“Of this One’s fullness, we’ve all had a share—gift on top of
gift” (John1:16)
Jesus our Pastor,
Janet Blakeley music minister
Ford Englerth and
Katy Zatsick RCWP; co-presiders
Welcome
Gathering Song: All # 103 Once in Royal David’s City V
1,3,5 (please
sing God instead of Lord)
Presiders:
In the name of God our creator, and of Jesus our brother, and of the Holy
Spirit our sanctifier. All: Amen. Presiders: May God be with you. All: And also with you.
Opening Prayer. All: Evolutionary God,
giver of all gifts, you clothe us with love and lead us to truth. Let us realize the wonder of your call to
life. Give us a hunger to see the beauty
and goodness that you see in us. Let us respond by giving all to you and by
sharing life creatively with one another.
Let the birth of Jesus be a new birth for us, that we may be children in
whom you are well pleased. Grant this through Jesus our brother, who lives and
reigns with you, Source of all Being, and with Sophia your Spirit forever and
ever. Amen
First
Reading
Response: Psalm 72 #785 All: “O God, every nation on earth will adore
you.”
Second Reading
You
are, today, a wise one,
Come
by signs to see a late born Babe in manger laid,
A
wrapped–up boy who seeks to nurse and pines
For
love---to care for wanderers who’ve made
Themselves
a journey on a trek to see this future---this, the least of men, a weak,
A
homeless person here---the Word of “we”--who is—like all--God’s own child,
Meek
beyond compare, perhaps, but look and see:
That
celebrating Christmas is
The
gift to give to those unworthy, see the need and fill it,
Touch
a soul by healing rift and rage
With
kind, forgiving, reach-out deed.
Our
standing in this distant, mythic stable
Depends
on how to share a big-heart table. (Christmas 2014 by
Joris Heise with author’s permission)
This
too is the Word of God. All: Thanks be to God.
Gospel
Acclamation: Alleluia (sung before & after gospel)
Gospel:
A reading from the Gospel according to Matthew 2:1-12
Response
after Gospel: All: Glory and Praise to
you, Jesus our brother.
Shared
Homily:
What gift(s) has God
given to me especially this year past?
What gift(s) will I give
to my community MMOJ in 2015?
Profession of Faith: All: We believe in God, the creator of
all whose divinity infuses life with the sacred. We believe in God who creates,
sustains and receives us. We believe in
Jesus our brother who is our path to the fullness of humanity. Through Jesus we
become new people, called beyond our brokenness, lifted to the fullness of
life. We believe in Sophia, the breath of God on earth, who keeps the Christ
vision present and infuses energy into weary spirits. Amen to courage, to hope,
to the spirit of truth, to wholeness, to the partnership and equality of women
and men in God’s plan. We believe in equality, justice and peace for all
including earth-home to all life. We surely believe in all this! Amen
Presider: Always mindful of
God’s love and care for us, we bring our needs to our loving God.
After
each petition, response is: All: God who
gifts us, hear our prayer!
Presider: God of Wholeness
and unconditional love, you faithfully listen to our prayers. Energize us in
our works for justice, equality, and peace. We make this prayer thru Jesus the
Christ. All: Amen
Collection
and gifts to the table
All: Song #105 “We Three
Kings” for. V 1, 5 -replace
“King” with Love
Preparation of the
Gifts: Presiders: (raising bread and wine)
Ever
gentle God, we offer you the gifts of bread, wine and our lives. May we love tenderly, do justice and walk
humbly with our God. We ask this through
Jesus our Brother and Way. Amen.
Please gather around
the table--ALL are welcome!
All: We ask you to awaken
anew in our hearts your abundant Spirit Sophia, who infuses these gifts of
bread and wine with the transforming energy of life to nourish and sustain us
on our journey of bringing our gifts to the world.
All: (Words of
Institution/consecration, extend your hand) On the night before Jesus died,
while at supper with his friends, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke
the bread and gave it to them saying, “Take this, all of you, and eat. This
bread is you, this bread is me. We are one body, the presence of God in the
world. Do this in memory of me” (Pause)
In
the same way, Jesus took the cup of wine. He said the blessing, gave the cup to
his friends and said, “Take this all of you and drink. We are of one blood, the
presence of God in the world. Do this in memory of me.”
All: Holy Spirit embrace
us in our brokenness and help us give our gifts to our family, those in need
and our faith community. May your Spirit Sophia birth a new world of peace and
justice through our prayers, actions and words. Through your Spirit Sophia, may
we create Sacred space where everyone feels accepted, included and welcomed in
our Mary Mother of Jesus community, the kindom of God. Amen
All: Prayer of Jesus:
Sung
Sign
of Peace All: Let there be peace on
earth & let it begin with me. Let there be peace on earth, the peace that
was meant to be. With God as our Maker, we are family. Let us walk with each
other in perfect harmony. Let peace begin with me; let this be the moment now.
With every step I take, let this be my solemn vow: To take each moment &
live each moment in peace eternally. Let there be peace on earth & let it
begin with me!
Presiders: This is Jesus who
gifts us with God’s unconditional love, who liberates, heals and transforms us
and our world. All are invited to partake of this banquet of Love.
All: We are the Body
of Christ. We are the Blood of Christ.
Before receiving
communion; All sing:
Holy gifts for holy people; come, you hungry, and believe. Come an take Christ’s body offered, come and
be what your receive. (X2)
During Communion All
sing:
“We are holy, holy, holy (x3), we are whole; You are holy, holy, holy (x3) you
are whole; I am holy (x3) I am whole; We are holy, holy, holy (x3) We are
whole.
Prayer of
Thanksgiving
Voice 1: For the
thanksgiving, give thanks this way: First, for the cup: We thank you, our
Father, for the sacred vine of David your son, whose meaning you made clear to
us through your son Jesus, yours ever be the splendor.
Voice 2: And for the bread
fragment: We thank you, our Father, for the life and wisdom whose meaning you
made clear to us through your son Jesus, yours ever be the splendor.
Voice 3: As this fragment
was scattered high on hills, but by gathering was united into one, so let your
people from earth’s ends be united into your single reign, for yours are
splendor and might through Jesus Christ down the ages.
Prayers of
Thanksgiving
Announcements
Closing song: All: #104 The First
Nowell verses 3, 4, 5 Verse 3 please sing “wise ones” instead of “men” Please
sing “God” instead of “King”
Final Blessing: All sing with hands raised in mutual blessing
“You
are the Face of God, I hold you in my heart, you are a part of me, you are the
face of God.
You
are the face of God, I hold you in my heart, you are my family, you are the
face of God.
Presiders: Go in the peace of Jesus
Christ born anew in our hearts, let our service in 2015 begin!
All: Thanks be to God.
Alleluia
“Are you finally ready to accept your gifts and your passions
as signs that it’s time to listen to your heart? And as you listen, are you
finally ready to step into your life in a deeper more action-oriented way? I
hope so; the New Year is here.”
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