THE PROPHETIC LESSON Isaiah 35:1-10
THE GOSPEL LESSON Luke 1:46-55
SERMON "The Turning of Joy"
WORSHIP NOTES
Welcome to worship at Westminster on this the Third Sunday of Advent. The liturgical color for Advent is blue and that color appears not only on the paraments on the communion table and lectern, but also in the choir stoles and in three of the four candles in the Advent wreath. The season of Advent is measured by the four Sundays preceding Christmas Day. Each week represents the passage of 1,000 years to total the 4,000 years believed to have elapsed between the time of Adam and Eve and the birth of Jesus Christ. We use an Advent wreath as a symbol of our progression through this season as we prepare to receive the gift of God's love through Christ.
The season of Advent is a time of anticipation, expectation, and preparation. By observing a season of Advent, we have the opportunity to reflect on how much our world waits with eager longing for the coming of the Messiah. During this Advent, we reflect on this sense of expectation by reading the "Song of Mary" or the "Canticle of Mary" in Luke's gospel. Each week, we will consider how Mary's song offers particular insights into the ways in which we express our faith that God's promises of hope, peace, joy, and love will be fulfilled.
In worship today, we focus on the joy with which we wait for the Lord. The hymns, anthems, and service music through which we worship have all been chosen to reflect this spirit of joy. Today, as a symbol that we have reached the half-way point in our Advent journey, we light the pink candle, which is also called the "Gaudete" or "joy" candle, in the Advent wreath.
You may notice in our worship during Advent, our announcements have been moved from the beginning of our worship. The reason for this is our inclusion of the liturgy for the lighting of the Advent candles as our opening act of worship. The image evoked here is one where we gather around the wreath to light a candle in the darkness for our worship together. The announcements for this season are more appropriately placed following the Passing of the Peace as an act of the community together.
