December 21, 2024
Rev. Kent Gilbert, Pastor Bernardo Scarambone, Organist
Prelude
Welcome
¨ Call to Worship
One: O God, so many voices sound within and around, weighing us down with burdens too great to bear, surprising us with memories, tears, anger, ache. We are reminded daily of the ways we have fallen short of the ways we are more alone, of the empty spaces where our beloveds once were.
All: Quiet the voices, God. Still our minds. Let us be mindful of you and the way in which your presence exists even in our empty spaces. Comfort and abide with us this night.
¨ Hymn #175 Black O Christ, the Healer, We Have Come Kentridge
1.O Christ, the healer, we have come to pray for health, to plead for friends. How can we fail to be restored when reached by love that never ends?
2.From every ailment flesh endures our bodies clamor to be freed; yet in our hearts we would confess that wholeness is our deepest need.
3.In conflicts that destroy our health we recognize the world’s disease; our common life declares our ills. Is there no cure, O Christ, for these?
4.Grant that we all, made one in faith, in your community may find the wholeness that, enriching us, shall reach and prosper humankind.
Readings
“Darkness is Where Incarnation Begins” by Jan Richardson
“Leaves in Solstice” by David Kennedy
Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19
Each line of the psalm stanza is sung to one measure of the music: e.g., line one is sung to the notes in the first measure; line 2 the second measure, etc. You are invited to join in singing and encouraged to add harmony. You are also free to simply let the music and the Word hold you.
1 O shepherd of Israel, héar us,
you who lead Joseph like a flóck:
enthroned on the cherubim, shine fórth
2 upon Ephraim, Benjamin, Manásseh.
Rouse up your might and come to sáve us.
3 O God, bring us báck;
let your face shine on us, and we shall be sáved.
4 How long, O Lord, God of hósts,
will you be angry at the prayer of your péople?
How long, O Lord, God of hósts?
5 You have fed them with tears for their bréad,
an abundance of tears for their drínk.
6 You have made us the taunt of our néighbors;
our foes mock us among themsélves.
7 O God of hosts, bring us báck;
17 May your hand be on the one at your right hánd,
the son of man you have confirmed as your ówn.
18 And we shall never forsake you agáin;
give us life that we may call upon your náme.
And we shall never forsake you agáin.
29 O Lord God of hosts, bring us báck;
let your face shine forth, and we shall be sáved.
Revelation 21:1-5
An Affirmation of the Light Rev. Kent Gilbert
Hymn #128 Black In the Bleak Midwinter Cranham
1 In the bleak midwinter
frosty wind made moan,
earth stood hard as iron,
water like a stone:
snow had fallen,
snow on snow, snow on snow,
in the bleak midwinter,
long ago.
2 Our God transcends all heaven,
earth and its domain;
heaven and earth shall flee away
when Christ comes to reign:
in the bleak midwinter
a stable place sufficed
the sovereign God almighty, Jesus Christ.
3 Angels and archangels
may have gathered there,
cherubim and seraphim
thronged the midnight air,
but his mother only,
in her maiden bliss,
worshiped the beloved
with a kiss.
4 What can I give him,
poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd,
I would bring a lamb,
if I were a wise one
I would do my part,
yet what I can I offer,
all my heart.
Light for Those Who Wait… Lighting Candles in the Dark
One: We light this first candle to remember those whom we have loved and who are no longer here. We pause to remember their names, their faces, their voices, the memories that bind them to us in this season.
All: May God’s eternal love surround them.
One: We light this second candle to redeem the pain of loss: the loss of relationship with someone we love, the loss of work, the loss of health. We pause to gather up the pain of the past and offer it to God, asking that from God’s hands we might receive the gift of peace and strength beyond our own to endure.
All: Cradle us, O Lord, with arms of surest love.
One: We light this third candle to be present to the full range of our reality, anguish and grace, sorrow and surprising aid. We pause and remember past weeks and months: disbelief, anger, numbness, the joy and sorrow of memories, the hugs and handshakes of family and friends who care for us, and all who hold the light for us when we cannot find the means. We give thanks for all the support we have known.
All: We remember that the days lengthen: dawn follows night, spring follows even the deepest winter.
One: We light this fourth candle for hope, the true gift of Christmas. Even if we, or someone we know, cannot feel hopeful now, by this candle we remember that God who shares our life weeps with those who weep, and is yearning and working for the time when all tears and sighing shall flee away.
All: We remember the One who shows us the way, who brings the truth of life beyond death and who bears the light.
Special Music Solstice Song Emily Miller Holly Creek Harmony
Remembering There Is Light in the Darkness
One: In the beginning was the Word, before, beneath, over and transcending all our sorrows, all our loss. A deeper joy, a well-spring of strength to all of creation, and to us. Personally, prophetically, tenderly, the word was made flesh and dwelt among us.
All: What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
The Invitation to Healing, Communion, and the Light of Hope
Following the Invitation and during the music, all who will are invited to receive communion, prayers for healing, and the opportunity to light a candle for yourself or for someone else in your prayers. You are welcome to come to each station in turn, or to select only the ones that most speak to your need.
Communion is offered to all who seek the Love of God. You need not be a member of this or any church to seek healing union through Christ. Both wine and grape juice are offered and the elements are clearly labeled. The bread is gluten-free.
Prayers for Healing: If you would like to receive prayers for healing, please stand, sit or kneel (whichever is most comfortable for you) at intervals along the cushion placed on the edge of the platform. Those waiting for prayers are invited to participate in the prayers for those in front of them by a gentle touch, by repeating the words of the prayer, by holding the person in light, by helping each person to rise. You are welcome to remain in prayer as long as you need. When you are so moved, please return to your seat so that others may kneel and pray in your place.
Light for the Path: Small candles are available to light for yourself or for others at the third station. The flame reminds us that we are all in the presence of God, and lighting a candle for self or others is a prayer that the healing presence of Christ will be a light in the darkness. After the service, you are invited to take a candle with you, or to give to the person for whom you prayed.
Hymn Chant Dona Nobis Pacem Latin Trad.
Prayer for the Laying on of Hands
All: Spirit of the Living God, present with us now, Enter you, body, mind and spirit And heal you of all that harms you, In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Hymn #127 Black Lo, How a Rose e’er Blooming Es ist ein’Ros
- Lo, how a Rose e’er blooming
From tender stem has sprung!
Of Jesse’s lineage coming,
As saints of old have sung.
It came, a floweret bright,
Amid the cold of winter,
When half spent was the night. - Isaiah had foretold it,
The Rose I have in mind;
With Mary we behold it,
The Virgin Mother kind.
To show God’s love aright,
She bore to us a Savior,
When half spent was the night.
Blessing for the Longest Night
Postlude
This service is lovingly offered in order to acknowledge the stresses, pains, and sadness many of us experience at Christmastime, and to remember that Christ’s coming was especially for the broken in body, heart and spirit. All the members and friends of this congregation hold you in the light of Christ on these longest nights of winter.
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