Service Sunday December 7, 2025
HIGHLAND HILLS UNITED CHURCH
Minden, Ontario
All are Welcome!
2nd Sunday of Advent - Peace
Worship Leader: Rev. Diane Bennett-Jones
Music Director: Melissa Stephens
Watch a video recording of the whole service using YouTube below.
(For a Printer Friendly PDF version click this link)
The Gathering
WELCOME & ANNOUNCEMENTS:
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF LAND:
ALL: As we gather, we acknowledge that this is sacred land. It has been a site of human activity for thousands of years. This church is located on Treaty 20 territory in the traditional lands of the Williams Treaties First Nations. As a community of faith, we respectfully acknowledge this and are grateful for the opportunity to gather and worship here in peace.
THE APPROACH
CALL TO WORSHIP:
One: Advent is a season of waiting.
ALL: But we do not wait alone.
One: God is with us.
ALL: We gather with those who have seen the signs, heard the whispers, felt the tugs in their hearts.
One: God is birthing Peace into this waiting world.
ALL: Let us worship with hearts open to Peace.
(Written by Larry Doyle, Bob Root and Darrow Woods. Gathering Advent-Christmas-Epiphany. Used with permission.)
OPENING HYMN: “There’s a Voice in the Wilderness” VU #18
1 There's a voice in the wilderness crying,
a call from the ways untrod:
prepare in the desert a highway,
a highway for our God!
The valleys shall be exalted,
the lofty hills brought low;
make straight all the crooked places
where God, our God, may go!
2 O Zion, that bringest good tidings,
get thee up to the heights and sing!
Proclaim to a desolate people
the coming of their King.
Like the flowers of the field they perish,
like grass our works decay;
the power and pomp of nations
shall pass, like a dream, away.
3 But the word of our God endureth,
whose arm is ever strong;
God stands in the midst of nations,
and soon will right the wrong.
God shall feed the flock like a shepherd,
the lambs so gently hold;
to pastures of peace will lead them,
and bring them safe to fold.
4 There's a voice in the wilderness crying,
a call from the ways untrod:
prepare in the desert a highway,
a highway for our God!
The valleys shall be exalted,
the lofty hills brought low;
make straight all the crooked places
where God, our God, may go!
OPENING PRAYER: Spoken in Unison
All: God, we live in a world where peace seems like a distant dream.
And so we pray - not just for the absence of violence and conflict,
but for the deep peace of knowing and trusting your will and your way.
As the darkness and coldness of December sets in, we trust that the light and the warmth of your Holy Spirit will enfold us and remind us of the shalom that is to come and the shalom that is already within us. Amen.
(Written by Larry Doyle, Bob Root and Darrow Woods. Gathering Advent-Christmas-Epiphany. Used with permission.)
ADVENT CANDLE LIGHTING:
One: Today is the second Sunday in Advent. Last week, we lit the first candle in our Advent wreath, the candle that represents hope.
(Candle of Hope is relit.)
One: Today we light the second candle, the candle that represents peace.
We live in a world longing for peace: a peace that will end wars and the devastation wars leave behind, a peace that will reunite families, a peace that will restore minds and spirits.
All: Knowing the need for peace in our own lives and in our world, we light this candle as a symbol of the peace promised in the coming of Jesus.
(The candle of Peace is lit.)
(Written by Heather McClure. Gatherings Advent-Christmas-Epiphany. Used with permission.)
ADVENT CANDLE LIGHTING RESPONSE:
VU#6 “A Candle Is Burning” (Verses 1&2)
1 A candle is burning, a flame warm and bright,
a candle of hope in December's dark night.
While angels sing blessings from heaven's starry sky,
our hearts we prepare now for Jesus is nigh.
2 A candle is burning, a candle of peace,
a candle to signal that conflict must cease:
for Jesus is coming to show us the way;
a message of peace humbly laid in the hay.
A NEW CREED:
All: We are not alone, we live in God’s world.
We believe in God:
who has created and is creating,
who has come in Jesus, the Word made flesh,
to reconcile and make new, who works in us and others by the Spirit.
We trust in God.
We are called to be the Church:
to celebrate God’s presence, to live with respect in Creation,
to love and serve others, to seek justice and resist evil,
to proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen, our judge and our hope.
In life, in death, in life beyond death,
God is with us. We are not alone. Thanks be to God.
MINISTRY OF MUSIC
LEARNING TOGETHER
HYMN: “On Jordan’s Bank” VU #20
1 On Jordan's bank, the Baptist's cry
announces that the Lamb is nigh;
awake and hearken, for he brings
glad tidings of the King of Kings.
2 Then cleansed be every life from sin;
make straight the way for God within;
and let each heart prepare a home
where such a mighty guest may come.
3 In you, we find abundant life,
our refuge in the midst of strife;
without your grace we waste away,
like flowers that wither and decay.
4 Stretch forth your hand, our health restore,
and help us rise to fall no more.
O let your face upon us shine,
and fill the world with love divine.
5 All praise to you, eternal Son,
whose advent has our freedom won;
and praise to God whom we adore,
with Holy Spirit evermore.
THE WORD
Scripture: Matthew 3:1-12
Leader: Hear and listen to what the Spirit is saying to the church.
ALL: Thanks be to God.
MESSAGE:
“Preparing The Way”
Read the Message at the bottom of this page.
OUR RESPONSE
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE and
THE LORD’S PRAYER: (Sung) VU #960
HYMN: “People, Look East” VU #9
1 People, look east. The time is near
of the crowning of the year.
Make your house fair as you are able,
trim the hearth and set the table.
People, look east and sing today:
Love the guest is on the way.
2 Furrows, be glad. Though earth is bare,
one more seed is planted there:
give up your strength the seed to nourish,
that in course the flower may flourish.
People, look east and sing today:
Love the rose is on the way.
3 Birds, though you long have ceased to build,
guard the nest that must be filled;
even the hour when wings are frozen
God for fledging time has chosen.
People, look east and sing today:
Love the bird is on the way.
4 Stars, keep the watch. When night is dim
one more light the bowl shall brim,
shining beyond the frosty weather,
bright as sun and moon together.
People, look east and sing today:
Love the star is on the way.
5 Angels, announce with shouts of mirth
Christ who brings new life to earth.
Set every peak and valley humming
with the word, the Lord is coming.
People, look east and sing today:
Love the Lord is on the way.
PRESENTATION OF OUR OFFERINGS
OFFERTORY PRAYER: In Unison
All: God, accept our gifts of our time, our talents, and our resources,
as part of preparing our hearts and lives for your coming once again.
May our offerings be used to promote your peace in our world. Amen
SUNG BLESSING: “Good Christian Friends, Rejoice” VU#35 (Verse 3)
3 Good Christian friends, rejoice
with heart and soul and voice!
Now ye need not fear the grave: Peace! Peace!
Jesus Christ was born to save!
Calls you one and calls you all
to gain his everlasting hall.
Christ was born to save!
Christ was born to save!
SENDING FORTH:
A Time of Fellowship
© Music Reproduced with permission under License number A-605748, Valid for: 26/10/2025 - 25/10/2026; One License - Copyright Cleared Music for Churches
Matthew 3:l-12 (Preparing the Way)
You know, on the 2nd Sunday of Advent the lectionary reading every single year is
always about John the Baptist, and after 2000 years I would have thought that there
would have been some good jokes about him, but the best I could find was...
What do John the Baptist, Winnie the Pooh, and Kermit the Frog all have in
common?
They have the same middle name. Clearly the similarity ends there.
John is an interesting character. What do we know about him?...
To recap....
John was the son of Zechariah, who was a Temple Priest, and Elizabeth, who was a
cousin of Jesus' mother Mary.
John's parents were of 'advanced age' when he was born.
His birth was predicted by an angel who told his father that John would never drink
wine, he would be filled with the Holy Spirit, and he would bring many people to
God.
Even before John was born, he leapt in his mother's womb when Jesus' Mother
Mary, came to visit them when she was pregnant.
Great things were expected of John because he was the son of a Temple Priest,
however when he grew up, instead of following in his father's footsteps, he
became a prophet.
John went off and lived in the wilderness of Judea.
He ate locusts and wild honey.
He wore clothing made of camel hair and a leather belt around his waist just like
the prophet E1ijah had done long ago.
At that time, it was believed that before the Messiah came Elijah would return, and
here was John, dressed like him and prophesying about the Messiah coming.
People were convinced that John was the one that the prophet Isaiah had referred
to as - "The voice crying out in the wilderness"
There hadn't been a prophet for over 400 years, and there was John calling on
them to repent, to prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight, and to be
baptised as a sign of their renewed commitment to God.
1_
This was why John was so incredibly popular, and the people of Jerusalem and
ALL JUDEA were going out to listen to him and to be baptised by him in the
Jorden River. In fact, John was so popular that many of the religious leaders - the
Pharisees and Sadducees, also came to hear John speak and wanted to be baptised
by him.
John, however, was not happy about this.
He knew that they did not intend to repent.
In the ancient Jewish teachings, to repent meant a person turned away from evil,
turn towards God, and aligning themselves with God's ways.
It involved a change of mind and attitude, that brought about a positive change in
someone's behaviour and actions.
Real repentance was reflected in a real change that brought about real fruits in their
lives.
John knew that the Pharisees and Sadducees believed that they had nothing to
repent because they were descendants of Abraham, were already blessed, and
would be looked after in the life to come. They intended to continue living their
privileged lives as they always had and didn't intend to change.
So, John, never afraid to speak truth to power, lashed out at them.
Shouting at the top of his lungs with his voice booming over the crowd and
echoing in the wilderness, He yelled; "You brood of vipers. Bear fruit worthy of
repentance. Do not presume to say to yourselves. "'We have Abraham as our
ancestor.' For I tell you, " Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; and
every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire."
Even today, it is easy to picture John with his wild, accusing eyes, pointing a bony
finger at us and yelling across the centuries "Repent!"
Barbara Brown Taylor says that to her, John the Baptist has always seemed like the
Doberman pinscher of the gospel... "Here we are trying to get to the stable in
Bethlehem.... when all of a sudden-GRRROW-ROW-ROW ! ! !-this big old
dog with a spiky collar has got us by the ankle yelling. "Repent, for the kingdom of
heaven has come near." Before he is through, our heads are pounding with vipers,
wrath, axes, and unquenchable fire, when all we really want is a chance to sing, "O
Holy Night." And yet there is no getting around him."
2
And she's right, just when we are starting to get sentimental that Christmas is
coming, John is yelling at us like an army drill sergeant - "Wake up people! You
can't just sit around waiting for Christ to come! You have work to do! Repent!
Prepare the way of the Lord!"
I suspect most of us would not want to experience John the Baptist preaching on
Sunday morning, but we know that Jesus himself went to listen to John in the
wilderness, heard his message, and was baptised by him.
Some Biblical scholars believe that Jesus was even a follower of John for a short
time, perhaps because John's call to "repent because the kingdom of heaven was
near", was in keeping with Jesus' own message of "Repent and believe the Good
News."
To repent means to turn around, to start over, to take another direction, to choose
another course of action.
The emphasis is not really on what we did in the past. The emphasis is on what we
are prepared to do right now and going forward.
Repentance is not about change for changes sake but rather about change because
we've become aware of how our lives (our words and actions) can be more in step
with God's ways and God's desire for peace and equity for all of God's people
John's message is really a message of hope and Good News.
He is the voice in the wilderness calling us to higher things and challenging us to
be that best we can be by refocusing us on the coming of God into the world.
John knew that someone was coming who would offer us baptism with the Holy
Spirit and fire - Not a consuming fire, but a refining one that would burn away
what was false and leave what was true.
Someone who would kindle our hearts with God's hope of a new heaven and a new
earth, where the lion and the lamb will lay down together- a world not without
differences, but one where differences do not prevent us from living together in
peace.
And John reminds us that we too have a role to play in helping to usher in God's
Kin-dom by bearing fruit in our lives, our church, our community, and our world.
So, this Advent I invite you to consider how you can do this.
3
And I invite you to consider if there is an element of your life you would like to
repent - to turn around, to change:
A habit you want to break,
a relationship you want to repair,
a concern you want to address,
a practice you want to adopt, - something that will help you align yourself, with
God and God's ways * something that will help you prepare a way within you,
within in your life, or within our community, for the coming of the Christ Child.
And if there is, I invite you to make this Advent the time do that.
The point of Advent is to make room for Jesus to be born into our lives and our
world, so that we and others may know God's true peace and abundant life.
John's message is Good News, because it tells us that how we live, what we say,
and what we do, our hopes and our dreams, matter to God.
They matter. - We matter. - You matter to God.
So, this Advent, I invite you to heed John's call, and repent and prepare the way
for the Lord.
To God be the Glory.
Amen
Sources:
William Barcley, The New Daily Study Bible, The Gospel of Matthew Volume 1
www.davidlose.net, 'in the Meantime', Advent 2A: Reclaiming Repentance
4
