For December 1, 2013 -- 1st Sunday of Advent

CALL TO WORSHIP

The cycle of the seasons has come round yet again, a new year is beginning.

We begin the year by preparing for a birth

The circle of love draws us closer and binds us together.

And so we worship together, greeting each other with words of peace...

PRAYER FOR AND ASSURANCE OF GRACE

God, you awaken us to the world that is about to turn,

reminding us that the Christmas child will cause the world to be changed.

You remind us that there is a season and a time for everything,

and calling us to live with the rhythms of the world, to roll with the cycles of life.

You remind us that as the wheel turns there is a time for re-birth, new light, new hope,

hope in the face of despair, light in the face of darkness.

God of Grace, in those times when we resist the turning of the world, the times we try to set our own schedule, the times we give in to despair and darkness.

Open our hearts and souls to Your Grace, calm our nerves, lead us in the paths of wisdom

...time of silent prayer...

God, the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the Eternal One, is gracious. God binds us in the unending circle of love. God rolls with us through the cycles and upturns of life.

Thanks be to God! Amen.

  

COMMISSIONING:

Another circle draws to a close – or maybe it is just beginning

a new year begins, a new week begins.

At this time of beginning we go out into the world,

to continue to prepare for the coming Child, to share the hope that the world is about to be changed.

As you go, remember that God: the Eternal One, the Child to be Born, the Spirit that always is will be with you in all the circles and seasons of your life.

Alleluia! Amen.