A Service of Prayer for December 23, 2020

Hosanna

!

Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David!

Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

Mark 11:9-10 

  In those days Mary sets out to a Judean town in the hill country, where she enters the house of Zechariah and greets Elizabeth. When Elizabeth hears Mary’s greeting, the child leaps in her womb. And Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaims with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”

On the Fourth Week of Advent, four candles are lit and we patiently await for the birth of the Christ child. He is coming soon. Today we focus on Mary’s response to Elizabeth. We also rejoice in the coming of our Lord and Savior.

DIALOGUE

O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth shall declare your praise.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Alleluia.

PSALMODY

Give glory to God, our light and our life.
Oh, come, let us worship him.
Oh, come, let us sing to the Lord; let us shout for joy to the rock of our salvation.
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving and raise a loud shout to him with psalms.
For the Lord is a great God and a great king above all gods.
In his hand are the caverns of the earth; the heights of the hills are also his.
The sea is his, for he made it; and his hands have molded the dry land.
Oh, come, let us bow down and bend the knee, and kneel before the Lord, our maker.
For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen

Give glory to God, our light and our life. 
Oh, come, let us worship him.

Luke 1:46b-55

And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
His mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”  

 HYMN
Annunciation and Magnificat

from Holden Evening Prayer by Marty Haugen, 
(Words are on the video.) 

READINGS
1 Samuel 2:1-10

Hannah prayed and said,
“My heart exults in the LORD;
my strength is exalted in my God.
My mouth derides my enemies,
because I rejoice in my victory. 

“There is no Holy One like the LORD,
no one besides you;
there is no Rock like our God.
Talk no more so very proudly,
let not arrogance come from your mouth;
for the LORD is a God of knowledge,
and by him actions are weighed.
The bows of the mighty are broken,
but the feeble gird on strength.
Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,
but those who were hungry are fat with spoil.
The barren has borne seven,
but she who has many children is forlorn.
The LORD kills and brings to life;
he brings down to Sheol and raises up.
The LORD makes poor and makes rich;
he brings low, he also exalts.
He raises up the poor from the dust;
he lifts the needy from the ash heap,
to make them sit with princes
and inherit a seat of honor.
For the pillars of the earth are the LORD’S,
and on them he has set the world. 

“He will guard the feet of his faithful ones,
but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness;
for not by might does one prevail.
The LORD! His adversaries shall be shattered;
the Most High will thunder in heaven.
The LORD will judge the ends of the earth;
he will give strength to his king,
and exalt the power of his anointed.”   

Silence for meditation.

Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets,
but in these last days God has spoken to us by the Son.

GOSPEL
Mark 11:1-11

When they were approaching Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, [Jesus] sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden; untie it and bring it. If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here immediately.’” They went away and found a colt tied near a door, outside in the street. As they were untying it, some of the bystanders said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” They told them what Jesus had said; and they allowed them to take it. Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it; and he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields. Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting,
“Hosanna!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

Then he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple; and when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve. 

Silence for meditation.

Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets,
but in these last days God has spoken to us by the Son.

MESSAGE

Perhaps you have heard our opening song! Perhaps you have not! I first heard it when I was on internship at Atonement Lutheran Church in Wyomissing. On Wednesday nights they would hold an evening service of prayer using Holden Evening Prayer by Marty Haugen. I fell in love  with this special service and with the Annunciation and Magnificat which is part of Holden Evening Prayer. 

Mary’s response to her situation is absolutely astounding. Instead of anger, pity, or sadness she opens herself up to the angel Gabriel’s message that she will conceive and bear a child and she rejoices. She will be the mother of Jesus, God incarnate. Even though this situation could cause dire consequences for her, her reaction is one of faithfulness and similar to Hannah’s response.

Now, about Hannah who is barren and desperately wants a child. One day she is deeply distressed and goes to the temple to pray. She makes a vow to the Lord and says, “if only you will look on the misery of your servant, and remember me, and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a male child, then I will set him before you as a nazirite until the day of his death.”  The priest Eli watches her lips moving, sees her sobbing, and ardently praying. He thinks she has had too much to drink so he admonishes her. Hannah tells him she is deeply troubled and not drunk. Eli grants her peace and tells her that God will grant the prayer she has made to him. She replies “Let your servant find favor in your sight.” Like Zechariah’s Elizabeth, Hannah conceives and gives birth to a baby boy who she names Samuel. Hannah is faithful to her promise to God. When her child is weaned, she brings him to the house of the Lord and leaves him with Eli for she has given him to the Lord. She prays and sings the song that is our Old Testament lesson today.

Both Hannah and Mary are incredibly faithful to God. How difficult it must have been for each of them to find possibility in the incredibly impossible circumstances they faced. Both of these were marginalized women.

Hannah’s song begins with rejoicing. She says, “My heart exults in the LORD.” It is also similar in style and content to Psalm 113. which says, [The Lord] raises the poor from the dust, and lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes, with the princes of his people. The Jewish Study Bible points out that the “song was put in Hannah’s mouth because of v. 5, while the barren woman bears seven, and because of its general idea, that God often completely reverses the fortunes of human beings, in accordance with their conduct. Furthermore we see within the center of this song that God reverses the conditions of humans. For example: the LORD kills and brings to life; the LORD makes poor and makes rich; and, he raises up the poor from the dust.

Mary’s song is similar to Hannah’s song in that she praises God and says, “My spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” In it reversals are also emphasized. For instance it proclaims that the Lord has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; and, he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. In both of these songs we get a sense of God’s justice.

Christmas is a time to not only think of ourselves or our families, but also to think of those who a less fortunate than we are. God’s justice turns our world upside-down because it reverses human status and perceptions in a downward movement. As Luke Timothy Johnson puts it, “God scatters the arrogant, pulls down the mighty, sends the rich away empty. But God also, in an upward movement, exalts the lowly, fills the hungry, and takes the hand of Israel. Precisely such a reversal is announced by Jesus in his Beatitudes and woes, and is enacted by him in the narrative of his ministry.

So, this Christmas let us rejoice in coming of Christ who came as one of us to teach us how to live and love. And, who exemplified God’s values and justice.

In Christ, 
Pastor Harkness

THE GOSPEL CANTICLE

Refrain:
In the tender compassion of our God the Dawn from on high shall break upon us.

Blessed are you, Lord, the God of Israel,
you have come to your people and set them free.
You have raised up for us a mighty Savior,
born of the house of your servant David. Refrain

Through your holy prophets, you promised of old
to save us from our enemies, from the hands of all who hate us;
you promised to show mercy to our forebears
and to remember your holy covenant. Refrain

This was the oath you swore to our father Abraham:
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
free to worship you without fear,
holy and righteous before you, all the days of our life. Refrain

And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord to prepare the way,
to give God's people knowledge of salvation
by the forgiveness of their sins. Refrain

In the tender compassion of our God
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace. Refrain

PRAYERS

The Lord be with you.
And also with you.

Let us pray,
Mighty God of mercy, we thank you for the resurrection dawn, bringing the glory of our risen Lord who makes every day new.
Especially we thank you—
for the sustaining goodness of your creation . . .
for the new creation in Christ and all gifts of healing and forgiveness . . .
for the gifts of relationship with others . . .
for the communion of faith in your church . . .

Merciful God of might, renew this weary world, heal the hurts of all your children, and bring about your peace for all in Christ Jesus, the living Lord.
Especially we pray—
for those who govern nations of the world especially our leaders . . .
for the people of our country, for the restoration of peace, and for justice . . .
for the people in countries ravaged by strife or warfare . . .
for all who work for peace and international harmony . . .
for all who strive to save the earth from carelessness and destruction . . .
for the church of Jesus Christ in every land . . .

Almighty and everlasting God, you have brought us in safety to this new day. Preserve us with your mighty power, that we may not fall into sin nor be overcome in adversity. In all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen

LORD’S PRAYER

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,
and the power, and the glory,
forever and ever. 
Amen.

Let us bless the Lord
Thanks be to God.

BENEDICTION

Almighty God, the Father,  ☩  the Son, and the Holy Spirit, bless and preserve us. Amen

HYMN
Awake! Awake, and Greet the New Morn

1. Awake! Awake, and greet the new morn, 
for angels herald its dawning.
Sing out your joy, for soon he is born, 
behold! the Child of our longing.
Come as a baby weak and poor,
to bring all hearts together,
he opens wide the heav'nly door 
and lives now inside us forever.

2. To us, to all in sorrow and fear, 
Emmanuel comes a-singing,
his humble song is quiet and near, 
yet fills the earth with its ringing;
music to heal the broken soul 
and hymns of lovingkindness,
the thunder of his anthems roll 
to shatter all hatred and blindness.

3. In darkest night his coming shall be, 
when all the world is despairing,
as morning light so quiet and free, 
so warm and gentle and caring.
Then shall the mute break forth in song, 
the lame shall leap in wonder,
the weak be raised above the strong, 
and weapons be broken asunder.

4. Rejoice, rejoice, take heart in the night, 
though dark the winter and cheerless,
the rising sun shall crown you with light, 
be strong and loving and fearless.
Love be our song and love our prayer 
and love our endless story;
may God fill ev'ry day we share 
and bring us at last into glory.

Text: Marty Haugen, b. 1950

Text © 1983 GIA Publications, Inc., 7404 S. Mason Ave., Chicago, IL 60638. www.giamusic.com. 800.442.3358. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

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