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Paradise Lutheran ChurchBlue Christmas Service December 20, 2020Welcome to this “Blue Christmas” or “Longest Night” service, a time when we can, with others, acknowledge the “blue” feelings we might have at Christmas time. For some, Christmas Day is the most difficult. For others, it may be Christmas Eve, or New Year’s Eve, or the beginning of another lonely New Year. In this service, we'll have some singing appropriate to the season, recognizing that this is not a season of joy for everyone. We will invite you to reflect on the pain, the loneliness, or the sadness you may feel and offer it to God for healing and transformation. We pray that you will find hope and comfort in knowing that you are not alone, for you are held in the community of Christ’s people and in the embrace of the God who has taken human life into God’s own heart.GreetingLeader: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.All: And also with you.Opening PrayerLeader: God of abundant mercy, you have given us grace to pray with one heart and one voice, even though our hearts are broken and our voices tremble with grief and sorrow. Comfort, comfort, Lord, your holy people. Comfort those of us who sit in darkness, beneath the weight of grief and fear. Speak to us of the peace that awaits us, of the balm of healing for our weary and wounded souls. We ask all this, trusting in the promise you have made to hear the prayers of two or three who have gathered in the Name of your Holy Child, Jesus.All: Amen.Hymn: “How Long, O God” (led by cantor) 1"How long, O God?" the psalmist cries,a cry we make our own,for we are lost, alone, afraid,and far away from home.3Your grace, O God, seems far away;will healing ever come?Our broken lives lie broken still;will night give way to dawn?4How can we hope? How can we sing?O God, set free our voiceto name the sorrows, name the pain,that we might yet rejoice.5"How long, O God?" the psalmist cries,a cry we make our own.Though we are lost, alone, afraid,our God will lead us home.Text: Ralph F. Smith, 1950-1994Prayer from Psalm 25 (selected verses)All: To you, O?Lord, I lift up my soul.?O my God, in you I trust.Make me to know your ways, O?Lord;teach me your paths.Lead me in your truth, and teach me,????for you are the God of my salvation;????for you I wait all day long.Be mindful of your mercy, O?Lord, and of your steadfast love,????for they have been from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions;????according to your steadfast love remember me,????for your goodness’ sake, O?Lord!Turn to me and be gracious to me,for I am lonely and afflicted.Relieve the troubles of my heart,????and bring me?out of my distress.Consider my affliction and my trouble,????and forgive all my sins. Amen.Time for reflection. In the silence, perhaps consider:What in your soul do you lift up to God’s gaze today?In what concerns do you seek God’s guidance and leading?What sins or struggles weigh on you?What are the troubles of your heart today?A reading from Isaiah (selected verses from Isaiah 40)Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid… Lift up your eyes on high and see: Who created these? He who brings out their host and numbers them, calling them all by name; because he is great in strength, mighty in power, not one is missing. Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the?Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God”? Have you not known? Have you not heard? The?Lord?is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; but those who wait for the?Lord?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. A reading from Matthew (11:28-29)"Come to me, all you who are weary and carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."Time for reflection. In the silence, perhaps consider:Do you feel that God hears and sees you? What do you hope God hears or sees?What makes you feel weary or powerless?What burdens are you carrying? Are there others carrying burdens for whom you pray today?Response from Psalm 56:8Leader: O Lord, you have kept record of my days of wandering.All: You have stored my tears in your bottle and counted each of them.Candle Lighting Litany of RemembranceIf you plan to light your own candles at home, now is the time to have them ready.Leader: Immanuel, God with us, in this season of looking forward, of anticipating the celebration of your Son's birth and return in glory, we often find ourselves uncomfortable, uneasy, worried, and sad. The lights and gaiety, the music, the bright joy around us, often make us more unquiet, more out of step, feeling even more disconnected and different.All: Come, holy Child of Bethlehem.Leader: Some of these feelings come from false expectations. Others come from real situations and issues that face us or those we love. Some are from events we may influence, and some are beyond our control. Trusting in your grace and provision, we name these concerns and face the pain and disquiet they cause us. We claim your promise to be our companion in bearing them. We claim your steadfast love for us, knowing you will help us find peace for our troubled spirits. We claim your wise and merciful power, that you will meet each need as is best for us. During each of the following petitions, we will light one candle; in the silence that follows each petition, you are invited to add your own prayers.Leader: God of Light and Life, we light this candle for all those who are struggling with issues involving physical or mental health. We especially remember those dealing with Covid-19, cancer, terminal illness, depression, or thoughts of suicide. May its light remind us all of the healing available to us in Christ Jesus. Hear our prayers that anguish be minimized and your good plan fulfilled for all who suffer. SilenceLeader: We light this candle for all those who are struggling with issues involving financial concerns, job loss, or crushing debt. May its light remind us all that you are the Great Provider, and you give us our daily bread. Empower us to take the steps we can to solve these problems. Draw us to the right people and programs to help us. Direct public leaders who have the power to make a difference.SilenceLeader: We light this candle for all those who grieve. You know our deepest need, you understand our pain—lost dreams, lost opportunities, the separation of death. May its light remind us that we are not orphaned, we are not alone. Grant us grace that in pain we may find comfort, in sorrow hope, and in death resurrection.Silence Leader: We light this candle for all those who wrestle with the chains of addiction. Help us to name that which enslaves us and face it: food, alcohol, drugs, pornography, shopping, escapism, self- medication, and self-abuse in all its forms. May this candle bring your light to those secret, and not so secret, activities of imprisonment. Hear our prayers for deliverance and freedom; help us and those we love to break the hold of these evils. SilenceLeader: We light this candle for all those who are victims of violence or injustice in any of its forms. Pour forth encouragement to claim your help in healing physically and spiritually, to trust in your justice, and to find assistance and freedom. Guide us to shine the light of truth-telling and peace-making wherever possible.SilenceLeader: We light this candle for all those who are experiencing the pain of broken relationships with family, children, spouses, and friends. May its light remind us of the pure communion you desire for all your creation. Our desire for this same communion makes estrangement so painful. Lead us to relinquish the hold broken relationships have on us, to forgive ourselves for our contribution to the breach, to forgive those who have hurt us, and to take the steps to mend that relationship, if possible. SilenceLeader: We light this candle for all those who are suffering the consequences of war, famine and unbridled disease. May its light remind us of your holy calling to everyone who believes you are the light of the world. Change the hearts of all who resort to violence, who seek revenge. Protect those who find themselves far from home serving their nations or the needy. We know you are in the midst of those in anguish and pray that your healing presence will be seen, felt, and embraced. Reveal to us how to join in your saving work—to make tangible gifts to alleviate suffering, to support those on the front lines of natural and manmade disasters, to pray unceasingly for peace in our families, our neighborhoods, our world. SilenceLeader: We light this candle for all those who are estranged from you, who are besieged with doubts, who are overwhelmed by the world and do not claim your presence in their lives. We pray for them, and therefore for ourselves, for we confess that each of us knows this condition. Lord, may the light of your love lead us all home to you. SilenceLeader: We light this final candle for the prayers of our own hearts that we offer to you in our silence.A longer silenceLeader: We ask all these things in Jesus’ name. All: Amen.ClosingLeader: Let us pray. O Christ, you are our Light, even when the world is dark. As the psalmist says in psalm 139, “If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light around me become night,’ even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is as bright as the day, for darkness is as light to you.” Let your light scatter the darkness, O God, and incline our hearts to trust you in faith.All: Amen.Leader: As a statement of hopeful trust, let us pray together the 23rd psalm.All: The?Lord?is my shepherd; I shall not?be in want. The?Lord?makes me lie down?in green pastures and leads me beside still waters. You restore my?soul, O?Lord, and guide me along right pathways?for your name’s sake. Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall?fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they?comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence?of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil, and my cup is?running over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days?of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the?Lord?forever.Leader: Today we have come to name and embrace the darkness that is present both in the world and in our own lives. As people who are familiar with the darkness, we also know that we long to be illumined by the light of the Christ child this Christmas season. May Jesus, born in a lowly stable, himself an outcast and one who suffered, bring light, comfort, peace, and joy this season.All: Amen.Hymn: “O Come, O Come Emmanuel,” verses 1, 6, 7 (led by cantor) 1O come, O come, Emmanuel,and ransom captive Israel,that mourns in lonely exile hereuntil the Son of God appear.RefrainRejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuelshall come to you, O Israel.6O come, O Dayspring, come and cheer;O Sun of justice, now draw near.Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,and death's dark shadow put to flight. Refrain7O come, O King of nations, come,O Cornerstone that binds in one:refresh the hearts that long for you;restore the broken, make us new. RefrainDismissalLeader: Let us bless the Lord.All: Thanks be to God. ................
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