Liturgy
Good and gracious God,
come dwell among us today.
Let us take a breath to welcome your spirit.
[Pause for the congregation to take a breath]
Expand our hearts as we
encounter you this morning.
Open them wide enough
for the whole of creation.
Let us touch for a brief moment
the eternal and cosmic force
of Christ’s redemption and love.
May this redemption transform
our hearts, minds, and actions,
so that we can better love and
respect this earth that you made,
and all your creatures in it.
This we pray in the name
of the triune God,
Holy in One,
Amen.
(Gina Bastone-Trevino)
Scripture Reading
We invite you to hear from the reading of John 1: 1-5.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things came into being through him, and without him
not one thing came into being. What has come into being
4 in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.
5 The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness did not overcome it.
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God!
The Good News of Christ. Praise be to you, O Christ!
The grass withers and the flower fades,
but the Word of the Lord endures forever. Amen.
Sermon and Reflection
Sermon Podcast 1.5.120 – Generous Language
Have I found the language big enough to hold my journey now?
Where is your darkness and light living now? (offer compassion to your darkness)
What questions will shape your beauty in the year to come?
Benediction
Vox family, as we leave here today,
let us pray together in God’s
working, thanking, trusting, and enjoying.
Love is God’s meaning.
In this love, we have our beginning.
And it has no end.
It is forth-spreading,
with God’s perfect grace,
into great lengths and breadths,
heights and depths.
All is one in love.
Go forth then,
in the name of God, the Author of our lives,
Jesus, the One who makes things right,
And the Holy Spirit, who breathes with us.
Amen.
(Gina Bastone-Trevino, adapted from Julian of Norwich’s A Book of Showings, ch. 59 & 86)
Go in peace and live the church.
See you throughout the week.
[Photo by Robert Ogilvie @ Flickr]