Worship Resources for
the Center for Faith and Giving
Christmas 1A
Isaiah 63:7-9
Psalm 148
Hebrews 2:10-18
Matthew 2:13-23
Call to Worship
One: Glory to God!
Many: We gather to sing our joy, for Jesus is born once more!
One: With all who claim the name “Christian,” we celebrate Good News:
Many: “Fear not! Emmanuel is God-with-us.“
ALL: So let us worship God!
Lighting the Advent Wreath
If you have been lighting the Advent wreath, here is one more opportunity to light ALL the candles, with encouragement from Howard Thurman.
“I will light Candles this Christmas;
Candles of joy despite all sadness,
Candles of hope where despair keeps watch,
Candles of courage for fears ever present,
Candles of peace for tempest-tossed days,
Candles of grace to ease heavy burdens,
Candles of love to inspire all my living,
Candles that will burn all the year long.”
Howard Thurman, The Mood of Christmas , 1973
Opening Prayer
God, you love the world, you love us, you come to us!
Thank you in this Christmas-tide, that,
far beyond any gifts from the internet or the mall,
you still send Jesus for us.
You created each of us.
You continue to draw us to you through the love we know
in the birth, life, death & resurrection of the Christ.
Thank you that even when we become so focused
on the “stuff” that surrounds us,
you break through to open our eyes in wonder.
Open us once more as we worship you this day. AMEN
Moment for Stewardship
Did you know the word “affluence” comes from the Latin verb affluere, which means “to flow abundantly”?
What happens when water can’t flow abundantly? It becomes stagnant (often producing the perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes!).
What happens when blood no longer moves? Blood clots develop in those who do not get up and move around!
And if any of us only breathe IN, without breathing out? Parents of angry 2-year-olds everywhere can answer: it’s the recipe for fainting.
Because we want life to flow abundantly, claiming our identity as affluent people of faith, I invite you to join me in sharing our financial resources.
Whether that’s a coin, a dollar bill, a check, or online gift of thousands of dollars, this is our opportunity to let our affluence flow!
Prayer of Thanksgiving
Ever-giving God,
thank you for the many ways you continue to encourage and challenge us.
Thank you for the abundance you provide for us.
May your free-flowing flood of life flow through us!
Please receive this offering.
Use it, and use us,
to free up the good gifts of life for others.
We pray, remembering the life Jesus offered for all, AMEN
Invitation to Communion
This first Sunday after we’ve celebrated Jesus’ birthday, we continue to rejoice, believing Jesus had a unique relationship to God.
However we understand (or do not understand) Jesus, we sense it is through God’s love for all of creation that life flows for you and for me.
In these gifts of bread & cup, symbols of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, we both taste and touch that life pouring out.
In this season of giving and receiving gifts, let’s remember this wondrous gift from God-with-us as we eat this bread and drink from this cup.
Yet not just remember, for this is not simply “what we do.”
Rather, this is a clarion call so each one of us might become more and more like Jesus, filled with abundant life here and now.
All are welcome! Come! Take! Eat, drink, and rejoice!