Open the heavens and come down, O God of peace.

Bring Your peace so near we can feel it

like floating weightless,

effortlessly buoyed by still waters.

We have seen glimpses of Your peace

when we reach the point in our quarrels

where we can remember again that we’re on the same side.

When we can admit our faults and hug it out,

we know Your presence.

Teach us to be still before You and with You

in every situation—even the least serene.

We have heard Your promises:

That you offer respite from our burdens

and that Your peace prevails in chaos and uncertainty.

Every person will be valued as the work of Your hand.

Wars will cease.

Anxiety will no longer consume our thoughts and bodies.

Jesus, Prince of Peace, violence wastes our lands

and precious lives, and no end is in sight.

Give us peace with justice and imagination

for a world beyond tooth and nail and suppressed hostilities.

Anoint us with Your Spirit so we may be

makers of a peace on earth that begins with You, not us.

Re-create us as we rest in You

beneath starry skies.

We are God’s people.

We light this candle as a sign of God’s peace,

that bids us lay our grievances down

and quiet our sharp tongues and elbows

to trust a Savior so right and reliable

we have no need to jostle for power.

O come, Immanuel.

This year’s liturgies written with collaborative input from parishioners of Bethany Presbyterian, Seattle

Jesus, as we enter again
into the odd story of your unusual arrival,
we pray for your peace
that is sometimes loud and sometimes quiet
that quells conflict between people and nations
and calmly putters around fixing the unfixable

We find your peace
when we let others go ahead of us
and when we let our broken bits
of anger, anxiety, and frustration
flow through our fingers like sand
into your caring hands

We find your peace in creative mode
and in the nuzzles of the family dog,
in the lap of waves along the shore
and in the scents of vanilla and lilac,
a peace like a long drink of water
after a walk through the tall grass

Awaken us to our role
as astonished agents of your astonishing peace
in our homes, streets, and schools
at such unlikely times
as when we ourselves are in pain
or caring for another’s pain

We are God’s people.
We light this candle
as a sign of the peace of Christ
who comes to us as a deep breath of fresh air
and makes a home among us.
O come, Immanuel

Homespun

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Advent Peace: A Candle-lighting Liturgy