Opening Words Sun sets, evening descends, light fades, day draws to a close.
I light a lamp and a new glow streams across my day.
Gathering Song Warm the Time of Winter (Lori True)
All sing: Holy light, warm our night, warm the time of winter
Holy light, warm our night, warm the time of winter
Blessing of Advent Wreath
Lord God,
Your Church joyfully awaits the coming of its Saviour.
Who enlightens our hearts and dispels the darkness of ignorance and sin.
Pour out your blessings upon us as we light the candles of this wreath;
May their light be a comfort to those who suffer today,
May their light give us hope in these dark days
May their light reflect the love of Christ who is lord, for ever and ever.
Amen.
Opening Prayer
Let us pray,
All say: Lord, open our hearts in welcome.
Remove the things that hinder us from embracing Christ with joy.
May the glow of this WinterLight guide us on our Advent journey.
We ask this in the Spirit, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Gesture of Welcome
All sit
Introduction
Reflection Lord, we are so sorry for what some of us did to your children: treated them so cruelly,
especially in their hour of need. We have left them with a lifelong suffering. This was not your plan for them or us. Please help us to help them. Guide us, Lord, Amen.
Song Open My Eyes, Lord (Jesse Manibusan)
All sing: Open my eyes, Lord, help me to see your face
Open my eyes, Lord, help me to see.
Prayer
All say: God our rock and our strength on whom we lean, help us to create an atmosphere of trust which allows the unspeakable to be said. Help us to live with our painful memories. May we support each other and be safe places for each other. We pray this in the name of Jesus, your compassion made flesh, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen.
All sing: Open my ears, Lord, help me to hear your voice
Open my ears, Lord, help me to hear.
Reading Jeremiah 33:15-16
In those days and at that time,
I will make a virtuous Branch grow for David,
who shall practise honesty and integrity in the land.
In those days Judah shall be saved
and Israel shall dwell in confidence.
And this is the name the city will be called:
The Lord-our-integrity.
All sing: Open my heart, Lord, help me to love like you
Open my heart, Lord, help me to love.
Prayer Let us pray,
That our eyes, ears and hearts may be opened to a new way of seeing, hearing and loving; we pray for restoration, for integrity, for peace, for reconciliation, that we may all live caring for our brothers and sisters and offering them the respect and dignity for which we were created.
We ask this, through Christ, Our Lord. Amen.
Song Stand Beside Me (Columba McCann)
Song Take Me As I Am (John Bell)
All sing: Take, O take me as I am
Summon out what I shall be
Set your seal upon my heart
And live in me.
Reading I Thessalonians 3
Make more and more progress in the life that you are meant to live: the life that God wants, as you learnt from us, and as you are already living it.
Song
All sing: Take, O take me as I am
Summon out what I shall be
Set your seal upon my heart
And live in me.
Reading I Thessalonians 3
Make more and more progress in the life that you are meant to live: the life that God wants, as you learnt from us, and as you are already living it.
All sing: Take, O take me as I am
Summon out what I shall be
Set your seal upon my heart
And live in me.
Instrumental Caoineadh na dTrí Muire (Arr. Denise Kelly)
Reading Baruch 5:1
Take off your dress of sorrow and distress, put on the beauty of the glory of God forever
Song Soon and Very Soon (Spiritual)
Reading Baruch 5:1
Take off your dress of sorrow and distress, put on the beauty of the glory of God forever
Song Heal us, Lord (Liam Lawton)
All sing: Heal us, Lord, Heal us, Lord
Heal us, Lord.
May your word renew us
May your touch restore us.
Heal us, Lord.
Reading Luke 3:10
If anyone has two tunics he must share with the man who has none, and the one with something to eat must do the same
Reflection Drops of Oil
Don’t think that love, to be true, has to be extraordinary. What is necessary is to continue to love.
How does a lamp burn, if it is not by the continuous feeding of little drops of oil? When there is no oil, there is no light and the bridegroom will say: “I do not know you”. Dear friends, what are our drops of oil in our lamps? They are the small things from every day life: the joy, the generosity, the little good things, the humility and the patience, a simple thought for someone else or a way to be silent, to listen, to forgive, to speak and to act. These are the real drops of oil that make our lamps burn vividly our whole life. Don’t look for Jesus far away, He is not there. He is in you, take care of your lamp and you will see Him. Saint Teresa of Calcutta
Reading Luke 3:10
If anyone has two tunics he must share with the man who has none, and the one with something to eat must do the same
All stand
Prayer
All say: God our Father, our hope and our light, bless our world,
open our eyes to your presence among us
and open our hearts to the joy of welcoming you
and of serving you in each other.
We ask this though Christ Our Lord. Amen.
All sit
Song To You, O Lord (Marty Haugen)
Prayer
All say: Lord of hope and joy,
We pray that the unfolding days of Advent
may open up possibilities for deepening our
appreciation of the precious gift that is Jesus,
your loving Son.
Hold us in a spirit of anticipation that we may truly rejoice on Christmas Day at the wonder of the eternal promise He brings.
Invocations Kyrie (Jean-Paul Lécot)
All sing: Kyrie eleison – Christe eleison – Kyrie eleison
Reflection For you, O Lord, my soul in stillness waits. Truly my hope is in you.
If we listen carefully in the stillness and silence of this Advent day we can hear the cries of those who suffer as a result of abuse.
Maybe they are crying out with relief because they have been heard at last.
Maybe they are crying out because of a hurt inflicted some time ago but still aching as if it was done today.
Maybe they are crying out for justice and restoration, for dignity and peace.
Advent is a season of hope and new beginnings for the Church.
May the structures that enabled so much suffering to be inflicted on the vulnerable be washed away with the winter floods.
May those whose neglect added pain to pain learn from their mistakes.
May those who are suffering now find comfort and peace at last.
Song My Soul In Stillness Waits (Marty Haugen)
All sing: For you, O Lord, my soul in stillness waits
Truly, my hope is in you.
Reading Luke 1:26-38 Mary do not be afraid
Song Holy Is His Name (John Michael Talbot)
All sing: And holy, holy, holy is his name.
Prayer
All say: Lord God, so often you tell us not to fear, that you are here, and that you are in control. Often our lives seem out of control, manipulated by others. That is when we fear. You sent an angel to Joseph to reassure him and to point him in the right direction. May we be open to the message of the angels you send to us today to remind us of your presence. Come to us, O Emmanuel, God-is-with-us.
Song Ave Maris Stella (Plainchant)
Reflection Advent 1948 (Jessica Powers)
I live my Advent in the womb of Mary.
And on one night when a great star swings free from its high mooring and walks down the sky to be the dot above the Christus I,
I shall be born of her by blessed grace.
I wait in Mary-darkness, faith’s walled place,with hope’s expectance of nativity.
I knew for long she carried me and fed me, guarded and loved me, though I could not see.
But only now, with inward jubilee,
I come upon earth’s most amazing knowledge: someone is hidden in this dark with me.
Instrumental Cantiga de Sancta Maria (Alfonso el Sabio)
Reflection A Poem of Ephrem the Syrian, (which he places in the mouth of Mary) Son of the Rich One, Who despised the womb of rich women, what drew You toward the poor? For Joseph is needy, and I am impoverished. Your merchants (the Magi)
Brought gold to a house of the poor… Blessed be the Babe Who made His mother the lyre of His melodies.”
Song See I Am Near (Taizé)
All sing: See, I am near says the Lord
See, I make all things new
Reading The virgin is with child and shall bear a son, and she will call him Emmanuel
No-one can celebrate a genuine Christmas without being truly poor. The self-sufficient, the proud, those who, because they have everything, look down on others, those who have no need even of God – for them there will be no Christmas. Only the poor, the hungry, those who need someone to come on their behalf, will have that someone. That someone is God, Emmanuel, God-with us. Without poverty of Spirit, there can be no abundance of God. (Oscar Romero)
The virgin is with child and shall bear a son, and she will call him Emmanuel.
Reflection St. John of the Cross
The Virgin, weighed
With the Word of God
Comes down the road:
If only you will shelter her.
Celebrant: We turn to the Lord, asking his blessing on ourselves, our loved ones, and on our world this Advent.
Response: Come to us, O Emmanuel (Marty Haugen)
For those who have an abundance of good things in this life, that they may be mindful of the world’s poor. (R)
For those who carry hurts and angers and dark memories, help them to find the peace which only you can give. (R)
For those whose faith has grown dim and who feel lost and confused on their journey, touch them with the warmth of your presence. (R)
For those who are tired, weary, worn from generous giving of their lives for others, bring them rest and enkindle within them a deep spark of light and happiness. (R)
For those who grieve the loss of a loved one and whose hearts are lonely, touch them with dear memories and with a vision of what lies beyond this time and space. (R)
For those who live in the darkness of hunger and want, in the fear of violence or pain, be a light of hope for them, bringing the promise of a new tomorrow (R)
For all of us on our journey through life, keep our hearts full of wonder and openness (R)
Concluding Prayer
All say: Let us stand and pray
God of power and mercy, open our hearts in welcome.
Remove the things that hinder us from receiving Christ with joy,
So that we may share his wisdom and become one with him when he comes in glory,
for he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen.
Final Song Wait For The Lord (Taizé)
All sing: Wait for the Lord, whose day is near.
Wait for the Lord, keep watch take heart.