Monday, December 21, 2020 at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom
A Service of Hope and Prayer for Healing and Peace
The Winter Solstice, December 21, is the longest and darkest night of the year. We gather – this year online from our Sanctuary – for an Advent worship service that yearns for the light of Christ to dawn.
This year, December 21 falls on a Monday. And because of Covid-19, we’ll gather at 7:00 p.m. using Zoom as our online gathering platform. In order to gather safely online, you are invited to pre-register for this worship service. Click here to register. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Click here for the bulletin for the Longest Night Service.
Everyone is invited to pre-register for this service. We especially extend a hand of welcome to those who are carrying a heavier burden this year during the holiday season. Some of us are grieving a personal loss, a broken relationship, a difficult diagnosis. Some of us have lost friends and family to Covid-19. Some of us have endured Covid-19. Some of us and our colleagues live or work under extraordinary stress. Some of us must give our attention to terrible and troubling situations around the globe, and must bear this burden quietly. All of us are deeply moved by the coming of Christ into a world that is filled with violence, terror, oppression, disease and fear.
The Service for the Longest Night is a time of sharing in hope. We sing, we listen, we light candles, and we share in silent mediation and reflection. We pray for a world of peace. You might like to have candles ready to light during the service.
Please join us. If you or someone you know has experienced a loss in the past year, or if you or someone you know is carrying a quiet burden or a silent grief, or if you know someone who is burdened by the trouble and injustice in the world, please join us on Zoom, and encourage them to register and join us as well.
In order to make your worship more meaningful, you may want to collect a few resources and create a home worship space. Here are a few ideas:
– your home Advent Wreath or four candles set in a circle;
– a bowl of water to serve as your Bowl of Tears,
– paper and crayons, markers or a pen so you can draw or write during our Silence for Reflection;
– a candle or two to light during our Time of Remembrance;
– a matchstick or lighter.