Plain Print: Leader
Bold Print: Congregation
The true light, which enlightens everyone,
was coming into the world.
By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn
from on high will break upon us.
God will give light to those who sit in darkness
and in the shadow of death.
He will guide our feet into the way of peace.
There's an old saying, "Strong fences
make strong neighbors." And that's the
way we live our lives. We think that we will
live in peace if we can keep others out of
our lives, whether it's a physical fence
to show what belongs to us, or a fence of
power to ward off those who would attack
us, or an emotional fence to keep people
at arms length so they can't hurt us. We
also try to build fences between ourselves
and God, pushing God to a corner in our lives,
avoiding him, even claiming not to believe
in him, hoping we can keep God from making
too much of a claim on our lives, or worse
yet, noticing our sins and judging us for
them.
But true peace does not come through fences.
It comes through relationships built on love,
starting with God. Because we see ourselves
as God's enemies, God took the first step
in tearing down our fences, by sending us
his Son to show us how much he loved us,
and to offer us forgiveness and new life
through his death and resurrection. Jesus
is the light of God that guides us on the
path to peace with God. And when we are at
peace with God, we can start making peace
with our neighbors.
(Light the first and second purple candles,
the pink candle, and the last purple candle)
This morning we light all four Advent candles.
The first is the candle of Love. The Second
is the candle of Hope. The Third is the candle
of Joy. The fourth is the candle of Peace.
We light this candle because Jesus makes
peace between God and us so that we may live
in the light of God's presence.
Heavenly Father, we enter your presence this morning, not because we have done anything worthy of your acceptance, but because you have made us acceptable through the gift of your Son. May Christ's light shine once again in our lives, showing us the path of peace between God and all people. Give us the courage to walk that path every day. AMEN.