Call To Worship

Take this moment sign and space

Take my friends around

Here among us make the place

Where your love is found me

(Iona Abbey Music book pg 122)

Call to Worship:

One: Be it a lamb, a coin, or us .

All: God will find it.

One: In the crowded paths, in the lonely desert, in the midst of demanding life. 

All: God finds us. God floods the world with light and hope, bringing the lost home and keeping us company on the Way.

One: The time is now for us to gather as your beloved community of faith.

All: We may not be sure what has brought us here today--but here we are: open, waiting, expectant, and almost ready.

One:  Create in us hearts of courage and faith, to continue to stumble and dance our way to Bethlehem. Let us seek God in worship.

The journey continues and here in my not so younger years, I know where the tree comes from. The box in the basement which shockingly holds together year after year . 

The hap hazard of younger years of tree decorating is now replaced with military precision and hold an honoured today’s in my daybook.

There are various different things you need in your tree decorating kit.  Patience. Those light strings can be somewhat frustrating no matter how well you put them away. Somewhere between last year and this year despite having been in a box there are always one or two strings that don’t work and various bulbs burnt out like a sad Christmas Morse code along the string. The Hot chocolate of youth  Is now something hot and somewhat alcoholic,  Cookies still optional.  To finish off the readiness to decorate the tree are the boxes of ornaments and other accoutrements the end labour of a work out of doing the manse steps Oh and a box of tissue.   You may remember I did mention that Tree decorating can be emotional.    The tree which once was decorated from the middle down is now more decorated from the middle up.  A matter of perspective.    I did have this notion once to invite people   to help me decorate the tree.  It was fun.   I needed another day to redecorate the tree.  I just do it on my own now. 

 The evolution of our Christmas decorating speaks to our life journey,   

Ornaments given or collected over the year and the several boxes become just two or three with all the extra staying down in the basement. 

  Things are done differently. This is not a bad thing, it speak to us changing and growing. Keep the few treasured ones  let the others rest quietly in their bins. A part of our history, to be kept.  It is not bad it speaks to us changing and growing. 

Our decorate ng, our trees, the ornaments we set on the tree remind us of the journey.  I look at mine and I see people and places and events. Advent is about the journey the people the places the events. 

For Jesus the journey took him to see one those people in his life who was creating an event. 

Enter John  Jesus’ second cousin on his mother’s side who is just a few months older than Jesus. John’s life journey  took him out to the wilderness, a place of enlightenment.  John, by far the most colourful of the new testament people, (almost the cousin you don’t really want to admit is related) becomes a voice of God. 

John the voice . calling people to change to repent to look at their lives and begin again.  The baptismal reset.

John the voice that Calls us into relationship  Call us into living in right relationship.

His a voice that changed world  Christ voice changes world When we look at history there are voices that have changed the world.  The common thread that runs or strings them together is voice given by God.   

 It is a voice that was heard in Ghandi, Martin Luther King Nelson Mandela  All  voices that changed the world.  

How can we be a voice of change?

How can we testify to the power of God in our lives and the life changing relationship which is found in following Jesus?  How do we proclaim how the Holy Spirit is what guides our lives

John Wesley the founder of Methodism proclaimed a life with Christ and changed the face of the faith.    In honouring our relationship with our history, but also honouring our everyday relationship with God we are called to proclaim Christ coming. 

John spoke a lot of truths which upset people.  As the Christian church looks at the changing times, there are those that will say that what  the church needs is the authentic witnessing of God’s presence in our lives and testifying to the power of holy spirit. 

Offering

We give thee but thy own.   The work of the Church continues and there are three ways you can continue to support that work.   Consider using PAR, use the donate button on our Web Site or drop your gift at the Manse.   Let us make our offering and give thanks.       

  One: Praise God who from all Blessing flow

   Prayer  This discovery of your blessings in our lives is cause for celebration. We give thanks, O God, for the gift of your presence and the gift of our faith. Accept the offerings we give in love. Amen.

Sending Forth and Blessing.

One:  May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing.

All:   May we bear good fruit among all people and live in harmony with our sisters and brothers.

One:  By the power of the Holy Spirit may you abound in hope

Blessing

One:  May God the one who brings us comfort surround you, May Christ our Joy walk with you. May the Continued presence of The Holy Spirit illuminate our path and keep us safe until we can gather again in community. Amen 

VU 4

God of all places present unseen

Voice in our silence song in our mist

Send us your people knowing and sure

Called to spread the word.

amen amen amen