Father of Creation,
In our bleak mid-winter,
we are confronted again
With
Something startling
Something shocking
And something profoundly beautiful.
A Holy mystery
The story that the Mighty God
Has revealed himself
In the Babe born in Bethlehem.
To him be all praise and glory
Father of Creation,
We remember that holy night
When the eternal son of God
Took up fragile flesh,
In a lowly cattle shed
grows inside Marys womb,
journeys through the birth canal
and is born to a colonised and oppressed people group.
To him be all praise and glory.
In Jesus we see a new power, a new might at work in the world.
A power so powerful, yet so beautiful
A power so powerful, yet so loving
A power so powerful,
Yet
wrapped in swaddling clothes and extravagant mercy.
And now,
Right now,
As we stand within the unfolding of the climate apocalypse,
As we lament for what has already been lost,
As we grieve in anticipation for what is already locked in.
We look to you with advent hope.
O Come, O Come Emmanuel,
Comfort us with your presence.
O Come, O Come Emmanuel,
Bind up the Brokenhearted
O Come, O Come Emmanuel,
Restore unto us the joy of our salvation
And now,
Right now,
As we stand between the first and second coming of your son,
As we weep for a world in the grip of beastly powers,
As we hope against hope for the manifestation of your cosmic shalom
We look to you with advent expectation.
O come thou rod of Jesse, free
Your world from Satans Tyranny
O Come thou rod of Jesse, Come
And deliver us from climate breakdown hell
O Come thou rod of Jesse, Free
Your world from the tyranny,
From the beast of the unholy trinity
Deliver us O Lord from unrestrained capitalism,
Deliver us O Lord from consumerism
Deliver Us, O Lord from individualism.
Father of Creation,
God and Father of our Advent Hope.
We thank you that your son is A Mighty God
who binds up the wounds of the brokenhearted
We thank you that your Son is A Mighty God
who stoops and serves and washes feet,
We thank you that your son is A Mighty God
who Holds the hands of the leper,
Who takes up his cross,
And receives a crown of thorns
A Mighty God who enters the grave and in doing so
deals the death blow to death itself.
A Mighty God crucified and raised to life.
Ascended to glory.
The servant King, the butchered lamb,
the name above all names.
And His name will be called
Wonderful Counsellor,
Mighty God,
Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace.
And now,
Right now,
As we stand within the unfolding of the climate apocalypse
We look to Jesus,
We confess him as Lord,
Maranatha, Come, Lord Jesus,
Maranatha Come Lord Jesus
Maranatha, Come, Lord Jesus.
Amen
- Rev’d Jon Swales
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