Hey friends! I'm looking forward to sharing a few words of JOY with you tonight.
Here's this week's playlist:
And here's a bit of liturgy. Tune in to my instagram at 7 to read with me!
Lighting of Advent Candles
Incarnate God
God who knows our humanity
who bears our grief
hears our worries
and shoulders our burdens
Let us choose to rejoice today in your presence
to celebrate the glory of your coming to earth
to revel in the brilliance of your birth
like Mary, whose soul cried out in glee
and John, who leapt in his mother's womb
Let us sing, even dance
Though the world is weary
and our hearts stay heavy
We lay our burdens at your feet tonight
and lift our heavy heads to the heavens
Rejoicing with the angels
For your glory came to dwell with us
In your death we bury our sorrow
and in your resurrection seek the rebirth birth of our Joy.
Psalm 16
Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
I have no good apart from you.”
...
5 The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup;
you hold my lot.
6 The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.
7 I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;
in the night also my heart instructs me.[d]
8 I have set the Lord always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.
9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being[e] rejoices;
my flesh also dwells secure.
10 For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
or let your holy one see corruption.[f]
11 You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Habakuk 3:17-19
Though the fig tree should not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
and there be no herd in the stalls,
18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
19 God, the Lord, is my strength;
he makes my feet like the deer's;
he makes me tread on my high places.
John 16: 16-24
16 Jesus went on to say, “In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.”
17 At this, some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?” 18 They kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.”
19 Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, “Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me’? 20 Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. 21 A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. 22 So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. 23 In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.
Reading:
Chapter 21 of Honest Advent by Scott Erickson
A Sky Full of Children by Madeline L'Engle
Closing Prayer:
God of Joy
Restore in us tonight and throughout this season
the Joy of our salvation
Break the barriers within us
the unhealthy walls we have built
within our spirits
the restraints that hold us back from true gladness
the binding lies that tell us we are anything but your beloved children
Change our hearts, oh God, from wells of bitterness and fear
to springs of gladness
streams of living water
fountains of freedom
overflowing with the fullness of your joy
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