ADVENT BRUNCH PROGRAM

• SHARING OF FOOD • SHARING OF COOKIES • SHARING OF GIFTS AND CARDS

O COME, O COME EMMANUEL

Christmas Music
Announcements & Welcome
Little Norway Lutheran Choir            "Come Emmanuel"
Candles of Advent Reading
Little Norway Lutheran Choir            "Light One Candle to Watch for Messiah"

Prayer (All): Come, dear Prince, come to us this holy Advent time.  Come to homes everywhere.  Come to noisy stores and streets, and to busy workplaces and freeways.  Come to schools and government centers and care centers.  Come to us all, with your love.  Touch every heart so we may show compassion and sharing in this season of Christmas, in Jesus' name, Amen.

First Lesson: Isaiah 40:1-5

Table Grace (to the tune of "Edelweiss"
Bless our friends, bless our food,
Come, O Lord, and sit with us.
May our talk slow with peace,
May your wisdom surround us.
Friendship and love
May it bloom and grow,
Bloom and grow forever.
Bless our Friends, Bless our Food,
Come, O Lord, and sit with us.

BLUE PARAMENTS

Solo: "What Child is This"

Blue Paraments Reading: The liturgical color for Advent Season is blue, Mary's color.  Blue suggests hope, a major theme of Advent.  "And hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us." (Romans 5:5)

Response: May our hearts be filled with hopefulness when we see the Advent blue.

EVERGREENS

Carol (All): "People Look East"

Evergreen Reading: Everywhere, in homes, in churches, in communities, we hang Christmas greens.  When all else is barren, the evergreen reminds us of the promised reawakening in spring.  So, we decorate with boughs of evergreen as a promise of the new life and a sign of the hope that in Christ, life is forever.

Response:  Bring in the greens, the pine, the fir, the cedar, to remind us of eternal life.

Second Lesson: 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13

HOLLY

Carol (All): "The Holly and the Ivy"

Holly Reading: The thorny leaves of holly remind us of the crown of thorns worn by Jesus when crucified.  The red berries remind us of drops of blood.  Jesus' blood shed for us.  Some form of holly grows in nearly every country of the world.

Response: May the holly, with bright berries and its green leaves that last all winter remind us of Christ's promise to be with us always.

MISTLETOE

Song: "Love Him"             Little Norway Young People

Mistletoe Reading: The mistletoe has become for us the sign of merriment, symbolized by the kiss.  In some ancient cultures, it was a symbol of peace between enemies.  We are reminded of the peace which comes from God, and the power of Christ to heal differences.

Response: May the peace of Christ be with you all.

BLANKET (QUILT)

Carol: "Away in a Manger"            Little Norway Young People

Blanket Reading: As this blanket is placed at the altar, we are reminded that Mary wrapped the Christ Child in swaddling cloths.  A blanket or a quilt can be used for many things: a shelter, a roof, privacy in a crowded camp, a tote for belongings, or a sense of security for a small child.  For a person in a care center, a quilt can be a reminded of being cared for.  The gift of a blanket or a quilt can be a gift of love, like the gift of love God sent at Christmas.

Response: O God, in this Advent season, let your Spirit fill us with love, so that we may seek to bring your justice for a world waiting in hope.

BANNERS

Carol (All): "Go Tell It On the Mountain"
Banners Reading: The use of banners goes back to ancient times.  Banners express our hope and goals, state our faith, and convey our feelings.

Response: Our banners testify of heaven's joy in announcing the birth of Christ to humanity.

SHARING OF CANDY

STAR

Carol: "We Three Kings"            Little Norway Men

Star Reading: One of the oldest of our Christmas symbols is the star.  Sages from the East followed the star to Bethlehem.  The star of Bethlehem leads us back to the manger.

Response: May we, like the shepherds, go and tell all we've seen and heard.

POINSETTIA

Carol (All): "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming"

Poinsettia Reading: The colorful, flaming star-like poinsettia is a native of the continent.  Its red can symbolize love and sacrifice.  It is called "Flower of the Holy Night."  A Mexican legend explains its origin.  Having finished his daily errands, an orphan boy named Pedro sadly counted his centavos…hardly enough to buy something to eat.  "Come with us to the Cathedral," urged his friends, but Pedro had no money to buy a gift for the Christ Child.  "Take this," suggested one of his practical friends, pointing to a weed by the side of the road.  Hesitantly, Pedro picked the stringy weed, and slowly made his way to the manger scene.  In wide-eyed amazement, he saw a beautiful scarlet flower, formed like a star, where only dried leaves had existed a moment before.  His humble offering had been miraculously transformed.

Response: Blessed are you, O Lord our God, maker of all things.

BELLS

Bell Reading: For many centuries bells have been used to send messages.  Bells call us to worship and signal good news.  Their vibrations are far reaching.  Bells call us to celebrate the coming of the Christ Child.

Duet: "The Opera of the Bells"

Closing Prayer:
Leader: The Spirit and the church cry out;
Response: Come, Lord Jesus
Leader: All those who await His appearance pray;
Response: Come, Lord Jesus
Leader: The whole creation pleads:
Response: Come, Lord Jesus.
All: O holy child of Bethlehem, Descend to us, we pray;
Cast out our sin, and enter in, Be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels, the great glad tidings tell;
Oh, come to us, abide with us, Our Lord Emmanuel.  Amen.

Carol (All):            "Joy to the World"

Leader: Go in Peace.  Serve the Lord.
Response: Thanks be to God

Submitted by Little Norway Lutheran Church, Black River Falls, WI