3rd 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

Dry land becomes a river; Isa. 35:1-10

parched earth now drinks its fill.

From drought our God delivers;

water pours from the hills.

May all the earth delight; rejoice with joy and singing.

All is new by God’s might.
Come, let us worship God!

Prayer of the Day

God of Advent Joy,

our souls magnify you,

and our spirits rejoice in you, our Savior. Luke 1:46b-47

Look with favor upon us as we gather to worship you.

Stir our hearts to fill with mirth

and our lips to sing with praise
for the joy that you are brining to your people. Amen.

Call to Confession

The Psalmist tells us that “happy are those whose help is in God.” Ps. 146:5
Therefore, with trusting and open hearts,

let us approach God and confess our sins together.

Confession

God of Joy,

you invite your creation to live in goodness and gladness,

but we often choose the paths of greed and grievances.

Instead of lifting up one another and celebrating our diversity,

we grumble against one another in our arrogance and avarice. Jas. 5:9
Forgive us for those moments when we stubbornly refuse your way.
Help us to embrace the joy that you intend for us,

the joy that executes justice, gives food to the hungry,

lifts up those who are bowed down,

and watches over the stranger. Amen. Ps. 146

Assurance of Pardon

The poetry of Isaiah reminds us of this truth:
“Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God.

The Lord will come and save you.” Isa. 35:4
Friends, hear the good news of the Gospel,

God has forgiven us and we are a new creation.
Alleluia! Amen.

Prayer for Illumination

Holy God,

in your coming kingdom,
the blind receive their sight,
 the lame walk,

the lepers are cleansed,
 the deaf hear,

the dead are raised,
 and the poor have good news brought to them.

Give us the wisdom to hear your Word proclaimed,

and then make it so in our families and our communities. Amen.

Prayers of the People

Let us pray to God, saying:
God of our Hope, help us to follow you.

Gracious and Merciful God,

You execute justice for the oppressed.

Be with those who cry out for justice
in the midst of systemic structures of racism and sexism.

Hear now our prayers…
God of our Hope, help us to follow you.

You give food to the hungry.

Be with those who do not know the source of their next meal.

Help us to feed the children who go hungry when school goes on break.

Hear now our prayers…

God of our Hope, help us to follow you.

You set the prisoners free.

Be with those who are incarcerated, both justly and unjustly.
Comfort the families of those imprisoned.
And mold us into a nation that ends the practice 
 of making money off of incarcerating people.
Hear now our prayers…
God of our Hope, help us to follow you.

You open the eyes of the blind.

Be with those who are differently abled

and help us accommodate their needs, 

celebrate their gifts,

and welcome them as whole human beings.
Hear now our prayers…

God of our Hope, help us to follow you.

You lift up those who are bowed down.

Be with those who find this a difficult month to find joy.

Give peace to those who have lost loved ones in the past year.

Hear now our prayers…
God of our Hope, help us to follow you.

You watch over the stranger.

Be with the immigrants and refugees among us,
and all those who are displaced from their homes

and seeking safety and peace for their families.
Hear now our prayers…
God of our Hope, help us to follow you.

God of all Joy and Mercy,
hear us now as we pray the prayer your Child 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.