Advent 1997: Full of Grace

January 1, 1997September 10, 2020 Peter Bankson Liturgies

Advent 1997: Full of Grace

Seekers Church:
A Christian Community
In the Tradition of the Church of the Saviour

Advent 1997

Full of Grace

**SILENT REFLECTION**
I am Silent…and Expectant	After Annunciation
How silently, how silently the wondrous gift is given. I would be silent now, and expectant… that I may receive the gift I need, so I may become the gifts others need. Ted Loder, Guerillas of Grace. pg. 132	This is the irrational season when love blooms bright and wild. Had Mary been filled with reason there’d have been no room for the child. Madeline L’Engle: Cry

PRELUDE

LIGHTING THE ADVENT CANDLE

CALL TO WORSHIP

Leader: The days grow short,
and all creation groans with expectation.
People: We hear the cry of the prophets,
the greeting of the angel,
and wonder.; The spirit of God is upon us
and we proclaim the good news:
Unison: The One who calls us is faithful.
Nothing is impossible with God!

INVOCATION

HYMN

WORD FOR THE CHILDREN

SILENCE

LITANY OF GRACE

Leader: We watch the wars drag on
in Bosnia, Cambodia and the Middle East.
People: Giver of the Spirit,
our world waits for your peace,
for your pardon,
for your grace.
Leader: We ignore the poverty,
the racism,
the violence in the world around us.
People: Giver of the Spirit,
our world waits for your peace,
for your pardon,
for your grace.
Leader: We feel a deep hunger
for your promised gift to the world.
Unison: Giver of the Spirit,
our world waits for your peace,
for your pardon,
for your grace.

SILENCE

PRAYERS

COMMON CONFESSION

Leader: Holy One, we know our transgression,
and our sin is ever before us.
Cantor: Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
People: Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.; Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.

INDIVIDUAL PRAYERS OF CONFESSION

ASSURANCE

Leader:: According to God’s abundant mercy,
the Holy One will blot out our transgressions.

Amen.

PRAYERS OF THE COMMUNITY

HYMN

THE WORD

FIRST LESSON

SILENCE

GOSPEL LESSON

SERMON

SILENT REFLECTION

The first Sunday of each month we switch to a Communion Liturgy here.

OFFERING

SHARED REFLECTIONS

ANNOUNCEMENTS

HYMN

BENEDICTION

Leader:: O God for whom we long
as a woman in labor longs for her delivery;
give us courage to wait,
strength to push,
and discernment to know the right time;
that we might each bring into the world
your joyful peace through Jesus Christ.

Amen.

Janet Morley, Invitations: God’s Calling for Everyone, pg. 138