This is part of the worship series,
"Greater Glory”
Series Introduction
Advent 1 | Advent 2 | Advent 3 | Advent 4
Christmas Eve/Day | Christmas 1
Third Sunday of Advent (Joy)
Text: Haggai 2:10–19; Luke 1:67–79
Theme: I Will Bless You
Key Idea: Jesus brings true joy to the world—not by ignoring a sinful reality, but by entering it.
Haggai’s case study shows how impurity is contagious: Touching unclean objects defiles what is touched next (Haggai 2:13; see also Leviticus 5:2). By contrast, a consecrated object cannot make an object holy only by human contact (Haggai 2:12). John Calvin described the Law, in part, as a mirror. The Law reminds us of our defiled, corrupt condition, what theologians call original sin: the curse inherited from Adam and Eve. We defile everything we touch, and we cannot make ourselves clean through our actions alone.
Our hope is not found in more ritual, religion, or regulation but in God’s sovereign decision. Haggai reminds the people that it is God who has chosen to lay the foundation of the temple and invite his people back into his presence (Haggai 2:18). Knowing their impurity and inability to stand in this holy place, God says: “From this day on, I will bless you” (Haggai 2:19 NIV). This choice points to God’s decision at Christmas; the coming of Christ in Bethlehem’s manger is the ultimate turning point from curse to blessing. Jesus comes to reconcile and restore what has been alienated between God and humanity. Only through God’s decision can we be cleansed to dwell in his presence forever. Only through the “Word made flesh” (John 1:14 NIV) can God speak his final blessing.
The third Sunday of Advent is often called Gaudete Sunday (“gaw-DIH-teh”), coming from the Latin word rejoice. When Zechariah’s son was born, he sang with joy, “because [the God of Israel] has come to his people and redeemed them…to serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days” (Luke 1:68, 74–75 NIV). Consider how Zechariah’s song details Israel’s need for salvation. Use this service to distinguish this joy from similar sentiments of the holiday spirit, such as being merry or jolly. During the holidays, we hear that we should just be jolly—ignore conflicts until the parties are over and drown difficulties in a deluge of eggnog and tinsel. What makes that false vision of joy so compelling? How can confronting and confessing our sin lead us to rejoice with gratitude?
Although the cheery holiday season can feel resistant to naming sin, Advent allows us to face our need for a Savior. To echo Anselm’s famous question: Why would God need to become human? And how can we find ourselves minimizing that need? Consider how reducing our view of sin can reduce our view of Christ’s birth. Jesus is “the world’s greatest gift” not because he is an excellent role model, but because he is our true Savior: “given to us to completely deliver us and make us right with God” (Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 18). While it is tempting to reduce Jesus to another nice present under the tree, we can prepare our hearts for the cosmic, purifying work that God does within us. Jesus ushers a salvation bigger than ourselves; as we love to sing around this time, “He comes to make his blessings flow far as the curse is found.”
Service Outline
God Gathers Us
Welcome & Announcements
*Opening Song
“God is For Us” Farren et al.
or
“House of the Lord” Smith & Wickham
*Call to Worship & Lighting of the Advent Candle
[Segue immediately. The musician(s) can continue playing a soft underscore; the congregation can remain standing.]
Suggested chord progression if using God is For Us:
|| VI - - - | V - - - | vi - - - | I - - - :|| ]
[If the congregation is unfamiliar with the participants and/or purpose of Advent wreaths, the following introduction can be included:]
Good morning. I am/we are __________,
and we have been worshiping at __________ for __________ years.
Each Sunday in Advent,
we light one candle.
These candles represent the growing light
that Jesus brings to our dark world.
[As one person lights a blue/purple or pink candle, another reads:]
On the third Sunday of Advent,
we light this candle in joy.
When our world grows weary,
God’s joy is fuller.
The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not overcome it.
—John 1:5 NIV
[Opt tag: Sing one of the following:]
“God is For Us” (bridge & chorus) Farren et al.
or
“House of the Lord” (refrain x2) Smith & Wickham
*God’s Greeting & Greeting One Another
To those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
God’s tender mercy comes to us,
rising like this morning’s sun.
—based on Luke 1:78–79
Our Lord gathers us
in the company of the Spirit
to remember his mighty deeds of salvation
and to sing a new song of praise.
Grace to you and peace
from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ! Amen.
*Song
“O Come, O Come Emmanuel” (sing without refrain) Neale
Call to Confession
[If your congregation is familiar with it, you could incorporate a reading of the law, a historically characteristic practice of Reformed worship. It could be placed in the call to confession, foregrounding the law’s use as a mirror that convicts sin. Or it could be placed as a response to assurance, foregrounding its use as a guide for grateful living. See Worship Sourcebook 2.7.]
Q. What is your only comfort
in life and in death?
A. That I am not my own,
but belong—
body and soul,
in life and in death—
to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ.
Q. What do you need to know
in order to live and die
in the joy of this comfort?
A. First, how great my sins and misery are;
second, how I am delivered from all my sins and misery;
third, how I am to thank God for such deliverance.
—Heidelberg Catechism Q&A #1, 2, Translation © 2011, Faith Alive Christian Resources.
“For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”
—Psalm 103:11–12 NIV
In light of Scripture’s promise,
let us confess our sins
before God and each other.
Confession of Sin
Great Lord of Might,
We mourn in lonely exile.
We long for you to appear.
Come, Emmanuel,
and ransom captive Israel.
Our sin has broken
our relationships with our neighbors.
Our families are broken;
our churches are divided.
Our laws are unequally enforced;
our words do nothing to stop corruption.
O come, Desire of nations,
and bind us in one heart and mind.
Come, Emmanuel,
and ransom captive Israel.
Our sin has broken
our relationship with our inner selves.
Our minds can never release anxiety and doubt;
our hearts can never find contentment.
Our eyes only see an ugly body;
our hands only enjoy toxic habits.
O come, O Bright and Morning Star,
and bring us comfort from afar.
Come, Emmanuel,
and ransom captive Israel.
Our sin has broken
our relationship with your good creation.
Our vehicles make the planet dirtier;
our machines make the earth drier.
We consume more than we contribute,
and we leave the problem for someone else.
O come, O Key of David,
and open wide our heavenly home.
Come, Emmanuel,
and ransom captive Israel.
And most heinously,
our sin has broken
our relationship with you, Lord.
Our obedience has turned into productivity,
working harder to earn your favor.
Our devotion has turned to complacency,
turning down the sound of your voice.
O come, O Wisdom from on High,
and to us the path of knowledge show.
Come, Emmanuel,
and ransom captive Israel.
Forgive our sins that we commit
against you and your creation.
Come to us, Emmanuel,
and close the path to misery. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon
Isaiah 11:1–5 with “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” (refrain only) Neale
[Musician(s) can play a soft underscore, with a gradual crescendo until you sing the final refrain.]
The prophet Malachi says:
Suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple;
the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come.
He will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap.
He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.
“On the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty,
“they will be my treasured possession.
I will spare them, just as a father has compassion
and spares his son who serves him.”
—Malachi 3:1–3, 17 NIV
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel.
Yes, people of God,
it is good for us to rejoice!
For in Jesus,
God has come to make us purer than gold!
God has come to make us his treasured possession!
God has come to deliver us from our sin!
“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has come to his people and redeemed them.”
—Luke 1:68 NIV
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel.
[repeat—first time loud; second time soft]
*Song of Dedication
“Purify My Heart” Doerksen
or
“Refiner” Moore
“Abide” Keyes et al.
“Take My Life and Let It Be” Havergal
“Take My Life” Underwood
“Sanctuary” Scruggs and Thompson
Offering and/or Children’s Message
God Speaks to Us
Prayer of Illumination
Scripture Reading
Haggai 2:10–19; Luke 1:67–79
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God!
Sermon
“I Will Bless You”
God Receives Our Dedication
Prayers of the People
*Song(s)
“Blessed Be the God of Israel” Daw
or
“Mighty to Save” Morgan & Fielding
“His Mercy is More” Boswell and Papa
“What a Beautiful Name” Ligertwood & Fielding
“O Come, All You Unfaithful” Kauflin & Clow
God Sends Us
*Sending Sentences
Joy to the world; the Lord is come:
Let Earth receive her [our] King.
Jesus finds us, where sin and sorrow grow.
Let every heart prepare him room.
Jesus frees us, far as the curse is found.
Let heaven and nature sing:
Glory to God in the highest!
*Benediction & Charge
Go and repeat this sounding joy!
And as you go,
May the hope of God
be your shelter.
May the peace of Christ
be your shield.
May the joy of the Lord
be your strength. Amen.
*Sending Song
“Joy to the World” Watts
or
“How Great Our Joy” Baker
Confessions and Testimonies
- Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 36
- Belgic Confession Article 17
- Our World Belongs to God, para. 23
- Westminster Confession, VIII.I–II
- Luther’s Small Catechism, Part II, Article 2
- Articles of Religion of the Methodist Church, Articles VII, IX
