Fourth of Advent
Fourth Sunday of Advent
Welcome!
We know not everyone who is part of Westwood Church is able to be in church on Sunday morning however, we thought it would be good to offer some excerpts from the Sunday morning service. Where we can, we offer parts of the service in text and audio, whichever works best for you. If you want to plug in headphones to your computer, tablet or mobile phone now is a good time to do it ! If you want to offer some comment or feedback just use the comment box at the end of this post.
Your Weekly Church Notices
Scripture
Isaiah 7: 10 – 16
Matthew 1: 18 – 25
Praise – O little town of Bethlehem
Prayers
Living God, this is our prayer – that You restore us;
that You let Your face shine on us; that You come to save Your people.
And we pray to God who is our shepherd; the God who made us and loves us;
the God who knows us by name; the God who believes in our worth and value.
So, restore us, loving God. Restore us to an understanding of Your glory and creative power. Restore us to an understanding that we matter to You. Restore us to a belief that we are the people of Your flock.
We pray – and we pray – and we pray without ceasing; coming to your door again and again seeking bread, seeking sustenance for our souls. But our human failings get in the way of our understanding of Your ways. Our human understanding gets in the way of Your truth.
So, let your face shine on us. Let us behold the smile of Your grace. Let us feel the warmth of Your embrace, that we might know Your ways, and Your time, and Your purpose.
When once we turned our backs on You, we turn towards You again. And although we promised never leave your ways of holiness, we have failed again and again and we have tried to hide from Your gaze. But You call us back, wanting only to see us face to face, to recognise within us the heart that is humble; to see the smile of recognition on our faces, and allow us to feel the joy of salvation rise within us.
Restore us, O God; let Your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.
Hear us as we join in the words of the Lord’s Prayer saying…
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, the Power and the Glory forever. Amen.
Address
Praise – The First Nowell
Prayers for Others
Bondi Beach Terror Attack
15 counts of murder against Naveed Akram as he vents his fury against the Jewish community gathered to celebrate Hannukah on Bondi Beach. As we think on Advent as a time of darkness heralding the coming light of God’s presence, so Hannukah celebrates the light of God’s presence in the Temple; a candle burns brightly.
Lord our prayer is for the light of your presence to burn brightly in those who grieve. Their lives have been visited by true depths of darkness, hatred, violence indiscriminate and brutal; may the light of your presence shine upon them and give then peace.
Lord God, we cannot ignore the conflict that lies behind this atrocity. We cannot condone violence no matter how justified the perpetrator may believe their actions to be. In the darkness, injustice and brutality of this world may your light shine in the hearts of all people, may we learn to love not hate, may we learn ways of peace that brings hope to all people. Lord hear our prayers….
The Lonely and Isolated
Father God, we prepare and open our hearts to the story of Christ’s birth; of what feels like a lonely journey to Bethlehem for Mary and Joseph, feeling the isolation and desperation of having nowhere to sleep, no room at the inn. Like any anxious mum and dad to be they felt the loneliness of their situation. So, we pray for those who feel isolated – those who feel unloved, unwanted, who find it hard to show love towards others, or whose relationships have been broken by the darkness of cruelty, abuse, or coercive behaviours.
Lord God may your love reach into the darkest of places so that hope, joy and love may flourish in even the most unexpected of places. Lord hear our prayers for those who live with loneliness, isolation or fear…
Our own prayers
Father In Heaven, like the psalmist of old we ask you to search our hearts for you know us and see us and understand our every thought. You know what we will say before we ever say it. You know where there is darkness in our hearts. In quiet moments of prayer, we open ourselves to you and ask that you dispel the darkness within us and flood us with the light of your presence. Lord hear our prayer…
Praise – While humble shepherds
The Grace
And now… May the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Love of God and the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you and all whom you love, now and for evermore. AMEN.