Feel free to adapt for your family's worship time on Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023. The YouTube link to view Pastor Laura's message will go live at 7am on Dec. 31. Happy New Year!
chosen home An At-Home Liturgy for the First Sunday After Christmas Liturgy by Rev. Sarah (Are) Speed
We invite you to implement this liturgy as-is, or adapt it for your context. Please attribute credit as follows: “Liturgy by Rev. Sarah Speed | A Sanctified Art LLC | sanctifiedart.org"
Intro Each congregation, like each family, has different rhythms and rituals around the holidays. In an effort to help carve out meaningful space for reflection and prayer during a busy holiday season, we offer you this at-home liturgy. Use it in the comfort of your own home, or adapt it for a communal worship space. Regardless of where you worship, God will be there. suPpLies - Advent wreath or candle - Lighter or matches - Bible - Blank piece of paper or a journal - A computer or phone to play music (from Spotify) - Pen or pencil - Optional: a stationery note card 1. Set the Space In the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, take a moment to create a space for calm. Light the candles in your Advent wreath. If you don’t have an Advent wreath, light a candle. Pour a cup of tea. Play some Christmas music in the background. Turn off the TV and silence your phone. Breathe deeply. Allow this place to become holy ground. Tips for Children - Invite your kids to have a hands-on role in this liturgy by having them collect the supplies from around the house, lighting the candles, turning off distractions, etc. - Before you begin the liturgy, invite your children to create a special place for you all to sit and reflect. They can make a comfortable fort out of pillows for you to sit on the floor, or gather all the supplies needed around the table!
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2. openinG Prayer One common psychological practice for clearing our mind and opening space in our hearts is to write a “brain dump.” In a brain dump, you write down everything that’s on your mind: to-do lists, concerns, worries, things that pop into your subconscious—anything that might distract or pull you away from the here and now. You might play a Christmas song from the Barnaby Bright Christmas album, “Bleak Midwinter.”¹ You can also cue up the Sanctified Art Close to Home playlist on Spotify: spotify.com/playlist/3Y40ddQ745btYzMIPUnpUL?si=f300e74d1ca54d6c. Choose a song, and as the music plays, commit to writing down your brain dump prayer until the song ends. If you run out of things to write, give yourself space to listen, and trust that more ideas will come. Tips for Children Encourage kids to draw what they’re thinking and feeling instead of writing, if that feels easier. There’s no wrong way to pray. When the song is over, put your pencil down and pray the following words:
Holy God, Even here, even now,
you are with me. And so I pray— hover over this swirl of words that make up a prayer. Read between the lines. See what weighs heavy on me. Know what distracts, and carry it all. I am giving it to you.
I am clearing out space. I am opening myself up to draw closer to your home. Gratefully I pray, Amen.
1 You can listen to Barnaby Bright’s 2020 Christmas album on Spotify here: spotify.com/album/5uPP3JDIfqPDvuNBAXASDk?si=VrUZnfM6QSKdzXcs8jeASw&dl_branch=1.
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3. Read + Reflect Read Luke 2:41-52. Give yourself permission to read it two or three times through. During your first read, pay attention to what words stand out. During your second read, pay attention to what emotions stand out. On your third read, pay attention to what actions stand out.
Discuss or journal, using the following questions and observations: 1. Jesus stays behind in the temple when his parents head home. Why do you think Jesus stays?
2. In this story, we get a glimpse of Jesus coming into his own self. He is on his own, listening, and asking questions. And “all who heard him were amazed at his answers” (Luke 2:47). What spaces have allowed you to be who you are truly called to be? Where do you feel the freedom to come into your own being? List those places. Reflect on what makes those spaces unique. 3. Jesus refers to the temple as a house—God’s house. In your experience, has the church been a home for you? If so, how? If not, why not? What steps need to be taken to allow all churches to reflect the same welcome, safety, and security of a loving home? Optional Questions for Kids 4. This story is of Jesus spending time at church. What is your favorite part of our church? What are some of your favorite memories at church? 5. When Jesus is in the temple, he reads the Bible. Do you have a favorite Bible story? 6. Jesus tells his parents he likes being at the temple because it is God’s house. What is the best part about being home? How do you feel when you are home? 4. Share this Good News Worship calls us outside ourselves to connect with others and the world. To close the service, think of a person or a place that has helped you be your true self or has made you feel at home, just as Jesus was being his true self and felt at home in the temple. Send them a text, write them a letter to mail, or call them to thank them for their grace and welcome. Tips for Families Invite your kids to make a video message and send it to a family member. Not interested in writing a card or making a video? Try making a batch of cookies to drop off with a babysitter, teacher, or neighbor! There are lots of ways to express gratitude.
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5. CLosinG Words Close this sacred time by reading and reflecting upon the following poem. Blow out your candles. Close your journal. Allow yourself to re-enter the world refreshed, renewed, and grateful. Chosen Home There are a million ways to choose a home. We choose to make it work. We hang a wreath on the door of our shoebox apartment. We invite company over. We ask, “Would you like coffee with that?” We choose to make the most of it. We take up watercoloring or kickboxing and show up to class. We mostly embarrass ourselves, but we were there. We choose to not go it alone. We sign up to volunteer and make ourselves a nametag. We slide weary bones into weary church pews. We shake hands and say hello. We let the music cover us, like a blanket, or a prayer. We choose to love what we have. We look in the mirror and speak kindly to our body. We buy flowers at the market and arrange them in jelly jars. There are a million ways to choose a home. So like Jesus in the temple
who chose to stay, who chose to speak, who took up space because he knew he was home, I invite you to do the same. Put your body to take up space there. Stay, as long as it takes. Return, as often as you need. There are a million ways to choose a home. Choose wisely. We need you here. — Rev. Sarah (Are) Speed where your soul feels alive. Give yourself permission
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About the Author Rev. Sarah (Are) Speed , Founding Creative Partner of A Sanctified Art Rev. Sarah (Are) Speed (she/her) is the new Associate Pastor for Young Adults and Membership at Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York City. She graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a degree in Social Work, and holds a Master of Divinity degree from Columbia Theological Seminary. Sarah loves to combine her love of all things creative with her passion for God. She believes that the Church has a
responsibility to open every door to God, so that those of us who are visual, kinesthetic, or relational learners all have equal opportunity to engage God to the fullest of our abilities. Sarah feels called to live her life welcoming people into the church by using her energy and passion for beautifully scripted words, raw and relevant liturgy, and hands-on worship experiences to engage our longing for God and the need for justice in this messy world. Writing is her most beloved spiritual practice. You can find her daily poems on Instagram and Facebook: @writingthegood | writingthegood.com
A Sanctified Art LLC is a collective of artists in ministry who create resources for worshiping communities. The Sanctified Art team works collaboratively to bring scripture and theological themes to life through film, visual art, curriculum, coloring pages, liturgy, graphic designs, and more. Their mission is to empower churches with resources to inspire creativity in worship and beyond. Driven by the connective and prophetic power of art, they believe that art helps us connect our hearts with our hands, our faith with our lives, and our mess with our God. Learn more about their work at sanctifiedart.org .
@sanctifiedart | sanctifiedart.org | contact@sanctifiedart.org
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