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, […]
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Luke 1:46b-55 What might Mary have said when she learned that she was about to become an unwed teenage mother? I’m what? Pregnant? And you want me to tell people what!? You know that in the eyes of all my neighbours, my child will always be regarded as a . . .. You know what […]
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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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Making use of John 1:5 I am cast adrift, O God, I am cut off from your face. A thick darkness surrounds me, I am enmeshed in a mist of confusion. And it seems all creation must mourn, Must mourn and lament, must weep, For we are alone and apart, The light has gone out […]
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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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A picture is worth a thousand words. Anticipating, waiting, Babies born, baubles glistening, poor and rich arriving, Holding onto hope, hoping for peace — images of Advent and Christmas through global eyes and a creative lens. All photos posted on the Worship Words website may be used for worship and devotional purposes. Please credit the […]
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Mysterious paradoxes collide in this story. A story of a baby, Born into nothing, Yet born into everything. Born in a shed, But born in love, And is love And brings love. The paradox of a young woman, Not yet wedded, Blessed to bring life, Into this world that needs life Needs hope Requires love. […]
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God of all seasons and senses, grant us the sense of your timing to submit gracefully and rejoice quietly in the turn of the seasons. In this season of short days and long nights, of grey and white and cold, teach us the lessons of endings; children growing, friends leaving, loved ones dying, grieving over, […]
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‘Do not be afraid’ — words of the angels Prayers of Intercession This was originally written for a worship service marking the opening of a week-long Angel Festival. It might be used during Advent, particularly at a Blue Christmas or Longest Night service. The word ‘angel’ is not always popular, or sometimes over-popular! How can […]
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O God, At the darkest time of the year comes the brightest of Hope. Let the gladness of its coming and the hope of its promise be warm within us. To embrace this Hope is to believe that someday there shall be A world of goodwill from which all cruelty is gone. A world in […]
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I remember thinking to myself that losing my son could be a cloud over the rest of my life, or he could be the light in my life. I made a conscious decision to hope. Hope is what gets us out of bed each morning. Hope is what has us peering around the corner to […]
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Because of Mary – an Advent reflection Because of Mary all class, all castes, all hierarchical systems are now undermined. Because of Mary the world can no longer categorize someone as being worthless or worth less than somebody else. Because of Mary the Christmas story is for little ones and the poor… the victims of […]
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Peace on earth, good will toward all. — Luke 2:14 The Dayspring from on high hath visited us…to guide our feet into the way of peace. — Luke 1:78-79 ‘Peace on earth,’ the angels sang. We sing it too, in carols, oratorios. We talk of peace, put it on bumper stickers, print it on Christmas […]
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A cool clear dawn in early spring: She stepped outside to fill her jug With water from the village well. “What is happening to my feet?” She whispered as she walked along. They’d never felt so full of life… They seemed to float above the ground. And up her legs and through her thighs A […]
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Antonia writes of her paintings: ‘paintings that combine the divine with the mundane. I love the idea of taking a little sideways look at Christianity, and bringing the idea of Jesus and faith into our every day lives with a sense of humour. 1. the Male Madonna. If you change the gender of the holder […]
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‘For the great human family, it is necessary to renew always the common horizon toward which we are journeying. The horizon of hope!’
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O come, O come, Emmanuel And with your people always dwell Who mourn in mortal exile here Until the Lord of Life appear. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come again and with us ever dwell –lyrics by Philip Cunningham ‘Why does all this matter? It matters because what we sing is as important as what we […]
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This is indeed a holy season. This is a season of light shining in the shadows. And the shadows will not overcome it. This is a season where we allow God to light hope, peace, joy and love on the wicks of our lives. This is a season of thin spaces where the distance between […]
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Matthew 1:18-21 — Joseph’s Dream How often do you hear a voice telling you to not be afraid? Maybe it isn’t a “voice” exactly, but maybe more like a sense of something bigger than yourself. We live in times where there is much to fear. And, yet, I often find myself wondering about all times. […]
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Tune: The old rugged cross We’ve been waiting so long For the birth of the one Who would rescue and salvage the lost. But we didn’t expect The Messiah we’d get, Neither manger, compassion nor cross. Chorus And I think I can just see a star; I can almost hear angel choirs sing. And I […]
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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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Then Isaiah said, ‘Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary mortals, that you weary my God also? Therefore God will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.’ – Isaiah 7: 13-14 Here we are […]
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A Christmas Carol for Today Tune: The Ash Grove The birth of a baby Can kindle just maybe A spark of compassion for all humankind. At Christmas we wonder, Amazed as we ponder A sight that stirs love in our heart and our mind. A babe so dependent, A human descendant, So fragile and helpless […]
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An Advent Reflection 525,600 minutes. The opening song to the Broadway musical “Rent” tells us that in a single year, there are 525,600 minutes. The song then asks, how do you measure a year? Is it in daylights? Sunsets? Midnights? Cups of coffee? Inches? Miles? Laugher? Smiles? Psalm 90 talks about time, both our own […]
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This annual service, ‘From Darkness to Light’, held in Salisbury Cathedral starts in complete darkness. A single candle is lit, and the light spreads throughout the cathedral until hundreds of lights burn brightly illuminating the vastness. These words from the programme set the scene: “The darkness is at one and the same time a comforting […]
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Bless us this advent Sunday. Thank you for the joy we find spending time with one another as the excitement of Jesus’s birth becomes infectious. Bless us and those taking part in the service and give them courage, peace and strength to overcome any nerves. Let us celebrate this special Sunday together as the family […]
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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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Hope when pressed to earth Will find nourishment and life In truths long buried.
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“I said to my soul, be still and wait without hope, for hope would be hope for the wrong thing; wait without love, for love would be love of the wrong thing; there is yet faith, but the faith and the love are all in the waiting. Wait without thought, for you are not ready […]
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This beautiful and thoughtful Advent devotional has been shared through the generosity of Presbyterians for Earth Care. Download a PDF copy in full colour: 2018-Advent-Devotional-Presbyterians for Earth Care, USA Presbyterians for Earth Care have created thoughtful and challenging, as well as beautiful, Advent and Lenten devotionals for several years. Click here to explore their archive […]
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Holy God, during this busy season of Advent, We pray for our World. We seek your light in the midst of darkness, Your peace in the midst of violence, Your love in the midst of discord, Your courage in the face of fear, And your wisdom to guide us. Help us to be messengers […]
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In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, ‘Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.’ — Matthew 2:1-2 Light a […]
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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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Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God. — Luke 3: 5-6 Every valley shall be filled: may our low places, our wrong doings of the past, […]
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I desire to be still and know that you are God! To marvel in the miracle of you becoming flesh! To be continually mindful that you are a light of revelation to me! That you are alive and active in me! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
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A reflection for Advent Luke 1:11-15a But the angel said to him, ‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son… . I can commiserate with Zechariah. I’m doing my work at the temple and a strange being comes and says don’t be afraid. […]
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Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. — Luke 2:4 We all long to find a real home: the place where our pasts and our futures intersect. As we metaphorically journey through […]
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Dear God, At Advent, it’s easy to only think about lights And presents and parties. Help us remember the most important things this season: The love of our parents and family, The beauty of the world, The many things we have to be thankful for, Friends and food and shelter. Help us remember that Christmas […]
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For a Longest Night (21 December) or Blue Christmas service. God is with us in our suffering, loving us, walking with us, comforting us. I do not believe God is the cause or author of such suffering, I do not believe God “allows” bad things to happen. I can’t imagine why God would “allow” us […]
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