Imagine 6

Imagine that all
Will learn the love
That accepts people
Who are different
As human
And worthy
Of being loved.

Imagine 5

Imagine that wars
Will cease to be,
And all people
Around the world
Will learn to live
Together in peace.

Imagine 4

Imagine there is
Clothing enough
For all people,
And  no one
Need worry again
About covering
Their bodies.

Imagine 3

Imagine shelter
For all people,
Enough that
No one ever
Need be homeless.

Imagine 2

Imagine there is food
Enough for all
And no one
Ever goes hungry
Or thirrsty;
For all will have.
What they need.

Imagine 1

For the New Year
Let us imagine
That a better world
Is coming to us ;
A world
Where all people
Will learn peace.,

Two Birth Announcements

Two birth announcements:

From:  Mary and Joseph
Born: a son
Name: Jesus;  Hebrew: Yeshua
Place: Bethlehem, a stable
         Every place was taken.  At least it was private.
Date:  not known, no calendar
Weight: not sure, no scales available, but he
         appears to be normal.



From: Yahweh
Born: a Son
Name: Yeshua
Place: Bethlehem; a stable
Date: no calendar - does it matter?
Weight: normal
Note to all:  this is the One destined.
He will save all those who will believe and
follow, living the way He will teach.

More

More than the baby
Laid in the manger,
He grew up
And we cannot
Keep Him there.

More than the teacher
Or the healer
Of the sick,
He moved on,
And we cannot
Find Him there.

More than anything
We can think of ;
Lord and Savour
Of the world,
Loving all people,
Look and find Him
Everywhere.

Nativity

It was there in a stable
That Mary had a baby
And laid Him in a manger ;
And Joseph was there,  too.

Shepherds were told
About the birth
And came there to worship
But Joseph was there,  too.

Wise men came
To worship the new born child,
And brought rich gifts ;
Joseph was there,  too.

Christmas

Christmas ishere, have you prepared for the celebration?   Do you know  the joy of the day and why we celebrate this day?  Do you know that love took human form centuries ago to show us how to live in love with the world around us?  Christmas is here,  do any of us know how to celebrate and why the celebration?   Come,  let us sing our songs of joy  THIS day!

Love

Love,
Come down
In form of flesh,
As a man.
Love,
Given new meaning,
New spirit,
Because God
Cared for me.
Love,
In form
And substance
Of the babe
In Bethlehem.

Christmas Ours?

Is Christmas ours
All year long?
Do we let the spirit
Of Christmas
Be always ours?
Is the gift of love
Given at Christmas
Ours all year long?
And is the joy
Of Jesus ' birth ours
At all times?

Christmas 1997

Celebrate Christmas
And be joyful inin;
But don't forget
The baby that was born
So many years ago.

Give the gifts
To one another
But didn't forget
The  greatest gift
That was given  -  in love.

Gifts for the World (continued)

Freedom from War:

Freedom to live without the fear of bullets or bombs coming in and destroying all that has been built and destroying many lives.   Can we ever learn to live together in peace and love?

Freedom to live :

Freedom to live where we want and with whom we want and no one to tell us we are wrong.  How long will it take for us to learn how to live this way?

Freedom to be :

Freedom to be who we are without question or other people condemning us.   How long will it take for this to happen?

Freedom to love :

Freedom to love who we are truly attracted to without someone telling us how wrong we are to love that person.  Can we ever learn to let others love whoever is best for them?

Freedom to worship :

Freedom to worship in the way that is best for who they are.   No one has the right to tell anybody how they are to worship and pray.

Freedom

Freedom to be who they are.   And let nobody tell you that you can't be your authentic self because that is a lie! You and all people were created as you are right now.

Gifts for the World

As ws give each other gifts,  let us think about gifts we should give to th world :

Freedom from hunger
Freedom from being homeless
Freedom from fear
Freedom from hatred
Freedom from war
Freedom to live

More freedoms :

Freedom to be
Freedom to love
Freedom to worship
Freedom!

Freedom from hunger :
Can we learn to make sure everybody has enough to eat?   We have the ability to do this,  will weever do it?

Freedom from being homeless :

There are ways to make sure that all people have a safe and secure place to live.   Will we ever start to make sure that all have a dwelling of their own that they want and like?

Freedom from fear :

All people should be able to live without being afraid of being attacked just because they are "different" from others.

Freedom from hatred :

Freedom to see that all people are beloved children of  God.   Will we ever learn this truth? Wil we ever learn to treat each other in God's love?

Light 7

Come, know
That the light
Once became flesh
And dwelt among us
To show us all
How to live
Together
In God's love.

Light 6

And the light
Was bright
in the night sky
Showing Magi
Where the baby
Could be found.

Light 5

The light was bright
As angels sang
And told shepherds
About the birth
And where the baby
Would be found.

Light 4

The light shown out
Marking the place
Where the baby lay
Showing the people
Where to go
To find that special
Baby boy.

Light 3

It's a baby born
In a stable
Who brings light
Into the world.
And all people
Around the world
Will hear
Of that birth.

Light 2

And light has come
Into our world
To banish the dark
That surrounded us.
Sing and celebrate
The love shown
In that light.

Light 1

Come and see
The Word of God
Made flesh
And dwelling with us.
Know that here
You now see
God's love for all
In human form.

Mary

She could have said,
      But Lord, why me?
       There are so many
       That are richer
      And more powerful
      Than I,
      Why choose me?
Bht instead she accepted
And let it happen
As God would have it.

Christmas Questions

Christmas is coming soon, are you prepared?  Are you ready for the celebration?   It is the time we have chosen to celebrate the birth of Jesus,  are you  ready for the party,  a special party for He who came to set us free from hate and division and to show us what love really is and how to love others without conditions.   Are we all ready for the unexpected from God?   Who knows,  God might just turn up as a woman this time.   We must be prepared for the unexpected from God both in who is accepted and loved and who is not. 

So,  are we ready for the unexpected from God?   Will we be able to know God in human form this time?   How many will turn away if God appears to us in a way that doesn't meet our approval?   And will we be able to tell who the person really is?  Are we listening for the voice of God inside of each of us?  Will we be able to hear that voice if the person is not who we expect?  Christmas is coming, are we really prepared?

Come Christmas

Come Christmas!   Come here to us and live within us all!  Come Christmas and show us what you really are and teach us how to live in that love shown so many years ago! Come Christmas and help us all to see that all people are children of God and loved, for we do forget that when trouble comes. Come Christmas and show us what love really is!

Return?

Werho knows when
Christ will return
And in what form?
Baby or Man,
God incarnate,
Unexpectedly
He comes to us
To show us all
What love is.

The Magi

Who knows when
The Magj came
To find a newborn  king ?
They followed the star
To Bethlehem
And there found
The King of all.

The Star

Who knows when
A star brightened
The night sky?
It was there
To lead Magi
To [the place
Where Jesus was.

The Shepherds

Who knows when
The shepherds came
To see a new born child?
But to a stable
They went
To see the child
The angels told.

Angels

Who knows when
The angels' song
Came out of the sky?
But they were there
To tell the shepherds
About the birth
Of a special child.

Birth

Who knows when
The baby Jesus
Was born
Into our lives?
The only truth
Is that our lives
Were forever changed
By that one birth.

Hope

Hope     for Rev Micah(Gina) Hartung

Isaiah 40:31
Come to me in hope,
For in me
You will find strength.
I will always
Be near you,
And with me
You will never
Be weary.

Matt 11:28
Bring all your burdens
Here to me,
For in me is rest.
I am always near
And will help all
Who come to me
In faith and trust.

Matt 11:29-30
Hope in me,
For my burdens
Are much lighter.
With me your souls
Will find the rest
That they need,
For here you
Will find gentleness
And all the love
That you need.

John 14:27
Keep your hope in me,
For I will give you
Such complete peace
That can never
Be taken away from you.
I will always
Be near you
And my love
Always is yours.

Gen2:19. Is 1:6-9

God created
All that is ;
And there shall come
A time when all
Shall learn to live
Together in peace.

Come, see,
The wolf and lamb
Laying together
And the lion and calf
Laying together
Without hurt or harm.

God of all,
Help us to see
That you created
Everything that is
Forgive us
When we forget
That the wolf and coyote
Are as much a part
Of your creation
As the lamb and goat.
Show us the way
To that place
Where all your creatures
Will live together
In peace and harmony.

Come, know,.
God is  near us all
Forgiving us
And ready to lead us
To that place of peace.

All creatures
Of the air and sea
And of the land
Are creations of God,
Who loves them all.

And a small child
Shall lead them all
To that place
Of safety.
Go in peace
Remembering
God loves all creation!

I Wonder

I wonder if God cries
Over the way we treat
The world created for us
To use and enjoy?

I wonder if God cries
Over the way we treat
The folks around us
Oppressing and hurting each other?

I wonder if God cries
Over the hatred and wars
Seen upon this world
And the lack of love?

I wonder if God cries,
Are the raindrops tears?

Let Your Light Shine

Let Your Light Shine

Let your light shine,
Show the world
What God's love
Is all about.

Come all people
And seek
The Lord of light!

Loving God,
Forgive us
For not letting
Our light shine.
Forgive us
For the darkness
Along the road.
Forgive us
When strangers
Turn away
Because they
Cannot see
To find the way.
Help us to learn
How to let our light
Shine out brightly.

And God is here
With us,
Ready to show us all
How to light up
Our world.

Matt 5:13
Be the salt
To your part
Of the earth
And help the people
Find the peace
And love they need.

Matt 5:14-16
Set your light
To glowing bright
And set high
In a lighthouse
So that when
The storms of life
Come along,
Those along the way
Will know
The right way to go.

Come, light up
Your part of the world
So that all people
Will know how to find
The path of life.

This can be used as a service of worship.

Power

There is a lot of power in love, yet we don't know how to use it properly.   Just look around the world and you will see that people are  being  oppressed because they are too different from the others around.   And we have always feared the different ones among us.   We need to remember that All people are children of God, who loves them.   And in this season, learn to love as Jesus taught.

Waiting

Waiting, waiting
For God to come
To us all ;
When, oh when
Will the waiting end?

But look and see,
God is here, now.
Among us is dwelling
The spirit of God
Giving to all
Love and peace.