Henrietta United Church of Christ

Rev. David Inglis Luke 3:2-6

First Sunday of Advent November 27, 2005

“Preparing the Way–Hanging of the Greens”

Advent Prayer–adapted from a prayer by Peter Marshall Van Travis

Let us begin our Advent reflections with an Advent prayer adapted from Peter Marshall:

God, we long for the simple beauty of Christmas–for all the old familiar melodies, words, and symbols that remind us of that great miracle when He who had made all things came one night as a babe, to lie in the crook of a woman's arm. But in that longing, let us even more yearn for your renewed presence among us even as we celebrate and expect the Coming of your Son. Before such mystery we kneel, as we follow the shepherds and Wise Men to bring You the gift of our humble worship. As we draw closer to you, may we be touched by your humility, and find our faltering love made strong and warm and real. May the loving kindness of this Advent Season and the true Spirit of Christmas not only creep into our hearts this season, but there abide, so that not even the return to earthly cares drives it away. May the joy and spirit of Christmas enter us and remain with us now and forever. Amen.

Introduction Linda Traynor

A green wreath on the door, a candle in the window, a Christmas tree sparkling with light, poinsettias aflame with brilliant color, gifts wrapped in bright paper and bows–these are some of the things that help us feel the Christmas spirit. Why do we have these particular decorations? What do they mean?

Besides brightening our sanctuary and our homes, each of these decorations is a way of “preparing the way of the Lord.” Advent means “coming.” Each one of our decorations can suggest ways that we can prepare for the coming of Christ more fully into our lives and into our world.

Look and listen as our familiar Christmas decorations call you to make room in your life and in your heart for the coming of Christ this Advent.

Paraments Clara Travis

Today, the first Sunday of Advent, is the beginning of the liturgical year. Each season of the church year has its own color. The traditional color for Advent is purple. Purple is the color of royalty. Did you know that the proclamation we just heard in Luke pointed to how people used to prepare for a visit from a king? In ancient times, when a king’s chariot was going to come, the people would go along the road and make the rough places smooth, fill the low places, and make the crooked places straight, so that the king could more easily come to them.

Luke’s words announce that the Lord and Master of the Universe, the King of Kings, the Prince of Peace, is coming to us now. Are we ready for him, or are there barriers and rough places and twists and turns in our souls that impede his coming? Only you and God know what makes it hard for Christ’s Spirit to enter you fully. As we turn the color of pulpit cloth to purple, think about what road repairs you can undertake in your soul to make a straight, open path for Christ to come to you this Advent season.

Hymn “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus” No. 135

Greens Dana Minton

Look outside. The world has turned dead and cold. The trees are bare, and flowers are a faded memory. Our daily news carries stories of bombings, avian flu, and murders. And this time of year, many people here remember precious loved ones they have lost, and whom they especially miss at holiday time.

It was into a world such as this that Jesus was born. Christmas greens speak to us of life that survives the winter cold--of life that cannot be overcome by death. Jesus came to open to us life in its abundance, and life that is not even diminished by death. He came to give us an undying hope that nothing in this world can take away.

These greens of Christmas might help you find that part of you that is ever green and ever growing with the new life that Christ gives us when we invite him to live in us and work through us.

Holly Sharon Gass

The holly is a reminder that the life abundant and life eternal that God gives us through Christ came at a cost. The prickers on the holly leaves remind us of the crown of thorns that Jesus wore on his brow. The red berry reminds us of the blood that Jesus shed as he died on the cross. There are forces of sin and death that Jesus had to contend with as he struggled to free us from fear, oppression, shame, rejection, and sin in all its forms. The green leaf of the holly tree reminds us that as he stood up to all those forces of destruction, he triumphed over them. Saving forgiveness triumphed over sin, and Life triumphed over death.

When you see sprigs of holly at Christmas, you might think of the thorns that have pierced your life and the wounds that you have sustained. But let the green of the holly leaf remind your soul that the Christ who entered the world as a vulnerable baby now lives on as saving grace, as forgiving love, as eternal truth, as life without end.

Christmas Tree Dottie Eckardt

Of all the Christmas decorations, the Christmas tree is the most popular. Many people trace this custom back to Martin Luther, the father of the Protestant movement, who was walking outdoors one Christmas Eve night under a canopy of shimmering stars. As he stood in awe, his mind was transported to the stars that hung over Bethlehem the night of Jesus’ birth. He thought about the angels appearing out of the sky to the shepherds, and of the one star that led the magi to Bethlehem. He was so enraptured by these thoughts that he just had to find a way to share them with his wife and children. He cut down an evergreen tree, glistening with snow, carried it home, and put candles on it to represent the twinkling stars. His children were enchanted by the glorious sight, and the beloved Christmas tree was born.

Electric lights have long since replaced candles on the tree, but these lights can transport us still to the starry night long ago, from which the shepherds heard the message, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill among people.”

Poinsettia Cindy Richards

The poinsettia is the most-loved of all Christmas flowers. It was introduced to North America by Dr. Joel Poinsett of Mexico. What we think of as the colorful flower of the poinsettia plant are actually its leaves. The flowers are small, yellow clusters at the center. But the flowery leaves are star-shaped. In a few weeks, our altar will be covered with star-shaped poinsettia plants, reminding us of the stars that shone over Bethlehem.

Many of you will take a poinsettia plant home with you on Christmas Eve. You might think of your plant as your own guiding star that draws you to Bethlehem, the place where God entered the world as one of us, amidst the hard realities of Roman taxes and a jealous Herod, to shine the light of divine love.

Creche Sylvia Korn

The creche takes us to the heart of the wonder of Christmas. The creche is a stable for animals. The manger is a feeding trough. Mary and Joseph were peasants who were registering for the oppressive Roman tax. The shepherds were near the bottom of the social status heap. It was among the powerless and the poor that God chose to make His entrance into the world. And Jesus would grow up to welcome the least, the last and the lost into God’s kingdom.

In the creche we meet a God who meets us in our humility, in our poverty, and in our need. Isn’t this humble scene the very picture of love made visible?

As I put the figures in the creche, let’s sing together the first two verses of “What Wondrous Love Is This,” No. 212.

Carol “What Wondrous Love Is This” No. 212, Vss. 1-2

OFFERING

Magi’s Gifts Marcie Gass

Wise men, or magi, came from the east, bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. They knelt and presented these gifts to Jesus to pay him homage, or show him their deep reverence and great respect, for they knew that he was destined to be a great leader. Gifts have certainly become an integral part of our Christmas celebrations, haven’t they? But we honor and revere the spirit of Christ, not so much by giving to people who have so much, but by reaching out and giving to those who, like the infant Jesus, are vulnerable and poor. Today’s Neighbors in Need offering enables us to do just that. It will go to support UCC pastors and churches who are serving impoverished Native American people in the western U.S., and it will also go to support projects that get at the root causes of hunger and poverty in our society. If you would like to give your gift to Neighbors in Need, please use the Neighbors in Need offering envelope in your bulletin. Checks can be made out to Henrietta UCC. Let us now give our offerings to our church and to our neighbors as though we were giving them to Christ.

Joys, Concerns and Opportunities

St. Nicholas Carolyn Inglis

There’s one important symbol of Christmas we seem to have forgotten. It’s good old St. Nicholas. Nicholas served as Bishop of Myra in Lycia in the fourth century A.D. He had a big heart for the poor, and when he knew of someone in special need, he would secretly toss a gift of money in a window or down the chimney. One of the things many of you love about Christmas is the opportunity to play St. Nicholas to a family in need who have been served by and have helped volunteer at Cameron Community Ministries.