Joint Worship Service today at Bethesda United Presbyterian Church in Elizabeth - at 11:15am
Worship
Service for December 7, 2025
Prelude
Announcements:
Call to Worship
L: Zechariah sang to his newborn son:
P: “You, child, will be called a prophet of
the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare the way.
L: You will tell his people how to be saved
through the forgiveness of their sins.
P: Because of our God’s deep compassion, the
dawn from heaven will break upon us,
L: to give light to those who are sitting in
darkness and in the shadow of death,
P: to guide us on the path of peace.”
L: Let us worship God.
P: With one accord we His name together.
Lighting of the Advent Candles
L: Advent reminds us that we are people who
share a story, the story of Jesus, who enacts peace by judging in favor of the
poor and deciding with equity for the meek of the earth. We long for the day when “the wolf shall live
with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion
will feed together, and the little child shall lead them.”
P: Today, we choose to live the story of peace,
believing that true peace comes when we seek the flourishing of all God’s
creation.
L: We call this candle Peace.
(Light the candles.)
L: We light this candle of peace as a sign of
our commitment to bring Light to the places the world seeks to hide until that
day when all creation lives together in harmony and abundance.
Opening Hymn – Joyful, Joyful, We Adore You #271
Brown
Prayer of Confession
Holy God, we confess we prefer
the crooked paths where we think we can hide from You. We’d rather You didn’t examine us too
closely, all we do and fail to do. Yet,
You are coming not to judge, but to save us from our sins and our love of
sinning. So come, Lord, by crooked path
or straight, to enter our aching hearts.
In the certainty of Your grace we make our prayer. (Silent prayers are offered) AMEN.
Assurance of Pardon
L: Hear the good news! Christ is our peace. Through Him we have forgiveness and new hope.
P: He comes to break the power of sin and set
us free again. Alleluia. AMEN!
Gloria Patri
Affirmation of Faith/Apostles’
Creed
I believe in God the Father
Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth; And in Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord;
who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under
Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell; the
third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on
the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge
the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost,
the holy catholic Church; the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins; the
resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. AMEN
Pastoral Prayer and Lord’s
Prayer
Holy, beloved God, we
come before You seeking strength and comfort, someone to help us bear the load
or to give us a load worth bearing. In
our praying, give us open ears to hear Your assurances and open hearts to feel
Your peace. We pray for the church, this
family of hopeful people persistent in faithfulness and graciousness, marked by
a willingness to work in kindness and not count the hours or the cost. As the world darkens and the days grow short,
may Christ’s light in us shine with a steady flame, bringing light, bringing
healing, bringing reconciliation, and bringing peace. We pray for common sense, and the touch of
faithful humility that marked the life of Your son, our Savior, that we may
determine to live lives of kindness and grace.
God of faithfulness and
truth, we pray for the world around us, for peoples whose names we do not know
yet whose hurts fill the news, and whose afflictions touch us not nearly long
enough. We can change a channel, or turn
a page, but they endure the long days and months of famine and thirst, of war
and feud, of corruption and despair, of hatred and violence. Solutions may not be easy for all the ills of
this world, but in each hurting place send Your Spirit, that those who do have
the power to effect the changes needed for justice, peace and honor may use
their power for the well-being of all.
In this season of
Advent, where many watch and wait, be with those who at this time wait by a
hospital bedside, watch anxiously for results in exams and tests, wait for news
of health reports, watch for a loved one to return. May all who wait with anxiety find Your
peace, and all who watch with fearfulness be calmed by Your steady hand.
For ourselves, the
hopes and hurts, the brightness and gloom that populate our waking and our
sleeping hours, help us separate our needs from our wants, that we may discern
where priorities in our ordered lives should be. In a world where consumption rules and many
come accustomed to plenty, remind us of the privileges we take for granted, and
the bounty we believe is our right, and not Your gift. Soothe our spirits, and fill us with good
things – the things which make for peace.
Lord, we pray for those
who lie close to our hearts…
In this time of
silence, we pray also for the burdens of our hearts…
And now, Holy One of
Israel, we pray as Jesus taught us, saying…Our Father who art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver
us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory, forever.
AMEN.
Hymn – Angels
We Have Heard on High Hymn #278
Brown
Scripture Reading(s):
First Scripture Reading – Isaiah
11:1-10
Second Scripture Reading – Luke
1:5-24
Sermon – Angels and Advent: Gabriel and Zechariah
When
we ponder the Christmas story, Zechariah is probably not one of the top names
that come to mind. Actually, his name
might not come to mind at all. We are
more likely to remember his wife, Elizabeth, whom Luke describes as a relative
of Mary, the mother of Jesus. But Zechariah
and Elizabeth both hold an important place in the story of Jesus’s birth. Zechariah and Elizabeth, like all of the Jews
in Judea in that era, lived under the oppression of the Roman Empire and Herod,
their puppet king. Zechariah was a priest
from the order of Abijah, and his wife was a descendant of Aaron, Moses’s
brother.
At
first reading, this might not seem significant, but it’s important to the story. Part of the law given to Moses on Mount Sinai
ordained that Aaron be a priest, along with all of his male descendants from
that time forward. Elizabeth is from
Aaron’s line, but so was Zechariah. The descendants
of Aaron were divided into twenty-four divisions, each named after Aaron’s
twenty-four sons, and one of those sons was Abijah. Each division took turns serving at the altar
in the Temple. This assured that there
was always a priestly presence at the Temple and that responsibilities were
fairly distributed to each division of priests.
Why
is this important? Because Luke, the
author of this narrative, wants to underscore for us their righteousness. These two people aren’t just nobody’s; they
have highly regarded credentials. They lived
“blamelessly” concerning matters of piety and upholding the law of Moses. “But they had no children, because Elizabeth
was barren, and both were getting on in years.”
Right now, bells should be ringing in your ears because this sounds like
a familiar story, right? And the same
was true of the first century Jewish readers of this story, as well. Who else had been old and childless? Abraham and Sarah. Right!
And what happened to them? Angels
came to visit and promised Abraham that he would be the father of many nations.
So, we have a little foreshadowing here about
what might be in store for Zechariah and Elizabeth.
Zechariah
is one of the priests whose section was called to be on duty at the
Temple. He and Elizabeth lived in the
hill country near Jerusalem, but there would have been accommodations at the
Temple to house the priests during their time of service there. Zechariah is no doubt honored that it is
finally his division’s turn to go and serve at the Temple. He is shocked that out of all of the priests
who have traveled to tend to the Temple, his lot was cast to be the priest that
would go into the inner sanctum, the holy place, of the Temple, alone to represent
the people before God, to pray and to give an incense offering.
Taking
his role seriously, Zechariah approaches the altar in the holy place to make
his incense offering on behalf of the praying worshipers gathered in the
courtyard just outside. Suddenly, an
angel appears on the right side of the altar.
As mentioned last week, angels weren’t always the bearers of good
news. They could be frightening and scary. They could be there to wield justice. Not knowing if this was good news or bad,
Zechariah’s first impulse is fear. And
then the angels speaks calming words, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer
has been heard.”
The
angel goes on to declare that he and Elizabeth will have a son. They are to
name him John, which means, “God is gracious.”
The angel tells them how much joy this child will bring Zechariah and
his wife, and also to many, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord.
The
angel’s message that Zechariah’s prayers had been heard were both about his personal
prayer for he and Elizabeth to have a son, but also it was about the prayers of
all the people. Zechariah and the people
in the crowd, representing the nation of Israel, have prayed for generations
for a Messiah to deliver them from the oppression of their enemies. They sought deliverance from slavery under
the Egyptians, and God sent Moses. Later,
they prayed for deliverance from the oppression of the Assyrians, Babylonians,
and the Persians. Now they seek God’s help
in delivering them from the crushing oppression of the Romans.
Zechariah
and Elizabeth’s deepest prayer will be answered, just as it was for Abraham and
Sarah. Sarah bore a son whose name was
Isaac, who later became the father of Jacob who became known as Israel for he became
the father of the twelve tribes of Israel through each of his sons. Another woman in the Biblical story, Hannah,
also barren, prayed for a child. Her
husband, Elkanah, adored her, but he had a second wife who had already given
him a son and who taunted Hannah mercilessly for her infertility. God graciously answered Hannah’s prayer for a
child. Her son, Samuel, was the answer
not only to Hannah’s prayers, but also of a nation that felt spiritually barren
and constantly provoked by its enemies, the Philistines. As a priest, Samuel turns the hearts of
Israel back to their God. As a judge, he
leads them into battle when needed and keeps them safe from their enemies. As a prophet, he anoints the first two kings
of Israel, Saul and David, as God instructs.
The
baby who is about to be born to Zechariah and Elizabeth, like Isaac for Abraham
and Sarah, like Samuel for Hannah, is going to be a beacon of God’s grace,
turning the hearts of those who are praying toward their God and each other, to
ensure that they are ready to recognize and receive God’s greatest gift when it
arrives: their Savior and King. Just as
Samuel anoints the heads of the first kings of Israel, John the Baptist will
anoint the head of Jesus with water at this baptism, signifying God’s anointing
of him with the Holy Spirit for his ministry on earth.
The
answered prayer of Zechariah and Elizabeth is a blessing and an answered prayer
for others as well. I imagine that if
the parents of Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Martin Luther King, Jr,
Rosa Parks, or Marie Curie, prayed for them when they were born, they had no
idea that their children would later become answered prayers of a world
engulfed in war, a country plagued by systemic racism, and countless others
desperate for a treatment for cancer.
What
prayers have you had answered that wound up being a blessing for others as well?
After
Zechariah hears the astounding news that Elizabeth is going to bear a son, it’s
not surprising that he, like Abraham and Sarah, might have doubts about how
this could happen. Sarah’s response to
the news that she would bear a child in her old age was to laugh. Was she laughing for joy, or because she
found the angel’s news absurd? I don’t know,
but Zechariah doesn’t laugh. Instead, he
asks for a sign. He ignores the joy of this
good news and instead clings to the same doubts that seem to plague our own
minds. “Does God really still care about
what’s happening in my life or in the lives of the people of the world?” “Does God really still answer prayer in such
magnificent ways?” “How could God make
something that seems so impossible happen?”
I need proof.
In
answer to his doubts, the angel offers this, “I am Gabriel…” Let that sink in, Zechariah. The old priest would have known exactly who
Gabriel was. God sent Gabriel to Daniel
to help him interpret one of his visions and later as an answer to Daniel’s prayer,
to give him insight and understanding, and to shut the mouths of the lions who could
have devoured him.
And,
as if Zechariah needed a reminder, Gabriel goes on, for emphasis, “I stand in
the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this
good news.” Because Zechariah disbelieves
and needs proof, Gabriel will give him one: Zechariah will be struck mute until
John is born.
Zechariah
will be unable to speak as long as Elizabeth is pregnant. Nine months is a long time. Even the Sunday’s when I’ve been hoarse from
a cold or from the effects of my LPR (LaryngoPharyngeal Reflux – which is similar
to GERD and sometimes affects my voice), it makes me so angry and upset that my
voice is not working at its best. As a
priest not being able to speak…as a pastor not being able to speak; that’s not
proof, that’s a curse. But then it dawned
on me that perhaps the sign Gabriel inflicts upon Zechariah is more of a gift
than a punishment. Maybe it will be a
gift for him to not be able to speak as he ponders what Gabriel has proclaimed;
how God has miraculously worked to bring light and life to the middle of people’s
yearning, barrenless, and darkness of the past.
Maybe it will be a gift for him to silently watch his wife’s formerly
barren belly swell and move with the life God will provide within. Maybe it will be a blessing for him to just
listen in silence to what God has to say to him. Perhaps he’ll recall when Elijah was hiding
in a cave, afraid for his own life, and the “word of the Lord” comes to him and
tells him to stand on the side of the mountain while God passes by. First, there is a wind strong enough to
tumble boulders, then there’s an earthquake, then a fire. The Lord appears in none of these miraculous,
amazing world changing events. No, God
instead waits for the “sound of sheer silence” to speak. And from that silence God calls Elijah back
to his purpose and out of his fear. Amid
the sound of silence, Elijah gains clarity.
He understands his mission, what God is calling him to do – and then goes
and does it. I’d like to think that
Zechariah’s forced time of silence, helped prepare him for his role in
understanding and carrying out his own mission.
When we are surrounded by silence, we may discover, if we listen, that
we are in the presence of a great teacher.
Maybe
it could be a gift for us to find some extended time in this Advent season to
be speechless, to listen – to God, to friends, to the yearnings of others – and
to ponder God’s goodness in our own past.
What if we blocked out some of the noisy clatter in our lives over these
Advent weeks to listen to what God may be saying to us? To ponder what God is calling us to do?
May
the visit of Gabriel to Zechariah so long ago hold a lesson for us today. Thanks be to God. AMEN.
Offertory –
Doxology –
Prayer of Dedication –
Generous
God, we thank You for all our blessings, and offer these gifts back to Your
service, that this church might continue to shine Your light into the
world. AMEN.
Sacrament of Holy Communion
Closing
Hymn – How Great Our Joy Hymn
#269 Brown
Benediction –
Go out with
the peace of God to change the world. And
as you go may the love of God who made you, the strength of Christ who saved
you, and the wisdom of the Spirit who enlivens you, go with you now and
always. AMEN.
Postlude
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