What difference will Christmas make
in your life this year?
Gregorian chant: Proclamation of Christmas: St. Meinrad
Schola
Voice
One: In the name of a God who renews us through
the birth of a baby, in the name of the newborn child who shows us the way to
live and in the name of the Spirit who enlightens, comforts and advocates for
us. ALL: Amen. My sisters and brothers, God is within
you! ALL: And also within you. As
we prepare to celebrate this amazing feast of the birth of Jesus, we open our
minds and hearts to hear God’s word and wisdom. ALL: We take your Word into our minds and hearts, open to new understanding.
Voice
Two: We ask for the grace to continually
acknowledge our need to grow in goodness and caring for ourselves and for
others. ALL: We accept your love and
forgiveness for the times that we have lost sight of the wonder and hope that
Christmas brings us. May we live into and through that mystery that gives new
birth to our spirits. Amen.
Voice Three:
Today we are filled
with awe as we reflect and embrace the message of Christmas. We are called to be God’s Light in the darkness of fear, hate and
exclusion. We are beckoned to dry the tears of our world and to bring hope to
the despairing. Let us renew our desire to incarnate God’s promise and
possibility to our sisters and brothers everywhere. May the one whose birth we
celebrate this season be born anew in us.
All: Amen
LITURGY
OF THE WORD
FIRST
READING: “Holding
On To Our Amazement” by Mark Nellsen
SECOND READING: “The Light Is Here and Now” by John
Philip Newell from The Rebirthing of God
Psalm
97 REFRAIN: ALL: A light will shine on us this day: a child is born for us.
From Nan Merrill’s Psalms
For Praying
Gospel: A
reading from the holy gospel according to Luke 2-15-20
Reader: The good news of
Jesus the Christ. All: Glory to you, Jesus the Christ!
Shared Homily
STATEMENT OF FAITHFULNESS Michael Morwood
We believe that
God’s Spirit is in everyone.
Response: We hold this truth in our hearts.
We believe that
God’s Spirit is seen when people love and care and when they try to be neighbor
to one another. We hold this truth
in our hearts.
We believe that
God’s Spirit is blocked when people hurt one another and when they turn to
violence and war. We hold this truth
in our hearts.
We pray that
people everywhere will listen to the presence of God’s Spirit in them and that
they will respect the presence of God’s Spirit in other people. We hold this truth in our hearts.
We pray that war
and violence and hatred will come to an end. We
hold this truth in our hearts.
We commit ourselves
to respecting God’s presence in other people and to being peace-makers. We hold this truth in our hearts. Amen
General
Intercessions
Mary: May each of us be renewed during this season
of light! Response: May our lights shine!
That the darkness of greed, hate and
exclusion be vanished by our actions. Response:
For all those that we have promised to pray
for. Response:
That we may embrace the rebirthing of
God by reaching out to all. Response:
For what else shall we pray?
Eucharistic Prayer – Gratitude (by Jay Murnane) edited
Voice
Four: O Holy One, we are amazed by the world around us, and we respond with
deep thanks. We are blessed by the lights of the heavens: the sun and moon,
planets and comets and stars; we are blessed by the darkness which keeps us
from being blinded by the light, and eases us into contemplation and
rootedness. We are blessed by the generous oceans, and the cliffs and shores
which embrace them and allow us to be touched, and to touch. We are blessed by
streams and lakes and rivers, by snow and rain. We are blessed by mountains,
which teach us of solitude; where we can feel the power of the softest wind. We
are blessed by all the harmonies of creation, which charge our souls with hope.
We are blessed by the children whose open arms and imaginations teach us
enthusiasm and delight at living in the now. We are blessed by friends who
share with us the dark and the light, the tears and the laughter – our
companions on the journey. We are filled with appreciation for all these
blessings, as we become aware that all is oneness and oneness is all. And so we
say:
Voice Five: Holy, Holy! Holy, Holy! Holy Source of wonderful life.
All of creation is filled with your glory; Deep compassion all around us!
Blessed are those who come in the name of the Source of wonderful life; Because
of the pain in our hearts and the immensity of the world’s pain, we often walk
this good earth without appreciation and awareness. We are blessed by all those
who have asked us to look around, open up, breathe deeply and really see. We appreciate our elders in the family of
life – whale and wolf and sunflower and wheat – who simply live with joy and abandon.
We celebrate the troubadours and the truth-tellers who have gone before us, and
who are with us now. We celebrate Jesus, who lived fully in love to show us how
to live, and who died only for the sake of integrity and life.
ALL: On the night before he died, he sat at a table with
friends and relived with them his work, his teaching and wisdom of the
universe. Then he went among them as servant, washing their feet, touching
their hearts. When he returned to his
place, he took bread, gave thanks and offered it to them saying:
Take this bread and eat it; It is my life. (pause)
He lifted a
cup of wine, gave thanks and offered it: Take and drink of the covenant made
new again through my life poured out for you and for everyone that you might
really be free.
Whenever you
remember me like this, I am among you. ( pause)All extend hands over the bread
and wine and say:
THEREFORE,
WE ASK THAT YOU SEND YOUR HOLY SPIRIT AFRESH UPON US AND UPON OUR GIFTS THAT
THEY MAY BECOME FOR US AND WE FOR THE WORLD, THE BODY AND BLOOD OF JESUS THE
CHRIST AT WHOSE INVITATION WE CELEBRATE THIS EUCHARIST!
Voice Six: As we are joined with all of
creation, so are we joined with Jesus in life and ministry, death and
resurrection. We are joined with him in standing with the broken and wounded of
the earth, with hands open and ready to serve, creativity turned to healing,
resolution and reconciliation. We journey towards greater and fuller openness
and awareness, a living sense of gratitude and amazement, always opening up to
the amazing energies of your creative spirit, we enter into life as Jesus did, as
his companions, and truth-tellers, breathing with your own spirit, we are able
to mirror your own glory, O Holy One, as we live ever fuller openness and
awareness, a living sense of gratitude. Always opening up to the amazing
energies of your creative spirit, we enter into life as Jesus did, as his
companions, and truth-tellers, breathing
with your own spirit, we are able to mirror your own glory, O Holy One, as we
live every day. Amen
The Prayer
of Jesus Our Father/Mother
The Sign of
Peace
Mary: Jesus, You said to your
disciples, “My peace I leave you. My
peace I give you.” Look on the faith of
all and grant us your peace and unity. ALL:
Amen.
God’s peace is with
us and everyone! Let us offer each
other a sign of peace.
LITANY
FOR THE BREAKING OF BREAD
ALL: Light of our lives, You call us to
spirit-filled living; guide us by your Spirit.
Light of our lives, You call us to spirit-filled service; strengthen us
to serve with compassion. Light of our
lives, You call us to be Your spirit in the world, grant us peace. (Someone hold up the bread and cup) This is Jesus, who liberates, heals and transforms
our world.
All: Jesus you have made us worthy to receive
you and become you for others. We are the Body of Christ.
Prayer After Communion
Loving God, may the Eucharist
that we celebrate bring us to rebirth Christ in our lives again... May we continue to bring light and amazement
to the mission and ministry of spreading the Good News of God’s unfailing
love. May we strive to feed all at the
Banquet of Love. May we accept the
liberating power of the Holy Spirit who is with us still. This we ask in the name of Jesus, the Christ.
ALL:
Amen.
CONCLUDING
RITE
Mary: God is always within us All: God will never leave us!
BLESSING
(Everyone please extend your
hands in mutual blessing.) ALL:
May our loving God, bless all here gathered in the name of God our light
and life, in the name of Jesus our liberator, and healer in the name of the Holy Spirit, our nurturer,
and companion, as we care and minister to one another in love, and as we embody
amazement and light. Amen.
DISMISSAL: Go in the peace of Christ!
ALL: Thanks be to God.
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