For December 28, 2008 -- Sunday After Christmas

CALL TO WORSHIP
The child has been born, the angels have sung!
And the rest of the world returns to life as normal.
But the story continues,
And so we gather to hear more about the child, more about the hope he brings.
Here and now we come to sing praises to God who is active in our world.
Together we worship the God of Christmas.
Let us pray…

Offering Prayer
God, the wrapping paper has been torn and tossed; the gifts have all been opened and examined.
No, not all of them. We continue to offer our gifts all year round.
Ah yes, the gift of Christmas fills our hearts with hope.
And out of that hope we offer our time, our talent, and our treasure. May the gifts we offer spread the hope, peace, joy and love of Christmas around our community and around the world. Amen.

Comissioning/Benediction for January 4, 2008 -- Epiphany Sunday

COMMISSIONING AND BENEDICTION
We who have been given much go out into the world,
we go to share our gifts with the world around us.
As we go to share our gifts we go knowing that that Gift-Giver-God, has blessed, is blessing, and will continue to bless us. God be with you as you follow your stars.
Thanks be to God! Amen.

For December 7, 2008 -- Be Not Afraid, Prophetic Peace be with You -- 2nd of Advent

CALL TO WORSHIP
Into the wildernesses of the world,
God speaks through wild men and prophets.
Into the chaos of the world,
God promises peace that shall be.
Into the noise of the world,
God calls to God’s people, calling them together for comfort and challenge.
Let us worship together, let us pray…

OPENING PRAYER
God, the world is filled with troubles,
we pray for peace to fill the world.
God, sometimes we have trouble finding the path,
we pray for voices to remind us what is possible, to remind us which way to go.
God, in this time of worship,
move among us, fill us with hope, remind us that new life is being born in our world. We pray in the name of Jesus, whose birth we await. Amen.

Offering Prayer
God, with every heartbeat we come closer to the time when we celebrate the birth of a child. As we prepare to celebrate that birth open our hearts to give. May the gifts we give this Christmas season be gifts that enrich the lives of all your children. Amen.

COMMISSIONING AND BENEDICTION
Into the wildernesses of our world,
We are sent out, to share God’s word of hope.
Into the chaos and noise of the world,
God wants us to bring peace, prophetic peace, for the sake of our children and grandchildren.
As we go out into the world we go confident in the knowledge that God: Parent Child, and Spirit goes with us always.
Thanks be to God! Amen.

For November 30, 2008 -- Be Not Afraid, a New World is Coming -- 1st of Advent

CALL TO WORSHIP
A new year begins! New hope and promise fills the air!
We come to worship the One who makes all things new.
In the midst of the world’s trials and tribulations,
we come to be with the One who brings a new heaven and earth into being.
The Creating One, the One who births hope, calls us together.
Let us worship in song and story, food and fellowship.

OPENING PRAYER
God, the world around us is so troubled,
and sometimes we find ourselves afraid of what may happen.
As we gather here together move among us,
remind us of the promise of a new world where peace and justice will reign.
And in this time together,
help us to let go of our fear. Help us look forward to the time that is to come. We pray in the name of Jesus, whose birth we await. Amen.

Offering Prayer
Creating and re-creating God, with bated breath we await the birth that has been promised. As we wait we share the gifts we have been given, trusting that they will be tools for the re-building of the world. Amen.

COMMISSIONING AND BENEDICTION
We go from this place into a world preparing for a great celebration.
We go to prepare not just for the party but for God to break into our lives anew.
As we prepare for the birth of hope, as we prepare for a new world,
and we carry the promise to the troubled world around us.
As you go out to share God’s promise, go out knowing that God who Created and re-creates, Christ who redeems, and the Spirit which sustains goes with you always. Amen.

For November 23, 2008 -- Reign of Christ Sunday

CALL TO WORSHIP
Make a joyful noise all the earth!
We come to worship with praise and thanksgiving.
Come into God’s presence in song!
We sing the songs of the faith and life.
Come to hear the word spoken, prayed, and sung!
We come to worship and be prepared for service.
Let us worship together, let us pray…

OPENING PRAYER
God, once again we have gathered together in worship. In this time together move among us, stirring our hearts and our souls to action. Awaken in us a new awareness of how we should live and walk in your Way. May our time here equip us with the strength and wisdom to serve you and our neighbours with love. We pray in the name and Spirit of Jesus, who taught us to pray together saying…

Offering Prayer
God who has given us so much, we bring with us our gifts to share. May the sharing of what we have and are be a way that your love is made active and known in the world. Amen.

COMMISSIONING AND BENEDICTION
Make a joyful noise all the Earth!
We go out into the world in praise and thanksgiving.
Go out to serve God and neighbour.
We go out to feed those whose bodies and souls are hungry, to comfort the lonely and frightened, to make the love of God active in the world.
Go out knowing that the God who calls us to serve blesses and accompanies us always.
Thanks be to God! Amen.

For December 14, 2008 -- Be Not Afraid, Sing For Joy -- Pageant Sunday -- 3rd of Advent

OPENING PRAYER
God, the world can be a truly frightening place.
And in the midst of this fear we look for Good News.
In this hour of story and song,
remind us that there is hope coming into the world. Remind us that we too can sing for joy.
This we pray in the name of the one whose birth we await, the one who taught us to pray saying…

Offering Prayer
God of new hope and birth, as we prepare again to celebrate Christmas we bring our gifts to share. May the gifts we share this season be signs of love and hope in a world of fear and despair. Amen

COMMISSIONING AND BENEDICTION
The world can be a terrifying place.
But there is always good news to share.
Go, tell it in the streets and alleys, tell it everywhere.
Jesus Christ is born. And so we sing for joy in the face of the world’s terror.
As you go to sing the song of joy remember that God, the source of the song, is with you always.
Joy to the World! The Lord is come. Amen.

Remembrance Day Prayer of Invocation

God of peace, 90 years ago today the guns of war fell silent. For 90 years people have gathered on this day to give thanks for the willing sacrifice of those young men who agreed to wear the uniform of their country. We remember the battlefields of Ypres, Passchendaele, Sicily, Normandy, Korea – places far away in distance and time. We remember peacekeeping missions in many troubled places across the globe. We remember a new war with new battles in Afghanistan. And as we remember we utter the words “never again”.

God of life, in this time of prayer and song and remembering may we feel your presence among us. May our worship here re-awaken in our hearts and souls a new hope for the possibility of peace. May you fill our very beings with a vision of your justice that brings true peace to the world. Move among us here in this time together and then send us back out into the world committed to be active in the cause of peace. This we pray in the name of the Prince of Peace, Jesus of Nazareth, the one we call Christ. Amen.

For November 16, 2008 -- Proper 28, 27th After Pentecost

CALL TO WORSHIP
On the horizon a light starts to glow.
Day is at hand!
We come to face the dawn of a new day.
We come to welcome the day that God has made.
We come to worship with song and prayer.
We come with praises and hopes.
Let us worship together, let us pray…

OPENING PRAYER
Giver-of-all, as we wait for your day to dawn we gather in worship. In this time together may we be gifted with hope and promise for that day to come. May the sharing of Your word and presence give us the courage to find hope in the midst of chaos, dawn in the falling night. Amen.

COMMISSIONING AND BENEDICTION
On the horizon a light starts to glow.
Day is at hand!
Go now from this place of worship and out into the world.
We go to greet the new day. We go to tell of the dawn that is breaking.
As you go take heart. No matter how chaotic the world may seem God walks with you always. God, our help in ages past, will comfort and support you.
Our hope for years to come! Thanks be to God.

For November 9, 2008 -- Proper 27, 26th After Pentecost

OPENING PRAYER
God, you call us together again this day,
we come seeking to hear your wisdom, hoping to feel your presence.
God, you call us to learn about your way,
we come seeking to be renewed in our choice to follow you, to have no other gods in our life.
God, in this time together,
move among us, strengthen our hearts, send us out refreshed.
This we pray in the name of the one who taught us to pray together saying…

Offering Prayer
Gift-giving God, choosing to follow you means choosing to share your gifts. Here we offer our gifts of treasure and of our selves, praying that they would be able to spread your peace, your hope, and your love in the world. Amen.

PRAYER OF CONFESSION/ASSURANCE OF PARDON
God, we try to be people of peace,
but the world works against us and we are often unsure what peace might mean.
We try to follow you alone, putting all idols and gods aside,
but they are deceptive and innocuous and challenge our loyalties.
For those times we step off the path of wisdom,
forgive us we pray.
...time of silent prayer…
God is merciful and loving. God does not condemn but offers us forgiveness and second chances. We are a forgiven people.
Thanks be to God! Amen.

Service Music for Advent/Christmas 2008

Offering for Advent (tune= Away in a Manger):

O Christmas is coming, the season is here.
Of folks buying presents for friends far and near.
To you God incarnate our gifts now we bring.
We lay them before you while praises we sing.

Offering for Christmas (tune= Away in a Manger):

O Christmas has come now the baby is here.
He lies in the manger the Saviour most dear.
To you child of Mary our gifts now we bring.
We lay them before you while praises we sing.

Closing for Advent:(tune=Good King Wenceslas)

Have no fear be full of hope, the Christ-child is coming.
Hope he brings to all our hearts, praises we are humming.
As we prepare for the birth, let our hearts learn to trust.
We will never have to fear, God is walking with us.

Closing for Christmas:(tune=God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen) (first written 2007)

God bless you all as you go out
To share the Christmas joy
To tell of peace and love and hope
Born with a baby boy
And may we pass God’s love along
As if in God’s employ
O Christmas has come to us again, come again
O Christmas has come to us again