These liturgies for lighting the Advent candles were designed to accompany the series “A Walk in the Dark.” The numbered pieces of the liturgy may be split as desired among readers.
Each week begins with the first verse and chorus of Bernadette Ferrel’s hymn Christ, Be Our Light, which can be found in the PC(USA) Glory to God Hymnal as #314. I chose to have a soloist sing the verse and the congregation join in on the refrain, but you could have a soloist, choir, or congregation sing it as a whole. I also adapted the first verse to reflect the traditional themes of hope, peace, joy, and love, but you could retain the original lyrics for the whole season.
Week One: Hope
Longing for light, we wait in darkness.
Longing for hope, we turn to you.
Make us your own, your holy people,
light for the world to see.
Christ, be our light!
Shine in our hearts.
Shine through the darkness.
Christ, be our light!
Shine in your church gathered today.
A. These are the shortest days of the year.
The shadows lengthen and darkness veils the earth.
It would be easy to grow weary and disoriented.
But in the dark, even the smallest lights bring comfort and beauty.
B. Each of these Advent candles reminds us that we are not alone.
The first gift to accompany us is hope. (light the first candle)
C. Listen now to the first words of the Gospel of John:
In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
All things came into being through him,
and without him not one thing came into being.
What has come into being in him was life,
and the life was the light of all people.
The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness did not overcome it.
D. This is the substance of our hope:
that the darkness, though real and wild and dangerous,
does not and never will overcome the Christ’s light.
We are not the first people to grapple with cynicism and despair;
we are not the first to worry that somehow, this time, the evil is too great,
and the darkness will quench the light at last.
But the light still shines.
And so God pours hope into our hearts,
giving us strength to keep our eyes lifted to the light,
until even the darkness glows with its beauty.
E. Let us pray together, using the words printed in your bulletin:
Every day, O Lord, you set the sun to warm us,
and every night, you send the dark to give us rest.
You are present in the daylight and the darkness,
the dimming and the dawning.
Ground our hope in nothing but your constant presence,
and teach us to live our days with you.
In the name of Christ, our Morning Star, we pray. Amen.
Week Two: Peace
Longing for light, we wait in darkness.
Longing for peace, we turn to you.
Make us your own, your holy people,
light for the world to see.
Christ, be our light!
Shine in our hearts.
Shine through the darkness.
Christ, be our light!
Shine in your church gathered today.
A. These are the shortest days of the year.
The shadows lengthen and darkness veils the earth.
It would be easy to grow weary and disoriented.
But in the dark, even the smallest lights bring comfort and beauty.
B. Each of these Advent candles reminds us that we are not alone.
The first gift to accompany us is hope. (light the first candle)
The second gift to accompany us is peace. (light the second candle)
C. Listen now to the poetry of Psalm 36, verses five through ten.
Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the skies.
Your righteousness is like the highest mountains,
your justice like the great deep.
You, Lord, preserve both people and animals.
How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!
People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They feast on the abundance of your house;
you give them drink from your river of delights.
For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light we see light.
Continue your love to those who know you,
your righteousness to the upright in heart.
D. This is the substance of our peace:
that we live under the shadow of God’s wings,
where we can find rest and quiet, protection and love.
We are not the first people living through a long, exhausting day of toil, pain, and wrong;
but the shadows always fall, and the peace of a restful world will be restored.
For now, even when the world seems set ablaze by violence and wrongdoing,
we take refuge in God’s promises of abundance and unfailing love,
and we pray for a time when all people gather in safety and delight.
E. Let us pray together, using the words printed in your bulletin:
Every day, O Lord, you set the sun to warm us,
and every night, you send the dark to give us rest.
You are present in the daylight and the darkness,
the dimming and the dawning.
Ground our peace in nothing but your constant presence,
and teach us to live our days with you.
In the name of Christ, our Morning Star, we pray. Amen.
Week Three: Joy
Longing for light, we wait in darkness.
Longing for joy, we turn to you.
Make us your own, your holy people,
light for the world to see.
Christ, be our light!
Shine in our hearts.
Shine through the darkness.
Christ, be our light!
Shine in your church gathered today.
A. These are the shortest days of the year.
The shadows lengthen and darkness veils the earth.
It would be easy to grow weary and disoriented.
But in the dark, even the smallest lights bring comfort and beauty.
B. Each of these Advent candles reminds us that we are not alone.
The first gift to accompany us is hope. (light the first candle)
The second gift to accompany us is peace. (light the second candle)
The third gift to accompany us is joy. (light the third, pink candle)
C. Listen now to the poetry of Psalm 63, verses one through eight.
You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land where there is no water.
I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory.
Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.
I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.
I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.
On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night.
Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.
I cling to you; your right hand upholds me.
D. This is the substance of our joy:
that even in the darkest midnight,
we have reasons to sing.
We rejoice in God who made the world and called it good;
we rejoice in Christ who looked at us with a tender heart;
we rejoice in the Spirit who is, even at this very moment,
still at work mending broken hearts and turning mourning into dancing.
We are not the first people kept awake by night terrors,
nor to feel parched for goodness we cannot see;
but when we allow ourselves to feast on the joy of God,
we find strength for each new day.
E. Let us pray together, using the words printed in your bulletin:
Every day, O Lord, you set the sun to warm us,
and every night, you send the dark to give us rest.
You are present in the daylight and the darkness,
the dimming and the dawning.
Ground our joy in nothing but your constant presence,
and teach us to live our days with you.
In the name of Christ, our Morning Star, we pray. Amen.
Week Four: Love
Longing for light, we wait in darkness.
Longing for hope, we turn to you.
Make us your own, your holy people,
light for the world to see.
Christ, be our light!
Shine in our hearts.
Shine through the darkness.
Christ, be our light!
Shine in your church gathered today.
A. These are the shortest days of the year.
The shadows lengthen and darkness veils the earth.
It would be easy to grow weary and disoriented.
But in the dark, even the smallest lights bring comfort and beauty.
B. Each of these Advent candles reminds us that we are not alone.
The first gift to accompany us is hope. (light the first candle)
The second gift to accompany us is peace. (light the second candle)
The third gift to accompany us is joy. (light the third, pink candle)
The fourth gift to accompany us is love. (light the fourth candle)
C. Listen now to the Apostle Paul, who wrote so movingly about love in 1 Corinthians 13.
Love never ends.
But as for prophecies, they will come to an end;
as for tongues, they will cease;
as for knowledge, it will come to an end.
For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part;
but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end.
When I was a child, I spoke like a child,
I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child;
when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways.
For now we see in a mirror, dimly,
but then we will see face to face.
Now I know only in part; then I will know fully,
even as I have been fully known.
And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three;
and the greatest of these is love
D. This is the substance of love:
that we have been loved from the first;
that we are formed in love, grounded in love,
guided in love, and saved in love.
Love is the beginning and the end of our story in God.
We may look around and see a world sadly bereft of love;
hear voices spewing hate, cruelty, and derision;
but we who know God’s love turn our love outward,
trusting that even when we cannot see the whole path,
love will lead us in the right direction.
E. Let us pray together, using the words printed in your bulletin:
Every day, O Lord, you set the sun to warm us,
and every night, you send the dark to give us rest.
You are present in the daylight and the darkness,
the dimming and the dawning.
Ground our love in nothing but your constant presence,
and teach us to live our days with you.
In the name of Christ, our Morning Star, we pray. Amen.
Christmas Eve: Light
Longing for light, we wait in darkness.
Longing for truth, we turn to you.
Make us your own, your holy people,
light for the world to see.
Christ, be our light!
Shine in our hearts.
Shine through the darkness.
Christ, be our light!
Shine in your church gathered today.
A. These are the shortest days of the year.
The shadows lengthen and darkness veils the earth.
It would be easy to grow weary and disoriented.
But in the dark, even the smallest lights bring comfort and beauty.
B. Each of these Advent candles reminds us that we are not alone.
The first gift to accompany us is hope. (light the first candle)
The second gift to accompany us is peace. (light the second candle)
The third gift to accompany us is joy. (light the third, pink candle)
The fourth gift to accompany us is love. (light the fourth candle)
The final gift to accompany us is Christ himself. (light the white candle)
C. Listen now to the ancient prophecy from Isaiah 9.
“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness—on them light has shined.
For a child has been born for us, a son given to us;
authority rests upon his shoulders;
and he is named Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
His authority shall grow continually,
and there shall be endless peace
for the throne of David and his kingdom.
He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness
from this time onwards and for evermore.”
D. This is the substance of our faith:
that God was not content to love us from afar.
Instead, we have a God who got up close with humanity;
who took on our flesh; who saved us from our sins;
who knows our pain and shares our joys.
The Wonderful Counsellor and Mighty God
became the infant in the manger,
that we might know God is truly among us,
every day of our lives.
Rejoice this Christmas: you are not alone.
E. Let us pray together, using the words printed in your bulletin:
Every day, O Lord, you set the sun to warm us,
and every night, you send the dark to give us rest.
You are present in the daylight and the darkness,
the dimming and the dawning.
Ground our faith in nothing but your constant presence,
and teach us to live our days with you.
In the name of Christ, our Morning Star, we pray. Amen.
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