Looking Into the Lectionary — Worship resources for 12/26

December 26, 2021 1st Sunday after Christmas Colossians 3:12-17 COMMENTARY This will be the first Christmas in 23 years that I won’t lead worship. I always worked extra hard for Christmas. I wanted to make the sermon memorable, make it a moment in worship that would appropriately and magnificently celebrate the good news of Christ’s birth. One year, at the church I served in North Carolina, I wove Longfellow’s poem “I heard the bells on Christmas Day” throughout my sermon and set up an elder in the church’s narthex to pull the rope on our old, hand-rung church bell as I escalated to my conclusion: “A voice, a chime, a chant sublime / Of peace on earth, good will to men.” Another year, at the college I served as chaplain, I designed the sermon to conclude in complete darkness, except for a small, bright star that appeared on the wall behind the pulpit. I was especially proud, though, of my last Christmas sermon, when I memorized Osip Mandelstom’s poem “And I Was Alive” and left the pulpit to recite it. I’m not gonna lie. Pulling that poem off was a rush. This year, I will sit in a pew. As I have attended my local Presbyterian congregation throughout Advent, my new vantage point on worship has been an odd and wondrous experience. I have felt a mix of emotions. First, compassion and appreciation for those leading me in worship … especially on Christmas. I understand the pressure to make Christmas Eve special – the pressure to perform for a larger than usual crowd – the pressure to convince those who only show up on Christmas and Easter that church is worth attending more than twice a year. ... You can find the rest of the commentary on our website. An order of worship for December 26, 2021. This liturgy is free to use. The Uniform Lesson for December 26, 2021, by Richard Boyce. The Twelve Days of Christmas — Weekly Christian ed lesson by Joelle Brummit-Yale 1st Sunday after Christmas — Family faith formation for Dec. 26, 2021 by Rebecca Davis IN CASE YOU MISSED IT... Christmas Eve — Family faith formation for Dec. 24, 2021 A family faith formation lesson for Christmas Eve by Rebecca Davis. Preliminary list of committees and schedule released for 2022 General Assembly The Office of the General Assembly has presented a preliminary list – subject to revision – of the committees of the 2022 General Assembly, as well as a schedule of which committees are likely to meet when. — Leslie Scanlon The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story "Collectively, “The 1619 Project” is a sweeping drama about the centrality of slavery in the American narrative, describing its impact on Africans brought to American shores, and its reverberating consequences." — Sterling Morse Divided We Fall: America’s Secession Threat and How to Restore our Nation Roy Howard reviews David French's most recent book. Nativity play: A poem A poem from J. Barrie Shepherd's latest collection "A Way with Words." Listening for God's call How can you discern if God is calling you? — Dave Coles

Copyright © 2021 Presbyterian Outlook, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: 1 N. 5th St., Suite 500 Richmond, VA 23219