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| (left) Sally Brochu ARCWP and Elena Garcia ARCWP |
WELCOME
LIGHTING OF THE ADVENT CANDLE
Presider:
Holy Creator, the day draws near when the glory of Jesus will make radiant the
night of the waiting world. You are continually developing and expanding the
universe, continually giving birth to each of us and all life on planet earth. Help us to prepare the stable within our
hearts for the birth of our Beloved
Brother Jesus. (Fourth candle is lit
as the community prays)
All: We light the
fourth candle of Advent and remember that luminous Goodness and Love – the
presence of the Divine, burns in the being of every person on this earth. May
we kindle the light of joy for others in your name. Amen.
Opening
Song: “You Come, You Come, Emmanuel”
You come, You come, Emmanuel
You gather all who stumbled and fell.
You share Your life, you share your love; Your dawn breaks
forth in wondrous light above.
Refrain:
Rejoice, rejoice, O people of the earth! In God’s great love we comprehend your
worth!
You come with grace, O Source of Light.
You teach us to find courage in the night.
Your way is justice, mercy and peace,
Your wisdom is the path to true release.
Refrain
OPENING
PRAYER
Presider: …into new life. All: Amen
PENITENTIAL SERVICE
Advent Prayer of Confession Written by Rev. Jan Brooks at the Cottonwood Falls Presbyterian
Church and adapted by Elena Garcia ARCWP (inspired by John16:23 and John 20)
LITURGY
OF THE WORD
First
Reading: Micah 5: 1-4
All: Thanks be to God
All: Thanks be to God
Psalm
80 Response: Restore us O Holy One! Let your face shine upon us, teach
us to love.
Second
Reading: “The Reed of God” By Caryll Houselander
All: Thanks be to God
All: Thanks be to God
Gospel acclamation: Litany of the Word: # 44 verses 1 and 2
Gospel:
Luke 1:39-45 After
Gospel repeat #44 verses 3 & 4
Fourth Sunday Of Advent—Peace
Elena Garcia ARCWP
If we look in the dictionary for the
meaning of the word Peace we find it defined as “a freedom from disturbance,
quiet, tranquility, mental calm, serenity.” We often connect it in our minds as
a state or period in which war has ended.
During Advent and the Christmas season we hear the world extending
wishes for peace, joy, and love. The
word peace is repeated and wished throughout the scriptures in Isaiah, the
gospels, and the Letters of Paul and his companions. It is often accompanied by
Joy and Gratitude and named as a fruit of the Spirit. In Proverbs we hear that “those who promote
peace have joy.” In the psalms we are urged to “seek peace and pursue it.” We
are encouraged to cast all anxiety on God because we are loved, to let peace
rule in our hearts, since as members of one body, we are called to that peace
which surpasses all understanding. To arrive at that goal of attaining the
Peace promised to us by God, we need to trust, find our still-point and
surrender to that Love in a way that surpasses all understanding.
I will share with you a personal event I
witnessed about 48 years ago and which has now become an operative part of my
spiritual journey. The event was my father’s preparation as he waited for the
moment of his transition to eternal life. Having been born in a town located in
the foothills of a rainforest in Puerto Rico, he was a person grounded in an
awareness of the presence of God in all of nature and all of creation. His formal education was limited by his
family’s need to have the eldest of twelve children work to help support his
siblings.
He was not catechized as such by the
church and his only devotion was to God through Creation. He knew only from his
mother’s verbal instruction about the existence and love of God, thus a very simple
uncomplicated relationship with his Creator.
At his hospital bedside family members
in attendance began to hear him utter the word Peace. As he struggled to make
every breath count with eyes closed, he repeated the word Peace. Although he
was conscious he was in a contemplative mode as he uttered his sacred word to
the end, preparing himself to let go of all anxiety and connect with his God,
in peace, here and in eternity. Yes, he sought peace and pursued it. He had
arrived at that understanding.
In Isaiah 26 we read, “You will keep in
perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” And
again, in Isaiah 55, “You will go out in peace, the mountains and hills will
burst into song before you, and all the tress of the field will clap their
hands.” And I understand that Joy which follows when one attains Peace. Yes,
the one that surpasses all understanding.
I now pursue that Peace which is God who
lives in me. I want to trust Her and find my still-point and union with the Holy
One.
Peace (God’s self) is present in each
and every one of us. Pursue Her presence in you, find encouragement for Peace
in the scriptures and in all of Creation, trust that you are loved and
surrender to that love waiting in your still-point. Let us greet one another at all times with a wish
for Peace.
Questions
Can you think of a person in your life
that has demonstrated the presence of peace in their lives? How?
How have you shared Peace (God) with
others?
What did you learn from them?
What difference has it made in your
life.
SHARED
HOMILY
PROFESSION
OF FAITH
O Holy One, Creator of this vast universe, we believe that
you are not far from us, and that your loving care is shown in the life,
ministry, death, and continued presence of Jesus the Christ, whom you sent to
show us the way to your loving presence. We believe that each of us is called to
continue your presence and your work in this world, by loving and caring for
one another. We believe that no one is
beyond the reach of your love, and so no one should be beyond the reach of our
caring. We believe that you call us to
be one with you and with one another. We
believe that we have in our hearts the grace and inspiration of the Holy Spirit
to live fully in your love, when we are open to you. We believe that you pardon our weaknesses and
use them to teach us how to come to you. We believe in the resurrection of
Jesus in our lives, and life everlasting in your Divine Presence. May God, the
source of all patience and encouragement, enable us to live as we believe, in
harmony with one another so that with our hearts and voices and lives we may
glorify the God who names us and calls us to live in the fullness of being.
Amen.
PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL
After each intercession, respond: Compassionate
God, bless our petitions.
Presider: We pray for those broken families, torn apart...suffering
in their separation... unsure of their futures. Compassionate God……. Presider: For what other concerns do we pray at this time? (other intentions mentioned here....)
PREPARATION OF THE GIFTS
OFFERTORY SONG: “Rejoice, Rejoice Believers” (Brotherhood of Hope) Sung by Mindy
Presider: Blessed are .... become a new
creation. ALL: Blessed be the Divine Presence forever.
Presider: Let us pray, O Holy One,….. in mind and body. All: Amen.
LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST
Presider: The Holy One is with you, abounding in love!All: And also with you!
Presider: Open your hearts in Christ who
lives and loves, heals and empowers through you!
All: We open
them up to the Holy Spirit dwelling everywhere.
Presider: Let us give thanks that we are
co-creators in the miracle of life.
All: It is
right to proclaim our oneness with all.
All: (sing) Holy,
Holy, Holy One; Spirit of Love and Peace,Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest! Blessed are all who come in your Holy Name. Hosanna in the highest!
Voice: Creator God, we see around us the work of your
hands, the fruit of your wisdom and love. The unfolding story of creation
witnesses unceasingly to your creative power. We, your creatures, often deviate
from that wisdom, hindering your creative presence in our midst. Sending among
us Jesus, our brother, you birth afresh in our world the power of Sophia-
Wisdom, and in the gift of the Spirit, your creative goodness blooms anew, amid
the variety and wonder of life.
Presider:
That same Spirit…. light and truth.
All:
Gathering the disciples around the
Table of shared wisdom, Jesus took bread; blessed you, God of all good gifts,
broke the bread and handed it to those seeking nourishment, with these
words: Take and eat; this is my very
self. (pause)
All: Then taking the cup of wine, Jesus gave thanks, and
shared the cup with those gathered at table, with these words: Take and drink
of my cup of life, through which the covenant is made new again, for you and
for everyone, for liberation from every oppression. Whenever you do this,
remember me! (pause)
Voice: As we celebrate this sacred meal, we recall the wise
and gracious gifts bestowed on us down through the ages; and we look forward in
hope, knowing that you, our wise and faithful One, will continue to endow us
with abundant blessings. In the power of this Eucharistic meal, bless us afresh
with the gift of Spirit, that our hearts may be open and receptive as you
invite us into the fullness of life.
Voice: In union with all peoples living and dead, we
unite our thoughts and prayers, asking wisdom and courage to discern more
wisely your call to us in the circumstances of our daily lives; to act justly
and courageously in confronting the pain and suffering that desecrates the
Earth and its peoples; to take risks in being creative and proactive on behalf
of the poor and marginalized.
Presider: And may we
ever…..work of co-creation.
All:
For it is through learning to live
as Jesus lived, and why he lived, and for whom he lived, that we awaken to your
Spirit within, moving us to worship you truly, Life-giving God, at this time
and all time and in all ways. (sing)
Amen!
Presider:
Prayer of Jesus: (Miriam Therese Winter, MMS)
All: O Holy One, who is within, around,
and among us, We celebrate your many names.
Your wisdom come, Your will be done, unfolding from the depths within us. Each day you give us all we need; You remind us of our limits, and we let go. You support us in our power, and we act with courage. For you are the dwelling place within us,
The empowerment around us, and the celebration among us, now and forever. (Sing) Amen
Your wisdom come, Your will be done, unfolding from the depths within us. Each day you give us all we need; You remind us of our limits, and we let go. You support us in our power, and we act with courage. For you are the dwelling place within us,
The empowerment around us, and the celebration among us, now and forever. (Sing) Amen
THE SIGN OF PEACE
Presider: Jesus, you said to your disciples, “My peace I leave you;
my peace I give you.” Look on the faith of those gathered here today and... All: .... grant us your peace. O God,
following the example of Jesus and with the strength of the Spirit, help us
spread that peace throughout the world, to everyone, everywhere, no exceptions.
Amen.PRAYER FOR THE BREAKING OF THE BREAD.
All: Loving God, You call us to live the
Gospel of peace and justice. We will live justly.
Loving
God, You call us to be Your presence in the world. We will love tenderly.
Loving
God, You call us to speak truth to power. We will walk with integrity in your
presence.
Presider:
This is Jesus…….. this Table.
All:
What we have heard with our ears,
we will live with our lives; as we share communion, we will become communion,
both Love’s nourishment and Love’s challenge.
COMMUNION MEDITATION
Music/ Followed by “Alma Redemptoris Mater”(Brotherhood
of Hope)
PRAYER
AFTER COMMUNION
Presider:
… and ruled by justice. All:
Amen.
Prayers of Gratitude, Introductions
and Announcements:
Closing
Prayer
Presider:
Gathered together, All:
We wait for the light.
Standing together, All: We trust in the light.
Praying
together, All: We hope for the light.
Seeking
together, All: We step out with the light.
Singing
together, All: We are blessed by the light.
All:
May vision and truth companion you. May beauty be in your eyes.
May peace fill your being, Love hold you close.
Earth give you guidance. Stars give you hope. Blessings of life to you! (Jan
Novotka)
Presider:
Go….our Companion, All: May it be so, may it be now, may it be.
Presiders:
...holy season. All: Thanks be
to God!
Closing
Song: (Make a joyful noise to our God!) “Revelation
Canticle”
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