This liturgy is based on our Advent Theme this year, "The Gifts of Women", based on the women in Matthew's account of Jesus' genealogy.
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Hymns
Hymn GTG #93, “Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates”
Hymn GTG #324, “For All the Faithful Women" [v. 1 + New Verse:]
Remembering Bathsheba, we offer up a prayer,
For those whose lives and stories are neither good nor fair.
Although she was exploited, abused in every way,
Her strength and her resilience inspire our faith today.
Hymn GTG #87, “Comfort, Comfort Now My People”
Leader: We are here to prepare for the Lord’s coming
People: We gather to share stories of a faith passed down from generation to generation.
Leader: We give thanks for our biblical forefathers, the names we learn in Sunday school, the figures who loom large in our understanding of God.
People: But Matthew’s gospel reminds us not to forget the stories of the faithful women who lead us to Christ.
Leader: [Lighting purple candle] Today, we learn from our mother Bathsheba, whose remarkable strength will not be forgotten.
People: As we remember the ancestors whose gifts point us to the manger, we cry aloud with one voice: Come, Lord Jesus.
Call to Confession (based on 2 Samuel 12)
Leader: God sees the wrong that we do and will undoubtedly hold us accountable. Let us not shirk from God’s righteous judgement but face it with humility and trust in God’s abundant grace.
Prayer of Confession (based on 2 Samuel 11:4, 15)
You are invited to speak a word or short phrase that describes a personal or collective sin of which you repent and seek forgiveness. When the gathered community is finished sharing, we pray together:
People: Righteous Holy One, we know that what we do is evil in your eyes. We see that which does not belong to us, and we take it. We see that which stands in our way, and we destroy it. We view our fellow human beings as tools to be used for our own ends, and we willingly accept it when others do the same. Forgive us these terrible sins and transform our hard hearts for your glory. In your mercy, hear our prayers… (Silent prayers of personal confession)
Declaration of Forgiveness
Leader: Despite our persistent sin and selfishness, God is ever faithful. Hear the Good News: In Jesus Christ, we are all forgiven!
People: Thanks be to God!
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