Advent

The Life of Christmas Yet-to-Come (Isaiah 7:11-16 and Matthew 1:18-25)

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Our world can often be the busiest and most stressful
in a season that should be full of joy and anticipation.
Remind us, Lord, that we need to take time to listen.
Remind us, to take time to be quiet, and to be still.
Open our hearts and eyes to your presence in our lives.

Ring Out Your Truth
Ring out our truth
Ring out your love
Reverberate in our lives
Come, Lord, come!

We can be conflicted people, God.
On one hand, we can focus too much on today’s busyness,
that we don’t plan for the future.
On the other hand, we can fixate on the future in fear
imagining all the terrible things that could happen
until we are frozen in fear.
Remind us, Lord, that you are always with us.
Fill us with your peace and remove our fears.
As you are always with us, we share that love and support
with those in our community who are hurting.
We ask that you be with those we name today, ___
and with those we have not named.

Ring Out Your Truth
Ring out our truth
Ring out your love
Reverberate in our lives
Come, Lord, come!

We know that the future is what we make it.
We move forward in confidence that you are with us
and we take your teachings with us as we move forward.
Remind us to live a life full of joy that we have you in our lives.
Remind us, as we prepare for a new year, to live a life of purpose.
Remind us, that we can be a miracle in someone else’s life.

Ring Out Your Truth
Ring out our truth
Ring out your love
Reverberate in our lives
Come, Lord, come!

In this season of preparation and anticipation,
remind us to take time to listen for you, Lord.
Remind us to take a few minutes to sit quietly and
to open ourselves to your teachings, to your peace.
Open our hearts to your presence and your grace.
And as we open ourselves to you, we lift up our words to you
in prayer, using the words your Son taught us,
“Our Father….”

The Remembrance of Christmas Past (Isaiah 11:1-10 and Matthew 3:1-12)

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Gracious God, we know that our past influences our present and our future.
The past has shaped us, taught us how to view the world around us,
and created internal truths that are not easily challenged.
Open our eyes, Lord, to your truth, to your teachings.
Remind us that while we see, our eyes may not
see clearly and that truth may be hidden
by carefully placed shadows.
Remind us that our ears can be lied to by twisted words of half-truths
and by appeals to our unknown biases.
Ring out your truth, Lord, and open our eyes to see the entire picture.
Ring out your truth, Lord, and help us to hear the call of righteousness.

When we look back on our lives, Lord, we can see where we made mistakes.
We can see where our choices hurt other people and even ourselves.
Our mistakes can weigh us down, keeping us from trusting others,
building walls between others because we don’t know how to apologize, or
filling us with fear of making new mistakes.
We can hold onto resentments and cling to our anger
until we no longer remember exactly what the issue was.
Ring out your love, Lord, and help us put down our heavy burdens.
Ring out your love, Lord, and help us to find reconciliation with one another.

In this Advent season, we remember the past and prepare again for your coming.
As we look at those around us who will be joining us at your table,
we give thanks for those who have influenced us and made us
who we are today.
We lift up those among us, here and in our daily lives, who need support.
We name ___.
We celebrate and take encouragement from the joys of life,
thanking you for the gift of laughter and fellowship.
Ring out your truth, Lord, and open our eyes to the joys and concerns of our community.
Ring out your truth, Lord, and help us to embrace all of our neighbors
building a sense of your community throughout our world.

As your people, we have followed the voice crying out in the wilderness,
to prepare a way for your truth, to follow your teachings and to share your love with others.
As your people, we use the words taught to us so many years ago,
“Our Father…”

Bah! Humbug! Time for Change (Isaiah 2:2-3 and Matthew 24:36-44)

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The spirit of change, like a strong wind,
is blowing around us, pushing us one way
and then another.
We feel out of control at times,
and can easily lose our balance.
Fearful that our situation could change at any moment,
we cling to our treasures tightly and stake a claim on what is ours.
As your truth rings out,
remind us that there is more than enough for all to share.

You sent us your son and
we followed him up the mountainside.
We sat at his feet listening to his teachings.
And the spirit of change blew from Jerusalem
throughout the entire world.
The people listened and were transformed.
As your truth rings out,
remind us to also walk in your path and
to follow your teachings.

The spirit of change flows through us and around us.
We touch it in the life-giving water of our baptism and
we feel it in the wind that pulls down the colorful leaves of autumn
and we taste it when we feast on the harvest grown from the earth
and we hear it in the crackle of the Yuletide fire.
We ask you to use the spirit of change to transform us
so that we can share and use your teachings to transform others.
We lift up our cares and concerns to you, and ask that you
be with those among us who need your extra strength and healing grace.
As your truth rings out,
remind us that we may never know how much of a difference we make
in someone else’s life, but help us to realize that our every action and
our every thought does have an impact on this world.

The spirit of change is all-powerful and always present,
around us and within us.
We feel that power when we gather together as your people.
We remind ourselves of that power
every time we use the words your son taught us,
“Our Father…”

We Remember Your Promise (Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:2-4, 3:17-19)

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Sometimes when we look at our world,
our eyes fill with tears.
We wonder why hate seems to thrive,
why pain is a constant presence
and why greed champions over justice.
We cry out at times that it is not fair.
We ask where you are, Lord,
and lift our fears up to you
hoping you will give us peace and power.

Our brothers and sisters march in protest,
asking if they matter, if they have any importance.
We find ourselves judged and given privilege or censure
based on our appearance, our education, and
our social class.
Our young people ask, what is important in this life?
Our middle-aged ask, why have the rules changed?
Our elderly ask, who will take care of us?

If we are honest with ourselves, Lord,
we know that our world is a reflection of our choices.
It is not you who has set up a battle between good and evil,
it is us.
When we allow ourselves to focus on money and power,
we forget to focus on what is important and on what we need,
instead we focus on what we want.
When we focus on ourselves,
we ignore those among us who need our help.

Sometimes when we look at our world,
our eyes fill with tears.
But, we remember, your promise, your strength.
You are our Savior and
we will learn to answer our questions by truly practicing your teachings.
We are the ones who can make a difference in this world.
Fill us with your strength and grace.
Be with those among us who need you the most, ___

We wait for you, and as we wait,
remind us to also act,
to make this world a more just and peaceful place.
As we wait, we use the words your son taught us,
“Our Father…”

Stories of Faith (Luke 1:26-38)

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We sit here in this holy place,
a place in which we hear stories of wonder.
In this season, we hear of a teenage girl
who will become the mother of your son,
and of an older woman who also will
give birth after many empty years.

We have stories of wonder in our own lives.
The birth of a child,
the recovery from an illness,
the brilliance of a sunrise over a field of snow,
the love we thought we would never find,
or the warmth of forgiveness after a quarrel.

We sit here in this holy place,
a place in which we hear stories of faith.
In this season, a teenage girl says let it be with me
according to your word.

Let it be with us, Lord,
according to your word.
Open our hearts to the possibilities within you.
Free our imagination to dream of what we could be
and what we should be.
Give us the faith to accept what you place before us.
Give us the wisdom to discern our purpose in your plan.

We sit here in this holy place,
every week.
Send us out into the world to share those stories of wonder,
those stories of faith.
Send us out into the world to fulfill your possibilities,
to actualize the dream of what we should be,
and to set your plan into motion.
Let it be with me, according to your word.

We sit here in this holy place,
looking at the faces of our brothers and sisters in Christ.
We are your children, Lord,
and we ask for your strength and healing grace for those among us who need you the most.
We name __
We have heard your stories of wonder and faith.
We have also heard how your son taught us to pray,
“Our Father…”

Turning Our World Upside Down (Luke 1:26-45, 56)

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Father, your love for us knows no bounds.
Your grace is freely given to us,
no matter our failings.
In your love, you sent the angel Gabriel
to an ordinary teenager living in the middle of nowhere.
Do not be afraid, said Gabriel.
Fear not, but I am going to turn your world upside down.

Father, today we are feeling like our world has been turned upside down.
In this Advent time of joy and preparation,
we are faced instead with events
that make us fearful,
that divide us, and
that cause us to question our very core.
We are a fearful people, at times.
We’ve heard your message: Fear not, for I am with you.
And yet, in the dark of the night, when all is quiet,
those worries and fears can echo loudly in our ears.
When we read the news and watch the pain and devastation in real-time,
we can allow our fear to overwhelm our sense of balance.
We let fear harden our hearts against those who need our help the very most.

Father, your love for us knows no bounds.
We are your children, each of us precious in your sight.
Each of us is deeply loved and uniquely cherished.
And in your love, you sent us your Son.
In this season of Advent, we wait and prepare,
for the gift that brings us closer to you.
As we wait, walk with us on our journey,
remind us that you are with us when our thoughts turn to worry,
unclench our hands when our fears make us anxious and angry,
open our eyes to the power of your love in our lives,
allow us to hear each other without judgment,
show us your truths,
and teach us to work together for the good of all your people.
As Mary said, Let it be with me according to your word,
open our hearts so that we also say, Let it be with me.

Father, your love for us knows no bounds.
In this season of Advent, help us to replace our fear with the joy of your love.
Let it be with us according to your word.
In this season of Advent, help us to show that love to others.
Let it be with us according to your word.
In this season of Advent, help us to teach your word to others.
Let it be with us according to your word.
In this season of Advent, help us to lift up those around us.
Let it be with us according to your word.

And, in this season of Advent, as we wait for the renewing celebration of the gift of your son,
we use the words he taught us,
“Our Father…”

You may have the congregation respond using the words in bold text.