Worship Words for Christmas 1

You may have already recorded for Sunday, to try to get a break for you or your tech people (if you’re lucky enough to have tech people!), in which case feel free to pass this post by! Or you may have in-person worship you lead yourself, so you have plenty of time to decide what to do about Sunday once Christmas Eve is finished. Or maybe you’re somewhere in between (raises hand).

We know that even in a normal year many of us find our well of words running dry by this point, let alone in a year when all our usual ways don’t quite measure up to the task and we can’t just draw on what we’ve done before. Here are some words from RevGals around the globe to help.
Feel free to use or adapt. If you are able to give credit in video descriptions, that’s great (no verbal attribution needed).

Here’s a gift — a whole service from Deborah Roof, ready to use in whole or in parts, or to adapt!
Call to Worship:
Reader 1: Rejoice! Rejoice in the light of the divine love born in Bethlehem.
Reader 2: We continue to bask in the truth of love divine.
Reader 1: Come into the Presence of the child, destined to redeem all who seek Him.
Reader 2: We come from near and far to worship and praise our Creating and Redeeming God.

Invocation:
Holy, holy, holy God of power and might, we come into your presence seeking to be among the prophets Simeon and Anna – those who recognized the truth of Jesus’ true identity. We come in hopes of getting closer to this child that was born of humility and honor. Prepare us to receive the revelation of what a life in Christ means for us and for those around us. Make ready our hearts to recognize the true power of love among us. Amen.

Call to Confession:
In spite of all the work that went into Advent, and all of the prayers about hope, peace, joy and love, we falter and fail to stay on these paths. We despair and we barter for power. We forget inner joy and seek the shiny and temporary happiness that self-serving allows us. Help us God to hold on to an Advent foundation.

Prayer of Confession:
Mighty God of Wonder, how soon we forget the values that come from faith. We are so quickly lured into self-serving post-Christmas sales. Remind LORD what value truly means. Awaken within us the brightness of the star and the humility of the stable so that we can be of use to You in the world around us. May our trust in You be renewed yet again.
Amen.

Assurance of Pardon:
As far as the east is from the west – this is how far God will reach to bring us back to our divine nature and God-focus. Be assured: Immanuel. God with us. Always.

Offertory:
Just as God allowed Simeon to see the One who would bring salvation to the world, God invites us to share the bounty that we enjoy. In this post-Christmas, last week of the year, let us share abundantly and without hesitation with God’s children in need.

Prayer of Dedication:
We praise You and thank You, Holy One, for the gifts we have received. We take this time to give back a portion in service of Your presence among us. Bless these gifts, Oh God, and multiply them – that more can be done with them than we could ever imagine. Amen.

Pastoral Prayer by Teri Peterson
Thank you, God, for coming to be with us in the midst of everything.
Thank you for bringing your Word to life,
and thank you for living alongside us from birth to death,
not in a faraway powerful palace,
but in a normal family in all its complexity and wonder.
We never expected you to come so close —
right into our houses, when we’re still in our pyjamas,
without even time to sweep up the needles that have dropped off the tree overnight.
Yet here you are, demanding our full attention.
Now we pray that you would keep our eyes on you when you’re no longer a cute baby cooing and rolling over and sleeping in our arms…
Give us the stamina and courage to keep you at the centre of our lives
when you are stretching our minds,
asking questions,
and pointing a new direction.
Give us hands ready to reach out with your compassion,
hearts ready to open wider than we ever imagined,
feet ready to walk beside the wandering,
and minds set on your justice.
Remind us that the gift of Christmas isn’t just for Christmas, it’s for life —
abundant life, in the kingdom you are bringing to earth, even now.
We pray for your counsel, your peace, your comfort, your love
to be known in this and every place,
until all the world joins the song of the angels,
with our voices and our deeds.
We ask in the name of that beloved baby who is lord and saviour of all, Jesus the Christ, who taught us to pray together…

Christmas Benediction by Teri Peterson (I’m using this for Christmas morning but a tweak to line 3 would make it easy to use for Christmas 1 too!)
You who have seen glory, shine it into the world!
You who have heard the word, speak it into the world!
You who have come to the manger, bear Christ into the world!
As you celebrate, may you know the fullness of grace and truth.
Love has come, and never will leave us.
May the love of God be the foundation on which we live,
May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be the light that guides our way,
May the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be in our every breath.
Go in peace. Amen.

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we don’t own these videos, they’re offered for inspiration. If you want to use them, you’ll need permission from the creators.

RevGalBlogPals encourages you to share our blog posts via email or social media. We do not grant permission to cut-and-paste prayers and articles without a link back to the specific post. For permission to use material in paper publications, please email revgalblogpals at gmail dot com. For Worship Words, you may use or adapt what you find here, but please credit the author in printed orders of service/web publications and in public video descriptions if possible.

If you have written words for worship in this strange new world that you are willing to share, please send us an email: revgalblogpals at gmail dot com.