Advent
Candles 2004
(Note,
this liturgy utilized the prayers on the back of the Bulletin covers
for Advent 2004)
Advent
1 (November 28, 2004) – The Circle
Reader
1: Today is the first Sunday of Advent, four weeks when we get
ready for Christmas. This year, as we light our candles, we will
think about some of the parts of our advent wreath.
Reader
2: We begin with the wreath itself. It is a circle. The circle
has no beginning or end, which reminds us of God and God’s love.
Reader
1: Our lives are full of circles. Things like the hours of the
day or the seasons of the year are circles that keep happening over
and over again. We light this candle to celebrate the circles of our
lives. (a purple candle is lit)
Reader
2: Let us pray as printed on the back of the bulletin:
Holy
God, in this Advent season, may the circles of our love be unbroken,
as your love to us is unbroken. Draw us close into your circle, that
your church may be a sign of hope, and our doors may be open to new
people and new possibilities. We pray in the name of the One who is
alive forever: Christ, who is, and was, and is to come. Amen
Advent
2 (December 5, 2004) – The Evergreen
Reader
1: It is the second Sunday of Advent, our time to get ready for
Christmas. Last week we lit a candle to celebrate the circles in our
lives. (a purple candle is lit)
Reader
2: For us Christmas comes in the middle of the winter. In the
winter it can be hard to find signs of growth and life outside. But
then we see the evergreens, trees which always look alive and full of
growth.
Reader
1: .Out Advent wreath is made up of evergreen branches to remind
us that God wants us to be growing all the time. The branches also
remind us that there is always room for life. We light this candle
to remember God’s gift of life. (another purple candle is lit)
Reader
2: Let us pray as printed on the back of the bulletin:
Everlasting God,
as the evergreen is alive in all seasons, may we always be alive to
your presence, ever-mindful of the wonders of creation that we find
all around us. Help us to find new life in times that seem cold and
lifeless. Help us to have hopes for peace in the midst of turmoil
and strife; For we pray in the name of Christ, who is alive forever.
Amen.
Advent
3 (December 12, 2004) – The Holly
Reader
1: It is the third Sunday of Advent, Christmas is getting
closer. Today we will light the third candle in our wreath. Already
we have lit candles to remember the circles in our lives, and the
continued life shown by evergreen branches (two purple candles
are lit)
Reader
2: Sometimes people are sad at Christmas. They may miss someone
who has moved away, or they may be remembering Christmases spent with
someone who has died. It is too bad but sadness is part of life too.
Reader
1: Holly is something that reminds us that God is with us even
in the sad times. Its sharp leaves remind us of the pain we
sometimes feel and its berries are red like blood. We light this
candle to remember the people who are sad this Christmas. (the
pink candle is lit)
Reader
2: Let us pray as printed on the back of the bulletin:
God
of Advent, you come to us in our joys and in our sorrows. Even as we
rejoice in anticipation of the Chris Child’s birth, we know that
this is a life that will lead to a cross. Gather us, hold us, and
heal us, as we wait for you in this Advent season. We pray in the
name of Jesus, who suffered and died, but who rose again and is alive
forever. Amen
Advent
4 (December 19, 2004) – The Candlelight
Reader
1: Already it is the fourth and last Sunday of Advent, Christmas
is almost here! Over the last few weeks we have lit candles and
talked about the circles in our lives, about the continued life shown
by evergreen branches, and about the mixture of joy and sorrow that
makes up life symbolized by holly. (two purple candles and the
pink candle are lit)
Reader
2: Here in Canada Christmas comes when the nights are the
longest. We need extra lights to fill in when the sun goes down.
Reader
1: Long ago people didn’t have electric lights. Instead they
used candles and lanterns. It is amazing how bright a candle can
seem when there are no other lights around. We light our fourth
candle to remind us that God’s light is with us all the time. (the
last purple candle is lit)
Reader
2: Let us pray as printed on the back of the bulletin:
God
of light, we give thanks for your gift of love – Jesus, the Light
of the World. As the light of a candle’s flame fills an entire
room, may your love fill our hearts and our lives. We pray in the
name of Jesus, whose light is with us always. Amen.
Christmas
Eve (December 24, 2004)
Reader
1: Finally, after all our waiting and preparing, the time has
come. It is Christmas at last. Tonight we will light the last
candle in our wreath.
Reader
2: So far we have lit candles to remind us of the circles in our
lives, of the hope for continued life shown by evergreen branches, of
the mixture of joy and sorrow that is part of life shown by holly,
and of the light God brings to our lives. (all four candles are
lit).
Reader
1: Tonight we light the candle at the center of our wreath.
Just as Jesus birth is at the center of our Christmas, so this candle
reminds us to keep Jesus teaching and love in the center of our lives
(center candle is lit)
Reader
2: Let us pray, as printed in the bulletin:
God
of promises and candlelight, tonight we wait with anxious hearts for
the birth of a baby. Help us make room amidst all the hustle and
bustle of the night to put the baby in the middle. We give thanks
that he is born, the Prince of Peace. May his love always be in the
center of our hearts, may that center guide our actions. We pray in
the name of the baby in the manger, Jesus. Amen
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