Opening Sentence
In the name of God: Creator, Redeemer, and Giver of life. Amen.
Call to Worship and Returning to God’s Path for Us
Wherever you are, God invites you to hear a Word of love and to celebrate the feast of communion. Bring your dreams and your musings, your fears and your anger, your uncertainty and your despair. Come from your sofas, your desks, your porches, your kitchen tables, so that your individual places become God’s beloved community, the living, breathing Body of Christ.
Jesus welcomes everyone to God’s table. Are you ready to meet God, Creator, Redeemer and Giver of Life?
We’re ready! Loving God, you bring order out of chaos in the world and in our lives. Meet with us in Christ today, change us and send us out to fill your world with love and light, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
We were walking in cold and darkness. Now we dwell in the warmth of your light.
Jesus, you are an image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation:
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, you are God’s true child, born of Mary and born in us: Christ, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Jesus, you are Word made flesh, the heart of each of our unique souls: Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Silence
Radiant God, you send your light into dark and shackled lives; shine in our hearts and set us free to praise you, now and forever. Amen.
Collect of the Day
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray.
Almighty God, you have given your only-begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and to be born this day with a power beyond human agency: Grant that we, who have been born again and made your children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by your Holy Spirit; through our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom with you and the same Spirit be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.
The Ministry of the Word
Old Testament
A reading from Isaiah 62:6-12
I’ve posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem.
Day and night they keep at it, praying, calling out,
reminding God to remember.
They are to give him no peace until he does what he said,
until he makes Jerusalem famous as the City of Praise.
God has taken a solemn oath,
an oath he means to keep:
“Never again will I open your grain-filled barns
to your enemies to loot and eat.
Never again will foreigners drink the wine
that you worked so hard to produce.
No. The farmers who grow the food will eat the food
and praise God for it.
And those who make the wine will drink the wine
in my holy courtyards.”
Walk out of the gates. Get going!
Get the road ready for the people.
Build the highway. Get at it!
Clear the debris,
hoist high a flag, a signal to all peoples!
Yes! God has broadcast to all the world:
“Tell daughter Zion, ‘Look! Your Savior comes,
Ready to do what he said he’d do,
prepared to complete what he promised.’”
Zion will be called new names: Holy People, God-Redeemed,
Sought-Out, City-Not-Forsaken.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to our church.
Thanks be to God.
Psalm 97
God rules: there’s something to shout over!
On the double, mainlands and islands—celebrate!
Bright clouds and storm clouds circle ’round him;
Right and justice anchor his rule.
Fire blazes out before him,
Flaming high up the craggy mountains.
His lightnings light up the world;
Earth, wide-eyed, trembles in fear.
The mountains take one look at God
And melt, melt like wax before earth’s Lord.
The heavens announce that he’ll set everything right,
And everyone will see it happen—glorious!
All who serve handcrafted gods will be sorry—
And they were so proud of their ragamuffin gods!
On your knees, all you gods—worship him!
And Zion, you listen and take heart!
Daughters of Zion, sing your hearts out:
God has done it all, has set everything right.
You, God, are High God of the cosmos,
Far, far higher than any of the gods.
God loves all who hate evil,
And those who love him he keeps safe,
Snatches them from the grip of the wicked.
Light-seeds are planted in the souls of God’s people,
Joy-seeds are planted in good heart-soil.
So, God’s people, shout praise to God,
Give thanks to our Holy God!
Epistle
A reading from Titus 3:4-8
It wasn’t so long ago that we ourselves were stupid and stubborn, easy marks for sin, ordered every which way by our hormones, going around with a chip on our shoulder, hated and hating back.
But when God, our kind and loving Savior God, stepped in, he saved us from all that. It was all his doing; we had nothing to do with it. He gave us a good bath, and we came out of it new people, washed inside and out by the Holy Spirit.
Our Savior Jesus poured out new life so generously. God’s gift has restored our relationship with him and given us back our lives. And there’s more life to come—an eternity of life! You can count on this.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to our community.
Thanks be to God!
Hymn
The Gospel
Our words of freedom from the Gospel according to John.
Glory to you, Lord Christ.
John 1:1-14
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.
And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.
The Gospel of our Saviour.
Praise to you, our Jesus Christ.
Sermon
The Prayers
A Celtic Creed
We believe in God above us, maker and sustainer of all life, of sun and moon, of water and earth, of male and female.
We believe in God beside us, Jesus Christ, the word made flesh, born of a woman, servant of the poor, tortured and nailed to a tree. A person of sorrows, he died forsaken and descended into the earth to the place of death.
On the third day he rose from the tomb. He ascended into heaven, to be everywhere present, unleashing a universal realm of love that will come on earth.
We believe in God within us, the Holy Spirit of fire, life-giving breath of the Church, Spirit of healing and forgiveness, source of resurrection and of eternal life. Amen.
Prayers of the People
God of darkness and silence, you have pierced the quiet of this season by the utterance of your Word in our flesh. May your word of compassion and reconciliation resound in us and through us. God of love,
Grant our prayer.
On the Christmas holy night angels proclaimed the peace of your unconquered Sun of righteousness. Strengthen all who work for peace and justice. God of love,
Grant our prayer.
At Christmas you came to us as a child cradled in a borrowed bed of straw as there was no room in the inn. Open our hearts to the needs of the homeless and the hungry. God of love,
Grant our prayer.
The night of Christmas, shepherds and outcasts heard your good news. Give us grace to spread your gospel of joy and liberation. God of love,
Grant our prayer.
In the depth of darkness, we rejoice at re-creation. Be with those who travel, enrich our rejoicing, and strengthen the bonds between us. God of love,
Grant our prayer.
These days, Christians throughout the world are celebrating Christ’s birth. Unite us in one family that we may shine with the one light that scatters all our darkness. God of love,
Grant our prayer.
At Christmas, your Word leaped down, shedding light on all who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death. Give strength and peace to all who suffer in body, mind, or spirit. God of love,
Grant our prayer.
At Christmas, heaven and earth embrace and in your true child you give us power to be your children. Fulfill in your love all who have gone before us in the faith. May we, like them, remain faithful to the mystery of the Word made flesh and live in your eternal light. God of love,
Grant our prayer.
Hear these prayers we bring to you and fulfill your purposes in us in the name of Jesus, your incarnate Word. Amen.
The Peace
Announcements
Hymn
The Holy Communion
Walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself for us, an offering and sacrifice to God. Ephesians 5:2
Doxology
(Words: Isaac Watts (1674-1748), para. of Psalm 117; Music: Old 100th, melody from Pseaumes octante trois de David, 1551, alt.; harm. after Louis Bourgeois (1510?-1561?); Licensed for Use: CCLI Copyright License 20716203; CCLI Streaming License 20716210
Representatives of the congregation bring the people’s offerings of bread and wine, and money or other gifts, to the deacon or celebrant. The people stand while the offerings are presented and placed on the Altar.
The Great Thanksgiving
God is here.
The Great Spirit is with us.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up – way up.
Let us give thanks to our Loving God.
It is right to offer thanks and praise.
It is right indeed that we should praise you, God of love, our source and our fulfillment, for you create all things, and in you we live and move and have our being. Your wonder is manifest in land and sea and sky.
When the times had at last grown full and the earth had ripened in abundance, you made us in your image for yourself.
And even though we turn from you, again and again you call us to yourself, and in every age, promise liberation.
As a mother tenderly gathers her children, you embraced a people as your own to rear them in your way of compassionate love. From your own being you sent Jesus among us, incarnate of the Holy Spirit and born of Mary our sister.
Jesus revealed your care for all you have made, and showed us your way of reconciliation. Looking forward to the joy of new life Jesus suffered the pangs of the cross and in rising again became the first-born of a renewed humanity.
You sent your Holy Spirit and gave birth to us, your church. Your Spirit stays to nurture and to guide us.
Now we join hands around your table, and with all creation we praise your unending love, as we sing,
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.
To you indeed be glory, almighty God, because on the night before he died, your Son, Jesus Christ, took bread; when he had given you thanks, he broke it, gave it to his disciples, and said:
Take, eat, this is my body which is given for you; do this to remember me.
After supper he took the cup; when he had given you thanks, he gave it to them and said:
This cup is the new covenant in my blood poured out for you; do this as often as you drink it to remember me.
And so in this great sacrament we celebrate and proclaim the mystery of our faith.
Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come in glory.
Therefore, loving God, recalling now Christ’s death and resurrection, we ask you to accept this our sacrifice of praise.
Send your Holy Spirit upon us and our celebration, that we may be fed with the body and blood of your Son and be filled with your life and goodness. Strengthen us to do your work, and to be your body in the world.
Unite us in Christ and give us your peace. Through your Holy Spirit, burning as a flame, gentle as a dove, may we who receive these gifts live lives of justice, love, and prayer, and be a voice for those who are not heard. In union with your whole church we worship you, O God, in songs of everlasting praise.
Blessing, honor and glory be yours, here and everywhere, now and forever. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
And now, in the words that Jesus taught us, we pray:
Our Father, who art in heaven.
hallowed be thy name.
Thy Kingdom come.
Thy will be done, on Earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
Lead us not into temptation, and deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory,
forever and ever. Amen.
Breaking of the Bread
Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.
Therefore let us keep the feast.
These are the gifts of God for you, the people of God.
The congregation receives communion.
Prayer after Communion
Gracious God, you are the author and giver of all good things. We give you thanks for the gift of life, for the meal we shared, and for reconnecting us as your people. Keep us nourished by this meal and this community. Keep us grounded in the ways in which you feed us, and in the ways we are all hungry. We pray these things through Jesus Christ. Amen.
Blessing
Our Christmas blessing is in the form of a haiku, an ancient Japanese poetic form.
Dark, dark, dark – so dark
Then, suddenly! Presence. Light.
Focus. Newness. Now.