December 21 at 7:00 pm
The Longest Night
For the past few years I have introduced the Longest Night service as a service for those who have experienced a loss that makes the cheerfulness of the holidays hard to endure. In hindsight, I realize that description has failed to do justice to what I believe is one of the most meaningful services of the year. After several years of observing the Longest Night, I have discovered the inestimable value of this quiet, contemplative service as a preparation for the joy of Christmas. The Longest Night service is not just for those who have lost someone, it’s for all of us who yearn for union.
There comes a time when every infant comes to the distressing realization that they are separate from their mother. This awareness of separation stays with us as we grow into adulthood. It serves as a motivation to find community and companionship. We yearn for that lost sense of connection. Yet, no matter how ideal the community or how loving the partner, no human can satisfy that existential need for complete union. That perpetual disillusion is the source of our loneliness, and it affects us all no matter how popular, how busy, or how adored. In our heart of hearts, we yearn for the oneness that only God can provide.
Imagine Mary and Joseph wandering in the cold of night for lack of an understanding soul to take them in. How many of us, in our moments of solitude, identify with that feeling of isolation, as if we cannot find the place where we fit. It may not be our prevailing sentiment, but here and there, most people have moments of feeling misunderstood, overlooked, or even rejected. Nevertheless, we make due. We find our humble accommodations. There, in the silent darkness of the longest night, we pray. We wait for God.
This is the purpose of the Longest Night service. It is the quiet stable where we each settle for a moment, and make a place for our loneliness and sorrow to find acceptance and expression. And when these lifelong companions are freed from deeper recesses of our minds, in their place a child of light and hope can be born.
In Christ’s Peace,
Pastor Jen
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