Liturgy
Lord, as we enter into Advent
and near the end of the year.
Remind us of your Providence.
Remind us of your goodness and love.
Remind us of hope.
As we near this time of winter,
Show us where to find warmth.
Reveal to us where to stoke the fires within ourselves
And in the world around us
So that we can weather the cold in the storms ahead.
Cast our gaze forward to hope for the warmth
of the promised summer season
Surround us with people where we can see
Your comfort made manifest
Go before us
Guide our way
Protect us from harm
So that we might be able to do so for others
We ask this in your Name
Our Persistent Lord
Our Loving Christ
Our Empowering Spirit
Amen
(Vox Prayer Team)
Scripture
We invite you to hear from the book of Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
9 Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their toil.
10 For if they fall, one will lift up the other, but woe to one who is alone
and falls and does not have another to help. 11 Again, if two lie together,
they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? 12 And though one
might prevail against another, two will withstand one. A threefold cord is
not quickly broken.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God!
The grass withers and the flower fades,
but the Word of the Lord endures forever. Amen.
Homily & Reflection
What are my non-negotiables?
Who do I have to have around me?
What is true for me right now?
Benediction
We will remind ourselves of your promises in Scripture:
Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering,
for he who has promised is faithful. And let us consider
how to provoke one another to love and good deeds,
not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some,
but encouraging one another,
and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Create in us a persistent hope
Create in us an enduring love
Create in us an unflagging strength
As we live out being your hands and feet in the world.
Amen.
(Vox Prayer Team)
[Photo by Ed Leszczynskl]