We believe God created, the heavens, the earth, and all the creatures that dwell upon it.
We believe God creates new beginnings.
We believe that God is never far away. God is ever-present, ever-vigilant and has been active in our lives throughout history.
We believe God is merciful and forgiving. God came to us in the person of Jesus to be a light for those trapped in darkness, and to preach Good News to those longing for
understanding and relief.
We believe God promises good. God promised us a savior, Jesus the Christ. And when his saving act was to die for our sakes, God raised him from the dead.
We believe God’s pursuit of the human heart and soul is persistent, for the Holy Spirit seeks us out to embrace us with the message of forgiveness, hope, peace, joy, and love.
We believe that as the church, Christ’s body in the world, we are called to wear and carry the Spirit’s message out into the world.
A new beginning is today. Amen.
CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER
O, Most faithful and loving God, we are grateful for the laughter and joy that rings through the yuletide season. Perhaps it is the anticipation of being with loved ones and family members that fills us with joy. Or, it just might be our delight in wearing jingley-sparkly garments as if we were the heralds of all good things to come. December arrives and we can’t wait one minute longer to sing our favorite Christmas carols knowing that the time allotted to sing them seems to wane ever so quickly. It is easy to become overwhelmed when we get caught up in all of the falderal, along with the expectations we place upon ourselves. Remind us, O LORD, to take a moment to escape the busyness, to ponder your goodwill and embrace your promise of peace. All this we pray in the name of the Christ child, Jesus, who crowns the season. Amen.
INVITATION TO THE OFFERING
The Psalmist writes about the Israelites in exile sowing seeds for the harvest through their tears and sadness. For there to be a yield, seeds must be sown. The sowers must remain faithful to the process of preparation, sowing, watching and caring for the seedlings, finally reaping the harvest in season. We have learned from scripture that the human heart is like the soil into which seeds of justice, righteousness, kindness, love and mercy are sown. In the fullness of time the human heart will produce it’s crop in abundance and God will rejoice. Until that time, the church must be at work preparing the soil and sowing the seeds of justice, righteousness, kindness, love and mercy. Without your support the process could founder.
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