a community creating for the relentless return of Sunday
One: We come, hoping to find God here;
All: The Lord has always been with us.
One: We wait, anticipating a word of Good News;
All: The Word has always been with us;
One: We watch for that light that shines in the dark;
All: A Child will light our way! Come and worship.
Submitted by Jerie Lukefahr
Sung to the Tune of “What Child Is This”, this can be used as a doxology during Advent and Christmas. For those worship leaders who prefer to not use Christmas hymns during Advent, maybe this will do as a nice option.
These gifts we joyfully bring to you,
to fill the world with meaning;
our hearts and minds are longing for
the life of which you are dreaming.
This, this our gift we bring,
our lives we share, your praise we sing;
show us your vision, Lord,
for hope, and peace, and caring.
Here is an optional second verse for Communion Sunday:
We gather as one at your table, Lord,
the bread is broken, the wine is poured;
the walls we fashion around us fall,
we’ve dropped our spear and put down our sword;
This, this your gift we share,
you welcome all people from everywhere;
take…eat…remember me,
created…restored…community!
Submitted by Rev. Scott Cervas, Meadowthorpe Presbyterian Church, (Lexington, KY)
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
Glory to You, in the highest, oh God! It is indeed right to give You all thanks and praise.
For in the beginning You made Light. And in this season You give us light that proclaims PEACE – so we pray for the most war-torn places here and around the world knowing You are in our midst as the Prince of Peace to rule over all nations,
You give us light that proclaims HOPE – so we pray expecting You to be with us as we remember Your radical breaking-in to the world as a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes,
You give us light that proclaims LOVE – so we pray that all come to know Your forever-beating heart that summons all Your children to this table,
You give us light that proclaims JOY – so we pray that this table reminds us of the feast that is to come as sure as You are ever-coming into our midst in glory.
Glory to You, in the highest, oh God! We join our voices this day with the saints of every time and place and all the hearts around the world who are watching and waiting and singing to the glory of Your most holy name…
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might.
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
Glory to You in the highest, oh God! And glory to the Christ Child who wondrously entered the world through the humblest of means…
To engage with the most vulnerable,
To question authority,
To love radically,
To feast with the outcast – breaking His own body and pouring His own blood proclaiming Your Kingdom come.
Glory to You in the highest, oh Christ, defeating death and inviting us again to the table to taste and see that You are good!
Come, Holy Spirit, enter this space and enter us – your people, that all things ordinary might dazzle in this Holy Meal. Fill us with Your body and blood, empower us with Your peace and hope and love and joy that we might go out from this place into Your world proclaiming Your wondrous entry into the world!
Glory to You in the highest, Oh God, for we have gathered at Your table that we might see Your light. In the name of the Most Holy Child we pray saying, Our Father…
Submitted by Rev. Lindsay Conrad, First Presbyterian Church, Ann Arbor, MI
You call us to come and see, and then to go and tell. So often we are looking the other way—away from your image shining in the face of another, away from your people in need, away from the things we would rather not see. So often our words are not of grace, justice, love, and peace, but rather words of hurt, exclusion, and fear. Forgive us for praying for vision while holding our eyes closed. Forgive us for holding firmly to the logs in our own eyes even as you offer us lenses to see what you see. Forgive us for keeping silent, and for speaking our own desires rather than yours. Give us courage to witness your glory and testify to your good news. Give us grace to admit our shortcomings and still point to you. Give us strength to follow you, wherever you might lead.
~silence~
You call us to come and see, then go and tell. Help us to follow in faith. Amen.
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