December 21, 2020 6 pm Drive-In WINTER SOLSTICE SERVICE Blue Christmas and the Longest Night Washtenaw Conference of the SEMI Synod ELCA PRELUDE: “Of the Father’s Love Begotten” - Madeleine Macy and Kevin Foye WELCOME Pastor Jim welcomes us. Welcome to our Longest Night, Blue Christmas worship service with the Washtenaw Conference of the Southeast Michigan Synod of the ELCA. We are glad you’ve joined us tonight, be it in your cars or in your homes. While Advent is a season of hope and Christmas is a season of joy, not everyone feels hopeful or like celebrating. Grief, illness, aging, depression, loneliness, unemployment, and loss are magnified. And this year, COVID-19 has changed everything. Too many people have lost their lives. The pandemic has also taken away joyful occasions like weddings, graduations, family gatherings, ball games, school, and so much more. Even those who are not struggling with losses may feel the stress of preparations and expectations around Christmas time. A Longest Night, Blue Christmas service provides a time and place of solace during the often frenetic days surrounding the celebration of Christmas. We come together seeking healing and room to share grief, sadness, loneliness, or confusion when these emotions often feel out of place during the holidays. 1 In the Northern Hemisphere, December 21 is the longest night, the winter solstice. It marks the shortest day of the year, the official start of winter. Tradition says that nature and all her creatures stop and hold their breath to see if the sun will turn back from its wanderings, if the days will lengthen and the earth will once again feel the sun’s warmth. On this darkest day of the year, we come with our honest yearnings seeking the return of light and hope. This year the winter solstice is extra special. For the first time in 800 years, Saturn and Jupiter have aligned to create the Christmas star which is visible for tonight only. May we feel God’s presence with us as we worship together on the longest night. GATHERING The Holy Spirit calls us together as the people of God OPENING WORDS / CALL TO WORSHIP Vicar Anna leads us in our opening words. We invite you to recognize the darkness of this night around you. Take a deep breath in and release it as we prepare our hearts and minds for worship. God tells the people of Israel through the prophet Isaiah “I will give you the treasures of darkness and riches hidden in secret places, so that you may know that it is I, the LORD, the God of Israel, who call you by your name.” - Is 45:3 Let us give thanks to God for the treasures of darkness. THANKSGIVING FOR DARKNESS © Elle Dowd The Lord be with you. And also with you. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give our thanks and praise. 2 We give you thanks, O God, for your creative power present in darkness. In the beginning when the world was a formless void, your spirit hovered over the darkness of the surface of the deep and by your commands the world became teeming with life. In the darkness of Mary’s womb you knit together your Son, Jesus, incarnate of flesh and blood, God with us. In the darkness of the tomb, before the first light of Easter, in the shadows of a graveyard you rose again with a love and a power greater than death. May your holy mysteries be ever more present with us in the beauty of the darkness of this longest night. Amen. GATHERING SONG: “I Don’t Wanna Know Christmas Without You” by Rett Madison - Alison Roberts OPENING PRAYER Pastor Vicky leads us in our opening prayer. Mighty God, you spoke to your people in the pillar of cloud as they walked together in the wilderness. Speak to us through your Word today, that we may hear you calling us out of the wilderness places in our lives and into new places you have promised to show us. In the name of Christ, we pray. Amen. WORD God speaks to us in scripture reading, preaching, and song. Pastors Elizabeth, Alex, Lori, and Marie lead us in our reflections for the night. FIRST MEDITATION: Luke 1:38, 46-55 3 38 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. 46 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. 50 His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. 51 He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. 52 He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; 53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. 54 He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, 55 according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.” Reflection – Pastor Elizabeth SECOND MEDITATION: Mark 1:1-81 1 The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 2 As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, “See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; 3 the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: 4 ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,’” 4 John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6 Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. 8 I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” Reflection – Pastor Alex THIRD MEDITATION: Matthew 1:18-25 18 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 with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. 20 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. 21 She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23 “Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means, “God is with us.” 24 When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took 5 her as his wife, 25 but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus. “Blessing When the World is Ending” © Jan Richardson Look, the world is always ending somewhere. Somewhere the sun has come crashing down. Somewhere it has gone completely dark. Somewhere it has ended with the gun, the knife, the fist. Somewhere it has ended with the slammed door, the shattered hope. Somewhere it has ended with the utter quiet that follows the news from the phone, the television, the hospital room. Somewhere it has ended with a tenderness that will break your heart. But, listen, 6 this blessing means to be anything but morose. It has not come to cause despair. It is simply here because there is nothing a blessing is better suited for than an ending, nothing that cries out more for a blessing than when a world is falling apart. This blessing will not fix you, will not mend you, will not give you false comfort; it will not talk to you about one door opening when another one closes. It will simply sit itself beside you among the shards and gently turn your face toward the direction from which the light will come, gathering itself about you as the world begins again. Reflection – Pastor Lori 7 FOURTH MEDITATION: Matthew 2:13-18 13 Now after they had left, 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.” 14 Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, 15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, “Out of Egypt I have called my son.” 16 When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men.