CALL TO WORSHIP
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
My spirit rejoices in God my Savior, who has looked with favor on me, a lowly servant.
From this day all generations shall call me blessed:
The Almighty has done great things for me and holy is the Name of the Lord, whose mercy is on those who fear God from generation to generation.
The arm of the Lord is strong, and has scattered the proud in their conceit.
God has cast down the mighty from their thrones and lifted up the lowly.
God has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.
God has come to the aid of Israel, the chosen servant, remembering the promise of mercy, the promise made to our forebears, to Abraham and to his children forever.
—Magnificat (from the Chalice Hymnal)
OPENING PRAYER
God of expectation: We thank you that throughout the season of Advent, you have taught us your lessons of waiting. During our worship service this morning, calm our restless hands, help us to trust you to complete what you have begun, and teach us the wisdom of quiet preparation. May we live with our questions, and guide us to be at peace with that which we cannot understand. Let us rest in the knowledge of your abiding presence, and fill our hearts with your love, until all our thoughts and words are filled with your praise, and all our actions are carried out in service to our neighbor. This we pray in the Name of the One who comes at Christ, even Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
ADVENT WREATH
God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.
This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son.
We light this candle as a symbol of God’s love. His promise is almost fulfilled: Love will soon dwell in our midst!
O Come, O come, Emmanuel.
[The last purple candle is lit.]
Let us feel your love, O God,
and help us to share it with those around us
as we prepare for the birth of the Christ Child. Amen.
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Almighty, eternal God, Creator of the universe: your greatness is beyond our comprehension. And yet, you come to us in the form of a helpless Child. Exalted above all, yet you have made yourself vulnerable in the flesh of the Babe of Bethlehem.
Because nothing compares to you, we confess that we sometimes imagine you to be infinitely distant, untouched by our lives. And yet, in Jesus Christ, you have become part of us: Our experience is your experience; you share in our joys and suffering. But then, sometimes we pretend to know you too well. We fail to hold you in reverence. We think our will is your will, imagining all our deeds are blest as long as they support our goals. Forgive us and set us on the right path— the path to Bethlehem and the manger, the place where we finally realize that your plan is beyond our grasp and your love beyond our comprehension.
Bless now our Christmas prayers, for, despite our imperfect understanding, they are brought to your perfect love. May your will be done: In our lives, in the lives of those we love, and in the life of the world.
[A silence is kept.]
All this we pray in the Name of Jesus Christ,
who with you and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, God forevermore. Amen.
COMMUNION PRAYER
Eternal God, even as our minds search for the light of your Word, we thank you that our hearts feel the warmth of your love. And may your Spirit settle on these gifts of bread and wine, that in them we may discern the very presence of the One for whom we have been preparing. As he fills our lives, may we rejoice in his love and glory in his truth. We ask this in Christ's Name. Amen.
BENEDICTION
Because love came down at Christmas, share love with all you meet. Speak words of love to your family and friends, perform deeds of love for your neighbors, and, in love, pray for those with whom you are in conflict. Thus may the love of + God, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the communion of the Holy Spirit rest upon you and live within you this Christmas and throughout the year. Amen.
