This is part of the worship series,
"Be Not Afraid”
Series Introduction and Prelude
Advent 1 | Advent 2 | Advent 3 | Advent 4 |
Longest Night | Christmas Eve | Epiphany 1 | Epiphany 2
We—pastors, worship leaders, congregations —are afraid. Recent years have seen the rise of a global pandemic, job loss and economic depression, and overwhelming prophetic anger at racial injustice, not to mention all of the uncertainties and losses of being human on a planet desperately in need of restoration and renewal. Advent is a season of waiting on God’s promises for a redeemed creation. As we wait, we offer up our fears to God and hear God’s comfort in angel voices: “Do not be afraid.”
For Advent, Pastor Meg Jenista Kuykendall preached the instances throughout the Christmas story where the words “do not be afraid” are spoken. We dug into what each character’s particular fears might have been as they were told that they had been chosen for a greater purpose. We looked at the many ways God’s promises of God’s presence were steadfast even in times of doubt and confusion.
Prelude to Advent
Fear as the Beginning of Wisdom
God Calls Us to Worship
Scripture Reading
Psalm 111
Songs
“O God Beyond All Praising” (choir sings st. 1, all sing st. 2–3)Perry
“Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise” (st. 1, 3, and 4)Smith
We Confess Our Fears and Are Assured of God’s Presence With Us
Song
“Still, My Soul, Be Still” Getty
Prayer of Confession
Lord, we are a fearful people. It is not easy to rest in you alone, and it is not easy to feel secure in a world that is shifting beneath our feet. We fear for our jobs, our country, our own health, our families, and all those we love. Fear is a language we speak fluently, and we confess this. Lord, we need faith in your wisdom and in your providence that, no matter what it is we fear, you in your wisdom are guiding us and walking with us.
Choral Assurance of Pardon
“Child of God” De Vries
God Speaks to Us a Word of Grace and Sends Us Out With God’s Presence
Song
“Be Thou My Vision” Irish
Scripture
Proverbs 1:1–7
Message
“The Fear of Wisdom, the Wisdom of Fear”
Sending Song
“God of Grace and God of Glory” (st. 1, 2, and 4)Fosdick
