5th Day Before Christmas: Monday 20 Dec 2021:
[Revised Common Lectionary Year C]

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Opening:

Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among
us; and as we are sorely hindered by our sins from running the
race that is set before us, let your bountiful grace and mercy
speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to
whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now
and for ever. Amen.

“Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.
He existed before anything was created
and is supreme over all creation,
1for through him God created everything
in the heavenly realms and on earth.”
(Colossians 1:15-16)

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Psalms: Psalm 113 – From the Rising of the Sun – Sandra McCracken
[Love 4 Yah]

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OT Reading: Genesis 25:19-28 (NLT)

The Births of Esau and Jacob

25:19 This is the account of the family of Isaac, the son of Abraham. 20 When Isaac was forty years old, he married Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan-aram and the sister of Laban the Aramean.

21 Isaac pleaded with the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was unable to have children. The Lord answered Isaac’s prayer, and Rebekah became pregnant with twins. 22 But the two children struggled with each other in her womb. So she went to ask the Lord about it. “Why is this happening to me?” she asked.

23 And the Lord told her, “The sons in your womb will become two nations. From the very beginning, the two nations will be rivals. One nation will be stronger than the other; and your older son will serve your younger son.”

24 And when the time came to give birth, Rebekah discovered that she did indeed have twins! 25 The first one was very red at birth and covered with thick hair like a fur coat. So they named him Esau. 26 Then the other twin was born with his hand grasping Esau’s heel. So they named him Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when the twins were born.

Esau Sells His Birthright

27 As the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter. He was an outdoorsman, but Jacob had a quiet temperament, preferring to stay at home. 28 Isaac loved Esau because he enjoyed eating the wild game Esau brought home, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

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Come Thou Long Expected Jesus (Live) |The Worship Initiative
Recorded live at the Worship Initiative in Dallas, TX.

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NT Reading: Colossians 1:15-20 (NLT)

Christ Is Supreme

1:15 Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.
He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,
16 for through him God created everything
in the heavenly realms and on earth.
He made the things we can see
and the things we can’t see—
such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.
Everything was created through him and for him.
17 He existed before anything else,
and he holds all creation together.
18 Christ is also the head of the church,
which is his body.
He is the beginning,
supreme over all who rise from the dead.
So he is first in everything.
19 For God in all his fullness
was pleased to live in Christ,
20 and through him God reconciled
everything to himself.
He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth
by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.

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 Image Of God – We Are Messengers

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Prayer: 

+ It is time for us to wake from our sleep: the day of our salvation is near.
– Lord, may your kingdom come!

+ Help us to show our repentance
by a new way of living.
– Lord, may your kingdom come!

+ Prepare us for the coming of your Word
by opening our hearts to receive him.
– Lord, may your kingdom come!

+ Help us to overcome our pride,
and raise us from the depths of our weakness.
– Lord, may your kingdom come!

+ Throw down the walls of hatred between nations,
clear the way for those who work for peace.
– Lord, may your kingdom come!

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

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Benediction: 

The Lord bless us,
and keep us from all evil,
and bring us to everlasting life.

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.