December 10,2023

WE GATHER IN AWE AND PRAISE

PRELUDE                            “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”                    arr. Barbara B. Kinyon         

WELCOME                                                                                                Rev. Trip Porch

  One: This is the day that the Lord has made

  All: Let us rejoice and be glad in it

CANDLE-LIGHTING– Led by The Bird Family

One:  How does a weary world practice peace?

All:   In small but profound ways; By listening before we speak, saying sorry

           when we need to, and always leading with kindness.

One:  By advocating for justice and caring for our neighbor. By practicing Sabbath

           and forgiving seventy times seven.

All:   By choosing grace over hate and opening the door for each other.

One: There are a million ways to practice peace. So today we light the candle of

            peace as a reminder and a charge.

All:  With God’s help, may we bring peace into a weary world. Amen.

*RESPONSE NO.. 91     “Come, Come, Emmanuel”  Sung many times  COME, COME EMMANUEL

*PRAYER OF CONFESSION                                                                        Rebekah Galey

Holy God, More days than not, hope feels like the rain. We try to hold onto it with cupped hands, but eventually, it slips right on through. Forgive us for holding hope so loosely. Forgive us for allowing the realities of today to define and confine tomorrow. Allow us to see glimmers of hope for the future you see and teach us how to sing a song of hope for the world. With open hearts we pray, amen.

*ASSURANCE OF PARDON

*RESPONSE OF PRAISE                 “He Came Down”                                         HE CAME DOWN  

He came down that we may have peace;

He came down that we may have peace;

He came down that we may have peace;

Hallelujah forever more.                                                                               Text: Cameroon song

*PASSING OF THE PEACE                                       

         One:   The peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all,

All:      And also with you.

WE LISTEN FOR GOD’S WORD

PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION                        

CHILDREN’S MESSAGE                                                                                                       Trip & Chris

SCRIPTURE: Luke 1:57-80 CEB  

CANTATA                             “The Gravity of Kindness”                  Howard Goodall (b. 1958)

Texts: Kindness by Naomi Shihab Nye;

Coventry Carol, Traditional 16th c. English;

Arrorró mi niño, Traditional Mexican Lullaby

Skye Johnson, soprano 

Kindness

Before you know what kindness really is
 you must lose things,
 feel the future dissolve in a moment
 like salt in a weakened broth.
 What you held in your hand,
 what you counted and carefully saved,
 all this must go so you know
 how desolate the landscape can be
 between the regions of kindness.
 How you ride and ride
 thinking the bus will never stop,
 the passengers eating maize and chicken
 will stare out the window forever.                                                                                                                                                  

 Before you learn the tender gravity of kindness
 you must travel where the Indian in a white poncho
 lies dead by the side of the road.
 You must see how this could be you,
 how he too was someone
 who journeyed through the night with plans
 and the simple breath that kept him alive.                                                                                                                                                    

 Before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside,
 you must know sorrow as the other deepest thing.
 You must wake up with sorrow.
 You must speak to it till your voice
 catches the thread of all sorrows
 and you see the size of the cloth.
 Then it is only kindness that makes sense anymore,
 only kindness that ties your shoes
 and sends you out into the day to gaze at bread,
 only kindness that raises its head
 from the crowd of the world to say
 It is I you have been looking for,
 and then goes with you everywhere
 like a shadow or a friend.                           

COVENTRY CAROL

Lully, lullay, thou little tiny child,

By by lully, lullay.

 

Arrorró mi niño

Arrorró mi niño, (Hush-a-bye my baby)

Arrorró mi sol, (Hush-a-bye my sun)

Arrorró pedazo, (Hush-a-bye oh piece)

De mi corazón. (of my heart.)

Este niño lindo (This pretty child)

Ya quiere dormir; (wants to sleep already)

Háganle la cuna (make him a cradle)

De rosa y jazmín. (of rose and jasmine.)

Háganle la cama (Make him a bed)

En el toronjil, (on the lemon balm)

Y en la cabecera (and at the head)

Pónganle un jazmín (put jasmine)

Que con su fragancia (with its fragrance)

Me lo haga dormir. (to put him to sleep for me.)

 Esta leche linda (This beautiful milk)
 que le traigo aquí, (that I bring him here)
 es para este niño (is for this baby)
 que se va a dormir. (who is going to sleep)

 Arrorró mi niño, (Hush-a-bye my baby)

Arrorró mi sol, (Hush-a-bye my sun)

Arrorró pedazo, (Hush-a-bye oh piece)

De mi corazón. (of my heart.)


 Este lindo niño (This lovely baby)
 se quiere dormir, (wants to sleep)
 cierra los ojitos (he closes his eyes)
 y los vuelve a abrir. (and opens them again.)

 

WE RESPOND TO GOD’S WORD

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE followed by  The Lord’s Prayer  (on screen)

TIME OF OFFERING 

OFFERTORY RESPONSE                                                                    CRANHAM

  Praise the One Creator, praise the Living Christ

Praise the Holy Spirit, praise both day and night

Praise when you are weary, praise in times of joy

Praise, my soul, with all your strength and your heart and voice                                                                                                                          

PRAYER OF DEDICATION

One:  Holy One, this Advent season we wait in peace,
All:  And we give in peace.
One:  A peace deeper than our anxiety and fear.
All:  A peace growing from our trust in your loving power.
One:  Receive these generous offerings,
All:  And use them to bring your peace to our world.
          Amen.

*HYMN NO.87                     “Comfort, Comfort Now My People”                               GENEVAN 42

TIME OF COMMUNITY SHARING

CHARGE AND BENEDICTION

One:  God of the watching ones, 

            the waiting ones,

            the slow and suffering ones, 

            the angels in heaven, the child in the womb,

All:    Give us your benediction, 

           your good word for our souls, 

           that we might rest and rise 

           in the kindness of your company.

           Amen.

 

CONGREGATIONAL RESPONSE                   “Light Dawns on a Weary World”                       TEMPLE OF PEACE

Light dawns on a weary world

when eyes begin to see 

all people’s dignity.

Light dawns on a weary world: 

the promised day of justice comes.

(refrain) The trees shall clap their hands;

the dry lands gush with springs;

the hills and mountains shall break forth with singing!

We shall go out in joy,

and be led forth in peace,

as all the world in wonder echoes shalom.

                        Text: Mary Louise Bringle, 2001; used by permission

 

POSTLUDE                                               

Acknowledgments: Unless otherwise indicated, all texts and music are printed and broadcast under OneLicense.net license #A-702452

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