Advent candle liturgies, nativity dramas, carols by candlelight reflections and more for the Advent season
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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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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In the second week of Advent, churches traditionally light the Candle of Peace. This prayer of confession might be used in worship on Sunday with this explanation: Several denominations are ‘calling on congregations NOT to light their second Advent candle — in solidarity with all those who are suffering in the war between Israel […]
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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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Refugees seeking safety for their families… Mary and Joseph, portrayed by children, seek refuge in the UK. Visitors from the East find it difficult to bring gifts to the family. This thoughtful video might be used in worship to highlight the difficulties refugees face, as did Mary and Joseph fleeing to Egypt. Created by […]
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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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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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Loving God, Thank-you for the gift Of beginning again When all seems lost Or weariness wears down The last inch of hope. Yes, turn the page Of over-rehearsed despair Or dread of dullness Formed by too much Of just about everything. Form instead your promise When night’s weight Seems too heavy for Dawn’s readiness to […]
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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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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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I never believed in Santa Claus – That jolly man in red, Squeezing down the chimney pot When all should be in bed. I never thought he brought me presents Neatly wrapped beneath the tree – I knew my Mum looked through her catalogue And ordered gifts for me. And not just me, you understand […]
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By faith, Mary let go of fear, and engendered a mothering God. This faith may lead us through labyrinths of doubt, laughing hysterically, shouting in protest, lurching in denial, finally making it to our foundation, our place in the world, our home. By faith, Joseph took comfort from a dream, embracing complex, reconstituted, extended family […]
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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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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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Holy and loving God, in this Advent Season [on this Sunday of Advent], we turn our hearts and our minds towards you. You are present in the whole universe and in the smallest of your creatures. You embrace with tenderness all that exists: Every creature that crawls or swims or flies, every plant that turns […]
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God, we thank you for gifts: The gift of love we give one another; The gift of Jesus you gave to us. May our gifts this morning be used to bring joy to others near and far.
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A responsive Call to Worship written specifically for intergenerational worship (works well during Advent) God, you came into the world weak: A baby born in a stable, Sleeping in a feeding trough With animal sounds and smells all around. This is how love came to earth. God, you have made us vulnerable. Our bodies can […]
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Isaiah 40:1-11 Mark 1:1-8 God, in the busy-ness of this season, help us remember the wilderness where your people meet you over and over again. We remember how even Jesus, busy teaching, healing and seeking justice, even Jesus took time out for re-freshment, re-newal and re-creation, retreating to draw closer to you. As we remember […]
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Mark 1:1-8 Let us look back in time about 2000 years and join a mother working in her kitchen, preparing for the Chanukah holidays. She worries about her nineteen year old daughter who disappeared leaving chores undone. Let’s listen in. Mum: That girl! She knows there is work to be done: floors to sweep, water […]
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Keep watch! Thoughts for Advent – could be morphed into a Children’s Message We used to wear watches. Now we wear devices. Still strapped to the wrist. Still sometimes called watches. Still showing us the time. But mostly we check them for everything but the time – our heart rate, driving directions to Fred’s, how […]
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The Christmas season is not always a happy time. The Advent and Christmas seasons can remind us of loved ones or relationships we have lost. The sights and smells of the weeks approaching Christmas, rather than bring joy and delight, can bring sadness and grief. A Blue Christmas service provides an opportunity to address the […]
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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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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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A responsive reading Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel and restore us O God: Let your face shine, that we may be saved. From the throngs of city centers to the far-flung wilderness: Let your face shine, that we may be saved. To every nation, race and people: Let your face shine, that we may […]
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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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The Christmas season is not always a happy time. — Mary Oliver (from Thirst, Beacon Press, Boston, 2006) The Advent and Christmas seasons can remind us of loved ones or relationships we have lost. The sights and smells of the weeks approaching Christmas, rather than bring joy and delight, can bring sadness and grief. A “Blue […]
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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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Compiled from various resources. Click here for a Blue Christmas service pdf download. This complete one-hour service is ready to print and use. It is a reflective service created for a December afternoon or evening. 16 readers (or double-up if fewer readers are available) Preparation and set-up: The worship space is important. See suggestions on […]
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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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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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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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