1st
Quarter 2001-2002
Call to Worship (Based on Isaiah 9:2-7)
Leader: The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.
People: In the midst of our dark world, a light has shined.
Leader: To us a child has been born; to us a son has been given.
People: And we will call him Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Prayer of Confession
Gracious Lord, on this holy night, the angels sing of peace on earth. But as we look inside us and around us, we find that the flame of peace has almost been extinguished. Instead of this being a silent night around the world, for many it is a night of terror, as bombs explode and blood is shed. For others it is a night of hunger and pain. And for still others it is a night of loneliness and despair. Eternal God, because of our sin we have fallen short of the peace that You would have us enjoy. Release us from the evil that holds us captive. Release the world from the evil that infects it. Grant that Your promised peace may truly come. In the name of the newborn King we pray. Amen.
Prayer of Dedication
God of goodness and light, the shepherds came and offered their praises and wonder. The angels came and offered their heavenly anthems. Later the wise men came and offered their gold, frankincense, and myrrh. As we come here tonight, receive our offerings as a sign of our thanks and joy. We pray in the name of our Savior. Amen.
Pastoral Prayer
Almighty God, on this most holy night, we look to the sky in search of angels. We search in the darkness for a glimpse of glory, for a flicker of hope. During the past month, we've watched the Christmas specials on TV, and we've seen sadness turned into joy, sickness turned into healing, loss turned into victory. Time and time again, we've been told that it's a wonderful life. We desperately want to believe that. But too often we look at our own lives and question whether that's true.
So, even now, we pray that Your heavenly angels might come to us this night. May they stand before us and give us hope. May their voices strengthen us in our faith. And may their upward flight cause us to fix our gaze not upon ourselves and the problems we face, but upon the God whose love for us has no end. Even though we have heard the Christmas story so many times before, enable us this night to hear it afresh, so that we may be truly amazed by the wonderful gift that You have given to the whole world. In his name we pray. Amen.
