Worship December 18, 2020
Let us worship!
Let there be peace on earth
And let it begin with me
Let there be peace on Earth
The peace that was meant to be
With God as our Father
Brothers all are we
Let me walk with my brother
In perfect harmony.
Let peace begin with me
Let this be the moment now.
With ev'ry step I take
Let this be my solemn vow
To take each moment and live
Each moment in peace eternally
Let there be peace on earth
And let it begin with me
Welcoming Prayer
Creator God,
in the turbulence of the world
we cling to you, our eternal hope.
As we wait on your coming,
may we reflect glimmers of your peace in the midst of this world until you come again.
Let there be peace on earth
And let it begin with me
Come, Lord Jesus, Come.
Amen
John 1:57-80
57 Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. 58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her.
59 On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him Zechariah after his father. 60 But his mother said, “No; he is to be called John.” 61 They said to her, “None of your relatives has this name.” 62 Then they began motioning to his father to find out what name he wanted to give him. 63 He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And all of them were amazed. 64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began to speak, praising God. 65 Fear came over all their neighbors, and all these things were talked about throughout the entire hill country of Judea. 66 All who heard them pondered them and said, “What then will this child become?” For, indeed, the hand of the Lord was with him.
Zechariah’s Prophecy
67 Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke this prophecy:
68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them.
69 He has raised up a mighty savior[g] for us
in the house of his servant David,
70 as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
71 that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us.
72 Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors,
and has remembered his holy covenant,
73 the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham,
to grant us 74 that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies,
might serve him without fear, 75 in holiness and righteousness
before him all our days.
76 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people
by the forgiveness of their sins.
78 By the tender mercy of our God,
the dawn from on high will break upon[h] us,
79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
Reflection
By the tender mercy of our God,
the dawn from on high will break upon us,
to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.
It sure feels like we are sitting in darkness these days. We sit and wait in the darkness growing around us. We wait for a vaccine. We wait to see friends. We wait to celebrate. We wait for black lives to matter as much as white live. We wait for social justice. We wait for peace, for joy, and for love of all God’s children. We wait and we wait. And in that waiting it feels as though the darkness grows and grows. The loneliness and frustration sets in…Darkness. The world around us grows unstable…Darkness. The economy is uncertain…Darkness. Injustice prevails…Darkness.
But as Christians we are called to live in hope of more. To live in hope of the light.
But we are call to more than just waiting for that hope.
We are called to do more than just to live in hope that one day Christ light will shine again through the mighty acts of God alone. We are called to a beacon of God’s light. We called to be the light. We are called to stay safe and wear a mask until a vaccine comes. We are called to reach out to neighbors in safe ways despite the distance. We are called to stand up for the minorities that facing injustice. We are called to speak out for those whose voices have been quieted, for women, for minorities, for the LGBTQ community.
We can fight back the darkness. We can can before the Lord to prepare his ways. WE can give knowledge of salvation to his people. We can give and receive forgiveness, a foretaste of God’s own love and forgiveness of us. We can be the light fighting back the darkest days.
A new day will dawn from on high. New light will shine upon us. Those in darkness, those who are feel they are in the shadow of death, we can reach out to them and show them the light. We can use our light to guide their feet through peace and strength and love. We can be the people of God here on earth, loving those around us and being the dawn, the light from on high, shining in an ever darkening world.
Let there be peace on Earth, and let it begin with us!
Amen
To get you thinking…
-What is the biggest darkness you are facing?
-What gives you light in the darkness?
-What is one thing you can do to be a light? (How can you help fight back a social injustice? Who could you reach out to who is struggling at the moment? Where could you make a difference for your community today?)
Prayer of sending
Oh, God of majesty and might,
Help us to be an example of your love and light in this world.
Move our hearts, feet, and hands to fight for justice and peace.
Use us to break in your promised dawn.
Let there be peace on earth, O God,
and let it begin with me.
Amen
