The Waiting is Over

A short liturgy for lighting the Christ Candle on Christmas Day.
Voice 1: At last! The day has come!
Voice 2: The first candle encouraged us to wait, and it was a long wait. [THE FIRST CANDLE IS LIT]
Voice 1: The second candle encouraged us to remember God’s promises.
[THE SECOND CANDLE IS LIT]
Voice 2: The third candle encouraged us to prepare the way.
[THE THIRD CANDLE IS LIT]
Voice 1: And the fourth candle encouraged us to make ourselves ready.
[THE FOURTH CANDLE IS LIT]
Voice 2: But now the day is here!
Voice 1: Christ is come.
Voice 2: The centre of it all.
Voice 1: Now we light the central candle to remind us that Jesus, the light of the world, is with us.
[THE CENTRAL CANDLE IS LIT]
Voice 2: Isaiah promised:
Voice 1: "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;
Voice 2: on those who living in a land of deep darkness light has shined."
Voice 1: And John began his Gospel saying:
Voice 2: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
Voice 1: In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
Voice 2: The Word became flesh and blood and came to live among us.
Voice 1: We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Voice 1 & 2: Let us pray:
All: God of love, you have sent your Son as the light of the world. May we reflect the light of your love not only this special day but every day. Amen.

Shalom

Comments

A Woman of no Distinction

Don't often post other people's stuff here... But I found this so powerful that I thought I should. It's a performance poem based on John 4: 4-30, and I have attached the original YouTube video below. A word for women, and men, everywhere... "to be known is to be loved, and to be loved is to be known." I am a woman of no distinction of little importance. I am a women of no reputation save that which is bad. You whisper as I pass by and cast judgmental glances, Though you don’t really take the time to look at me, Or even get to know me. For to be known is to be loved, And to be loved is to be known. Otherwise what’s the point in doing either one of them in the first place? I WANT TO BE KNOWN. I want someone to look at my face And not just see two eyes, a nose, a mouth and two ears; But to see all that I am, and could be all my hopes, loves and fears. But that’s too much to hope for, to wish for, or pray for So I don’t, not anymore. Now I keep to myself And by that

Psalm for Harvest Sunday

A short responsive psalm for us as a call to worship on Harvest Thanksgiving Sunday, and given that it was pouring with rain as I headed into church this morning the first line is an important remembrance that the rain we moan about is an important component of the fruitfulness of the land we live in: You tend the land and water it And the earth produces its abundance. You crown each year with your bounty, and our storehouses overflow with your goodness. The mountain meadows are covered with flocks and the valleys are filled with corn; Your people celebrate your boundless grace They shout for joy and sing. from Psalm 65

Anointed

There has been a lot of chatter on social media among some of my colleagues and others about the liturgical and socio-political niceties of Saturday's coronation and attendant festivities, especially the shielding of the anointing with the pictured spoon - the oldest and perhaps strangest of the coronation artefacts. Personally I thought that was at least an improvement on the cloth of gold canopy used in the previous coronation, but (pointless) debates are raging as to whether this is an ancient practice or was simply introduced in the previous service to shield the Queen from the TV cameras, not for purposes of sacredness, but understandable coyness, if she actually had to bare her breast bone in puritan 1950s Britain. But as any church leader knows, anything performed twice in a church becomes a tradition. All this goes to show that I did actually watch it, while doing other things - the whole shooting match from the pre-service concert with yer wumman in that lemon-

Virtual Methodist

Search This Blog