I Believe Even When... Advent/Christmas 2012

The story of the birth of Jesus is filled with common themes of human drama: unknowing, doubt, disgrace, fear, oppression,

journey, hardship. The words of an anonymous poet begin, “I believe in the sun, even when its not shining…” In this, we hear the

affirmation of belief in spite of what seems like the absence of light, of love and sometimes, even what feels like the absence of God. By

exploring the first chapter of each of the Gospels in this Advent/Christmas series we will acknowledge the presence of hope through

Christ “even when…”

Peace Child, in the sleep of the night in the dark before light you come, in the silence of stars in the violence of wars --Savior, your name.

Peace Child, to the road and the storm to the gun and the bomb you come, through the hate and the hurt, through the hunger and dirt --bearing a dream.

Peace Child, to our dark and our sleep to the conflict we reap now come -- be your dream born alive, held in hope, wrapped in love:God's true shalom.

Shirley Erena Murray

Find two arrangements for congregational singing here. Listen to a version of the song (but ignore the cheesy video).

Eternal One, Silence from whom my words come; Questioner from whom my questions arise; Lover of whom all my loves are hints; Disturber in whom alone I find my rest; Mystery in whose depths I find healing and myself; come near and enfold me in your presence; restore to me your peace; renew me through your power; and ground me in your grace. Come, O come, God-with-us. Amen

Ted Loder

General Resources

I Believe in the SunDecember 2, 2012

“You will bear a son…” – Luke 1

The “dark night of the soul” is a phrase often used to describe moments in our lives when light, understanding and hope seem to elude us. A young woman barely out of childhood receives the message that she would bear a son out of wedlock–something that could have doomed her circumstances for her entire life. When things that seem irreparable happen in our lives, how can we turn perceived doom into a belief in an opportunity for rebirth?

Music Arts• Within our Darkest Night Songs and Prayers from Taize #17• When the Night Becomes Dark Songs and Prayers from Taize #13• Why? Sing! Prayer and Praise #47

Why must our terrible anguish seem endless? What can diminish our sense of despair?

Where is our refuge when hatred consumes us? Who will deliver us, welcome each prayer?

Come, gracious God, bring peace to each mind, hope to each soul, love to each heart

That we may praise you day by day...

• God of Our Days Sing! Prayer and Praise #149God of our days, God of our nights,

holding us gently yet holding with might...bringing us peace, bringing light.

• Faith is Patience in the Night The Faith We Sing #2211Faith is patience in the night, waiting for the morning light,

never giving up the fight.Spirit God give us faith.

• You Are Mine The Faith We Sing #2218In the shadows of the night, I will be your light, come and rest in me.

Do not be afraid, I am with you.

• Bidden, Unbidden Worship and Song #3019If I don’t feel you around, there is no picture and no sound, I will believe you are there.

Even on my darkest days I will sing a word of praise. I will believe you are there.

• Holy Darkness Worship and Song #3141Holy darkness, blessed night, heaven’s answer hidden from our sight.

As we await you, God of silence, we embrace your holy night.

Verbal Arts“Litany of Darkness and Light” New Century Hymnal #880I love the way this litany helps us expand our imaginations around the symbols of light and darkness, particularly as it draws on the many experiences in our lives that relate to darkness, in both good and challenging ways. You could use it in the style of a bidding prayer (a prayer that offers short intercessions followed by silence during which the congregation can offer prayers related to that intercession either silently or aloud; here’s an example) for the prayers of the people. The litany itself works well with two leader voices with a congregational response. Find the full text in PDF here.

...We know you are with us, O God, yet we still await your coming.

In the darkness that contains both our hopelessness and our expectancy,

we watch for a sign of God’s hope.

“For the Darkness and the Light” from Shine On, Star of Bethlehem, ed. Geoffrey DuncanThis litany also expands the imagery of light and darkness by investigating the multivalency of the symbol of darkness. You can find the full text at the end of this blog post.

For the darkness of hoping in a world which longs for you,for the wrestling and the laboring of all creation

we praise you, O God: For the darkness and the light are both alike to you.

Visual Arts“Shadow and Substance”Try playing with light and shadows in your sanctuary this week. Imagine vases with bare branches – their starkness, their austerity. Now imagine a light shining through them. They come alive, even as the distinctions between light and darkness become more stark. Let yourself experiment with the interplay of shadow and substance, drawing participants to inhabit the spaces between, the liminal space that is part of the experience of advent. Here is some visual and verbal inspiration to stimulate your creativity:• Trees of Winter: http://www.cosmic-

expression.org/gpage3.html • http://pinterest.com/pin/80501912060123273/• Shadow Art: http://twistedsifter.com/2012/01/

shadow-art-by-rashad-alakbarov/ • Street Art in the Shadows: http://

www.thisblogrules.com/2009/11/using-shadows-to-create-street-art.html

I Believe in LoveDecember 9, 2012

“Don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife…” – Matthew 1

“Love is never having to say ‘I’m sorry.’” Yeah, right. Relationships seem wrought with wrestling–wrestling with our own expectations, the expectations of the other and all of it wrapped in the fear of rejection. Not all of us have an angel show up to tell us what to do like Joseph did as he faced the disappointment of a betrothal gone awry. But perhaps we can heed the angel’s words for letting go into God’s possibilities for all of our relationships.

Music Arts• Out of the Depths The Faith We Sing #2136

Out of the depths, O God, we call to you. Wounds of the past remain, affecting all we do.Facing our lives, we need your love so much. Here in this community, heal us by your touch.

• Now Praise the Hidden God of Love The Faith We Sing #2027Now praise the hidden GOd of love, in whom we all must live and move,

who shepherds us at every stage, through youth, maturity and age.

• Love and Justice Sing! Prayer and Praise #13Love and justice, peace and power, show us how to live each hour.

Raise us up and set us free, show us how to live and be.

• Imago Dei Sing! Prayer and Praise #118...How shall we love the neighbor filled with greed? How best respond to those consumed by hatred?

Look beyond the fear that keeps them from knowing the Abundance of Love that’s always with us.

• Deep Within Our Hearts Sing! Prayer and Praise #124There’s a song deep within our hearts, there’s a light burning in our souls,

and a path in the darkness lit from above. God, help us sing your song, Spirit to shine your light, Jesus to live your love.

• Koinonia Sing! Prayer and Praise #146How can I say that I love the Lord whom I’ve never, ever seen before,

and forget to say that I love the one whom I walk beside each and every day?

• Let Our Earth Be Peaceful Worship and Song #3159Let our earth be peaceful, let our hearts be hopeful,

let our hands be gentle for the love of God.

• Fill Us With Your Love, O Lord Worship and Song #3005Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy.

Dramatic Arts“Love Letters”Our culture is full of aphorisms about love. From “Love is never having to say, ‘I’m sorry,’” to “to get love, give love,” to “love is a battlefield,” we are surrounded by simple and often times trite understandings of what makes for loving relationships. Why not take the chance this week to gather the collective wisdom of your community about what love really is like! Have a video crew “interview” members of your congregation, from the youngest to the oldest and everywhere in between, asking them to reflect on the characteristics of God-given love - the kind of love that Joseph showed for both Mary and God, the kind of love that casts out fear. Put these insights into a video and use it as the Words of Assurance after a Prayer of Confession or as part of the proclamation of the gospel. If you can’t make a video, write down people’s insights and use their sentences and phrases to craft a litany of what love means to them, concluding with a prayer like this one:

Gracious God, Generous Lover, we thank you for the glimpses we catch

of your boundless and unconditional love in the relationships we share.

Even in the midst of fear, of challenge, of struggle,

even when we don’t feel it, ignite the flame of love within us,

that we might glow with its brilliance from the inside out. Amen.

I Believe in GodDecember 16, 2012

“Look, I am sending my messenger before you… he will prepare your way…” – Mark 1

A seeming madman named John is prophesying in the wilderness. He speaks of one who will come after him, puzzling the people. “Who are you,” ask the people. “Are you the one who will deliver us from our fear and hardship and oppression?” Often we are left wondering these same questions. At times in our lives when we feel unsure of our next steps, when fear grips us in the face of uncertainty, when we look around and wonder when God will address injustice… when God will show up and save us… we yearn for the messenger, for the way to be made plain before us.

Music Arts• God Weeps Sing! Prayer and Praise #69/The Faith We Sing #2048

...God waits for stones to melt, for peace to seed, for hearts to hold each other’s need, an until we understand the Christ, God waits.

• Come Sweet Justice Sing! Prayer and Praise #137The world is hungry for justice, God’s word will point the way...

O come, O come, sweet justice come.

Where Are You God? Sing! Prayer and Praise #175Where are you? God, we are hurting! Why are you so far away?

In our despair we are calling, longing to hear what you say.God, hear our cries! Our voices we raise singing the pain unto you.

• How Long, O Lord The Faith We Sing #2209How long, O Lord, will you forget an answer to my prayer?

No tokens of your love I see, your face is turned away from me; I wrestle with despair.

• Why Stand So Far Away, My God The Faith We Sing #2180...Arise, O God, and lift your hand; bring justice to the poor.

Come, help to stop the flow of blood! Let terror reign no more!

• Unsettled World The Faith We Sing #2183Unsettled world, where angry poor from grinding need at affluence stare, with tears and thirst for truth and right we come, with longing in our hearts

your word to hear, our faith to live.

• Hear My Prayer, O God Worship and Song #3131Answer soon, O God, my spirit faints in me; do not hide your face or I will cease to be.

When the morning dawns make known your love anew; show me how to walk, for I will trust in you.

• When the Waves Are Crashing Worship and Song #3144When the waves are crashing and my faith is drowning, though I may forget you, hold me Lord.

Media Arts“Where Did God Go?” http://youtu.be/Ss_ZK9bBDj8 This spoken word poem (for more about spoken word, check this out) and video offers a new take on the traditional psalm of lament. Use it as inspiration for writing and performing your own spoken word lament (and get some helpful hints here) or play it during worship as the psalm for the day.

“Rain” http://youtu.be/tHwifCIAWt8 For another media take on lament, check out Rob Bell’s Nooma video called “Rain” where he helps us think about where God is when it really hurts.

Verbal Arts“Voicing our Laments”Some of the most powerful expressions of yearning for God’s presence in our scriptures can be found in the psalms of lament. In these laments, the worshiping community expresses grief and frustration at the brokenness of the world. They witness to God’s desire for honesty in worship, naming the places in their life and world where God feels absent. No experience in life is too difficult to be brought before God. Consider using some psalms of lament in your service this week, as part of the scripture reading, in lieu of a prayer of confession, or as an expression of communal or pastoral prayer. Here are some suggestions for

• Use the psalms - Psalm 13, Psalm 22:1-11, Psalm 42:1-6, Psalm 88, Psalm 143 for example.

• Create your own expressions of lament based on the lament psalm forms. ‣ For more on how to craft a lament, and how to use lament in worship more

generally, see John Witvliet’s article, “A Time to Weep.”‣ Check out this article for ideas about using laments during the season of

Advent specifically, including the incorporation of verses from the hymn “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.”

• Make use of some of the wonderful contemporary laments that have been composed by poets, liturgists and worshippers. ‣ Six Laments by Gail Ramshaw, incorporating sung responses like a Kyrie.‣ Some ideas for a worship service based on the book of Lamentations

using media and song.‣ The Worship Soucebook has a wonderful collection of laments for

corporate worship. Here are some examples:

Why, Lord, must evil seem to get its way? We

confess that our sin is deeply shameful; but the

wicked are openly scornful— they mock your

name and laugh at our dismay. We know your

providential love holds true: nothing can curse

us endlessly with sorrow. Transform, dear Lord,

this damage into good; show us your glory,

hidden by this evil.

Why, Lord, must any child of yours be hurt? Do all our pain and sorrow somehow please you? You are a God so jealous for our praises— hear this lament as prayer that fills the earth. We plead: Repair the brokenness we share. Chastise no more, lest it destroy your creatures. Hear this lament as intercessory prayer, and speak your powerful Word to make us hopeful.

I Believe Even When...December 23, 2012

“What came into being through the Word was life, and the life was the light for all people…” – John 1

In this last week of Advent, our anticipation, our yearning, for the light is palpable. What is this growing within us? As our theme song has proclaimed, even when the sun is hidden from sight, even when love feels remote, even when we’re not sure of God’s presence… we sense that the light is coming, love is near and the holy is born yet again in the midst of the pain of life. There is hope. There is light.

Music Arts• Banner of Hope Sing! Prayer and Praise #75

Hastening down the morning, floating on the breath of day, holding out dawn’s promise to the world.

Beyond any sensible warning, joy finds a place to stay.Hope flies like a banner unfurled.

• The Universe is Bending Sing! Prayer and Praise #88The universe is bending, stretching long and stretching out, embracing all our struggles with the gentle arms of hope...

it’s leading toward justice by the Clear Light of Love.

• Come Emmanuel Worship and Song #3130Come and speak to us, come and renew us, come and live through us, Emmanuel.

Grace to implore us, ever before us, come and restore us, Emmanuel.

• View the Present through the Promise Worship and Song #3048View the present through the promise, Christ will come again.Trust despite the deepening darkness, Christ will come again.

Lift the world above its grieving through your watching and believingin the hope past hope’s conceiving: Christ will come again.

• You Are Mine The Faith We Sing #2218“I am hope for all who are hopeless, I am eyes for all who long to see. In the shadows of the night, I will be your light, come and rest in me.

Do not be afraid, I am with you.

Verbal Arts

“Call to Worship”In hope the universe waits:God’s purpose will be revealed.Limited by mortality, yet destined for liberation, in hope the universe waits: God’s purpose will be revealed.Groaning as if in childbirth,sampling the fruits of God’s harvestin hope the universe waits: God’s purpose will be revealed.Trusting in what is unseen,believing the best is to come,in hope the universe waits: God’s purpose will be revealed.In the hiddenness of a stablewhere the Maker of All will be born,in hope the universe waits: God’s purpose will be revealed.

from Cloth for the Cradle: Worship Resources and Readings for Advent, Christmas & Epiphany by the Wild Goose Worship Group.

Dramatic Arts“Bibliodrama of Light and Darkness”The poetry of John 1 lends itself in particulary poignant ways to dramatic readings. Imagine proclaiming the word this week using an interpretive reading that allows the scripture to sing in a new key. • Take a look at this rhythmic and poetic retelling that integrates John 1 and Genesis 1. • Some creative approaches to a variety of scripture readings in Advent are proposed

in this resource from Reformed Worship, including a dramatization of the part of John 1 that refers to the apostle John and his role in preparing the way for Jesus’ coming.

• For a creative exploration of the themes from John 1, especially the need for light and the fullness of grace and truth in our world, check out Douglas Wood’s children’s book, Old Turtle and the Broken Truth. It tells the story of an Earth that is full of suffering and war until one little girl seeks Old Turtle, who tells her about a "broken truth" and how mending it will help her community to understand the common bond of all humanity.

• Take a look at this videographic telling of the John 1 scripture from The Work of the People.

I BelieveDecember 24, 2012

“A child has been born for us…and he is named…Prince of Peace.” – Isaiah 9

The night of mystery and awe has arrived. And Jesus is born into a world fully human and finite in its pain and beauty. And God breaks in upon our lives yet again in and through our belief of that which transcends our human limitations. We believe. We believe.

Music ArtsHymns and Songs• Goodness is Stronger than Evil The Faith We Sing #2219

Goodness is stronger than evil, love is stronger than hate; light is stronger than darkness; life is stronger than death...

• Like a Child The Faith We Sing #2092...Like a child we would meet, ragged clothes, dirty feet, like a child on the street, Jesus comes.

Like a child we once knew coming back into view, like a child born anew, Jesus comes.

• Star-Child Sing! Prayer and Praise #174 / The Faith We Sing 2095Star-Child, earth-Child go-between of God, love Child, Christ Child, heaven’s lightning rod.This year, this year, let the day arrive when Christmas comes for everyone, everyone alive!

• Morningstar Sing! Prayer and Praise #2You are the morningstar, you are the Fountainlife-breathing Spirit, hope from the mountain.

We sing for joy of you while our souls cling to you. You are the morningstar.

• Love Has Come Sing! Prayer and Praise #110With one voice the angels sing songs that make creation ring.

Prophets hear and call us to live in spirit and in truth.Word of God, enthroned, dwell in us forevermore.

Love has come to show the way. Hallelujah, peace be with us.

• Welcome to Our World Worship and Song #3067Tears are falling, hearts are breaking, how we need to hear from God.

You’ve been promised, we’ve been waiting, welcome holy Child.

Choral AnthemThere is a wonderful spiritual “I Believe This is Jesus” that would make a fitting anthem for the climax of this series vision with the celebration of Christmas.

I believe this is Jesus. Come and see, come and see!The light of God shines in his face. He offers all his love and grace. Come and see!

Find sheet music through Augsberg Fortress Press. Hear it performed by the Mt. Pleasant Chorale and Iowa Wesleyan College Choir.

Dramatic Arts“An Alternative Lessons and Carols Service”This wonderfully re-imagined service created by Katherine HawkerSelf using the traditional lessons and carols format would be a fitting conclusion to this Advent series. In the midst of naming the realities of our world, the “good news of great joy for all people” rings out in stories, poems and songs that bring hope to life in ordinary and extraordinary ways. Other resources for the service can also be found on her website, including other poems and a communion blessing.

Visual ArtsIf your advent began with the starkness and austerity of bare branches and the play of shadow and substance, mark the transition to the joy of Christmas by changing that starkness into living warmth and light. Replace bare branches with evergreens, holly, and hawthorn or huckleberry branches (the ones with the red berries). For extra impact, add a few lighted branches to create even more warmth and brilliance. Or dress the bare branches with small star lanterns like these.

An idea for a “threshold moment” for each Sunday of Advent and Christmas Eve using the anthem by Mark A. Miller, “I Believe”

“Do not be afraid.” - the Angel

The story of the birth of Jesus is filled with common themes of human drama: unknowing, doubt, disgrace, fear, oppression, journey, hardship. The words of an anonymous poet say “I believe in the sun, even when its not shining…” offers the affirmation of belief in spite of what seems like the absence of light, of love and sometimes, even what feels like the absence of God. By exploring the first chapter of each of the Gospels in this Advent/Christmas series we will acknowledge the presence of hope through Christ “even when…”

Link to recording of the anthem that inspired this series and where you can purchase it:http://www.choristersguild.org/CatalogueRetrieve.aspx?ProductID=5923695&A=SearchResult&SearchID=2383994&ObjectID=5923695&ObjectType=27

Advent 1: I Believe in the Sun: darkness, the deep of the night, facing ourselves

“You will bear a son…” (Luke 1)

The “dark night of the soul” is a phrase often used to describe moments in our lives when light, understanding and hope seems to elude us. A young woman barely out of childhood receives the message that she would bear a son out of wedlock–something that could have doomed her circumstances for her entire life. When things that seem irreparable happen in our lives, how can we turn perceived doom into a belief in an opportunity for rebirth?

Sung (solo and once choir): I believe in the sun, I believe in the sun, even when, even when its not shining.

Piano underscore, Voices with choir repeating…Voice 1: The place without light

Voice 2: The depth of night Voice 3: The bottom of the pit

Ooo’s as light progresses (measure 117 repeat twice) … Voice alone while candle is lit: Facing my own dark night of the soul…

or is it the womb of my own rebirth?

(Congregation in unison) I believe in the sun, I believe in the sun, even when… even when… it’s not shining.

Advent 2: I Believe in Love: facing others’ pain, being in relationship, rejection

“Don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife…” (Matthew 1)

“Love means never having to say ‘I’m sorry.’” Yeah, right. Relationships seem wrought with wrestling–wrestling with our own expectations, the expectations of the other and all of it wrapped in the fear of rejection. Not all of us have an angel show up to tell us what to do like Joseph did as he faced the disappointment of a betrothal gone awry. But perhaps we can heed the angel’s words for letting go into God’s possibilities for all of our relationships.

Sung (solo and once choir): I believe in love, I believe in love,Even when, even when I don’t feel it

Piano underscore, Voices with choir repeating…The pain of rejection

The ache of disappointment The wounds inflicted

Ooo’s as light progresses (measure 117 repeat twice) … Voice alone while candle is lit: Facing the helplessness of relationship… Or is it the letting go that is love?

(Congregation in unison) I believe in love, I believe in love, even when… even when… I don’t feel it.

Advent 3: I Believe in God: Facing God, accepting the mysterious presence of God in the waiting

“Look, I am sending my messenger before you… he will prepare your way…” -- Mark 1

A seeming madman named John is prophesying in the wilderness. He speaks of one who will come after him, puzzling the people. “Who are you,” ask the people. “Are you the one who will deliver us from our fear and hardship and oppression?” Often we are left wondering these same questions. At times in our lives when we feel unsure of our next steps, when fear grips us in the face of uncertainty, when we look around and wonder when God will address injustice… when God will show up and save us… we yearn for the messenger, for the way to be made plain before us.

Sung (solo and once choir): I believe in God, I believe in GodEven when, even when God is silent

Piano underscore, Voices with choir repeating…

The loneliness of fear The fear of a great abyss The invisibility of the next step

Ooo’s as light progresses (measure 117 repeat twice) … Voice alone while candle is lit: Facing the silence of unknowing… Or is the emptiness the pregnant pause before the beginning?

(Congregation in unison) I believe in God, I believe in God, even when… even when… God is silent.

Advent 4: I Believe Even When…: the promises of God through the incarnation; birthing pains

“What came into being through the Word was life, and the life was the light for all people…” -- (John 1)

In this last week of Advent, our anticipation, our yearning, for the light is palpable. What is this growing with us? As our theme song has proclaimed, even when the sun is hidden from sight, even when love feels remote, even when we’re not sure of God’s presence… we sense that the light is coming, love is near and the holy is born yet again in the midst of the pain of life. There is hope. There is light.

Sung (solo and once choir): I believe in the light, I believe in the lightThat has come, that has come, and is coming…

Piano underscore, Voices with choir repeating…Even when the sun is hidden from sight

Even when love feels so remote Even when God is silent Even then…

I believe.

Ooo’s as light progresses (measure 117 repeat twice) …

Voice alone while candle is lit: Facing the pain of life, I can be assured that new birth is possible…

There is light… there is light.

(Congregation in unison)

I believe in the light, I believe in the light, That has come, that has come, and is coming… [repeat with oo’s… trailing into silence]

[from the silence] Prayer:Come, Long-Expected Jesus, come again in the midst of the pain of the world, birth in us freedom from fear, release us, O Hope of the Earth, and reign in us forever. Amen.

Hymn: “Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus” UMH 196

See brainstorm note with a new arrangement of this hymn for contemporary worship by Worship Design Studio guest expert, Chuck Bell!

1616Christmas Eve

“Unto you a child is born and he will be the Prince of Peace.”

The night of mystery and awe has arrived. And Jesus is born into a world fully human and finite in its pain and beauty. God breaks in upon our lives yet again in and through our belief of that which transcends our human limitations. We believe. We believe!

[Choir sings whole anthem as people light tea light candles all around the space]

Thank You for your work in creating “meaningful and

memorable” worship!

Worship Design Studio

with Dr. Marcia McFee