ADVENT (Year C)

A liturgy for use at home to begin the adventure of what God is up to in Christ.

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Advent 1: Anticipation

Sunday, December 3^rd, 2006; Year C

Candle Lighting: Light one blue candle.

Question: Why do we light this candle?

Response: We light this candle to remind us that Jesus has come and to stay alert, for Jesus will come again and make everything new.

Scripture: Read Luke 21: 25-36

Prayer:
You keep your promises.
Have mercy on us.
Have mercy on distracted attentions
gained only by shaking the heavens to liquid.
Reach down and,
gently, we pray,
lift our heads from wasteful ways
which evaporate like mist in the presence of a brilliant sun.
Make us your people again,
alive to our absolute need of You.
Ground us in your Word and your Way
that we may have no lesser diversions.
Strengthen us to stand in Your grace
with joyful anticipation. Amen.

Singing: Choose from one of the following hymns:

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, ca. 9^th century, trans. John Neale, 1851
Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus, Charles Wesley, 1744
Wait for the Lord, Jacques Berthier, 1984
My Lord, What a Morning, African-American spiritual

Proclamation: You are the God of our salvation; for You we wait all day long.

~

Considering Anticipation: What will God's future look like (Isaiah 25: 6-9 and Revelation 21: 1-4 give us hints of this)? What are some of the things, activities, worries that distract us (ourselves, our family, our church, our world) from participating in what God is up to in the world and from looking forward to God's future?

Through the week: s Light this candle at supper each evening, saying,

“It is for God we wait.”

Pray for God's help in laying down one of your own distractions and guidance for what to focus on instead.

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