{"id":2461,"date":"2021-12-11T18:46:36","date_gmt":"2021-12-11T18:46:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/?p=2461"},"modified":"2021-12-11T18:46:42","modified_gmt":"2021-12-11T18:46:42","slug":"worship-for-the-third-sunday-of-advent-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/2021\/12\/11\/worship-for-the-third-sunday-of-advent-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Worship for the Third Sunday of Advent"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>First United Methodist Church of Schenectady<br \/>\nWorship for the Third Sunday of Advent<\/h1>\n<h2>December 12, 2021<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Page-1-Image-1.png\"><\/p>\n<h2>Getting Centered<\/h2>\n<p>It may help to center yourself into worship by lighting a candle, as a symbol of God&#8217;s presence with you during the time of worship.  You may also want to pay attention to lighting, the position of your body, and the availability of distractions.<\/p>\n<h3>Breath Prayer<\/h3>\n<p>\u201cGod of Joy, lead us.\u201d<br \/>\n<em>Breath prayers involve breathing in the first phrase, and breathing out the second.<br \/>\nYou may wish to simply pray for a moment before starting, or you may wish to pray while listening to the prelude.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Prelude<\/h3>\n<p><strong>\u201cOf the Father\u2019s Love Begotten\u201d by Wilbur Held<\/strong><br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Of the Father&#039;s Love Begotten - Wilbur Held (1914-2015)\" width=\"1140\" height=\"641\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ymiWbGGihhA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3>Call to Worship<\/h3>\n<p>One: Welcome, people of hope.<br \/>\n<strong>Many: God is our hope.<\/strong><br \/>\nOne: Welcome, people of peace.<br \/>\n<strong>Many: God brings us peace.<\/strong><br \/>\nOne: Welcome, people of joy.<br \/>\n<strong>Many: God calls us to joy.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>Connecting in Prayer<\/h2>\n<h3>Shared Prayer<\/h3>\n<p><strong><br \/>\nGod of Joy,<br \/>\nWhat a funny thing it is, to call you this, \u201cGod of Joy.\u201d<br \/>\nShould it be more balanced?<br \/>\n\u201cGod of Sadness and Joy\u201d?<br \/>\nOr \u201cGod of Anger and Joy\u201d?<br \/>\nWhat about when we don&#8217;t have joy?<br \/>\nWhat about others who aren&#8217;t experiencing joy?<br \/>\nOr, maybe, that is why we call you God of Joy.<br \/>\nOut of hope for those who are joyless, that they may not be left there.<br \/>\nOut of gratitude for the joy we&#8217;ve known.<br \/>\nOut of a sense that joy is more subtle and closer than we remember.<br \/>\nOut of trust that joy can be a source of wisdom to guide our paths.<br \/>\nGod of Joy, we worship you. Amen.<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3>Silent Prayer<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/image-001.jpg\"><\/p>\n<h3>The Lord&#8217;s Prayer<\/h3>\n<blockquote><p>\n<strong>Our Father (Creator) who art in heaven,<br \/>\nHallowed be thy name.<br \/>\nThy kingdom come.<br \/>\nThy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.<br \/>\nGive us this day our daily bread.<br \/>\nAnd forgive us our trespasses,<br \/>\nas we forgive those who trespass against us.<br \/>\nAnd lead us not into temptation,<br \/>\nbut deliver us from evil:<br \/>\nFor thine is the kingdom, and the power,<br \/>\nand the glory, for ever. Amen.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h2>Word and Reflection<\/h2>\n<h3>Hymn #216: Lo, How a Rose E\u2019er Blooming<\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Hymn 216: Lo, How a Rose E&#039;er Blooming\" width=\"1140\" height=\"641\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/hTgIhs8eZ6o?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/hymnary.org\/page\/fetch\/HTLG2017\/101\/low\"><\/p>\n<h3>Scripture Reading: Zephaniah 3:14-20<\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Zephaniah 3:14-20\" width=\"1140\" height=\"641\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Ky7THxdquG4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3>Mission Moment: Alternative Giving: CWS Blankets &#8211; Jan Huston<\/h3>\n<p>One of our suggestions for alternative giving this year is to donate to the Church World Service blanket program. Church World Service is a cooperative ministry of 37 denominations. They provide sustainable self-help, development, disaster relief and refugee assistance around the world. Their mission is to eradicate hunger and poverty and to promote peace and justice at national and international levels through collaboration with partners abroad and in the United States.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/image-002.jpg\"><br \/>\nOne of their projects is to distribute blankets to those who need them. They have heavy gray blankets for cold areas and lighter yellow ones for warm areas. Last year I saw yellow ones in refugee shelters in both Nogales, Mexico, and Tucson, Arizona. We can purchase a blanket for only $10 as an alternative gift by giving to the church by check or online and noting that the money is for Church World Service.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/image-003-e1639247859380.jpg\"><br \/>\nYou have heard more about the good works of this organization for many years. Instead of repeating that information, I want to share a poem written by one of my friends:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>We swaddle our newborn babies<br \/>\nin a soft blanket to keep them safe and warm.<br \/>\nThe small child clings to a favorite blanket<br \/>\nto feel loved and secure.<br \/>\nHomeless children carry a blanket<br \/>\nas they walk the dusty paths of<br \/>\ntheir interrupted lives.<br \/>\nYoung people pull blankets up around them<br \/>\nwhen sleeping and feel comforted.<br \/>\nI pull the blanket tight around me<br \/>\nto dream and feel at peace.<br \/>\nA man in Haiti wraps a blanket around<br \/>\na statue of Mother Mary and carries her<br \/>\nto safety after the earthquake.<br \/>\nA homeless man unfolds his blanket<br \/>\nto make a bed and keep out the cold<br \/>\nand lies down under a shelter until morning.<br \/>\nIn times of crises, in times of sadness, in<br \/>\ntimes when the world seems to be coming<br \/>\napart, we share blankets, and in doing so<br \/>\nwe share love.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h3>Children&#8217;s Time<\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Time with Young People Advent 3\" width=\"1140\" height=\"641\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Ql9gxgzv0QQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3>Passing of the Peace<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Page-5-Image-6-2-e1630096883671.png\"><br \/>\n<em>If you are worshiping with others, please pass the Peace of Christ.<br \/>\nWhether you are alone or with others, please take a moment to find God&#8217;s peace within, and then to share it with the world. You may want to reach out to speak peace to another during this week.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Scripture Reading &#8211; Luke 3:7-18<\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Luke 3:7-18\" width=\"1140\" height=\"641\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/UFWQMXVVMnM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3>Sermon: \u201cSoft Eyes and Third Ways\u201d &#8211; Rev. Sara Baron<\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Soft Eyes and Third Ways\" width=\"1140\" height=\"641\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/vrSk1WemO20?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>Responding<\/h2>\n<h3>Advent Song: Come and Find the Quiet Center<\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Hymn 2128: Come and Find the Quiet Center\" width=\"1140\" height=\"641\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/fFjxf31x1uE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3>Advent Wreath Lighting<\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Advent Wreath Lighting 3\" width=\"1140\" height=\"641\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/RPwKQUJIVpA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3>Offering<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Page-8-Image-10-1.png\"><br \/>\nPhoto by Larry McArthur<br \/>\nIf you wish, you are welcome to use this time to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eservicepayments.com\/cgi-bin\/Vanco_ver3.vps?appver3=3_CMn6vY3gbXWj2GvkW32xVh5LubqSJdgKX6KHFre1VuMdS3Q8kj_eIJXGJN8RG-0gmHZvX_Lw1ha8ZXgn-54Krv7ImQMfM68o70RRXIZtDlvXRu7Icp8meYpri-7vHbdSHJK5fST8PKv5rD7H0pV4u2FYADh6CtWzBcTpjLo9qDxBXK0S3J8MPHZwZCFVXkDJkCUTrur4Wm694FEfvylg==&amp;ver=3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">make a donation to the church online<\/a>, or to put a check in the mail.<br \/>\nThe time of offering is not only about our financial gifts to the church, it is about offering our lives to God and the building of the kindom. This is a time for reflection: What is being asked of us? What is being given to us? What are we able to offer? What do we need?<\/p>\n<h3>Prayer of Joy<\/h3>\n<p>God of Joy,<br \/>\nFor that in life that is fun and funny, we give you thanks.<br \/>\nFor that in life that is delightful and insightful, we give you thanks.<br \/>\nFor the people who listen to us, care about us, see us,<br \/>\nand make us giggle, we give you thanks.<br \/>\nFor the homes we have known,<br \/>\nand the homes we have made, we give you thanks.<br \/>\nFor pets who companion us,<br \/>\nand nature that inspires us, we give you thanks.<br \/>\nFor the chance to build your kindom,<br \/>\nto do meaningful work,<br \/>\nand life-giving play, we give you thanks.<br \/>\nFor art, for music, for poetry, for creativity, we give you thanks<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/image-005.jpg\"><\/p>\n<h3>Benediction<\/h3>\n<p>God from this time, attending to God, attending to joy. Amen<\/p>\n<h3>Postlude<\/h3>\n<p>\u201cNow Thank We All Our God\u201d by Sigfrid Karg-Elert<br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Now Thank We All Our God - Sigfrid Karg-Elert (1877-1933)\" width=\"1140\" height=\"641\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/dd2fcMjlx7U?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/image-006.jpg\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>First United Methodist Church of Schenectady Worship for the Third Sunday of Advent December 12, 2021 Getting Centered It may &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/2021\/12\/11\/worship-for-the-third-sunday-of-advent-2\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Worship for the Third Sunday of Advent<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2465,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1255],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2461","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-online-worship"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2461","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2461"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2461\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2469,"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2461\/revisions\/2469"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2465"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2461"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2461"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2461"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}