Advent 1: The Magnificat

Sunday, December 3, 2023
10:30 AM 11:30 AM 10:30 11:30

Union Presbyterian Church 200 E Main St Endicott, NY, 13760 United States (map)

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This morning we welcome the Rev. Robin Lostetter to our pulpit. Robin will help us to begin our Advent observances by preaching on the prophetic song of Mary, the Magnificat.

Join us for worship in our beautiful sanctuary, or right here online. Worship videos are available here or on Youtube following the service. You are invited!

Advent 1

To Greatest and Least

Isaiah 35:1-10; Luke 1:46b-55

Union Presbyterian Church

December 3, 2023

Sharing the Light of Christ, Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

Liturgist: Barbara Ann Dailey Preacher: Rev. Robin Lostetter

Welcome Rev. Robin Lostetter

Announcements Barbara Ann Dailey

Prelude Chris Bartlette

"O Little Town of Bethlehem,” Joel Raney

Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.     

Lighting of the Advent Candle Call to Worship (responsive) Barbara Ann Dailey

We hope for a world where all are fed.

We hope for a world with wide open doors.

We hope for a world with contagious laughter.

We hope for a world where all people feel at home.

We hope for a world where trees grow tall and creeks run clean.

We hope for that world.

We are homesick for that world.

So today we light the candle of hope,

because hope keeps our hearts alive as we wait.

We are close to home. May we carry hope with us. Amen.

* Carol #38 PH

“It Came Upon the Midnight Clear”

(Public Domain)

It came upon the midnight clear,
That glorious song of old,
From angels bending near the earth,
To touch their harps of gold;
"Peace on the earth, good will to all,
From heaven's all gracious King":
The world in solemn stillness lay,
To hear the angels sing.

Still through the cloven skies they come,
With peaceful wings unfurled,
And still their heavenly music floats
O'er all the weary world;
Above its sad and lowly plains
They bend on hovering wing,
And ever o'er its Babel sounds
The blessed angels sing.

And ye, beneath life's crushing load,
Whose forms are bending low,
Who toil along the climbing way
With painful steps and slow,
Look now! for glad and golden hours
Come swiftly on the wing;
O rest beside the weary road,
And hear the angels sing.

For lo, the days are hastening on,
By prophet bards foretold,
When with the ever circling years
Comes round the age of gold;
When peace shall over all the earth
Its ancient splendors fling,
And the whole world send back the song
Which now the angels sing.

* Call to New Life

* Prayer for Wholeness and Peace (unison)

God our Savior, we ask for your mercy.

Though we have heard Mary’s song,

we still seek security in pride and power and possessions.

Though we know your story,

we resist the costs of following you.

We pass by those considered lowly in this world.

We turn away from hungry people who still wait to be filled.

Forgive us, we pray.

Help us to work for the justice you intend.

Make us messengers of the peace you bring.

As we wait for you, turn our apathy into acts of love and service.

We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, Emmanuel. Amen.

Words of Assurance

Hear the good news:

Christ offers himself as bread of life

to all who would receive him.

In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven.

Thanks be to God! Alleluia! Amen.

Sharing of the Peace

May the peace of God be with you.

And also with you.

Let us share a sign of God’s peace with one another.

Scripture Isaiah 35:1-10 (CEB)

The desert and the dry land will be glad;
    the wilderness will rejoice and blossom like the crocus.
They will burst into bloom,
    and rejoice with joy and singing.
They will receive the glory of Lebanon,
    the splendor of Carmel and Sharon.
They will see the Lord’s glory,
    the splendor of our God.

Strengthen the weak hands,
and support the unsteady knees.

Say to those who are panicking:
    “Be strong! Don’t fear!
    Here’s your God,
        coming with vengeance;
        with divine retribution
    God will come to save you.”

Then the eyes of the blind will be opened,
    and the ears of the deaf will be cleared.
Then the lame will leap like the deer,
    and the tongue of the speechless will sing.
Waters will spring up in the desert,
    and streams in the wilderness.
The burning sand will become a pool,
    and the thirsty ground, fountains of water.
The jackals’ habitat, a pasture;
    grass will become reeds and rushes.
A highway will be there.
    It will be called The Holy Way.
The unclean won’t travel on it,
    but it will be for those walking on that way.
Even fools won’t get lost on it;
    no lion will be there,
    and no predator will go up on it.
None of these will be there;
    only the redeemed will walk on it.
The Lord’s ransomed ones will return and enter Zion with singing,
    with everlasting joy upon their heads.
Happiness and joy will overwhelm them;
    grief and groaning will flee away.

Time for Young Disciples Rev. Robin Lostetter

Music: “Canticle of the Turning,” Rory Cooney

Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.     

Scripture Luke 1:46b-55 (NRSV-UE)

“My soul magnifies the Lord,
    and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked with favor on the lowly state of his servant.
    Surely from now on all generations will call me blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
    and holy is his name;
indeed, his mercy is for those who fear him
    from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
    he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones
    and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things
    and sent the rich away empty.
He has come to the aid of his child Israel,
    in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
    to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

Response Holy Wisdom, Holy Word:

Thanks be to God!

Meditation "To Greatest and Least” Rev. Robin Lostetter

Statement of Faith The Nicene Creed

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, 

maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. 

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, 

eternally begotten of the Father, 

God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, 

begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father; 

through him all things were made. 

For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, 

was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary 

and became truly human. 

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; 

he suffered death and was buried. 

On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; 

he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. 

He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, 

and his kingdom will have no end. 

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, 

who proceeds from the Father and the Son, 

who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, 

who has spoken through the prophets. 

We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. 

We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. 

We look for the resurrection of the dead, 

and the life of the world to come. Amen. 

Anthem Choir

“Walk in the Reign,” Rory Cooney

Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.   

Close as tomorrow the sun shall appear.

Freedom is coming and healing is near.

And I shall be with you in laughter and pain

To stand in the wind and walk in the reign,

To walk in the reign.

In days to come the desert shall bloom.

Rivers will run there, soon, very soon.

So what shall we fear, though death do its worst?

The word of our God is the last shall be first,

The last shall be first.

Close as tomorrow the sun shall appear.

Freedom is coming and healing is near.

And I shall be with you in laughter and pain

To stand in the wind and walk in the reign,

To walk in the reign.

Comfort each other, for pain soon must end.

A day comes when lion and lamb shall be friends.

The sightless shall see then, the speechless sing songs.

The name of our God is the Righter of Wrongs,

The Righter of Wrongs.

Close as tomorrow the sun shall appear.

Freedom is coming and healing is near.

And I shall be with you in laughter and pain

To stand in the wind and walk in the reign,

To walk in the reign.

A curtain of fear is being torn down.

Prisons are opened; the lost have been found.

So go tell the seeker what we’ve seen and heard:

The name of our God is the Keeper of Word,

The Keeper of Word.

Close as tomorrow the sun shall appear.

Freedom is coming and healing is near.

And I shall be with you in laughter and pain

To stand in the wind and walk in the reign,

To walk in the reign.

Bethlehem! You think you’re so small

That God doesn’t notice your children at all?

The streets of Soweto, the docks at Gdansk,

Tienanmen Square, the slums of the Bronx,

When we stand together to stand against hell,

The name of this people is “Emmanuel,”

Is “Emmanuel.”

Close as tomorrow the sun shall appear.

Freedom is coming and healing is near.

And I shall be with you in laughter and pain

To stand in the wind and walk in the reign,

To walk in the reign.

The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper / Prayers of the People

The Lord’s Prayer (Unison)

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. 

Invitation

The Wonderful Counselor of all peoples and nations is coming.

Our Mighty God and Prince of Peace is at the door.

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts.

We lift them up to the Lord.

Give thanks to God, for God is good.

God’s love is everlasting.

The Great Thanksgiving

...with all people of every age, we lift our hearts to you and sing:

Sanctus

“Holy, Holy, Holy Lord,” Marty Haugen

Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.     

Holy, holy, holy Lord, 

God of power, God of might, 

Heaven and earth are filled with Your glory. 

Hosanna in the highest. 

Blessed is He who comes  

In the name of the Lord. 

Hosanna in the highest, 

Hosanna in the highest. 

...giving you praise and thanksgiving as we proclaim the mystery of our faith.

Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.

The Communion

Music during Communion: “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming”

(Public Domain)

Prayer After Communion

At your coming, Lord, waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert. The eyes of the blind will be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. We thank you, Loving God, for the promise of your reign made real at the Communion table. By the mystery of this joyful feast help us to be strong and without fear. Let us be like the prophets, watching by night for signs of your coming. Let us be like the people of old, gathered at the river to share the wondrous news of forgiveness. And let us be like Mary and Joseph, opening our hearts and our lives to receive our Lord. Come, Lord Jesus, Come. Amen.

Advent Hymn  #161 W & R

“People, Look East,” Eleanor Farjeon, Martin Shaw

Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.   

People, look east, the time is near

Of the crowning of the year.

Make your house fair as you are able,

Trim the hearth and set the table.

People, look east and sing today:

Love, the Guest, is on the way.

Furrows, be glad. Though earth is bare,

One more seed is planted there.

Give up your strength the seed to nourish,

That in course the flower may flourish.

People, look east and sing today:

Love, the Rose, is on the way.

Stars, keep the watch. When night is dim,

One more light the bowl shall brim,

Shining beyond the frosty weather,

Bright as sun and moon together.

People, look east and sing today:

Love, the Star, is on the way.

Angels announce with shouts of mirth

Him who brings new life to earth.

Set every peak and valley humming

With the word, the Lord is coming.

People, look east and sing today:

Love, the Lord, is on the way.

Benediction  

Postlude  Chris Bartlette

“Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus,” John Carter

Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.     

Where an * is indicated, please rise in body and/or in spirit.

“W & R” ~ the red Worship and Rejoice hymnal.

“PH” ~ the blue Presbyterian Hymnal