Christmas Meditation

O holy night.

Was that it so very long ago?

Is tonight the night?

Will the holy night ever come?

We know so little about that silent night,

was it even silent? Surely baby Jesus cried.

Why wouldn’t he cry, born in such a miserable state?

And as he grew he must have worried and feared,

seethed and anguished,

longed and hoped.

But how can we know? How can we feel the impact of one holy night?

We need a week, no a month, maybe a year of holy nights

before we can begin to make sense of it all.

We need to struggle with the craziness of the traveling mother-soon-to-be,

the insanity of angels singing and shepherds listening,

the paranoia of a king threatened by an infant!

Give us more holy nights. Give us time to make some meaning.

O holy night.

Was that it so very long ago?

Is tonight the night?

Will the holy night ever come?

On this night, what do we know of holiness?

What angels are visiting?

Where are our shepherds?

Could it be that the pregnant woman living with AIDS who knows that her baby does not have the virus is the one to sing the Magnificat to us if we would listen?

Could we hear our sister’s soul giving glory to God that the mighty have been brought low and the thoughts of the proud scattered?

But… what if we are the mighty and the proud? What angels will come to us?

Could it be that the lives taken by plague and warfare not stilled by our mighty and proud hands may be speaking to us tonight lest we miss the miracle of the birth?

Could it be that the glory of God shining on us tonight is not the klieg light of celebrity but the searing light of truth that reveals our nakedness and shame?

O holy night, we came seeking the cooing of a baby, silence the screams of the one dying for our sins.

“We humans prefer satisfying un-truth

To the Truth that is usually unsatisfying.

Truth is always too big for us,

And we are so small and afraid.”

O holy night.

Was that it so very long ago?

Is tonight the night?

Will the holy night ever come?

And how can that holy night of peace with justice ever come when we, your people are not righteous?

Loving our little truths, we kill the prophets you send us.

Yes, even gentle Mary’s newborn; we would be Herod’s conscripts, sword in hand.

We want it all in one night: clear answers, absolute truth.

But the holy night calls us to faith,

to mystery,

to hope.

We are not a patient people; we don’t have the skill to gaze steadily.

How can we stare down oppression?

warfare?

poverty?

injustice?

We want peace in our hearts, but will we pay the price of justice in our guts?

O come, o come Emmanuel and ransom your captive people;

for we are captive to our little truths in our false certainty.

Embrace us with mystery on this silent night.

Break our hard hearts and stir the butterflies of hope in our guts.

Make us your people, united in our need to find you.

Don’t ruin our appetites by feeding us sweets.

Give us a hunger that drives us to deeper faith,

larger truths,

and common union.

O holy night, remind us this night that you hold no miracle cure, no once-a-year medication that fixes the soul.

O holy night, remind us that every other night grows from the seed of light born this night.

O holy night, remind us to look for that light tomorrow, and the next day, and next week, and next month.

O holy night, remind us that we don’t sit alone in the dark—or in the light—that there are always brothers and sisters to share the vigil with us.

O holy night, remind us to fall on our knees;

remind us to hear the angel voices.

O night divine, the night when Christ was born;

the night when Christ is born;

the night when Christ will be born;

O night divine! O night, O night divine!

Christmas Candle

The candles remain unlighted at the beginning of the service.

Introduction
On this Christmas Eve [Day, Night]
we are gathered as God’s people
to celebrate again what Christ’s coming
means to the world.
We join with Christians all over the world
who are celebrating on this holy night [day].

Readings from the Bible
Choose any or all of these readings. Each may be read by a different person.

Isaiah 9:6
For a child has been born for us,
an heir given to us.
Authority rests upon the shoulders
of the One who is named
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Luke 2:10,14
The angel said to [the shepherds],
“Do not be afraid; for see—
I am bringing you good news
of great joy for all the people.”

Romans 5:5
Hope does not disappoint us,
because God’s love has been poured into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

Lighting of the Candles
Tonight [Today] we relight the four Advent candles and recall what the Good News means.

Light each candle to the words “Hope,” “Peace,” “Joy,” “Love.”

Jesus Christ is the greatest gift
who makes all these other gifts real.
So, we light the Christ candle now,
as we think about what Christ’s coming
means to each one of us.
The color of the candle is white—
symbolizing the light of day
and the light that Christ shines into the world.

The Christ candle is lit.

Prayer
We thank you, God,
for your gift of Jesus Christ to the entire world.
We thank you that Christ’s coming makes
hope, peace, joy and love
possible for every person in every nation.
Encourage us to do our part
to bring good will and peace
to our families, our churches,
our neighborhood, our world.
Now let your Spirit put us in touch with you,
the living God,
through the celebration of Christmas.
We ask this through Jesus Christ,
through whom you give us all good things.
Amen!

The Fourth Candle of Advent

The three candles lit on previous Sundays are relighted before the service begins.

Introduction
As we gather around the Advent wreath tonight,
we rejoice that Christmas is a time of prayer and of open hearts
when we sing songs of joy.
Christmas is a time of worship—
the moment when the busiest of us pause in wonder.
Christmas happens when God comes to us in love
through Jesus Christ
and fills us with love for all humankind.

Reading from the Bible
First Letter of John 4:9-11
God’s love was revealed among us in this way:
God sent God’s only Child into the world
so that we might live through him.
In this is love, not that we loved God
but that God loved us and sent the Child
to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
Beloved, since God loved us so much,
we also ought to love one another.

Lighting of the Candle
We light this candle to proclaim
the coming of the light of God into the world.
With the coming of this light is love.
Such great love helps us to love God and one another.
The color of this candle is purple—
symbolizing the majesty of Christ,
who rules in the power of love.

Light the last purple candle in the wreath.

Prayer
O God, we thank you
that Jesus showed your love for every person—
babies and children, old people and young,
sick people and those who were strong,
rich people and those who were poor.
Come to us as Christmas approaches
and let love be born in our hearts
as you were born into the world on Christmas Day.
Amen

The Third Candle of Advent

The two candles lit on previous Sundays are relighted before the service begins.

Introduction
Soon we shall celebrate the birth of Jesus.
We worship God with joy in our hearts
as we are reminded of the words the angel said
on that first Christmas Day:
“Behold, I bring you good news of a great joy
which will come to all the people!”

Reading from the Bible
John 15:9-11
Jesus said: “As the Father has loved me,
so I have loved you; abide in my love.
If you keep my commandments,
you will abide in my love,
just as I have kept God’s commandments
and abide in God’s love.
I have said these things to you
so that my joy may be in you,
and that your joy may be complete.”
Lighting of the Candle
We light this candle to proclaim
the coming of the light of God into the world.
With the coming of this light there is joy,
joy that is ours not only at Christmas but always.
The color of the candle is rose—
the color of the sky
when dawn breaks into the night.

Light the pink candle in the wreath.

Prayer
O Holy One, as Christmas draws near,
there is a sense of excitement in the air.
We can feel a joy in our lives
and see it in those around us.
Still, for some of us this is a sad time
because of unhappy things that have happened in our lives.
Help us to have that joy
that does not depend on earthly happiness, but on you.
Help us to be filled with your joy
so that we may share it with a joyless world.
Amen.

Hand Bells with Voices

O Holy Christ, in Love Come Down by Joel Raney

If you have a slower Internet connection you can watch a lower resolution version of this video at YouTube

More Hand Bell Video

Sing We Now of Christmas arranged by Martha Lynn Thompson

Mary and Joe on the Front Page

Shawn Kelley photo

Gina's sculpture made the front page of the Southbridge Evening News today. You can't read the article on line without being a subscriber, so you may want to get out and pick up a paper.

Hand Bell Video

A short video of the Hand Bell choir performing He Is Born (arr. Martha Lynn Thompson) at last week's concert. More will follow. Enjoy!

Putting CHRIST back in CHRISTmas

Sculpture "When Did We See You Lord?" by Gina Lynch
Click on picture for larger view

We have been hearing this expression quite a bit lately with Walmart and other stores taking a stand and saying “Merry Christmas” instead of “Happy Holidays”. How ironic that they are using it as a way to get consumers to spend money at their stores on gifts that we don’t really need. How exactly is this putting “CHRIST IN CHRISTMAS”?

In the Bible, in the Old Testament, Isaiah 58, God says to the people “is not this the kind of fasting I wish from you: to loose the chains of injustice ….to set the oppressed free…is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor homeless with shelter….when you see the naked, to clothe them and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood…Then you light will break forth like the dawn and your healing will quickly appear (vs. 5-8)

In the New Testament, Matthew 25, Jesus tells the story of separating the sheep from the goats (those who do good and those who don’t) “and the King will say to those on his right come you who are blessed, the kingdom is prepared for you, for I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you visited me.” And the people answered him saying, “But when did we see you Lord?” “ when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or in need?” …The King will reply, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these children of mine, you did for me.”

IF JESUS CAME INTO THE WORLD TODAY, WOULD THERE BE ANY ROOM? WOULD WE RECOGNIZE HIM?

Together, let us put CHRIST back into CHRISTMAS this year by helping others in need. Your donation will help make a difference to many who are hungry, homeless, sick and in need. Gift cards are available for you to give a donation in someone’s name. All donations will be given to the following agencies in our area:

Heifer International

Southbridge Interfaith Hospitality Network (a family shelter)

Jeremiah’s Inn

Salem Mission

Western Massachusetts Food Bank

Springfield Rescue Mission

Legal Aid Society

Abby House

Checks can be made to First Congregational Church, Brimfield UCC and put Mission Fund in memo please.

Thank you for your generous donations. May you have a Blessed Christmas!

For more information contact Gina Lynch, Fellowship & Outreach Committee

The Second Candle of Advent

The first candle should be lit before the service begins.

Introduction
We gather around the Advent wreath today
knowing that we are not perfect—
that we all make mistakes and do bad things.
Only Jesus obeyed God fully.
Jesus helps us to live as God wants us to live.
Jesus gives us peace.

Reading from the Bible
Isaiah 9:6-7
For a child has been born for us,
an heir given to us.
Authority rests upon the shoulders
of the One who is named
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace,
whose authority shall grow continually;
and there shall be endless peace
for the throne of David
and for David’s kingdom,
established and upheld with justice
and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Lighting of the Candle
We light this candle to proclaim
the coming of the light of God into the world.
With the coming of this light there is peace,
for Christ is called the “Prince of Peace.”
Christ’s name is also Emmanuel, “God with us.”
The presence of Christ with us
gives us peace day by day.
The color of this candle is purple—
symbolizing the majesty of Christ,
whose throne will endure forever.

Light the second purple candle.

Prayer
Eternal God, we thank you that through all the years
you have given peace to your people.
Help us to have your peace in our lives.
We pray that, in this Advent season,
we may, by what we do, show your presence
to the sick, to the hungry, and to the lonely,
so that they too may have peace.
Amen.

Community and Choice

Give yourself a five minute gift by clicking on the icon on the left and listening to the inspirational words of Catherine Royce of Dorchester. She has ALS, but maintains that she always has a choice. She has chosen to know herself, in particular the gift of giving and receiving care. She alludes to no particular religious belief, but she clearly has learned the lesson of covenant. She has beliefs that are nestled in the giving and receiving that happens between people in a community. I would call that covenant.

There are so many ways to organize one's beliefs, but to truly understand the need for a community of caring within which to exist is a spiritual principle necessary for any legitimate religious practice. I hope that during this holy season you will re-commit yourself to being a part of your communities; familial, civic, and religious.

If you prefer, you can read her essay here.

First Candle of Advent

Introduction
Today [or Tonight] is the beginning of Advent—
the time of preparation for the celebration of Christ’s birth.
We are here because God’s promises to our ancestors
came true when Jesus was born.
God’s promise is kept each Sunday when we worship
because Christ is in our midst.
God will keep the promise to come again in glory.

Reading from the Bible
Isaiah 60:2
For night shall cover the earth,
and thick shadows the peoples;
but the Lord will arise upon you,
and God’s glory will appear over you.

Lighting of the First Candle
We light this candle to proclaim
the coming of the light of God into the world.
With the coming of this light there is hope.
Because of Christ we not only have hope,
but we believe that good is stronger than evil.
God wants us to work for good in this world.
The color of this candle is purple—
symbolizing the majesty of Christ,
whose glory shines in the night.

Light one purple candle.

Prayer
O God, we thank you
that Jesus brought hope into our world.
By the good news of the Bible
you are still bringing hope to people.
Help us to be ready to welcome Jesus Christ
so that we may think good thoughts
and do good deeds
and so we may be a people of hope in our world.
Amen.