Dear God:
Thank you for the invitation
you so kindly extended,
inviting me to become pregnant
with the Prince of Peace.
What an honour to be asked,
and I am so grateful for your confidence in me.
The world needs a Saviour and it is to your credit
that you have remembered your promises.
I totally support your endeavors in this regard.
Circumstances being what they are,
God of Creation:
the winter solstice sun is low,
crouched over the southern horizon.
All day long shadows pivot and turn
pointing to a longer night, the longest night.
And so we pray,
Lord, we are longing for light!
Our community has touched
the darkness of death this week,
as we said good-bye to our dear friend ___________.
Thank you that we who dwell in darkness
Reader 1: In a world of where so many despair,
God lights a candle of hope in our hearts.
We wait together for a Saviour,
who will be Immanuel, Christ the Lord.
Hear the word of the Lord:
Reader 2: By awesome deeds you answer us with deliverance,
O God of our salvation;
you are the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the farthest seas. Psalm 65:5
Second Advent – Peace –Purple Candle
ing a joyful song to the Lord,
sing carols for the birth of a saviour!
Raise your voices in praise to the Lord of hosts,
and give thanks with all your hearts!
Welcome to worship this morning,
it’s a delight to be in the house of God with you this morning!
Let’s pray together;
Thank you, God, for melodies and harmonies,
for voices of every pitch.
Thank you for composers and poets,
for instruments and musicians.
Thank you for ears to hear
and minds to comprehend
God, you created this cold and dark time of waiting,
where the sun is far away and our part of the world sleeps.
Thank you for trees whose structural beauty is revealed in nakedness,
and for evergreens, giving us pleasure in this gray season.
Thank you for snow, blanketing the earth in white.
Thank you for all the animals, snug in their winter beds,
and for birds which are travelling from Canada to tropical places.
Thank you for the harvest whose stored bounty we still enjoy;
root vegetables, apples, and even last spring’s harvest of maple syrup.
Thank you for the dark of night, and all the stars of heaven.
Thank you for the sound of the wind.
By the tender mercy of our God,
the dawn from on high will break upon us,
to give light to those who sit in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace. Luke 1:78-79
Let us pray:
God of great gifts
we give you thanks for the gift of your son
who was in every way like us.
We who are chained to the cycle of life and death
found freedom in this child
who is our Saviour, Immanuel, God with us.
Be with us today,
as we listen, as we sing, as we pray.
Fill us with your Spirit
giving light in the bleakest of seasons,
leading us in the way of peace. Amen.
Thank you God for bright lights in dark times,
for sparkles and colours twinkling in the night,
for the whimsy and fun of Christmas decorations,
for the crimson of poinsettias and the deep evergreen of trees.
Thank you for savoury dishes and tasty treats,
for an abundance of food which allows for feasting,
all gifts from your good hands.
Thank you for the sound of Christmas carols,
of voices raised together in praise to you.
Thank you for the sound of children laughing.
In this season which is joyful for so many,
Dearly beloved!
We are gathered here in the sight of God
in this time of worship
to remember the holy incarnation,
the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In a tiny town of Bethlehem
a worried father waited,
a would-be mother laboured.
The world held its breath for a Saviour.
The baby arrived,
and angels incandesecent
sang of goodwill to shepherds,
lighting up the night sky.
Who is invited to the Lord’s Table?
All are invited;
the young and the old,
the rich and the poor,
the lowest and the least;
sinners and saints together in communion.
Come find your place here
where there are no strangers or foreigners,
only brothers and sisters in the sight of God.
I am a Mennonite pastor currently teaching theology at Conrad Grebel University College in Waterloo, Ontario. I’ve served congregations in Ontario and most recently, Alberta.
I love to write and to lead worship! If you are finding my writing helpful, I would love to hear from you! Feel free to use or adapt the material here, it is all written by me. If printing material, please credit “Copyright Carol Penner www.leadinginworship.com” (and say whether you modified it). If publishing, please contact me for permission. Contact me at carol@leadinginworship.com
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