Christmas Prayer 2025

God of angels and shepherds, God who comes to join us as a wee baby,

it is Christmas time again and once again

we listen to the carols, we tell the story, we bask in the glow of candlelight.

This year, as we do every year,

we listen for angels proclaiming Good News for all people.

This year, as every year,

we seek to find the Promised One in our world

God of candles flickering in our midst,

the candle flames look so fragile, a mere puff of wind could put them out.

And yet they are strong enough to bring light in the longest night

and heat to the coldest season.

May these candles in our space tonight lead us to find what we need:

hope that drives away despair;

peace in a tumultuous violent world;

joy that lifts our hearts, blooming where we least expect it;

love that is active and alive in the world;

and the promise that we are not alone, that you share every part of our lives.

As the candle flames dance and flicker,

help us reflect their light into the world around us.

God who loves this world so deeply,

you know, as we do, that there is much pain around us this night.

Outside our doors the snow drifts high,

the thermometer plummets and the wind steals our heat.

Around the block and around the globe are

those who find joy distant and difficult this year;

those who have lost hope,

those for whom peace is just a word, not reality,

those who wonder if they are indeed loved, or even lovable.

As we celebrate the birth of the Promised One

we pray for all of your beloved children who are in pain

who are afraid,

who weep,

who grieve.

Through your grace and love may they know that they are not alone,

lead them to find sparks of hope, peace and joy,

remind them that they are indeed Beloved.

God of dreams, keep us dreaming.

Keep the promises and dreams and hopes of Christmas

with us all the year round.

Plant dreams in our souls,

dreams that bring hope,

dreams of peace and justice,

dreams that bring us joy,

dreams of love that drives the world forward.

We share all our prayers, our hopes, our dreams,

our cries for help and comfort, our worries and fears,

in the name of Jesus, Christ the Lord,

whose birth we celebrate with angels and shepherds and millions of others.

Amen.

David's Christmas Story

Hey David! Wake UP!!!
David rolled over and let out a big yawn. As he sat up he looked around the field. Everything looked perfectly normal, like nothing special had happened last night. Had it all been a dream?

As he walked around the field, encouraging the sheep to move to a new section of grass, David thought about last night...the angels, the baby, the singing....he glanced over toward Bethlehem and shook his head...it was just so hard to believe...maybe it had just been a wonderful dream.

It started as a perfectly normal night. The flock was gathered together for a restful evening. It was David’s turn to stay awake, to make sure nothing happened, and all the others settled in for a sleep. David’s turn would come later.

As the evening drew on something kept David looking toward the town, It looked just like it always did but for some reason David was sure there was something special happening over there. Maybe it was just all that extra traffic for the census. So many people! David was glad to be out here in the field where things were quiet.

Suddenly there was this bright light all around. For a moment David thought the nearby bushes were on fire but then he realized the light was coming from the sky. He let out a yell and the rest of the shepherds woke up and jumped to their feet, sure that something was attacking the sheep. Then they saw the light and all fell on their faces. As David’s eyes adjusted to the light he could see a shape in it, an angel right there in front of, well above, him. David was frozen where he stood, afraid to move a muscle.

Then the voice came. It wasn’t like any voice David had ever heard before. “Don’t be afraid,” the angel said, “I bring you really good news, good news that is for everybody.” David looked right at the angel, wanting to hear more. “This very night a baby has been born,” the angel continued, “a baby who will be the Messiah, the Promised One of God.”

Now David was curious, excited, and afraid all at once. The elders had been talking about the Promised One for his whole life. They had said this was the one who would come and make Israel great again, bringing peace to everyone. The always reminded David that he had been named after the great King from long ago, and that a new king was coming who would be just as great. David wanted to hear more. How could he see this baby?

The angle was still talking: “Here is how you can know you found the right baby. He will be wrapped in strips of cloth and will be lying in a manger.” David was confused. A manger? Not the fanciest house in town? But then he remembered that the great King David had once been a mere shepherd boy and God chose him for a king. This new baby must be the same.

Suddenly the sky got even brighter. It seemed like dozens more angels appeared. The sky itself seemed to be singing about Peace on Earth and Goodwill to all! The music rang out, echoing off the hills. David’s heart raced. He wanted to join the song!

Then just as suddenly as it began, the song stopped. The light went out like someone had blown out a lamp and the field was dark and quiet again.

The other shepherds were talking excitedly among themselves, then one said to David: “We are going to the town to see if we can find this baby. You are the youngest, you stay here and watch the flock. Don’t lose any of them!” Then they all ran off, leaving David and the sheep alone in the field.

Watching them run down the hill David thought how unfair it was. He wanted to go too. He looked around and suddenly heard a voice telling him to go. The sheep would be fine, just go. David paused for a moment and then he ran after the rest.

When he got to the town David wondered where to go but somehow he just knew. Something or someone led him to a small house. As he got closer he could hear a baby crying, he could hear the other shepherds talking, telling the story of what had happened. This must be the right place.

David quietly snuck in along the side of the room, He didn’t want the others to see him and yell at him for leaving the flock alone. From where he was hiding he could see the manger, the baby nestled in his mother’s arms, everything. The other shepherds stayed for a few minutes then headed back to the field. As they left David could hear them singing and shouting and telling everyone the met what had happened. David knew he should leave too, if the others got back to the field before him he would be in trouble. But he couldn’t leave. He wanted more time to look at the baby.

While he sat and watched the baby started to cry. The mother held him close and started to sing. It was a song about God making everything right, about the hungry being fed, about people in power being pushed out of their fancy chairs and poor people lifted up, about God remembering God’s promises. The song made David feel hopeful, like everything would be alright. Suddenly the woman looked straight at him. She smiled at him and said, “It’s alright, come over here and take a better look.”.

David went over and looked at the baby. As he looked into that tiny face the song the angels sang started to ring in his ears again. He felt so happy.

David remembered the flock out in the field. He had to get back. So he said good bye to the baby, and to the baby’s parents and ran all the way back. He got there just before the other shepherds. They would never even know he had left. When they got back it was David’s turn to sleep for a while before dawn.

As he lay down in the grass David kept thinking of everything that had happened. As he drifted off to sleep he saw the angels. He saw the baby. He heard the angel song. He heard the song the mother had sung to calm the baby. As he slept he dreamed of all the wonderful things God must be planning to do through this baby. It was a wonderful night, a wonderful dream. David was happy.

Many years later David would be in Jerusalem and see a teacher come to town riding on a donkey. That day David would remember that very special night with the angels and the baby. But that is a story for another time.

Christmas Eve Meditation

(Cross posted to Pastoral Ponderings)

 To Ponder, Perchance to Dream...

“And Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart”
In her heart, not just thinking them over, she pondered them in her heart. The place where dreams and hopes live. The core of our being. That is where these things she had heard and experienced rested. Her heart.

What did Mary ponder that night? As she lay there exhausted in that place where animals usually slept, looking at her newborn child in that manger ,what ran through her mind, heart, and soul. As the baby woke and cried out, as she picked him up and began to nurse, what was she seeing, thinking, feeling, hoping?

Did she wonder what the future would be like? Had she, like many parents before and since, spent the last 9 months dreaming about the life her child would live? Now that the child was here did she listen to the story that the shepherds babbled about angels and a message from God about a Saviour and wonder what that meant for her son? Did it make her hopeful or worried?

Or maybe she thought back to that day back in Nazareth. Was it only 9 months ago? That day when suddenly Gabriel appeared and told her she was favoured. He had told her that this would be a special child, one who would regain the throne of her ancestor David. Mary had not known what to do, this couldn’t be right, she questioned Gabriel and then agreed to the offer. But maybe a seed had been planted in her heart. Is that where the dream began?

Maybe she then thought of the hurried trip to see Elizabeth. She had to get away from the rumours and sideways glances, had to find a place of safety. Elizabeth was family, was married to a priest, and lived far away. That would be a safe place. Did her thoughts drift to the day she arrived and Elizabeth told of her child leaping and dancing with joy at the mere approach of Mary and the baby growing in her belly?

Maybe the pondering landed on the song that came to Mary’s lips that day. The song of power and defiance and hope. The dream of a world renewed and reborn. The dream that her child would bring healing, liberation, and freedom. The dream that God was at work in turning the tables, turning the world upside down through this child that she carried. Somehow Mary just knew it to be true. This little being that was turning and swimming in her womb would do all those things. It was more than a dream or a hope, it was a promise. Now that the child was here did her ears ring with that song once again? Did she sing it to him now, just as she had sung it to him so many times before?

Had she been there when Elizabeth’s son was born? Had she been there that day when John was named and Zechariah found his voice again? Had she listened to his song of hope and promise about John and about another, a saviour who would come? Listening to that song may well have deepened the dreams about the child. The dream wasn’t only hers...

Or maybe there was another side to the pondering. Maybe Mary remembered the dream, the hope, the promise and then compared it to what she knew of the world. Would the dream survive in the midst of imperial power? She knew what that power could do. She had seen the legions in action. Would Rome step aside as the dream came true?

What did Mary ponder as she held her newborn son to her chest, listening to his breathing?

I think she saw the hope. I think that she looked back on all that had happened over those last 9 months and remembered every moment. I am sure that like so many other parents-to-be she had spent many a night dreaming about her child. I think that in those sleepless nights when it was so hard to get comfortable she thought about what Gabriel had said, what she had sung, remembering many long talks with Elizabeth about the future, whispering and singing to her belly, sharing the hope and dream with her unborn child, and now she looked at that child and saw all those hopes and promises reflected in his eyes.

Then she would come to the present. The long journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, the arrival in a town bursting at the seams, the beginnings of the labour pains even as it became obvious that nobody had any room, the grateful acceptance of a space in the lower level of a house because the guest room was full, the pain of childbirth, and the surprise of shepherds bursting in with their story. And she pondered it all, seeing the dream and the hope, a dream and hope that the shepherd’s story seemed to reinforce. I want to think that Mary held the dream high and pondered how the world could be so much better because of this small child gently nursing in her arms.

And now, 2000 years later we sit and listen to the story again. We too are invited to ponder all these things in our hearts. We too are invited to share the dream.

What do we ponder here tonight? What dreams do we bring with us to this Christmas Eve?

I think our Christmas dreams have much in common with Mary’s. I think that after all these years the dream of God re-ordering the world, of God bringing peace and justice to God’s children still resonates among people of faith. The world sometimes seems like a broken place. There is much that could be better. Christmas invites us to dream of the ‘better’.

The Christmas promise carries with it many dreams. The birth of a child always makes us dream about the future, the birth of this child also makes us dream about the present. At Christmas God breaks into the here and now, the promises are for a Jewish peasant family 2000 years ago, for us here and now, for those who will come after us.

The birth of Jesus awakens hope in our lives. Hope that drives out despair. In a world where bad news and violence and division seems to rule the day Christmas wakes us up to possibility. We are people of hope, we dream of a world where hope is stronger than despair.

One of the titles Jesus is given is the Prince of Peace. Our Christmas dream is of the “time foretold when peace shall over all the earth it’s ancient splendours fling”. We dream of a transformed world where weapons of war are turned into tools of peace, where “they shall not hurt or destroy on all God’s holy mountain”.

A traditional Jewish song says “Joy shall come even to the wilderness...deserts like a garden blossom”. The old carol proclaims “Joy to the World, the Lord is come!”. Our Christmas dream involves Joy. In the dry places of our lives, where joy seems distant or impossible Christmas reminds us of the God who shares our lives intimately, the God who is always with us. We sink into deep trust and find Joy in God’s deepest presence. We dream of Joy blossoming in the world like the desert after a rain.

Love came down at Christmas, Christina Rossetti once wrote. Love was born at Christmas. The idea of Emmanuel, God-With-Us taking on human flesh and walking among us sounds like a dream. The idea of Love taking on human form and moving in the world is a dream, a dream of the God who is actively leading us to love each other as we have been loved. Our Christmas Dream includes remembering how deeply we are loved by God.

Mary dreamed that her child would transform the world. Mary dreamed of a time of peace and justice and renewal. All these centuries later we still share her dream. We ponder the promises of the story. We dream a dream, a hopeful dream that leads us to live as renewed people, people of hope, people building peace, people singing for joy, people actively loving our neighbours.

Keep dreaming my friends. As we listen to the angel song ringing through the sky keep dreaming of all that this night promises: Peace on the Earth, Good will to all. Christ is Born, Alleluia! Amen.

A WEdding Meditation

In Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth we read these words:

If I speak in the tongues of humans and of angels but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers and understand all mysteries and all knowledge and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. ...

Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable; it keeps no record of wrongs; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never ends. ... And now faith, hope, and love remain, these three, and the greatest of these is love

This morning in churches around the globe candles were lit. As we prepare for the coming of Christmas we light candles reminding us that we need hope, we seek peace, we look for joy and this morning a candle was lit to remind us that love is central to how God acts in the world. Love, I believe, is the creative word that brings out life. Love is the force that keeps us together.

Today we gather together to celebrate a particular face of love. We have come to celebrate with A&M as they declare their love for and commitment to each other. Marriage, at its best, is an incarnation of love. Family, at its best, is held together by love – both the families into which we are born and also the families which we choose, or which choose us.

Now if we are honest, marriage, family are not always easy. There are days we disagree, sometimes strongly. There are days we just need to spend time away from each other. The road of life sometimes has potholes or speed bumps or periods of construction. Thankfully love which flows from God is strong and resilient.

The love that Paul describes in his letter to Corinth is not just the love of Hallmark movies, of candlelight and roses. It is a love that is deep and resilient. It, as Paul says, bears all things, hopes all things, believes all things. This is the love that carries us through the tough days.

In marriage we make ourselves more vulnerable than in almost any other relationship. We choose to put our hearts and souls in the care of another person. And we do that knowing that neither of us is perfect. It is a great act of deep trust. Trust at that level comes from being loved by and loving the other. Trust at that level is something we need to hold very precious.

M&A, today a new family is being formed. To a degree it will combine the families from which you have come as you bring forward what you have learned about life from them. At the same time it will be something new, a place where the two of you will learn and grow together. May this new family be a place of deep trust and love. May it be a place where you both can continue to grow into who you were meant to be. As time passes may your love deepen and mature.

In the book of Ecclesiastes there is a passage that says:

Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their toil. 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. Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? ... A threefold cord is not quickly broken.

M&A, may you be there to pick each other up, to keep each other warm. And may God, who gives us love, who is best known through love, be the third strand in the cord of your life, the strand that adds strength and stability when the other two are stretched to their limit. May you be blessed, may you be a blessing to each other and to all others in your lives. Amen.

Words of WElcome

Welcome to St. Paul’s, a come as you are church. Come as you are means that all are welcome here. Whatever your skin tone, what ever you hair colour, dressed in the fanciest clothes in town or in something that happened to be reasonably clean come as you are. Maybe you moved to Grande Prairie yesterday or your family has been here for generations, or anywhere in between. Maybe you have been immersed in the church your whole life or maybe you are just curious about this Jesus character. Come in and sit down. You might be Lesbian, Bisexual, Straight, Gay, or Asexual; cisgendered, trans, non-binary or just trying to figure it all out. There is a place for you. DO you know exactly what your place in the world is or are you (for the first, second or 54^th time) wondering what to do next? Come and listen for God’s whisper. We are a come as you are church, whoever and however you are you are a beloved child of God and are welcome here.

As we gather we also remember that in 1899 a treaty was made between the people who had been here for millenia and the people who were starting to move in. WE thank the Beaver, the Cree, the Dene ‘tha for their care for the land and their willingness to share and we pray that God would help us all live into the promises made on our behalf all those years ago.

Epiphany Communion

INVITING
Be it the simplest wooden table or the grandest carved stone altar
this is Christ’s table.
Christ invites us to meet him here.
All are welcome to this meal, there is room for everyone.
Come and taste the grace eternal, come and see that God is good.

THANKSGIVING
Jesus is born! Emmanuel has arrived!
Glory to God in the Highest!
God is with us right here, right now!
And so we sing songs of praise and thanksgiving!

God of star light and angel song,
like the shepherds and the Magi
we come to see the newborn Saviour.
Like Anna and Simeon we sing our songs of praise
that after our long wait the promise has come true.

We remember the many Herods in our history,
people who actively worked against your hope and promise.
With thanks we remember all those who, encountering you,
chose a different path, went a different way,
so that the hope would win.
God who is revealed in many ways we give thanks
for all the ways we have come to know you, to hear you.
Keep our eyes, ears, minds, and souls open,
that we would continue to meet you –
in places expected and unexpected.

STORYTELLING
God of Christmas, as the Christmas season comes to its close,
we remember not only the Babe in the manger
but the adult he will become.
Jesus, child of Mary, will change so much –
how we understand the world, ourselves, and you.
For challenging the powers around him
he will be arrested, tried and executed.
But then he will break the bonds of death.
Here at this table we remember another table,
there Jesus will take bread, bless it break it and share it saying:
This is my body broken by the world, eat it and remember me.
At that same meal Jesus will take a cup, bless it and share it saying:
This is the cup of the New Covenant, drink it and remember me.
After all these years we still gather to eat and drink and remember.

SPIRIT-INVOKING
God, in Jesus you took on human form, sharing our lives.
Your Spirit moved through him into his followers.
As we gather at this table today, may your Spirit move among us.
Give us the wisdom to look for you, the courage to be ready to encounter you, and the willingness to take our part in your remaking of the world.
We pray in the name of the Child in the manger, the man he will become, the Risen Christ, who encourages us all to pray saying:
Our Father...

BREAKING, POURING, SHARING
The Bread we break is the bread of life
The Cup we share is the cup of love.
Christ is present in these ordinary things.

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
God who took on flesh in Jesus,
We offer thanks for meeting us at this table.
We pray that this encounter with you would feed us in body, mind and soul. May every time we encounter you push us to grow into you would have us be. May we leave this table ready to carry your light and love into the world around us. Amen

For Christmas Eve 2025

 

Call to Worship
After all our hoping and waiting and dreaming the night is finally here
the baby is born, Christmas has arrived.
With eagerness and excitement we listen for angel song,
Peace on the Earth, Good will to all!
On this wondrous night we run with the shepherds, we ponder and dream with Mary
Jesus is born, come let us adore him...

Opening Prayer
God, in the midst of Christmas hustle and bustle you invite us to dream,
we dream of hope that drives away despair;
of peace that changes the world;
of joy that breaks into the dark places of life;
of love that meets us face-to-face.
As we gather tonight to celebrate the birth of a baby,
help us to dream about a renewed world, lead us to ponder the amazing story we hear tonight.
We pray in the name of Jesus, the hope of the world, whose birth we celebrate tonight.
Amen.

Commissioning
Go now to share the Good News that the angels first told the shepherds:
For unto us is born this day a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord.
Go out into the night to see the lights of hope, peace, joy and love shining in every Christmas decoration
Go out to dream a dream, to imagine a world renewed and reborn
And as you dream, as you ponder the Christmas gift remember that you are never alone.
The God who takes human form and is lying in a manger is with you every step of the way.
May we all carry the Christmas blessing into a New Year.

For lighting the Advent wreath on Dec 24

On this night we light candles. This candle reminds us of the spark of Hope awakening in our midst. Light a blue candle

On this night we drive away shadows. This candle reminds us that the Prince of Peace will change the world. Light a blue candle

On this night we listen for angel song. This candle reminds us of the Joy that erupts in our midst like flowers in the desert after a rain. Light a blue candle

On this night we remember that we are not alone. This candle reminds us that at Christmas Love takes on flesh and walks among us. Light a blue candle

On this night we celebrate the birth of a child. This candle reminds us that the Light of the World has come. Glory to God in the highest! Light the white candle

For January 4, 2026 --Epiphany Sunday

 

CALL TO WORSHIP
Something drew us here this morning
Maybe a habit, maybe some new star in the sky.
Something keeps us looking and waiting,
Trusting that Jesus will meet us, that God will be revealed to us.
Let us join the Magi, and Simeon, and Anna, let us meet the child today
As fellow seekers and wait-ers we gather for worship

OPENING PRAYER
God of Epiphany, God who is being revealed in our midst,
in this time of worship open our eyes, our ears, our hearts, our souls,
open our very beings to sense how you are with us.
Free our tongues to sing your praise.
Spark our generosity to share our gifts.
Feed our bodies and spirits as we gather at your table.
And when this time of gathering is ended
lead us back out to share the Good News of a baby who will change the world. Amen

PRAYER FOR & ASSURANCE OF GRACE
Source of Life and Love, you reveal yourself in many ways.
Sometimes as a bright shining star, sometimes as a newborn baby, sometimes in bread and juice.
And yet, so often we miss the signs, we don’t see or hear or feel you right in front of us.
We take the wrong road, or we just don’t wait long enough.
God of Grace, in our seeking and our waiting,
guide us like the Magi, grant us the patience of Simeon and Anna.
Help us recognize your presence.
May we let the encounter change us, may we sing songs of praise.
...time of silent prayer...
God is indeed revealed in many ways. God meets us where we are, sometimes in grand spectacle, sometime in the everyday things of life. However God reveals God-self it is to lead us in the path of hope and renewal, reminding us that we are beloved.
Thanks be to God. Amen.

OFFERING DEDICATION
God, when they saw the newborn baby Jesus the Magi offered rich and rare gifts, Simeon and Anna offered songs of praise.
We offer what we have, our time and talent and treasure in response to Jesus’ presence in our lives. May they be used to help build up the Beloved Community, to pass on the Good News of a world being renewed.
We offer them in love and service to Jesus, in whose name we gather, in whose name we pray.
Amen

COMMISSIONING
We have joined the Magi on their quest, we have met Simeon and Anna in the temple
Like them we have encountered the Promised Child, Jesus of Nazareth.
We have sung and prayed and eaten together
Continuing to build the Beloved Community
Now we go out into the world
sharing the hope and the promise found in a tiny child,
proclaiming that God is actively transforming the world.
Go now secure in the knowledge that the God we meet in Jesus is with you every where you go.
Always and All Ways. Alleluia!

Christ Candle for Epiphany and the following Season

 

Like many before us, we seek to see God active in our world.

The flicker of the candle flame reminds us of God’s light, which can not be put out.

As it burns in our midst we center ourselves for worship

Prayer for Love -- Advent 4

PRAYER FOR LOVE (with thanks to Christina Rossetti and John 1)
In the beginning was the Word, the source of all
God what was the Word? Was it a word of Love?
And then the Word became flesh and lived among us.
God we celebrate the birth of a baby, where we meet you in flesh.
Love came down at Christmas...Love was born at Christmas
God we give thanks for the gift of Love, active love, love in a real body.
As people who strive to follow the Law of Love that this baby will teach, we pledge:
Love shall be our token...Love to God and love to all..Love for plea and gift and sign.
We pray in the name of Jesus, Word-Made-Flesh, Love embodied, whose birth is now just days away.
Amen.

Prayer for Joy -- Advent 3

 (References the songs Joy Shall Come  and Joy to the World as well as Philippians 4:4)

Joy shall come, even to the wilderness
God we know the reality of the wilderness, we feel the empty places in life
And the parched land shall know great gladness
We look for water to bring life and growth
As the rose, so shall deserts blossom, living springs shall give cool water
We await the birth of Jesus, the Living Water, so that our joy will bloom like the rose.
Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice!
Trusting that we are not alone, we find joy in the gift of Your presence.
Joy to the World! The Lord is Come!
We tell the old stories of faith and are reminded that You bring New Life, New Hope, New Joy.
And heaven and nature sing.
God of Grace, fill our hearts with trust and joy.
We pray in the name of Jesus, whose birth causes all Creation to sing for Joy. Amen.