Taize Worship December 12, 2019 Waiting and Listening: Anticipating Emmanuel Led by Pastor John Angiulo Casas Adobes Congregational Church An Open and Affirming Congregation of the United Church of Christ 6801 North Oracle Road Tucson, Arizona 85704-4222 www.caucc.org Pastor John: [email protected] 520.297.1181 A period of silence and meditation begins about 15 minutes before the service. When the music begins, please observe silence. Bell Calling Us Together Song: *Bless the Lord #9 *You are invited to begin singing after the cantor has sung it through once alone. Prayer O God, help me to wait well. I surrender my need to be in control, trusting that You will reveal Yourself as I need. Walk with me as I strive for a balance between holiday commotion and personal calmness. Invite me to enter the spirit of Advent and encourage the stillness required to become attentive to the stirrings of my soul. Only in stillness and quiet can I hear Your gentle whisperings and embrace the presence of Emmanuel in the world. Only in stillness and quiet do I become aware of my dependence on You, and allow You to reshape my heart, O God, surrendering more to Your will day by day. Amen. Silence The First Reading Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.” The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will -2- be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.” Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak. When his time of service was completed, he returned home. After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.” Gospel of Luke 1:18-25 NRSV Song: *Wait for the Lord #12 The Great Silence Song: *Let Us Praise Your Name #13 Light of Christ The candle reminds us of the Divine Light which is present in all life. The Second Readings The thought of my affliction and my homelessness is wormwood and gall! My soul continually thinks of it and is bowed down within me. But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: the steadfast love of God never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “God is my portion,” says my soul, -3- “therefore I will hope in him.” The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul that seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of God. It is good for one to bear the yoke in youth, to sit alone in silence when the Lord has imposed it, to put one’s mouth to the dust (there may yet be hope), to give one’s cheek to the smiter, and be filled with insults. Hebrew Scriptures, The Book of Lamentations 3:19-30 NRSV Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. Christian Scriptures, The Epistle of James 5:7-8 NRSV Songs: *Nothing Can Trouble #29 *Lord of All Goodness #30 The Third Readings We sometimes make spiderwebs of smoke and saliva, fragile thought-packets. Leave thinking to the one who gave intelligence. In silence there is eloquence. Stop weaving and watch how the pattern improves. Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī, 13th century Persian poet, Islamic scholar, theologian, and Sufi mystic Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply. Stephen Covey, 1932–2012, American educator, author, businessman, and speaker If there were a little more silence, if we all kept quiet…maybe we could understand something. Federico Fellini, 1920–1993, Italian film director and screenwriter -4- The Lord is coming, always coming. When you have ears to hear and eyes to see, you will recognize him at any moment of your life. Life is Advent; life is recognizing the coming of the Lord. Henri Nouwen, 1932-1996, Dutch Catholic priest, professor, writer and theologian Renewal of the People Time of Silent Prayer, we close with our Meditative Response Invitation to Silent Prayer But they who wait for the God shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31 Silence Meditative Response in unison I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope. Psalm 130:5 Songs: *In the Lord #47 *Sing Praises #48 An Invitation to the Quiet You are invited to remain after worship until 7:30 pm. There is no need to hurry. Meditative music will continue as you pray, reflect, and experience the presence of God’s Spirit. Be open to that transforming Spirit. Then, when your personal time is done, please leave in silence. God be with you. -5- I was recently at an interfaith planning meeting where we were trying to decide on a theme for an upcoming prayer service. After going through a list of virtues like peace, love, harmony, kindness, someone in the group suggested “listening.” At first, “listening” seemed like an odd addition to the list of virtues, but as we discussed the topics it became clear how important the gift of listening is. As we listen, we quiet ourselves in the silence and focus our attention on someone else. Listening is a selfless act and as such, it promotes the other virtues like peace, love, harmony and kindness. In advent we are called to sit in quiet anticipation. We embrace stillness as we await the coming of Emmanuel, “God with Us.” Listening is an important part of what this season is about. We listen for that small voice of God that calls out in the wilderness, “Prepare the way”. In the Bible, we read how the prophet Elijah sought the presence of God on the mountain. But God was not found in the earthquake, nor in the sound of thunder, nor in the flashes of lightning. Rather God could be found in the gentle whispering of the wind, in the gentle breeze. The gift of the gentle voice of God can be elusive, especially during the season where U.S. pop culture screams out, “It’s Christmas! Do! Go! Shop! Make!” -6- In the midst of the thunder, stop. Don’t talk. Don’t plan for conversation. Shut out distractions and the noise of the world calling you away from necessary things. Be fully present and aware of the space around you and those near you. Now listen; don’t just hear. Listen to others, listen to your heart beating, listen to God. Take intentional time to discern, interpret, react and empathize. In the midst of a world absorbed in “noise pollution”—there is an urgent need for silence. You will find there are many positive fruits that flow from silence. If you take time to listen, a feast awaits you. Peace, Pastor John -7- If you are inspired or encouraged by this service, please consider inviting others to Taizé. Upcoming Schedule January 9th, February 13th, and March 12th The service is the second Thursday of the month unless we have to change for scheduling issues, then notifications will be sent. More Information Visit our website at www.caucc.org. Stay Informed If you would like to receive reminder emails about Taizé, please email the office [email protected] . Free Will Offering The free-will offering supports the Taizé service. Donations may be placed in the collection plate at the back of the sanctuary. Thank you. .