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What to Expect When You're Expecting Justice ...
Sermon Scriptures | Luke 1:51-53
Call to Worship | Psalm 105:7-8
7 He is the LORD our God.
His justice is seen throughout the land.
8 He always stands by His covenant promise—
the commitment He made to a thousand generations.
O Come, O Come Immanuel
Monk hymn translated by J.M. Neale
800s A.D., 1800s A.D.
O come, O come, Immanuel
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
7 He is the LORD our God.
His justice is seen throughout the land.
8 He always stands by His covenant promise—
the commitment He made to a thousand generations.
O Come, O Come Immanuel
Monk hymn translated by J.M. Neale
800s A.D., 1800s A.D.
O come, O come, Immanuel
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here.
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death's dark shadows put to flight. (Chorus)
O come, Desire of nations, bind
In One the hearts of all mankind;
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease,
And be Thyself our King of Peace. (Chorus)
Wondrous Love
Anonymous, 1811 A.D.
What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this that caused the Lord of bliss
To bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul,
To bear the dreadful curse for my soul.
When I was sinking down, sinking down, sinking down,
When I was sinking down, sinking down,
When I was sinking down beneath God’s righteous frown,
Christ laid aside His crown for my soul, for my soul,
Christ laid aside His crown for my soul.
To God and to the Lamb, we will sing, we will sing;
To God and to the Lamb we will sing.
To God and to the Lamb who is the great “I Am”;
While millions join the theme, we will sing, we will sing;
While millions join the theme, we will sing.
Oh how high, oh how wide, oh how deep is Your love!
Oh my soul, set on fire by Your wondrous love for us! (Repeat)
And when from death we're free, we'll sing on, we’ll sing on;
And when from death we're free, we’ll sing on.
And when from death we're free, we’ll sing and joyful be,
And through eternity we’ll sing on, we’ll sing on,
And through eternity we’ll sing on. (Repeat Bridge)
O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here.
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death's dark shadows put to flight. (Chorus)
O come, Desire of nations, bind
In One the hearts of all mankind;
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease,
And be Thyself our King of Peace. (Chorus)
Wondrous Love
Anonymous, 1811 A.D.
What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this that caused the Lord of bliss
To bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul,
To bear the dreadful curse for my soul.
When I was sinking down, sinking down, sinking down,
When I was sinking down, sinking down,
When I was sinking down beneath God’s righteous frown,
Christ laid aside His crown for my soul, for my soul,
Christ laid aside His crown for my soul.
To God and to the Lamb, we will sing, we will sing;
To God and to the Lamb we will sing.
To God and to the Lamb who is the great “I Am”;
While millions join the theme, we will sing, we will sing;
While millions join the theme, we will sing.
Oh how high, oh how wide, oh how deep is Your love!
Oh my soul, set on fire by Your wondrous love for us! (Repeat)
And when from death we're free, we'll sing on, we’ll sing on;
And when from death we're free, we’ll sing on.
And when from death we're free, we’ll sing and joyful be,
And through eternity we’ll sing on, we’ll sing on,
And through eternity we’ll sing on. (Repeat Bridge)
The Kingdom Is Yours
Common Hymnal, 2017 A.D.
Blessed are the ones who do not bury
All the broken pieces of their heart.
Blessed are the tears of all the weary
Pouring like a sky of falling stars.
Blessed are the wounded ones in mourning,
Brave enough to show the Lord their scars.
Blessed are the hurts that are not hidden,
Open to the healing touch of God.
The Kingdom is Yours, the Kingdom is yours,
Hold on a little more, this is not the end.
Hope is in the Lord, keep your eyes on Him.
Blessed are the ones who walk in kindness
Even in the face of great abuse.
Blessed are the deeds that go unnoticed,
Serving with unguarded gratitude.
Blessed are the ones who fight for justice,
Longing for the coming day of peace.
Blessed is the soul that thirsts for righteousness,
Welcoming the last, the lost, the least. (Chorus)
Blessed are the ones who suffer violence
And still have strength to love their enemies.
Blessed is the faith of those who persevere.
Though they fall, they'll never know defeat. (Chorus)
Humble
Audrey Assad, 2013 A.D.
Humble and human,
Willing to bend You are.
Fashioned of flesh
And the fire of life You are.
Not too proud to wear our skin,
To know this weary world we're in,
Humble, humble Jesus.
Humble in sorrow,
You gladly carried Your cross
Never refusing Your life
To the weakest of us.
Not too proud to bear our sin,
To feel this brokenness we're in,
Humble, humble Jesus.
We bow our knees, we must decrease,
You must increase, we lift You high.
Humble in greatness,
Born in the likeness of man.
Name above all names,
Holding our world in Your hands.
Not too proud to dwell with us,
To live in us, to die for us,
Humble, humble Jesus. (Chorus)
Come Thou Long Expected Jesus
Charles Wesley, 1744 A.D.
Come Thou long expected Jesus,
Born to set Thy people free.
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel's strength and consolation,
Hope of all the earth Thou art.
Dear desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.
Come to earth to taste our sadness,
He whose glories knew no end.
By His life He brings us gladness,
Our Redeemer, Shepherd, Friend.
Leaving riches without number,
Born within a cattle stall.
This the everlasting wonder:
Christ was born Lord of all.
Born Thy people to deliver,
Born a child and yet a King.
Born to reign in us forever,
Now Thy gracious Kingdom bring.
By Thine own eternal spirit,
Rule in all our hearts alone.
By Thine all sufficient merit,
Raise us to Thy glorious throne.
Prayers of Confession and Assurance
One: Jesus, today, we join in singing Your words
to the next generation. We confess we need You to ...
Congregational Prayers: "Lord, hear our prayer."
One: And now we pray together, Jesus, as You taught us to pray ...
All: Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name.
Your Kingdom come, Your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread
and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive
those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but
deliver us from evil for Thine is the
Kingdom and the power and the glory
now and forever. Amen.
Pass the Peace | In the Story of God, Jesus declared, "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you" (John 14:26) during humanity's darkest, most tragic weekend of His death. And then after Jesus was crucified and resurrected, defeating evil and death, He said, "Peace be with you ... Receive the Holy Spirit" (John 20:21-22). Somehow, with Jesus, peace is possible even in our darkest moments. During this time, we desire to share with each other peace that passes understanding, empowered by the Spirit of Christ.
Your Kingdom come, Your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread
and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive
those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but
deliver us from evil for Thine is the
Kingdom and the power and the glory
now and forever. Amen.
Pass the Peace | In the Story of God, Jesus declared, "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you" (John 14:26) during humanity's darkest, most tragic weekend of His death. And then after Jesus was crucified and resurrected, defeating evil and death, He said, "Peace be with you ... Receive the Holy Spirit" (John 20:21-22). Somehow, with Jesus, peace is possible even in our darkest moments. During this time, we desire to share with each other peace that passes understanding, empowered by the Spirit of Christ.
The peace of the Lord by always with you.
And also with you.
Matthew 26:26-29; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
Prayer Asking for Jesus' Help
Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me. I want to see. Please reveal to me who You are. Give me ears to hear You, and understanding for the Good News You are saying to me today. Amen.
Prayer for Communion with Jesus and Each Other
Jesus, by Your Spirit, fill us with Yourself, the true Bread and Vine. We turn to You now to unite us, strengthen us, and empower us to be Your Kingdom family of servants and witnesses together until You return and make all things new. Amen.Prayer Asking for Jesus' Help
Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me. I want to see. Please reveal to me who You are. Give me ears to hear You, and understanding for the Good News You are saying to me today. Amen.
Prayer for Communion with Jesus and Each Other
'19 Advent Prayer | We Magnify You, Jesus!
Jesus, our Immanuel, God with us, reveal You are here now. Disrupt our way of life without You. If in the darkness of Mary's womb, the holy child grew, You can grow in us. If in the darkness of the world's pain, Your blessed light came and overcame, You can overcome the darkness in us and spark Your light and love to spread through us. In our own doubting of You, and of ourselves, cause us to be born again to a living hope that begins to grow like a lump in the throat: the holy hope that You came and still come to us, that You will be born again in our midst.
When people in the 1980s in Guatemala began to sing Mary's Magnificat song, the government outlawed this first Advent hymn. It was deemed too dangerous and revolutionary because children, women, and men began to believe that freedom and change were indeed possible, and that following the way of Jesus would interrupt the flow of civilization as they knew it. Lord Jesus, our Savior, open our mouths and our hearts to sing with them the words of Your mother, Mary, 'My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for He has looked with grace and favor on us, His humble servants! ... The Mighty One has done great things for us and holy is His name! ... '
Holy Spirit of God, make us believe the Magnificat's words are true, that You look on us and intend to bring the same dynamic change in us and through us. Make us good like You and beautifully dangerous, embodying the words, works, and way of Jesus that transform lives in Worcester and beyond. We pray all these things in humble, hungry, holy, and hopeful confidence because we are praying in King Jesus' almighty name. Amen.
+ Prayer adapted from "A Divine Disruption" by Christiana Rice & "Come and See" by Frederich Buechner
Our World Belongs to God Q&A 23 | 2008 A.D.
Q. Why do we magnify the Lord and rejoice
with Mary that Jesus Christ, the Messiah, is born?
Q. Why do we magnify the Lord and rejoice
with Mary that Jesus Christ, the Messiah, is born?
A. Remembering the promise
to reconcile the world to Himself,
God joined our humanity in Jesus Christ—
the eternal Word made flesh.
He is the long-awaited Messiah,
one with us and one with God,
fully human and fully divine,
conceived by the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary.
Benediction Based on The Magnificat
Go with our Lord Jesus Christ and and be blessed.
to reconcile the world to Himself,
God joined our humanity in Jesus Christ—
the eternal Word made flesh.
He is the long-awaited Messiah,
one with us and one with God,
fully human and fully divine,
conceived by the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary.
Benediction Based on The Magnificat
Go with our Lord Jesus Christ and and be blessed.
Magnify Him and rejoice that He is Immanuel, God with us.
Hallelujah! We are not alone! God's mercy and favor on
us is displayed in the birth of Jesus. God is revealing
peace on earth in all of us who are willing to be born again
in Christ. Be full, be lifted up. As you have freely received,
freely give for the glory of God, for the love of others, and
for the life of the world.
Next sermon audio + liturgy notes post: Magnificat: Blessed to Receive the Promise w/ Our Ancestors w/ Scott Brill
A Micro City Group (CG) is a growing group that begins with 3+ people – children, women, and men included – who are befriending, serving, and loving a community together in Jesus' name in Worcester. Micro CGs start small enough that people can know you and value you, but seek to grow large enough (10-30 people) to make an impact in communities throughout Worcester. Each CG gets together throughout a month (i.e. dinners, times of prayer or learning from the Story of God in the Bible, acts of service, parties, etc.) to see Worcester become a city of neighbors and friends that showcase Jesus' love and compassion to all. Those who are cautious or curious to hear and see what it means to follow Jesus are just as welcome as those who believe Jesus is Lord and God and seek to follow Him in every area of life.
Current Micro City Groups: Lincoln Village | W.R.A.P. | Recovery | YMCA | Route One | Westside
To connect with one of the City Groups above, please contact info@emmauscitychurch.com
Current Micro City Groups: Lincoln Village | W.R.A.P. | Recovery | YMCA | Route One | Westside
To connect with one of the City Groups above, please contact info@emmauscitychurch.com
Christ is all,
Rev. Mike "Sully" Sullivan
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