For nothing will be impossible with God. – Luke 1:37 I am a miracle. When you look at me, you may see the teenaged girl with pain in her heart and cuts down her arms. Or the empty alcohol bottles and the blurry memories. Or the scars from abandonment and relationship abuse. But if that’s […]
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Our help is in the name of the Eternal One, the maker of heaven and earth. – Psalm 124:8 ‘What if Martin didn’t stand up? What if Rosa didn’t sit down? … What if Maya didn’t speak out? What if Langston Hughes didn’t write it down?’ In India Arie’s song “What If,” she asks what […]
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Appropriate for a Blue Christmas or Longest Night service, acknowledging the challenges often faced during the dark seasons of the year. On this longest night of the year, we gather to worship you, our Creator. The prophets tell of a light to the nations; a dawn from on high breaking upon us. The poets speak […]
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What words herald the Advent season? Familiar? New? Light-hearted? Reflective? Confessional? Hopeful? Here are Advent worship resources from around the world to explore and use. Scroll down to find: Advent prayers and worship resources Advent songs, carols & music Complete services, Dramas, Nativities and Christmas Pageants Link to Advent images Blue Christmas resources Advent prayers […]
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Dear cousin… You may be surprised to hear that I am also, as they say, ‘expecting’. Yes, a boy is on his way… Don’t ask how I know it’s a boy…you wouldn’t believe me if I told you. Joseph is in two minds, happy with the idea of fatherhood but knows he’s not the ‘real’ […]
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Greetings, You know that I missed out on schooling so never got the proper hang of writing and rarely needed it anyway so long as I could scribble a bill. I’ve asked the Rabbi to help me with this short letter telling you the latest news. Everything is overshadowed by this tax registration. There’s no […]
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God Doesn’t ask us To believe in the future. God calls us To believe the future in! Without vision, People perish. God Doesn’t ask us To believe in love. God asks us to believe love in, By what we do and say In our relationships And daily priorities. God Doesn’t ask us To believe in […]
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When Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem They found there was no room. We confess that in the midst of all our anxieties We have not made room in our hearts for others. We confess that, paralysed by fear, prejudice or apathy We have not made room in our homes for the stranger. We confess […]
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A Christmas Carol for today Tune: Cranham – original words: Christina Rossetti Photo by Carol Kreis, USA In this bleak pandemic, lonely and afraid City streets are empty, gatherings delayed Snow has fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow, Oh this bleak pandemic, how long will it stay? Once there was a stable, in a […]
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You can make this a litany with the responses in bold italics, and substitute the indigenous, Māori language words with the English translations in square brackets—although you might appreciate the explanation of these concepts in the footnotes. By faith, Mary let go of fear, and engendered a mothering God. This faith may lead us through […]
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Eternal One, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, Or ever you had formed the earth and the world, From everlasting to everlasting You are God. — Psalm 90:1-2 Bright eyes take in all the world. Tiny hands wave and reach and hold. Feet kick and push. […]
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Our God, we gather together in the bleak midwinter. Those who have much to thank you for, who rejoice in your goodness, and those who look out on a landscape of broken dreams and hardly dare to hope for Good News. Those whose hearts and homes are full of Christmas joy, and those whose Christmas […]
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How easy it is to get caught up in the busy-ness, the doing, the decorating, the cooking, the sending, the buying, the eating of Christmas. Now don’t get me wrong, I love each of these parts of Christmas – setting up the Christmas tree and hanging decorations, the home-made Christmas cookies and egg nog, writing […]
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Hope when pressed to earth Will find nourishment and life In truths long buried.
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This ready-to-use Café Church worship service weaves together scripture, drama, reflection, conversation & communion. It has been designed for worship around tables, but is easily adaptable to a more traditional setting. This service includes everything you need — an Order of Service to handout, leader script sheets, reader printouts, song suggestions, a list of supplies, […]
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Creator God, We pray for our beautiful world. Yet as we consider your amazing creation, images arise of global warming, greenhouse gases, climate change, and rising sea levels. We bring to you in prayer farmers whose land is dry and parched, And our need for drenching rain to fill our catchment areas and water our […]
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