Bible Meditations and Worship Resources for Advent - International

84 Pages·2008·1.51 MB·English

IMAGINE:
PEACE
Bible Meditations and Worship Resources for Advent

IMAGINE:
PEACE
Bible Meditations and Worship Resources for Advent
October 2008
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial Share
Alike (by-nc-sa) Licence.

To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/about/license
All biblical quotations are taken from New Revised Standard Version Bible © 1989, by the
Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United
States of America. All rights reserved.
Produced by the World Council of Churches in partnership with Feautor and Red Crearte
Cover, layout and photos © by Barbara Robra
Translation: WCC Language Service
ISBN 978-2-8254-1488-0
World Council of Churches
P.O. Box 2100, 150 route de Ferney
1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland

Printed in France by Nouvelle Gonnet
INDEX

Foreword 4
How to use this booklet 6
Meditations
Ï Being with God (Isaiah 9:1-6) 8
Mother Joanna Burton
Ï The knowledge of God (Isaiah 11:6-9) 12
Margaretha M. Hendriks-Ririmasse
Ï The new household of God’s people (Matthew 5:43-48) 16
Gerald West
Ï The meaning of peace – A reflection from Palestine and Israel (John 14:25-31) 19
SABEEL
Ï When the divine fragrance is everywhere (Ephesians 2:14-22) 22
Elsa Tamez
Ï The new Jerusalem (Revelation 21:10-27) 27
Graciela Chamorro
First Sunday in Advent: Visualizing Peace 30
Ï Songs 35
Second Sunday in Advent: Glory to God and peace on earth 40
Ï Songs 44

Third Sunday in Advent: Giving birth to peace 50
Ï Songs 55
Fourth Sunday in Advent: Living together in peace 60
Ï Songs 66
Index of songs in alphabetical order 72
The Decade to Overcome Violence 74
Glory to God and peace on earth – IEPC 76
Helpful websites 77
Acknowledgements 79
ForEworD
Peace is at the heart of Jesus Christ’s message and also at the heart of every church
service. Christians throughout the world confess a God of peace every time they
worship. The congregation is greeted by “Peace be with you”, intercessions may begin
“In peace let us pray to the Lord”, a sign of peace is shared at the celebration of the
eucharist, and at the end of the service we often hear “Go in peace”.
The authors of this booklet wanted to make this peace more visible, touchable
and perceptible. “Imagine: Peace“ offers Advent meditations and worship outlines
to celebrate and reflect upon the annunciation and expectation of the coming of
the promised Prince of Peace. Advent is a time when the Church on the one hand
confesses its own entanglement in the world’s strife, and on the other expresses
its hope that God’s peace reaches farther than we imagine, as “The peace of God
surpasses our understanding”: a powerful message of consolation in the midst of the
illusory and unholy talk of peace in the world around us.
The booklet begins with personal experiences and approaches to the chosen Bible
texts from biblical interpreters in Costa Rica, Great Britain, Indonesia, Palestine,
Paraguay and South Africa. In the middle are some Latin American worship traditions
and ideas which were taken up by musicians and liturgists at a workshop in Cuba, and
worked into texts and songs for the four Sundays of Advent. At the end of the booklet
is information about the World Council of Churches’ ecumenical Decade to Overcome
Violence and the preparations for the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation
(IEPC) planned for 2011.
The song of the angels in the fields of Bethlehem is the theme of the 2011
International Ecumenical Peace Convocation, pointing the way forward and to our task
as Christians: “Glory to God and Peace on Earth”.
IMAGINE:
“Imagine: Peace” takes its shape and content from the interaction of many different
PEACE
people. We are grateful to those who provided inspiration and artistic talent, who
have allowed us to use their prayers, songs and music, who shared their insights on a
specific biblical text, who have made translations and corrections, or in any other way

participated in the process of preparing this booklet.
WCC’s special thanks go to
Ï Red Crearte, and Gerardo Oberman who as a member of the spiritual life
committee of the IEPC initiated the project and brought the participants to the
Matanzas (Cuba) workshop;
Ï Feautor and Mary Hess who supported the project from the beginning,
enthusiastically and not least financially;
Ï SET in Matanzas and all the collaborators there who helped to create an
atmosphere of trust and friendship which enabled the artists’ creativity to
flourish.

IMAGINE:
PEACE

How to usE tHIs booklEt
The idea behind this booklet came in December 2007, when the WCC project on spirituality
and worship organized a meeting in Baar, Switzerland to plan for spiritual life at the
International Ecumenical Peace Convocation (IEPC), due to take place in Kingston, Jamaica,
from 17 to 25 May 2011 as the culmination of the Decade to Overcome Violence (DOV).
The meeting had two main tasks. One was to deal with questions like these: What do we
mean by spiritual life, how does spirituality sustain people in violent situations, how can
spirituality contribute to peace building? The other was to help develop resources and
material on the way to the IEPC for use in churches and groups.
“Imagine: Peace” has suggestions for services for the four Sundays in Advent. It is being
published as the first part of a collection of worship material for the IEPC from different
regions of the world.
The meditations are invitations to reflect further on different biblical aspects of peace and
overcoming violence. Four of them are taken up in the worship outlines, not as sermons but
as background to the preaching text.
The Latin American context from which the texts and songs for the four Sundays of Advent
come puts a strong emphasis on community. Peace can only be experienced and celebrated
together with other people. This is why the congregation is very involved both in the
preparation and in the realization of the services.
This aspect of community moved the authors to relinquish their individual rights to the
texts and songs and instead to agree to joint copyright which is protected with a Creative
Commons licence.
The services are put together in such a way that they follow one another; but they may also
IMAGINE:
be celebrated independent of one another. The texts and songs may also be used in contexts
other than church services.
PEACE
We particularly hope that you will adapt this material to your own context. Depending on
your local possibilities and customs (congregations with cantors, choirs or musical groups will

find it easier to learn new songs), the texts or songs may be added to or changed for more
well-known or traditional texts and hymns. The songs were originally written in Spanish and
appear with their Spanish titles in the worship outlines. We hope the index with the titles in
English helps.
IMAGINE:
Each outline is introduced by a short explanation of the order of worship and a list of the
things that are needed for it. A few further instructions are within the service outlines.
PEACE
In the litanies and prayers, plain type signifies that one person is to read a line; bold type
indicates that the congregation reads the line; and italics carry information or an instruction

that is not to be read aloud.
bEING wItH GoD
Mother Joanna Burton
Isaiah 9:1-6
1 But there will be no gloom for those who were in anguish. In
the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun
and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he will make
glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee
of the nations. 2 The people who walked in darkness have seen
a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness—on
them light has shined. 3 You have multiplied the nation, you
have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the
harvest, as people exult when dividing plunder. 4 For the yoke
of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of
their oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. 5
For all the boots of the tramping warriors and all the garments
rolled in blood shall be burned as fuel for the fire. 6 For a child
has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his
shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah writes in a situation where the people are tempted
to make alliances with other nations against a fierce and
frightening oppressor: first with neighbouring Israel and Syria
who pressure and threaten Judah seeking its co-operation in
an alliance against Assyria, and then mighty Assyria itself bent
on conquest. Isaiah describes Judah “as a tree shaken by the
wind” and speaks against such temptations as sin against
God and Judah’s special covenant relationship with God. It is
a placing of trust in human strength, and human activity, the
strength of “horses and chariots” (2:7), instead of in God. Such
an attitude is ultimately idolatry (2:8), an act of human pride
(3:16f) and a deed against God. It forgets and dismisses both
God’s abiding presence and the strength that comes from that
presence (3:8). It forgets the gracious reality of God’s promise
of salvation in covenant love.