December 6, 2020.
Thank you for worshipping with us at Calvary Moravian Church. To support our ministries, you can mail the office a check (948 N. 21st St. Allentown 18104). An online giving portal is at: https://mmfa.info/calvary-moravian-church-pa-donation-form/.
10:45 a.m. : Worship with us via ZOOM or on our Calvary Moravian Church Allentown Youtube Channel.
https://zoom.us/j/673028163, Meeting ID: 673 028 163
You can call this number and listen to the service on any telephone as well:
(929) 205-6099 (enter 673028163#).
Bulletins are available from Friday onward in the Little Library on Livingston St.
Sunday school at 10 a.m. – Advent Devotionals (same Zoom).
Worship will start at 10:45 a.m. via Zoom or on our Calvary Youtube Channel.
Helping our Neighbors at Esperanza Moravian Church!
Esperanza Moravian Church, a bilingual church and ministry outreach to the neighborhood of South Bethlehem, is collecting food to help hungry kids in the neighborhood. We will continue to collect microwaveable Mac and Cheese cups (just the cups not the boxes) to donate as part of this effort or funds to purchase these. Please call us to arrange a drop-off.
Daily Texts
Moravian Daily Texts for 2021 are available, contact the church office The cost is $11.00 for regular print, $13.00 for large print.
2021 Pledges
Please remember to make your 2021 pledge commitment to Calvary Moravian as we need your financial support to continue working within the lives of members and in our community. Pledges can be dropped off to the church, mailed in, or emailed directly to churchcalvarymoravian@gmail.com
Advent Devotional “Do Not be Afraid”
Join us on Wednesday mornings from 10 – 11 a.m. or Wednesday evenings from 7 – 8 p.m. during Advent (Dec. 2, 9, 16 and 23) for an Advent Devotional group on Zoom. “Do Not be Afraid” is the message that the God gave to God’s people throughout their history and it is heard again in our Advent readings in the first two chapters of Luke’s gospel. What does it mean to hold hope when life feels really uncertain, to bring peace in the face of fear, practice joy, and to choose love when it is sometimes really hard? Each week you will receive a PDF study guide of a few pages or you can also receive a hard copy of the study guide. Email or call the office to sign up.
Wednesdays at 10 a.m. https://zoom.us/j/94658842137, Meeting ID: 946 5884 2137
Wednesdays at 7 p.m. https://zoom.us/j/96061712916, Meeting ID: 960 6171 2916
Angel Tree – Due December 8th –call or email office to arrange a drop-off
For Christmas!
You can still order your “Lovefeast to Go” or Moravian sugarcake for pick up on December 23. Contact the office or look to your email for the link to order. Christmas Eve worship will be via Zoom (or Youtube and saved there for later viewing) at 4:30 p.m.
Unity Prayer Watch
Every day throughout the year, the worldwide Moravian churches take a day to pray. December is the month given to the Northern Province of the Moravian Church (N. America) and Calvary will be sharing Dec. 7 with several other local churches. Please consider praying for our church and global churches, as well as any other prayer requests for 30 minutes during that day. Contact the church office to take a prayer slot!
Moravian Blue Christmas Online Service
The holiday season is hard for some of us, particularly this year with the challenges that Covid presents. You are not alone. If you are dealing with a broken relationship, if you are mourning or remembering the loss of a loved one, if you are struggling with depression or sadness, the Northern Provincial Advent & Christmas Planning Team would like to invite you to join us for a different kind of worship service…of comfort…of lament…of hope.
– We will be offering a Blue Christmas Worship Service on Sunday, December 20th at 7:00 pm ET / 6:00 pm CT via Zoom video conference. You can find the access link on moravianchristmas.org
– Please sign up at any time before the service. By doing so, you are helping us plan ahead to create a smooth and meaningful online worship experience. (Optional) Please have with you a piece of cloth or paper that you can tear.
Worship Service – Dec. 6, 2020.
“Call to Worship and Prayers are adapted from prayers by Sarah Are | A Sanctified Art LLC | sanctifiedart.org, used with permission”.
Welcome and Announcements.
Call to Worship
John the Baptist said, “Prepare the way.” Family of faith, how do we prepare our minds for worship?
We silence the inner critic and let go of busy thoughts.
We make space for God to speak.
How do we prepare our hearts for worship?
We bless all emotions and open ourselves up to be moved.
How do we prepare our bodies for worship?
We breath in God’s mercy. We exhale God’s love.
How do we prepare our souls for worship?
We bring our full selves into this space. We wear our hearts on our sleeves. We trust that even now, God is here.
Family of faith, what we practice in worship, we must live out in our daily lives. So prepare the way. Let us worship Holy God.
Introit. “Let all Mortal Flesh Keep Silent” performed by Anne Ettinger.
Lighting of the Advent Candle “Prepare the Way – Peace”
Close your eyes. What is your dream?
May this Light be an invitation to see the Messengers of Peace.
May this Light be our invitation to be Advent People – Those Who Dream.
May this Light be our invitation to be a Messenger of Peace.
A Litany from the Prophet Isaiah (adapted from 40:1-11)
Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. A voice cries out:
‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 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. Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.’
Where is Comfort needed in our world?
Are we preparers of the Way?
Moment of Silent Reflection
Where is Peace needed?
Are we messengers of our Lord? Do we pause and look and listen for God’s messengers?
Moment of Silent Reflection
Hymn 264. Comfort, Comfort Now My People.
Prepare us, O God, to see and hear your message in your Holy Word.
The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand for ever.
Lift up our voices with strength and do not fear.
See, the Lord God comes with might, and God will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead the mother sheep.
Silent Confession of Sins
Holy God,
I wish that peace was something we could buy, a subscription service, found on a map, downloaded in an app, or voted for in a ballot. I wish that peace was as easy as a one-time choice when I was feeling my best. However, what I have found is that peace involves everyday decisions over and over, whether or not I am feeling my best.
So today we confess, O Redeemer God, that we need your help in this Advent season. Prepare the way for greater peace, and teach us how to be a part of it. Walk with us in the everyday decisions to make us peacemakers. And let us know and feel your peace, Amen.
Prayers of the People
Prayer
Scripture Mark 1:1-8
Sermon “A Different Type of Messenger”.
We believe that a voice cried out in the wilderness,
Saying, “Prepare the way of the Lord.” We believe that this voice was a messenger coming once to open eyes to hope and peace and coming again in our world, to open our eyes and hearts. Believing this messenger, let us show up.
To Dream dreams.
To work for Justice.
To share stories and wisdom.
To celebrate community.
To show up even when we don’t feel hopeful or peaceful. But to believe and dream that peace is possible and to live in such a way as to be messengers of God’s peace. Amen.
Special Music
Holy Communion for Christ’s Coming (adapted from pg. 183).
Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, be with you all.
Amen.
Hymn “For the Bread which you have Broken” (Sharing Right Wave of Fellowship).
For the bread, which You have broken; For the wine, which You have poured;
For the words, which You have spoken— Now we give You thanks, O Lord.
By this promise that You love us, By Your gift of peace restored,
By Your call to Heaven above us, Hallow all our lives, O Lord.
Prayer of Thanksgiving
(Lord’s Prayer)
Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, gave it to his disciples, and said: Take, eat, this is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.
(All partake together.)
Silent prayer
By your divine presence,
By the holy sacraments,
By all the merits of your life, sufferings, death, and resurrection,
Bless and comfort us, gracious Lord and God. Amen.
In the same way, after supper our Lord Jesus Christ took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to his disciples, saying: Drink from this, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sin. Do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.
(All partake together.)
Silent prayer
Christ, the Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world;
Grant to us your peace. Amen.
Whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death,
Until he comes.
Hymn pg. 193, Brian Henkelmann (Sharing Right Wave of Fellowship)
Brothers, sisters, join in praising Christ, the Son, Incarnate Word;
Join, with hearts and voices raising, songs of thanks to Christ, our Lord
God made flesh, who dwelt among us giving bread and wine as sign,
Grant that now your love many, through us, in a world of darkness shine.
The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious unto you;
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace;
In the name of Jesus. Amen.
Reprinted or adapted from the 1995 Moravian Book of Worship with the permission of the Interprovincial Board of Communication, Moravian Church in America. © 1995 IBOC. www.moravian.org; e-mail: pubs@mcnp.org. All rights reserved.
Permission to podcast / stream the music in this service obtained from ONE LICENSE, License M-733262, All rights reserved.
Calvary Moravian Church 