04B – Advent 4B

 
PSALM 80:1-7,17-19
O Shepherd of Israel,
leading Joseph like a flock, listen;
seated upon the Cherubim, shine forth,
before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh.
Stir up your strength
and come for our salvation.
O God, restore the life we once knew,
let your face shine that we may be saved.
O LORD, God of hosts,
how long will you fume at your people’s prayers?
You have fed us tears for bread,
and given us tears to drink by the flagon.
You have made us a disgrace among our neighbours,
and our enemies ridicule us among themselves.
O God, restore the life we once knew,
let your face shine that we may be saved.

Let your hand be on the one at your right,
upon the person you strengthened for yourself;
then we will never turn away from you.
Give us life, and we will call upon your name!
O LORD, God of hosts, restore the life we once knew,
let your face shine that we may be saved.

PRAYER OF INTERCESSION
How long, Gracious God;
how long, Shepherd of your flock?
When will you restore the life we once knew;
when will you let your face shine that we may be saved?
Let your hand be on those whose food has been their tears
those drunk with grief and loneliness and pain.
Strengthen for yourself those ridiculed by oppression and helplessness;
give life to those we have named on our lips and in our hearts,
give life to those we cannot name
that they may also call upon your name
and never turn away from you;
in Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen

A CREATIVE MOMENT 
Click here for some ideas for worship in Advent and Christmas gleaned from the pages of “On the Move” (now out of print) which was published by the Joint Board of Christian Education, Melbourne, Australia.

THE PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
(A prayer to gather the spoken and silent concerns/joys/thanks of the congregation and lead into a more structured Intercession with connection to the lections for the day. Sometimes this prayer will borrow phrases or lines from other sources e.g. Uniting in Worship 2 or publications of the Iona Community. )

Compassionate God,
you lift up the lowly,
and fill the hungry with good things.
Look with favour
on those whom we name on our lips and in our hearts
and on those whose concern is known only to you,
that they may the presence of your healing Spirit;
in Jesus’ name we pray …
(The Prayers of the People continue)

Looking for contemporary music and song resources?
Try David MacGregor’s Together to Celebrate