Christmas Eve: Call to Worship and Prayer

Here’s a responsive call to worship for late Advent.  It was written by Rev. Gord, and posted on his Worship Offerings blog.

Call to Worship, Opening Prayer

We count it in mere hours now.

Soon the first pains of labour will be felt.
Soon the Light will shine in the darkness,

soon the baby will be born.
Soon God will once again break into our lives,
coming in a way that is expected yet unusual,

challenging our expectations

and calling us to see life differently.

God of birth, God of light,

in this time of song and prayer and silence,
reawaken in us the awe of Christmas.
As we hear again the story of a young woman and a surprising visitor,
remind us that we are called to respond to you in unexpected ways.
And when we leave this place,
may we be willing to sing praises

for a young woman who said YES

and the birth that we prepare to celebrate.
We pray in the name of the child

who even now is starting to push from the womb,

who would later teach his friends to pray saying

Our Father….

~ posted by Rev Gord on his blog, Worship Offerings. http://worshipofferings.blogspot.ca/

Christmas Benediction

Here is a benediction for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. It comes from the Society of Saint Andrew website.

Benediction for Christmas

The child is born! Alleluia!

Our God has come among us!

Let the whole earth rejoice!

Let us leave the manger and return to our daily routines,

knowing that we have seen the Lord,

and glorifying and praising God

for all that we have heard and seen.

Alleluia! Our God is now here!

Go forth, with full confidence and joy

that you have seen the Messiah.

Alleluia! Our God is now here!

Go forth to spread the Good News wherever you go,

sharing God’s love and promise with all whom you meet.

Go into the world to find the lost,

   heal the broken,

      feed the hungry,

         release the prisoner,

            rebuild the nations,

               bring peace among people,

                  and make music in every heart.

Alleluia! Our God is now here!

In the name of our God,

Creator, Christ, and Holy Spirit,

we cry out with the angels in the heavens

and the shepherds in the fields:

Alleluia! Our God is now here! Amen. 

~ from Miracle in the Manger, posted on the Society of Saint Andrew website. http://www.endhunger.org/PDFs/2013/Advent_eBook_2013.pdf

Christmas Prayer: We Greet Your Coming

Here is an opening prayer for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. It was posted on Xavier University’s Jesuit Resource website.

Opening Prayer for Christmas:

We Greet Your Coming

We greet your coming, God, with wonder:
You come to be with us;

     yet you remain far greater than we can imagine.
You are near;

     yet your wisdom sets you apart from us.
You appear among us;

     yet we cannot describe your glory.

We greet your coming, God, with repentance:
We are more-or-less satisfied with ourselves;

     but your presence exposes our sin and failure.
We are self-confident;

     but you challenge our confidence in ourselves.
We are proud of our understanding;

     but you show us that we do not know everything.

We greet your coming, God, with joy:
We had no true idea of what you are like;

     but you have shown us yourself in Jesus Christ.
We felt our human life could be of no importance to you;

     but you have shown its value by appearing among us as a man.
We are aware of the gulf between us and you;

     but you have bridged it with love. 

God, we greet your coming in Jesus Christ our Lord!

~ in Contemporary Prayers for Public Worship, ed. Caryl Micklem (London: SCM Press, 1971), 111-112. Posted on Xavier University’s JesuitResource.org website. http://www.xavier.edu/jesuitresource/online-resources/Christmas-Prayers.cfm

Prayer of Confession: Luke 1:47-55

Here’s a prayer of confession inspired by Mary’s Magnificat in Luke 1:47-55. It was written by Joanna Harader, and posted on Spacious Faith.

Magnificat Prayer of Confession

(inspired by Luke 1:47-55)

When our spirits despair and we deny our blessedness,
Forgive us, O God.
When we ignore the mighty things you have done,
When we doubt your mercy,
Forgive us, O God.
When we are proud
in the thoughts of our hearts,
When our power rests on the oppression of others,
When our wealth causes others to go hungry,
forgive us, O God.

[silence]

Help us, your servants,

according to the promises you have made.

~  written by Joanna Harader and posted on Spacious Faith. https://spaciousfaith.com/

Prayer of Illumination: Luke 1

Here is a prayer of illumination (a prayer traditionally spoken before the reading and preaching of the Word), from the Worship@North website.

Prayer of Illumination

(inspired by Luke 1:26-38)

Faithful God,

you chose Mary, full of grace,

to be the mother of our Sovereign and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Now fill us with your grace, that with her,

we may understand your ways,

rejoice in your salvation,

and embrace your will;

through Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever. Amen. 

~ from a collection of prayers posted on the Worship@North website. https://northchurchindy.wordpress.com/ 

Call to Worship for Longest Night

Here is a call to worship for a Longest Night or Blue Christmas service, or (as Cheryl Lawrie puts it), “a call to worship for those for whom this Christmas comes at too much of a cost.” It was posted on [hold this space].

Call to Worship: Alleluias

It takes faith beyond imagining

to have come to hear this story

if you are living things too difficult

to be made sense of

by an ancient memory of angels and wise men.

It takes faith beyond imagining

to have come to hear this story

when you know that it will be a greater miracle

than any virgin birth

for love to be born right now in our world.

The alleluias we sing today

will not be to drown out the world’s truths that would deny them;

but to pray they will hold us in their faith.

So we gather

the bewildered, the broken hearted, the fragile and the hopeful

the faithful and the faithless

because all we have left when we stand in the world’s darkness

is this longing for love to be born once again.

~ written by Cheryl Lawrie and posted on [hold this space]. http://holdthisspace.org.au/

Prayers of the People: Blue Christmas

Here’s a prayer of petition and intercession for a Blue Christmas or Longest Night service. It was posted on The Young Clergywoman Project blog.

Prayers of the People:

Blue Christmas

In the spirit of this season

let us now confidently ask our God

for all the good things we need:

For ourselves

as we participate in this Christmas

coping with our many different losses.

God, hear our prayer.

And in your mercy, answer.

For our families and friends,

that they may continue to help and support us.

God, hear our prayer.

And in your mercy, answer.

For any person we have loved who has died,

for all the losses we know in our lives,

that all may be redeemed by your Easter promise.

God, hear our prayer.

And in your mercy, answer.

For our family and friends,

that you may bless them with love, peace, and joy.

God, hear our prayer.

And in your mercy, answer.

For peace throughout the world

as proclaimed by the Christmas Angels

on that faraway hillside.

God, hear our prayer.

And in your mercy, answer.

For greater understanding of the lessons of love and acceptance

as taught by Jesus your Christ.

God, hear our prayer.

And in your mercy, answer.

God of great compassion and love,

listen to the prayers of these your people.

Grant to all,

especially the bereaved and troubled ones this Christmas,

the blessing we ask in the name of Jesus,

who taught us to pray, 

Our Father, who art in heaven….

~ from a complete Blue Christmas liturgy (“When Christmas Hurts”) posted on The Young Clergywoman Project blog. http://youngclergywomen.org/blue-christmas-service-when-christmas-hurts/