SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT SECOND READING — PART 2

          I thank my God every time I remember you. In all prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnershop in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.  It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart;  for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth insight, so that you may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes though Jesus Christ — to the glory and praise of God.

Phillipians 1:3-11

SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT SECOND READING–NUMBER 1

      “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people. He has raised up a hord of salvation for us in the house of his servant David (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us —  to show mercy to our fathters and to remember his holy covenant, the oath he swore to our father Abraham: to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their ins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

      Luke 1:68-79

SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT FIRST READING

      “See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to this temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty.

     But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. He will sit like a refinerer and a purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have the men who will bring offerings who will bring offerings in righteousness, and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years.

        Malachi 3:1-4

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT GOSPEL READING

      “There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world , for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things beging to take place, stand up and lift up your heads because your redemption is drawing near.”

     He told them this parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the tree. When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near.

      “I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

     “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.

      Luke 21:25-36

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT SECOND READING

      How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you? Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith.

      Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you. May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.

1 Thesselonians 3:9-13

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT PSALM READING

       To you, O Lord I lift up  soul;

      in you I trust O my God. Do not let me up put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me.

      No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame, but they will be put to shame who are treacherous without excuse.

      Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths;

      guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.

      Remember, O Lord, your great merc and love, for they are from of old.

       Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me fo you are good, O Lord.

      Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.

       He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.

      All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of the covenant.

       Psalm 25:1-10

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT SUNDAY FIRST READING

      “The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘ when I will fulfill  the gracious promise I made to the house of Israel and to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah. 

      ” ‘In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; he will do what is just and right in the land.

       In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. This is by which it will be called: The Lord Our Righteousness.’

Jeremiah 33:14-16

Holy Land Adult Forum

You are invited to join Pastor Jen and others as they share their experiences from the Holy Land. Cookies and traditional foods from the Holy Land will be shared. Discussion will be in the basement at 11:30 am on December 16th.