2nd Sunday of Advent
What follows is a worship service which, I pray, you can participate in at a time(s) that are convenient to you. This 'service' will take about forty five (45) minutes.
I pray that you will feel called to ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE in this service.
The text that is in regular typeface (that is what you are reading at the moment) is to be read quietly, while the text that is in bold face (like you are reading right now) is meant to be read aloud.
Opening Hymn:
Let us continue by watching, and please do feel free to sing or read aloud the lyrics, as we commence our praise and thanksgiving.
When you are ready - click the "play" button on the video window, below:
A Call To Worship:
We meet in the name of God,
Creator of the universe,
source of true humanity,
mother and father of all. Amen.
An Assurance of Forgiveness:
(click the 'play' button below to listen)
The Sentence For Today (let us say aloud):
Blessed be his glorious Name for ever and may all the earth be filled with his glory.
The Special Prayer For Today (let us pray aloud):
Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Our first reading for today:
(click the 'play' button below to listen)
Our second reading for today:
(click the 'play' button below to listen)
Gradual Hymn:
Let us continue by watching, and please do feel free to sing or read aloud the lyrics, as we raise out voices in praise and thanksgiving.
When you are ready - click the "play" button on the video window, below:
Listen to David speak to this gospel
or, if you prefer, you can read the sermon, below:
Sermon for Advent 2, 7th Dec 2025
Welcome sisters and brothers and peace be with you. Take my lips O God and speak through them, take our minds O God and think through them, take our hearts O God and love through them this day. <Amen>
You brood of vipers !!! Did you all hear what John said? The wrath of God is coming. It doesn’t matter who you are. The axe is out and ready. Right now the blade is against the tree. And the chopping is about to begin. Every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is being cut down and burned. The unquenchable fire is raging, waiting to be fed with the chaff. And that’s just the beginning! Wow! That’s some way to start!
Well, John’s words clearly show us that we should strenuously avoid the tendency to reduce Advent to some kind of warm, cosy, sentimental season. In fact it’s anything but … I would say to you today that Advent really is a kind of preparation for, a waiting for, ….. REVOLUTION ! <PAUSE>
If you look at the scripture readings for this season, they’re about Isaiah, Mary, John the Baptist - these readings are on fire; they are crackling with energy and with power and excitement. They’re not ‘soft’, ‘cuddly’, and ‘cosy’ at all. They ARE revolutionary!
To grasp this, I think we need to go back to the time when these Scriptures were written and then we see what a properly revolutionary message they're meant to convey.
For example, the Advent readings from the prophet Isaiah, deal with the return of the Israelites from exile in Babylon. This was a very important event for ancient Israel because the burning to the ground, of Jerusalem and the Temple in 587 BC was a monumental calamity.
This was not just a political defeat, not only was their capital city destroyed but God’s dwelling place on earth was destroyed. The temple was much more than a shrine to Yahweh, it was Yahweh's home, it’s where he lived, this was a “throne on earth” and therefore its loss posed a terrible dilemma. How could the Lord and creator of the whole world be defeated? So when the exiles return the Prophet reads that as a great victory, the king of Israel, Yahweh, has proven himself stronger than the king of Babylon … recalling Yahweh’s earlier victory over Pharaoh and then leading the Israelites out of captivity.
Yes, Yahweh always leads his people out of tyranny. Through the lens of history, 1st century Jews read this and feel they were oppressed during their history and now the Romans have come and this great cry goes up from the heart of the nation, “How long O Lord? Lord when will you again and show the might of your arm?”
Then, some 500 years after the Exile there appears in the Judean Desert this alarming figure, dressed in animal skins and eating locusts and wild honey - John the Baptiser. What's his message? He harkens right back to Isaiah, “I'm the voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare a way for the Lord!”
Now, see what John means - he's going right back to Isaiah, the idea of preparing a highway for the return of the Exiles at the front of which will be Yahweh the king of Israel leading his people back. Here's John the Baptist who's saying … wake up, it’s happening! The definitive victory of Yahweh is about to happen and so prepare a highway. <PAUSE>
He then points to this young Galilean rabbi whose message is very simple, unambiguous and, set in the historical backdrop of what I've been saying, brilliantly clear. The Baptiser is saying the Kingdom of God is at hand and you will be baptised with fire because in this very person of Jesus … Yahweh is emerging definitively and victoriously.
John speaks to the one more powerful than himself; the one who has come now to rule the world; the one who supplants the kings of the world!
That's the revolution we hear John proclaim in this Advent - Matthew 3:1-12.
That’s the revolution that’s coming. That’s what so troubled the authorities of the day. It’s … the coming of the day of the revolution! <PAUSE>
As the Gospels unfold, they show us, in a thousand different ways, what it looks like when Yahweh is King and we continue to proclaim the Jesus revolution :
We engage in “Open Table” fellowship, inviting the insiders, the outsiders, the healthy, the sick, the acceptable, the unacceptable, the rich, the poor.
We forgive sins as Jesus forgives us, and
as Advent candles flicker across the world, we continue to speak the message of Jesus to everyone : PEACE BE WITH YOU.
Jesus exemplifies, in his own person, what it looks like for Yahweh to be the king of the past, the present, and the future. <PAUSE>
Now, put yourself back into 1st century Judea - you’re being told, and soon you’re going to see, it's not the Roman Emperor who matters that much … it’s now Jesus, the Son of God and King of Kings.
Think now about flickering Advent Candles - Jesus, the light to the world, the way of and the way to peace. <PAUSE>
Shalom : Peace be with you.
I runga e te Ingoa o te Atua, te Matua, te Tama me te Wairua Tapu. <AMINE>
Pause and Reflect
Just take a moment now to pause. Bow your head, close your eyes.
Allow these words of Holy Scripture and this interpretation of them today to speak to you.
An Affirmation of Our Faith
Let us affirm our faith by saying aloud, and together, "The Apostles Creed":
... and now let us pray for the Church, the World, and Ourselves, giving thanks for God's goodness.
Let us pray aloud, and together:
Almighty God, You sent your servant John the Baptist to prepare your people to welcome the Messiah.
Inspire the leaders of faith communities worldwide, who are stewards of Your truth, to turn disobedient hearts to You, so that when Christ comes again to be our judge we may stand with confidence before his glory.
(LONGER pause for silent, personal reflection)
In response to the call today “Lord, in Your mercy” Our response is, “hear our prayer!”
(Short Silence) Lord, in Your mercy: hear our prayer
Faithful God we pray for Your blessing to be upon us, upon the faithful throughout the world and upon our faith community. May your presence be seen vividly in what we do and say each day. We pray that your joy and your love will flow freely in and through us and that we might never be perfect examples of your love in action.
(Short Silence) Lord, in Your mercy: hear our prayer
Today our hopes for our troubled world are for an end to the wars still raging throughout the world, an end to terrorism, an end to poverty and hunger, a resolution to the migrant crisis and a positive outcome to Climate Change negotiations. Come to Your world as King of the Nations and before You human rulers will stand in silence.
(Short Silence) Lord, in Your mercy: hear our prayer
Father God, You enfold those on the margins of society with love and you experienced through Jesus what it was like to be excluded. Your son befriended the despised like Zacchaeus; the shunned prostitute; the untouchable lepers and all those who the establishment labelled as sinners.
We ask you to help those at the edges of our communities and give them hope through the patience and encouragement of all of us who claim to be your people.
(Short Silence) Lord, in Your mercy: hear our prayer
Merciful God, we remember all whose illness stems from a mental health issue, who often suffer in silence because of stigma and who reach out for help that is often not there because of stretched services. Help us to break through the ignorance that causes stigma and recognise that mental illness is as real as a broken bone or influenza and give them hope through the patience, encouragement.
We especially raise before You now all those who have asked for our prayers from around the world … those we know in New Zealand, in Singapore, in Argentina, in France, in Australia, in the US, in Canada, in Austria, in Ukraine, in China, in Germany, in the Czech Republic, in Syria and any others we now name aloud, or in the silence of our hearts, and those who are known only by You.
In Your goodness and mercy, grant them health of body, soundness of mind and peace of heart.
We thank You for those who have come through illness and are on the road to recovery and also for those facing the reality that there is little light at the end of their earthly tunnel.
(Short Silence) Lord, in Your mercy: hear our prayer
Loving God, we pray for those whose hearts have been saddened by the death of someone close and dear to them, for members of our families who have died and whose anniversary we recall. Help us to experience the comfort of the Holy Spirit within us, and the fellowship of the faithful around us until we are reunited once more in Your heavenly kingdom.
We especially raise before you at this time our recently departed brothers, Michael (England), and Stan (Australia).
May all the faithful departed now rest in peace as they most surely have risen in glory.
(Short Silence) Lord, in Your Mercy: Hear our prayer
In a moment of silence we pray for ourselves, our families, friends, for all whom we love and for our personal ministries. Make the things that we choose to do worthy of the life, death, and rising again of Your Son.
(Short Silence) Lord, in Your mercy: hear our prayer
Glorious God, source of joy and righteousness, enable us as redeemed and forgiven children evermore to rejoice in singing your praises. May what we have sung and spoken with our lips become strong belief in our hearts and what we believe in our hearts become our way of life, throughout this Advent and in the years to come.
(Short Silence) Lord, in Your mercy: hear our prayer
Forth in the peace of Christ we go; Christ to the world with joy we bring; Christ in our minds, Christ on our lips, Christ in our hearts, the world’s true King.
Merciful father: accept these prayers for the sake of Your Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN.
Remembering that we are confident to pray this day, and every day, because Jesus Christ continues to teach us:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours
now and for ever. Amen.
Let us conclude our prayers by praying together and aloud:
God of mercy,
you have given us grace to pray with one heart and one voice,
and have promised to hear the prayers
of two or three who agree in your name,
fulfil now, we pray,
the prayers and longings of your people
as may be best for us and for your kingdom.
Grant us in this world to know your truth,
and in the world to come to see your glory. Amen.
The Blessing
May The Risen Lord Christ turn His face towards each and every one of you.
May He cause His light to shine upon you, and
may He grant you His peace, and
The blessing of Almighty God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
be with you and all of those whom you love,
on this day and forever more.
A Closing Hymn:
Let us conclude our worship today by watching, and please do feel free to sing or read aloud the lyrics, as we unite in another hymn our praise and thanksgiving.
When you are ready - click the "play" button on the video window, below:
The Dismissal
Go now, go out into the world
to love and serve The Lord.
Go in peace.
AMEN, we go in the name of Christ.
