(December 24th)
GREETING (Adapted from Luke 2:14)
Glory to you, God, in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom you favor!
LIGHTING THE ADVENT CANDLE
(Optional – light the four purple candles of Advent again this morning.)
HYMN 247 “O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright”
PSALM 96:10-13
PRAYER
(Consider some of the following concerns of people for prayers of thanksgiving, intercession, and petition. Follow with your personal prayer list.)
Praise for the wonders of God’s incarnation That God help us recognize truth
That God restore hope for the hopeless That God help others recognize truth
That God will make the Son known For those away from home
That God prepare the world to recognize Christ For inns with no room
That God prepare us to recognize Christ For those turned away from shelter
That God provide silence so people can see and hear For those traveling
That God provide silence so we can see and hear For pregnant women everywhere
That the nations open their eyes and hearts to him For those yet to be born
That my family opens their eyes and heart to Christ For those living in a dark world
That I open every part of my life and heart to Christ For those living with dark minds
That this Christmas brings light into the darkness ____________________________
That this Christmas brings needed change ____________________________
That this Christmas brings peace and love ____________________________
THE LORD'S PRAYER
SCRIPTURE LESSON
(Choose a passage of scripture to read. It can be a chapter, a paragraph, or a particular story. Daily lectionaries are available online or in print that assign a lesson each day from the gospels, epistles, Old Testament and psalms on a three-year cycle. Or you can create a plan to read a book of the Bible, or the whole Bible. Then follow the steps below.)
Read a passage of scripture. Read it out loud, very slowly and carefully as if for the first time. Continue reading until a word, phrase or sentence captures your attention. Stop there to repeat the word, phrase or sentence over and over, listening to it deeply in your heart.
Reflect on why the passage got your attention. Consider the area of your life to which this may apply. Is God saying something to you in this passage? Take time to listen carefully to whatever God may be saying to you.
Respond to God in prayer (or with journaling, music, art or whatever you choose) about what you have heard. Ask questions. Open yourself to God’s will for you.
Rest in God’s company. Be still and quiet. Move beyond thinking, practicing interior silence. Let yourself be open to God’s presence. Savor this moment with God.
PRAYER
God of the Christ Child and God of the Risen Christ,
our celebration of Christmas is about to begin.
We are excited to hear again that Jesus is born.
It has been a long year, with too much darkness.
We long to hear affirmation that you are with us.
We need to be reminded that we are not alone.
In Jesus you came to us so common, humble and small.
You did not shrink from our flesh and blood.
You embraced our infancy, and our childhood,
and even our difficult, troubled lives as adults.
You did not flee our poverty, nor avoid our plagues.
You faced our temptations, and gave us hope.
The words, “You will find a child …lying in a manger,”
will again call us to join Bethlehem’s shepherds.
We will sing our praises of a God who comes to us,
a God who reminds us the world has changed,
foundations have shifted, fallen or were replaced,
Bethlehem’s dawning lights up our new day.
Let our festivities and feasts calm the many anxieties
we have concerning this world’s labor pains.
Like Mary, help us trust you for promised new life,
As you did for Joseph, lead us in foreign places.
Our world is pregnant with the life you provide.
Help us recognize your presence in all of it. Amen.
SILENCE AND COMMITMENT
(Pause to reflect and listen. Work to push out of your mind any distracting or irrelevant thoughts. Concentrate your thoughts on the words of the hymns and choruses you have sung, the prayers you have spoken and the scriptures you have read. Be aware of what you are feeling. Listen for anything that God might be saying to you in this time you have spent together. As God responds to your prayer-time, seek guidance for how you can best respond to God’s will. Then commit to serving God’s will for you.)
HYMN 220 “Angels from the Realms of Glory”
CLOSING PRAYER
Today, Holy Father of the Christ-Child,
we walk on the knife-edge of Christmas.
Preparation and waiting nearly complete,
we open our arms, our minds, our hearts.
The greatest gift, is you giving yourself,
our greatest privilege is welcoming you.
Your love, your grace, your company,
is the feast that satisfies us forever more.
Today we walk in the light of your Son,
that illuminates your presence among us. Amen.
Copyright 2020. Robert D. Ingram, 32746 Jourden Rd., Albany, Ohio 45710 (dr.bobingram@gmail.com). Used by permission.
