God of the Living

Good Morning and Welcome to Worship! Worship is often the first place that new people come into contact with this growing community of faith. And so, if you are joining us for the first time, I say to you what is said every Sunday: You are welcome here. Here is a place where all are welcome. For such is the love of God for God’s Very Good Creation. Advent Candle Week 1: Wisdom — Phyllis Spencer As our nights grow longer and our days grow short, we look on these earthly signs — and remember God's promise to our world: Christ, God’s Light and Love, has come.

Candle Reader — Mo Ashley Listen to the words of Creation: In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness, Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. Genesis 1:1-5.

Candle Lighter — Alvin Knowles

Candle Prayer — Phyllis Spencer Let us pray … Eternal God, your Word of wisdom goes forth and does not return empty: Grant us such knowledge and love of you that we may perceive your presence in all creation and every creature; through Jesus Christ our teacher, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, now and forever. Amen.

death

Ever present God, you call us to be the body of the risen Christ, extending eternal comfort and hope to those around us. We pray for the church universal and for all who bring comfort and hope to others.

Holy God, your loving kindness knows no ending.

We pray for peace between nations, between religions and denominations, even between families and within families.

Holy God, your loving kindness knows no ending.

We pray with thanksgiving for all the guides and mentors who have gone before us and for those who teach your way of love from one generation to the next.

Holy God, your loving kindness knows no ending.

We pray for those who suffer violence and for those who inflict it, that they may hold fast to your way of love.

Holy God, your loving kindness knows no ending.

We pray for those who are nearing death, that they may know they are ver alive in you.

Holy God, your loving kindness knows no ending.

Loving God, through Jesus our guide and teacher, you have shown us the way of love. Renew our hearts that we turn to ever follow you, eternally making joyful noise and singing new songs to proclaim the good news of your love.

Amen.

God of wisdom, by your Spirit may your Word be proclaimed, that we may know good news in our hearts and minds, and bear witness to the glory of Christ Jesus in word and deed. Quiet in us any voice but your own, that we might hear your Word to us today. Amen.

²⁷ Some Sadducees, those who say there is no resurrection, came to him ²⁸ and asked him a question: “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies leaving a wife but no children, the manshall marry the widow and raise up children for his brother. ²⁹ Now there were seven brothers; the first married a woman and died childless; ³⁰ then the second ³¹ and the third married her, and so in the same way all seven died childless. ³² Finally the woman also died. ³³ In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had married her.” ³⁴ Jesus said to them, “Those who belong to this age marry and are given in marriage, ³⁵ but those who are considered worthy of a place in that age and in the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. ³⁶ Indeed, they cannot die anymore, because they are like angels and are children of God, being children of the resurrection. ³⁷ And the fact that the dead are raised Moses himself showed, in the story about the bush, where he speaks of the Lord as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. ³⁸ Now he is God not of the dead but of the living, for to him all of them are alive.”

We each have our own ideas and visions of what happens to us after we die. When the opponents of Jesus tried to trick him by asking a convoluted question about what heaven is like after we die, Jesus replied by saying that God is not the God of the dead but of the living because we are always alive to God. How does that inform our sense of community?

In many and various ways, God gives us comfort and hope. In gratitude, then, let us give generously. Amen.

For the gifts offered this day and every day we give thanks, O God. Make us good stewards of all you have entrusted to our care. May these gifts be used to serve your beloved creation, to sustain your children in all they say and do, and to build up your kin-dom throughout the earth. Amen.

My siblings, go into the world in peace, bearing witness to the God of presence. Bless God’s holy name forever and ever and hold fast to the way of love shown to us by Jesus. Amen.