God of all peace and joy,
send your Spirit to this place
to bless this our reading of your word
that it may be a lamp to our feet
and a light unto our path. Amen.
Submitted by Rev. Stephen M. Fearing, Shelter Island Presbyterian Church, NY
Advent 2C
confession: in the wilderness
Call to Confession
Like John the Baptist and like the Israelites,
we often find ourselves in wildernesses.
Sometimes, the toughest wildernesses are the ones we build ourselves.
Join me in confessing the wild sin that so often takes over our lives.
Prayer of Confession
Forgiving God,
in this season of Advent,
we welcome the coming of your light
in a world filled with darkness.
We confess to you the ways in which we have added to that darkness
rather than obeyed our call to live as children of the light.
We ask your forgiveness:
for times when we worship violence and belittle peace,
for times when we fight amongst ourselves,
for times when we forget that we are all children of God,
for times when we do not stand up for the helpless among us.
By your tender mercy,
may the dawn from on high break upon us,
and give light to those of us that sit in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace. Amen.
Assurance of Forgiveness
By the mercy and grace of our Good God,
we may live in peace with one another
for we have been forgiven
and Christ welcomes us
as a parent welcomes home a long-lost child.
Alleluia! Amen!
Submitted by Rev. Stephen M. Fearing, Shelter Island Presbyterian Church, NY
Prayer: prepare
God of our Lives,
we prepare for every important event in our lives,
weddings, funerals, baptisms, graduations, ordinations.
Help us this day prepare for the most important event in our lives:
the coming of your son to save us! Amen.
Submitted by Rev. Stephen M. Fearing, Shelter Island Presbyterian Church, NY
CTW: lift up
Lift up your hearts, people of God,
for the Lord has looked favorably upon us
and is sending us his beloved son.
He is raising up for us a mighty savior
in the house of his servant David.
God is showing the mercy promised to our ancestors,
and has remembered his holy covenant,
the oath he swore to our ancestors Abraham and Sarah,
that we might serve him without fear.
We go before the Lord, following John the Baptist,
to prepare the way of the Lord.
Come, let us worship God
and listen to the voice crying out in the wilderness.
Submitted by Rev. Stephen M. Fearing, Shelter Island Presbyterian Church, NY
confession: your love is at work, yet we resist
Call to Confession
God calls us to rest in grace, to let down our guard and be truthful about ourselves and the world. When we allow some breathing room, we can see the Spirit moving, calling us to a new way of life. Before God, with all the people of God, let us confess our brokenness and make room for healing. Let us pray.
Prayer of Confession
Your Love is hard at work, O God. Yet we resist, insisting we must do the work ourselves. We resist, unwilling to allow the undeserving to be loved. We resist, wanting to control the methods and outcomes. We forget to give thanks, instead wavering between trying harder and giving up. Forgive our hard-heartedness, and remind us that you are Love. Forgive our narrow vision, and turn us again to walk your way. Forgive our ingratitude, and open us to receive as well as give. Free us from our selfish desires, and make room for your work to grow in us.
~silence~
Assurance of Forgiveness
Hear this good news: God is at work in you. Live this truth: God’s grace is more than enough for whatever you carry. Know that you are forgiven, loved, and free.
We will rejoice and be glad! Amen.
Submitted by Rev. Teri Peterson, the Presbyterian Church of Palatine, IL
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