Diane Ritzema

The new website is beautiful, but I have a question-- when I order materials from the FaithAlive site, we automatically get our CRC discount at checkout.  Does this happen on the Discover Your Bible website, too? 

 

 

Thank you for posting this! We do a Blue Christmas service annually, and those who attend are always so appreciative.  These resources are helpful to give us some new ideas.  Thanks!

Here is a service we have done in the past. We have used this basic form for the past several years, with some minor changes. One of the things we often do is to give nametags to the people who attend, and have them write the name of the person (including themselves) or situation they are thinking of or mourning during this season.  Something about naming it and writing it down helps begin, or open them up to,the healing.

Solo/Duet: Breath of Heaven

 

Welcome

This evening we gather during this Christmas season in a spirit of somber

remembrance. While the rest of the world seems to celebrating the joyous

occasion, we come to manger realizing that the world is cold as stone, feelings of

loneliness and loss overwhelm, and our heart cries out help me be strong, help

me . I invite each of you this evening not to hide or suppress those feelings, but

embrace them, realizing that they bring you much closer to the real Christmas

story.

 

For this evening we remember the true story helpless babe born into a world that

was struggling, a world that was questioning where was God, and world crying

out why? The helpless babe born in cold stone room without the joyous welcome

we often picture. The helpless babe born in a family that was poor, tired, and

frightened. The helpless babe who would change all this for the world.

 

We Gather in God's Presence

Lono, you are the God who saves me; day and night I cry out to you. May

my prayer come before you; turn your ear to my cry. I am overwhelmed

with troubles, and my life draws near to death. I am counted among those

who go down to the pit; I am like one without strength. (Psalm 88:1-4)

Light Christ Candle

 

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the

land of deep darkness a light has dawned ... For to us a child is born, to us a son

is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the

greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. (lsaiah 9:2 & 6-7)

 

Song:  O Little Town of Bethlehem

 

God's Greeting/Mutual Greetings

 

We Remember and Seek Comfort

 

Advent Candle Lighting: A Litany of Remembrance

 

First Candle; Persons who have been loved and lost

 

We light the first Advent candle and remember those persons who have been

loved and lost. We pause to remember their names, their faces, their voices.

We give thanks for the memory that binds them to us in this season.

Lord, surround us all with your eternal love.

 

AII sing: O come, O Come, lmmanuel, and ransom captive Israel,

That mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice! lmmanuel shall come to you, O lsrael.

 

(silence)

 

Word of comfort: Psalm 103:13-17

As a father has compassion on his children,

so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;

for he knows how we are formed,

he remembers that we are dust.

The life of mortals is like grass,

they flourish like a flower of the field;

the wind blows over it and it is gone,

and  its place remembers it no more.

But from everlasting to everlasting

the Lord's love is with those who fear him,

and his righteousness with their children's children

 

Second Candle: Pain of Loss

 

We light a second candle mindful of the pain of loss: the loss of relationships,

the loss of jobs, or the loss of health. As we gather up the pain of the past,

we offer it to you, O God, asking that into our open hands you will place the

gift of peace.

Hold, help, heal us, O God.

 

All sing: O come, O Bright and Morning Star, and bring us comfort from afar!

Dispel the shadows of the night. And tum our darkness into light.

Rejoice! Rejoice! lmmanuel shall come to you, O lsrael.

 

(silence)

 

Word of Comfort: Psalm 139:11-12 (NLT)

I could ask the darkness to hide me

and the light around me to become night but

even in darkness I cannot hide from you.

To you the night shines as bright as day.

Darkness and light are the same to you.

 

Third Candle: Pain of Our Loss

 

We light a third candle to remember ourselves and the pain of our loss in this

Christmas season. We pause and remember the past weeks, months and,

for some of us, years of difficult times. We remember the poignancy of

memories, the grief, the sadness, the hurts, the fears.

We remember that the dawn overcomes the darkness.

AII sing: O come, O Key of David, come and open wide our heavenly home

Make safe for us the heavenward road and bar the way to death's abode.

Rejoice! Rejoice! lmmanuel shall come to you, O Israel.

 

(silence)

 

Word of Comfort: Psalm 34.19 (NLT)

The righteous person faces many troubles,

but the Lord comes to the rescue each time.

 

Fourth Candle: Remember others suffering with us

 

We light a fourth candle to remember all who have shared in our sorrow. We

thank you for their compassion, for their presence with us in times when our

hurt went deeper than words could express. We remember that you, Lord,

came to sympathize with our weakness and to carry our sorrows.

We thank you for those who held us and pointed to your light.

 

All sing: O come, O King of Nations, bind in one the hearts of all mankind.

Bid all our sad divisions cease and be yourself our King of Peace.

Rejoicel Rejoice! lmmanuel shall come to you, O lsrael.

 

(silence)

 

Word of Comfort: Matthew 5:4 and 7

Blessed are those who mourn, for the will be comforted.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

 

Prayer of Comfort

 

We Hear God's Word

Scripture: John 1:1-5

Message: Christmas in the Darkness and Storm

 

We Respond in Hope

 

Prayer of Hope

 

God of compassion, we come again to you as Christmas nears. We grieve over

what might have been. A death or loss or struggle tarnishes our experience of

this season. We feel cut off from joy, lost from what we once felt, wondering if

the light will indeed come. We find ourselves adrift, alone, lost. Lord, help us

find our way.

Loving God, hear our prayer,

and in your merciful love, answer.

The Advent season reminds us of what used to be but is no more. Memories of

what was, and the fear of what may be, keep us from the joy of today. All around

are the sounds of celebration, but joy eludes us. Be near us this night.

Loving God, hear our prayer,

and in your merciful love, answer.

In this season of Advent waiting, we bring you those sorrows and longings too

deep for words. Hear the groans of our heart and tend us with your comfort and

grace.

Loving God, hear our prayer,

and in your merciful love, answer.

In the silence, we bring you our own words of need, our own words of hope.

 

(silence)

 

ln this dark night, let our fears of the darkness of the world and of our own lives

rest in you. ln the quietness of this night, may your peace enfold us and all dear

to us, and all who have no peace. Keep us in the truth that the night is nearly

over; the day is almost here. We look expectantly to a new day, to new joys.

Loving God, hear our prayer,

and in your merciful love, answer.

 

Word of Hope: Psalm 33:22,lsaiah 40:31and Romans 15:13

May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you.

Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

Lighting of Candles and Song of Peace: Silent Night

While we sing Silent Night,

ail who wish are invited forward to prayerfully light a candle -

in memory, in honor, in gratitude, in hope, in love-

inviting the love of Christ to dispel our darkness.

 

Passing of the Peace

Benediction: 1 Peter 5:10-11

And the God of atl grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after

you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you

strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power forever and ever. Amen.

This is beautiful. Thank you for summoning the courage to post this.  May God continue to use your gifts in your church and to bless others!

We let people come in when they want. Generally people are in before the end of the first song.  In our old church, they used to turn off the lights in the foyer, but that really didn't work any better-- people just came in after they talked about why the lights were off....

We use EasyWorship (EW). It is simple to use, especially if you stay within the program. We often use powerpoint slides with it, because we find it easier to put litanies or responses in powerpoint, and we have had problems in the past with EW and Powerpoint working well together. But we have kept EW updated, and now everything seems to be working well.  It is very simple to add songs and scripture readings in EW.

We have just started offering a gluten-free option. In fact, one of our members needs gluten-free, soy-free, egg-free, so she suggested a Plentil chip. It doesn't look like bread, but gives those who are GF an option. We have had up to 5 people choose this option. And it makes it so that anyone can participate.

We also go forward to take communion, and have the GF station on one side. All of the congregation goes forward in the center aisle, and back to their seats in the side aisle. The server on the GF side holds 2 plates, one of bread and one of Plentils. We also put it in the instructions given verbally and also on the screen.

(Please walk forward to receive the Lord’s Supper using the center aisle and returning to your seat down the side aisle..  We will begin at the front.  The elder station on the drum side will have a gluten free option available.  If you are unable to walk to the table, please signal the server, the bread and cup will be served to you.)

So far this seems to work, but we have only tried it for a couple of months.

We had a dedication for our building renovations this past January. We used the following litany and prayer. The litany was adapted from one I found on-line, and the prayer was written by our pastor. Please feel free to use and adapt as needed.

Litany of Prayer and Dedication

 

O give thanks to the Lord for He is good!

 

His mercies endure forever!

 

We are grateful to have come to this day, a day to celebrate what YOU have done.

 

We thank you for the beauty of planning and design.

 

We give you praise and glory for guiding this project from start to finish; for so many evidences of your Hand.

 

Your people have served You as they have served others, Lord.

 

In your timing, Lord, you have provided for Grace Community Church’s ministry so we can minister more effectively.

 

You have provided future and hope! How can we keep from singing your praises?

 

We dedicate the prayer room, a place of quietness and serenity where all are welcome to pray.

 

Thank you, Lord for the prayer room and for all of the prayers offered within it.

 

We dedicate the handicapped accessible restrooms, which allow for increased participation in worship, fellowship and church activities among those who struggle with physical limitations.

 

Thank you, Lord, for reminding us of the welcoming nature of God’s Kingdom.

 

We dedicate REACH youth group room and storage areas, which allow us to create an environment of hospitality to all.

 

Thank you, Lord, for the REACH group, for their leaders and their energy and desire to serve you.

 

Lord, you are the giver of all good gifts and we pray that you would be glorified in all that is said and done through the people of Grace Community Church. As the psalmist said, “Not to us, not to us, O Lord, be the glory.”

 

Not to us but to You! Thank you Lord!

 

Living Lord, 

We have much to be thankful for.  There are people who have given freely and have spent hours in meetings to evaluate plans, to secure trades, to meet with public officials, to remove appliances, to nail studs, to sweat pipes, install conduit, attach drywall, lay tile, paint walls, pull wires, and mop floors in order to make this day real.  For the tens of people and the hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars that stand behind this project, Lord we give you thanks.

Holy Spirit, you gave us a dream born out of deep faith in you and a broad vision for advancing your kingdom here in this community.  Lord Jesus, this physical building we are beginning is the concrete block and plumbing that supports that vision in our hearts. We pray that this will be a place for the gathering of a community busy nurturing a Bible based vision of life is instilled in the hearts of people of this community for the years to come.        

Heavenly Father, we thank you for the safety you have given to all who worked here and thank you for the wisdom to those who lead this project.  We thank you for all who gave of their money and time.  We pray that this may be a Bethel kind of place, where wanderers meet God, where we witness to your truth and grace.   

Hear us now, we pray, in the name of Jesus,

We have incorporated communion into both Maundy Thursday/Good Friday (depending on the year we alternate) and Easter. The Maundy Thursday celebration is focused more on the last supper remembering, and the Easter celebration is just that--celebration. When we use it in the services a couple of days apart, we also vary how we partake. Often we use matzo instead of bread on Maundy Thursday. One of the services we will remain seated and pass the elements, the other we will walk forward to receive them. I don't think there is a wrong time to celebrate, just be mindful of the theme and mood of the service. 

Angela,
In our church, we recognize the day with prayers for mothers/fathers, and also for mother and father figures. We are also sensitive to those who cannot have children, so we pray for them as well. We generally give a small gift (bookmark, pen, keychain...) to ALL women or men on their respective days, recognizing that we have all promised at the time of baptism to nurture the children of our church.

"Holy Spirit" by Keith and Kristyn Getty (© 2006 Thankyou music/Adm. by worshiptogether.com songs) is one of my favorites. I found it for use at Pentecost a couple of years ago, and now use it throughout the year. We also sing "Holy Spirit, Reign Down" by Russell Fragar (© 1997 Russell Fragar/Hillsongs Publishing). This one has more of a gospel feel. Hope this helps!

Thanks JT and Stanley! CCLI has been very helpful--when I search for the song, I can click on it and it gives the themes that the song is associated with. This will help a lot.

Stanley--I'd love to have your Word doc. How do I give you my email without it going out to everyone on the network?