Good morning.
Today is Thursday,
December 24th,
2020.
It is Christmas Eve.
Oh Lord,
Let my soul rise up to meet you as the day rises to meet the sun.
Glory to God,
The three-in-one creator,
Redeemer,
And sustainer.
As it was in the beginning,
Is now,
And will be forever.
Amen.
Come,
Let us sing to the Lord.
Let us shout for joy to the rock of our salvation.
Remind yourself that you are in God's presence.
Notice how God may be speaking to you today.
Let yourself dwell on a word or phrase that catches your attention and let your heart respond to God in prayer.
Please repeat these words.
The Lord's glory will appear,
And all humanity will see it together.
Our readings this morning are from Isaiah 40.
Console my people,
Give them comfort,
Says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem's heart and tell it that its time of service is ended,
That its iniquity is atoned for,
That it has received from the Lord's hand double punishment for all its sins.
A voice is crying out,
Clear the Lord's way in the desert,
Make a level highway in the wilderness for our God.
Every valley will be raised up and every mountain and hill will be flattened.
Uneven ground will become level and rough terrain,
A valley plain.
The Lord's glory will appear and all humanity will see it together.
The Lord's mouth has commanded it.
Go up on a high mountain,
You who bring good news to Zion,
Shout with a loud voice,
You who bring good news to Jerusalem,
Shout without fear and say to the towns of Judah,
Here is your God.
Oh Lord,
Oh sovereign one,
You come with power and rule with a strong arm.
You bring your reward with you and your reparation comes before you.
Like a shepherd,
You feed your flock,
Gathering the lambs and holding them close and leading mother ewes with gentleness.
Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
The creator of the ends of the earth.
This God does not faint or grow weary with a depth of understanding that is unsearchable.
God gives strength to the weary and empowers the powerless.
Young women may grow tired and weary,
Young men may stumble and fall,
But those who wait for the Lord find a renewed power.
They soar on eagle's wings,
They run and don't grow weary,
They walk and never tire.
Please repeat these words.
The Lord's glory will appear and all humanity will see it together.
I invite you now to hold someone's name before God,
Anyone that's on your heart on this Christmas Eve.
As we hear these beautiful words,
Written by Ann Weems,
What do I want for Christmas?
What do I want for Christmas?
I want to kneel in Bethlehem,
The air thick with hallelujahs,
The angels singing that God is born among us.
In the light of the star,
I want to see them come,
The wise ones in the humble.
I want to see them come bearing whatever they treasure to lay at the feet of Him who gives His life.
What do I want for Christmas?
To see in that stable the whole world kneeling in thanks for a promise kept,
New life,
For in His nativity we find ours.
We pray together in the name of Jesus who taught us to pray.
Our Father would in heaven,
Eternal God,
Earth maker,
Pain bearer,
Life giver,
Source of all that is and all that shall be,
Not only Father but Mother of us all.
May the hallowing of your name echo through the universe.
May the way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the world.
May your heavenly will be done by all created beings.
May your commonwealth of peace and freedom sustain our hope and come on earth.
With the bread we need for today,
Feed us.
In the hurts we absorb from one another,
Forgive us.
In times of temptation and test,
Strengthen us.
From trials too great to endure,
Spare us.
From the grip of all that is evil,
Free us.
For you reign in the glory of the power that is love,
Now and forever.
Amen.
Let us go from this place believing that we will see the glory of God.
Believing that there is a light that shines in the darkest places.
A brightness that will never be overcome.
And may the love of the Creator,
The joy of the Spirit,
And the peace of the coming Christ be with you today and forevermore.
Amen.
Go in peace.
