A call to worship:
Lord Jesus, we pray that you would come to us by your Spirit and fill us afresh with your joy.
Take away our fear, lift up our hearts,
and grant us a fresh vision of your glory.
Come, Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen.
Amen
STF 330 Joy to the World
Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
let every heart prepare him room,
and heaven and nature sing,
and heaven and nature sing,
and heaven, and heaven and nature sing.
Joy to the world, the Saviour reigns!
Let all their songs employ;
while fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
repeat the sounding joy,
repeat the sounding joy,
repeat, repeat the sounding joy.
He rules the world with truth and grace,
and makes the nations prove
the glories of his righteousness,
and wonders of his love,
and wonders of his love,
and wonders, wonders of his love.
Prayers
Loving God, we thank you for the gift of words through which we are able to express so much.
Thank you for the words that speak so powerfully of your love.
But most of all we thank you for putting your words into action, making them come alive in the person of Jesus’.
Help us in our turn not simply to use words but to act upon them, not just to talk about faith but to live it day by day.
Amen
Bible Readings
Isaiah 35: 1-10
The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom;
like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God. Strengthen the weak hands and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are of a fearful heart, “Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God. He will come with vengeance, with terrible recompense. He will come and save you.”
Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water;
the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp, the grass shall become reeds and rushes.
A highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Holy Way; the unclean shall not travel on it, but it shall be for God’s people; no traveller, not even fools, shall go astray. No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there.
And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
Reflection
On this third Sunday of Advent often called Gaudete or rejoicing Sunday,
the Old Testament reading offers us a joyous vision of renewal, and the theme of our service today is joy.
Think about the week that has just passed.
Hopefully for all of us there will have been moments of joy. Savour them!
In our reading Isaiah presents a beautiful image of a time of restoration and joy for God’s people, who are in exile.
The dry and barren wilderness will bloom, waters will break forth, God’s people will be healed and God will create a safe highway for his people to return home. And although the journey was long and at times troubled, they did return.
With hindsight we know that they longed for the coming of the Messiah.
It was a long wait but come he did; and one of the things that Jesus brought into this world was new joy – to his parents, to ordinary working people like the shepherds and even the angels of heaven and each person who accepts him as Lord.
As we await his coming among us again, let’s celebrate the joy, Christian joy, that Jesus brings. A joy rooted in God’s presence, salvation, and His promises.
We are invited to embrace a moment of joyful expectation.
This sense of joy we encounter is not naive or disconnected from the realities of life; it is a joy that arises from the deep knowledge that God is near, actively working to redeem, restore, and bring peace.
It’s not merely emotional but a deep peace and assurance that comes from presenting our worries to God and receiving God’s peace in return.
It’s a deep-rooted joy, a joy that can only come from God. And this joy isn’t just for the good times and the festivities – it’s for all year round and throughout all that life brings.
So, this week, as we busy ourselves, planning and preparing for Christmas; maybe sometimes feeling a bit overwhelmed and chaotic; let’s stop, rest in God’s presence and allow our hearts to be filled with the deep joy, true joy of the Lord, and all that is still yet to come.
Amen.
Prayers
Gracious God, teach us to celebrate every moment of every day with heartfelt praise and joyful thanksgiving, now and always.
Amen
Intercessions
Pray silently for:
The needs of the world…
The Church and its calling…
Loved ones going through difficult times
or peace, justice, and reconciliation
In Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen.
The Lord's Prayer
Please use the version that you prefer
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.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be your name,
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
On earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
As we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
And deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power
and the glory are yours
Now and for ever.
Amen.
StF 487 - You shall go out with joy
You shall go out with joy and be led forth
with peace, and the mountains and the hills
Shall break forth before you.
There’ll be shouts of joy and the trees of the field, shall clap, shall clap their hands
And the trees of the field shall clap their
hands,
The trees of the field shall clap their hands,
The trees of the field shall clap their hands,
and you’ll go out with joy.
A sending out prayer:
Lord God, may we go with joy and singing,
strong and without fear, to walk your highway
with joy and gladness and without sorrow and sighing. For Jesus’ sake, we pray.
Amen.
