Advent 1: 1 December 2024
Hush the Noise
Opening liturgy
Advent dawns with lights strung high and music everywhere,
Sights and smells abound around,
Senses assaulted and confused,
O hush the noise,
Let’s hear the angels sing.
Amid the lists and cards and gifts,
Amid the pleas and “please can we”,
Amid the chaos of the world,
O hush the noise,
Let’s hear the angels sing.
Let’s seek to see and seek to hear.
Let’s seek to feel and seek to know.
Let’s seek to find peace and love.
O hush the noise,
Let’s hear the angels sing.
Advent 2: 8 December 2024
To Prophets Shown
Opening liturgy
Preparations underway, shifting focus each new day,
Amidst the darkness looking for the light,
For the truth among the mess.
O hush the noise,
Let’s hear the angels sing.
Looking for the messengers who bring the light,
Isaiah – prophet and ancient poet
And John who came to point the way.
O hush the noise,
Let’s hear the angels sing.
Angels, messengers of today,
Truth tellers for this present age,
Those who now show us the way.
O hush the noise,
Let’s hear the angels sing.
Advent 3: 15 December 2024
Babel Sounds
Opening liturgy
Presents get wrapped with tape and glue,
Tidy parcels neatly wrapped,
Names on labels with “love from”,
O hush the noise,
Let’s hear the angels sing.
We’ve sorted gifts and who needs what,
What will they like, what will be good?
But are there more we need to include?
O hush the noise,
Let’s hear the angels sing.
What of those alone, adrift, forgotten and neglected?
What of those whose life’s been hard?
What gift of help needs wrapping too?
O hush the noise,
Let’s hear the angels sing.
Advent 4: 22 December 2024
The Love Song
Opening liturgy
Preparations almost complete, the time is nearly here.
Promises and praises echo all around,
Silencing the noises of injustice.
O hush the noise,
Let’s hear the angels sing.
The promise of God for the servant lowly,
God who comes to the help of all,
Whose ancient promise still stands today.
O hush the noise,
Let’s hear the angels sing.
And we watch and we seek,
And we learn, we pray and we praise,
And we wait and we wait.
O hush the noise,
Let’s hear the angels sing.
Christmas Day: 25 December 2024
Hear the Angels Sing
Opening liturgy
Light in our darkness, joy in our sorrow,
Our Saviour is born, the Prince of Peace,
The King of all, Emmanuel, God with us.
Let’s share the song,
With angels let us sing.
Glory to God, revealed among us,
Given for us, offered for us,
Living within, one with us.
Let’s share the song,
With angels let us sing.
The day is here, the time is now.
Promised long ago and promised still.
Within the laughter and the chat,
Let’s share the song,
With angels let us sing.
Christmas 1: 29 December 2024
Hush the Hushing
Opening liturgy
Old and young, rich and poor, hale and frail,
Near and far, remembered and forgotten,
Neighbours, family, friends and strangers,
Let’s share the song,
With angels let us sing.
Let’s listen to each other’s singing of that song,
The old familiar words that take us back,
The ‘new take’ that gives fresh light,
Let’s share the song,
With angels let us sing.
Together, you and me and they and them,
And he and she, from here and there,
And everywhere and always,
Let’s share the song,
With angels let us sing.
Christmas 2: 5 January 2025
Jesus, The Love Song
Opening liturgy
The year is new, the day is new,
The light is newly shining,
The song is newly sung.
Let’s share the song,
With angels let us sing.
We cannot touch with harps of gold,
But touch and speak and pray we can,
With smiles and words and deeds.
Let’s share the song,
With angels let us sing.
So hush the turmoil with words of hope,
And hush the pain with needed care,
And hush two thousand years of wrong,
Let’s share the song,
With angels let us sing.
Let’s share the song,
With angels let us sing.
Blue Christmas
Opening liturgy
Loving God,
Whose song of love is being sung always,
Offering unconditional love and grace to all you have made.
Thank you for your love.
Living Lord Jesus,
Who came to share our humanity, our fragility, and our pain.
Thank you that you do not leave us alone.
Holy Spirit,
Who came upon the Virgin Mary,
Bringing the eternal Son into the world through a human body.
Thank you for bringing God’s love to us.
Eternal God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
An everlasting communion of love,
Whose song of love the angels sing,
We confess that so often our ears are closed to you.
There is so much that drowns out your song of love.
We hurt ourselves and others, and others hurt us.
And sometimes we are simply sick and sad
And our pain makes it hard to pay attention.
Please forgive us for the things we can control
And help us with the things we can’t.
Break through the Babel sounds of our world
And help us hear the song of the angels
And send back their song to you.
We pray in the name of Jesus,
Whose birth we are here to remember.
Amen.