a community creating for the relentless return of Sunday
O God of highest heaven,
we give you thanks and praise
for your steadfast faithfulness to us.
You divide the chaos and call forth order.
You appear in barren lives and call forth new life.
You never give up on us, even when we seem to have given up on you.
O God of highest heaven,
we sing glory to you
for coming to dwell among us.
We celebrate the gift of your beloved Son,
given to us in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
As he was born for us in Bethlehem so long ago,
may he be born in our hearts again tonight.
May he teach us your ways,
call us back to relationship with you,
and send us out in loving service to all people.
O God of highest heaven,
come to us now.
Let your Holy Spirit fill us as we share this holy meal,
and through us let peace prevail on earth.
We pray in the name of the newborn King,
Jesus the Christ, who would teach us to pray as we say together:
Submitted by Rev. Nathan Williams, Echo Hill Presbyterian Church, Cedar Rapids, IA
O God of light and joy,
we praise you for the gift of your dear Son,
the promised one who comes to establish true peace.
In response to this wondrous gift to us,
we offer these gifts to you.
Receive the offerings we present,
so they might be a blessing to all who are in need.
We commit ourselves to joyful service in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Submitted by Rev. Nathan Williams, Echo Hill Presbyterian Church, Cedar Rapids, IA
If I say, “Surely the darkness will cover me, and the light around me turn to night,” darkness is not dark to you, O Lord; the night is as bright as the day; darkness and light to you are both alike. (psalm 139)
And yet we stumble, O Lord. The night is long, morning seems far off. Though you can see, we cannot. And yet into our uncertainty, into our longing, into our apathy, into our desperation, you come again, taking on flesh to share our life, raising us to oneness with you.
As the light slowly returns to our part of the earth, we pray too for your light to shine gently, bringing us into the glory of your day. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world; whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” We yearn for this light, for life abundant and for joy to come in the morning.
Even as we await the lengthening of days, we remember those for whom the days begin to shorten. For those celebrating your incarnation at the height of summer, soon to slide toward winter’s chill. For those whose joy will be short-lived, as loneliness returns after the parties and presents are cleared away. For those whose gaze has turned toward light eternal, and for those who will walk in the valley of the shadow of death.
… (silence)
Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, or weep this night, and give your angels charge over those who sleep. Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give rest to the weary, bless the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the joyous; all for your love’s sake.
We pray in the name of the One whose cries in the manger echo our own, even Jesus Christ our Lord. amen.
Submitted by Rev. Teri Peterson, the Presbyterian Church of Palatine, IL. Last paragraph (“keep watch…”) from the Book of Common Prayer.
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