A Service of Worship for
​The First Sunday of Advent
November 29, 2020

Artist John Giuliani

It’s an unconventional birth announcement.

Defiant.

Prophetic.

Unsentimental.

We like to paint Mary in the softer hues—her robes clean, 
hair combed and covered, 
body poised in prayerful surrender—but this young woman was a fierce one,
 full of strength and fury. 
When she accepts the dangerous charge before her, 
(every birth was risky in those days, this one especially so), 
rather than reciting a maternal blessing, 
Mary offers a prophecy.

Rachel Held Evens
Adult Education - TODAY,  9AM
​In recognition that November 29 is the first Sunday of the Advent season, the adult education class will be the first of two sessions featuring portions of a set of fascinating recorded lectures by John Dominic Crossan, one of the prominent scholars of the life of the historical Jesus and a key leader of the Jesus Seminar. He is also a delightful teacher. The title of the lectures is “The Challenge of Jesus,” referring to the threat Jesus posed to the Roman Empire and by extension to local rulers of the empire such as Herod Antipas and Pontius Pilate. In these first selections, Crossan provides the historical background and delineates the theological beliefs about Caesar Augustus that legitimized Caesar and the Empire and that were challenged by the advent, life, and ministry of Jesus and John the Baptist.
​Zoom link is available on the Online Gatherings page on our website: https://www.covenanthouston.org/covenant-gatherings.html
Full worship service video:
COFFEE TIME Gathering on Zoom
Today, 11AM
We will begin as a large group and discuss the elements of worship we find particularly meaningful. After that, we will transition into “rooms" for coffee time. 
​Log in details on the Online Gatherings page. 
Worship notes are included at the bottom of this page and in the Worship Order located at the link below.
With this link you can make a donation to Covenant through PayPal or a credit card. 
Prelude
"Magnificat" by Johann Pachelbel; Patrick Parker, organ.

​Call to Worship

Lighting the Advent Candle
Laura Mitchell lights the first candle of Advent 2020 - Hope

Opening Sentences
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
But how will we recognize You?
Will You be cloaked in the baroque splendor of the stars?
Or in the dust of our dailiness?
Or in the thunder of pomp and circumstance?
Or in the wear and tear of our secret lives?
And how can You come,
You who fit but awkwardly into the modes of our language,
Into the turns and twists of our thinking?
Can You steal into the silences between our words?
Can You speak into the clamor between our pauses?
And how will we receive You?
With fear and trembling?
Or with casual condescension?
With hope and joy?
Or with unbelief and boredom?
We dare not answer our own questions, Lord.
You must answer them by coming.

​Scripture Lesson: Luke 1:36-56

​Time for Children
Presentation of a Bible to Sebastian Alexander:
Minister: Every week we read from the sacred stories together and each of us understands them a bit differently. Listening together we can hear many things.
People: Thus, we are joined as a community of interpreters, giving and receiving in our search for what is sacred.
Minister: One of our customs is to offer our children the sacred stories in the hopes that they will read them carefully and offer us their insights.
People: For we affirm that every person has access to the divine.
Minister: There is one among us, Sebastian, who has recently turned ten. We welcome him, officially this day, into the community of interpreters. Together we have much to learn from each other. Sebastian, we would like to give you a Bible. It is full of stories that are sacred to us. Will you read them and think about them, always remembering that they are meant to teach us love for God, our neighbors, and our world?
Sebastian: I will read these sacred stories and seek to learn from them.
People: Then together we will join with you, Sebastian, and with others in the great and ongoing conversation among interpreters. We will share our understanding, our experiences, our questions, and our hopes as we read from the sacred stories and open ourselves to the dialogue that follows. We welcome and affirm you as a companion in this process.

Confession
Unison Confession
O Holy God, our very waiting in Advent is itself a confession.
If we are waiting for Emmanuel, we are not yet with you;
if we are waiting for Jesus, we need a Savior;
if we are waiting for a Messiah,
  the proud are still powerful,
  the mighty are still exalted,
  the hungry stand unheard at the door;
if we are waiting for your incarnation in human form, we confess that
  we have not known you in our sister,
  we have not loved you in our brother,
  we have not served you in our neighbor.
In this time of great meaning,
in the stillness of Advent love and light,
hear our deepest confession;
heal us and make us new
through the good tidings of your presence in our lives.  Amen.
Music
"Magnificat anima mea Dominum" from Magnificat by Francesco Durante; The Covenant Singers, led by David Lee. 
Picture


​



​Proclamation

​Hymn
"Come, O Come, Emmanuel" Text by Rev. Barbara K. Lundblad; led by Patrick Parker, organ and The Covenant Singers.
​
​Prayer
God of Hope,
Sometimes we feel afraid.
Just like the angel told Mary,
you whisper to us, "fear not."
When fear grows inside us, help us hold hope.
Help us be brave and share your messages of hope
with our friends and neighbors.
- Illustrated Ministry Advent Prayer
​
Gracious God, 
We also hold onto hope for those who are sick or struggling in today's world. 
We hold onto hope in our uncertainty,
in our fear,
in our sadness,
We hold on whether we are alone ,
or with loved ones,
or having just lost a loved one,
​We hold onto hope because we want to be brave.
We want to celebrate.
​We want to rejoice.
​We hold onto hope because to do otherwise seems unfathomable. 
- Jodi Bash

​Invitation
​
​Prayer of Dedication
Wake us then, during our season of waiting
with the Word that has come to us again and again
that we might learn to be more than takers of it
choosing instead to embody it in this life
making ourselves transparent
for the living Word in us all
daring to speak what we most hope
for ourselves and our world.
Amen.
Doxology
​
Affirmation of Faith
Now is the time, let us pause.
As we wait, may we hear the voice of God.
Now is the time, let us watch.
In our homes, at our work, even while waiting in line
–may we see the face of Christ.
Now is the moment, let us prepare our hearts.
In our words, in our hearts, in all we say and do
–may God’s extravagant love shine through.

Benediction

Postlude
"Magnificat" by Johann Pachelbel; Patrick Parker, organ.
Worship Notes

The worship leader is Dale Thomas.

The prelude is played by Patrick Parker, organ.

The Call to Worship is from Night Visions: Searching the Shadows of Advent and Christmas by Jan L. Richardson.

The Opening Sentences are by Vassar Miller.

The Unison Confession is from Touch Holiness, edited by Ruth C. Duck and Maren C. Tirabassi.

“Magnificat anima mea Dominum” is sung by The Covenant Singers, David Lee directing (12/15/19).
​
"The set of words to "O Come,O Come, Emmanuel" is by Barbara Lundblad.  

The prayer is from Illustrated Ministries Advent prayer, Do Not Be Afraid.

The Prayer of Dedication is by Jeremy Rutledge.

The Affirmation of Faith is by Nancy Gowler Johnson.

The postlude is played by Patrick Parker, organ.
​
Sunday schedule for today: 
9:00 - Adult Education with Zoom
10:00 - Worship via videos on the Worship Page
11:00 - Transition from worship to coffee time with Zoom

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