I wonder...
Might there be another liturgical event(s) toward which we might look and write together? Are we thinking lenten stuff now?
I hope this finds you well.
Peace to you,
Jonathan
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Rites of Confession - 4th Advent (B)
Week Four: Hope
Advent draws closer now to its close. Having remembered the promises, we've learned
again to wait on God. In our waiting, we have been given to wild imaginations about what
God longs for the world to become. And in our holy imaginations, we have learned again to
hope for the life of the world that is to come - and come it will! We must have eyes peeled
to recognize it and arms free to receive it. Let us confess what encumbers us and hampers
our preparations. Let us confess our sin, first in silence, then as one. Let us pray...
Silence
Prayer of Confession
Merciful God, we have once again risked embarking on this Advent journey. We have done
what we can to let go of our anxieties about what this season has become in order to
be free to receive it for what it really is. Forgive us when we have failed. Forgive us when
we have turned a deaf ear to your messengers who were calling our names. Forgive us for
turning a blind eye to the signs that said you have chosen us. Forgive us for our refusal
to believe that you would trust us to bear you into this broken but hopeful world. Forgive
us; we are just ordinary people trying to live our lives as best we can. Forgive us when we
find ourselves wishing you would choose somebody else. Empower us to believe with
Mary, to hope with Joseph, and to announce with the angels that your Spirit has come
upon us again for the sake of the world. Through Christ. Amen.
Pouring of the Baptismal Waters
Remember your baptism and be thankful!
The Declaration of the Forgiveness
Hear the good news! In Jesus Christ, God remembers our sin no more and says instead,
"You are forgiven!"
Thanks be to God! Amen.
The Gloria Patri
The Passing of the Peace
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Advent Wreath
Hello friends, I'm afraid I've been swamped under. My Dad died in late October, and while that was a merciful thing, it was also draining and has kept me from getting to several of the things I promised.
I'm posting an Advent wreath liturgy, which on the Saturday before the first Sunday of Advent will be of help to noone until Year B comes around again in 3 years. It wasn't even my assignment! But it's what I ended up working on. So I figured better to share it than not.
What I've done is taken the Year A Advent candle lighting liturgy that was written for Call to Worship last year, and updated the inner lines to reflect the Year B texts instead. I don't know who originally wrote this (Kim or David, can you tell us?), but I loved what the last 2 lines did with the light images. So here it is, with my wishes for each of you and your congregations that you know God's gifts of longing and love in this season.
Marney
ADVENT CALLS TO WORSHIP – for Year B (2008)
Advent 1
- based on Isaiah 64:1-2
This is the season of holy waiting.
We wait for the One who will tear open the heavens
and come down to save us.
We watch for the day when God’s name will be made known among the nations.
We wait in the shadows for the Light of the World to appear.
Come let us walk in the light of God!
Advent 2
- based on Isaiah 40:1-2
This is the season of holy waiting.
We watch for the day when our warfare will be ended.
We wait for the One who can bring comfort and speak peace.
We wait while the night begins to glow with the light of day.
Come let us walk in the light of God!
Advent 3
- based on Isaiah 61:1-3
This is the season of holy waiting.
We wait for the One whose word can set captives free.
We watch for the day when all who mourn will know gladness and praise.
We wait while the dawning light appears on the horizon.
Come let us walk in the light of God!
Advent 4
- based on Luke 1:47-52
This is the season of holy waiting.
We watch for the One who scatters the proud and lifts up the lowly.
We wait for the day when our spirits will rejoice to know God’s favor.
We watch while the light of day begins to fill the sky.
Come let us walk in the light of God!
Christmas Eve/Day
- based on John 1:9, & Luke 2:14
The One for whom we have been waiting is born!
The True Light, which enlightens all people, has come into the world.
On this night we sing with the angels, “Glory to God in the highest!”
On this night the light of God fills the heavens and illumines the earth.
The glory of God shines all around us.
Come let us walk in the light of God!
Christmas 1
- based on Isaiah 61:10-11
Children of God, let us rejoice with our whole being in God, our Savior.
For God has clothed us with the bright robes of salvation.
Our God will cause righteousness and praise to be seen among the nations.
Like a burning torch, the Light of the World leads us.
Come let us walk in the light of God!
Christmas 2
based on John 1:9, 14
The True Light, which enlightens all people, has come into the world.
The Word of God became flesh and lives among us.
The glory of God shines all around us.
We will walk in the light of God!
I'm posting an Advent wreath liturgy, which on the Saturday before the first Sunday of Advent will be of help to noone until Year B comes around again in 3 years. It wasn't even my assignment! But it's what I ended up working on. So I figured better to share it than not.
What I've done is taken the Year A Advent candle lighting liturgy that was written for Call to Worship last year, and updated the inner lines to reflect the Year B texts instead. I don't know who originally wrote this (Kim or David, can you tell us?), but I loved what the last 2 lines did with the light images. So here it is, with my wishes for each of you and your congregations that you know God's gifts of longing and love in this season.
Marney
ADVENT CALLS TO WORSHIP – for Year B (2008)
Advent 1
- based on Isaiah 64:1-2
This is the season of holy waiting.
We wait for the One who will tear open the heavens
and come down to save us.
We watch for the day when God’s name will be made known among the nations.
We wait in the shadows for the Light of the World to appear.
Come let us walk in the light of God!
Advent 2
- based on Isaiah 40:1-2
This is the season of holy waiting.
We watch for the day when our warfare will be ended.
We wait for the One who can bring comfort and speak peace.
We wait while the night begins to glow with the light of day.
Come let us walk in the light of God!
Advent 3
- based on Isaiah 61:1-3
This is the season of holy waiting.
We wait for the One whose word can set captives free.
We watch for the day when all who mourn will know gladness and praise.
We wait while the dawning light appears on the horizon.
Come let us walk in the light of God!
Advent 4
- based on Luke 1:47-52
This is the season of holy waiting.
We watch for the One who scatters the proud and lifts up the lowly.
We wait for the day when our spirits will rejoice to know God’s favor.
We watch while the light of day begins to fill the sky.
Come let us walk in the light of God!
Christmas Eve/Day
- based on John 1:9, & Luke 2:14
The One for whom we have been waiting is born!
The True Light, which enlightens all people, has come into the world.
On this night we sing with the angels, “Glory to God in the highest!”
On this night the light of God fills the heavens and illumines the earth.
The glory of God shines all around us.
Come let us walk in the light of God!
Christmas 1
- based on Isaiah 61:10-11
Children of God, let us rejoice with our whole being in God, our Savior.
For God has clothed us with the bright robes of salvation.
Our God will cause righteousness and praise to be seen among the nations.
Like a burning torch, the Light of the World leads us.
Come let us walk in the light of God!
Christmas 2
based on John 1:9, 14
The True Light, which enlightens all people, has come into the world.
The Word of God became flesh and lives among us.
The glory of God shines all around us.
We will walk in the light of God!
Friday, November 28, 2008
Rite of Confession: 3rd Advent (B)
"The four Sundays of Advent find us exploring the four themes of the lectionary texts that have emerged in our prayerful reflection: remembrance, waiting, imagination, and hope. Each Sunday attempts to bear these themes in mind cumulatively (i.e., First Sunday: remember; Second Sunday: remember, wait; etc.). The confessional rites of each Sunday will be shaped in part around these themes, specifically in the ways that we fail to remember God's promises; wait expectantly for God to do a new thing; imagine the world as God might and our part in it, and; hope for the life of the world that is on its way, especially in the Advent (both the first and second) of the Christ. I hope this helps in some small way."
Call to Reconciliation
We are God’s people - a people who live in the light of God’s goodness and love. In that light we come to know more clearly who God is, who we are, the drastic dissonance between the two, and what God imagines us and calls us to become instead. Though we know darkness, let us live into the Light, confessing what of us harkens back to our dark days that we may have the light of Christ rekindled within and among us as we listen for that tender, healing word: forgiveness; as we watch for that holy, imaginative gift: healing. Let us pray...
Prayer of Confession
Silence
Lord of Light, God of Mercy, in the brightness of your presence among us, our darkness is exposed, and in it we begin to see ourselves for who we are when left to our own devices. It is easy to get trapped in the shadows of selfishness and stress. It is tempting to trust our loneliness and fear. It is alluring to believe in our own ability to provide for ourselves through greed and indifference to others. O radiant God, let your light scatter our darkness and illumine our lives. Make straight the path before us, shine the light of your love on ahead of us, and dare us to imagine with you a life lived in love of God, love of neighbor, and service to both. Through Christ. Amen.
Pouring of the Baptismal Waters
Remember your baptism and be thankful!
Declaration of the Promise of Forgiveness
Rejoice! And believe the promise! In a daring act of hope and imagination, God moves ever near to us, gracefully pouring light on what in us is darkened still. The path is made clearer now in the resurrection light of promise and hope. Hear the glad tidings of the gospel of God: The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light!
In Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!
Thanks be to God.
Thanks be to God! Amen!
Gloria Patri
Passing of the Peace
Call to Reconciliation
We are God’s people - a people who live in the light of God’s goodness and love. In that light we come to know more clearly who God is, who we are, the drastic dissonance between the two, and what God imagines us and calls us to become instead. Though we know darkness, let us live into the Light, confessing what of us harkens back to our dark days that we may have the light of Christ rekindled within and among us as we listen for that tender, healing word: forgiveness; as we watch for that holy, imaginative gift: healing. Let us pray...
Prayer of Confession
Silence
Lord of Light, God of Mercy, in the brightness of your presence among us, our darkness is exposed, and in it we begin to see ourselves for who we are when left to our own devices. It is easy to get trapped in the shadows of selfishness and stress. It is tempting to trust our loneliness and fear. It is alluring to believe in our own ability to provide for ourselves through greed and indifference to others. O radiant God, let your light scatter our darkness and illumine our lives. Make straight the path before us, shine the light of your love on ahead of us, and dare us to imagine with you a life lived in love of God, love of neighbor, and service to both. Through Christ. Amen.
Pouring of the Baptismal Waters
Remember your baptism and be thankful!
Declaration of the Promise of Forgiveness
Rejoice! And believe the promise! In a daring act of hope and imagination, God moves ever near to us, gracefully pouring light on what in us is darkened still. The path is made clearer now in the resurrection light of promise and hope. Hear the glad tidings of the gospel of God: The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light!
In Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!
Thanks be to God.
Thanks be to God! Amen!
Gloria Patri
Passing of the Peace
Rite of Confession: 2nd Advent (B)
"The four Sundays of Advent find us exploring the four themes of the lectionary texts that have emerged in our prayerful reflection: remembrance, waiting, imagination, and hope. Each Sunday attempts to bear these themes in mind cumulatively (i.e., First Sunday: remember; Second Sunday: remember, wait; etc.). The confessional rites of each Sunday will be shaped in part around these themes, specifically in the ways that we fail to remember God's promises; wait expectantly for God to do a new thing; imagine the world as God might and our part in it, and; hope for the life of the world that is on its way, especially in the Advent (both the first and second) of the Christ. I hope this helps in some small way."
Call to Reconciliation
In the gift of God’s word, there is at once a power, a patience, and a graciousness that characterize this God for whose promises we find the call and the courage to wait. And today we hear Advent’s invitation to remember God’s promise to come again and make us new, and to await its fulfillment with eager longing. We wait for God because God first waits for us. And a life turned toward repentance is the proper response to God’s gracious patience. So let us in our waiting confess, repent, and let go of all that would threaten to undo us. And let us listen again for the word that brings healing: forgiveness.
Prayer of Confession
Silence
Merciful God, we find ourselves headlong now in this Advent journey, where through remembering and waiting, we posture ourselves to experience your renewing grace. We speak of yearning, of listening, of watchfulness, and light. We speak of the joy of rediscovering you amidst all of our distractions and delight. The waiting-road is long and winding; is nothing if not torturous at times. We find that to be largely due to ourselves. We are an impatient people, O God; we want what we want, and we want it now. We fail to imagine that you, in your infinite patience, have desires, too. You invite us to make straight the path for your coming, to give care to those in need, to listen to those who are troubled, to extend the compassion of Christ to those who hurt. To be messengers of hope to the world. This is patient work for us, a people who despise waiting. Forgive us. Renew us. Grant us your holy patience, that in our waiting we may be found alert to your coming among us, again and again. Through Christ. Amen.
Pouring of the Baptismal Waters
Remember your baptism and be thankful!
Declaration of the Promise of Forgiveness
God waits patiently for us, giving us time and space enough to be made ready for the coming of the Promised One into our lives and - through us - into the life of the world again. Hear the glad tidings of the gospel of God: In Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!
Thanks be to God.
Amen!
Amen.
Gloria Patri
Passing of the Peace
Call to Reconciliation
In the gift of God’s word, there is at once a power, a patience, and a graciousness that characterize this God for whose promises we find the call and the courage to wait. And today we hear Advent’s invitation to remember God’s promise to come again and make us new, and to await its fulfillment with eager longing. We wait for God because God first waits for us. And a life turned toward repentance is the proper response to God’s gracious patience. So let us in our waiting confess, repent, and let go of all that would threaten to undo us. And let us listen again for the word that brings healing: forgiveness.
Prayer of Confession
Silence
Merciful God, we find ourselves headlong now in this Advent journey, where through remembering and waiting, we posture ourselves to experience your renewing grace. We speak of yearning, of listening, of watchfulness, and light. We speak of the joy of rediscovering you amidst all of our distractions and delight. The waiting-road is long and winding; is nothing if not torturous at times. We find that to be largely due to ourselves. We are an impatient people, O God; we want what we want, and we want it now. We fail to imagine that you, in your infinite patience, have desires, too. You invite us to make straight the path for your coming, to give care to those in need, to listen to those who are troubled, to extend the compassion of Christ to those who hurt. To be messengers of hope to the world. This is patient work for us, a people who despise waiting. Forgive us. Renew us. Grant us your holy patience, that in our waiting we may be found alert to your coming among us, again and again. Through Christ. Amen.
Pouring of the Baptismal Waters
Remember your baptism and be thankful!
Declaration of the Promise of Forgiveness
God waits patiently for us, giving us time and space enough to be made ready for the coming of the Promised One into our lives and - through us - into the life of the world again. Hear the glad tidings of the gospel of God: In Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!
Thanks be to God.
Amen!
Amen.
Gloria Patri
Passing of the Peace
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Thank you - and happy thanksgiving
Friends,
Thanks to those of you who have posted new work! I apologize for not being more attentive. Sometime soon we'll talk about how to respond to one another's (one anothers'?) work. If you expert bloggers (you know who you are) have any suggestions about the best way to comment/edit on line, go for it!
In the meantime, I pray you all have a happy Thanksgiving and a blessed beginning to the Advent season.
Grace and peace,
Kim
Thanks to those of you who have posted new work! I apologize for not being more attentive. Sometime soon we'll talk about how to respond to one another's (one anothers'?) work. If you expert bloggers (you know who you are) have any suggestions about the best way to comment/edit on line, go for it!
In the meantime, I pray you all have a happy Thanksgiving and a blessed beginning to the Advent season.
Grace and peace,
Kim
Rite of Confession: 1st Advent (B)
"The four Sundays of Advent find us exploring the four themes of the lectionary texts that have emerged in our prayerful reflection: remembrance, waiting, imagination, and hope. Each Sunday attempts to bear these themes in mind cumulatively (i.e., First Sunday: remember; Second Sunday: remember, wait; etc.). The confessional rites of each Sunday will be shaped in part around these themes, specifically in the ways that we fail to remember God's promises; wait expectantly for God to do a new thing; imagine the world as God might and our part in it, and; hope for the life of the world that is on its way, especially in the Advent (both the first and second) of the Christ. I hope this helps in some small way.
"Advent has come again, and together we go fully into it. It is a time of remembrance, of waiting, of imagination, and hope. It is a season of watchfulness, yearning, bliss. For in it, we see light at the end of our darkness. And yet, shadows of that darkness remain. Let us confess our sin - first alone, then together - that in our confession we may see the ways we allow that darkness to remain, doing so in the good hope that the Light might shine once again to overcome it. Let us pray together..."
Prayer of Confession
Silence
Merciful God, you have invited us to enter again into a new time, a new season, where - with watchful waiting and hopeful imagination - we might remember your promise to make of this old world a new one by the coming of the Christ. We are not alert, though, to your coming. We are pinned down instead by other pressures, preparations, and plans. You promise to do something new, but your "newness" requires the kind of change that we have been told be wary of, and we had just begun to be comfortable. Forgive us, we pray. Restore in us a sense of awe in who you are, a sense of wonder in what you are doing, and a sense of pleasure in our playing a part in your life-giving Advent story of God-with-us, again and again. Through Christ. Amen.
The Pouring of the Waters of Baptism
Remember your baptism and be thankful!
The Declaration of the Promise of Forgiveness
Hear the good news - the gospel of God! In Jesus Christ, God remembers our sin no more, and says instead: You are forgiven!
Thanks be to God!
Amen!
Amen!
Gloria Patri
The Passing of the Peace
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