This is one of the liturgy pages for the Methodist Church's Hush the Noise Advent and Christmas campaign 2024. A full list of the services can be found here. A PDF containing all the services can be downloaded here.
Advent 2: To Prophets Shown
8 December 2024
Bible readings
Malachi 3:1-4
See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight—indeed, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?
For he is like a refiner’s fire and like washers’ soap; he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord, as in the days of old and as in former years.
Luke 3:1-6
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah,
“The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
make his paths straight.
Every valley shall be filled,
and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
and the crooked shall be made straight,
and the rough ways made smooth,
and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’ ”
Songs and hymns
Hear the call of the kingdom (StF 407)
Just as we are, your servants here (website only)
Like a candle flame (StF 176)
O God of hope, your prophets spoke (StF 708) (Tune: Repton, StF 495)
The prophets’ voice comes down the years (StF 162)
When listening prophets dare to speak (StF 163)
Wild and lone the prophet’s voice (StF 189)
Also see: Resource Hub Worship Calendar lectionary suggestions for 8 December 2024
Opening liturgy
Preparations underway, shifting focus each new day,
Amidst the darkness looking for the light,
For the truth among the mess.
O hush the noise,
Let’s hear the angels sing.
Looking for the messengers who bring the light,
Isaiah – prophet and ancient poet
And John who came to point the way.
O hush the noise,
Let’s hear the angels sing.
Angels, messengers of today,
Truth tellers for this present age,
Those who now show us the way.
O hush the noise,
Let’s hear the angels sing.
Background notes
This week we focus on the prophets: messengers from both the Old and New Testaments who received a vision for a new way. The symbol for this week, a lightbulb, commonly represents a new idea. We ask how we can continue the legacy of the prophets today.
The final verse of the carol jumps back and forth in time. A vision of the new era of peace that will come that has already been revealed to the prophets of old.
...I am sending my messenger...
Malachi isn’t a name as such, but literally means ‘my messenger.’ Writing in the second temple period after the return from the exile, this Malachi was concerned that people should live in the right way. He uses metaphors of fire and soap to convey the sense of cleansing that people will need to get back on track: fire to melt metal and remove impurities, soap to remove dirt; both restoring the item to a purer state.(1)
...the word of God came to John son of Zechariah...
This is the only New Testament example of the ‘word of God’ coming to an individual, which combined with the title ‘son of xxx’ (which mirrors the style of introduction of Jeremiah and Hosea(2)) indicates a desire to portray John as a contemporary prophet in the Old Testament style.(3)
...in the wilderness.
The wilderness was a place of expectation for the coming age, referring back to the time spent wandering in the wilderness,(4) bringing hope of a new exodus from slavery.(5) It is also an apt place for a political and religious revolution, away from the sight of both the rulers and high priests mentioned earlier in the passage.(6) It is a place with less noise.
Prepare the way of the Lord
In Mark 1:2-3 John the Baptist is introduced with a quotation included in Isaiah 40:3-4. In Luke’s version, our Gospel passage for today, the quotation is extended to include Isaiah 40:5, which widens to the scope of salvation to ‘all flesh.'(7)
Preparing the way involves removing barriers like mountains and valleys, and making an inhospitable landscape fertile and habitable once more.(8)
How might we, as modern day prophets, remove barriers for people to connect with God? A Methodist Way of Life uses the metaphorical language of ‘making easy entry points’ for new people to get on the train, the journey of faith. What might this look like in your community?
Methodist Way of Life: Open
Questions for discussion
- When have you been told something difficult about yourself by someone you trust, something that you knew was true but didn’t want to admit?
- Who has been a prophet in your life, pointing the way towards Jesus?
- What’s your song? What do you contribute to the songs of the prophets?
Hands-on activities
- In small groups create an alphabet code: for example a=b, b=c and so on. Write a line from the Malachi passage using this code. Swap with another group and see if you can crack each other’s codes. Once all the lines have been cracked, assemble them together to read the whole verse or passage. Reflect on what made it hard to understand the message, and what helped.
- Talk about all the various ways we send messages today: using phones, images, words, emojis. Choose one of these to create a message which conveys how incredible God’s love for us is. Provide art materials and images to help inspire everyone.
Prayer ideas
Before adding lights to the tree we can use them as an illustration. We have received the message of Christ’s coming. As we leave we will take that good news with us and spread the light out into the communities in which we live; one message shining in lots of places like the one string of many lights. Spread the string of lights through the group (down the aisle if in a church, or around the tables in a café setting – taking care for safety, especially if there are small children moving about). Pray that each of us will spread a little light this week, a kind word, a smile, one small act of kindness, and that this Advent our communities will know that Christmas is a time of hope, founded on the message of the one we celebrate at Christmas. As the lights are put on the tree invite everyone to pray that they will reflect the light of Christ in the world this week.
Give each person a card star and invite them to write on it a message of hope for this Advent. Invite them to hang these messages of hope on your tree (if this cannot be done safely by each person, this can be done on their behalf).
The good news to get across
Listen to the people to whom God has shown the way.
Ways people can respond
Take a couple of minutes now to hush the noise. Reflect on who’s the truth-teller in your life, and how could you pay attention to them.
- Prayer of blessing
The angels are still singing.
Prophets are still speaking.
Hush the noise, hear them sing, repeat the song.
And the blessing of God,
the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,
be yours/ours, now and always. Amen.
References
(1) Bruce C. Birch, Walter Brueggemann, Terence E. Fretheim, David L. Petersen, A Theological Introduction to the Old Testament (1999) Abingson, Nashville, p. 438.
(2) C. F. Evans, Saint Luke (1990) SCM, London, p. 234.
(3) Joel B. Green, The Gospel of Luke (1997) Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, p. 167.
(4) Evans, pp. 234-235.
(5) Green, p. 170.
(6) ibid. pp. 166-167.
(7) Joseph A. Fitzmeyer, The Gospel According to Luke (1981) Doubleday, New York, p. 461.
(8) Joseph Blenkinsopp, Isaiah 40-55 (2002) Doubleday, New York p. 182.