____________________________________________________

 

Call to Worship (based on Psalm 148)

L: Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heavens; praise him in the heights!
P: Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his host! Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars!
L: Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens! Let them praise the name of the LORD, for he commanded and they were created.
P: Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth! Young men and women alike, old and young together!
L: Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his glory is above earth and heaven.


 

Call to Worship:

Leader: Let us worship the living God; He was born of the Virgin Mary
P: Revealed in his glory
L: Worshipped by angels
P: Proclaimed among the nations
L: Believed in throughout the world
P: Exalted to the highest heavens.
L: Blessed be God, our strength and our salvation
Now and for ever!

 

Prayer of Confession:

L: Heavenly God, giver of life,
come and dwell in us and cleanse us from every impurity

P: Holy God have mercy on us.

L: Lord, be merciful to us sinners, forgive our transgressions.
Holy One, visit us and heal our infirmities, for Your name's sake.

P: Holy God have mercy on us.

L: Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit;
Both now and ever and to the ages of ages.

 

Prayer (reflecting the Gospel lesson)

Blessed are you, Lord our God, king of the universe:
To you be glory and praise for ever!
For you are our light and our salvation
and we your children wait for your loving kindness
in the midst of your temple.
In your Christ, born of the Virgin Mary,
there has sprung up a light for the righteous
and joyful gladness for those who are faithful.
As we, like Simeon and Anna, welcome him with joy,
presented before us as light of all the world,
may we be filled with his spirit and made a living temple
to the praise and glory of your holy name.
And, as we join our praises with theirs,
grant us a quiet night and a perfect end
now and for ever. Amen.

 

THE SONG OF SIMEON: Nunc Dimittis

A light to lighten the nations
and the glory of your people Israel

Now, Lord, you let your servant go in peace:
your word has been fulfilled.

A light to lighten the nations
and the glory of your people Israel

My own eyes have seen the salvation:
which you have prepared in the sight of every people.

A light to lighten the nations
and the glory of your people Israel

A light to reveal you to the nations:
and the glory of your people Israel. 

A light to lighten the nations
and the glory of your people Israel

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and shall be for ever. Amen.

 

Prayer for Year's End
by Barry in OH

O God beyond every calendar, and every season under the Sun, how foolish we can be with our obsessions and fixations on time, its courses, vagaries, and purposes. Speak to us with power and wisdom from your secret dwelling beyond time, which has a door in every heart, and a window in every soul. Help us see with utter clarity how you are at work in our lives, through our lives, with our lives, giving birth to the fullness of time and the goodness of creation. Give us strength and courage to follow Christ Jesus, all the time, for the sake of our time, until the end of our time. Amen

 

Closing Prayer:

Send, o God, into the darkness of this troubled world,
the light of your Son.
Let the star of your hope touch the minds of all people
with the bright beams of mercy and truth;
and so direct our steps that we may ever walk in the way revealed to us,
as the shepherds of Bethlehem walked with joy
to the manger where he dwelled,
who now and ever reigns in our hearts, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.