Here’s a candle-lighting litany for AdventYear B, written by Rev. Richard J. Fairchild and posted on his Kir-shalom website. I’ve only included the first Sunday’s litany here. See below for a link to the rest.
Rev. Fairchild writes: “Every Sunday of Advent the candle lighting is preceded by a brief Call to Worship and the introit "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" and is followed by the singing of the "Advent Song" (also known as the "Light One Candle" song) by the congregation. When the call to worship is over, come forward as the congregation sings the introit. Then do the following litany in the way you have decided. After the song and the prayer are done the candle lighting group may return to their seats.”
The First Sunday of Advent: Hope
Today is the first Sunday of Advent,
the Sunday in which we recall the hope we have in Christ.
The prophets of Israel all spoke of the coming of Christ,
of how a saviour would be born,
a king in the line of David.
They spoke of how he would rule the world wisely
and bless all nations.
On Christmas day the Christ of our hope was born.
On Good Friday the Christ of our hope died.
On Easter day the Christ of our hope rose from the dead.
He then ascended into heaven.
On the last day, the Christ of our hope will come again
to establish his kingdom over all things on earth.
As the follower of Christ, we await his return.
We light this candle to remember
that as he came to us as humbly in the manger at Bethlehem
and gave light to the world,
so he is coming again in power to deliver his people.
We light this candle to remind us to be alert
and to watch for his return.
(light the first candle)
All sing verse one and chorus of the “Advent Song”
or another appropriate song.
Let us pray:
Loving God, we thank you for the hope you give us.
Help us prepare our hearts for the Lord's coming.
Bless our worship.
Help us live holy and righteous lives.
We ask it in the name of the one born in Bethlehem.
Amen.
The litanies for the following Sundays follow this order: Peace, Joy, Love. There is also a litany for Christmas Eve and the Sunday after Christmas. Click here to see them on the Kir-shalom website.
— written by Rev. Richard J. Fairchild, posted on the Kir-shalom website.
For another series of candle-lighting litanies on the Kir-shalom website, click here.
For more worship resources for the season of Advent, see this index of Advent Worship Resources, or click on Advent 1, 2, 3, or 4 in the list of “Labels” at the lower right side of the page. For Christmas worship resources, see this index of Christmas Worship Resources.
