L: Before the earth was formed,
God chose us in love to be God's people;
P: the music we make together
sings of our joy as God's beloved.
L: In Jesus Christ, the Son of God,
we hear, and see, the Word of truth;
P: the music we make together
vocalizes that truth is stronger than lies.
L: In Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of the world,
we hear, and see, the gospel of salvation;
P: the music we make together
harmonizes that life is stronger than death.
L: In Jesus Christ, our Lord and our Brother,
we receive the inheritance of God's grace;
the music we make together
carols that love is stronger than hate.
Great Maker of Music:
in the choruses of the turtledove and cardinal,
we are awakened by the oratorio
of your creation;
in the songs of the whales,
the melodies of your grace
resound as deep calls to deep;
in the evensong of the frogs, the whispering
wind, and the soft rain,
we are lullabied into the comfort
of your shalom.
May we make music together, as we join the
Master Singer, Jesus Christ, who taught us to
join our hearts and voices as we say,
Our Father,.....
There are those tunes that run through our heads late at night, and won't let us sleep. Perhaps it is God singing to us - of the hope, the mercy, the joy that is ours, if we will but turn and be forgiven, and be embraced in the healing music of God's love. Join me as we pray together, saying,
As we sing our praises to you, Great Musician, we confess how harsh and out-of-tune our voices must sound to you. The broken chords of our anger and pain resound deep within us, deafening us to the healing hymns of your grace. The trumpet sounds of our pride in achievements drown out the chants of the One calling us to humility and service. The discordant refrains of our pettiness and jealousies keep us from listening to your lyrics about justice and peace.
Forgive us, Composer and Conductor of all that is and will be. Open our ears to the great symphony that sounds throughout your creation, as heaven rejoices that hope, reconciliation, and new life have come in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
L: God is in the music of the universe and in our souls,
calling us to holy and blameless lives, filling us with
every spiritual blessing.
P: We sing our Hallelujahs to God, who has called
is. who has claimed us, who has redeemed us.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
Followed by the singing of "Halle, Halle, Halle"
(Comments to Thom at tmshuman@fuse.net.)
Greenhills Community Presbyterian Church, Cincinnati, Ohio