Embracing the Longest Night: A Special Service of Reflection

Foreign.

Thank you for engaging with the homily by Pastor Chill Will from

Chapel Hill.

I hope this message encourages you, challenges you and moves you

to go deeper in your faith and enrich how you love God and love

your neighbor in your day to day life.

Just a reminder.

Like the scriptures and gospels themselves, this homily was

written for a particular community in a particular, particular

context, time in history.

And yet, like our sacred texts, I hope that these words hold

timeless truths about God's unconditional love and grace.

We hope these words speak to you in a meaningful way.

Good afternoon.

Good to see all of you here and those who are gathered online

as we gather for our longest night worship service.

Lutherans have a history with both and we believe Christ to be

both human and divine.

We have a theology acknowledging that a part of our

human condition is that we're both faint and sinner.

We don't have a problem with faith and reason, with doubt and

faith.

And over the last few years we've been talking about grief and

how we understand the stages of grief, that we're okay with two

or three or four emotions occupying ourselves all at the same

time.

And so part of this service, the reality of this service is acknowledging

and giving ourselves permission that in the midst of this

very joyous, happy, bright season that it can also be hard and

filled with grief.

It can be blue, blue Christmas in the season of the Advent.

And so part of this service is the acknowledgment and giving ourselves

permission to feel all kinds of things in this season that perhaps

faith and doubt, grief and sorrow, loneliness and happiness

and joyful expectation all live in the same house.

This body, my emotions, and oftentimes these.

What look like polar opposites or different feelings and emotions

and realities, they can sometimes gather around and have

a drink, maybe a cup of coffee, maybe have a meal.

I'm sure they have lots of conversation.

They sometimes argue, they sometimes see the world differently,

but hopefully they can have a friendship and a companionship as

we journey through life together.

And that's what this service is about this afternoon.

And so the language and the prayers and the hymns and the silence

is very intentional to capture what we're feeling.

Perhaps.

Some words or phrases or songs or prayers will resonate with us

what we're going through this season.

And so allow yourself to feel what you're feeling.

You have permission.

And also allow the the Spirit of God, Emmanuel, perhaps shine something

new within.

You to move you through this season.

So today is the winter solstice, the longest night of the

year.

In the northern hemisphere, hemisphere on Earth.

In our position with the sun.

But then begin tomorrow.

The days start getting just a little.

Bit longer each and every day as we move from this spot on.

And so tonight, as we sing, as we pray, as we reflect, we acknowledge

that the light of Christ comes to us and and guides us through the

next steps and journey of our lives.

Tonight we gather, daring to wonder if God indeed comes in Jesus,

discerning the rejection we have known, intimate with our failed

relationships, holding our heartache in hands of tenderness.

Tonight we gather with neighbors and strangers.

A family made one by our brokenness, coming with our hearts

full of hope and our heads filled with doubt.

Holy God of Advent, you became weak so that we would find strength

in moments of heartbreak.

You left the safety of heaven to.

Wander the wilderness of this world, holding our hands when we

feel hopeless.

Set aside your glory to hold our pain that we might be healed

even when there seems to be no hope.

You became one of us.

We would never be alone in any moment, in any circumstance.

So come now, child of Bethlehem, you strengthen us in these

days and we feel your present way that we've never known.

Not just as one born in a stable long ago and far away, but

as one born in our hearts.

You have promised to go before us, into our brokenness, into hospital

rooms, into empty houses, into graveyards, into our future held

by God.

You are here even now, waiting for each of us.

Serve us, to hold us, comfort us, heal us who live in us now and

forever.

Amen.

All around us are the sights and sounds of Christmas, gentle God,

the laughter of parties, songs of carolers, shouts of.

Children and music in every store.

Deep within us we carry our pain.

Our grief walks with us every step we take.

Loneliness is a shaw we drape over our shoulders on empty nights.

So in this time, when every night.

Stretches into eternity, we come to you bringing our gifts.

Not gold, frankincense and myrrh, but grief, bitterness and.

The season when so many people don't have enough hours in a day

to get their lists checked off, their cards mailed, their presence

wrapped.

We have all the time in the world remember the loss that has

stolen the joy of the season, the grieve over a job, a dream, a

loved one.

Sit in the shadows of our homes, too weary to turn on the lights.

Wander the streets lit by lights on all the houses, but not

by the light of the world.

God of hope, you shed your light in the darkness of this world.

Grant that we may always live in the promise of your word made

flesh Inspire and empower us to be your body in the world.

God of mercy, you comfort all in need of your all in need of your

tender care.

Watch over those who are sick, those who mourn, those who struggle

with addiction, those who wrestle with loneliness, those who

struggle in the midst of holiday joy.

God of peace, our world longs for shalom.

Establish your justice in the nations of this world, that almighty

strive for the well being of all creation, the good of all people.

Out of joy you fill our world with the light of your presence that

we may share in word indeed the good news of Christ's coming.

May God bless you and keep you.

May God's holy darkness enfold you and grant you rest.

May God nourish a seed of hope among us.

Amen.

Foreign.

Thank you for listening.

If there is anything that stood out for you, or if you have

a question or you just want to have a conversation, you are always

free to reach out and contact us.

And remember you are not alone and that you are loved with a love

stronger than and death.