Christmas 2
Worship
Lectionary Worship Workbook, Series IV, Cycle C
Soul Motion
Object:
Let us awaken from the soul-crushing allures
Of sophisticated resignation and cynical chic,
To savor instead the world of abundance and possibility
That awaits just beyond the self-imposed limits of our imagination.
-- Forrest Church, Love and Death
Call To Worship
Leader: Welcome to this sanctuary, this place of tranquility and celebration, this place of safety and hope. God is here; God is our source of life!
People: God existed before the world and this sanctuary were made!
Leader: People have walked this earth before us; their words and their lives are recorded in books around the world.
People: We look to Jesus, the God-Man and teacher, to his cousin, John, and to the friends of Jesus for wisdom about relationships and decisions.
Leader: In Jesus we see God and we hear God. God has made a home with humankind!
Prayer Of Thanksgiving (Unison)
Holy One -- we celebrate your coming to earth, your incarnating in Jesus of Nazareth! We are grateful that our bodies are homes for you as well. Though the world is chaotic, we trust your presence to sustain us and to give us a spot of internal peace. Thank you for this time and this place of listening and responding to words, music, and silence. Amen.
Call To Confession (Leader)
We make time to reflect on what is running around in our heads and hearts. When we find something that is disturbing, we frequently need to make amends with ourselves, with others, or with God. Now is time to consider your own awareness of living. Pray with me the printed confession and then continue your conversation silently with God.
Community Confession (Unison)
Creating God -- sometimes cynicism retards our responses to your goodness.
Sometimes we disregard the treasures around us.
Sometimes we find it difficult to envision a kingdom of peace and equality, of justice and abundance.
We are not like the first-century shepherds nor sky gazers like the Zoroastrian priests.
Free our senses from the literalization of good old stories; free our minds from the clutter of our culture so that we can participate with your twenty-first-century reign in this world.
Let us be co-creators with you. Amen.
Sermon Idea
The biblical passages are all texts of hope -- Via Positiva. We know from psychological and spiritual observations that people create their own futures with their attitudes about life. The Judeo-Christian religion emphasizes positive thinking, hopeful attitudes. Today's texts demonstrate this. For many twenty-first-century friends of Jesus, the question is how we can continue to hope when the truth of tangible reality is far from the hope of exquisite poetry in Jeremiah, Psalms, John, Ephesians, and others. The images we use at Christmas of a welcoming Jerusalem belonging to the great nation of Israel are difficult to use when we listen to international news. The equality of men and women is hard to visualize when we hear about African warriors maiming girls and drugging boys. The peace we long for internally and externally seems impossible with the huge population of the planet vying for land, food, water, and clean air. Yet, the poetry is beautiful and hopeful.
For many, the hype of the Christmas buying-selling season produces a "blue" feeling, a down sensation -- Via Negativa. Of course, there are other biblical stories that emphasize the sorrows of humankind -- the story of Jesus' crucifixion, Stephen's stoning, and so on. For people who have experienced the death of a loved one during a Christmas season, there is dread that prohibits them from enjoying the reds and greens, silvers and golds of the holidays. These lectionary Bible texts for today challenge the preacher to notice the difference between the poetry of hope thousands of years ago and the reality of the global village -- Via Creativa! Spiritually and psychologically, many people evade the noise of the malls, the expense of gift-giving, and the scratchy music using the images Christianity has loved and found helpful on the human journey; they make time for solitude or small group intimate sharing. Church holiday planners can take the needs of these people into account when they make the calendar by providing time/events for honest sharing of their experiences with the "blue downside of Christmas." We might imagine with them the "downside" for the Holy Family in an occupied country -- physical pain, emotional trauma, financial fears ... twelve days of Christmas can provide opportunities to address many contemporary doubts, fears, and yearnings.
A title/theme might be "The Word We Hear" or "Light for Our Astigmatism" -- attempting to articulate the presence of God in our culture and how we find inspiration and avoid cynicism: spend time with literature that promotes noble behavior; spend time with people who seek psychological/spiritual satisfaction/salvation; establish an aesthetically pleasing environment using images that acknowledge the ups and the downs of life; meditate/pray; push the boundaries of received traditions; articulate your journey with the Holy Spirit/Word/God/Christ, using words, water colors, yarn, clay, or beads.
Contemporary Affirmation (Unison)
We believe that God is and was embodied by Jesus of Nazareth.
We believe that Jesus lived and taught a personal and corporate lifestyle that honored God, self, and others.
We believe that God is present as the Holy Spirit, as a Creating Spirit within us.
We believe that we are expected to be helpful to one another, to our neighbors near and far, and to behave in ways that do not abuse the planet.
We believe that Christmas and all holy days are opportunities to remember the stories of Jesus and to consider the decisions we have made.
In our living and in our dying, God is with us. Amen. Let it be so.
Offertory Statement (Leader)
We have opportunity to create beauty, to maintain this space, to share food with hungry people, and to work toward the end of homelessness. It takes money, creative planning, talents, and skills. Let us give as we can.
Doxology
While Shepherd Watched Their Flocks (v. 6), tune: CHRISTMAS
All glory be to God on high
And to the earth be peace;
Good will to all from highest heaven
Begin and never cease!
Thanksgiving Prayer (Leader)
God of then and now -- we are thankful people, blessed with enough for today and probably for tomorrow. We sing our gratitude; we marvel at the natural world; we enjoy one another. Thank you for what we have and for your empowering presence. Amen.
Intercessory Prayers (Leader or Readers)
We look to you, Holy One, for healing of our broken hearts and our aging bodies. We look for bandages to hold our minds and souls together when we feel fragmented. We look to you for music when our songs have become scrambled. We look to you for moisture for our lands and for our psyches.
As the new year matures, Holy One, we pray for our elected leaders. Rain wisdom on them; grow their thoughts toward making peace here and among all nations. Shine through them so corruption is revealed and blown away. Radiate through them until no one is hungry and weapons are replaced by tools.
As Christmas fades into Epiphany and Lent, Holy One, let us receive divine guidance, unmistakable and plain. As we tell the old stories of human experience with you, let us make new stories of how we are sustained by your presence in this era of technology and scientific exploration. Let our stories tell how you heal our blind spots and clear up our hearing; let our stories tell how you gather people with peace. Let our stories have plots that resolve into people being neighborly and respecting those who are different.
We pray for our children and grandchildren. We are glad for the next generation. Impress them with your love and generosity, Holy One. Protect them from cruelty. Help them to care for the earth as well as for their own bodies. May they learn the teachings of Jesus and embody them.
Satisfy those who long to feel close to you, Holy One. Take our griefs and our disappointments and mold them into experiences that let us be at peace in your presence. Amen.
Benediction
Leader: Tradition says this is the Christmas season.
People: Our bodies and souls have set this time to tell the stories of hope, joy, and relationships.
Leader: We have told the stories of Jesus and John, of Mary and Elizabeth; we have remembered the curiosity of shepherds and the insights of sky watchers. We have sung like angels!
People: We go from sanctuary into the world with ideas that stretch our thinking, with images that soothe our emotions, and with lyrics that enrich our interactions with others.
Leader: God is with you. Live fully! Make peace! Do justice! Let it be so. Amen.
Music
Any Christmas carols
Of sophisticated resignation and cynical chic,
To savor instead the world of abundance and possibility
That awaits just beyond the self-imposed limits of our imagination.
-- Forrest Church, Love and Death
Call To Worship
Leader: Welcome to this sanctuary, this place of tranquility and celebration, this place of safety and hope. God is here; God is our source of life!
People: God existed before the world and this sanctuary were made!
Leader: People have walked this earth before us; their words and their lives are recorded in books around the world.
People: We look to Jesus, the God-Man and teacher, to his cousin, John, and to the friends of Jesus for wisdom about relationships and decisions.
Leader: In Jesus we see God and we hear God. God has made a home with humankind!
Prayer Of Thanksgiving (Unison)
Holy One -- we celebrate your coming to earth, your incarnating in Jesus of Nazareth! We are grateful that our bodies are homes for you as well. Though the world is chaotic, we trust your presence to sustain us and to give us a spot of internal peace. Thank you for this time and this place of listening and responding to words, music, and silence. Amen.
Call To Confession (Leader)
We make time to reflect on what is running around in our heads and hearts. When we find something that is disturbing, we frequently need to make amends with ourselves, with others, or with God. Now is time to consider your own awareness of living. Pray with me the printed confession and then continue your conversation silently with God.
Community Confession (Unison)
Creating God -- sometimes cynicism retards our responses to your goodness.
Sometimes we disregard the treasures around us.
Sometimes we find it difficult to envision a kingdom of peace and equality, of justice and abundance.
We are not like the first-century shepherds nor sky gazers like the Zoroastrian priests.
Free our senses from the literalization of good old stories; free our minds from the clutter of our culture so that we can participate with your twenty-first-century reign in this world.
Let us be co-creators with you. Amen.
Sermon Idea
The biblical passages are all texts of hope -- Via Positiva. We know from psychological and spiritual observations that people create their own futures with their attitudes about life. The Judeo-Christian religion emphasizes positive thinking, hopeful attitudes. Today's texts demonstrate this. For many twenty-first-century friends of Jesus, the question is how we can continue to hope when the truth of tangible reality is far from the hope of exquisite poetry in Jeremiah, Psalms, John, Ephesians, and others. The images we use at Christmas of a welcoming Jerusalem belonging to the great nation of Israel are difficult to use when we listen to international news. The equality of men and women is hard to visualize when we hear about African warriors maiming girls and drugging boys. The peace we long for internally and externally seems impossible with the huge population of the planet vying for land, food, water, and clean air. Yet, the poetry is beautiful and hopeful.
For many, the hype of the Christmas buying-selling season produces a "blue" feeling, a down sensation -- Via Negativa. Of course, there are other biblical stories that emphasize the sorrows of humankind -- the story of Jesus' crucifixion, Stephen's stoning, and so on. For people who have experienced the death of a loved one during a Christmas season, there is dread that prohibits them from enjoying the reds and greens, silvers and golds of the holidays. These lectionary Bible texts for today challenge the preacher to notice the difference between the poetry of hope thousands of years ago and the reality of the global village -- Via Creativa! Spiritually and psychologically, many people evade the noise of the malls, the expense of gift-giving, and the scratchy music using the images Christianity has loved and found helpful on the human journey; they make time for solitude or small group intimate sharing. Church holiday planners can take the needs of these people into account when they make the calendar by providing time/events for honest sharing of their experiences with the "blue downside of Christmas." We might imagine with them the "downside" for the Holy Family in an occupied country -- physical pain, emotional trauma, financial fears ... twelve days of Christmas can provide opportunities to address many contemporary doubts, fears, and yearnings.
A title/theme might be "The Word We Hear" or "Light for Our Astigmatism" -- attempting to articulate the presence of God in our culture and how we find inspiration and avoid cynicism: spend time with literature that promotes noble behavior; spend time with people who seek psychological/spiritual satisfaction/salvation; establish an aesthetically pleasing environment using images that acknowledge the ups and the downs of life; meditate/pray; push the boundaries of received traditions; articulate your journey with the Holy Spirit/Word/God/Christ, using words, water colors, yarn, clay, or beads.
Contemporary Affirmation (Unison)
We believe that God is and was embodied by Jesus of Nazareth.
We believe that Jesus lived and taught a personal and corporate lifestyle that honored God, self, and others.
We believe that God is present as the Holy Spirit, as a Creating Spirit within us.
We believe that we are expected to be helpful to one another, to our neighbors near and far, and to behave in ways that do not abuse the planet.
We believe that Christmas and all holy days are opportunities to remember the stories of Jesus and to consider the decisions we have made.
In our living and in our dying, God is with us. Amen. Let it be so.
Offertory Statement (Leader)
We have opportunity to create beauty, to maintain this space, to share food with hungry people, and to work toward the end of homelessness. It takes money, creative planning, talents, and skills. Let us give as we can.
Doxology
While Shepherd Watched Their Flocks (v. 6), tune: CHRISTMAS
All glory be to God on high
And to the earth be peace;
Good will to all from highest heaven
Begin and never cease!
Thanksgiving Prayer (Leader)
God of then and now -- we are thankful people, blessed with enough for today and probably for tomorrow. We sing our gratitude; we marvel at the natural world; we enjoy one another. Thank you for what we have and for your empowering presence. Amen.
Intercessory Prayers (Leader or Readers)
We look to you, Holy One, for healing of our broken hearts and our aging bodies. We look for bandages to hold our minds and souls together when we feel fragmented. We look to you for music when our songs have become scrambled. We look to you for moisture for our lands and for our psyches.
As the new year matures, Holy One, we pray for our elected leaders. Rain wisdom on them; grow their thoughts toward making peace here and among all nations. Shine through them so corruption is revealed and blown away. Radiate through them until no one is hungry and weapons are replaced by tools.
As Christmas fades into Epiphany and Lent, Holy One, let us receive divine guidance, unmistakable and plain. As we tell the old stories of human experience with you, let us make new stories of how we are sustained by your presence in this era of technology and scientific exploration. Let our stories tell how you heal our blind spots and clear up our hearing; let our stories tell how you gather people with peace. Let our stories have plots that resolve into people being neighborly and respecting those who are different.
We pray for our children and grandchildren. We are glad for the next generation. Impress them with your love and generosity, Holy One. Protect them from cruelty. Help them to care for the earth as well as for their own bodies. May they learn the teachings of Jesus and embody them.
Satisfy those who long to feel close to you, Holy One. Take our griefs and our disappointments and mold them into experiences that let us be at peace in your presence. Amen.
Benediction
Leader: Tradition says this is the Christmas season.
People: Our bodies and souls have set this time to tell the stories of hope, joy, and relationships.
Leader: We have told the stories of Jesus and John, of Mary and Elizabeth; we have remembered the curiosity of shepherds and the insights of sky watchers. We have sung like angels!
People: We go from sanctuary into the world with ideas that stretch our thinking, with images that soothe our emotions, and with lyrics that enrich our interactions with others.
Leader: God is with you. Live fully! Make peace! Do justice! Let it be so. Amen.
Music
Any Christmas carols
