Advent worship - This is what we hope

This is what we hope ~ Advent Worship, Ecumenical Centre, Wednesday 12 December 2007

This worship was put together by Simon Oxley, the prayer towards the end is copyright Janet Morley, All Desires Known 1988. One of the hymns comes from Common Ground,
sorry I don't have a copy so cannot give the copyright. The French verse in that same hymn comes from Arc en Ciel's Psaume 42. "Soon and very soon" is © 1971 by Bud John Songs, Inc.\Crouch Music Company. All rights reserved. the reposnsive in various langauges is from Taizé and "Ososo" can be found in the Agape hymnbook.

The worship opens in darkness and a Maori song is sung solo, expressing the longing for light in the darkness.

Hymn, (German words for this hymn also exist in the new EGB, please note that these French words come from Arc en Ciel and not from the new French hymnbook Alléluia, I much prefer these words, which stick less closely to the original Latin which follows the great advent antiphones which I love, I'm probably the only person who even worries about these things but anyway get in touch if you want to know more!)
1. Oh, come, oh, come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

2. Oh! Viens Jésus, oh! Viens Emmanuel !
Nous dévoiler le monde fraternel,
Où ton amour plus fort que la mort,
Nous régénère au sein d’un même corps.
Chantez, Chantez, il vient à notre appel
Combler nos cœurs Emmanuel. !

3. Oh! Viens Jésus tracer notre chemin;
Visite-nous étoile du matin.
Au fond de nos regards fais monter
L’éclat soudain du jour d’éternité.
Chantez, Chantez, il vient à notre appel
Combler nos cœurs Emmanuel !

4. Oh, come, O Key of David, come,
and open wide our heav'nly home;
make safe the way that leads on high,
and close the path of misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

Prayer (can be said by all of responsively)
Lord God,
we adore you
because you have come to us in the past:
you have spoken to us in the law of Israel
you have challenged us in the words of the prophets
you have shown us in Jesus, what you are really like.

Lord God,
we adore you
because you still come to us now:
you come to us through other people in their love and concern for us
you come to us through those who need our help
you come to us now, even as we worship you.

Lord God,
we adore you
because you will come to us at the end:
you will be with us at the hour of death
you will reign supreme when at all institutions fall
you will still be our God when our history has run its course.

We welcome you, the God who comes.
Come to is now in the power of Jesus Christ our Lord.

We hear the word of hope for the time of Isaiah
Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins.
A voice cries out: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken." A voice says, "Cry out!" And I said, "What shall I cry?"
All people are grass, their constancy is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the Lord blows upon it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand forever.
Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good tidings; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings, lift it up, do not fear; say to the cities of Judah, "Here is your God!" See, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead the mother sheep. (Isaiah 40.1-11)

We sing of the same hope for our times
(The English words here are from the Iona hymn book Common ground and it says try to sing it lightly and fast, like a dance. It's an old Genevan Psalter tune for Psalm 42 so as we always get complaints about doing too much in English I managed to find one verse in French which fitted in quite well with these new English words)

Comfort, comfort now my people
speak of peace - so says your God.
Comfort those who sit in darkness,
burdened by a heavy load.
To our cities now proclaim:
God shall take away your shame.
Now get ready to recover:
guilt and suffering are over.

2. Hear the herald's proclamation
in the desert far and near,
calling all to true repentance,
telling that the Lord is near.
Oh, that warning cry obey!
For your God prepare a way.
Let the valleys rise to greet him
and the hills bow down to meet him.

3. Dans ma nuit mets ta lumière
Dans mon coeur ta vérité
Pour guider jusqu’au sauveur
Le retour de l’exilé.
A nouveau Dieu de ma joie
Je ferai monter vers toi,
Avec tous ceux qui te chantent,
Ma ferveur reconnaissante.

4. Straighten out what has been crooked;
make the roughest places plain.
Let your hearts be true and humble,
live as fits God's holy reign.
Soon the glory of the Lord
shall on earth be shed abroad.
Human flesh shall surely see it;
God is ready to decree it.

This is our hope
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.
This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day. (Martin Luther King)
This is our hope
Sung response (Reader lights candle)
Wait for the Lord, his day is near.
Wait for the Lord: be strong, take heart.

(Read in Korean)
When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue is parched with thirst, I the Lord will answer them. … I will open rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water. I will put in the wilderness the cedar, the acacia, the myrtle, and the olive; I will set in the desert the cypress, the plane and the pine together, so that all may see and know, all may consider and understand, that the hand of the Lord has done this. (Isaiah 41)
This is our hope
Sung response (Reader lights candle)
Nah ist der Herr, es kommt sein Tag
Nah ist der Herr, habt Mut, bleibt Wach.

Testimony to hope 1 - In Spanish
This is our hope
Sung response (Reader lights candle)
Confia em Deus, teu Salvador,
Confia em Deus, Ele é amor.

(Read in German)
My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, for he has looked with favour on the lowliness 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. 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 thoughts 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. (Luke 1.46-54)
This is our hope
Sung response(Reader lights candle)
Confia em Deus, teu salvador
Confia em Deus, ele é amor.

Testimony to hope 2 - from Samoa
This is our hope
Sung response (Reader lights candle)
Nah ist der Herr, es kommt sein Tag
Nah ist der Herr, habt Mut, bleibt Wach.

By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. (Luke 1.78-79)
This is our hope
Sung response (Reader lights candle)
Confia em Deus, teu salvador
Confia em Deus, ele é amor.

Testimony to hope 3 -From Sudan

This is our hope
Sung response (Reader lights candle)
Nah ist der Herr, es kommt sein Tag
Nah ist der Herr, habt Mut, bleibt Wach.

Nothing worth doing is completed in our lifetime,
Therefore, we are saved by hope.
Nothing true or beautiful or good makes complete sense in any immediate context of history;
Therefore, we are saved by faith.
Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone.
Therefore, we are saved by love.
No virtuous act is quite as virtuous from the standpoint of our friend or foe as from our own;
Therefore, we are saved by the final form of love which is forgiveness. (Reinhold Neibuhr)

This is our hope
Sung response (Reader lights candle)
Confia em Deus, teu Salvador,
Confia em Deus, Ele é amor.

Hymn: (during the singing you are invited to light candles of hope)

O-so-so O-so-so, pyong-wha ui-im-gum
u-ri-ga han-mom i-ru-ge ha-so-so.

Come now, O God of love, make us one body,
come, O Lord Jesus, reconcile your people.

Viens, viens, libérateur et libère-nous,
Viens, viens ô maître réconcilie les peuples.

O-so-so O-so-so, pyong-wha ui-im-gum
u-ri-ga han-mom i-ru-ge ha-so-so.


Prayer
For the darkness of waiting
of not knowing what is to come
of staying ready and quiet and attentive,
we praise you, O God:
For the darkness and the light
are both alike to you.

For the darkness of staying silent
for the terror of having nothing to say
and with a greater terror
of needing to say nothing,
we praise you, O God:
For the darkness and the light
are both alike to you.

For the darkness of loving
in which it is safe to surrender
to let go of our self-protection
and to stop holding back our desire,
we praise you, O God:
For the darkness and the light
are both alike to you.

For the darkness of choosing
when you give us the moment
to speak, and act, and to change,
and we cannot know what we has set in motion,
but we still have to take the risk,
we praise you, O God:
For the darkness and the light
are both alike to you.

For the darkness of hoping
in a world which longs to you,
for the wrestling and the labouring of all creation
for wholeness and justice and freedom,
we praise you, O God:
For the darkness and the light
are both alike to you.

Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ
your world awaits you.
In the longing of the persecuted for justice;
in the longing of the poor for prosperity;
in the longing of the privileged for riches greater than wealth;
in the longing of our hearts for a better life;
and in the song of your Church,
expectation is ever present.

O come, Lord, desire behind, our greatest needs.
O come, Lord, liberator of humanity.
O come, Lord, O come, Immanuel

Hymn
Soon and very soon, we are going to see the King,
Soon and very soon, we are going to see the King,
Soon and very soon, we are going to see the King,
Alleluia, alleluia, we’re going to see the King!

No more crying there we are going to see the King,
No more crying there we are going to see the King,
No more crying there we are going to see the King,
Alleluia, alleluia, we’re going to see the King!

No more dying there we are going to see the King,
No more dying there we are going to see the King,
No more dying there we are going to see the King,
Alleluia, alleluia, we’re going to see the King!

Soon and very soon, we are going to see the King,
Soon and very soon, we are going to see the King,
Soon and very soon, we are going to see the King,
Alleluia, alleluia, we’re going to see the King!

Exit singing and dancing!