Tune: Passion Chorale by Hans Leo Hassler (1562-1612) Harmony: JS Bach (1685-1750) What does it mean to trust you With trouble everywhere? What does it mean to serve you When no-one seems to care? What does it mean to need you When life says just be strong? What does it mean to love you When […]
God takes on flesh and joins life in the struggle – this is what radical solidarity feels like. Lives and souls and bodies entangled. Risks and possibilities shared. We’re in this together. The mess, the beauty, the work. Don’t be afraid to feel hopeful. God’s promises are kept. God won’t opt-out or turn away. God […]
This litany is for a Longest Night or Blue Christmas service. It includes lighting the Christ Candle and the four Advent candles, one by one. The Christ Candle, the central candle, is lit at the opening of the service. Supplies: – votive candles (battery or lit with a match) – manger (empty or with […]
Adapted by Thandiwe Dale-Ferguson from a Longest Night Service by Loren Richmond. The Advent season is one of wonder. For so many, Advent is a time of hopeful anticipation. It is a season of promise. The longer nights and the gray clouds seem to provide the perfect background for the lights and the tinsel. The […]
Who am I? The mother, a vessel for someone else’s plan? The father, not the father, standing sentinel? A shepherd, dirty and bedraggled, a loner from the veld? A magi, wise and discerning, hoping in star-studded messages? An angel, iridescent, illuminating and terrifying? A donkey, nuzzling the manger, hungrily searching for hay? A lamb, bleating, […]
May the moon that illuminated the night of the shepherds of Bethlehem, embrace your fears and your struggles, renew your yearnings for a good life and your hope in the arrival of peace. May the star that guided those who migrated from distant lands guide your searches and lead you always to the entrust with […]
This prayer might be used on the 4th Sunday of Advent, Christmas Day or for a Lessons and Carols service. 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 […]
Written for Advent (Third Sunday of Advent Year A; Second Sunday of Advent Year B) Tune: Cecilia (6.6.6.6) A desert voice rings out to bring the faithful near; a voice that’s firm and strong, a call that’s loud and clear. A voice that rings with truth reminds us how we fall but lifts us up […]
Based on Luke 2:41-52 To be read as a reflective monologue spoken by Mary. The reader might wear a shawl to designate themselves as a woman from Palestine. We stopped to rest after a long day’s journey families gathering to prepare their meal we had just assumed – mistakenly – you were with your cousins […]
Las Posadas, a Mexican Advent tradition stretches from 16 December through Christmas, during which actors depict Mary and Joseph looking for lodging. They travel throughout the town or city, followed by a procession of children and other members of the community carrying candles. A song is traditionally sung at each ‘inn’ along the way. Las Posadas — Jim Burklo, […]
