By Rev Dr Barb Hedges-Goettl https://onedrive.live.com/view.aspx?resid=D331697A8FCF77E0!29205&ithint=file%2cdocx&authkey=!ADXJmFapFUlwXRU
Category: advent
Blessings for a Gentle Holiday (full text)
Blessings for a Gentle Holiday
May you have a gentle Holiday
Full of kindness, and understanding
and moments of warmth and coziness.
May you have a holiday with enough space and time
to be alone or together
to weep or sigh
to remember…
***
May your holiday give you the kind of rest you need
with reading or physical activity or doing nothing
or to do the crafting or peopling or not peopling
or sleeping or creating or not knowing
or caring…
whatever it is that you need to do,
or not!
***
May you have a gentle holiday
with the permission you need to not have to be “Merry”
but to be your full authentic self,
and to be kind to yourself, your boundaries, and those you love.
This is both my blessing and my prayer for you this season.
Amen.
Magnificat again
What is Sacred, Christmas Prayer
God I approach this Christmas season
with some trepidation,
and a lot of fear and trembling.
Because I don’t know if I really
understood before,
what was really sacred,
before now.
All the pomp and circumstance of Christmas
lies by the wayside now, like crumpled wrapping paper.
After all, we are not here to impress anybody.
What is left, is the Christ Candle,
burning the conviction into our hearts,
that life is sacred,
precisely because it is all so
unique and beautiful and brief.
The fact that a young girl, a shepherd and a magi
could each magnify God
in their own,
and yet important way
makes me want to cry
silent tears
at the magnitude of the meaning of Christmas
So here we are…
Fill us up,
with what Christmas
means for each of this year
Reminding us
that God sent a baby
in a manger
for each and every one of us
and God values us–
enough to send
babies and angels
and teachers and doctors and nurses
and vaccines and masks
and phone calls and cards
and candles and stars
and every other symbol that we need to remind us
That we are beloved.
And that we are here to fill the world with love
any way we can,
because that is the Christmas miracle
turning emptiness into something else.
Let us Go, and be comforted by the Love of God.
May God Bless you
and Keep you
in Belovedness–
wrapped in the miracle
that God is here.
Amen.
Always, forever,
God is even now. Here.
Alleluia.
Amen.
Feel free to use/share/adapt with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta
More Advent/Christmas Resource
Day 14 Advent
Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream—Amos 5:24
Advent Day 13
For the yoke of their burden, & the bar across their shoulder, the rod of their oppressor you have broken as the day of Midian—Isaiah 9:4
Advent Day 12
God’s mercy is for those who fear God from generation to generation, for God scatters the proud in their thoughts and heart—Luke 1:51
Blue Christmas/Comfort Candle Virtual Service
See Also: Advent Prayer (which might be good to add in/replace)
This is a Meditative Worship for those who need Comfort over the Christmas Season. It may take place at anytime, even in place of Christmas Eve if service if that is (perhaps) too painful for you this year. You can do this without any supplies or with candle(s) to light. (If you have an Advent Wreath you may wish to light it up to the week you are at and add a Comfort candle)
***
A Prayer For an Empty Advent:
God,
I’m reminded again
that it’s ok that Advent
is empty
Wasn’t Mary’s Magnificat
about filling up the empty
with Good things!
Weren’t the Angels Sent
to gift the silent world
with Holy Songs?
Wasn’t the whole and entire point?
To fill the world a little more with the love of God.
To put Jesus physically, right here on Earth!
God, remind us that it’s not only ok, but traditional to feel empty at Advent.
And if we are trudging, the long trudge, especially this year,
please send the Holy Spirit to trudge with us we pray.
And to remind us, it’s ok if Advent feels empty this year.
Amen
It Came Upon a Midnight Clear, A Song about Trudging through Life, especially verse 2
God, for those of us who haven’t felt like putting up a tree,
or hanging garlands–those of us who have only half heartedly decorated
Or not decorated at all–
It’s ok. We can blue, and sad.
You don’t need any festooning.
You don’t need any bells or whistles.
You are God.
Present in the very midst of Sorrow–
Isn’t that why we light the candles? Because sometime we need the reminders
that you are present, especially when we cannot see Hope, Peace, Joy or Love in the World?
That’s why today we are lighting an extra candle in our hearts. The candle of Comfort. For you–Wonderful Counselor, promise that with Christ too.
Amen
Isaiah 40: 1, 55: 1, 11
Comfort, O comfort my people,
says your God.
Ho, everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters;
and you that have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.
so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
Comfort Ye My People
Magnificat Remix: (Based on Luke 1:46-55)
Holy is our God, How Holy is our God that we are able to Magnify Xem in our tiny acts?
God’s Mercy is plentiful, bringing comfort to generation upon generation.
Scattering those who think they have power, and empowering those feel emptied out!
God always, always remembers God’s promises.
God sends the rich away hungry, and fills the hungry with good things.
God brings those who sits on thrones down, and lifts up those who are low in spirit.
This is the God we worship and love, the God, wonderful Counselor, the Abundant God, the Guardian of Peace.
This is our comfort, Fill us up God, especially when we feel desolate, we pray.
Amen.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8Sxh5E2u_g
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen Low Bass Cover
Lighting of the Comfort Candle Candle (if you chose you may light a candle at home)
Closing Prayer:
Christ be with me,
Christ within me,
Christ behind me,
Christ before me,
Christ beside me,
Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me, Christ be with me. Amen*
Benediction: May you make it through this Christmas knowing there are no requirements. Instead, may God Console and Comfort You and may Christ’s Peace be with you. Amen.
***
My Thanks to Rev. Dr. Barb Hedges-Goettl and Rev. Marie O’Connell for the inspiration for this Virtual Worship and Rev. Erin A Jacobson for contributing the images
*Prayer adapted from http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/St._Patrick’s_Breastplate
(If you enjoy my work please consider giving to my Doctorate in Ministry in Creative Writing https://gofund.me/554d36e3)
(Special Thanks for the donated Images from Rev Erin Jacobson)
Comfort Advent Candle Prayer
God, for those of us who haven’t felt like putting up a tree,
or hanging garlands–those of us who have only half heartedly decorated
Or not decorated at all–
It’s ok. We can blue, and sad.
You don’t need any festooning.
You don’t need any bells or whistles.
You are God.
Present in the very midst of Sorrow–
Isn’t that why we light the candles? Because sometime we need the reminders
that you are present, especially when we cannot see Hope, Peace, Joy or Love in the World?
That’s why today we are lighting an extra candle in our hearts. The candle of Comfort. For you–Wonderful Counselor, promise that with Christ too.
Comfort us this year, we pray.
Amen.
Please feel free to use/adapt/share with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta
More Advent Resources for NL Year 4
If you find these resources useful please consider contributing to my Doctorate in Ministry in Creative Writing!
Advent Day 11
Then God said to me “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the words of the Lord”—Ezekiel 37: 4
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