2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time year B

Call to Worship:                     Psalm 139

This is the day the Lord has made!

For our Lord knowns me.

Indeed our Lord knows us, he understands our needs and desires and knows our paths

Your hand leads me and your right hand shall hold me

Even when we feel the darkness fall on us

The Lord shines light

This is a precious gift – a relationship with our Lord

One in which we praise and sing

A relationship we honor and reap the benefits from

Let us this day, praise and give thanksgiving to a Lord who we cannot hide from!

Confession:

Holy Creator, you call us by name and claim us as your children; yet we reject you. We allow the secular world to define you and our values. We live within this world and let the overwhelming problems consume it; standing up for a few here and there instead of calling for your truth to reign. Give us courage to do better and call you by name. Help us to accept this intimate relationship with you, who know us truly and yet still loves us...(assurance of pardon...) Amen.

Prayer of Illumination:

Holy Spirit descend today into our hearts and minds; fill us with the Spirit so that we may come to hear and see your Words anew. Enlighten in us the spark of knowing God's will and hearing God's Words. Grant us wisdom to leave here today knowing your will in our lives. Amen.

Offertory:

Creator and Giver, we lift up to you in this moment these gifts from our pockets. We know that each day you call upon our gifts of the spirit to make your world, our church and community a better place. Use these gifts, both monetary and of the spirit, to bring light into our church and community. Allow the workings of this congregation to be driven by our faith and help us to spread your love to the world beyond these doors. Amen

baptism of the Lord Year B

Genesis 1: 1-5
Psalm 29: 1-11
Second Reading Acts 19:1-7
Gospel: Mark 1: 4-11

Call to Worship:                    

Today we are reminded that we were washed with water

Not just any water, but water from our baptisms

Today we are reminded that through this act the Holy Spirit works within and through us

Bringing us God’s love, helping us spread God’s love and gifting us with life everlasting

Trusting in the Spirit, we acknowledge the truth of our baptism and our strive to live into the tall task of forgiveness

Today we are reminded that we are forgiven and that we too shall forgive

Let us rejoice in the waters that cleaned our souls and brought the Holy Spirit to our lives!

Confession:

Holy Giver, we were baptized as your Children and we know deep in our hearts that we are yours, yet we often let the world and those in it cloud our love of you. We let the circumstances around us reflect your love for us instead of trusting the Spirit within that speaks our name and reminds us that you call us your own. Today renew in us our baptism that came through the belief in Jesus and the assurance of life to come...(assurance of pardon)...amen

Prayer of Illumination:

Holy Spirit descend into our worship this morning, allowing your Word and the meditation of this service to resonate within us today and move out into the world with the message of your will. Amen

Prayer of Dedication

Holy Giver of all we thank you for all the bounty we have in our lives and the many gifts that we are able to share with our community. Help us as a church use these gifts wisely in the world bringing Good News to all. Amen

1st Sunday in Christmas Year B

• First Reading Isaiah 61:10-62:3
• Psalm 148:1-14
• Second Reading Galatians 4:4-7
• Gospel Luke 2:22-40

Call To Worship                                 Inspired by Psalm 148

       Praise the Lord

       Praise the Lord

      Praise from all the earth! We praise from the depths of our souls

       We Praise a humble infant, a forgiving Messiah and an innocent put to death

       Praise God for the Holy Splendor is above the earth and the heavens

       We Praise the Holy who calls us forth and empowers us to be 

       Praise and Worship the Lord

       Praise and Worship indeed!

       

Confession

       Loving God, who showed us how great that love truly is through the gift of Jesus.  Born a child to offer us a new beginning, one in which forgiveness, mercy and redemption reign.  Yet we often fall short to living into your will.  We fail to recognize the opportunities to bless others with grace; instead helping to spread the anger and fear in the world.  We as a society are exhausted by all the negative we hear in the world and we fail to remember that the mystery and miracles of Jesus birth, life and death offer us hope, peace, joy, love and most importantly shine wisdom on our world.  Help us to better see where we can be agents of grace, help us to better understand our place in this world and live into your will...(assurance of pardon)...amen. 

Prayer of Illumination 

      Holy Light who offers us wisdom, grant us the sight to see your Word anew today; grant us ears to hear your Word; inspire us to let your Word come alive in our hearts; encourage us to use your Word to make our world better and allow your wisdom remind each of us what it means that the Messiah is indeed among us.  Amen. 

Offertory 

       God, our Messiah, give us wisdom to use these gifts to better the world around us.  Help us to make wise choices to further forgiveness, mercy and redemption in the our community.  Most of all Holy Light, we lift up this gifts to you today with thankful hearts trusting that we continue to shine your grace to those in our path.  Amen. 

Christmas Eve Year B

• First Reading Isaiah 9:2-7
• Psalm 96:1-13
• Second Reading Titus 2:11-14
• Gospel Luke 2:1-14 (15-20)

Don't forget to check out "pages" for the lighting of the Advent Candle

Call to Worship

The light is shining

God's grace is born to us

A Child has been born

The son of God, a symbol of God's great love for us, is here

Emmanuel, God with us, humbly came into this world

Jesus' authority will shine light on God's Word

He will be called many names: Prince of Peace, Wonderful Counselor, Almighty God, Everlasting Chancellor and even King of the Jews

Jesus will pave a new way and shine light on our relationship with God

For born into the darkness of an ignorant world, Jesus brought light that shown even in the darkest of places

As my eyes are opened this worship service to the light of Christ in my own life, let me exclaim all that God, Emmanuel, has done for us

Let us worship the infant Lord

Let us exclaim the beauty of God's love and God's gift.

Confession

Holy Redeemer, we know so very well that you provide for us, love us and forgive us. We confess that we have not welcomed the light, or trusted the good news to be good. We have closed our eyes to the glory in our midst, expecting little and hoping for less. But today we remember that through a humble beginning our savior was born! Renew in us the the joy that comes with mystery and miracles, with baby Jesus and the assurance of life to come...(assurance of pardon)...amen

Prayer of illumination

Holy Baby, descend in our hearts today so that we may be inspired to hear anew the Word of God. As we read the scripture and hear your Word interpreted help us to humble ourselves to exclaim the Good News to the world and share the love of God with all those we meet. Amen

Offertory

Loving God, on this Holy Night help us to pledge ourselves and our gifts. Give us wisdom to use these gifts to further your Will in this world and to spread your love beyond our church pews and into the world. Amen.

4th Sunday in Advent year B

Call to Worship Psalm 89

My soul magnifies the Lord!

My Spirit rejoices in God my Savior!

For he has looked with favor on me

For he looks with favor on even the lowliness of his servants

Generations are all blessed

For the Mighty One has done great things!

Holy is his name!

He has given us strength and lifted up the lowly, He has filled the hungry and offered mercy!

According to the promise made by God, we will remain in the Lord forever

Let us rejoice in the birth of our Savior and the revelations to come!

Confession

Holy Redeemer, we know so very well that you provide for us, love us and forgive us. Yet we fail to live into your love for us. We let the love of materials and the world around us come between your love for us. Forgive us when we let other loves overtake your love and encourage us to know your true love for us. Help us as we let the loneliness of the world creep into our hearts and wash your presence away. This Advent as we await the birth of Christ, renew in us the the joy that comes with mystery and miracles, with baby Jesus and the assurance of life to come...(assurance of pardon)...Amen.

Illumination

Lover of this world, grant us the courage to hear and see you in the world around us. Guide us as listen to your Word so that we may come to understand our part in this world. Help us to spread your message and your love to those who long to know you. Give us strength this Advent season as we await the birth of Christ. Amen

Offertory

Gracious God we thank you for your love for us and this world. As your beloved children we are reminded that in thanksgiving we need to offer to you a portion of our gifts. We are reminded that our portions might look small but that you know the gifts we offer that extend beyond today's offertory. Continue to work within and through us to bring Christ to the world around us. Amen.

3rd Sunday in Advent, Year B

Call to Worship

We come to worship this Advent wanting

Longing for the memories of old and the love we remember

We come to worship this Advent impatient

For we continue to wait

We come to worship this Advent ready

Ready for those who sow in tears to reap with shouts of joy

Let us toss ourselves into worship today, lifting up to God all that we carry and feeling enriched by the Holy Spirit!

Confession

Holy Redeemer, we know so very well that you provide for us, love us and forgive us. Yet we fail to live into joy that surrounds us. We let the grief, longing and stress fill our days and overshadow the joy that bursts around us. Disregarding the joy in our lives we dwell on the negative. This Advent as we await the birth of Christ, renew in us the the joy that comes with mystery and miracles, with baby Jesus and the assurance of life to come..(assurance of pardon)...Amen

Illumination

Holy Spirit come upon us this day. Enter into our hearts and minds and fill us with the joy of your Word. Give us clarity as to your will in the world and help us to interpret your Word in our lives to bring meaning to the world around us. Remind us of the joy of knowing you and help us to offer that same joy to those we meet. Amen

Offertory

Generous Joy, we give with joyful hearts for all that you do. We give with glee this Advent season that we may do good in the world around us and spread your love to the world. As the secular world is open to the Christmas Spirit may your joy through our offertory bring to others your message and the knowledge of life with you, Holy God. Amen.

2nd Sunday in Advent Year B

Call to Worship Psalm 85

Hear God’s people what the Lord will speak!

For God will speak peace to the people

Attention those who are faithful

We turn our hearts to the Lord, our God

Salvation is yours

We are greeted with God’s love and faithfulness

Renewed we greet each other with the peace of Christ

Knowing that the Lord will give what is good to those who follow

Let us rejoice in this season knowing that our king shall be born.

Let us worship the unborn king!

Confession

Holy Redeemer, we know so very well that you provide for us, love us and forgive us. Yet we fail to live into the fullness of your peace. Disregarding the peace in our lives and dwelling on the hate and anger. We let the tensions of the world cloud our own thoughts. We let the loneliness of the world creep into our hearts and wash your presence away. This Advent as we await the birth of Christ, renew in us the the peace that comes with mystery and miracles, with baby Jesus and the assurance of life to come...(assurance of pardon)...Amen.

Prayer of Illumination

Prince of Peace we are reminded that what is on this earth may fade away but that your Word and your Will is never ending. Remind us today through these words spoken aloud, read and interpreted what your will is. What your Word means to us today and how your Spirit still works within and through this world. Help us to see the relevance of the Word today and how you continue to speak wisdom for today. Amen.

Offertory

Holy Giver your generosity is felt in our lives through the abundance of grace and mercy you offer. Through the gifts of the Spirit we work, play and live within our community and give back to the world around us. We offer to you in thanksgiving our time, talents and money and ask that you help us use these gifts to further the grace and mercy in the world. Help us to make wise choices as we decide where our funds should go and as we call people to work within our community. With thankful hearts we lift our selves to you and exclaim and acknowledge how you work in our lives. Amen.