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Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus
Week
1
Prophecy-Isaiah
(Pres Nowlin)
Light
gray candle as you walk in
(Put
copy of this in a scroll to read from)
Optional
opening:
I am Isaiah, a prophet of God.
My name means “Yahwah is Salvation“.
I must speak for God has sent me with a message of salvation to
the people of all nations. He
has touched my lips with burning coals of fire.
The words, they burn on my tongue.
I can not stop from speaking.
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Opening:
In
the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne,
high and lifted,
and
the train of his robe filled the temple.
Above
it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his
face,
with
two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.
And one cried to another and said,
Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts;
The whole earth is full of His glory!”
And
the post of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out,
and the house was filled with smoke.
So
I said: “Woe is me,
for I am undone!
Because
I am a man of unclean lips,
and I dwell in the midst of a people with unclean lips;
For
my eyes have seen the Kings, The LORD of hosts.”
Then
one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which
he had taken with the tongs from the altar.
And he touched my mouth with it, and said: “Behold, this
has touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away, and your sins
purged.”
And
I heard the voice of the Lord, saying:
“Whom
shall I send, and who will go for Us?”
Then
I said, “Here am I! Send
me.”
And
He said, “Go, and tell this people:…” |
(Speak loudly)
Hear
O nations of the earth.
(Speak
to congregation)
Hear
all you dwellers of Powhatan. Give
ear to the word of the Lord for He has revealed it to me.
The
Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold
a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.
The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. To those
who dwell in the land of the shadow of death a great light will shine.
For
unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will
be upon His shoulder, and His name will be called
Wonderful
Counselor
Mighty
God
Everlasting
Father
Prince
of Peace.
Of
the increase of His government and peace there will be end, upon the
throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with
judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the Lord of host will perform this.
He
will grow up as a tender plant and as a root out of dry ground.
He will have no form or comeliness and when we see Him, there is no
beauty that we should desire Him. He
will be despised and rejected by men, a Man of Sorrows and acquainted with
grief.
There
shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out
his roots. The Spirit of the
Lord shall rest upon Him
The
Spirit of wisdom and understanding
The
Spirit of counsel and might
The
Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.
And
we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
Surely
He has born our grief and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him
stricken, smitten by God and afflicted.
He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our
iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His
stripes we are healed.
All
we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one to his own way;
And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth;
He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its
shearers is silent.
Lord,
we call out to you.
What
are you telling us?
When
will it be?
How
will we know?
What
does all this mean?
A
virgin is to have a baby?
Who
will this ruler be?
A descendent of King David?
Will
you destroy this King who is bringing a reign of peace and deliverance to
the people?
How
can government that has no end be cut short?
Will
he be brutally wounded and killed and the people not care?
How
can you be pleased with suffering?
O
Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, we hope patiently and wait
expectantly for the Messiah to come.
Scripture
references:
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Isaiah 6:1-9a
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Isaiah 7:14
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Isaiah 9:2, 6-7
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Isaiah 11:1-2
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Isaiah 53: 1-10
Week 2
Expectation-Elizabeth (Pat
Hertzler)
Light red candle
as you walk in
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| The most amazing thing
has happened to me. I am
an old woman and I am going to have a baby-a son and I am due any
day. Mary has just left
me after a 3-month visit to return to her home.
She is returning home to find out if Joseph will marry or
divorce her. When she
arrived at my house so unexpectantly, my baby leaped inside me. Oh,
there he goes again. Any
mention of Mary and her baby
makes my baby leap for joy. |
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(Sit
down on stool)
Let
me tell you my story.
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My husband, Zacharias,
had gone to
Jerusalem
to perform his priestly duties.
His division would serve at the temple for 1 week twice a
month. He was chosen by
lot to go into the Holy of Holies and burn the incense for the
forgiveness of the people. This
was a once in a lifetime privilege.
While he was there beside that holy alter in the most sacred
place, he prayed again for a son.
I didn’t know he was still praying for one.
I had given up years ago - after all we are way past
child-bearing age. For
years and years I fought the shame and sadness of not having
children. You see, our people believe to be childless is a sign of
God’s displeasure. But
Zacharius and I determined in our hearts that we would still trust
God and live righteous lives. |
Zacharius was so afraid when the angel appeared to him.
He could hardly take it all in.
The angel told him,
You
will have a son
You
are to call his name John
He
will be great in the eyes of the Lord
He
is not to drink wine or strong drink
He
will be filled with the Holy Spirit
He
will have the power of Elijah
He
will preach and many will turn from sin and then this statement “He will
make ready a people prepared for the coming of the Lord.”
Zacharius just could
not believe the sudden magnitude of what he was told.
And now, he can’t talk
to me because he has been struck mute.
I didn’t know how to
deal with my pregnancy, Zacharius’s muteness and all these strange
events. For 5 months I hid in
the safety of our home. I was
scared and embarrassed to be so old and pregnant and yet so happy.
I knew people would talk. For
several months I was sick and my emotions were out of control.
I just couldn’t deal with trying to explain what I did not
understand to curious people.
And then Mary came.
Young, sweet, pure, tender, Mary.
I will never forget
that holy moment. I didn’t
know she was coming nor did I know she was with child.
We were so looking forward to going to her and Joseph’s wedding.
When she greeted me The Holy Spirit fell on me –that had never
happened before and I still remember the words that flowed from my mouth.
They were divine words of healing and comfort to my troubled
spirit.
“Blessed
are you among women, and blessed is the baby in your womb.
Why
is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For
as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the
baby in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed
is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which
were told her from the Lord.”
And then the words that came from Mary,
“My
soul magnifies the Lord and my sprit has rejoiced in God my Savior for he
has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant. For
He has done great things for me and holy is His name.”
I expect our babies are part of God’s divine plan but there is
just so much I do not understand.
Mary and I just spent three months searching the scriptures looking
for clues. We know Isaiah and
many of the prophets have said that God is going to visit His people
again. My son, prepare the way
for the Messiah-her baby? We
found the scripture about a virgin having a baby. We
laughed and cried and worshipped together. And now, she has gone home.
She is so willing to do whatever God has for her regardless of the
consequences.
Something profound is getting ready to happen.
Lord, I expect the Messiah is getting ready to come-it will be such
a light in our dark world.
Scripture Reference:
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Luke 1
Week 3
Anticipation - Joseph and Mary (Jonathan
and Carmen)
Joseph walks in and
lights white candle
Setting:
Joseph
stands off to side between cross and pulpit-- looking straight ahead as if
off into distance. Mary walks
up center aisle. When Mary gets about ¾ way up Joseph turns and sees her.
| Joseph:
"Mary"
Mary
hesitates and waits on reaction from Joseph.
Joseph pauses and goes to Mary.
Mary holds our hands and Joseph take her hands for a brief moment
and just look into her eyes.
Joseph:
You’ve been gone for three months and now you’ve come back?
Mary:
Yes
Walk
back up to front and face each other.
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Joseph:
I just have been so confused. I
didn’t want to make a public example out of you.
It’s all I could think about the past few months.
I was so afraid they would stone you.
And then, just yesterday as I finally decided I was going to
divorce you, an Angel came to me. Mary,
listen to me, this is what he said,
“Joseph,
son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife for what is
conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
And she call have a Son and you will call his name, Jesus.”
Joseph:
(take Mary in your arms). Oh,
Mary, you really were faithful to me.
Mary, my beloved, I am going to marry you but you will not be mine
until after the baby is born.
| Sit
down on chairs up front-facing each other.
Mary:
Oh, Joseph, let me tell you what has happened to me.
Do you remember what the angel told me?
I can’t forget these words.
“Do
not be afraid, for you have found favor with God.
You
will conceive in your womb and bear a son and shall call his name, Jesus.
He
will be great, and will be called the Son of Highest;
and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David;
and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever,
and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
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Joseph,
it happened just as the angel said. Remember
how the angel told me about Elizabeth and we decided I should go there
until we could sort things out. One
night as I was traveling alone, the presence of God became so real.
I could feel the wings of God just wrapped around me.
It was a holy time and I know that I will be the mother a very
special child-the Son of God.
For
the next several days as I traveled I was so happy.
I sang and sang. It was
as the earth was alive with the presence of God.
The birds sang with me. I was so at peace.
Then I got to Elizabeth’s house.
I opened the door and there was Elizabeth.
I was so excited to see her. And
her baby; Joseph, you
wouldn’t believe how it jumped and turned in her belly.
And then a most amazing thing happened.
She spoke these words…I can still hear remember them.
“Blessed
are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!”
She
called me the mother of my Lord!
I
don’t know how all this is going to be.
Joseph:
I wonder why we are chosen like this?
I
wonder why his birth is causing us so much shame.
It must it look like we have sinned?
But
God has spoken and we are going to anticipate and prepare for the birth of
our son-God’s son, and we will name him Jesus because He will save us
from sin.
Let’s
find our parents and go to the priest and get married now-quietly.
Mary
and Joseph exit center aisle.
Week 4
Proclamation –
Shepherd (Luke Landis)
| Shepherd walks in
and lights green candle
What
a night! A few hours ago I was
out in the field doing my job.
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Hey,
you, (point to someone in front row) did you hear what has happened?
I just came from the stable over there (point back to Tim’s
office). You must go and see.
The Son of God is sleeping in there.
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How
can I contain myself?
You,
(point to someone else) In there (point to office) is the Son of God.
I saw him. Go and see.
(Say
to someone else) We shepherds were out in the field and the most glorious thing happened.
The whole sky was filled with angels.
And they sang so heavenly. They
told us to go see the baby in the stable.
He is in there.
(Go
across to the other side and say to someone else).
The baby is wrapped in swaddling cloths. He is lying in a manager.
There are animals all around. You
must go see.
(Say
to someone else). “Christ
the Savior is born. I saw him.
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| (Say
to someone else). You won’t
believe what happened to me. I
was in the field taking care of the sheep and it was so cold.
We were sitting around this big fire to keep warm and suddenly the
whole sky was filled with angels. They
kept telling us not to be afraid. They
said, Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all
people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior which
is Christ the Lord. I saw
him-in there.
(Say
to someone else) Those angels
sang the most beautiful song, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth
peace, goodwill toward men.” I
heard them and I saw that baby-he is in the stable in Bethlehem.
You must go see him.
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Oh,
I must get back to those sheep before they stray.
What a night! (Be
excited and throw your arms into the air.
Jump up and down. Be excited)
Thank
you God
Praise
the Lord
I
have seen the Messiah
I
have seen the salvation of Zion
Praise
the Lord
Glory
to God, glory to God
(repeat
phrases as needed)
When
you get to back of church shout,
“Hey you all, Christ is born. I
saw Him.”
Scripture
Reference: Luke 2: 8-20
Week 5
Fulfilled - Simeon
and Anna (Wally and Dorcas
Schaefer)
(Simeon lights gold candle
at the end)
| Anna:
Be kneeling at front as if praying.
Simeon:
Hurry up center aisle as voice whispers over sound system “Go to
the temple. You will see the
Messiah. Go to the temple. You
will see the Messiah.”
Parents
with baby come from side by piano.
Mary carry baby and Joseph carry cage of pigeons.
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Simeon
take the baby in your arms and look at him.
Raise
your head towards heaven and loudly say,
“Lord,
now you are letting me die in peace, according to Your word; for my eyes
have seen Your salvation which You have prepared before the face of all
peoples,
A
light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people
Israel.”
Simeon
give baby back to parents. Put
your hands on their shoulders and look at Mary.
“Behold
this child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and to
be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts
will be revealed. And Mary, a sword
will pierce your soul too.”
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Anna
get up and go to parents. Simeon
raise hands and pray silently.
“Thank
you God for granting me this privilege of seeing your Son, the Messiah.”
Simeon-go
light last candle-the gold one. Raise
arm and give a shout-“Fulfilled”
Anna
go back center aisle and stop and keep saying to different people all the
way back.
“I saw the child.
Redemption has finally come.”
Scripture
Reference:
Luke
2 :21-38
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