Wild Goose Big Book of Liturgies

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• Publisher: Wild Goose Publications
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN:
  9781849525411
• eBook ISBN:
  9781849525541
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Rituals & Practice

God’s family first

All-age worship for the first Sunday of Advent

Nancy Cocks

Include children and young people, using several voices alongside the Leader’s.

Talking about Advent:

Worship leader (conversationally):

December is a month of candles.

When do we often have candles? …

– birthdays

– when the power goes out and we’re left in the dark

– dinner parties …

Birthday candles: one more each year, so our cake gets brighter every year. December is a month for candles in church – we light one candle this week, next week we’ll light two, and so on. So just like a birthday cake gets brighter when more candles are burning, our Advent wreath will get brighter and brighter this month just as the December days get darker because the sun shines for the fewest hours.

We’re also celebrating something important – an important birthday …

We’re getting ready to celebrate Jesus’ birthday.

And for people who follow Jesus, he is ‘the Light of the world’ – the one who shines the light of God’s love into our darkest times: to warm our hearts like a candle flame and help us find our way, like a candle helps us when the electricity goes out.

So this is our month for candles – to feel the light of God’s love growing brighter.

And this is our month to shine like a candle – to let God’s love shine for others through our lives.

So I’ve got a candle for each of you to let your little light shine.

Give a small battery-operated candle to each child …

We light the candles of Advent – the candle of hope:

Here you could use a candle-lighting liturgy from your Church, or one of the candle-lighting liturgies in Candles and Conifers, Ruth Burgess, Wild Goose Publications.

Song: ‘O come, O come Emmanuel (verses 1, 6, 7)

Bible reading: We hear a word from Isaiah (Isaiah 9)

Voice one:	The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.
Voice two:	Those who lived in a land of deep darkness – on them light has shined.
Voice one:	For a child has been born for us, a son given to us.
Voice two:	Authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Voice one:	His rule shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for his kingdom.

We say sorry to God:

Dear God, our love for you is like a candle flame. When things are calm, our love shines brightly. But when we get worried, our love flickers. When things go wrong, it feels like we’re walking in deep darkness. God, forgive us when our love for you dies away like a candle that’s burned down. Fill us with your love so that our love burns more brightly in Jesus’ name. Amen

We hear a word from Jesus:

Remember, Jesus said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.’ When we say sorry to God from the bottom of our hearts, Jesus will light up our lives with his love. So we can sing:

Song: ’This little light of mine’ (in various songbooks), sung three times

The Advent adventures of Fergie the frog:

The beginning of the adventure:

Narrator:	One Saturday morning Fergie the Frog and his best friend Roger decided to go exploring. They each packed a lunch of fly-loaf sandwiches and Swamp Soda. ‘Be home in time for supper,’ called Mother Frog.
Fergie:	Sure thing, Mum. We’re just going to explore the stream.
Roger:	Come on, Fergie. Let’s get going.
Narrator:	Fergie and Roger set off through the trees towards the stream. They left their packs on a sunny log and played leapfrog on ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• A wee word for Advent
• God’s family first: All-age worship for the first Sunday of Advent
• What are you waiting for?: A service for Advent
• Waiting in darkness: An Advent liturgy
• Bread of life: An all-age Communion for Lent
• A liturgy for the Feast of the Transfiguration: Hiroshima Day, 6th August
• A lament for Jesus & for the crucified of our time: A liturgy for the evening of Good Friday
• A Good Friday liturgy of Bible readings and prayers (John 17–19)
• What does it mean to be obedient to God?: Worship and drama for Good Friday
• Living Easter: An all-age Communion for Easter
• That all may dance: A simple liturgy for Pentecost to Trinity Sunday
• Bell, book and candle: A liturgy for St Columba’s Day
• Beyond the baggage of fatherhood: A liturgy for Father’s Day
• In the beginning: A liturgy for Harvest Festival
• Saints alive!: An all-age service for All Saints’
• The saints of God are down our street: A liturgy for All Saints’
• A short liturgy of hospitality
• A world full of shelter: A short act of worship
• Swords into ploughshares: A short liturgy
• Now come two hearts: A blessing liturgy for a marriage or partnership
• The blessed path: A wedding/partnership ceremony
• An invocation and celebration of love
• Friends of the Lord: An all-age service about friendship
• Companions on the journey: A blessing of pets and animals who are a part of our lives
• Hunger for justice: ‘What’s for dinner, mum?’
• What is valuable and true: A liturgy for economic witness
• God of the tipping point: A service of sorrowing, defiance and commitment
• A framework for a memorial event
• A liturgy for setting out on a pilgrimage and a prayer for the journey
• About the authors