Lighting the Candle of JOY!

Lighting the Candle of JOY!

Pastor: Watch and wait for Christ’s coming!

Light candles of hope, peace, joy and love,

remembering the promises of God with prayer.

Reader One: We light this candle in hope. (light first candle)

We light this candle for peace. (light the second candle)

We light this candle in joy! (light the PINK candle)

To those who live as exiles from home in a dark time, to those enslaved as exiles due to others’ oppression, to those who are sin’s exiles from their best God-promised selves, the Lord speaks the joy of good news! A reading from Zephania 3:14-20

Reader Two: Sing aloud, O daughter Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart,O daughter Jerusalem! The LORD has taken away the judgments against you, he has turned away your enemies. The king of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; you shall fear disaster no more. On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands grow weak. The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing as on a day of festival.

Reader One: I will remove disaster from you,

so that you will not bear reproach for it. I will deal with all your oppressors at that time. And I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth. At that time I will bring you home, at the time when I gather you; for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes, says the LORD.

Reader Two: (let us pray)

Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid

For the Lord is my strength and my might; God has become my salvation.

With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

And you will say in that day:

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, Rejoice!

Sing praises to the Lord for God has done gloriously! Amen