Take us to Bethlehem, House of Bread
Where the hungry are filled
And the satisfied sent empty away
Where the poor find riches
And the rich recognize their poverty
And all who worship are filled with awe.
Lighting of the four Advent candles
From light comes life.
Deep in the earth, a seed begins to grow.
In our imagination, an idea takes root.
In a moment, love grows.
Safe in the womb, a baby turns.
Let us pray
Voice 1: As winter days dim and bow to early
darkness, you, God of light, set watch
in the night sky and beckon the wise to
follow.
Voice 2: When hope hangs low in the human
heart, you, loving creator, kindle
compassion, breathing life into the
early embers of change and empathy.
Light four candles.
Voice 1: We light a candle for love, sending
prayers high into the inky heavens and
dreams deep into the human soul.
Voice 2: As Advent dawns, God of all hope,
shine your light on the story of the
saints who journeyed before us. May
the seeds they planted in the world
– hope, peace, light , love – take hold in our
hearts and stretch towards the light.
All: We light four candles for hope, peace, light and love. May it light our way.
Song ‘Into the darkness of this world”
We say the Lords prayer in our own language
Reflection on Luke 1v26-38
On this fourth Advent Sunday we remember Mary, chosen by God to
give birth to Jesus. Mary was a young girl probably a teenager. She suddenly finds herself pregnant and visited by angels! The child she is carrying is destined to fulfil the prophesies concerning the Jewish Messiah. He will change history and be a beacon for those who are oppressed, a standard for all to live by in opposition to the standards of the world. She was just a young girl. In her life she had some hard journeys to make -to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born, to Egypt, where they had to go to escape the soldiers, and to the cross, where she watched her son die.
Mary went to stay with her cousin Elizabeth who also was expecting a baby but was further advanced in her pregnancy. Mary went to a town in the hill country of Judea. The Song of Mary is in the form of a hymn of praise directed to God for his kindness toward Mary, reflecting the Old Testament sense of God's covenant loyalty and loving kindness toward Israel, his hesed, Heb., "his faithful love". To those who acknowledge God's position and authority, his mercy extends to all people in all ages. Mary stayed three months, probably until the birth of John.
The Magnificat sung by Mary as she carries the baby born to be such an important person in human history, gives us hope of material relief from poverty. We also know from Matthew that Joseph, thinking the worst, planned to divorce her. It's a story with ominous beginnings. A story of crisis.
The Christmas story begins with this crisis, the shame of a pregnant unmarried mother and an imminent divorce. It goes on to release its power through the childless, the dumb, the poor. This Christmas they are all with us. Those who are vulnerable because they are women or young or powerless or in the wrong country at the wrong time. It is to these and many others that the Christ gives hope, lifting up the lowly, proclaiming release to the captives.
We pray God will be born in us again. Immanuel. God with us this Christmas. The world desperately needs it. Amen
We pray for those who have no money, no food and no home today.
For those far from home in a strange country
For those experiencing war and hatred especially in Gaza and Ukraine.
Especially the children and the older ones.
The poor of our world are thirsty for justice
Our God is a God of justice.
May we bring it to pass. Amen
Song “Gabriel’s message” https://youtu.be/iJ0NPaD0xic
Come to us Holy one
shatter our coldness
Whisper through our lives
Scatter the darkness
Be born in us today.
