of Bangladesh as the home of sweatshops where clothing is made for export in dangerously flammable buildings. The country now sees increasing natural disasters stemming from environmental changes, and for the past year it has been in a state of political upheaval with mass demonstrations and detentions, the overturn of an authoritarian government, and the collapse of civil institutions. The church lives amid these challenges, offering service to people of all castes, colors, creeds and religions under its motto, “Bear witness for Christ through service.” It lists members’ faith in Jesus Christ, unity within its communities, the historic institutions of faith, and the respect of the wider society as strengths for its work. Among its tasks the church prioritizes spiritual renewal, self-sustainability, and meeting people’s material and spiritual needs. And in the present turmoil, it seeks to sustain inter-religious dialogue with Muslim neighbors to balance the growing aggressiveness of Islamist political parties.