Advent is the season of waiting and anticipation before Christmas: waiting to celebrate Jesus, the Messiah who came as a baby, and waiting for Jesus to come again and make all things new. We live in the knowledge and hope of Jesus, the God-man, having come into this world to inaugurate the kingdom of justice and peace, but we still await his second coming, when God will wipe away every tear from our eyes and “there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4).
Worship themes during Advent can vary greatly. Yet, regardless of the chosen theme, during Advent there often is tension between celebration and hope. This tension sets the tone or mood for the season, which often leads to reflection. This series embraces that tension and is intentional about providing opportunities for reflection.
This Advent series is about how wildly inclusive God’s plan for humanity is. The New Testament starts with what some might think is the most boring way—a genealogy, a list of names. A closer look at the list, however, shows the surprising inclusion of Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba. A genealogy establishes one’s pedigree; it proves that a person truly is in line with whatever greatness came before that person. In a patriarchal society such as the one Jesus was born into, those genealogies include fathers and sons, not women. If women are included, they are those who somehow bolster one’s story and standing. Yet each of the women mentioned in Jesus’ line came from the outside, the sidelines, or the back. They had messy stories and even sordid pasts. By human standards, it is reckless to include them in Jesus’ lineage because they don’t add any authority or prestige. But Matthew does include them, shaping the beginning of the story of Jesus and therefore our story too.
Editor’s note: Originally this series included services for three women in Jesus’ ancestry: one each for Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba. A fourth service was reserved for the church’s intergenerational pageant. One option for an intergenerational pageant can be found in this issue here; it includes a litany for the women in Jesus’ genealogy. However, for those churches who might be looking for a fourth Advent service about a woman named in Matthew 1, the editorial staff has put together a service based on the story of Tamar, the first woman in Jesus’ genealogy. Other than the welcome in week one, the content originally created for this series begins with the service for the second week of Advent (Rahab).
Overview
- First Sunday of Advent: Tamar
- Second Sunday of Advent: Rahab
- Third Sunday of Advent: Ruth
- Fourth Sunday of Advent: Bathsheba
Color/Visuals in Worship
The liturgical color for Advent is purple or deep blue, representing repentance and anticipation. Historically, the preparation seasons of Advent and Lent focused on repentance. Traditionally, the candles of the Advent wreath represent hope, peace, joy, and love, but for this worship series the candles will represent the women named in Jesus’ genealogy: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba.
First Sunday of Advent
Tamar
Gathering Song: “O Come, All You Unfaithful” Kauflin and Clow
Welcome
No matter who you are, no matter what you’ve gone through, and no matter how you are feeling this morning, you are welcome here.
Our Advent theme this year is “Reckless Inclusivity.” Reckless inclusivity acknowledges that even we, the church, have historically and presently not always done well at including and welcoming everyone. We will reflect on Jesus’ genealogy and a few of the people
included there and consider God’s inclusivity as demonstrated in the story of the Bible. As a way to acknowledge our historically unwelcoming posture toward our Indigenous brothers and sisters, today we acknowledge the land on which we are meeting:
[We used the following land acknowledgment, which you can adapt for your context.] As we gather in this place, where our church is now, we meet on the traditional lands of the Neutral, Anishinaabe, Ojibway/Chippewa, and Haudenosaunee peoples. This land is governed by the Between-the-Lakes Treaty of 1793.
We continue to explore ways that each of us, both individually and as a church, can welcome others and work toward the reconciliation of all peoples in this country.
Opening Prayer for the Spirit’s Presence
God’s Greeting
Invitation to Worship
We come together to worship our God, who has drawn us inside. Once we were not a people, but now we are a people. We come together to worship our God, who has adopted us into God’s family. Once we lived as slaves to sin, but now we live as cherished children of God. Please join me in song as we celebrate this radical inclusivity of our God.
Song: “Gather Us In” Haugen
Reading
Reader 1: Lighting a candle is a simple yet profound act. It is a testimony to the power of light over darkness. Each week we will add another candle, increasing the light on our journey to Christmas, when we will celebrate with joy the birth of Jesus Christ, the light of the world.
Reader 2: The first candle represents Tamar, the first woman in the genealogy of Jesus found in the gospel of Matthew.
Reader 1: Tamar was mistreated and put aside by the man who was supposed to look after her. But God, who is at work even in the most broken families, gave her a place firmly inside the promise.
Reader 2: We light this candle and remember that our God has a place for all who are cast off. Our God is a refuge for orphans and widows, refugees and the abused.
Song: “Imagine” Getty
Prayer of Confession
We see the Advent candle, and its light gives us hope. But we look around and see much that would lead us to despair. Sin plagues our world. It lives wherever justice is denied, wherever war and violence ravage communities, wherever division harms families and friends. Let us confess and lament to Christ, whose past and future comings give us hope for an end to sin and brokenness.
Song of Confession: “My Soul in Stillness Waits” Haugen
Assurance of Pardon: Revelation 21:1–7
Prayers of God’s People
Scripture: Genesis 38
Sermon: “Reckless Inclusivity: Tamar”
Sermon Notes
Tamar is a woman who seems to have very bad luck. Her first and second husbands both die before they give her any children. While the narrator of Genesis tells us that their deaths are a judgment from God, it isn’t clear whether the characters in our morning’s text understand that. Instead, the text implies that Tamar’s father-in-law, Judah, worries that Tamar may be to blame for his sons’ early demise, making him nervous about giving his final son to her in marriage. So, instead of protecting Tamar and ensuring she has a place in his household, Judah sends her home to live as a widow in her father’s house. She is a woman without recourse, so she does something that likely offends our modern sensibilities: She disguises herself as a prostitute and gets pregnant by Judah, the very man who had failed her so dramatically. As we read the story of Tamar, it is easy to be overwhelmed by the brokenness and dysfunction surrounding Judah’s family, just as it is easy to be overwhelmed by the brokenness in the world when we read the news headlines or scroll through our social media feeds. But Tamar’s story doesn’t end with prostitution and a scandalous pregnancy. At the revelation of his paternity, Judah is humbled and calls Tamar righteous. Not only do Tamar’s twin sons give her a place in Judah’s household, but through her son Perez, Judah’s line is extended down to David and eventually to Jesus. Where we observe brokenness and dysfunction, Tamar’s story reminds us, we don’t always see the big picture of redemption that God sees. God works to include those whom our limited imaginations might be tempted to exclude. We can pray for God to give us the grace to see others the way God sees them: as image bearers of God.
Prayer of Application
Song of Response: “Mary’s Song (Our King of Peace)” Kimbrough
Blessing
Closing Song: “Blessed Be the God of Israel” Daw
Postlude
Second Sunday of Advent
Rahab
Gathering Song: “O Come, All You Unfaithful” Kauflin and Clow
Welcome
Opening Prayer for the Spirit’s Presence
God’s Greeting
Invitation to Worship: “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” Neale
Reading
Reader 1: Lighting a candle is a simple yet profound act. It is a testimony to the power of light over darkness. The light of even one candle can reveal our faces as we stand near it. Each week we will add another candle, increasing the light on our journey to Christmas, when we will celebrate with joy the birth of Jesus Christ, the light of the world.
Reader 2: The second candle represents Rahab, one of the women in the genealogy of Jesus found in the gospel of Matthew.
Reader 1: Like Rahab, who received a promise and was called to trust God to make good on that promise in due time, we wait for Jesus to come and make our hope for the future complete.
Reader 2: God had a plan to save God’s people, and God used Rahab to help carry out that plan. Rahab trusted enough to help the enemy spies who came to her, and God invited Rahab into God’s family as one of the mothers in the line of Jesus, the Savior.
Song of Hope: “Light of the World (Sing Hallelujah)” Cash et al.
Prayer of Confession
Assurance of Pardon: “Out of Hiding” Gretzinger and Cook
Declaration of Faith: Apostles’ Creed
Prayers of God’s People
Scripture Passage: Joshua 2
Sermon: “Reckless Inclusivity: Rahab”
Sermon Notes
During Advent, the season preparing us for Christ’s coming at Christmas, we are focusing on the ancestry of Jesus as listed in the genealogy in Matthew 1. Rahab’s occupation and background make her a surprising inclusion. Rahab also is included in the Hebrews 11 “faith hall of fame,” so today we will examine what her faith looked like in action.
Prayer of Application
Song of Response: “Reckless Love” Culver et al.
Celebration of Communion
Blessing
Closing Song: “Soon and Very Soon” Crouch
Postlude
Third Sunday of Advent
Ruth
Welcome
Opening Prayer
Invitation to Advent Worship
This morning you are invited to remain seated as we sing “Prepare Him Room.” This contemplative song helps us consider how we are preparing to invite Jesus into our busy lives.
Opening Song: “Prepare Him Room” Elliot and Fournier
God’s Greeting
Song of Advent Hope: “Even So Come” Tomlin et al.
Reading
Reader 1: Lighting a candle is a simple yet profound act. It is a testimony to the power of light over darkness. Each week we add another candle, increasing the light on our journey to Christmas, when we will celebrate with joy the birth of Jesus Christ, the light of the world.
Reader 2: Today we light a candle to remember Ruth, the mother of Obed, the grandmother of King David, and an ancestor of Jesus.
Reader 1: Ruth’s story is about love—both familial love and sacrificial love.
Reader 2: As light gradually pushes out darkness, love gradually pushes out hate. Jesus, the light of the world, the One who loves the world, has come to earth and will come again.
Song: “Here I Am to Worship” Hughes
Prayer of Confession
[Leader offers the following prayer while “Here I Am to Worship” is played quietly.]
Good and gracious God, we know that we need your light in this very dark world. You sent your Son to earth because we needed rescuing. We need hope and forgiveness. Forgive us, God, for our sinning: for deeds done and deeds left undone, for words spoken and words left unspoken. Your light reminds us of our darkness, and it reminds us that goodness and faithfulness and love are possible in and through the light of Jesus. Thank you for this hope in this Advent season. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, whom we worship, amen.
[End prayer with refrain from “Here I Am to Worship”]
Assurance of Pardon
Prayers of God’s People
Scripture Passage: Ruth 1:11–18; 2:8–13: 3:1–4; 4:1–6
Sermon: “Loyal Love”
Sermon Notes
God is the master of loyal love—another way of saying “reckless inclusivity.” God shows God’s grace and compassion faithfully, no matter what. God also works through the loyal love of people. Read the story of Ruth to see how she and Boaz both show loyal love. Through them, the family line continues to Jesus, the ultimate example of God’s loyal love.
Prayer of Application
Hymn of Response: “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling” Wesley
God’s Blessing
Closing Song of Hope and Faith: “By Faith” Getty and Townend
Postlude
Fourth Sunday of Advent
Bathsheba
Welcome
Opening Prayer
Invitation to Worship
The waiting for Christmas is almost over, but the waiting for all to be made new and right continues. But we have hope that this baby Jesus, this Son of God, came to be with us in the waiting. Psalm 130:5 says, “I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope.”
Song of Advent Hope: “All the World Awaits (Hosanna)” Tomlin et al.
Reading
Reader 1: Lighting a candle is a simple yet profound act. It is a testimony to the power of light over darkness. Each week we add another candle, increasing the light on our journey to Christmas, when we will celebrate with joy the birth of Jesus Christ, the light of the world.
Reader 2: Today, on this fourth Sunday of Advent, the candle we light reminds us of Bathsheba, another woman in the line of Jesus.
Reader 1: Bathsheba comes into the family through crime and power plays. When the light of truth shines on the situation, these dark acts are seen for what they are and overcome by the light. Jesus comes as the light into every one of our dark moments.
Reader 2: Jesus, the light of the world, has come to earth and will come again.
Song: “Prepare Him Room” Elliot and Fournier
Prayer of Confession: Psalm 51
As we come to God in prayer—as we tell God we are sorry—we will use Psalm 51. This psalm is the one David wrote after he was confronted by Nathan about his sin with Bathsheba. If you’re comfortable doing so, feel free to kneel—an appropriate posture for this prayer. [Read Psalm 51 slowly and contemplatively.]
Assurance of Pardon: Isaiah 40:1–5
Thanks be to God! God does not leave us in our sin and brokenness. God did not leave David, and God doesn’t leave us. Listen to these words from Isaiah 40:1–5. [Read Isaiah 40:1–5 with feeling.]
Song of Hope: “Is He Worthy?” Shive and Peterson
Prayers of God’s People
Scripture Sung: “Matthew’s Begats” Peterson
Scripture Read: 2 Samuel 12:1–14
Sermon: “Reckless Inclusivity: Bathsheba”
Sermon Notes
God’s reckless inclusivity is about gracious forgiveness. In the David and Bathsheba story, we watch as David is confronted for his sin, and he completely confesses. Though there are immediate consequences, the constancy of God’s faithfulness shows in the choosing of Bathsheba’s son Solomon to be heir to the throne.
Prayer of Application
Song of Response: “O Come, All You Unfaithful” Kauflin and Clow
Blessing
Closing Song: “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing / King of Heaven” Wesley, Baloche et al.
Christmas Day Candle Lighting
Reading
Reader 1: Lighting a candle is a simple yet profound act. It is a testimony to the power of light over darkness. Today we light the Christ candle because today we celebrate the birth of Jesus, the light of the world.
Reader 2: As the candle burns, we remember that God did not forget us, but sent Jesus to be Immanuel, God with us.
Reader 1: We remember that Jesus is coming again someday and will bring his kingdom to earth to set all things right forever. As we work toward the kingdom now, we welcome and include all people with the love of Jesus. We practice reckless inclusivity.
Reader 2: Jesus, the light of the world, has come to earth and will surely come again.