From Darkness to New Birth FOURTH SUNDAY IN ADVENT C December 22, 2018 Dorsett Edmunds, Susan Gallegos

Transcription

1 From Darkness to New Birth FOURTH SUNDAY IN ADVENT C December 22, 2018 Dorsett Edmunds, Susan Gallegos Announcements Opening Song: Darkness Cover Me Sara Thomsen Darkness cover me like a blanket of night Oh, cover me lightly Shadows gather around me Deepening darkness, Whispering softly Holy Maker of Moonlight Singing through starlight Keeper of all life Hidden Seed deep in the dark soil of the earth Fertile Ground, Womb of the Night, bring us new birth (Chagall-Madonna of the Village) Lighting of the Advent Candle (Light the first candle.) We light the first candle, reminding us of God s promise of peace on earth. (Light the second candle.) We light the second candle, reminding us that we are to dispel the darkness of sickness, poverty, injustice, and suffering all around us. (Light the third candle.) We light the third candle, reminding us to be constant and patient in our relationships and in our living. (Light the fourth candle.) God, may the light of this candle illumine our path through life, so that our way is the way of righteousness, trust, and faithfulness. Reading 1 - The Risk of Birth by Madeleine L Engle This is no time for a child to be born, With the earth betrayed by war and hate And a nova lighting the sky to warn That time runs out and sun burns late. That was no time for a child to be born, In a land in the crushing grip of Rome; Honour and truth were trampled by scorn Yet here did the Saviour make his home. When is the time for love to be born? The inn is full on the planet earth, And by greed and pride the sky is torn Yet Love still takes the risk of birth. Responsorial Song: Gabriel s Message Traditional (Sting If On a Winter s Night)

2 The angel Gabriel from heaven came His wings as drifted snow His eyes as flame "All hail" said he "thou lowly maiden Mary, Most highly favoured lady," Gloria! Gloria! "For known a blessed mother thou shalt be, All generations laud and honor thee, Thy Son shall be Emmanuel, By seers foretold Most highly favoured lady," Gloria! Gloria! Then gentle Mary meekly bowed her head "To me be as it pleaseth God," she said, "My soul shall laud and magnify his holy name." Most highly favoured lady, Gloria! Gloria! Reading 2 From The Book of Joy - His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu Suffering is inevitable, they said, but how we respond to that suffering is our choice. Not even oppression or occupation can take away this freedom to choose our response. As our dialogue progressed, we converged on eight pillars of joy. Four were qualities of the mind: perspective, humility, humor, and acceptance. Four were qualities of the heart: forgiveness, gratitude, compassion, and generosity. [Archbishop Tutu said:] Our human nature has been distorted,... I mean, we are actually quite remarkable creatures. In our religions I am created in the image of God. I am a God carrier. It s fantastic. I have to be growing in godlikeness, in caring for the other. I know that each time I have acted compassionately, I have experienced a joy in me that I find in nothing else. When we practice a generosity of spirit, we are in many ways practicing all the other pillars of joy. In generosity, there is a wider perspective [italics mine], in which we see our connection to all others. There is a humility that recognizes our place in the world and acknowledges that at another time we could be the one in need, whether that need is material, emotional, or spiritual. There is a sense of humor and an ability to laugh at ourselves so that we do not take ourselves too seriously. There is an acceptance of life, in which we do not force life to be other than what it is. There is a forgiveness of others and a release of what otherwise might have been. There is a gratitude for all that we have been given. Finally, we see others with a deep compassion and a desire to help those who are in need. And from this comes a generosity that is wise selfish, a generosity that recognizes helping others as helping ourselves. As the Dalai Lama put it, In fact, taking care of others, helping others, ultimately is the way to discover your own joy and to have a happy life. [Near the end of their time together, Archbishop Tutu offered this blessing:] Dear Child of God, you are loved with a love that nothing can shake, a love that loved you long before you were created, a love that will be there long after everything has disappeared. You are precious, with a preciousness that is totally quite immeasurable. And God wants you to be like God. Filled with life and goodness and laughter and joy. God, who is forever pouring out God s whole being from all eternity, wants you to flourish. God wants you to be filled with joy and excitement and ever longing to be able to find what is so beautiful in God s creation: the compassion of so many, the caring, the sharing. And God says, Please, my child, help me. Help me to spread love and laughter and joy and compassion. And you know what, my child? As you do this hey, presto you discover joy. Joy, which you had not sought, comes as the gift, as almost the reward for this non-self-regarding caring for others. Gospel Acclamation & Reading: Luke 1:39-45

3 God be with you. And also with you. A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke. Glory to you, O God. At that time Mary set out in haste for a city in the hill country of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Who am I that the mother of my Lord should come to me? You see, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled." Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church. Glory and praise! Dialogue/Reflection Intercessions from Dom Helder Camara Come, God, do not smile and say you are already with us. Millions do not know you, and to us who do, what is the difference? What is the point of your presence if our lives do not alter? In this season of reflective anticipation, as we are lured into the anxious arms of consumption, let us discover our true gifts to one another. We call on you, oh God: Change our lives In this season of watchful anticipation, as we drowsily contemplate the righteousness of our ways, let us awaken, and see the other with humility and compassion. We call on you, oh God: Shatter our complacency In this season of joyful anticipation, as we are torn by the barbs of violence, let your word kindle within us a spark of hope, that we might nurture a flame of peace. We call on you, oh God: Make your word our life s purpose Press us uncomfortably. For only thus is your peace made. (Community prayers offered here) Response: O God, hear our prayer. (Sung) Jakelin Caal Makin!Presente! Prayer of the Breaking of the Bread

4 God be with you. And also with you. Lift up your hearts. We lift them up to God. Let us give thanks to God our Creator. It is right to give God thanks and praise. Mother God, we bring to your table our gift of bread. This bread which comes from the rich moistness and darkness of the earth, which grew as wheat in the light of the sun and became bread in the work of our hands. This bread is a sign of hope for the world. It represents our hope that we will share the produce of the land and feed the hungry. May this bread nurture and strengthen us in our commitment to bring about a new world of justice in which no one will ever go hungry. Bless, O Mother of all life, our gift of bread. (Edwina Gately) Recognizing the spirit of Joy among us, as the disciples of Emaus, recognized Jesus in the breaking of the bread, we pray as Jesus taught us to pray: O, Birther of the Cosmos, focus your light within us -- make it useful Create your reign of unity now Your one desire then acts with ours, As in all light, So in all forms, Grant us what we need each day in bread and insight: Loose the cords of mistakes binding us, As we release the strands we hold of other's guilt. Don't let surface things delude us, But free us from what holds us back. From you is born all ruling will, The power and the life to do, The song that beautifies all, From age to age it renews. I affirm this with my whole being. Bread broken. Wine poured out. The gifts of God for the people of God. (version Neil Douglas-Klotz) Sharing of the Bread & Wine Song: Emmanuel (St. Louis Jesuits Gentle Night) Baby born in a stall, long ago now, and hard to recall. Cold wind, darkness and sin, Your welcoming from us all. How can it be true? A world grown so old now, how can it be new? Sorrow's end, God send, born now for me and you. Refrain: Emanuel, Emanuel, What are we that You have loved us so well? A song on high, a Savior's nigh, Angel hosts rejoice Thy glory to tell. Babe on mother's knee, child so soon to be nailed to a tree. All praise till the end of our days: 0 Lord, You have set us free. Refrain Haitian Madonna by Ismael Saincilus Reflective silence Meditation - Winter Solstice by Rev. Kenneth Kennon

5 Stirrings in this darkness Shiver within its shadow All nature tosses in sleep Upon a bed of fear and expectation Mystery is overpoweringly present In this lack of light Having marched inexorably Toward this longest night Once again Creation lingers Restless in precarious suspension between Nothing and everything Death and rebirth Sending Forth & Blessing No heaven can come to us unless our hearts find rest in it today. Take Heaven. No peace lies in the future which is not hidden in this present instant. Take Peace. The gloom of the world is but a shadow; behind it, yet, within our reach, is joy. Take Joy. And so, at this Christmas time, I greet you, with the prayer that for you, now and forever, the day breaks and the shadows flee away. Fra Giovanni 16 th century And May God bless us and keep us. May God s face shine upon us. May God be gracious to us, and grant to us, and to all our broken world, peace. May the blessing of Almighty God, the Creator, the Redeemer, and the Holy Spiritcome upon us and remain with us forever. Amen. Christmas carol medley O come, O come, Emmanuel, And ransom captive Israel, That mourns in lonely exile here, Until the Son of God appear. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel, Shall come to thee, O Israel. Silent night, holy night! All is calm, all is bright. Round yon Virgin, Mother and Child. Holy infant so tender and mild, Sleep in heavenly peace, Sleep in heavenly peace. O come, all ye faithful, Joyful and triumphant, O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem; Come and behold him, Born the King of angels; O come, let us adore him, O come, let us adore him, O Come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord. It came upon the midnight clear, That glorious song of old, From angels bending near the earth, To touch their harps of gold! Peace on the earth, good will to men, From heaven's all gracious King! The world in solemn stillness lay, To hear the angels sing. The first Nowell the Angel did say, Was to certain poor Shepherds in fields as they lay. In fields where they lay keeping their sheep, In a cold winter s night that was so deep. Nowell, Nowell, Nowell, Nowell, Born is the King of Israel.

6 Hark! the herald angels sing, Glory to the new-born King! Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled! Joyful, all ye nations, rise, Join the triumph of the skies; With angelic host proclaim Christ is born in Bethlehem! Hark! the herald angels sing Glory to the new-born King! Angels we have heard on high Sweetly singing o'er the plains, And the mountains in reply Echoing their joyous strains. Gloria, in excelsis Deo! Gloria, in excelsis Deo! Joy to the world, the Lord is come; Let earth receive her King; Let every heart prepare Him room, And heaven and nature sing, And heaven and nature sing, And heaven, and heaven and nature sing. Let us offer the sign of Peace Pure love and prayer are learned in the hour when prayer has become impossible and your heart has turned to stone. Thomas Merton THE MAGNIFICAT (Luke 1:46-55) My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever. When I am liberated by silence, when I am no longer involved in the measurement of life, but in the living of it, I can discover a form of prayer in which there is effectively no distraction. My whole life becomes a prayer. My whole silence is full of prayer. The world of silence in which I am immersed contributes to my prayer. ~Thomas Merton The core of Christmas is too naughty to go to church, too daily to be divine. Peek behind Christmas religious veil and be awed by its raw earthy reality. From A Book of Wonders by Ed Hays