ON THE LONGEST NIGHT

December 21, 2011

COMING TOGETHER

This night is the longest night of the year.  For us in the northern hemisphere, the sun is at its lowest angle and its light and warmth are further away than at any time of the year.

The night seems dark and it is hard to see the guiding star above us.  This Christmas season is, for many people, a time of great joy and celebration.  But for those who know grief, who are experiencing hardships, sadness or frustration, the shouts of Joy to the World can be muted.  It can be a long, dark time.

In this simple service, we want to acknowledge these shadows and embrace them so that we can know that we are not alone:  that God is with us.  Listen to this good news found in the gospel of John:

1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ^2[[The Word] was in the beginning with God. ³All things came into being through [the Word], and without [the Word] not one thing came into being. What has come into being ⁴in [the Word] was life, and the life was the light of all people. ⁵The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

Let’s pray together:

PRAYER

God of Love and Understanding, we come here in this quiet place seeking your reassurance and hope.  We come in the midst of noise, listening for your gentle heartbeat.  We come in the cold, wanting the embrace of your warm love.  Grant us a taste of the hope, peace, joy and love that you promise to all.  Amen.

POEM  “Footprints”

One night I had a dream.

I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.

Across the sky flashed scenes from my life.

For each scene , I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand:

one belonging to me and one belonging to the Lord.

When the last scene of my life flashed before me,

I looked back at the footprints in the sand.

I noticed that many times along the path of my life,

there was only one set of footprints.

I also noticed that this happened at the very lowest

and saddest times of my life.

This really bothered me and I questioned the Lord about it:

Lord, you said, that once I decided to follow you,

you’d walk with me all the way;

But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times of my life,

there is only one set of footprints.

I don’t understand why, when I needed you most, you would leave me?

The lord replied, My precious child.

I love you and would never leave you,

During your times of trial and suffering,

when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.

SCRIPTURE

Ezra 3:10-13  The first temple had been laid to ruin during a time when the Judean people were forced to live in exile in Babylon.  After some 70 years people returned and re-built the temple.  For most it was a time of joy, but for those who remembered the old temple it was a time of bitter memories.

10 When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests in their vestments were stationed to praise the Lord with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, according to the directions of King David of Israel; ¹¹and they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord,
‘For he is good, for his steadfast love endures for ever towards Israel.’ And all the people responded with a great shout when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. ¹²But many of the priests and Levites and heads of families, old people who had seen the first house on its foundations, wept with a loud voice when they saw this house, though many shouted aloud for joy, ¹³so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people’s weeping, for the people shouted so loudly that the sound was heard far away.

Luke 14:16-23  This story offers hope for those who have no one to invite them.  It reminds us that in God’s divine order, no one is excluded – all are invited.

¹⁶Then Jesus^* said …, ‘Someone gave a great dinner and invited many. ¹⁷At the time for the dinner he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, “Come; for everything is ready now.” ¹⁸But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, “I have bought a piece of land, and I must go out and see it; please accept my apologies.” ¹⁹Another said, “I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please accept my apologies.” ²⁰Another said, “I have just been married, and therefore I cannot come.” ²¹So the slave returned and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and said to his slave, “Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.” ²²And the slave said, “Sir, what you ordered has been done, and there is still room.” ²³Then the master said to the slave, “Go out into the roads and lanes, and compel people to come in, so that my house may be filled.”

Luke 2:1-7  and Matthew 2:13-15a  Jesus himself was no stranger to being a stranger, an outsider, a refugee.

2In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. ²This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. ³All went to their own towns to be registered. ⁴Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. ⁵He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. ⁶While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. ⁷And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

And …

¹³ … An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.’ ¹⁴Then Joseph^* got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, ¹⁵and remained there until the death of Herod.

Matthew 8:19-20  In his own life, Jesus shared the experience of having no place to call home, no family, no security.

¹⁹A scribe then approached and said, ‘Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.’ ²⁰And Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’

John 11:32-36  In his life, Jesus knew the pain of losing a loved one.

³²When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’ ³³When Jesus saw her weeping, and the [others] who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. ³⁴He said, ‘Where have you laid him?’ They said to him, ‘Lord, come and see.’ ³⁵Jesus began to weep. ³⁶So the [crowd] said, ‘See how he loved him!’

Matthew 11:28-30  When burdens get piled on top of burdens, the load can crush us.  Jesus offers to help.

‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’

Romans 8:38-39  The Apostle Paul wrote with such confidence that God’s love breaks through any barrier we experience or imagine.

³⁸For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Matthew 5:1-12  Jesus taught that a “blessing” was an experience of the loving presence of God whether we are knowing joy or difficulty.

5When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. ²Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:

3 ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 ‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

5 ‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

6 ‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

7 ‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

8 ‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

9 ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

10 ‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 ‘Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely^* on my account.

¹²Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

1^st Corinthians 11:23-26  In brokenness, Jesus offered nourishment and new promise.

(break and pour while reading)

23 For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, ²⁴and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body that is for^* you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ ²⁵In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ ²⁶For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

CANDLE LIGHTING

SHARING BROKEN BREAD AND POURED CUP

Even though this is the longest night, it is not completely dark.  There is still light.  The days have been shorter, but there is still the light of day.  And even the night is guarded by the moon, planets and stars.  And beginning tomorrow, the days will begin to lengthen.

The path of life’s difficulties can never be completely dark as long as even a single candle burns.  And so, we will be comforted in the candle’s warmth and glow.

If you wish, I invite you to come forward and light a candle, maybe more than one.  It may be for you a candle of memorial, or a candle of struggle, one of hope or a desire for peace or a symbol of a simple prayer.

And in the ritual of the church, I invite you as well to come and take a piece of this bread and [dip it into the] a cup of grape juice and share the communion of Christ.

Let all that we do here bring you spiritual warmth and nourishment.

(music)

PRAYERS

Ever-present God, we wonder how it can be in a world of more than seven billion people that anyone can be alone?  Perhaps it is because loneliness is not about who is around us, but rather an isolation of the heart.  May we know that we are truly never alone!  We pray for all those who are gripped by loneliness this Christmas.

Death touches every life in some way.  The death of someone close is hard.  To face the world without a familiar face is a daunting task.  It doesn’t matter if it has been days or months or years, we will always have an empty space within us.  We pray for all those who are gripped by grief this Christmas.

There are pressures all around us to determine our value by the bottom line.  The cycles of boom and bust are too often tied to our happiness and worth.  The economics of our society can be a source of great pressure.  It can be hard to make ends meet for a variety of reasons, but we must never believe that we are only a number or that our worth is seen but the numbers of dollars in our pockets.  We are of immeasurable value to you, O God.  We pray for all those who are gripped by financial pressures  and who are gripped by life’s burdens this Christmas.

Each one of us knows what it is like to feel afraid, but for some the fear is paralyzing:  a fear of others, a fear of the unknown, a fear of illness, a fear for our safety.  Every fear can shrink a person.  May tomorrow find us feeling more calm and safe.  We pray for all who are gripped by fear this Christmas.

God your creation seems based on relationship.  Our interaction with each other seems to be part of your plan.  Yet some human relationships end and are strained.  Separation, divorce, harsh words, regretted actions, ll remind us that not everything we build in life stays strong.  We seek a reconciliation of the heart; even if words are left unsaid and relationships cannot be restored, we will hope for peace and respect. We pray for all those who are gripped by strained relationships this Christmas.

Our bodies and minds are delicate.  The balance can be lost.  Illness can be with us for a short time, or it can become a long term reality in our lives.  Illness can be scary and uncertain.  Medicine and therapy cannot always bring cure.  We pray for healing, if not from the illness, then from the worry and anxiety.  We pray for all those who are gripped by illness this Christmas.

Gentle God, pain can linger for years.  We can carry the worries of the past.  We can hang on to regret and grief for things that might have been.  Let us realize that the past cannot hurt us any longer.  It is done; it is history.  Help us, God, to let go of that which we cannot control, so that we will not be burdened by our past.  We pray for all those who need to “let go” this Christmas.

Strengthen by this meal of unity and in the glows of these candles, let us join together in the Lord’s Prayer:

   Our Father,

who art in heaven, hallow-ed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day, our daily bread

and forgive us our trespasses

as we forgive those that trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory

forever and ever,  Amen.

VIDEO

"How Did You Find Me Here?" link to YouTube

GOING OUT

You are welcome to stay here for a while if you would like.  As you are ready :  Go in peace, knowing that the God whose love created the world, who sent Jesus into this same world to be our friend, companion and savior, is the same God who in the Spirit is journeys with you everywhere you go.  The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has never put it out!  Thanks be to God.  Amen.