CALL
TO WORSHIP
Outside
the snow is deep, and underneath the ground is frozen.
Inside
the tree lights glow, and the fellowship warms our hearts
In
the middle of the winter, when the world seems to be asleep,
we
come together to celebrate life that comes in surprising ways and
places.
Come
and worship, come and worship, worship God who brings us life.
PRAYER
FOR AND ASSURANCE OF GRACE
(Uses lines from O God of Life)
God
of life who wills new life to be.
Sometimes
our world does a better job of showing us disasters than new life
springing forth.
Through
love created; born a child.
In
this Christmas season we await the birth of a child, but also we look
for signs of hope, peace, joy and love.
God
of power, whose Spirit you have sent,
flowing
through the water of baptism, coursing through the blood in our
veins.
As
we prepare for the coming child, fill us with your wisdom.
So
that we can be aware of the life that never goes away.
AS
we celebrate the gift of life in baptism,
may
we be surprised by life in new and unexpected places.
And
may we live in hope, for where there is life...
there
is hope. Amen.
COMMISSIONING:
As
we leave this time of worship,
we
go from the warmth of the indoors into the winter wonderland that
surrounds us
As
we continue to prepare for the Christmas festival,
we
keep our eyes and ears open for the signs of new life that surround
us.
We
echo the ancient cry:
Come
Emmanuel, Come God-With-Us.
May
God walk with you as we prepare for the first cry of a newborn in a
stable.
Amen.
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