thirD SUNDAY OF ADVENT, YEAR C

2018 - 16 December
2021 - 12 December
2024 - 15 December
2027 - 12 December
2030 - 15 December
2033 - 11 December
2036 - 14 December 

Note: For explanations and suggestions on the various resources provided, see the documents 'General notes and resources' and 'Advent season' in the 'General and seasonal' folder.

LITURGY

Sentence
See the document 'General notes and resources', under 'Sentence', in the 'General and seasonal' folder for suggestions on using a Sentence.

Sing and shout for joy, people of Israel! 
Rejoice with all your heart, Jerusalem!  (Zeph 3:14 TEV)

OR
The Lord your God is with you. 
The Lord will take delight in you, 
and in his love he will give you new life. 
He will sing and be joyful over you.  (Zeph 3:17 TEV)

OR
Rejoice in the Lord always; 
again I will say, Rejoice.  (Phil 4:4 NRSV)

OR, use the standard Advent Sentence in the document 'Advent season', under 'Sentence', in the 'General and seasonal' folder.

OR, use one of the general Sentences in the document 'General notes and resources', under 'Sentence', in the 'General and seasonal' folder.

PRAYER OF THE DAY (COLLECT)
Traditional
Lord, hear our prayers, 
and graciously come into our hearts 
to lighten our darkness; 
for you live and reign 
with the Father and the Holy Spirit, 
one God, now and forever. 
Amen.

OR, modernised traditional
Lord, listen to our prayers. 
Come to us in your kindness, 
and lighten the darkness of our hearts.  
For you live and reign 
with the Father and the Holy Spirit, 
one God, now and forever. 
Amen.

OR, alternative
(Let us pray that we may receive Christ with joy. [silence])
Almighty and merciful God, 
each year you make us glad 
as we look forward to the birthday of your Son. 
May we who joyfully receive him 
as our redeemer 
confidently face him 
when he comes to be our judge. 
For he lives and reigns 
with you and the Holy Spirit, 
one God, now and forever. 
Amen.

OR, new
(Let us pray that we receive Christ with joy. [silence])
Jesus, our promised Messiah, 
John the Baptist went ahead of you 
and proclaimed the good news 
of your coming. 
Encourage us to receive you with joy 
as our redeemer, 
and faithfully follow you. 
For you live and reign 
with the Father and the Holy Spirit, 
one God, now and forever. 
Amen.

first READING
Zephaniah 3:14-20 The Lord will renew us by his love

PSALM
Isaiah 12:2-6
Antiphon: 
In your midst is the Holy One of Israel.  (Isa 2:6)

SECOND READING
Philippians 4:4-7 Rejoice! The Lord is near

ALLELUIA VERSE (John 1:9 NRSV)
Alleluia, alleluia.
The true light, which enlightens everyone, 
was coming into the world.
Alleluia.

GOSPEL
Luke 3:7-18 What must we do?

PRAYER AFTER THE GOSPEL
This is the gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
Thank you, Lord Jesus,
for coming as the promised Messiah.
Lead us to repentance and faith.
Amen.

OFFERING PRAYER
Loving Father, 
let your message change our lives,
so that we turn away from sin
and live as your holy people,
always trusting in you
and doing what you what us to.
Amen.

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH
Call to prayer
St Paul reminded us that we should not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication - and with thanksgiving! - make our requests known to God. Let us pray.

The regular response, OR:
Lord, you are near to all who call on you,
to all who call on you in truth.

Suggested intercessions
*	for the church, that it may be prepared for the celebration of the birth of Christ
*	for all the baptised - that God would strengthen them in faith
*	for Sunday school teachers and children preparing for the celebration of Christmas
*	for schools, preparing for the last week of the year
*	for those who live in fear and oppression
*	for the physically handicapped
*	for outcasts whom society has rejected or forgotten
*	for exiles and refugees
*	for those harvesting their crops

Concluding prayer
Lord, hear the prayers that we have offered in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. 
Amen.

SEASONAL PREFACE
It is indeed right and good, 
Lord God, holy Father, 
that we should at all times and in all places 
give thanks to you, 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
You fulfilled your promise to comfort your people 
by sending Jesus the Redeemer, 
and to make all things new through him 
when he comes to judge the world 
and set it right. 
And so, with angels and archangels, 
and with all the company of heaven, 
we adore and praise your glorious name:

Communion Invitation
Blessed are those who have been invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb. 
(Thanks be to God.)
Come, everything is ready.

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
For an Advent post-communion prayer, see the document 'Advent season', under 'Prayer after communion', in the 'General and seasonal' folder. Alternatively, use the third prayer of the day (as listed above) at this point. It may be modified as follows.

Almighty and merciful God,
each year you make us glad
as we look forward to the birthday of your Son.
May we who have joyfully received him
as our redeemer in this sacrament
confidently face him 
when he comes to be our judge.
For he lives and reigns 
with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.

SEASONAL BLESSING
This seasonal blessing is used together with (ie before) the usual blessing in the order of service.

Christ, the Sun of Righteousness, shine on you and make you ready to meet him when he comes in glory . . .

OR, this verse from the second reading (Phil 4:7) may be used before the blessing:

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,
will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus . . .

DISMISSAL
Go in peace, for the Lord is near.
Thanks be to God.  OR  In the name of Christ. Amen.

HYMNS AND SONGS

FOR THE READINGS
Please note:	* =	Modernised version available
	G3, G4 . . . =	Guitar chords available in the Music Package 3, 4 . . . 
	GS =	Guitar chords in the Supplement to LH

First reading: Zephaniah 3:14-20
LHS 
9	Hark the glad sound! the Saviour comes G6 
13	On Jordan's bank the Baptist's cry G4
733	Daughter of Zion, O rejoice G6
739	When the King shall come again G4
AT 
333	You are our God
TIS
269	Hark the glad sound! the Saviour comes
270	On Jordan's bank the Baptist's cry

Second reading: Philippians 4:4-7 
Any hymn of praise, in particular: 
LHS 
115	Rejoice! the Lord is king G7
147	O Morning Star, so bright and fair* G3
378	Fill Thou my life, O Lord my God G7
870	Lord of all hopefulness G6
AT 
8	Praise and thanksgiving
259	Let us praise the God of truth
385	If there ever was a time
405	Lord of all hopefulness
TIS 
128	Sometimes a light surprises
199	Lord Jesus, our bright Morning Star
216	Rejoice, the Lord is King
472	Father of mercy, God of consolation
596	Fill my whole life, O Lord my God
613	Lord of all hopefulness
623	Lord Christ, true peace of all above
743	Praise and thanksgiving let everyone bring

Gospel: Luke 3:7-18
LHS 
6	Ye sons of men, in earnest* G3
13	On Jordan's bank the Baptist's cry G4
119	Come down, O Love divine G9
130	O enter, Lord, Thy temple* G4
798	Eternal Ruler of the ceaseless round G6
AT 
217	Shine, Jesus, shine
TIS 
264	Hark! a herald voice is calling
270	On Jordan's bank the Baptist's cry
398	Come down, O Love divine
675	Lord, the light of your love is shining (Shine, Jesus, shine)

iSAIAH 12:2-6
For musical settings of Isaiah 12:2-6, see Music Packages 2 and 7. The following paraphrase by John Kleinig may be sung to the musical setting by Alan Collyer.

Refrain:
The Lord our God is holy;
the Lord is with us here.
The Lord has made us holy;
the Lord our God is great.

I thank you, gracious Father,
for saving me from death.
I fear no condemnation,
since you have pardoned me.

I trust in you, my Saviour,
and I am not afraid.
You rescue me from ruin;
you are my strength and song.

You citizens of Zion,
rejoice and sing for joy!
Be bold and tell all people
what God has said and done!

The reign of death is over;
the time for joy has come.
From springs of living water
you draw your life and health.

The Lord is your strong fortress;
so call on him for help.
He cares for all the nations;
proclaim his name to them!

NOtes on the readings

See the document 'General notes and resources', under 'Notes on the readings', in the 'General and seasonal' folder.

ZEPHANIAH 3:14-20: Zephaniah lived at a time when true worship was mixed with idolatry. Spiritual arrogance prevented both king and people from relating to God in true repentance. Having previously predicted future punishments from God to recall and refine the nation, Zephaniah in this section sees past these things to a day of grace when Israel will come to sing in worship with all its heart with godly joy. God's judgment will be no more, the people will be protected, renewed in their own love, their enemies will be put down, and the socially deprived will be helped and saved. The Lord God assures them of these things, for 'he has said it'.

PHILIPPIANS 4:4-7: Paul's beloved fellow Christians at Philippi also experienced member-to-member tensions (see verses 1,2). Paul's remedy is to lift their thoughts to the common joy they share together in the Lord. The Lord's impending nearness also encourages gentleness to one another. Worries vanish if faith leaves them in the Lord's hand through prayer. The resultant peace will act as God's shield to guard their hearts against turmoil.

LUKE 3:7-18: As the way-preparer for the coming Messiah, John the Baptist called on people to ready themselves by straightening out their lives. To the self-righteous he preached the stern law of God's judgment. His baptism was not for them unless they repented. To the humble people who asked for direction he counselled change, not through radical political revolution, but through personal inner renewal. Genuine repentance and faith are always concerned with consequential renewal. His witness to the Messiah pointed people further than his own baptism. The Messiah would dispense the Holy Spirit and carry out final judgment in his own right. Both are in the sole province of God himself. Thus John announced the 'good news'.

VISUAL

visuals for the READINGS
Pictures or visual symbols could be displayed on banners or the overhead screen during the readings. For instance, a picture or symbol of John the Baptist may be displayed during the reading of the gospel (as for 2 Advent).

DRAMA

'MEGA DRAMA'
See a drama for the day in Mega Drama resources (Openbook Publishers), originally included in these worship resources when they were released on disks.

dramatising the READINGS
The readings can be read by more than one person to make the dramatic meaning of the text clearer. For instance, the first reading from Zephaniah chapter 3 could be read by three readers, the first reading verses 14-16a, the second reading 16b-18a, and the third reading 18b-20. The gospel, from Luke 3, may be read by five readers: the narrator (pastor), John, one of the people, a tax collector, and a soldier.

CHILDREN

Children and the readings
Children could be involved in making and displaying pictures for the gospel (as for 2 Advent) - see above under 'Visuals for the readings'.

TALKING WITH THE CHILDREN
The children could be told about John the Baptist (if not last week).

'COME AND SEE JESUS'
The Come and See Jesus curriculum published by Openbook Publishers has a wealth of material and ideas that may be adapted for use in worship. Please note that a new edition of this material is now available for the Revised Common Lectionary.

This week's story is 'John the Baptist prepares the way'. Material for this story may be found in 
Original Edition, 3 Advent, year C (in 3rd Series B book)
OR
Revised RCL Edition, same