Curt Gesch

Greetings The Lord be with you. And with us all. The Psalm A psalm of longing for the kingdom of God. I’m in trouble. I cry to GOD,       desperate for an answer: “Deliver me from the liars, GOD!       They smile so sweetly       but lie through their teeth.” Do you know what’s next, can you see what’s coming,       all you bold-faced liars? Pointed arrows and burning coals       will be your reward. I’m doomed to live in Meshech,       cursed with a home in Kedar, My whole life lived camping       among quarreling neighbors. I’m all for peace, but the minute       I tell them so, they go to war! —Psalm 120. Scripture taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, represented by Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries. All rights reserved. Prayer The congregation may respond by speaking or singing the Kyrie (“Lord, have mercy . . .”) and Trisagion (“Holy God . . .”). If sung or led by a cantor, see p. 186, 187, and 915 of The Book of Alternative Services (Toronto: Anglican Book Centre, 1985) for suggestions.             Lord, have mercy.             Christ, have mercy.             Lord, have mercy. To you, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Wonderful Counselor, Prince of Peace,Isaiah 9:6       we come, confused, sad, in grief,       because we live in a world       that often claims your name,       but which offers lies in exchange for license,       falsehoods for favors.             ​​​​​​​Lord, have mercy.             ​​​​​​​Christ, have mercy.             Lord, have mercy. We come shamefaced to you, the Source of all truth,       because we have remained silent       out of fear       or fatigue because no one       seems to listen to your Word. We know of your justice, but we plead with the prophet,       “God, our Master!       Hold back the punishment—please!       What’s going to come of your people?       We are so small.” Amos 7:4             ​​​​​​​Lord, have mercy.             ​​​​​​​Christ, have mercy.             Lord, have mercy. You say, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil,       who put darkness for light and light for darkness,       who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter,” Isaiah 5:20       but we see them prosper. Are you chastising us?       We can barely stand it: life in this world of lies is       too much for us.             ​​​​​​​Lord, have mercy.             ​​​​​​​Christ, have mercy.             Lord, have mercy. We are grief-stricken to live in a land       that does not seem to want       your kingdom of peace       to come to earth as it is in heaven. We long for your kingdom in which garden hoes and plows       replace assault weapons and pipe bombs. Isaiah 2:4       Jump into our world, Lord,       and free us from evil,       from others’ and from our own worst desires.             ​​​​​​​Lord, have mercy.             ​​​​​​​Christ, have mercy.             Lord, have mercy. Lord, send us your Spirit,       the Spirit of truth, the Spirit of gentleness,       the Spirit of Christ, the Prince of Peace. We pray to you, infinite in mercy,       who understands our fear, our weakness,       our sin, and our earnest desire for restoration       in this world and the next. We long for the day when everyone will sit at peace under vine and fig tree, Micah 4:4       and children play safely in the street. Zechariah 8:2–10             ​​​​​​​Holy God,             ​​​​​​​holy and mighty,             ​​​​​​​holy immortal one,             ​​​​​​​have mercy upon us. Song “Make Me a Channel of Your Peace” St. Francis of Assisi, GtG 753, PsH 545, SSS 616

Christmas is not the “season to be jolly” for many people. Joy to the world (to say nothing of bedecked halls and partridges in the orchard) is not part of everyone’s idea of how to commemorate Christ’s birth. After a year of COVID-19, the discovery of over a thousand unmarked graves of Indigenous children at Canadian residential schools, political meltdown, mass shootings, broken marriages, public figures who can’t seem to find a way to tell the truth, and an opioid crisis, it is with good reason that many communities hold Blue Christmas or Longest Night services. Except during the twelve days of Christmas (only one of which most of us observe), what we think of the Christmas season perhaps ought to be much more blue than green, red, and white. After all, Christmas is preceded in the Christian liturgical calendar by Advent: forty days of preparation for the coming of a king—days to be marked by repentance, a healthy introspection, and a serious look at our world’s situation. For those of us not experiencing major problems or tragedies, having a singular Blue Christmas service doesn’t seem to do enough to show our solidarity with those who are suffering. Lament and confession, as well as hope and longing, should be the norm during Advent. Should we thus have four Sundays of Blue and then one of Christmas? Maybe so. Because Advent is preceded by Christ the King Sunday, the long distance between the “now”and the “not yet” ought to naturally bring with it a look at what’s wrong in our lives—personally, communally, and globally. If you do plan a special Blue Christmas service, I suggest tailoring one of the various liturgies already available, including those from Reformed Worship (search “Blue Christmas” and “Longest Night” at ReformedWorship.org), to your own congregational setting, perhaps keeping your community’s pastoral needs at the forefront. Or consider one or more of the following collections of suggested songs, psalms, and readings that could be adapted to fit within an established order of worship or liturgy, blue or not. Collection 1 If part of the service is about the “blue” year in international relations or politics, or about failed leadership in the church. Song: “For the Healing of the Nations” Kaan, LUYH 289, GtG 346, WR 621 Psalm 37 arranged for a responsive reading: Reader 1: vs. 1–2 Congregation: vs. 3–4 Reader 2: vs. 5–17 Congregation: vs. 3–4 Reader 1: vs. 18–19, 23–24 Sung interlude: “Wait for the Lord” Taizé, LUYH 480, Gtg 90, SSS 580 Alternate the following sections between two voices: vs. 25–26, 27–28a, 28b–29, 30–31, 32–33, 34, 35–36, 37–38, 39–40 Congregation: vs. 5–6 Song: “My Soul Cries Out with a Joyful Shout (Luke 1:46–55)” Cooney, LUYH 69, GtG 100, SSS 68 Collection 2 For those who are plagued by illnesses. Psalm 38 as a sung prayer (e.g., “Rebuke Me Not in Anger, LORD” Otte, LUYH 150, PfAS 38A, PsH 38). Make sure Psalm 38:3 isn’t taken in isolation by including a passage like Psalm 103:8–13, 17–18. Testimony Song: “O Christ the Healer, We Have Come” Green, GtG 793, WR 638 Collection 3 For a general introduction to laments, pain, and sorrow. Medley: WAYFARING STRANGER Traditional, music in LUYH 55, GtG 437, SSS 32 followed by “I Want Jesus to Walk with Me” Spiritual, LUYH 140, GtG 775, SSS 135 (both in C minor) Silence Song: “Hear My Cry, O God, and Save Me (Psalm 77)” Morgan, LUYH 893, GtG 781, PfAS 77A Poem: “I Wake and Feel the Fell of Dark, Not Day” by Gerald Manley Hopkins Song: “I Worship You, O LORD (Psalm 30)” Seddon, Seerveld, LUYH 668, PfAS 30A, PsH 30

When a new pastor arrives at a church, it is a time of transition and celebration. Though obviously this pastor will impact most the gathered congregation, his or her ministry and leadership have ripple effects out into the community. This litany was written by council members from a sister church and read during a service of installation.

Background This liturgy has three movements: confession, assurance, and rededication. It’s as though the reconciliation part of worship that is common in many Reformed churches is magnified to encompass the entire service. Because I refer to him in the meditation, I used Saint Augustine’s words about finding rest in God as the opening sentences. This theme is immediately picked up again in the gathering hymn, especially in stanza 4. Another communion hymn that echoes this theme is “In the Quiet Consecration” (PsH 302).

It's not easy to accept a new hymnal. We become attached to old favorites—to their rhythms, phrases, and tunes—and find it difficult to accept the new and unknown in our worship.