Lighting of the Advent and Christ Candles

….Our world is not how it should be, and yet, in this season of Christmas, we celebrate how God comes, in the form of a helpless child, to our vulnerable world, and brings us hope, peace, joy, love, and the promise of new life. We celebrate the coming of the Light of the World.

We lift our hearts in praise for the gift of Jesus, Emmanuel, God-with-us.

Offering Prayer

Loving God,
may the giving and receiving of these gifts
open ourselves and all your children
to the blessings you give this Christmas:
the gift of childlike wonder;
the gift of radiant hope;
the gift of peace
which passes all understanding;
the gift of joy
which knows no bounds,
the gift of unending, unconditional love.
With these gifts, we bring ourselves, O God,
in response to the greatest gift of all—
Jesus Christ, the Child of Bethlehem,
In whose name we pray, Amen.

Prayer of Approach

—adapted from “Gloria”, written by Joy Cowley, Liturgy that Works

Glorious are you, our Creator God, Mystery of Life,
essence of all creation.
You are the symphony of stars and planets.
You are the music of the atoms within us.
You are the dawn on mountain peaks,
the moonlight on evening seas.
Forest and farm, the rush of the city,
everything is embraced in your love.

We rejoice as we sing our gratitude.

Glorious are you, O Jesus Christ,
Cosmic love in human flesh.
You graced the smallness of time and place
to teach us to dance to the music.
You walk on our seas and heal in our streets.
You make your home in our lives,
revealing that cross and resurrection
are one on the road to freedom.

We rejoice as we sing our gratitude.

Glorious are you, O Spirit of Truth,
wisdom and breath of our being.
You are the wind that sweeps our senses.
You are the fire that burns in our hearts.
You are the needle of the inner compass,
always pointing to true North,
guiding us on the sacred song and the holy dance
into the Mystery of Life.

We rejoice as we sing our gratitude.
Glory to you, O God, glory in the highest!
Amen.

Commissioning

Glory to God in the highest!
And on earth, peace and goodwill to all!
Go with God and continue to share the song of Christmas!