Reflecting the Sacred
Let us be as open vessels that God’s spirit may enter.
The Community Gathers: Experience God’s presence in the assembly. Please greet one another with joy and welcome new friends into our community of love.
You are welcome here…come and worship!
Welcome:
Pre-Gathering Music: Upon this Moment
(by Marcia McFee) -Michelle & The Congregation
Upon this moment, upon this people,
upon this place, the holy comes.
And sacred knowing brings sacred being
for sacred doing of God’s plan. -Michelle Currie
Reader: Please repeat after me:
We pray for Peace this day.
We pray for Peace this day.
We open to see the Sacred reflected in all things.
We open to see the Sacred reflected in all things.
We open to see each moment
We open to see each moment
as a gift of holy presence.
as a gift of holy presence.
This is the gift of the Christ Mystery,
This is the gift of the Christ Mystery,
lighting the way to peace.
lighting the way to peace.
Advent Wreath: Lighting the wreath
Music: Upon This Moment
Upon this moment, upon this people,
upon this place, the holy comes.
And sacred knowing brings sacred being
for sacred doing of God’s plan.
Opening Prayer:
Living God, Christ Mystery, Spirit of Peace,
we give you thanks for this holy sensing of your presence.
As we take in the peace you offer,
may we be a reflection of your light,
expanding the sacred knowing of “you are here for me”
into the sacred knowing of “you are present for all of us.” Amen.
Lord’s Prayer
Opening Hymn: What Child Is This #145
Scripture: Isaiah 7: 10-16, Matthew 1: 18-25 -Dick Bennett
Sermon: Rev. Paula Norbert
Music: Light of the World (by Lauren Daigle/Paul Duncan/Paul Maybury) -Michelle Currie
Musical call to Prayer: (two times) Hush now in quiet peace, be still your mind at ease. The Spirit brings release, so wait upon the Lord.
Prayers of the People
Silent Prayers Pastoral Prayer
Offertory: This Is My Wish (by Kevin Ross) -Michelle Currie & The Union Church Choir
Doxology: Praise God from whom all blessings flow, Praise God all creatures here below. Praise God above ye heavenly hosts, Cre-ator, Christ and Holy Ghost. Amen.
Closing Music: Let There Be Peace on Earth (by Sy Miller & Jill Jackson)
Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me
Let there be peace on earth the peace that was meant to be
With God, our Creator, Family all are we
Let us walk with each other in perfect harmony
Let peace begin with me let this be the moment now
With every step I take let this be my solemn vow
To take each moment and live each moment in
peace eternally Let there be peace on earth and
let it begin with me
Blessing:
When you see lights twinkle, when you catch a reflection
in a mirror, when you notice the sunlight dancing on a surface
or a candle glowing in the darkness, let these be signs that
the Christ Light is revealed again and again in and
through this world. Know that your brilliant presence
is pouring more peace into a weary world.
God loved us by becoming us. This means you are
already reflecting the sacred. In the name of the Creator,
Christ, and Spirit of Hope. Amen.
Postlude: We Need a Silent Night In Here (by Marsha Jean Moors-Charles/Chuck Bell) -Michelle & Congregation
We need a silent night in here.
We need your presence to come near.
Give us the hope we seek
and the peace we need.
We need a silent night in here.
Give us the hope we seek
and the peace we need.
We need a silent night in here.
Our Christmas Eve Service will be held at 4pm on December 24th. Christmas Carols will be played before the start of the Service. We kindly ask that everyone mask who is planning to attend so that we may prevent the spread of any illness during this festive season.
On Sunday, January 1st, we will have our 10am Service at the regular time.
With Great thanks to our Music Director Michelle Currie, The Union Church Choir and to our Zoom Host and Readers today.
Worship Notes: Worship series design © Worship Design Studio by Marcia McFee. Used, adapted, and live-streamed with permission.
O energy of grace, O fire of light
let my heart express its longing and its love
for you who are within and without
for the immersion in your essence and your vibrancy
for your flow in the very marrow of my soul
and in the music of my members and molecules.
O Christ, energy of love,
pilot me, indwell me, transfigure me
enlighten me, release me into your being. Philip Roderick
Where the Wild Things Aren’t by Talitha Arnold
The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. – Isaiah 11:6-7 (NRSV)
Until a few years ago, I delighted in Isaiah’s “peaceable kingdom” with its vision of an abundant and playful creation, filled with lions and lambs, leopards and little goats, bears and cows all getting along.
But then I learned that the Syrian brown bear, which roamed from northern Lebanon down to the Sinai in Isaiah’s time, is essentially extinct throughout the Middle East. Habitat loss from endless wars has taken its toll, as have deforestation and poaching. A handful of zoos and private preserves still hold a few bears, but none exist in the wild.
Similarly, until last century, Arabian leopards thrived in the region’s mountains and deserts. With less than 200 of the big cats left, they are now considered critically endangered. The region’s wolf population has met a similar fate. Even the Lion of Judah, aka the Asiatic lion, has vanished from the landscape.
Given our human role in the extinction of so many of God’s creatures, whether in the Middle East or in our own country, I wonder what Isaiah’s peaceable kingdom would look like now. He promised that a “little child shall lead them,” but I pray we don’t leave to the next generation the work of repairing the damage we’ve done.
Prayer: God of all creation, your prophet called us to neither harm nor destroy anything on your holy mountain. We have done both. We ask your forgiveness and pray for the commitment and courage to help restore your creation. Amen.