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.