Sharing God's Love and Grace

Fourth Sunday in Advent

The Presbyterian Church, 142 N. 4th. Street, Coshocton, OH 43812

Pastor Karen Crawford

Mark Wagner, Organist

April King and John, Mason, Jacob and Jonah Gano, Liturgists/Candle Lighters

Prelude: Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming….arranged, Michael Bedford

Greeting/Announcements

Hymn: Prepare the Way …Michael Burkhardt

Lighting the Advent Wreath: April King; John, Mason, Jacob and Jonah Gano

Light one candle for love.

Hymn: Prepare the Way …Michael Burkhardt

Opening Sentences and Gathering Prayer: Jonah Gano and April King

An angel spoke to Mary: “Do not be afraid!”

The child she carries will be God’s son, and the world will never be the same.

An angel spoke to Mary: “Do not be afraid!”

God was with her, and God is with us, drawing us into worship and praise.

Hymn: Love Has Come…. Ken Bible

Love has come: a light in the darkness! Love shines forth in the Bethlehem skies.
See, all heaven has come to proclaim it; hear how their song of joy arises:
Love! Love! Born unto you, a Savior! Love! Love! Glory to God on high.

Love is born! Come, share in the wonder. Love shines forth in the Bethlehem skies.
See the glow in the eyes of his mother; what is the name her heart is saying?
Love! Love! Love is the name she whispers. Love! Love! Jesus, Emmanuel.

Love has come: and never will leave us! Love is life everlasting and free. Love is Jesus within and among us. Love is the peace our hearts are seeking. Love! Love! Love is the gift of Christmas. Love! Love! Praise to you, God on high!

Call to Confession/Prayer of Confession/Assurance

An angel spoke to Mary: “Do not be afraid!” And yet, O Lord, we find ourselves paralyzed by fear of what we do not know. Forgive us of our sins, O Lord, and give us the faith of Mary to respond to your grace with lives of grateful praise. Let us hear the good news that she first heard: Light is breaking. Love is coming. The world is about to turn! Amen.

Hymn: Lo, How A Rose E’er Blooming… Arr. by Norlan Bewley

Time with Children and Youth

Meet Our Church Family: Judy Addy talks about our needlepoint Christmas ornament tradition at The Presbyterian Church.

The ornaments are made by volunteers for our church families and are usually passed out at our Christmas Eve service. This year, the ornaments will be delivered to members’ homes.

Prayer for Illumination and Readings: Romans 16:25-27; Luke 1:46-55

This is the gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ!

Solo: Sweet Little Jesus Boy… Robert MacGimsey (Debbie Clark, soloist; Alice Hoover, piano)

Reading: Luke 1:26–38 with Pastor Karen

And the Word became flesh and lived among us. Thanks be to God!

Message: Light One Candle for Love

Hymn: My Soul Cries Out with a Joyful Shout… Rory Cooney

Sung by the congregation of First Plymouth Church, Lincoln Nebraska, led by the Wartburg Choir on November 4, 2018. Arrangement by John Ferguson. Tom Trenney, organist. Used with permission.

My soul cries out with a joyful shout that the God of my heart is great,
and my spirit sings of the wondrous things that you bring to the ones who wait.
You fixed your sight on you servant’s plight, and my weakness you did not spurn,
so from east to west shall my name be blest. Could the world be about to turn?

Refrain: My heart shall sing of the day you bring. Let the fires of your justice burn.
Wipe away all tears, for the dawn draws near, and the world is about to turn.

Though I am small, my God, my all, you work great things in me,
and your mercy will last from the depths of the past to the end of the age to be.
Your very name puts the proud to shame, and to those who would for you yearn,
you will show your might, put the strong to flight, for the world is about to turn.

Refrain

Though the nations rage from age to age, we remember who holds us fast:
God’s mercy must deliver us from the conqueror’s crushing grasp.
This saving word that our forebears heard is the promise which holds us bound,
till the spear and rod can be crushed by God who is turning the world around.

Refrain

Affirmation of Faith: Adapted from the Confession of 1967, 9.19

Out of Israel, God in due time raised up Jesus. His faith and obedience were the response of the perfect child of God. He was the fulfillment of God’s promise to Israel, the beginning of the new creation, and the pioneer of the new humanity. He gave history its meaning and direction and called the church to be his servant for the reconciliation of the world.

Prayers of the People

Watching and waiting for the coming of Christ, we pray for the promise of a new creation, saying: Come quickly, Lord; our hope is in you.  With expectation, we pray for the church . . .Fill our mouths with the song of your unending love. May we never stop proclaiming your faithfulness from one generation to another. Come quickly, Lord; our hope is in you.

With expectation, we pray for the world . . Come and dwell among all the people of the world. As you made your home with your people in ancient times, make your home among us now. Come quickly, Lord; our hope is in you. 

With expectation, we pray for this community . . .By your power at work in us, use usto bring healing and freedom, liberation and comfort, and to share the good news that you walk in our streets. Come quickly, Lord; our hope is in you.

With expectation, we pray for loved ones . . .Remember those who are hurting or searching. Even when they feel that all is lost hold their desires and dreams in your heart. Come quickly, Lord; our hope is in you. 

God our hope, as the promised day approaches, fill us with the joy of your Holy Spirit and strengthen us to serve you faithfully; through Christ, who is coming to reign and taught us to pray…

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 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.

Invitation to the Offering

Offertory: Bring a Torch, Jeannette Isabella….arranged, Alfred V. Fedak

Today’s offertory and postlude come from An Advent Christmas Suite, Alfred Fedak is organist at Westminster Presbyterian Church on Capitol Hill in Albany, NY. His arrangements of these “Christmas hymns” have some unusual harmonies and rhythms to remind us that we are still in the season of preparation and waiting, even though we know Christmas is near. This year, Advent is even more symbolic of the world we are living in. Take heart that this is only a season. Just as the music eventually finds its way to a harmonious ending chord, we will one day be allowed to worship together again.

Prayer of Thanksgiving/Dedication

Holy God, your love is magnified in the gift of your Son, whom you so freely share with us. Bless these gifts that we offer to lift up the lowly and fill the hungry in your coming reign of justice and peace; in Christ’s name. Amen.

Hymn: It Came Upon the Midnight Clear… Edmund Hamilton Sears

It came upon the midnight clear, that glorious song of old,
From angels bending near the earth, to touch their harps of gold:
“Peace on the earth, good will to all, from heaven’s all gracious King”:
The world in solemn stillness lay, to hear the angels sing.

Still through the cloven skies they come, with peaceful wings unfurled,
And still their heavenly music floats o’er all the wary world:
above its sad and lowly plains they bend on hovering wing,
and ever o’er its Babel sounds the blessed angels sing.

For lo, the days are hastening on, by prophets seen of old,
when with the ever-circling years shall come the time foretold,
when peace shall over all the earth its ancient splendors fling,
and the whole world give back the song which now the angels sing.

Charge and Benediction

Postlude: God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen…arranged, Alfred V. Fedak

The Presbyterian Church, 142 N. 4th St., Coshocton, OH 43812

Third Sunday in Advent

Pastor Karen Crawford

Karen Yost and Jay Gill, Liturgists and Advent Candle Lighters

Prelude: Advent Procession…arranged, Phil Lehenbauer

Greeting/Announcements with Pastor Karen

Hymn: Prepare the Way of the Lord….arranged by Michael Burkhardt

Lighting the Advent Wreath (Jay Gill and Karen Yost)

Light one candle for joy.

Hymn: Prepare the Way of the Lord….arranged by Michael Burkhardt

Opening Sentences and Gathering Prayer: Jay Gill

We gather in this holy place to bear witness to the Light.

The love of God shines upon us and reveals the truth of God’s mercy.

We gather in this holy place to bear witness to the Truth.

The truth of our gospel is good news for the oppressed and a balm for the brokenhearted.

Hymn: 88 O Come, O Come, Emmanuel …. arranged, John Weaver

O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel,
that mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, thou Wisdom from on high, who ordered all thing mightily:
to us the path of knowledge show; and teach us in her ways to go.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, thou Dayspring, come and cheer our spirits by thine advent here;
disperse the gloomy clouds of night, and death’s dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Desire of nations, bind all peoples in one heart and mind;
Bid envy, strife, and discord cease; fill the whole world with heaven’s peace.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

Call to Confession/Prayer of Confession/Assurance of Pardon with Pastor

Your love is good news for the oppressed, O Lord, and you bind up the brokenhearted. Forgive us, O God, when we think that your good news is only for us. Forgive us, O God, when we twist your gospel into something that fits comfortably into our lives. By your light, let us see you leading us beyond ourselves and into the world you love. By your grace, forgive us, and free us to try again. Amen.

Time with Children and Youth: Lighthouses!

Prayer for Illumination

Readings: Isaiah 61:1–4, 8–11; 1 Thessalonians 5:16–24

Holy wisdom, holy word. Thanks be to God!

Solo: Hark! The Herald Angels Sing (Jesus, the Light of the World)

Charles Wesley and George D. Elderkin, arr. Evelyn Simpson-Curenton

Reading: John 1:6–8, 19–28 with Pastor Karen

Heaven and earth will pass away but the word of the Lord stands forever.

Thanks be to God.  

Message:        Light One Candle for Joy

Hymn: 96 On Jordan’s Bank the Baptist’s Cry…..Charles Coffin

On Jordan’s bank the Baptist’s cry announce that the Lord is nigh;
awake and hearken, for he brings glad &dings of the King of kings!

Then cleansed be every life from sin; make straight the way for God within,
and let us all our hearts prepare for Christ to come and enter there.

We hail you as our Savior, Lord, our refuge and our great reward;
without your grace we waste away life flowers that wither and decay.

Stretch forth your hand; our health restore, and make us rise to fall no more.
O let your face upon us shine and fill the world with love divine.

Prayer of Intercession/Lord’s Prayer/Invitation to the Offering

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 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.

Offertory: On Jordan’s Bank the Baptist’s Cry….. arranged, Gilbert M. Martin

Prayer of Dedication

God Most High, receive the gifts of our lives as an offering of gratitude for your grace. Overshadow us with your Holy Spirit and let it be with us according to your word, for nothing is impossible with you. Amen.

Hymn: 744 Arise, Your Light Is Come! Ruth Duck

Arise, your light is come! The Spirit’s call obey;
Show forth the glory of your God, which shines on you today.

Arise, your light is come! Fling wide the prison door;
Proclaim the captives’ liberty, good tidings to the poor.

Arise, your light is come! All you in sorrow born,
Bind up the brokenhearted ones and comfort those who mourn.

Arise, your light is come! The mountains burst in song!
Rise up like eagles on the wing; God’s power will make us strong.

Charge/Benediction

Postlude: Noel, Noel, Now Sing a Saviour’s Birth … Arr. Olive Nelson Russell

Meditation on 1 Thess. 5:16-24

The Presbyterian Church, 142 N. 4^th St., Coshocton, OH 43812

Pastor Karen Crawford

Dec. 13, 2020

Audio file of Pastor Karen’s message:

Video of “Light One Candle for Joy”

Our women’s book group finished the study of Joanna Weaver’s Lazarus Awakening this past week.  We have been meeting on Zoom, I want to say, since April or May, beginning with Beth Moore’s study, Chasing Vines. We decided to meet after our church building closed because we were longing to be with our Christian friends, face to face. And we wanted to encourage one another in our walk with the Lord.

 Lazarus Awakening highlights spiritual truths in the gospel of John’s account of Jesus raising his friend, Lazarus, after he had been in the tomb for 4 days! This is proof that Christ is the Messiah, God’s Son, and was a shadow of what was to come—Christ’s own death and resurrection, with the promise of our resurrection with Him. Joanna’s teaching videos were filmed in the Holy Land, where, among other places, we visited the place thought to be the actual tomb of Lazarus on the southeast slope of the Mount of Olives in the biblical village of Bethany, east of Jerusalem. Visitors access the tomb by descending a flight of 24 uneven, rock-cut steps, then passing through a square antechamber or vestibule with a stone seat that serves as a place of prayer. The remains of the deceased were laid in the lower burial chamber, measuring a little more than two square meters. Tradition says that Jesus was standing in this antechamber or vestibule when he called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”

Outcasts from village life often lived in these vestibules or mid-chambers in the tombs. Joanna warned us about those who settle for a kind of mid-chamber living today, stuck in our Christian walk, held captive by our own fear or doubts. Sometimes we choose to NOT really live as Christ has given us the freedom and power to live—courageously and joyfully, by faith, listening for the One who is Love call our name.

***

On this Third Sunday in Advent, we light the pink candle for joy! On this day in the church year, while we are still reading about John the Baptist preparing the way and not Christ’s birth, we remember and give thanks for the joy that is always present with us in our ever-changing circumstances of our lives. This is a joy that nothing, not even a pandemic, can take away!  This joy in the Lord, as Nehemiah told God’s people long ago, is our strength!

This joy is experienced when we draw nearer to the Lord, seeking His will. The psalmist sings in 16:11, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

The Apostle Paul connects joy with hope, peace, and faith in Romans 15:13. They are inseparable companions. He says, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit, you may abound in hope.” Paul tells the Galatians in 5:22 that joy, along with love, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, and faith, are all fruits of the Spirit—evidence of the Spirit’s dwelling within us and transforming us into Christ’s likeness.

In our reading in First Thessalonians today, Paul connects joy with prayer and giving thanks to God. This letter is the oldest document we have in the New Testament and is filled with hope and instruction for those living in these in-between times, waiting for our Lord to come again and wondering what will happen when Christ DOES finally return. This hope is much needed by the early Christian community, Paul’s first audience, living as a persecuted minority, struggling with disappointment when Christ takes longer to return than they expect.

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing,” Paul says, ^“give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit.” This little-used Greek word translated “quench” is often applied to extinguishing a lamp, as in the Parable of the 10 Bridesmaids in Matt. 25:8, when the foolish ones say to the wise, “Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.” What Paul is saying is that if we fail to rejoice, pray, and give thanks to the Lord, we can actually block the Spirit’s work in our lives. That reminds me of Joanna Weaver’s mid-chamber living!

We can choose to be miserable and even tell ourselves that this is God’s will and the best we can do. But that’s not what God wants for us. Joy isn’t something that comes from outside of us; it’s a gift from God within us. Paul says in Philippians 4, “I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

How then, should we live, while waiting for our Savior? Paul tells Christ’s followers in 1 Thess. 4:1 to live lives that are pleasing to God and “do so more and more.” Meaning that this isn’t something we necessarily know how to do, not at first. It’s something we learn, just like Paul had to learn to be content in the changing circumstances of his life. This goes against the natural bent of human beings. Let’s face it. We like to complain and look back at the good old days, when things were better or easier or just more comfortable. But the Christian life is always moving forward—and that means learning new ways through practice, by faith, and with the Spirit’s help. It’s like anything new—the hardest part is the first time we try to make the change, but never forgetting why we do what we do and the One whom we love and serve. We have to remember our purpose in life—and hold fast to what is good, as Paul says in 1 Thessalonians, abstaining from every form of evil.

John the Baptist is a great example of one who knew his purpose in life; he was sent by God to prepare the way for the Messiah, though he wasn’t even sure, at the time, who the Messiah was. He wasn’t intimidated by the Pharisees and religious leaders asking him, “Who are you?” He knew who he wasn’t—not the Messiah, not Elijah. And, empowered by the Spirit, he was willing to do the work God equipped him to do.

Are you willing to join with the Spirit and do God’s work, too?

***

After our group’s last meeting for Lazarus Awakening on Thursday, it was hard for us to say goodbye. We wanted to linger in that spirit of joy and peace experienced since we began meeting via Zoom last spring. We have decided to continue meeting after the first of the year for another study. It might be another book by Joanna Weaver. We haven’t decided, yet. There’s plenty of room for you, if you want to join with us, too. What matters, we have decided, is that we come together to build up one another in hope and faith and share our joy in the Lord.

On Thursday, we concluded our study by watching Joanna’s video, “Light of Eternity,” before breaking into small groups to discuss how, then, we should live—in light of the fact that there is MORE to come. We liked her list of suggestions so much that I want to share them with you now. Here they are…

    “Live fully. Don’t waste today regretting the past or fearing the future, for it may be your last day on earth. Make it count for God.

  “Hold things loosely. Since we can’t take our possessions with us, enjoy what you have, but don’t cling so tightly to stuff or fall into the trap of always wanting more.

   “Value people highly. People are the true treasures of life, worth nurturing and investing in, for they are the only thing on the earth we can possibly take with us when we leave.

    “Travel lightly. Don’t carry baggage from past hurts, and don’t pick up grudges as you go. Life’s too short to be voluntarily miserable.

    “Love completely.  Let God reveal His love for people through you. Be tender-hearted, not hardheaded, patient and quick to forgive, merciful and slow to judge.

     “Give freely. Don’t hoard what you have. Instead, share it with a joyful heart, and you’ll be given more. Generosity releases blessings as sowing seed leads to harvest.

  And…. “Look expectantly. Keep looking up even as you walk here on earth, always ready and waiting for the imminent return of Christ. Be heavenly minded so you can be of earthly good.”

     Friends, LOVE is calling your name. Come out of the tomb! Don’t choose mid-chamber living in fear and doubt.

     You have a purpose—to bear witness to Christ, your Savior. The joy of the Lord is your strength! That joy is available to you RIGHT now—a gift from God, a fruit of the Spirit.

     Live fully and courageously, in Light of Eternity! For there is more to come!

Let us pray.

Holy One, we thank you for giving us life and all that we would need to live this life and be pleasing to you. Thank you for sending Jesus, our Emmanuel, to lead us back to you when we went our own way and to remain with us always, strengthening us with your joy. But Lord, the days seem so dark right now, as we live through this pandemic. We are dealing with many changes and grieving loved ones and experiences we enjoyed in past Christmases, including our worship in our beautiful sanctuary, singing together all our wonderful hymns of praise. Teach us how to be content and even joyful in all circumstances, giving thanks to you in prayer without ceasing, abstaining from every form of evil. Remind us that in our every wilderness is the hope of your miraculous provision and, ultimately, the wilderness will end at the River Jordan, the beginning of the Promised Land. Grant us courage to live fully and not settle for mid-chamber living. You want so much more for us. Open our ears to hear Love call our name and obey you, more and more. Amen.

The Presbyterian Church, 142 N. 4^th St., Coshocton, OH 43812

Second Sunday of Advent

Pastor Karen Crawford

Alice Hoover, Organist

Kirsten McPeck, Kiera McPeck, Lydia Black, Liturgists

Prelude: Savior, of the Nations Come….. Andreas Vetter

Greeting/Announcements with Pastor Karen

Hymn: Prepare the Way of the Lord…..Michael Burkhardt; Ron Barkett and Alice Hoover

Lighting the Advent Wreath: Kirsten McPeck, Kiera McPeck, Lydia Black

Light one candle for peace.

Hymn: Prepare the Way of the Lord…..Michael Burkhardt; Ron Barkett and Alice Hoover

Opening Sentences and Gathering Prayer:  Liturgist

A voice cries out in the wilderness,

“Prepare the way of the Lord!”

Let us line the road with beauty

and pave it with acts of justice.

For the Holy One is coming our way,

the giver of life and the source of living water.

Hymn: 87 Comfort, Comfort Now My People….. Johannes Olearius

“Comfort, comfort now my people; tell of peace!” So says our God.
“Comfort those who sit in darkness mourning under sorrow’s load.
To my people now proclaim that my pardon waits for them!
Tell them that their sins I cover, and their warfare now is over.”

For the herald’s voice is crying in the desert far and near,
calling us to true repentance, since the reign of God is here.
O, that warning cry obey! Now prepare for God away
Let the valleys rise in meeting and the hills bow down in greeting.

Straight shall be what long was crooked, and the rougher places plain.
Let your hearts be true and humble, as befits God’s holy reign.
For the glory of the Lord now on earth is shed abroad,
and all flesh shall see the token that God’s word is never broken.

Call to Confession/Prayer of Confession/Assurance of Pardon

“Prepare the way of the Lord,” your prophet says to us. Forgive us when we have failed to prepare your way. Forgive us when we have stood in your way, instead: when we let the challenging words of your prophets roll off of lives, rather than let them spark change; when we walk around a neighbor in need, rather than encounter a chance for compassion. Forgive us, O Lord, and grant us assurance that the glory of your coming does not depend upon the righteousness of your followers. Forgive us, O Lord, and free us to try again. Amen.

Meet Our Church Family: Jeff, Janice and Lukas Sycks

Meet Our Church Family: The Haines

We have been enjoying the start of the Christmas season. We were able to spend Thanksgiving together.We have begun enjoying our Christmas traditions, and introducing our grandson to our traditions, finding and cutting our Christmas trees, and spending the evening at the Columbus Zoo for the Wildlights. — Liz Haines

Lift Up Your Heads… arr. by Olaf Christiansen, sung by Coshocton Community Choir at the Christmas Festival Concert in 2005, used with permission 12/20

Time with Children and Youth

Prayer for Illumination and Readings: Isaiah 40:1–11; 2 Peter 3:8-15a.     

Holy wisdom, holy word. Thanks be to God!

Come to the Water….John Foley, S.J., sung by Coshocton Community Choir at the Christmas Festival Concert in 2005, used with permission 12/20

Reading: Mark 1:1-8. 

Heaven and earth will pass away but the word of the Lord stands forever.

Thanks be to God.  

Message:                     Light One Candle for Peace

Hymn: 106 Prepare the Way, O Zion………. Frans Mikael Franzen

Prepare the way, O Zion, your Christ is drawing near!
Let every bill and valley a level way appear.
Greet One who comes in glory, foretold in sacred story.
O blest is Christ who came in God’s most holy name.

He brings God’s rule, O Zion; he comes from heaven above.
His rule is peace and freedom, and justice, truth, and love.
Lift high your praise resounding, for grace and joy abounding.
O blest is Christ who came in God’s most holy name.

Fling wide your gates, O Zion; your Savior’s rule embrace,
And tidings of salvation proclaim in every place.
All lands will bow rejoicing, their adoration voicing.
O blest is Christ who came in God’s most holy name.

Invitation to the Table and the Offering

Offertory: Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus…………. setting, Wayne Leupold

Doxology

Great Thanksgiving

The Lord be with you. And also with you.

Lift up your hearts. We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right to give our thanks and praise.…

Lord’s Prayer (Debts and Debtors)

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 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.

Communion of the People

Communion Song: Let all Mortal Flesh Keep Silence…. arr., Ralph Vaughan Williams

Prayer after Communion

Charge and Blessing

Postlude: A Trumpeting (An Advent Postlude)…….Edward Broughton

The Presbyterian Church, 142 N. 4th St., Coshocton, OH 43812

Dec. 6, 2020

We have been enjoying the start of the Christmas season. We were able to spend Thanksgiving together.We have begun enjoying our Christmas traditions, and introducing our grandson to our traditions, finding and cutting our Christmas trees, and spending the evening at the Columbus Zoo for the Wildlights. — Liz Haines

Meditation on Mark 1:1-8

Second Sunday in Advent

Pastor Karen Crawford

Dec. 6, 2020

We decorated our home for Christmas this week. This may be the earliest we have ever decorated for Christmas!

     You know how some people decorate their trees with color schemes or themes? That’s not me. I have an eclectic collection of ornaments, some that are older than I am and were hung on our Christmas tree when I was a child. Others are gifts from friends, family, and flocks over the years. And then there are all the personalized ornaments with names or dates—Baby’s First Christmas and all that. And then there are the ones my adult children made for our tree when they were little kids: the felt snowman missing its black felt hat; other ornaments with ribbons frayed, glitter rubbed off, googly eyes slightly askew, scratches, chips or dings.

I smiled as I hung these priceless treasures that bring back happy memories of loved ones, now grown—and still loved.

    This is how I imagine God sees each one of us as we try to please and honor him and show our love with our gifts. No matter how you and I feel about ourselves, we are the Beloved Children of God, created in God’s image for love. I imagine God smiling whenever we offer all of ourselves, without holding back or hiding our weaknesses and imperfections: ribbons frayed, glitter rubbed off, googly eyes askew, chips, cracks and dings. When we come to the Lord in humility and vulnerability, desiring God and knowing our need for redemption, the Lord embraces and forgives us, heals us and makes us whole.

Today, on this Second Sunday in Advent, when we hear a voice crying to us in our wilderness to prepare the way of the Lord, we light a candle for peace—a peace we long to have within ourselves and with one another. A peace with God we have now in Jesus Christ.

    This kind of honesty, humility, and vulnerability that God wants from us is what John the Baptist models for us in today’s gospel in Mark. John reveals a heart wanting to serve and please God alone, at a risk to his own life. He models the boldness of speech that the Apostle Paul will speak of in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.”

    John fearlessly tells it like it is, like all the Old Testament prophets. His truth telling makes powerful enemies, including King Herod, to whom he says it isn’t lawful for him to have his brother’s wife. This will bring about his execution in chapter 6.

    His clothing of camel’s hair and a leather belt is a reminder of the prophet Elijah, who not only dresses rough and plain, but is known to be hairy. The wilderness is a place where we God’s miracles of provision are experienced. While John survives on a diet of locusts and wild honey, the prophet Elijah is fed meat and bread by ravens on one occasion and by an angel of the Lord on another when the prophet is discouraged and exhausted, traveling 40 days and 40 nights to Mount Horeb. The wilderness is where God feeds the Israelites manna from heaven and cross the Jordan River into the Land of the Promise. That same Jordan River is the one Elijah strikes with his cloak, parting the water so that he and Elisha cross on dry land. And in 2 Kings 2:11, “As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.” The Jordan River will be the place where John will baptize Jesus and the Spirit will descend on him like a dove.

The book of Mark begins with John appearing in the wilderness, suddenly, abruptly, with Mark’s language as rough and plain as the character of John himself. Mark is not everybody’s favorite gospel. In fact, there are much fewer commentaries written on Mark, compared to Matthew, Luke and John. But Mark, the briefest gospel, is probably the original gospel, with Matthew and Luke having read Mark and added their own details and embellishments, which we all appreciate. But one curious thing about Mark is the unique way he starts: “The beginning of the good news (or gospel) of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”

The word gospel is an interesting word. Encyclopedia Brittanica says that it is “derived from the Anglo-Saxon term god-spell, meaning ‘good story,’ a rendering of the Latin evangelium and the Greek euangelion, meaning ‘good news’ or ‘good telling.’” Mark is saying, “I have wonderful news!” There’s no question of Mark’s faith—that Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah, the Son of God. Gospel is one of Mark’s favorite words, using it at least 7 times in his book—3 in the first chapter alone.

So even though Mark starts with John appearing in the wilderness, the story—the whole story—is about Jesus Christ, the Son of God—and how this is good news for the world!

Did you notice that Mark tells us very little about John, well, beyond his clothes and diet, his baptizing, and a few sentences of his message? If you want to know more about him, you have to read Luke, who begins his gospel with the story of John’s parents, Zechariah the priest and Elizabeth, his wife, a descendant of Aaron. They are a childless couple, “getting on in years” when Elizabeth miraculously conceived. John will be “great in the sight of the Lord,” says an angel to Zechariah in 1:15. “He must never drink wine or strong drink.” Though he doesn’t baptize with the Holy Spirit, John, even before his birth, is filled with the Spirit. “He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God,” said the angel to Zechariah. “With the Spirit and power of Elijah he will go before him, to turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteousness, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

John the Baptist is a kind of Rock Star living in the wilderness around the Jordan River. Some say that the reason crowds followed John is because no one else would welcome them quite the same way and give them hope. His appeal was universal; people came from all over and all walks of life. The whole Judean countryside and the city dwellers of Jerusalem came to hear John’s message and be baptized by immersion in the muddy river. In a time of political unrest, Roman oppression, and corruption in their religious institution, they are longing for CHANGE. And they want to meet God and be made ready to live in an intimate relationship with Him, something not open to the common people before, only the religious elite. And yet, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had always wanted an intimate relationship with His Children and be the only one they worshiped and loved.

Here in the wilderness, John is doing something no one else has done before; a new kind of “baptism” of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Before, baptism in First Century Judaism was a ritual, along with circumcision, for Gentile converts to Judaism, but without all the spiritual significance that came with Christian baptism. John’s baptism IS a sign of a promise of new beginnings, of the grace and mercy of God that will be revealed through the Coming One and the power of the Holy Spirit that His followers will receive.

 Mark emphasizes the welcome, leaving out John’s comments that Matthew and Luke include to those who come without a sincere desire to turn from sin and change their selfish ways. In Matthew 3:7, John sees “many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing.” He says to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?” John asks the same question in Luke and demands they prove their change of heart by producing fruit in keeping with repentance.

John tells the anxious crowds in Luke that to bear good fruit means caring and sharing with others in need. “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.” Soldiers are told not to extort money from anyone by threats or false accusations and be satisfied with their wages. Even tax collectors come to be baptized! The people are “filled with expectation” and wonder whether John might be the Messiah.

In Mark, like the other gospels, John doesn’t pretend to be someone he’s not. He doesn’t say, “Look at me.” He points away from himself—to the Lord.

“The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me;” he says. “I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals.”

Friends, in this season of waiting and watching, hoping for our Lord’s return, we hear the voice of the one crying to us now in our wilderness to turn back to God. Just as we are. All of ourselves. In our weakness and imperfection. In our vulnerability. Come back as people who know their need for a Savior, to be redeemed from our sins.

This is a God who loves us in a way we can’t understand because we struggle to love ourselves. We see the flaws– ribbons frayed, glitter rubbed off, googly eyes askew, chips, cracks and dings. We become obsessed with our own unworthiness. Discouraged when things don’t go the way we want them to go. When hopes and dreams aren’t fulfilled. When we have persistent struggles. All the while, God sees us as Beloved Children, a priceless treasure for which He gave His only Son so that we may live with Him eternally.

“Prepare the way of the Lord!” The voice crying from the wilderness beckons our gaze upward– to look upon the face of our Messiah, the one who is coming and is COME. But also, to look around. Bear the fruit of repentance; care for others, share with those in need.

Today is a new beginning. For all who have embraced the good news, the gospel of Jesus Christ, yesterday is gone. Our sins have been washed clean in the waters of baptism, where Christ claimed us as His own and the Spirit came to dwell within us.

Look upon the One who sees us for who we really are, and not only that, but who we will become, when the Spirit’s work is complete.

Light a candle for peace—with God, ourselves, and one another.

Let us pray.

Holy One, thank you for sending us the Prince of Peace and Lord of Lords, our Emmanuel, who is both with us now and coming soon. Lord, we know we need to change. We need to prepare the way of the Lord by coming to you, approaching the throne of grace, confessing our sins, confessing our need for your redemption. We come to you now, just as we are. In all our weakness and frailty. In our vulnerability. We come in love and trust, hope and faith, knowing that you are a God of love who wants to embrace, heal and restore us, make us whole. In the name of your precious Son we pray. Amen.

The Presbyterian Church, 142 N. 4th. Street, Coshocton, OH 43812

Nov. 29, 2020

First Sunday in Advent

The Presbyterian Church, 142 N. 4th St., Coshocton, OH 43812

Pastor Karen Crawford

Alice Hoover, Organist

Marialice and Bob Mauch, Liturgists

Ron Barkett, Soloist

Prelude: Oh, Come, Oh, Come, Emmanuel;     Setting by Kenneth T. Kosche and Paul Manz

Greeting/Announcements

Prepare the Way of the Lord: Ron Barkett and Alice Hoover

Advent Reading/Candle Lighting….. Bob and Marialice Mauch

Light one candle for hope…

Prepare the Way of the Lord: Ron Barkett and Alice Hoover

Opening Words: Liturgist

The heavens are being torn open!

The mountains quake at God’s presence.

The face of God is soon to shine among us.

Even the stars cannot hold God’s glory!

Gathering Prayer: Liturgist

Hymn 105 People Look East (stanzas 1, 2, 5) Eleanor Farjeon

People, look east. The (me is near of the crowning of the year.
Make your house fair as you are able; trim the hearth and set the table.
People, look east and sing today: Love, the Guest, is on the way.

Furrows, be glad. Though earth is bare, one more seed is planted there.
Give up your strength the seed to nourish, that in course the flower may flourish.
People, look east and sing today: Love, the Rose, is on the way.

Angels, announce with shouts of mirth Christ who brings new life to earth.
Set every peak and valley humming with the word, the Lord is coming.
People, look east and sing today: Love, the Lord, is on the way

Call to Confession

Prayer of Confession

Restore us, O God of hosts. Let your face shine, that we may be saved. Save us, O Lord, from traps of our own creating: from fear that blocks the way of love, from worry that blocks the way of joy, from isolation that blocks the way of relationship, from structural injustices that keep the world bound. Forgive us, O God of hosts, until the stars fall from heaven and we live as people transformed. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon

Meet Our Church Family: Jeff, Janice, and Lukas Sycks

Time with Children and Youth

Prayer for Illumination: Liturgist

First Reading: Isaiah 64:1-8    Liturgist

Holy wisdom, Holy word. Thanks be to God!

Second Reading: Mark 13:24-37

This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ!

Message Light One Candle for Hope

Hymn 352 My Lord! What a Morning (stanza 1 and 2) African American spiritual

Refrain:

My Lord! what a morning; my Lord! what a morning;
O my Lord! what a morning, when the stars begin to fall,
When the stars begin to fall.

You will hear the trumpet sound to wake the na(ons under ground,
looking to my God’s right hand, when the stars begin to fall.

Refrain

You will hear the sinner cry, to wake the na(ons under ground,
Looking to my God’s right hand, when the stars begin to fall.

Refrain

Joys and Concerns

Prayer of Intercession

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 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.

Invitation for the Offering

Offertory: Hark, the Glad Sound!     Setting, Wilbur Held

Doxology

Prayer of Thanksgiving/Dedication

Faithful God, we thank you that Christ is being revealed in every time and place until he comes again in the fullness of glory. Strengthen our testimony and spiritual gifts; increase generosity in us, we pray, as we wait for the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Hymn: 97 Watchman, Tell Us of the Night John Bowring

Watchman, tell us of the night, what its signs of promise are.
Traveler, what a wondrous sight: see that glory beaming star.
Watchman, does its beauteous ray news of joy or hope foretell?

Watchman, tell us of the night; higher yet that star ascends.
Traveler, blessedness and light, peace and truth its course portends.
Watchman, will its beams alone gild the spot that gave them birth?

Watchman, tell us of the night, for the morning seems to dawn.
Traveler, shadows take their flight; doubt and terror are withdrawn.
Watchman, you may go your way; hasten to your quiet home.
Traveler, we rejoice today, for Emmanuel has come!

Charge/Benediction

Postlude: On Jordan’s Banks the Baptist’s Cry      Setting, David Cherwien

Meditation on Mark 13:24-37

The Presbyterian Church, 142 N. 4^th St., Coshocton, OH 43812

Pastor Karen Crawford

First Sunday in Advent

Nov. 29, 2020

      Have you decorated your house for Christmas, yet? Some people have a tradition of decorating on Thanksgiving weekend. I know some of you have because I have seen pictures on Facebook. And when we walk in our Coshocton neighborhood at night, we are already enjoying Christmas lights.

      We are planning to pull out the plastic tubs and bags of decorations from the garage and basement this afternoon. It’s a big job, isn’t it? Because you have to clean your house, too! I am hoping, though, that we will have our Christmas trees up by tomorrow. What I keep wondering is what kind of trouble our two young cats, Seamus and Liam, will get into when we put up our trees. I have a feeling we will hear them playing with ornaments in the middle of the night and see the signs of their play in the morning—bits and pieces, scattered here and there. I just hope we don’t hear a crash! And find the trees laying sideways on the ground.

      This year, I believe it is more important than ever to decorate for Christmas and shine the light of Christ in every possible way. May we also encourage one another with inspiring stories that lead us to recall the faithfulness of the Lord and the kindness of human beings.

      One such inspiring story I’ve heard is about “Rocky the stowaway owl.” Have you heard about Rocky? A worker assembling the large Christmas tree in Manhattan’s Rockefeller Center discovered the little owl inside its branches a couple weeks ago. The tiny Northern saw-whet owl had traveled unnoticed inside the 75-foot Norway spruce 170 miles after the tree was cut down in upstate New York on Nov. 12. The female owl of one of the smallest known species of owls in North America was uninjured, but she hadn’t eaten for at least 3 days. She was sent to Ravensbeard Wildlife Center, where a rehabilitator nursed her back to health. She gave her plenty of fluids and all the mice she could eat. Here are some photos of Rocky, short for Rockefeller.  

    

Rocky was cleared to be released back into the wild to resume her migratory journey south on Nov. 24. An AP story the next day says,  “On Tuesday evening, rehabilitator Ellen Kalish held the winsome raptor aloft in a field against a backdrop of rounded mountains. In a video posted Ravensbeard’s Facebook page, Rocky sits quietly on Kalish’s fingers before winding her way over to a nearby grove of pines.  “She is a tough little bird, and we’re happy to see her back in her natural habitat,” the center wrote on Facebook. “We are sure that Rocky will feel your love and support through her journey south.”

     When I heard this story, I couldn’t help but marvel that this tiny creature would survive, traveling in a tree on a truck bouncing on back roads, highways and in noisy, city traffic for 170 miles. It’s a miracle! And then, she would cling to the branches until someone with a kind heart would discover her—and believe the creature was precious enough to be rescued and restored to health and her natural environment.

     What must the owl have been thinking on such a rough journey? She must have been terrified. And yet, the courageous creature clung to what was familiar and life-giving, her Norway spruce home, though everything around her had changed.

     The little bird held onto hope.

***

   Jesus, in our gospel lesson in Mark 13, urges his disciples to hold onto hope during dark times, and as they wait for Christ’s return, when,“the Son of Man (will) come in clouds with great power and glory.” And when he will,“send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.”

    This discussion is prompted by Christ’s prophecy of the destruction of the temple of Jerusalem.  “Not one stone will be left here upon another,” he says in 13:2, a prophecy that will come to pass on A.D. 70. This is hard for the disciples to hear; these country folk can’t help but be impressed by Herod’s temple. Says scholar William C. Placher, professor of religion and philosophy at Wabash College in Indiana: “It occupied a platform of more than 900 by 1,500 feet. The front of the temple building itself stood 150 feet tall and 150 feet wide, made of white stone, much of it covered with silver and gold, by far the most impressive building any of them had seen, glowing in the sunlight. Little wonder that they were amazed by it all—and then little wonder at Jesus’ frustration that they had not yet understood his teaching that God was now present in him and not in the temple.”

     After this, the disciples want to know more of what’s going to happen. Jesus speaks of false prophets and those claiming to be the Messiah, and how those who follow him will be persecuted; some of the betrayals will be from their own family members, Jesus says.

   The Son of Man’s coming will also affect the natural world. Jesus says,“But in those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.” But some theologians believe Jesus speaks symbolically, as Isaiah says in 60:19, “The sun shall no longer be your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you by night; but the Lord will be your everlasting light,” and as Revelation 22:5 says, “the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its lights, and its lamp is the Lamb.”

    And what of the fig tree lesson?

 Though we won’t know the exact day or hour of Christ’s return, we will know that what Jesus has said will come to pass just as we observe the change of seasons in our own environment. Figs trees are important to people in Christ’s time, just as they are to ancient Israel. Fig trees are mentioned numerous times in the Old and New Testaments. So, Jesus has chosen a good example for this parable that is found in three gospels—Matthew, Mark and Luke, revealing its significance! The Promised Land in Deuteronomy is described as, “a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey; a land where you will eat food without scarcity, in which you will not lack anything…” (Deuteronomy 8:8-10). Before Jesus uses a fig tree in his teaching in Mark 13, he curses a fig tree so it withers in chapter 12 to demonstrate the power of faith and prayer. Here in Mark 13, Jesus assures us that just as when we see the branches of the fig tree become tender and put forth leaves and we know it is summer, we will know that Jesus is near, “at the very gates.” This is a promise! 

     On this first Sunday in Advent, we light one candle for hope, determined to live as a people of hope, relying on the Spirit to empower us to live as God intends us. God’s Word reminds us to be ready—each of us—engaged in the work right now the Lord calls us to, watchful for the signs of our master’s return. We can trust that though heaven and earth will pass away, the promises of our Savior are forever—and that Jesus will be our soul’s everlasting home, though everything around us might change.

     This season, I urge you to shine the Light of Christ in every possible way—and not just with Christmas decorations, feasts, and gifts that money can buy. Share stories that reveal your faith in times of trial or suffering and how you have relied on your Lord to endure and overcome. Let us consider, as Hebrews 10:24 tells us, how we may provoke one another to love and good deeds and inspire each other to be our best selves! Let us be faithful to help prepare others for the coming of the Lord, reaching out with compassion to those who don’t know Him, whose souls haven’t yet found Christ to be their spiritual home.

    Stay alert and keep awake to the needs of all your neighbors, for this is also the work God calls us to do. This means all God’s creatures in need, such as a tiny but courageous owl named Rocky, discovered by a kindhearted soul assembling a Christmas tree.

    The stowaway owl held onto hope—until the day she was set free to live as God intended.

Let us pray.

Holy One, thank you that we can trust you are with us now and will come again at a time that only God the Father knows. Thank you for the promise that we will know when your Son is near, at the very gates, and that you will speak to us through our environment, the world in which we live. Help us to be faithful to do the works you have called us to—to shine your light in every way possible and to live as you intend for us to live, caring for neighbors in need, all creatures great and small. Keep us awake and alert to your holy presence, and live as people of hope, like the tiny, courageous owl in a Christmas tree—until the day we see your shining face and are truly set free to live with you for all eternity. In Christ we pray. Amen.

For Worship on Nov. 29, 2020 on the First Sunday in Advent

The Presbyterian Church, 142 N. Fourth St., Coshocton, OH 43812

Janice, Jeff, and Lukas Sycks