These liturgical texts are appropriate for use throughout the Season of Christmas and may be repeated from week to week.
Confession and Lament
1
Come, let us turn to God, who is gracioius,
and confess our sin.
Holy God,
your incarnation delivers all creation
into abundant life.
Forgive us when we fail
to bear witness to your abundance.
Even when we are eager to share our faith,
we do not recognize what our neighbor’s faith
could teach us about you.
Forgive us for acting as if
we are the only ones
who have encountered you
and for living as though
we are the only agents of your blessing.
Teach us to treasure your wisdom
in all its variety.
Grant us the humility to recognize your Spirit
as she moves wherever she wills,
binding humankind together. Amen.
In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.
God freely gives us mercy
and sends us out to seek God’s face in every face,
to tend to the divine spark wherever there is life,
and to love the world as God first loved us.
Go now, forgiven and freed. Amen.
2
A voice is heard in Ramah,
wailing and loud lamentation:
Rachel weeping for her children,
refusing to be consoled, because they are no more.
God calls us to mourn with those who mourn;
God suffers with all persons made in their image.
Therefore, let us lament together
and confess our sin, trusting in our merciful God.
God, your love permeates all creation,
with a particular concern for children
and for all who are vulnerable.
We lament with every family
that has endured the loss of a child
through tragedy, illness, war,
or lack of access to basic resources.
We confess our sin, our complacency,
and our sense of hopelessness
in the face of the world’s agony.
We have become desensitized to stories of suffering.
Forgive us for failing to seek paths to liberation
in our distracted struggle to get through each day.
Unite us in your Spirit to work for the day
when every child is full-bellied, safe, and loved. Amen.
Siblings, in the name of Christ, we are forgiven.
Freed by the saving love of Jesus
and accompanied by God’s Spirit,
we are defiant in our hope
of the coming world that Jesus dreamed,
where violence and weeping are no more. Amen.
Invitations to Discipleship
1
Creation sings a new song;
God’s prophets proclaim good news:
The Word of God has become flesh
so that we might meet the divine face-to-face.
Through Jesus, our newborn brother,
we are adopted into God’s chosen family.
Let us share this good news
wherever we go
in deeds as much as with words,
and let us stay alert
for other messengers
whose holy wisdom can deepen ours. Amen.
2
A guiding star leads to an infant king
whose kingdom is kinship
among all peoples.
God shows no partiality;
God’s Spirit pours forth love
that breaks human borders.
Come! Let us travel
into this peculiar kin-dom,
demolishing every dividing wall
and deposing every throne
that does not belong to Christ.
Prayer of Great Thanksgiving
The triune God be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift up all that we are
to the One who created all that we are.
Let us give thanks to our God.
It is right to give thanks and praise
for God’s abiding love and grace.
Blessed are you, faithful God,
creator, liberator,
and merciful companion in the wilderness.
Your word to us became flesh in an infant.
In Jesus Christ, our sibling and savior,
you share humanity with us.
You emptied yourself of omnipotence
to be born into poverty
and to die on a cross.
We share this meal
remembering your solidarity with us in Christ
and the abundant life you have brought us.
Send your Spirit among us
and upon the bread and cup we share today.
Nourish us with your body
for the work of sharing your abundance with the world.
Energize us with your blood,
which pulses through our collective heart,
connecting us to one another and to you
until we feast together in heaven.
In your triune name we pray. Amen.
