Advent 2 The Candle of Peace
SCRIPTURE: Luke 1: 46 - 55
And Mary* said,
‘My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
His mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’
STORY: “By God’s grace, you can run the marathon!”
“A New Day Dawns” by KiwanukaVoice one: My name is Andrew. I am father of 15 children, 5 biological, 10 orphaned. People ask us, “How does it work? Do all the children get along!? Don’t your own children resent the others?”
I say, “They’re all our own children now.” We set the example. There are no favorites. We encourage each one to do their best with the gifts they have. And they all have different gifts: one girl is in Law School, another Teachers’ Training College. A boy is in masonry, another is a taxi driver.
Through God’s grace and a Toronto church, all our children have had the chance to go to school. I say to them, “You must grab this opportunity with both hands! You didn’t get the qualifying mark, but by God’s grace you can run the marathon!”
I know each of them will give back, and help children who never had the chance. They will help others to find belonging in the world. I believe that.
Voice two:
Peace comes through each person finding a place of belonging and serving.
PRAYER:
Leader: Holy God,
in whose heart every living being has a place of belonging,
and a purpose for which you have made us,
People: shine your light of justice into every proud heart,
that we may recognise the worth of all our brothers and sisters.
Remove the barriers amongst us
that all may be included in earth’s bounty.
WE LIGHT THE CANDLE OF PEACE
Leader: We light this candle to welcome Christ’s light of peace
into every divided heart and warring place.
People: Come Lord Jesus Christ, Prince of Peace,
lift every oppressed person to their rightful place.
(light candle)
SUGGESTED SUNG RESPONSE:
More Voices # 33, Jesus came bringing us peace.
See the notices in today’s bulletin for ideas on how you might give a GIFT of PEACE this Christmas.
Click here for ADVENT 3