Odd Grace Community Worship Companion - Advent 2024
A service of the word and prayer
Worship Leader & Preacher: Sar7ah “7” O’Riordan
Worship Assistant: Jena Newland
This is the liturgy1 and notes for the Advent worship service. Community responses are labeled C: and in Bold italics, suggested actions are in italics.
Suggested Music: Song recommendations are based on theme, style, and theology and curated to lift up artists of color and those that are queer, trans, or LGBTQIA+ affirming. If you have songs you think work better, you’re probably right. Just let us know.
Prelude:
Brighter Days by Blessing Offor (hopeful)
Christmas Song by Dave Matthews Band (plaintive)
Gathering Song:
Make a Way, Porter’s Gate
Raise Up, Semler
Song of the Day: some version of the Magnificat
Canticle of the Turning (contemporary)
Canticle of the Turning (celtic)
Magnificat, Grayson Warren Brown (gospel choir)
Postlude:
Last Days, Flamy Grant (Country/CCM)
World Without End, Five Iron Frenzy (Ska-punk)
Let us know what worked and what didn’t oddgracecommunity@gmail.com. The first person to email me with a (non-theological) mistake, gets a reward in heaven. The first person to email me to argue does not.
Gathering
Prelude:
Brighter Days by Blessing Offor (hopeful)
Christmas Song by Dave Matthews Band (plaintive)
7: The Lord be with you
C: And also with you.
Land Acknowledgement: As we prepare for worship, I encourage you to reflect on the history of the land where you are. Jena and I are recording from the original and ancestral homeland of the Miami, Shawnee, and Kaskaskia people. We give thanks for their presence here since time immemorial and wish to honor all of our indigenous siblings that have cared for this land and continue to call it home.
Grounding practice: Box breathing into breathe prayers
Inhale 4 counts, hold 4 counts, exhale 4 counts, hold 4 counts
Inhale the peace that passes all understanding
Hold it in your heart
Exhale your worries, fears, and heartache
Leave it there
(Repeat)
Gathering Song:
Make a Way, Porter’s Gate
Raise Up, Semler
Prayer:
S7: The peace of God,
Which surpasses all understanding,
The love of Christ what guards our hearts,
And the joy and consolation of the Holy Spirit
be with you all.
C: And also with you.
Stir up our hearts, Lord God, to prepare a pathway for your Christ. By his coming speak peace to your people and set our hearts on fire with love for you, that your saving grace and splendid glory may dwell in all the earth; through Jesus Christ,
who was,
and is,
and is coming soon.
C: Amen
Word
Meditation:
To begin our time in the word, we’re going to do a contemplative practice. To start, focus on God’s love for you and delight in being with you. If that’s too hard, try imagining what it would be like to be loved by God so much that God was actually excited to spend time with you.
With that focus, listen as Jena reads the passage. Pay attention for a word or image or phrase that stands out to you.
(Sometimes people get anxious about doing this correctly. As long as you're trying, you’re doing it right. The only caution I give is that if what you notice seems very harsh, judgemental, or scary, that’s a hot tip that it’s not God. Feel free to ignore that. If you’re able to, reconnect with your breath and try again. If not, feel free to skip ahead.)
First Reading: Malachi 3:1-4
See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight—indeed, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?
For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap; he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.
Sit with that word, phrase, or image that came to mind. Try not to analyze it, but savor it, and imagine it sinking into the deepest part of you and resting there.
Be curious. What might God be telling you?
As you listen again, still focussing on God’s love, let your imagination engage the passage. What do you see? Or smell? Or Feel? How does your body feel? What sensations do you notice?
repeat Malachi 3:1-4
Take some time to reflect on what you noticed.
Talk to God about what came to mind, and how God might be inviting you to respond. Listen for the answer. You may find writing helpful.
When you’re ready to move on, thank God for this time together and ask for the Spirit to continue to show you God’s love and will for you today.
If you’re gathered with others to pray, this would be a good time to discuss your experience. If you’re comfortable sharing it on Substack, I’d love to know. If absolutely nothing happened and you found this practice to be weird and frustrating, that’s okay, too. Different practices work better for different people.
If you’re interested in learning more about this way of praying or would like to do more of it, Pray As You Go is an excellent resource, and their meditations are way better than mine.
Psalmody: Luke 1:46-55
Today’s Psalmody is the Magnificat by Marty Haugen from Holden Evening Prayer. This is Mary’s song found in Luke chapter 1.
(This is meant to be a responsive reading between two people or groups)
My soul proclaims your greatness, O God
And my spirit rejoices in you
You have looked with love on your servant here
And blessed me all my life through
Great and mighty are you, O Holy One
Strong is your kindness evermore
How you favor the meek and lowly one
Humbling the proud of heart
You have cast the mighty down from their thrones
And lifted up the humble in heart
You have filled the hungry with wondrous things
And left the wealthy no part
Great and mighty are you, O Faithful One
Strong is your justice, strong your love
As you promised to Sarah and Abraham
Kindness forevermore
My soul proclaims your greatness, O God
And my spirit rejoices in you
You have looked with love on your servant here
And blessed me all my life through
Gospel: Luke 3:1-6
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, 2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, 4 as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah,
“The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight.
Every valley shall be filled,
and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
and the crooked shall be made straight,
and the rough ways made smooth;
and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’ ”
7: The gospel of the Lord
C: Hallelujah
Sermon: A long time ago, in a Palestine far, far, away
(The GoT references were planned, the Star Wars references just happened. It must have been God’s will or something.)
Song of the Day: some version of the Magnificat
Canticle of the Turning (contemporary)
Canticle of the Turning (celtic)
Magnificat, Grayson Warren Brown (gospel choir)
Response
Prayers of Intercession
We invite you to join us for the prayers of intercession. Jena will begin a prayer and then pause for you to add your own. She will close each one with the words, “Lord, in your love” and the community will respond with “Receive our prayer”.
Okay, lets’s practice
Jena: Lord, in your love,
C: receive our prayer
As we prepare for Emmanuel, God-with-us, let us pray for all people and places that long for God’s presence.
A brief silence.
Refining God, move through your people. Root out practices that cause harm, and kindle a fire for sharing your good news… (brief silence)
Lord, in your love,
C: receive our prayer
Renewing God, transform your creation. Empower us to change systems that harm what you have made, and guide us in practices that preserve and restore creatures and habitats… (brief silence)
Lord, in your love,
C: receive our prayer
Reconciling God, teach the nations your ways. Strengthen organizations and communities that broker peace and care for refugees, immigrants, and all caught in the center of conflict, especially those in Palestine, Israel, Ukraine, the continent of Africa, and in the United States… (brief silence)
Lord, in your love,
C: receive our prayer
Rescuing God, restore your people who are in any need. Heal all who are suffering especially Miguel, Lisa, Tim, Valerie, and Kelly, those struggling with mental health or addiction, treatment providers, and those that love them. Provide comfort and strength, and nurture sustained wholeness for the future… (brief silence)
Lord, in your love,
C: receive our prayer
Reforming God, fill this community with your presence. Enrich our seasonal preparations, and bless our efforts to share your good news of hope and healing… (brief silence)
Lord, in your love,
C: receive our prayer
For what else do we pray?... (brief silence)
Lord, in your love,
C: receive our prayer
Reassuring God, we remember those who have died and rest in you… Jess, Dan, Payton, and Michael. Guide us in deep gratitude for their life, and allow us to learn from their faithful witness… (brief silence)
Lord, in your love,
C: receive our prayer
7: Blessed are you, Creator of the Universe – may the light of Christ make our darkness bright, for your Word and your presence are the light of our pathways, just as you are the light and life of all creation2. Be with us now, and receive these prayers and the pleas of our hearts, in the name of Jesus Christ.
C: Amen
Is that Odd or is that God?
Jena’s testimony
Offering
Part of our response to God’s goodness is in the sharing of abundance.
Jena named Lifeline of Ohio as the organization she’d like people to donate to. Please give generously, and if you’re not able to contribute financially, please keep them and all in need of organ transplants in your prayers.
If you’d like to support Odd Grace Community, you can give at OldTrinity.com and select Odd Grace Community from the dropdown.
As we close our time of gratitude through generosity, please join me in the prayer that Jesus taught us:
Holy One, our only home
Blessed be your name
May your day dawn
Your will be done
Here, as in heaven
Feed us today
And forgive us
As we forgive each other
Be with us in times of trial
And rescue us from evil
For the glory
The power
And the mercy are yours
Now and forever
Amen
Sending
Announcements
Blue Christmas Service Dec. 20 – we’ll be doing a naloxone blessing and remembering loved ones we lost to overdose. LOTS of service positions available – techy people and those interested serving as worship assistant, email oddgracecommunity@gmail.com
Grounding practice
Box breathing into breathe prayers
Inhale 4 counts, hold 4 counts, exhale 4 counts, hold 4 counts
Breathe in the hope of Christ’s coming
Hold it in your heart
Breathe out God’s love for the hurting
Leave it with them
(Repeat)
Blessing
God of endings and beginnings,
God in the darkness and the light,
God, our hope for the journey,
☩ bless and keep you now and forever.
Amen.
Dismissal
Go in peace. Prepare the way for Emmanuel.
C: Thanks be to God
Odd Grace Community is a ministry of Trinity Lutheran Church, which is a Reconciling in Christ Congregation in downtown Columbus, OH. You can learn more about Old Trinity at OldTrinity.com.
All liturgy adapted from Sundays and Seasons except where otherwise noted — we’re covered under Old Trinity’s license.
This is also adapted from Holden Evening Prayer by Marty Haugen
Hey Cyril and Methodious. Thanks for the suggestion