Lessons and Carols

Hi friends! It's been a LOOOOOONG blog sabbatical, eh? I had intended to "reopen" the blog for advent, but that never happened. I do plan to come up with another blogging task for Lent this year, though-- so watch out!

In the meantime, though, I wanted to share these prayers that I have written for my church's Lessons and Carols service (coming up this Sunday!). I'm so excited for it, and I hope that maybe these words and the readings will be of some encouragement to you in these final two weeks of Advent. Enjoy!

Lessons and Carols 2011

I. The Creation and Fall of Humanity

Invocation

O Holy Breath,
Silence before the world and the word,
come silence us before you
and breathe into our imagination new life
to grasp how glorious and gracious
is the scope of the story you have written us into,
from the creation of the earth
to its redemption
to its continued sustenance by your hand.
Father, you are truly God: immeasurable, incomparable, indelible.

Exhortation
Come, let us gather together and listen with awe and wonder to hear of the God of Israel, the one and only living God, whose own hands crafted us out of nothing, whose very breath gave us life, and who, in spite of our turning away, relentlessly calls us back to himself, back to the garden, back to life in his light.

Readings
Genesis 2:4b-7, 3:1-6, 22-24

II. The Promise of a Redeemer

Invocation
O Mighty Shepherd,
lifter of heads and true Glory of the Father,
your undeserved gentleness and unceasing power
fills us with wonder.
Arrive now,
in your word
and speak to us of your promise,
fulfilled in spite of our faithlessness.
Prepare the way in our souls,
that all the rough and uneven pathways inside
might be leveled by the sheer force
of your mighty authority, and your boundless mercy.
O Prince of Peace, you are truly God:
heal us,
hold us,
herald to us your coming Kingdom.


Exhortation:
 Listen, people of God, to hear the good news. A light dawns on our darkness, a savior enters with authority, a shepherd carries us in his arms. Listen with the darkest places of your soul because it is there that His light will triumph. Listen, with the burdens on your back, for that is the very load He will lift. Listen, with your weariness, strife, and toil, because into that struggle He will bring His zeal, His authority and His endless peace. Listen to the good news.

Readings:
Isaiah 40:1-11
Isaiah 9:2-7

III. The Annunciation and Birth of Christ

Invocation
O Good Father, Draw us near to your heart as we listen to the story of your Incarnation, of God becoming Man, of God coming to be with us and for us. Teach us, as we marvel at this Holy Child, to become children, ourselves, and hold fast to your hand as the light grows dim, clinging to hope.
Jesus, you are truly God: 
quench our sorrow
deepen the shallow
and revive the fallow places in our souls, we pray.

Exhortation:
And now, let us abandon the wideness of the world,
the glories of the heavens,
the epic narrative of God's conversation with man,
and enter into the still, small inner world,
the world of the child,
the very womb of God
where we, with Mary,
wonder at the miracle of God's nearness
and wait for the revelation of His gracious glory to be born again within us. 

Luke 1:26-33, 46-55
Luke 2:1, 3-7

IV. The Proclamation of the Gospel

O Holy Word,
by your word we were first given flesh,
and by your flesh, you have given us the word of hope.
You have made a way for us
by unveiling the face of the Father,
full of grace and truth.
Speak now,
and silence the terrified storms of our souls with your word,
and boldly proclaim
that
you
have
done it.
Savior, you are truly God: above us, for us, and with us.

Exhortation
Family of God, do not fear. Be still before the Lord now, and receive the Truth. Christ has come, and Christ will come again. The darkness has not overcome us, and the end has become the beginning. This is the gospel. Hear it, and live.



Readings:
Luke 2:8-16
John 1:1-14