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**lights the first candle of advent**

(i) ...in recognition of our failure to see the light, even though it is always shining in our hearts and thus everywhere. In our hours of darkness let us remember our blindness is not the reality.

_/|\_ ...In the center of the castle of Brahman, our own body, there is a small shrine in the form of a lotus-flower, and within that can be found a small space. We should find who dwells there, and we should want to know him. And if anyone asks, "Who is he who dwells in a small shrine in the form of a lotus-flower in the center of the castle of Brahman? Whom should we want to find and know?" We can answer: "The little space within the heart is as great as this vast universe. The heavens and the earth are there, and the sun, and the moon, and the stars; fire and lightning and winds are there; and all that now is and all that is not; for the whole universe is in Him and he dwells within our heart." -passage from the Chandogya Upanishad, the oldest of the Upanishads (~1200 yrs B.C.E.)


_/|\_ ...Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love... No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us... God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. -passage from 1 John 4:7-8,12,16

From UUChristian.org...

Third Sunday in Advent

Candle liturgy

One: We have lit the first two candles, one for hope and one for peace. Today we
light the third candle, the candle of joy. This should be the easy one, because joy is
all around us-in the children, the lights, the
music, the gathering together. But how often do we let our preparations-or our
memories-push joy to the side? Joy is like an underground spring that wells up
within us, but joy is also a choice, an attitude. Like a muscle, it needs to be
exercised. So today we open ourselves to joy, trusting that God has already planted
it in us. All we need to do is give it care and offer it to share.

{Three candles are lit. Optional: sing one verse of "O Come, O come Emmanuel")

All: Loving God, we open ourselves to you,
trusting that this is how you made us:
you created us for joy-filled hearts and lives.
Show us the creative power of hope.
Teach us the peace that comes from justice.
Fill us with the kind of joy that cannot be contained, but must be shared.
Prepare our hearts to be transformed by you,
That we may walk in the light of Christ. Amen.

Benediction/Commission and Blessing

Rejoice in God always, and again I say, rejoice
For God has created you with the capacity for joy.
We will find what makes us joyful,
And make that our gift to the world.
Trust in God's good will for all of creation
and open yourself to God's gentle, transforming love.
We will welcome new possibilities in our lives.
We will offer ourselves to God's goodness.
We will go forth in hope, and peace, and joy.