November 30, 2025
On winter’s margin, see the small birds now
With half-forged memories come flocking home
To gardens famous for their charity.
The green globe’s broken; vines like tangled veins
Hang at the entrance to the silent wood.
With half a loaf, I am the prince of crumbs;
By snow’s down, the birds amassed will sing
Like children for their sire to walk abroad!
But what I love, is the gray stubborn hawk
Who floats alone beyond the frozen vines;
And what I dream of are the patient deer
Who stand on legs like reeds and drink that wind;
They are what saves the world: who choose to grow
Thin to a starting point beyond this squalor.
~Mary Oliver, “On Winter's Margin”
WORDS OF GREETING AND GATHERING
Alexis Ward Owens
WELCOMING STATEMENT
RISE believes that God has open arms, and so should we. Our Creator wants us to love, accept and affirm every human being, including persons of every age, race, ethnic background, nationality, gender identity, sexual orientation, family or socioeconomic status, educational background, religion or creed, and physical or mental ability. We celebrate our diversity and recognize the sacred worth and dignity of all. Everyone is invited and encouraged to join us as we seek to follow Jesus with mutual respect, understanding, and love.
*Read more about “Why Pronouns Matter” HERE.
OPENING Affirmation
~Homiletics, adapted
A winter sky, dark and deep, pulling our hearts toward hope.
A winter sky, clear and endless, drawing a sigh from our soul.
When will our longing be over?
When will a star appear and a cry be heard?
He is coming soon.
We have Advent dreams and Advent hopes.
He is coming soon.
Opening SongS
Songs Will Happen!
“Rejoice, Rejoice”
~Marty Haugen
Awake! Awake and greet the new morn,
for angels herald its dawning.
sing out your joy, for soon he is born,
behold! the Child of our longing.
Come as a baby weak and poor,
to bring all hearts together,
he opens wide the heav’nly door,
and lives now inside us forever.
To us, to all in sorrow and fear,
Emmanuel comes a-singing,
his humble song is quiet and near,
yet fills the earth with its ringing;
Music to heal the broken soul
and hymns of loving kindness,
the thunder of his anthems roll
to shatter all hatred and blindness.
In darkest night his coming shall be,
when all the world is despairing,
as morning light so quiet and free,
so warm and gentle and caring.
Then shall the mute break forth in song,
the lame shall leap in wonder,
the weak be raised above the strong,
and weapons be broken asunder.
Rejoice, rejoice, take heart in the night,
though dark the winter and cheerless,
the rising sun shall crown you with light,
be strong and loving and fearless.
Love be our song and love our prayer,
and love, our endless story,
may God fill ev’ry day we share
and bring us at last into glory.
“Come Thou Long Expected Jesus”
~Hymn text - Charles Wesley / Music (HYFRYDOL) - R.H. Prichard
Come, Thou long expected Jesus
Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel's strength and consolation,
Hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.
Born Thy people to deliver,
Born a child and yet a King,
Born to reign in us forever,
Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.
By Thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By Thine all sufficient merit,
Raise us to Thy glorious throne
By Thine all sufficient merit,
Raise us to Thy glorious throne
Advent Reflections
Madalyn and Noelle Voltz-Mongold
Personal Reflections
Lighting the Advent Candle of Hope
Advent Song
“Again”
~Brent Holl and Chris Zepp
It’s that time again
Time to trim the tree
Time to string all the lights up
Time for Christmas jubilee!
It’s the season of hope
When all is possible
Dreams of life as it could be
Hearts so full…
Could a little baby
Change the world?
Maybe if we let him
Come again...
Hope born anew
That all will be restored
Swords beat into plowshares
War learned no more
It’s the season of hope
When all is possible
Dreams of life as it could be
Hearts so full...
A tiny little baby
Sent to save the world
Could it be so?
Christ will come again...
Scripture Readings
Isaiah 2:2-5 (NRSV)
2 In 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 hills;
all the nations shall stream to it.
3 Many peoples shall come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths.”
For out of Zion shall go forth instruction
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
4 He shall judge between the nations
and shall arbitrate for many peoples;
they shall beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation;
neither shall they learn war any more.
5 O house of Jacob,
come, let us walk
in the light of the Lord!
Romans 13:11-12a (NRSV)
11 Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is already the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; 12 the night is far gone; the day is near.
THEOLOGICAL Reflection
Chris Zepp
“So you’re telling me there’s a chance…”
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
What does hopeful pessimism (or hopeful realism if that’s more your style) look like in real life? How can cultivating such hope impact our life and faith?
How does the fragility of the Christmas story increase its impact and significance? How does the hope that it inspires differ from the hope of other, less fragile sources of salvation (e.g. human progress, heroes, etc)
What do you hope for this Advent season? How will you kindle and nurture this hope in the coming weeks? How does this hope relate to the Christmas story (e.g. “the hopes and fears of all the years” that converge in the coming of Christ)?
SOLO
Brent Holl
“Christmas in the Trenches”
~John McCutcheon
My name is Francis Tolliver, I come from Liverpool.
Two years ago the war was waiting for me after school.
To Belgium and to Flanders, to Germany to here
I fought for King and country I love dear.
'Twas Christmas in the trenches, where the frost so bitter hung,
The frozen fields of France were still, no Christmas song was sung
Our families back in England were toasting us that day
Their brave and glorious lads so far away.
I was lying with my messmate on the cold and rocky ground
When across the lines of battle came a most peculiar sound
Says I, "Now listen up, me boys!" each soldier strained to hear
As one young German voice sang out so clear.
"He's singing bloody well, you know!" my partner says to me
Soon, one by one, each German voice joined in harmony
The cannons rested silent, the gas clouds rolled no more
As Christmas brought us respite from the war
As soon as they were finished and a reverent pause was spent
"God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" struck up some lads from Kent
The next they sang was "Stille Nacht." "Tis 'Silent Night," says I
And in two tongues one song filled up the sky
"There's someone coming toward us!" the front line sentry cried
All sights were fixed on one long figure trudging from their side
His truce flag, like a Christmas star, shown on that plain so bright
As he, bravely, strode unarmed into the night
Soon one by one on either side walked into No Man's Land
With neither gun nor bayonet we met there hand to hand
We shared some secret brandy and we wished each other well
And in a flare-lit soccer game we gave 'em hell
We traded chocolates, cigarettes, and photographs from home
These sons and fathers far away from families of their own
Young Sanders played his squeezebox and they had a violin
This curious and unlikely band of men
Soon daylight stole upon us and France was France once more
With sad farewells we each prepared to settle back to war
But the question haunted every heart that lived that wonderous night
"Whose family have I fixed within my sights?"
'Twas Christmas in the trenches where the frost, so bitter hung
The frozen fields of France were warmed as songs of peace were sung
For the walls they'd kept between us to exact the work of war
Had been crumbled and were gone forevermore
My name is Francis Tolliver, in Liverpool I dwell
Each Christmas come since World War I, I've learned its lessons well
That the ones who call the shots won't be among the dead and lame
And on each end of the rifle we're the same
Prayer
~Homiletics, adapted
Offering and NOMOFOMO
One of our core values is, "God gives to us, so we give back." We're called to give as a joy-filled response to what we've been given. Your financial gifts make a tremendous difference in the lives of God's beloved in Harrisonburg and beyond. Whether it's helping to make sure children in our community have enough to eat, helping to respond to the mental health crisis in our community, or providing much needed backing for the operating costs of our spaces and staff — your gift is a part of God's dream and we are grateful for everyone who partners with us on this journey!
WTF?
Wednesday’s at exactly dinner-ish! (6pm EST)
Downstairs at John Wesley UMC
This Week’s Menu (12/3):
Winter Buddha Bowls
(Quinoa base with a variety of toppings)
Join us for a midweek check in to fuel your body, mind and soul. RISE will provide the meal and an Advent topic for contemplation and conversation. All you have to do it show up!
If you are interested and/or able to help (cooking and prep, giving rides to students, setting up and greeting, washing dishes, etc) let us know using the link below!
BRUNCH CHURCH!
Next Sunday - December 7
Same bat time.
Same bat channel.
Just more food and a bit more Christmas Cheer :-)
Please bring your favorite brunch item to share if you are able!
Valley Treble Voices
Massanutten Presbyterian Church
Next Sunday, December 7, 4 pm
Enjoy a concert of beautiful holiday choral music! Laura and Kate Douglass are members of the ensemble. A free-will offering will be received.
VOICE
Winter Benefit Concert
Court Square Theater
Saturday, December 13, 7 pm
Sunday, December 14, 3 pm
The VOICE Ensemble will present their Winter Benefit Concert “Be Kind - Rewind” twice next weekend at Court Square Theater. Beth and Taylin Sellers are members of the ensemble. 100% of all donations at the door ($20 suggested) will go directly to Cat’s Cradle.
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Closing Song
“So this is Christmas”
~John Lennon
So this is Christmas
And what have you done?
Another year over
And a new one just begun
And so this is Christmas
I hope you have fun
Your near and the dear ones
The old and the young
A very merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear
And so this is Christmas
For weak and for strong
For rich and the poor ones
The world is so wrong
And so happy Christmas
For black and for white
For yellow and red ones
Let's stop all the fight
A very merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear
So this is Christmas
And what have you done?
Another year over
And a new one just begun
And so this is Christmas
I hope you have fun
Your near and the dear ones
The old and the young
A very merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear
War is over over
If you want it
War is over
Now
Parting Blessing
Today, we begin our Advent journey.
This is a journey of searching,
A journey of longing and yearning,
A journey of uncertainty and waiting,
A journey where we risk hoping … again and again.
So may we journey together with expectation,
remembering that we are not alone,
for God’s presence surrounds us
as we glimpse the heart of the Divine
in the fragile form of a little baby.
Remember friends — you are a gift!
Now go and be a gift!
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