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Advent Wreath Liturgies (based on Isaiah passages for Year A)

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Advent 1 — Isaiah 2:1-5
We know the world is not as it should be.
God’s Word will spring out of Jerusalem and instruct all.
Creation groans for its redemption, for things to be made right.
God will decide and settle disputes between the peoples.
People make war against each other and denigrate each other’s worth.
O Church of God, we light the first candle of Advent for the Light of Hope!

 

Advent 2 — Isaiah 11:1-10
We look out and see the devastation. We see a lowly stump.
But look, someone is growing out its deep roots!
The Spirit rests upon this King and he is righteous and faithful.
He is our glorious sign and beacon of the Kingdom to come.
Relationships will be reformed. Words like hurt and destroy will be no more.
We light the second candle of Advent remembering The Shoot of Hope has come!

 

Advent 3 — Isaiah 35:1-10
Can you hear it? Can you hear the songs creation is starting to sing?
The world shouts in our ears making it hard to hear anything but its cacophony.
It’s singing a song of salvation – those with feeble knees and fearful hearts need to be afraid!
All I hear about is fear – we need to be afraid because there’s only so much to go around.
The songs can be heard traveling, moving down a road where no one seems to go lost.
With delight, we light the third candle of Advent as we sing the songs of the Highway of Joy!

 

Advent 4 — Isaiah 7:10-16
God gave us a sign of the kingdom to come.
A young woman with child, a boy!
The young boy will have a special name — Immanuel, which means “God is with Us.”
He will learn to reject evil and choose Good.
Before that happens, our fears will be gone.
We light the fourth candle of Advent knowing the Sign of Love has come.

 

Christmas Eve — Isaiah 9:2-7
The people walking amongst the shadows have seen a great light.
On those living in a pitch-dark land, light has dawned.
This light comes from a child born with authority already resting on him.
He has many different names — Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
Eternal Justice and Righteousness will be established by him and reign in his Kingdom.
We celebrate lighting the Christ Candle for we have heard the Name of God. 

 

Submitted by Rev. Will Ryan, Paris FCC & Midway CC

communion: life blooms

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Blessed are you, O Lord our God, Ruler of the universe,
for you have provided for your people.
You have turned manna in the wilderness into the bread of life,
You have turned water from a rock into a spring of everlasting life,
You have turned law into love.
You have called us to this table, to know you in the breaking of bread and the sharing of the cup.
Here is grace, here is promise, here is love, here we see you face to face.

You, Lord, are the one who makes life bloom in the desert.
We give you thanks for your creating spirit, creating still,
and for the hope of your promise.
Where people still wait for fulfillment of your promise, give a glimpse of your glory.
Where people have lost hope, breathe your peace.
Where we have turned our eyes away,
choosing instead only to see what we think we already know
call us once again back to your way and your truth.
May your justice spring up in the desert like a river,
your love grow as tall as the trees,
until your whole creation thrives in your kingdom.

We come today bearing the hurts of the world,
seeking your forgiveness,
seeking your healing,
seeking to know your presence with us as we walk this journey.
Walk with us, Lord, and speak.
Walk with us, and show us your transforming grace at work in places we have left behind,
in people we have dismissed, in action and word together.
Walk with us, and then sit down at table
and open our eyes in the breaking of bread.

We pray now, O God,
that you would pour out your spirit again on us
and on these gifts of bread and wine,
that they might be for us the rich feast of life
and that we might be transformed once again into your people,
joined with your body all around the world,
fed with the bread of grace
and the wine of your everlasting love.
As we are fed and nourished,
send us forth as people of grace–
people who answer the call to build
your kingdom on this earth.

We pray all these things in the name of Christ, who taught us to pray together…

 

Submitted by Rev. Teri Peterson, the Presbyterian Church of Palatine, IL

confession: rationed abundance

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One:    God, you provide beyond our imagination

All:     and yet somehow, not quite up to our expectation.

One:    We desire so many things, forgetting your desires.

All:     We long to control what you do, how you act, who you favor.

One:    But you call us to a feast full of guests we would never choose.

All:     Forgive us when we act as if your giving is restricted to our pleasure.

Forgive us when we try to ration your abundance.

Forgive us when we fail to share your generosity.

One:    Fill us again, O God, with your goodness, and nurture our faith,

All:     that we may grow in your love.

sung: Kyrie Eleison

silence

 

Submitted by Rev. Teri Peterson, the Presbyterian Church of Palatine, IL.

Sunday’s Coming: working toward June 3

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It’s Trinity Sunday! One of my friends once told me it was one of her favorite High Holy Days, and I nearly did a double take on the phone. I’d never thought of Trinity as a High Holy Day before. Or if I had, it was way down the list, far past Easter/Pentecost/Christmas/Advent/Lent/AshWednesday…right up there with Christ the King and T-Fig. but I digress…this high holy day is here.

So, will you be singing Holy Holy Holy, and reading the text that forms the foundation for that classic hymn? Or perhaps reading John 3 (again) and reaching for one of the few vaguely trinitarian moments in the gospels, hoping to extrapolate from there?

Maybe the psalm and its many descriptions of how we can experience God could be the spark that lights a new trinity liturgy? Or perhaps Paul’s discussion of how we interact with God’s Spirit will send you down a perichoretic path?

Or are you jumping into a summer sermon series this week, leaving Trinity Sunday in the dust?

Whatever sparks your imagination, join the creativity in the comments! Who knows, the word you type could be just what someone else needs to build on, or you might find just the right turn of phrase in a friend’s wonderings. Let’s create together!

confession: joy vs. cheer

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submitted by the Rev. Teri Peterson, Ridgefield Crystal Lake Presbyterian Church, Crystal Lake IL.

One: God, you promise joy—
and to fulfill that promise you give us many gifts:
gifts of doing justice, loving mercy,
and bringing good news.
All: But we prefer Christmas cheer.
It’s more fun for less effort.
One: You call us to rejoice—
to live with a joy deeper than cheer or happiness.
More than sparkle and parties, a joy that brings you glory.
All: But we prefer our own glory, our own smiles.
Forgive us, O God, our forced cheer and shallow celebration.
Show us again your way, that we may rejoice in you.
Lead us in your promised path. Amen.