Celebrant:

In the days to come,

the mountain of the LORD's house

shall be established as the highest of the mountains,

and shall be raised above the hill;

all the nations shall stream to it.

Many peoples shall come and say:

All:

"Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,

to the house of the God of Jacob;

that God may teach us God's ways

and that we may walk in God's paths." 1

Child 1:

With what shall we come to God's house?

Celebrant:

Bring majestic branches of cedar, the king of trees,

Strong and mighty, firm and secure.

Gather holly, the ‘Christ thorn’,

Pure in it’s blossom, crimson it’s berries.

Collect trees of evergreen, hopeful in their hue,

Highlighting eternity, Constant in their imagining,

Of God, the Uncaused Causer, the beginning and the end.

Hang wreaths to remind our hearts of this:

His unchanging nature, His unending end,

God’s immutable love, and Christ’s triumph over death.

Form crowns of garland, diadems of hope,

Fashioned for the bridegroom, the remnant of Israel.

Come with haste!

Let us hurry and wait!

Prepare this place, these walls, our hearts,

Make way for Christ, our coming king!

All:

Make the church fragrant,

with the smell of living things and our holy play.

In acts of hanging greens,

and listening to the words of prophets and seers.

Let us make our hearts, and this space,

a place of inward and outward preparation

for the One who comes to give us second birth.

Leader 1:

Good Lord, by your mercy

guide our outward actions in such ways

that our inward being is formed

in faith, hope, and love.

May the decorations we offer

engage our senses during the days of Advent

and enliven our praise and worship,

in the name of the child of Bethlehem,

our risen and coming savior, Jesus Christ.

All:

Amen

Celebrant:

People of God, we stand at the entrance of the church

and at the doorway to the Christian year.

Upon the dawning of this advent season,

Let us mark the entrance to the church building

Along with our hearts and minds as portals for Christ to enter.

All:

Come, Lord Jesus!

Come, Christ Our King!

Leader 2:

“Lift up your heads, O gates!

and be lifted up, O ancient doors!

that the Ruler of glory may come in.

Who is the Ruler of glory?

The Lord, strong and mighty,

the Lord, mighty in battle!

Lift up your heads, O gates!

And be lifted up, O ancient doors!

That the Ruler of glory may come in.

Who is this Ruler of glory?

The Lord of hosts,

the Lord is the Ruler of glory!” 2

Child 2:

Jesus, give us eyes to see the goodness of your coming.

Lord, lift our spirits with anticipation!

May we not lift our voices as we lift our eyes?

PSALM 24

Who shall ascend, ascend the hill

We wait until, your word fulfills

Your hands are clean, your heart is pure

In you, Oh Lord, we stand secure

You are higher

You are holy Lord

We lift our eyes, we raise the door

Abide with us, forevermore

Who is this King, who came beneath

The King of Glory, the King of Glory

You are higher,

You are holy Lord

We glorify

Jesus we lift you high

We lift you high

Leader 3:

How shall we make this place a reminder of our need for repentance?

How can we adorn these rooms to direct us to God’s faithfulness and integrity?

All:

Let us hang ribbons and tassels as reminders.

Leader 4:

“I will heal [my people's] disloyalty;

I will love them freely,

for my anger has turned from them.

O Ephraim, what have I to do with idols?

It is I who answer and look after you.

I am like an evergreen cypress;

your faithfulness comes from me.

Those who are wise understand these things;

those who are discerning know them.

For the ways of the LORD are right,

and the upright walk in them,

but transgressors stumble in them.” 3

Celebrant:

God, the Holy One of Israel, is a God of comfort and compassion.

With these evergreen garlands, we remember God's everlasting promises to the poor and needy.

Isaiah spoke of God's making of the wilderness, a place of blessing where water

and plants would manifest God's loving action to save and provide.

Leader 5:

“When the poor and needy seek water,

and there is none,

and their tongue is parched with thirst,

I the LORD will answer them,

I the God of Israel will not forsake them.

I will open rivers on the bare heights,

and fountains in the midst of the valleys;

I will make the wilderness a pool of water,

and the dry land springs of water.

I will put in the wilderness the cedar,

the acacia, the myrtle, and the olive;

I will set in the desert the cypress,

the plane and the pine together,

so that all may see and know,

all may consider and understand,

that the hand of the LORD has done this,

the Holy One of Israel has created it.” 4

THIS IS MY FATHER’s WORLD

This is my Father's world

And to my listening ears

All nature sings and round me rings

The music of the spheres

This is my Father's world

I rest me in the thought

Of rocks and trees of skies and seas

His hand the wonders wrought

This is my Father's world

The birds their carols raise

The morning light the lily white

Declare their Maker's praise

This is my Father's world

He shines in all that's fair

In the rustling grass I hear Him pass

He speaks to me everywhere

This is my Father's world

O let me ne'er forget

That though the wrong seems oft so strong

God is the Ruler yet

This is my Father's world

Why should my heart be sad

The Lord is King let the heavens ring

God reigns let the earth be glad

This is my Father's world

Why should my heart be sad

The Lord is King let the heavens ring

God reigns let the earth be glad

The Lord is King let the heavens ring

God reigns let the earth be glad

Leader 6:

Here in this place, we prepare for the coming of the Lord.

Here, we will remember his Advent,

his birth in Bethlehem,

weak and helpless as an infant.

And here we rekindle our prayer,

"Come, Lord Jesus"

as we await his coming as the bright and morning star.

All:

Hang symbols and signs of Christ, our prophet, priest, and king.

Hang stars, crosses, triangles, the "alpha" and the "omega"

to remind us of his identity, his story, and of the holy Trinity.

Leader 7:

"See, I am coming soon ... I am the Alpha and the Omega,

the first and the last, the beginning and the end."

Blessed are those who wash their robes,

so that they will have the right to the tree of life

and may enter the city by the gates.

"It is I, Jesus, who sent my angel to you with this testimony for the churches.

I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star." 5

The Spirit and the bride say, "Come Jesus."

And let everyone who hears say, "Come Lord Jesus."

Let everyone who is thirsty and whoever wishes to take the water of life as a gift say together…

All:

“Come, Lord Jesus, come!”

Amen!

Celebrant:

Let it be done!

1 — Isaiah 2:2-3 alt.

2 — Psalm 24:7-10

3 — Hosea 14:4, 8-9

4 — Isaiah 41:17-20

5 — Revelation 22:12-14, 17