December 10, 2023

“Far From Home”

WORDS OF GREETING

Chris Zepp

WELCOMING STATEMENT

Eleanor Baker

RISE believes that God has open arms, and so should we. Our Creator wants us to love, accept and affirm every human being, including persons of every age, race, ethnic background, nationality, gender identity, sexual orientation, family or socioeconomic status, educational background, religion or creed, and physical or mental ability. We celebrate our diversity and recognize the sacred worth and dignity of all. Everyone is invited and encouraged to join us as we seek to follow Jesus with mutual respect, understanding, and love.

*Read more about “Why Pronouns Matter” HERE.

Isaiah 40:1-5 (NRSV)

Daniel Green

1 Comfort, O comfort my people,
says your God.
2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and cry to her
that she has served her term,
that her penalty is paid,
that she has received from the Lord’s hand
double for all her sins.
3 A voice cries out:
“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
and the rough places a plain.
5 Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

OPENING MUSIC

Brent Holl

“Comfort, comfort, O my people” [Geneva 42 (Freu Dich Sehr)]

~Johannes Olearius/Louis Bourgeois, arr. Brent M. Holl

Comfort, comfort, O my people, speak of peace, now says our God.
Comfort those who sit in darkness, mourning 'neath their sorrows' load.
Speak unto Jerusalem of the peace that waits for them.
Tell of all the sins I cover, and that warfare now is over.

Hark, the voice of one who's crying in the desert far and near,
bidding all to full repentance since the kingdom now is here.
O that warning cry obey! Now prepare for God a way.
Let the valleys rise to meet him and the hills bow down to greet him.

O make straight what long was crooked, make the rougher places plain.
Let your hearts be true and humble, as befits his holy reign.
For the glory of the Lord now o'er earth is shed abroad.
And all flesh shall see the token that his word is never broken.

“Il est né” (“He Is Born”)

        ~Traditional French Carol

REFRAIN:
Il est né, le divin Enfant,
Jouez hautbois, résonnez musettes!
Il est né, le divin Enfant,
Chantons tous son avènement!

Through long ages of the past,
prophets have foretold His coming;
through long ages of the past,
now the time has come at last!

REFRAIN

O how lovely, O how pure
is this perfect Child of heaven;
O how lovely, O how pure,
gracious gift to humankind!

REFRAIN

Jesus, Lord of all the world,
coming as a Child among us;
Jesus, Lord of all the world,
grant to us Thy heavenly peace.

REFRAIN

Advent REFLECTIONS

Neal and Rebecca Wong

Personal Sharing and Prayer

Lighting the Second Advent Candle

“O COME, O COME, IMMANUEL”

O come, O come, Immanuel,
and ransom captive Israel
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear.

REFRAIN:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
shall come to you, O Israel.

O come, Thou Day-spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here;
And drive away the shades of night
And pierce the clouds and bring us light!

REFRAIN

O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.

REFRAIN

Mission Moment - Church World Service

Jennifer Davis Sensenig
Development Coordinator, CWS Harrisonburg

THEOLOGICAL EXPLORATION

Chris Zepp and Jennifer Davis Sensenig

Mark 1:1-8  (CEB)

1 The beginning of the good news about Jesus Christ, God’s Son, 2 happened just as it was written about in the prophecy of Isaiah:

Look, I am sending my messenger before you.
He will prepare your way,
3 a voice shouting in the wilderness:
“Prepare the way for the Lord;
make his paths straight.”

4 John the Baptist was in the wilderness calling for people to be baptized to show that they were changing their hearts and lives and wanted God to forgive their sins. 5 Everyone in Judea and all the people of Jerusalem went out to the Jordan River and were being baptized by John as they confessed their sins. 6 John wore clothes made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. He ate locusts and wild honey. 7 He announced, “One stronger than I am is coming after me. I’m not even worthy to bend over and loosen the strap of his sandals. 8 I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

TEXT YOUR THOUGHTS AND QUESTIONS TO 833-803-0868

“THE WORK OF THE PEOPLE”

TABLE AND LIVE CHAT DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. What “home(s)” have you lost throughout your life? Where are you in the grieving process of that loss? How does Advent / Christmas affect your grief?

2. How does (or how has or how might) Advent help you prepare for moving past that grief and finding a new “home”?

COMMUNION

Pastor Amanda Miller Garber
Servers: The Wenger Family - Kristin, Blake, Wade, & Gannon

SONG DURING COMMUNION

Brent Holl

“In the Bleak Midwinter”

~Christina Rossetti / Gustav Holst

In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,
earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone:
snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
in the bleak midwinter, long ago.

Our God, heav’n cannot hold him, nor earth sustain;
heav’n and earth shall flee away when he comes to reign:
in the bleak midwinter a stableplace sufficed
the Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ.

Angels and archangels may have gathered there,
cherubim and seraphim thronged the air,
but only his mother, in her maiden bliss,
worshiped the Beloved with a kiss.

What can I give him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb,
if I were a wise man, I would do my part,
yet what I can I give him: give my heart.

OFFERING AND NOMOFOMO

Alexis Owens

One of our core values is, "God gives to us, so we give back." We're called to give as a joy-filled response to what we've been given. Your financial gifts make a tremendous difference in the lives of God's beloved in Harrisonburg and beyond. Whether it's helping to make sure children in our community have enough to eat, helping to respond to the mental health crisis in our community, or providing much needed backing for the operating costs of our spaces and staff — your gift is a part of God's dream and we are grateful for everyone who partners with us on this journey!

It’s that time of year when a bit of nostalgia sets in for many of us. We start to envision idyllic scenes with snowflakes, roasting chestnuts and warm woolen mittens. Our minds wander to cozy places that seem *almost* perfect. We say *almost* because there’s one thing that could make your nostalgic winter scene just a little bit better. A tiny bit more wondrous. A wee bit more … magical. What is that one thing, you ask?

SNOW GREAT CHRISTMAS CAROLS FROM RISE!

That’s right, friends. It’s time to let RISE remove some of that holiday stress from your life. We can provide a once in a lifetime experience for your friends and loved ones (it might even move them to tears … and hopefully in a good way). We will dress festively and ensure that your special someone’s Christmas season is more merry and memorable.

Here’s how you order (hopefully several) snow great Christmas carol(s):

1. Fill out the carol request form HERE or using the button below. You choose your recipient and when you’d like your virtual carol delivered.  You’ll also be able to choose your favorite holiday song (or let us choose it for you). If you’re not into traditional holiday music, that’s ok. We’re open to performing show tunes and hip hop, too, if that’s your thing. We will email or text the carol to your recipients, and they will repeatedly tell the story of the best Christmas gift ever.

2. We kindly request a donation of at least $50 per virtual Christmas carol (more is appreciated, and generosity encourages us to bring our absolute best to the performance ;-). 

3. If you’d like to select a certain individual to perform your carol, we will do our best to accommodate that request. We request an extra suggested donation of 15 dollars per carol (your requested person can be a RISE leader or someone else of your choosing).

4. If you’d like us to offer a spoken message or  greeting in addition to performing the carol, you can indicate that on the form. We will gladly share that message on the video for an additional suggested donation of 15 dollars.

The fun begins NOW and will last through the end of the year.  Please help RISE finish 2023 in a financially healthy place and help us continue mending God’s creation together! Spread some holiday cheer - it’ll be so great! And here’s some more good news - your suggested donations are tax deductible! Woo hoooo!

HOSTS NEEDED FOR EPIPHANY BRUNCHES
On Sunday, January 7, we will be having a twist on our usual First Sunday Brunch church by gathering in small groups in various homes for fellowship and reflection on Epiphany. More details are to come, but right now we need hosts for this event! Please contact Alexis Owens if you are possibly willing to host a small group gathering that Sunday for brunch.

YOU’RE INVITED TO A MEETING! HOORAY!!
There will be a short and sweet business meeting this Tuesday night (12/12) at 7 pm. It’ll be via zoom and we will be dealing with some procedural paper work stuff (super exciting)! We are required by the UMC to announce this and invite you, one and all! So, consider yourself invited! The link will be shared in the future.

Please stick around after the final blessing today for an important announcement from Pastor Amanda.

PLEASE HELP WITH WORSHIP! We are always looking for persons willing to volunteer to assist and support our worship gatherings. If you'd be willing to volunteer to help (read, provide food, set-up, serve communion, clean-up run tech, etc) please sign up on this doc for the role and the date(s) of your choosing: Worship Volunteer Schedule.

If you would like to connect more deeply with RISE, you can start by submitting this short form to Get Connected!
You might also consider:

• Sign up for texting services:

  • Text “RISE” to 833-803-0868 to join the primary list and receive weekly community updates and alerts

  • Text “RISEcares” to receive prayer requests, care needs, and community concerns and celebrations

• Requests for care and/or prayer can be sent via e-mail to cares@riseharrisonburg.org, texted to 833-803-0868, or submitted online via our RISE Cares form.

CLOSING SONG

Brent Holl

“O Sing a Song of Bethlehem / Angels We Have Heard on High” (“KINGSFOLD / Gloria”)

O sing a song of Bethlehem,
Of shepherds watching there,
And of the news that came to them
From angels in the air:
The light that shone on Bethlehem
Fills all the world today;
Of Jesus' birth and peace on earth
The angels sing alway…

Angels we have heard on high,
singing sweetly through the night,
and the mountains in reply
echoing their brave delight:

REFRAIN:
Gloria, in excelsis Deo!
Gloria, in excelsis Deo!

Shepherds, why this jubilee?
Why these songs of happy cheer?
What great brightness did you see?
What glad tidings did you hear?

REFRAIN

Come to Bethlehem and see
Him whose birth the angels sing;
come, adore on bended knee
Christ the Lord, the newborn King.

REFRAIN

See Him in a manger laid,
whom the angels praise above.
Mary, Joseph, lend your aid,
while we raise our hearts in love.

REFRAIN

FINAL BLESSING

Eleanor Baker

May the rough places in our lives be made smooth.
May the valleys of despair be filled with comfort.
May the door to our hearts be wide open.
And may the spirit of Immanuel be with us all our days
As we prepare ourselves and our world for the good news of Jesus Christ coming again…

Amen

REMEMBER - YOU ARE A GIFT!