Litany for Christmas Day

Gracious, generous God:
On this day we celebrate the coming of Jesus Christ, Your Son, Your Self in human form.
We celebrate the Son of God.

We are transfixed by the story of Jesus.

We looked for a warrior;
     You sent a baby.
We looked for royalty;
     You were born to peasants.
We looked for power
     You showed us meekness.
We looked among rulers and politicians;
     You were found among cattle and shepherds.
We looked for military victory;
     You gave us resurrection.
We looked for riches;
     You gave us selflessness.
We looked for a king;
     You gave us a servant.

We worship Jesus, the humble hero of God's Redemption Story.

May we become more sensitive to the themes of that story
     seeking peace,
     embracing vulnerability,
     humbling ourselves,
     looking for glory in lowly places.
May we recognize our part in the story,
     our place as Christ-followers
     our calling to gentleness and humility
     our opportunities to give our most profound gifts.

May we grow ever more like Jesus, and live in the light of His presence and example.
Amen

Litany for Christmas Eve

Creator God, you opened up the heavens and sent part of yourself down in human form.  He was, and is

Immanuel, God-With-Us

You sent your Angel to speak to Mary and Joseph, that she would conceive a miracle child, the Son of God; and that Joseph should take Mary as his wife, and name the child

Immanuel, God-With-Us

This is Jesus Christ, who was born in a stable and laid in a manger, whose life was Spirit-filled and blameless, who healed the sick and opened his arms to sinners, took upon himself the sins of all humankind, was crucified, died, and is risen.  

Blessed be Immanuel, God-With-Us

This Jesus lives, and intercedes for his people at the right hand of the Father-God, and sent his Holy Spirit to remain with us.

Blessed be Holy Spirit, and blessed be Immanuel, God-With-Us

We celebrate and give thanks for Christ’s birth, life, death, and resurrection, and we anticipate his return.  

May your power be perfected in us, may we be a testament to your Great Love, and may our lives reflect your coming Kingdom, Immanuel, God-With-Us.

Amen

Litany for Advent Week 4: Love

Creator God, we have celebrated the hope, peace, and joy that come from You.  And now we celebrate Love, which is from You, and is Your very nature.

God is Love.

You formed the universe out of the void, and breathed life into your creatures, all because of your great love.

In You, we live and move and have our being. We exist because of Your love.

Humanity rejected You. But because of your love you made a way to restore us to relationship with Yourself.

Love made a way.  That love is Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ, Immanuel, God-With-Us.  Born of a virgin girl in a stable, laid in a manger, Jesus entered the world in humility and compassion.

Jesus lived, was crucified, died, and was resurrected from death, all for love.  Love has conquered death.

It is his example we live by: self-sacrificing love.  And we know that “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs... “

“… Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”

May our hearts be illumined with the light of Love....

And may we share Your love wherever we go.

Amen

Litany for Advent Week 3: Joy

God of heaven and earth, you sent your angels as messengers to your servants, bringing news of comfort and joy, of your plan to heal a world gone astray...

...Bringing news of Emmanuel, God-With-Us.

To Mary, you sent a message of your favor.  You chose her to carry and give birth to Jesus, the Son of the Most High.

My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. From now on all generations will call me blessed.

To Joseph the angel gave assurance that Mary’s son was from God, and should be named Jesus…

...Because he would save us from our sins.

To shepherds among their flocks, angels brought good news of great joy that will be for all people.

A Savior has been born to us; he is the Messiah, the Lord.

To Kings from the east, a star rose signifying the birth of Jesus.  When they saw the star they were overjoyed, and they bowed down and worshiped the Christ Child, offering costly gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

We worship the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and lay all our treasures at His feet.

You have brought us joy through Your Son, the Messiah.

A Savior who is Christ the King.

Litany for Advent Week 2: Peace

Oh Great God, we are gathered here, your people, seeking out your face and the peace that is found in your Presence.

Let us dwell always in your presence, and walk in Your peace.

When humanity opened the door to sin, we were plunged into darkness and despair.  But You, Loving God, have made peace with us and restored us to grace.

For Your infinite mercy and lovingkindness, we thank You.

You sent your son Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, into the world as a human to save and heal Your children who were lost.  The light of peace came into the world.

We who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace!

We prepare our hearts now and acknowledge that Christ's work on the cross was the beginning of Your kingdom here on earth.  Your kingdom is a peaceable kingdom, where lion and lamb may lie down together, where there is neither Jew nor Gentile, slave nor free, male nor female. We are all one in the peace of Christ.

May the peace of Christ rule in our hearts, and may we carry the light of peace wherever we go.

Amen.

Litany for Advent Week 1: Hope

We enter into this first Sunday of the Advent season, turning our attention to You, God. We acknowledge the darkness that is within us, and that permeates the world.
Father, forgive us.

We acknowledge the suffering, tragedy, and pain by which humanity is afflicted, which seems at times to overwhelm us.
Draw near to us, Oh God.

We consider the mystery of your ways, that you might choose to send our Savior as an innocent baby and not as a warrior or a king; as one who humbly accepted suffering and humiliation and called it glory.
Our hope is in Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

We choose in this moment to focus our attention on HOPE; the hope of Jesus Christ and all his coming represents for suffering people, the hope for restoration of all that is broken in the world, the hope of new life and resurrection.
Hope is the light we wish to see by.

Grant, Oh God, that when he comes, Christ may find us waiting in expectation, our souls quieted, our hearts soft and open.
We wait in hope for the Lord.

In Christ all things are made new, and we look forward to the day our hope is fulfilled, each heart reconciled, the work of Christ completed in all the earth.
Our hope is in Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

Amen