I thought I had already posted these, but I guess not. Our scriptures are Matthew 3:1-12 and 1 Samuel 2:1-10 (Hannah’s song). Call to Worship We come to prepare the way; The way for Christ– the hope of Christ, the peace of Christ– to enter our world, to enter our hearts. We cry out together…
Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am languishing; O LORD, heal me, for my bones are shaking with terror. I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping. My eyes waste away because of grief. ~from Psalm 6 We are…
At Peace Mennonite this year, we will begin Advent with a service of prayer and anointing. This is similar to what other churches do for “Blue Christmas” or “Longest Night.” The order of our service is below. Blessings to all as you begin the Advent season. Welcome/Intro Welcome, each of you, to this service of…
This year for Advent we are looking at four different songs from scripture: Psalm 147, Hannah’s Song in 1 Samuel 2, Mary’s Song in Luke 1, and the Song of the Angels in Luke 2. Secondary readings for each week are chosen from the Lectionary options. This week we will read Romans 13:8-12. The call…
Hear is a call to worship based on two of the lectionary readings for this coming Sunday: Isaiah 60:1-6 and Matthew 2:1-12. People of God, arise, shine, for your light has come! The light of Christ has come into the world. Immanuel. God with us. So arise, shine, for your light has come! And we…
(A reflection on Luke 2:22-40; excerpted from this sermon.) So Christmas has come, and there sit Simeon and Anna in the temple—looking to, longing for, waiting for the messiah. It is a long hard waiting, with no Advent calendar to mark the days, no due date given. What, really, is the point of their waiting?…
Here is a worship service designed for families with children to do together on Christmas morning. A brief time to acknowledge the incredible gift of Jesus before we start tearing into all the gifts under the tree. This worship service is my Christmas gift to you! Along with this blessing (adapted from Sunday’s sermon): May…
I took a picture of our lit Advent candles for my blog post a few days ago. My 14-year-old daughter saw the picture and said, “Wow. Our house looks pretty in that picture.” Not to say that our house in reality is not also pretty–in it’s own messy, disorganized way. It’s just to say that,…
This week’s Advent reflection is a guest post by Joe Casad, a member of the church I serve. He shared these thoughts in worship on Sunday, and I wanted to pass along the humor and the tenderness of what he shared. Much thanks to Joe for allowing me to post this! – – – –…
I was working on our Christmas Eve program Friday when I heard the news about the shootings in Connecticut. Shootings at an elementary school. An elementary school. Dead bodies–little bodies–sprawled on the floor. Bloody children. Wailing parents. It was hard to get back into the Christmas spirit after hearing that news. Hard to write about…
Spacious Faith 