Christmas Eve, Call to Worship

P1: God of grace, by your tender mercy

the dawn from on high breaks upon us.

P2: Your son, giving light to all sitting in darkness

and in the shadow of death!

P1: Your child, guiding our feet into the way of peace!

P2: Your son Jesus, a baby, Christ the Lord!

P1: Together, in our minds’ eye, we picture

that first night in Bethlehem.

P2: The lamplight, the small cries, the baby cradled by its parents,

outside the high dark night.

P1: May the voice of angels so fill our hearts this evening

that we go from here, singing their song of praise to you.

P2: Let us all together say:

C: Gloria in the highest heaven and peace on earth! Amen.

Creed by Lisa Frenz

We believe in God the Creator, who created and is creating everything: the universe, the world, the plants and animals, and us; each of us, unique, individual and beloved of God.
We believe in God the Christ, who saved and is saving everything: the universe, the world, the plants and animals, and us: each of us; unique, individual and beloved of the Christ.
We believe in God the Holy Spirit, who guided and is guiding everything: the universe, the world, the plants and animals, and us; each of us, unique, individual and beloved of the Spirit.
We believe that this one God in three persons, is present among us, working directly in our lives and the lives of all who are born into this world, striving to bring us back into harmony with all creation and with God: forgiving, healing, touching everyone, never rejecting any who willingly receive this freely offered gift of love and grace and eternal life. Amen.

Source and Background:

This creed is one of many written by Lisa Frenz. Lisa is a musician with a BA in Voice Performance from the Conservatory of Music, University of the Pacific, Stockton, California. According to her bio, “she never thought to end up as choir director/music director at a church, but she did that for over 30 years.”
Starting in the 1980’s, she also wrote prayers, litanies and other liturgical pieces. Many of these worship resources were written for a small Lutheran church in Portland, Oregon, combining elements of traditional Lutheran liturgy with new wording, rituals, etc. to meet the needs of a modern worshiping congregation. This is also one of my favorite creeds. You may visit her website at https://sites.google.com/site/lisasliturgies