Liturgy
We are grateful for the awareness of suffering for
It saves us from complacency.
So whether it is the illness of a family member,
The eviction of a neighbor,
Or the sadness of a friend,
We know that all is not as it should be.
So we are here to be shaken up.
Break us loose, God, from the obvious.
The ways that seem true because they always have been
In our lives and in the lives of others.
Because some of what has always been should not be.
We look to you, Lord, for a new way.
We wait to understand the possibilities
So that we don’t reach for some new injustice,
Willy-nilly, without even knowing.
We are hoping for something fresh, something true.
We are hanging on, through this long night of advent.
We want to be shaken, not stirred,
See the world turned upside down in the way prophecy promised.
Mountains made low and valleys raised up.
The first last and the last first.
Glory not grasped, but shone.
We are waiting on the promise of our Father above,
The coming of the beloved Son,
And the moving of the Spirit within.
Amen
(Vox Prayer Team)
Scripture
We invite you to hear from the Gospel according to Luke 3:10-16
10 And the crowds asked him, “What, then, should we do?” 11 In reply he
said to them, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has
none, and whoever has food must do likewise.” 12 Even tax collectors
came to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?”
13 He said to them, “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.”
14 Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what should we do?” He said to
them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation,
and be satisfied with your wages.”
15 As the people were filled with expectation and all were questioning in
their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, 16 John
answered all of them by saying, “I baptize you with water, but one who is
more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the strap of his
sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
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
When have you experienced a disruption that led to transformation?
How can this season of waiting re-envision our way in the world?
Where is there an invitation for God’s newness in this current disruption?
Benediction
May you have Joy.
May it fill you up with bubbles and laughter.
May it run out of your eyes and into those around you.
May you have Joy.
May it show up as gratitude for everything good.
May it move you to give something away to those in need.
May you have Joy.
May it well up from some unseen spring.
May it bathe you in the clear water of compassion.
May you have Joy.
May it be lit inside you like an advent candle.
May it spread to fill a sky of singing angels.
May you have Joy,
May it come to you as a gift from God above,
A response to the One we are waiting on,
Renewed by the glowing Spirit.
Amen.
(Vox Prayer Team)
[Photo by Nate Bell]