2nd Sunday of Advent (Year A)

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All liturgy below is free to be used or adapted as long as the following credit is given: Liturgy by Stephen M. Fearing | www.stephenmfearing.com

Call to Worship

Come, you people of God, and shake off the night’s sleep;
for a new day is born on our journey to welcome the Christ-child.
Come, listen to a story where the cow and bear shall grace together,
and the nursing child shall play without fear of the snake,
and the wolf shall live with the lamb in harmony.         Isa. 11:6-8
We dream of a day where peace abounds and violence is no more.             Ps. 72:7
Come, you dreamers of God’s peace, let’s dream that peace into reality!
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things!           Ps. 72:18
Come, let us worship God!

Prayer of the Day

God of Advent peace,
we come to you in what for many of us is the busiest month of the year.
Behind the serene hallmark card scenes of quite beauty lies a different truth:
anxiety, stress, worry, despair, exhaustion, lament.
Settle our hearts this day as we gather to focus on your goodness and grace.  Amen.

Call to Confession

Even though we often do our best to hide our brokenness,
God cannot be fooled.
And yet we shouldn’t meet this truth with despair but with gratitude
because the God who sees our brokenness looks upon us with love and mercy.
Together, let us confess our sins.

Confession

God of Peace,
the poetry of your prophets compel us to dream of a day when violence ends:
when the wolf lives with the lamb,
the cow and the bear graze together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.                       Isa. 11:6-8
But we scoff at that dream
and treat such notions as a fantasy too ridiculous to be realistic.
Forgive us, God, for our lack of moral imagination.
Help us to bear fruit worthy of repentance -            Matt. 3:8
fruits that feed your creation with the peace you created it to embody.
Give us the courage to silence the voices of fear within our hearts
and to listen to your steadfast voice of peace and justice.
This we pray in your merciful name.  Amen.

Assurance of Pardon

Friends, hear the good news of the Gospel:
There is nothing - not one thing - that can separate us from God’s love:
not our fear,
not our cowardice,
not even our stubbornness.
For nothing is a great as the mercy that is found in our loving God.
In the name of the Resurrected Christ,
I declare to you that our sins are forgiven.
Alleluia!  Amen.

Prayer for Illumination

Come, Holy Spirit,
and bless us with your presence
that we might hear what you are saying to us today.  Amen..

Prayers of the People

Let us pray to God, saying:
God of peace, help us bear fruit worthy of repentance.

On the Sunday that we light the candle for peace,
we are acutely aware of the lack of it around us.
We pray for the victims of violence of all kinds:
domestic violence,
gun violence,
racist violence,
sexual violence,
economic violence,
environmental violence,
emotional and spiritual violence.
Keep us from the sin of remaining neutral in the face of such evil.
God of peace, help us bear fruit worthy of repentance.

Help us to be at peace not only with one another
but with ourselves as well.
Many of us do not treat ourselves with the gentleness you give us.
Be with those who struggle with anxiety, depression, and mental illness.
Help those with violent thoughts of self-harm get the treatment they need.
Keep us mindful of those around us who have hidden pain.
God of peace, help us bear fruit worthy of repentance.

God of unity and reconciliation,
we are pained by the political division in our country right now,
and we struggle to be at peace with those who think differently than us.
Give us patience, wisdom, and courage 
to have difficult conversations about issues that affect the wellbeing of our neighbors.
Help us respect one another and first and foremost follow you and your Word.
God of peace, help us bear fruit worthy of repentance.

In all things God, give us hearts that yearn for the peace that can only be found in you.
May the flame that rests upon the candle of peace
ignite within our hearts to feel the burn of your desire for a peaceable creation.
This we pray in the name of your Son, who taught us to pray saying:  Our Father…

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Stephen Fearing

Stephen was born in 1988 in Cookeville, TN, where his parents met whilst attending Tennessee Tech. Shortly after, they moved to Dalton, Georgia where they put down roots and joined First Presbyterian Church, the faith family that taught Stephen that he was first and foremost a beloved child of God. It was this community that taught Stephen that it was OK to have questions and doubts and that nothing he could do could every possibly separate him from the love of God. In 1995, his sister, Sarah Kate, joined the family and Stephen began his journey as a life-long musician. Since then, he has found a love of music and has found this gift particularly fitting for his call to ministry. Among the instruments that he enjoys are piano, trumpet, guitar, and handbells. Stephen has always had a love of singing and congregation song. An avid member of the marching band, Stephen was the drum major of his high school's marching band. In 2006, Stephen began his tenure at Presbyterian College in Clinton, SC where he majored in Religion and minored in History. While attending PC, Stephen continued to explore his love of music by participating in the Wind Ensemble, Jazz Band, Jazz Combo, Jazz Trio, as well as playing in the PC Handbell ensemble and playing mandolin and banjo PC's very own bluegrass/rock group, Hosegrass, of which Stephen was a founding member (Hosegrass even released their own CD!). In 2010, Stephen moved from Clinton to Atlanta to attend Columbia Theological Seminary to pursue God's call on his life to be a pastor in the PC(USA). During this time, Stephen worked at Trinity Presbyterian Church, Silver Creek Presbyterian Church, Central Presbyterian Church, and Westminster Presbyterian Church. For three years, Stephen served as the Choir Director of Columbia Theological Seminary's choir and also served as the Interim Music Director at Westminster Presbyterian Church. In 2014, Stephen graduated from Columbia with a Masters of Divinity and a Masters of Arts in Practical Theology with an emphasis in liturgy, music, and worship. In July of 2014, Stephen was installed an ordained as Teaching Elder at Shelter Island Presbyterian Church in Shelter Island, NY. Later that year, Stephen married the love of his life, Tricia, and they share their home on Shelter Island with their Golden Doodle, Elsie, and their calico cat, Audrey. In addition to his work with the people who are Shelter Island Presbyterian Church, Stephen currently serves as a commission from Long Island Presbytery to the Synod of the Northeast and, beginning in January of 2016, will moderate the Synod's missions team.