Worship that works – spirituality that connects
Many people like, from time to time, to add a badge to their website or blog. There has been positive interest and a lot of use of the Advent 1 , 2 & 3 wreath images – so here is Advent 4. If you like the idea – send your friends the URL of this blog post.
The HTML for adding this badge to your blog or website is:
I THINK this badge has been fixed now! Thanks to the person who let me know it wasn’t working! I always appreciate being told parts of the site are not going properly – I am still very much a learner in HTML etc. 
Many people like, from time to time, to add a badge to their website or blog. There has been positive interest and a lot of use of the Advent 1 & 2 wreath images – so here is Advent 3. If you like the idea – send your friends the URL of this blog post.
The HTML for adding this badge to your blog or website is:
Many people like, from time to time, to add a badge to their website or blog. There was positive interest and a lot of use of the Advent 1 wreath image – so here is Advent 2. If you like the idea – send your friends the URL of this blog post.
The HTML for adding this badge to your blog or website is:
Many people like, from time to time, to add a badge to their website or blog. So if there is interest in this I will produce a new badge each week of Advent. If you like the idea – send your friends the URL of this blog post.
The HTML for adding this badge to your blog or website is:
Recently I provided resources for Blessing the Advent Wreath, including a new Advent Wreath hymn/song. Common Worship provides prayers at the Advent Wreath related to the lectionary:
Advent 1 The Patriarchs
Advent 2 The Prophets
Advent 3 John the Baptist
Advent 4 The Virgin Mary
Christmas Day The Christ
The prayers reproduced below reflect these four themes.
The second, third and fourth prayers in each case are written with children in mind, and the third is to be said by the congregation together. Only one prayer need be used on any occasion, though the second and third fit well together in each case.
Blessed are you, Sovereign Lord, God of our ancestors:
to you be praise and glory for ever.
You called the patriarchs to live by the light of faith
and to journey in the hope of your promised fulfilment.
May we be obedient to your call
and be ready and watchful to receive your Christ,
a lamp to our feet and a light to our path;
for you are our light and our salvation.
Blessed be God for ever.
God of Abraham and Sarah,
and all the patriarchs of old,
you are our Father too.
Your love is revealed to us in Jesus Christ,
Son of God and Son of David.
Help us in preparing to celebrate his birth
to make our hearts ready for your Holy Spirit
to make his home among us.
We ask this through Jesus Christ,
the light who is coming into the world. Amen.
Lord Jesus, Light of the world,
born in David’s city of Bethlehem,
born like him to be a king:
Be born in our hearts at Christmas,
be king of our lives today. Amen.
People of God: awake!
The day is coming soon
when you shall see God face to face.
Remember the ways and the works of God.
Christ calls you out of darkness
to walk in the light of his coming.
You are God’s children.
Lord make us one as we walk with Christ
today and for ever. Amen.
Blessed are you, Sovereign Lord, just and true:
to you be praise and glory for ever.
Of old you spoke by the mouth of your prophets,
but in our days you speak through your Son,
whom you have appointed the heir of all things.
Grant us, your people, to walk in his light,
that we may be found ready and watching
when he comes again in glory and judgement;
for you are our light and our salvation.
Blessed be God for ever.
God our Father,
you spoke to the prophets of old
of a Saviour who would bring peace.
You helped them to spread the joyful message
of his coming kingdom.
Help us, as we prepare to celebrate his birth,
to share with those around us
the good news of your power and love.
We ask this through Jesus Christ,
the light who is coming into the world. Amen.
Lord Jesus, Light of the world,
the prophets said you would bring peace
and save your people in trouble.
Give peace in our hearts at Christmas
and show all the world God’s love. Amen.
People of God: be glad!
Your God delights in you.
giving you joy for sadness
and turn the dark to light.
Be strong in hope therefore;
for your God comes to save.
You are God’s children.
Lord make us one in the love of Christ
today and for ever. Amen.
Blessed are you, Sovereign Lord, just and true:
to you be praise and glory for ever.
Your prophet John the Baptist was witness to the truth
as a burning and shining light.
May we your servants rejoice in his light,
and so be led to witness to him
who is the Lord of our coming kingdom,
Jesus our Saviour and King of the ages.
Blessed be God for ever.
God our Father,
you gave to Zechariah and Elizabeth in their old age
a son called John.
He grew up strong in spirit,
prepared the people for the coming of the Lord,
and baptized them in the Jordan to wash away their sins.
Help us, who have been baptized into Christ,
to be ready to welcome him into our hearts,
and to grow strong in faith by the power of the Spirit.
We ask this through Jesus Christ,
the light who is coming into the world. Amen.
Lord Jesus, Light of the world,
John told the people to prepare,
for you were very near.
As Christmas grows closer day by day,
help us to be ready to welcome you now. Amen.
People of God: return!
You are called to be God’s own.
From the mountains announce the good news.
God comes in justice and peace,
to all who follow his ways.
You are God’s children.
Lord make us one in the peace of Christ
today and for ever. Amen.
Blessed are you, Sovereign Lord, merciful and gentle:
to you be praise and glory for ever.
Your light has shone in our darkened world
through the child-bearing of blessed Mary;
grant that we who have seen your glory
may daily be renewed in your image
and prepared like her for the coming of your Son,
who is the Lord and Saviour of all.
Blessed be God for ever.
God our Father,
the angel Gabriel told the Virgin Mary
that she was to be the mother of your Son.
Though Mary was afraid,
she responded to your call with joy.
Help us, whom you call to serve you,
to share like her in your great work
of bringing to our world your love and healing.
We ask this through Jesus Christ,
the light who is coming into the world. Amen.
Lord Jesus, Light of the world,
blessed is Gabriel who brought good news;
blessed is Mary your mother and ours.
Bless your Church preparing for Christmas;
and bless us your children who long for your coming. Amen.
People of God: prepare!
God, above all, maker of all,
is one with us in Christ.
Maranatha!
Come, Lord Jesus!
God, the mighty God,
bends down in love to earth.
Maranatha!
Come, Lord Jesus!
God with us; God beside us,
comes soon to the world he has made.
Maranatha!
Come, Lord Jesus!
We are God’s children,
we seek the coming Christ.
Maranatha!
Come, Lord Jesus!
Blessed are you, Sovereign Lord, King of Peace:
to you be praise and glory for ever
The new light of your incarnate word
gives gladness in our sorrow,
and a presence in our isolation.
Fill our lives with your light,
until they overflow with gladness and praise.
Blessed be God for ever.
God our Father,
today the Saviour is born
and those who live in darkness are seeing a great light.
Help us, who greet the birth of Christ with joy,
to live in the light of your Son,
and to share the good news of your love.
We ask this through Jesus Christ,
the light who has come into the world. Amen.
Lord Jesus, Light of Light,
you have come among us.
Help us who live by your light
to shine as lights in your world.
Glory to God in the highest. Amen.
People of God: shout and sing!
Tell the good news of peace on earth.
Lord, bring us today into Christ’s peace.
All God’s people say / shout:
Amen.
Angels dance
and the bright star shines.
All creation bows to the Lord of all.
Lord, bring us today into Christ’s light.
All God’s people say / shout:
Amen.
One with us,
yet born to save,
he will show us the way to God.
Lord, bring us today into Christ’s love.
All God’s people say / shout:
Amen.
People of God: shout and sing:
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Amen.
Copyright (c) The Archbishops’ Council 2006
Lord our God, we praise you for your Son, Jesus Christ.
He is Emmanuel, the hope of all peoples;
he is the wisdom that teaches and guides us;
he is the Saviour of every nation.
O God, let your blessing come upon our community gathered here before you.
Bless us (+) and our advent wreath (+)
May the light that shines forth from them illumine our way as we journey towards Christmas;
may the light that shines forth from them illumine our lives as we wait in hope for the birth of the Christ-child.
We ask this through Christ who is the Light of the World.
Amen.
This prayer is adapted from the ecumenical one found at the website of the Anglican Roman Catholic Commission of Aotearoa New Zealand (ARCCANZ).
A full service focused around this rite has been placed at “A blessing of the Advent Wreath” and can easily be adapted to different contexts.
Further prayers at the Advent Wreath for each Sunday and Christmas Day
Anglican parish priest Doug Chaplin of the wonderful blog MetaCatholic has produced an Advent wreath song. There is a verse for each Sunday of Advent, and one for Christmas Day. It can be combined with other forms of prayer quite easily. If you want to use it, please do, but with an attribution. The tune is Personent Hodie.
Take this light, let it shine:
call of God, love divine,
summons old Abram’s line,
hope for all the nations
gift of God’s salvation.
Shine, O candles, shine,
Burn with love divine,
to the night,
comes the light
of the Father’s glory.
Take this flame, let it burn:
prophets called: “From sin turn,
come to God, evil spurn:
God will love and pardon,
bear away your burden.”
Take this wick, let it glow
for the one come to show
way of God, Christ to know:
baptise in the river,
new life to deliver.
Take this spark, let it blaze,
Mary’s called: girl amazed,
now says yes, God be praised.
In the womb of woman,
God’s Word now is human.
Take this fire, let it flame,
God is born in our frame,
sinless child tastes our shame,
sin’s might he is breaking;
new the world is making.
An open letter to Anglican and Roman Catholic Bishops
(with some helpful images for reflection generally – Bosco Peters, Liturgy webmaster)
Dear Friends
Warm greetings.
I write to affirm the combined liturgies we share and for on-going observance of our practice of joining together, especially with regard to Ash Wednesday and Advent Liturgies.
You will be aware that combined Roman Catholic/Anglican liturgies for Ash Wednesday have become an expected and normal part of the liturgical calendar of both our churches. The Anglican Roman Catholic Commission in Aotearoa, New Zealand recommends shared Ash Wednesday Liturgies of the Word throughout the country. This is in the spirit of a joint declaration of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Pope and in the spirit of Pope John Paul II’s encyclical letter on the quest for Christian unity “that they may all be one”. In praying for unity we need to repent of our divisions and to approach Christ in humility, with new vision. The Ash Wednesday liturgy which marks the season of Lent is ideally suited for this purpose. There is no triumphalism here and no complacency, only a desire to journey with Christ into the desert, to be simple and honest in the presence of God and to look to the promise of Easter and new beginnings.
The Liturgy is not intended to replace Eucharistic celebrations on Ash Wednesday but is a Liturgy of the Word where preparation and lighting of a fire becomes the central visual symbol, as it burns, dies down and becomes ash. The imagery here can be the creating of ashes from the palms of Palm Sunday. In some places it may be appropriate to have a burning fire brought into the Church and watched contemplatively. As the flame is watched we reflect upon all that needs to be transformed in our own pilgrimage. This can be a very different liturgical action from the fire of Easter which begins outside the Church and is lit there as a liturgy of light and celebration, where the accent is on the coming of light and the burning of a flame that does not go out. By providing fire for ashes at the beginning of the event and fire at the Easter Vigil, the seasons are clearly marked and complement each other with this imagery.
Further, it is recommended that we share at the beginning of Advent in a combined service where our Advent Wreaths are blessed. As the Ash Wednesday liturgy heralds the beginning of Lent, the Blessing of the Wreaths liturgy marks the beginning of the Season of Advent and has become significant as part of our preparation for the coming of Jesus and the hope we experience at this time of year. The Advent Wreath symbolises God’s evergreen eternal circle, the four purple candles for the Kingship or royalty of Christ and the centre white candle the Christ Candle representing the light that came into the world. As we light a candle for each Sunday in Advent we are reminded of our connection with our brothers and sisters in Christ and of the shared hope we have for our communities and our world. The Advent message is re-born and re-ignited as we share in this combined liturgy of hope and expectation.
Yours in Christ
++ David Moxon (Anglican – second photo)
+ Barry Jones (Roman Catholic – first photo)
Co-convenors of the Anglican Roman Catholic Commision of Aotearoa New Zealand
The ecumenically agreed liturgy may be found on the website of the Anglican Roman Catholic Commission of Aotearoa New Zealand (ARCCANZ). And also at this Advent Wreath Blessing. The blessing itself has been adapted for other contexts and provided with a hymn at this alternative post on the Advent Wreath Blessing.
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