Blue Christmas Liturgy and Stations

This year we held both a Blue Christmas and a Longest night service. The congregation was at first confused by the two services, but came to understand that the Blue Christmas Service were for people that were grieving in some way – perhaps because of a death, perhaps because of a new diagnosis, perhaps due to other reasons. The Longest night was more about the seasonal change.

Both of these services while appreciated are not usually well attended, so it was a gift to share these services with our ecumenical Episcopal partners.

Below is the gathered liturgy and a picture of the stations that we put together in lieu of a sermon.

WELCOME AND PRAYER – (written by Written By Britney Lee at britneywinnlee.com/blog/blue-christmas )

PD: Welcome, you who ache and do not know why.

PB: Welcome, you who are weary of loneliness.

PD: Welcome, you who battle with chronic pain in your bodies or chronic despair in your minds.

PB: Welcome, you riddled with anxiety around every corner.

PD: Welcome, you in transition and you starving for change.

PB: Welcome, you who feel the weight of debt and shame.

PD: Welcome, you at the beginning of a diagnosis. Welcome, you at the end.

PB: Welcome, you, friend or family of anyone carrying these loads.

PD: Welcome, skeptic. Welcome, purpose-needer. Welcome, you who cannot recognize yourself.

PB: Welcome, you who have lost love, who have lost hope, who have lost faith in a good God.

PD:Welcome, all of you…every part of you…into this space.

PB: Let us be together, here and now.

Call to Worship – Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia @ https://thepastorsworkshop.com/blog/an-order-of-worship-for-a-blue-christmas-service-aka-a-longest-night-service

ALL: Merciful God,
In this season of rejoicing, we come to you weary and grieving
In this season of feasting, we hunger for healing and relief
In this season of light, our hearts are veiled in sorrow and shadow
Will this season ever end?

“Yes.” We hear your, “Yes.”

Those who are weary will find rest
Those who mourn will be comforted
Those who hunger will be filled
The Light shines in the darkness,

and the darkness will not overcome it.

HYMN: Holy Darkness UpperRoom Worshipbook #407

Lighting the Christmas Candle – Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia

Strike a match and light the white candle

PB–We welcome you O Christ, Light of the World.

In the midst of our suffering, help us to worship you in spirit and in truth.

Hymn: Holy Darkness UpperRoom Worship #407

Modern Reading: –

Open your ears to hear this modern reading by Jan Richardson from Blessing for the Brokenhearted

Hymn: Holy Darkness UpperRoom Worship #407

PD: Let us light the rest of our wreath to remind us that God brings us light even when and especially when we are sitting in darkness . . . .

Advent Wreath Liturgy: Blue Christmas — written by Rick Marshall in Blue Christmas: A Service of Remembrance for the Time of Advent and Christmas. Posted on the Process and Faith website. http://processandfaith.org/resources/liturgy/blue-christmas

A Liturgy of Remembering: Blue Christmas

FCCW: The first candle we light is to remember those whom we have loved and lost. We pause to remember their name, their face, their voice, the memory that binds them to us in this season.

(Pause while the first candle is lit)

All: May God’s eternal love surround them.

AS: The second candle we light is to redeem the pain of loss, the loss of someone who was very important to us, part of our lives, part of our own selves. We pause to gather up the pain of the past and offer it to God, asking that from God’s hands we receive the gift of peace.

(Pause while the second candle is lit)

ALL: Refresh, restore, renew us O God, and lead us into your future.

FCCW : The third candle we light is to remember ourselves this Christmas time. We pause and remember these past weeks and months, the disbelief, the anger, the down times, the poignancy of reminiscing, the hugs and handshakes of family and friends, all those who stood with us. We give thanks for all the support we have known.

(Pause while the third candle is lit)

All: Let us remember that dawn defeats darkness, life overcomes death.

AS: The fourth candle is lit to remember our faith and the gift of hope which the Christmas story offers to us. We remember that God, who shares our life, promises us a place and time of no more pain and suffering.

(Pause while the fourth candle is lit)

Let us remember the One who shows the way, Who brings the truth and who bears the light.

How Can We Sing a Joyful Song? Tune O WALY WALY 8.8.8.8 (“Though I May Speak”) by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette https://www.carolynshymns.com/how_can_we_sing_a_joyful_song.html

PB- Let us hear from our holy scripture both fear and comfort, both sadness and hope. Open your heart and hear:

Scripture Reading: Psalm 121 –

Our Psalter Reading tonight is Psalm number 121. May you hear with your heart these words:

I lift up my eyes to the hills—
from where will my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
He who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade at your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day
nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
The Lord will keep
your going out and your coming inqq
from this time on and forevermore.

Here ends our reading. May God add to our understanding.

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 11:1-10 –

Our second reading tonight comes from the book of Isaiah chapter 11 verses 1 through 10. May God’s words be a balm to our heart.

A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him,
the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and might,
the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.

He shall not judge by what his eyes see
or decide by what his ears hear,
but with righteousness he shall judge for the poor
and decide with equity for the oppressed of the earth;
he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist
and faithfulness the belt around his loins.

The wolf shall live with the lamb;
the leopard shall lie down with the kid;
the calf and the lion will feed together,
and a little child shall lead them.
The cow and the bear shall graze;
their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp,
and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.
They will not hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.

On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.

Reflection: Set up 4 stations

HOPE – Creating a stage for hope – even if your not ready for hope – receive candle
PEACE – Healing station with oil
LOVE – Images / icons of Mary (Bill doing this station)
JOY – written – Where have you found joy in the past? Take seeds of joy / Amaryllis bulb

Canticle of Light and Darkness UMHymnal #205 adapted music by Richard Proulx

Response: “You are the light of the world; be light in our darkness, O Christ.”

Response:

PB: We look for light but find darkness, for brightness, but walk in gloom. We grope like those who know not where they are going; we stumble at noon as in the twilight.

Response

PS : If I say, “Let only darkness cover me, And the light about me be night,” even the darkness is not dark to you, the night is bright as the day, For darkness is as light with you.

Response

PB: Blessed be your name, O God, for ever. You reveal deep and mysterious things; you are light and in you is no darkness. Our darkness is passing away and already the true light is shining.

Response

Affirmation of Faith for Christmas –

Adapted from the Poem First Coming by Madeleine L’engle

Dawn : Christians, what do you believe?

All Voices:

God did not wait till the world was ready,
till nations were at peace.
God came when the Heavens were unsteady
and prisoners cried out for release.
God did not wait for the perfect time.
God came when the need was deep and great.
God dined with sinners in all their grime,
turned water into wine.
God did not wait till hearts were pure.
In joy God came to a tarnished world of sin and doubt.
To a world like ours, of anguished shame,
God came and God’s Light would not go out.
God came to a world which did not mesh;
to heal its tangles, shield its scorn.
In the mystery of the Word made Flesh,
the Maker of the stars was born.
We cannot wait till the world is sane
to raise our songs with joyful voice,
For to share our grief, to touch our pain,
God came with Love: Rejoice! Rejoice!

—

PB- So let us rejoice – not in the noisy bell clanging with strength across the mountains, but in a joy, deeper and more subtle. Not in a joy that claps its hands and runs forth and leaps, but in a joy that can exist with sadness, sorrow, and pain.

Receiving the Light

PD- Tonight we have talked a lot about light; and frankly sometimes it feels as if we have no light left to give. It feels as if there is not kindling to be lit, no fuel to give it life; but it is in those moments that we remember, we are not alone and we do not have to feel responsible to create the light. The light is already present in the world.

PD- When we are afraid that we have nothing left to give, We might simply look around and notice the light that already exists. We might allow ourselves to simply sit in its glow. We might remember the one who said, “I am the light of the world.”

PD- Welcome and receive the light tonight (i.e. don’t make them pass it – – -let us light each candle as we sing)

Hymn: Silent Night Red #138

Benediction:

PB: Go knowing God is with you.

PD: Go knowing God does not require jingle bells or a holly jolly Christmas.

PB: Go knowing that God is with you.

PB: Go knowing that you are loved and beloved just as you are.

PD: Go knowing that Christ is to be born again . . .

NOTE: Anyone who wishes a prayer or conversation after worship, please come forward after the postlude.

Here are the pictures of the four stations

A Simple Opening Winter Meditation

I have come to appreciate starting each service after announcements, but before the prelude with a brief settling activity. Sometimes we have a breath prayer. Other times I have a somatic activity. This time helps us bridge the chaos from the outside to the peace of worship. It is like a palette cleanser between tastes of wine or courses.

This week I am planning a spoken meditation. It is below for your enjoyment. I encourage you to consider offering your own. It is an interesting way to invite your congregants into the idea of meditation and spiritual practices.

I want to take us on a brief mental journey as we settle ourselves for worship.

Find those sit bones.

Close or half-close your eyes as you are comfortable

and imagine yourself out on a hike in the forest.

It is a day like today, there is snow on the ground.

You can hear with each step the crunch of snow beneath your feet.

As you first enter the forest, it is dense and almost hard to get through.

There is a lot of undergrowth, but you know if you persist,

the path will open up;

and it does.

As things are not as closed in, you can begin to walk more easily.

As the forest opens up, you start to notice other footprints in the snow:

Those of squirrels, hares, perhaps a fox, maybe even a deer or a moose.

The forest is silent, but you know there are critters around.

You look around as you walk.

You notice the snow in the crook of the tree branches

and on the evergreens as they bow low..

You notice the way the light comes through the trees

and twinkles on the flakes.

(pause)

You start to notice that you are breathing more slowly,

that you are no longer tensing your shoulders,

that your mind has stopped racing.

(pause)

You look around at the beauty of the forest which you had no part in growing,

paid nothing to enter, and which has been here far longer than you

and you are overcome with gratitude.

You take a moment to give thanks to God – – – –

After giving thanks, you can decide to stay within the beauty of the forest as the prelude begins, or you can return here to this place and space ready for worship to begin.

May the spirit of this quiet reflection stay with you –

and know you can return as you need it.

An Advent Lighting Liturgy

Based on the book Calling All Angels by Erin Wathen but can be used independent of the book.

Note: Each week has a person or people volunteer to light the candle.

Note: Each pillar above, when turned has the name of the week.

Lighting of the Advent Wreath – Advent One

Introduce yourself
Share a time when God has offered you HOPE in your life.

One: Today we sing the song of Zechariah, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for God has looked favorably on God’s people and redeemed them. God has raised up a mighty savior for us in the house of David. . .God has shown the mercy God promised our ancestors and remembered the holy covenant.”

Let us, as Zechariah, hold to HOPE this day.
Let us bask in the words, “Do not be afraid!”
Let us have the courage to wonder what we might do if we were not afraid.

Moment of silence
Let us today light the candle of HOPE in our advent wreath and in our hearts.

Light the Hope candle

Let us sing together the 1st verse of our Advent song.

Recommended Hymn: Advent Song (Light the Advent Candle) The Faith We Sing #2090 vs 1

Lighting of the Advent Wreath – Advent 2

Introduction of the people / person lighting the wreath
Share a time when you felt the PEACE of God.

One: Today we sing the song of Mary, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior . . .The mighty One has done great things . . .and holy is his name. . .He has scattered the proud . . ., and brought down the powerful from their thrones. [He] has lifted up the lowly and has filled the hungry with good things.”

Let us, as Mary did, imagine a world where all have as they need and where PEACE abides.
Let us bask in the words, “Do not be afraid!”
Let us have the audacity to join God in making peace real in the world.

Let us today light the candle of PEACE in our advent wreath and in our hearts.

Recommended Hymn: Advent Song (Light the Advent Candle) The Faith We Sing #2090 vs 1 & 2

Lighting of the Advent Wreath – Advent 3

Introduction of the people lighting the wreath.
Share a time when you have felt extraordinary JOY.

One: Today we walk with Joseph into the unknown.
We walk from clarity into mystery,
from loneliness to JOY.
“Look, a young woman shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel.”

Let us prepare to receive the JOY.
Let us bask in the words, “Do not be afraid!’
Let us welcome mystery into our own lives and be ready to live into God’s possibilities.

Moment of Silence

Let us today light the candle of JOY in our advent wreath and in our hearts.

Light the candle

Recommended Hymn: Advent Song (Light the Advent Candle) The Faith We Sing #2090 vs 1, 2, & 3

Lighting of the Advent Wreath – Advent 4

Introduction of person / people lighting the wreath.
Share a time when you have felt extraordinary LOVE.

One: Today we encounter angels with shepherds in their fields.
We are met with amazement and awe.
The angels once again declare, “Do not be afraid!”
They say they are bringing good news of great joy for all people.
Because a child is born,
LOVE itself is taking on form and presence in this world.

And so they rushed to the stable where they encountered LOVE incarnate.

So let us prepare to LOVE and BE LOVED.
Let us bask in the words, “Do not be afraid!’
Let us prepare for our own encounters with God whenever and wherever they come.

Moment of Silence

Let us today light the candle of LOVE in our advent wreath and in our hearts.

Light Candle

Recommended Hymn: Advent Song (Light the Advent Candle) The Faith We Sing #2090 vs 1-4

Lighting of the Advent Wreath – Christmas Eve Family Service

Introduction of the people lighting the wreath.
Share a time when you followed in the footsteps of Jesus or noticed God moving in your life

One: Today we stand on the precipice of wonder.
Here we are met with Angel and shepherds, donkeys and kings.
Here, we hear, “Do not be afraid!”
And it is hard not to be afraid when the world can be so cruel and so cold.
It is hard to believe when doors are shut and neighbors avert their eyes.
It is hard to trust when we worry.
And yet, it is here that you not only say, “Do not be afraid!” but also “I am with you. I am with you always.
Let us celebrate the good news of a newborn king coming into the world
Let us celebrate Christ the King coming this night to all.
.
So let us prepare to receive this child of grace.
Let us bask in the words, “Do not be afraid!’
Let us sing and dance and make a joyful noise, the King of Kings is coming.
The king of kings is born again tonight.

Let us today light the Christ candle in our advent wreath and in our hearts.

Recommended Hymn: Advent Candle Lighting – Light One Candle – Rainbow Songbook # 29 (Light each candle as we sing)

Lighting of the Advent Wreath on Christmas Night

Note: The entire service will be built around lighting the Advent Candles, readings, and hymns.

Call to Worship:~ written by Cheryl Lawrie and posted on [hold this space]. http://holdthisspace.org.au/

Call to Worship: Alleluias

It takes faith beyond imagining
to have come to hear this story
if you are living things too difficult
to be made sense of
by an ancient memory of angels and wise men.

It takes faith beyond imagining
to have come to hear this story
when you know that it will be a greater miracle
than any virgin birth
for love to be born right now in our world.

The alleluias we sing today
will not be to drown out the world’s truths that would deny them;
but to pray they will hold us in their faith.

So we gather
the bewildered, the broken hearted, the fragile and the hopeful
the faithful and the faithless
because all we have left when we stand in the world’s darkness
is this longing for love to be born once again.

Invocation – Holy Spirit, alight on us. Refresh our souls. Revive our hearts. Let us open ourselves to your movement and be attentive to your wake. Embolden our faith this Christmas Eve night that we might dare to believe again in miracles. AMEN

Hymn: O Come all Ye Faithful TNCH # 135

Tonight we will light our Advent candle in an unfolding tale of the Christmas story. First Comes: Hope

First Reading – Isaiah 40:3-5

Our story begins long before the birth of Jesus, long before his conception, long before even Mary was born. Our story begins with a people pushed and pulled, occupied and exiled: a people needing hope in what felt like a hopeless time. These words reverberate throughout our holy scripture, coming first in the book of Isaiah chapter 40 verses 3 through 5 and later through the mouth of John the Baptist as he proclaims the coming of the Lord. Open your heart to hear the hope for the world. May we all work to make it so.

A voice cries out:
“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
and the rough places a plain.
Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

Let us light the candle of hope.

HYMN: The Baptist Shouts on Jordan’s Shore TNCH # 115

Second Reading:
Our second candle will be lit for peace,

a peace that comes beyond all understanding, a peace that comes when you know that you are doing right, even if it is scary, even if you know others may not approve. This peace comes from the phrase that we have heard over and over from our Advent angels, “Be Not Afraid”. In our story tonight, there are two people who showed their bravery to stand where they knew they must, not because they thought it would make them popular, but because they knew they were needed. Let us hear the holy “Yes” that came from both Mary and from Joseph.

In Luke Chapter 1 verses 26-56, let us hear the story of Mary:
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.
In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”
And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

for he has looked with favor on the lowly state of his servant.
Surely from now on all generations will call me blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name;
indeed, his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones
and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things
and sent the rich away empty.
He has come to the aid of his child Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”
And Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.

HYMN: My Heart Sings Out With Joyful Praise TNCH # 106

Third READING:

And in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 1 verses 18-24, we hear of Joseph’s encounter with the Angel:
Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be pregnant from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to divorce her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
“Look, the virgin shall become pregnant and give birth to a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,”
which means, “God is with us.” When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife
Let us Light the candle of Peace which gave Mary and Joseph the strength to make difficult choices

HYMN: Gentle Joseph, Joseph Dear TNCH # 105

Fourth Reading
Our Third Candle is light with joy – –

not just with happiness but with a deep seeded joy that can not be taken from us: a joy of the promise of a child born to us, a joy that means life can be different, a joy that inspires visions of both peace and hope. Open your ears and hear the predictive passage of the shoot that shall come from the stump of Jesse as found in the book of Isaiah chapter 11 verses 1 through 10:

His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see
or decide by what his ears hear,

but with righteousness he shall judge for the poor
and decide with equity for the oppressed of the earth;
he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.

Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist
and faithfulness the belt around his loins.

The wolf shall live with the lamb;
the leopard shall lie down with the kid;
the calf and the lion will feed together,
and a little child shall lead them.

The cow and the bear shall graze;
their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp,
and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.

They will not hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.

Let us Light the candle of Joy for a vision of the world that seems almost impossible and yet we long for it and know that with God all things are possible.

HYMN: O Come, O Come Emmanuel TNCH #116

Fifth Reading:

And what is this all for if not love, a love which is beyond all understanding. God did not need to come and take the form of child, surely not a child of lowly estate born to people not even in their own home and yet this is our story. This is the story we tell at this time of year. A story of a love so great that it was willing to come into this world and share a life with us. Hear now the telling of this birth from Luke chapter 2 verses 1-7

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph 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. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And 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 in the guest room.

Let us Light the Candle of Love

which was born that night not to hoopla and triumphant praise, but it the quiet of stable, unknown to most of the world.

HYMN: O Little Town of Bethlehem TNCH #133

Sixth Reading:
We cannot forget of course the first visitors that came those shepherds who were led by the angels so that they might see the promised one.
Hear Luke 2

Now in that same region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for see, I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them, and Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told them.

HYMN: It came Upon the Midnight Clear TNCH # 131

We have but one more candle to light, but before we do that, let us offer our prayers:

Prayer of Transformation (DMA)

On this night especially, O God, we recognize the distance between hope and reality. Help us to bridge that gap. Let us not just dream and talk of better ways, but let live in the way which your son taught us. Let us Love where it is challenging. Let us bring peace to places of unrest. Let us hope when it seems all is lost. And let us bring harmony to where there is dissonance.

Let us find joy in the simple things and be grateful for the many gifts we have. Let us be generous with all that we have and all that we are.

Let us be as Christ to the world. Honoring each person we meet and seeking for them as we ourselves would want.

Let us not limit this love to only this Advent and Christmas season, but may it shape each day of our lives and may it promote the vision to which you aspire of heaven on earth. We offer this prayer in word and in deed. AMEN

Prayers of the People

Lord, hear our prayers for the world. Enter our hearts and seek in this silence all that we hold within.

Silent reflection
Lord, hear our prayer.
AMEN

OFFERTORY

And now having prayed for the world, let us give to the world. Let us with open hand remember God’s gracious gift coming to us this night and let us imagine what it might look like if we all acted so generously. May we offer to God our thanks and praise.
Offertory Anthem –

Doxology –

Prayer of Dedication

God, on this holy night receive not just our words but our actions. Receive these gifts that we have put forth as a small representation of our heart. May this giving be not an ending, but just a beginning of our willingness to add to the blessings that you flow into this world. May we, and all we have, honor you each day. May we work with you to bring hope, peace, love, joy, and justice into this world by joining in your economics of generosity and reciprocity. May your kin-dom reign now and forevermore. AMEN

And now we prepare to light the last candle: the Christ Candle

Reflection–

Lighting of the Christ Candle

We light the Christ Candle to remember the gift that was given to us of a child so long ago and who comes to us each year.

The thing about this candle is that it is not meant to be the only candle light. Instead, it is the candle which has ignited all the others and so I invite you to stand as we offer our last song, “Silent Night” and prepare to go out into the night in silence and in awe. Deacons will bring you the light and we invite you to pass the light one to another being mindful to tilt the unlit candle into the lit candle rather than the other way around. Let us sing . . . and be filled with the joy, peace, love, and hope of this night.

Spreading of the Light

HYMN: Silent Night TNCH #134

Silently go into the night!

Advent Wreath Lighting the Sunday after Christmas

So all this season, we’ve been lighting these candles. Today I thought perhaps we could do it together and remember.

Who remembers what each of these candles represent?

Who can tell me a little bit about hope?
Light the hope candle

Who can tell me a little bit about love?
Light the love candle

Who can tell me a little bit about joy?
Light the joy candle

Who can tell me a little bit about peace?
Light the Peace candle

Now we have one more. What does this last candle stand for? Why do we wait to light it?

Did you know that Advent wreaths actually did not come into existence until about the 1830’s. Advent itself is not a Biblical mandate, but a way to teach about the coming of Christ. The candles can and sometimes do take on all sorts of different meanings, the most common today are the hope, love, peace and joy that we celebrate, but just as easily can be prophets, Mary and Joseph, shepherds, and angels or anything else we might want to put together that has meaning and purpose.

So I ask you, what does Advent and Christmas mean to you? What does the coming of the light mean in your heart?

Light the Christ Candle

And so for one last time this year, let us sing our Advent Song.

Hymn: Advent Song (Light the Advent Candle) The Faith We Sing #2090 whole song

Citation noted above.

TNCH – The New Century Hymnal

A Thanksgiving Thought –

Liturgy from our Thanksgiving Worship

This was not from this week but last. Unfortunately, I did not get a picture of the beautiful final altarscape with the vessel completely returned to wholeness. We have been putting it together throughout our journey in Exodus and now that they have crossed the Jordan, it is completed.

Call to Worship – based on Psalm 22

Pastor: There are days God feels far away from us

People: God, my god, why have you forsaken me?

Pastor: There are days we wonder if God hears the groanings of our hearts.

People: God, why does it seem you are so far from me?

Pastor: There are times we may wonder if there is a God at all.

People: O God, I cry day and by night, but you are silent and I find no rest.

Pastor: Do not fear, beloved, God is as close as your breath. God is seeking the way of good in every moment. Trust in the Lord your God.

Invocation

Creator, Sustainer, and Protector, make yourself known to us. Do not be far from us, but gather our tears and allay our fears. Let us know you in our hearts. Let us hear you cry out, “ Peace!” in our soul as Jesus did in the storm. Help us to still ourselves and take respite from the world long enough to remember that you are God. AMEN

Preparing

Prayer of Transformation

Teilhard de Chardin offered the ideas that in all our dark moments, God is present. God is in the parting of the fibers of our being and penetrating the very marrow of our substance . . .

Stop.

Listen.

Absorb in the silence the active stillness of a God seeking to work in your heart.

Moment of Stillness

AMEN

Response to Stillness –

May the movement of God within and through you not only work to heal you, but may it heal the whole of the world.

Pastoral Prayer

On this Thanksgiving Sunday, when Christians everywhere proclaim Christ is King, may we give thanks for the people in our lives:

Those who brought us to life,

Those who cared for us when we were young,

Our teachers,

Our mentors,

Our bosses,

Our partners,

Our friends.

Let us give thanks for those who make our days easier:

our mail delivery person,

the person who makes us food or coffee,

the bank tellers,

neighbors,

garage mechanics,

the grocery check out person,

and the bagger.

Let us give thanks for those who seek to make our lives healthier:

our doctors,

physical therapists,

chiropractors,

dentists,

cardiologists,

nurses,

physicians assistants,

mental health professionals,

and nutritionists.

Let us give thanks for those we forget to acknowledge who make life go smoother:

the road workers,

the tree trimmers,

the traffic directors,

the civil engineers,

water treatment staff,

electricians,

plumbers,

carpenters.

We are thankful for all the people who give of their time and talents to make this world a better place. God, may you continue to inspire them in their calling and let them know how their work is truly a ministry in the world.

We pray also this day for those who are feeling down on their luck and for whom giving thanks seems more like a joke than a possibility. May you strengthen their reserves. May you move helpers into their lives. May you make level their path. May you give them concrete and palpable hope that there are those who see them and understand their need.

We pray also for those on our minds today. Hear as we lift their names to you:

(Have people speak the names of those who are on their heart)

We pray all of this in the name of Jesus, our King of Kings, and your son, who taught us to pray saying:

& Lord’s Prayer

Prayer of Illumination –

O Lord, speak to our hearts. Let your words move beyond our ears and take root in the deepest corners of our soul so that it might grow and transform our ways. AMEN

Invitation to share –

Today, we are invited to not only put in our weekly offering, but to dedicate the pledges that have been coming in for weeks. We honor the thoughtful consideration that has gone into deciding how much to pledge to the mission and ministry of this gathered body.

As the plates are passed, please put any final pledges in the plate. We give not out of necessity, but out of desire; not out of confidence, but out of humility; not out of what is left over, but boldly from our first fruits. We give knowing that we together with each other and with God truly can change the world.

Prayer of Dedication

God of the Ages, receive today both our offerings for the day and the promise of tomorrow. Unify us in spirit. Unify us in ministry. Unify us in mission. May you receive our pledges and our gifts. May they show honor to you, and may they go to serve all of the world in your name and to your purpose. AMEN

A Flexible Liturgy

Call to Worship – based on Psalm 19

Pastor: The law of the Lord is perfect;

People: it revives the soul.

Pastor: The decrees of the Lord are sure;

People: making the wise simple.

Pastor: The precepts of the Lord are right.

People: We rejoice in our hearts the ways of God.

Pastor: God’s ways are more precious than gold.

People: They are sweeter than honey dripping fresh from the honeycomb.

Invocation

Holy one, we seek to know you. Enlighten our eyes. Give hunger to our souls. Teach us and show us your ways. Let not just the words of your mouth and the meditations of our heart be acceptable to you, but let all that we do bring you honor and praise. Amen

Unison Prayer of Transformation

God of tangles and frayed edges, we lay ourselves before your seeking healing and wholeness. Patiently untangle our life. Hem our edges and mend the tears. See the beauty in our disarray and weave us even more fully into the wonder and beauty you imagined. Remind us that we are created by your hand and that your acts of creation do not end at our birth. Continue to act on us and in us. Let us become the masterpieces you imagine. AMEN

Assurance of Love

Pastor: God is always working on you, with you, and in you. You are a masterpiece in the making and you are beloved just as you are. Both are true. May you feel the love of God constantly around you, guiding you, sustaining you, and celebrating you.

Pastoral Prayer

Holy God,

Your children are crying. Hear their pain. Be attentive to their suffering. Recognize their fears. Hold them in their anxiety.

Search each person’ heart for that which they are holding onto.

Today, we hold all of humanity. We hold the young and the old and everyone in between. We hold those that live next door, those that live on the other side of the world and everyone in between. We pray for the care of all. We pray for their needs to be met. We pray for not only their survival but for their flourishing.

May warfare be quelled.

May food be plentiful.

May education be available.

May water be clean and the air fresh.

May kindness and compassion, love and care, infuse all.

We pray this for all;

And we pray specifically today for . . .

We pray all of this in the name of your son, Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray together saying . . .

Lord’s Prayer

Prayer of Illumination

Holy and Gracious God,

You have gifted us with language. You gave us letters that we could combine to make words. Words that we could combine to make sentences. Sentences that we can put together to tell stories. Stories which get built up and retold to create our culture. As we hear our story today, let us hear at all levels. What did this story mean? What might it mean now? What can it mean in the future? Bless our hearing. Bless our understanding. AMEN

Prayer of Dedication

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Adonai. You have poured on us abundant blessings. We recognize that what we return is but a portion of what we received. We are so grateful for all that you have done; so receive these gifts as a token of our gratitude and a sign of our appreciation. As we give here in these plates, we give also through our lives. Accept it all with the honor with which it was given. AMEN

Gravestone Blessing

I have been asked to bless a gravestone. The funeral was almost a year ago now. The family would like the “service” to be relatively brief.

Here is what I will offer. I hope that it might help you if you are asked for such a liturgy yourself. I had a hard time coming by one online, so perhaps this may inspire you.

The opening and the benediction are original pieces with the prayers coming from AI after I fed the entirety of the memorial liturgy into it to create the blessing.

Blessing of a Gravestone

WELCOME AND PURPOSE
We are here today to bless the headstone that marks the resting place of [Name]—wife, mother, grandmother, and friend.

We are here to again remember and give thanks for her life,
and to honor the grief and the loss that still sits in our hearts as a result of her death.

We come knowing time goes on,
and not wanting to forget her or let her be forgotten.

This is a day of marking this space and this place in her name.
This is a day to remember the love that she imparted and the life that she lived.

Throughout history, stones have been a way to mark the final resting places of those we love.
In fact, some say that the placing of rocks upon the graves of those we love marks a turning point in human evolution:
a point where emotion and connection overtook utility.

Over time, simple acts to mark a grave were enhanced with more formal commemorative markers—
meant not just for those who already knew the one who had died,
but also to proclaim who they were to the world for all time.

One of the earliest burials in our sacred story comes from Genesis 35,
where Jacob buries his wife Rachel and sets a stone to honor and remember her.
The scripture says:
“So Rachel died, and she was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem),
and Jacob set up a pillar at her grave. It is the pillar of Rachel’s tomb, which is there to this day.”

And so today, we bless this stone which has been set in honor of our beloved [Name].

PRAYER
O God,
We pray for your presence in this place,
for your Spirit to rest upon this stone,
and for your love to surround all who gather here.

Bless this marker, O Holy One,
that it may stand as a witness to a life well-lived—
a life of beauty, of kindness, of devotion,
of gardens tended and homes made warm,
of dogs rescued and meals prepared,
of love poured out in quiet, steady ways.

Let this stone be a signpost of memory,
a place where grief is honored and love is rekindled.

May it speak not only of death,
but of the life that continues in those who remember,
and in the communion of saints that surrounds us still.

MOMENT OF REMEMBRANCE
Let us take a moment to be still—
to remember [Name]’s laughter, her labor, her love.
To recall the way she made a house a home,
the way she moved through the world with purpose and grace,
and the way her life continues to shape our own.

(Silence)

BLESSING OF THE STONE

Holy and Loving God,
by your mighty power you gave us life,
and in your love you have given us new life in Christ.
We now bless this stone,
set here in memory of [Name].

May it stand as a testimony to her life and legacy,
a place of peace for those who mourn,
and a reminder that nothing—not even death—can separate us from your love.

May all who pass by this place feel the warmth of her spirit,
the strength of her devotion,
and the beauty she cultivated in every corner of her life.

Benediction
May this gravestone stand as a reminder to all of [Name]’s love and life,
and may each of you be living stone, which also speaks of her to the world.
In her honor,

may you go and live life to the fullest,
enjoying nature, each other, and each day that you are blessed to continue to walk this earth.
May her memory live through you and may it continue to be a blessing to you.
Go with God’s blessing and peace. AMEN

Blessing of the Animals Worship Liturgy . . .

Call to Worship- based on Psalm 25

Pastor: To you, Abba, I lift my soul.

People: In you, Amma, I trust.

Pastor: Let us take solace in you.

Pastor: Let us learn your ways.

People: Make straight our paths.

Pastor: Teach us truth and wisdom.

Pastor: Let us leave our troubles.

People: Revive our hopes.

Pastor: We wait for you.

Invocation

God of slow time, in our impatience we try to direct. We like to demand things in our time and in our way. In this time though, right now, encourage us to let go of the reins and listen for you. Amen

Prayer of Transformation

Holy God, You created us in your image. Help us to continue to develop and mature in that image. There is so much that draws us away from you and taints our reflection. Call us back to your dream and hope. Help us trim the waste and release the build-up on our original sacred form. Teach us to listen to your still small voice within and give us the strength to follow wherever you might lead.

In you,

Through you,

And for you,

Let us develop to the fullness that you imagine. AMEN

Assurance of Pardon

May you know God is always working with us, in us, and through us. God loves you just as you are and seeks to help you grow. May the love and acceptance of God offer you the nourishment you need as you continue to heal and bloom.

Pastoral Prayer

Today, O Lord, we lift the world in prayer:

The places of strife,

The places of civil war,

The places of poverty, hunger, and pestilence.

We pray for the places, where there is what seems to be an impenetrable chasm between the rich and the poor.

We pray for those places that turn a deaf ear to the needs of the people and only line their own pockets,

We pray for those places where the rule of law is being side stepped for the enrichment and comfort of a few,

We pray for people being displaced and disappeared for those being deported, and for those living in fear that they are next.

There is so much on our mind and our heart.

Search for that which we have forgotten to say.

We pray also for the individuals known to us who are in need today. Hear now as we name them.

We pray all of this in the name of your son and our teach, Jesus, who taught us to pray together saying:

& Lord’s Prayer

Invitation to share

We are invited now to share. It is not a demand. It is not a requirement. It is not a key to heaven. It is an invitation into the reciprocity of creation. Seeds are sown. Plants grow. Fruits are harvested. Meals are made and served. We are invited to participate in a system of grace, gratitude, and giving. May you hear the invitation and respond with joyous love and appreciation.

Prayer of Dedication

God of all that was, is, and ever will be, acknowledge the gifts that we have brought forth. Like the fall harvest, you have long ago planted seeds within us. They have grown and born fruit; and so, we return a portion to honor what we received first from you. May these gifts represent our gratitude and thanksgiving for all that you have done, and may they go forward to plant and assure a crop of the future. AMEN

NOTE: Permission granted for use for religious or educational purposes with citation.

The blessing took place in lieu of our chancel steps time. The kids helped to bless the animals. Each animal was given a certificate and a cookie if it was allowed by their owner.

The sermon was based on the story of Balaam’s Donkey Numbers 22:21-33. This reading does not appear in the lectionary and is rarely shared in Sunday School stories so often is unknown to a congregation.

From our Ghana Sunday Service

Our church has a partnership with a community in Kpenoe, Ghana. This partnership has been in existence since 2008. To learn more about the partnership, visit https://www.wolfeboroucc.org/ghana.

Each year we renew our covenant with them and celebrate our friendship. This liturgy comes from that service in 2025.

This is a picture from last year’s celebration in which we centered the idea of harvest and the blessing of sustenance as embodied in the Yam.

Call to Worship Based on Psalm 33 –

Pastor: Rejoice in the Lord

People: Praise the Lord with instrument and voice.

Pastor: Sing to God a new song.

People: Play with vigor and joy.

Pastor: The Earth reverberates with the steadfast love of the Lord.

People: Let us tremble and stand in awe of God.

Pastor: Our soul shimmers in response to the creator.

People: our souls wait for God and are glad.

Invocation –

Holy and awesome God, we celebrate your presence amongst and between us. We honor all of your creation. Open our eyes to see you in all the ways you make yourself known to us. Let us learn more about you as we learn about each other. Amen

Prayer of Transformation

Lord,

I open my heart to you.

Soften it where it has hardened.

Move it toward compassion.

When I seek to protect it, keep me open and attentive to what it says.

Remind me of the courage and strength it contains so that I may support spiritual siblings.

Keep me aware of its inner yearnings.

Remind me that a heart is not divisible, but exponentially expandable.

Open my heart, O Lord.

Let me be crafted by your hand and be as you need me in this world. AMEN

Pastoral Prayer

Holy parent of all,

As we pray today, we cannot forget the wider world: not only those places that we are familiar with, but the points and places we may never see, the people who look and speak differently than us. People of different cultures, histories, and faiths. We bring before you, O God, the whole of the world and the world itself.

We pray for the planet

and for the people of every nation who inhabit it.

We pray for the soil under our feet, the air in the sky, the water that flows through the land and sits in aquifers underground.

We pray for the swallow and the orca, for the spider and the sea cucumber.

We pray for the iris and the prairie grass,

for peat moss and the giant sequoia,

for all that lives and breathes.

We pray for the interaction and the interchange that each has with the other.

Let us all remember that each is connected to you and a reflection of you.

We also pray for those specifically known to us that need your love and care this day . . . (Lift up your arms and let the congregation fill it with the names of their loved ones in need)

And all those we don’t know to name or don’t know how to name.

We pray this all in the name of Jesus. Our brother, your son. Who taught us to pray together saying:

Lord’s Prayer . . .

To be mindful of the reciprocity of this relationship – this will be our words to invite giving:

Invitation to share

Generosity is a very important concept in Ghana. One of their precepts is that we share because we are blessed with things to share. Unlike our tendency to assure that we have “enough” first, people in Ghana say, “Because I have something. I need to share.” So let us with joy consider what we have and therefore, what we need to share. As you decide what that is, whether dollars or actions; talents or treasurers; may you dance up your gift. Letting the joy of gift carry you into the act of giving.

We will also be interspersing the idea of hand washing within the worship to remind us that it is not only us doing the giving and they the receiving, but that we both learn and grow by through our relationship. At multiple times during the worship will will enact a symbolic hand washing, remembering that one hand washes the other. And thus our Prayer of Dedication following the collection of the offering will be:

Prayer of Dedication

Holy One, you have given and we have received. We are blessed and so we pass on that blessing. We send out our blessings into the world so that others too may be blessed. Let us continue the washing of one another’s hands as we celebrate the many gifts that you have poured upon us all. AMEN

Here is the link to last year’s Ghana Sunday worship: https://youtu.be/UYfCHU4yU68?si=DtF65pIp8ANU7bUE

Some liturgy from our mornings by the lakeside

Start in silent reflection:

Pastor: Before there was, there wasn’t.

Before there is, there was.

After there is, there will be.

May it be so.

Let us take a few moments to remember our place in all that was, is, and will be.

Lighting of the Candle

Pastor: Let us light the candle to remember in all of this there was, is, and will be God.

Call to worship:

Pastor: God bid us come to the lakeshore,

People: and we came.

Pastor: God calls us to love our neighbors as ourselves,

People: and we try.

Pastor: God inspires us to go out and do as Jesus did,

People: and we go

Pastor: bringing the love of God and the compassion of Jesus

People: where we can, when we can, and how we can. AMEN

Invocation:

God, you call us to be church in this world; not to go to church, but to be your church. We are here seeking to be just that: to refuel, to remember, to be revived. Send your Spirit upon us that we might be refilled to go out and share your love with the world that deeply needs it. AMEN

HYMN: Come Down to the Lakeshore –

The First Word

Let us hear this word offered by Abba Serinus:

They said of Abba Serinus that he used to work hard and always ate two small loaves. Abba Job, his companion and himself a great ascetic, went to see him and said, “I am careful about what I do in the cell, but when I come out I do as the brothers do.” Abba Serinus said to him, “there is no great virtue in keeping to your regime in your cell, but there is if you keep it when you come out of your cell.”

Here ends our reading. May God add to our understanding.

Silent Reflection

The Second Word: Acts 5: 1-10

Silent Reflection

Response – offering people an opportunity to reflect

Reflection – longer sharing from clergy or other worship leader

UNISON PRAYER- Inspired by the work of George MacLeod found in John Phillip Newell’s book Rebirthing God with the help of AI and editing.

Gathering God,
You join us together like the waters of this lake—
distinct, yet inseparable.

In a world that divides,
make us one in compassion,
one in hope,
one in the creation of justice.

Let us recognize our uniqueness

and also celebrate what we are when we come together.

In our interconnectedness,

let no one feel forgotten,
let every voice be heard,
And let each drop show its full wonder.

Let us together
be a glimpse of your kin-dom and our eternal home.
AMEN

PRAYER FOR THE PEOPLE

Pastor: Are there people that we should hold in our prayers today?

Pastor: May God be with each and offer them healing and hope as they have need. AMEN

UNISON PRAYER FOR THE OFFERING of GIFTS

Holy One, In a world where many are taught to hold tightly to what they have and seek to acquire more for fear of not enough, we have chosen to hear you and to open our hands and our heart. Receive these gifts as a sign of our love and commitment to you and your vision for this world. We trust in you. AMEN

Closing Litany – Lao-Tse

Pastor: If there is to be peace in the world,

People: There must be peace in the nations.

Pastor: If there is to be peace in the nations,

People: There must be peace in the cities,

Pastor: If there is to be peace in the cities,

People: There must be peace between neighbors.

Pastor: If there is to be peace between neighbors,

People: There must be peace in the home.

Pastor: If there is to be peace in the home,

People: There must be peace in the heart.

RESPONSIVE HYMN: Let there be Peace on Earth

Mid-week meditation – Literary Version

Here is a fun and interesting writing prompt that you can take into any book or character in the Bible. Frankly, you can use it in secular ways as well.

Take a word – Book of the Bible, Character, Value. I suppose even a short verse.
Write it vertically like you want to create an acrostic poem
Then write a story / poem being sure to include words that begin with those letters.

This is a fun and interesting way to engage with the text.

Here is an example of one that I wrote for Genesis (specifically Genesis 1:1-2)

Generally, in the beginning, we believe, is where things started, but our beginning begins in the deep. A deep that

Existed before time: a place of void and darkness, but also of possibility and

Newness. Nothingness is not nothingness if it is describable, if it is navigable, if it

Exists. So what was before there was? What was this vast

Sea that the wind blew on? How was it born? How did it begin? Was there something before that melted

Into the primordial soup? Or was this the beginning of God’s

Soup recipe? Set one part chaos to simmer. Stir lightly with the movement of the Spirit. Wait. Watch. And voila– Life!