God of Hope,
on this first day of the new Christian year, we are hopeful.
We come before you , not with a wishful hope, but with a persistent, muscular hope; for only this kind of hope can withstand the darkness before us.
In this bleak midwinter of discontent nations devour other nations,
the innocent die in Ukraine, even as prideful leaders debate a peace plan,
We are reminded of the words of the prophet:
You are the sole judge between nations,
You are the sole arbitrator for many peoples.
Even as the most powerful nations of the world negotiate for land –
land that ultimately belongs only to you, the weak suffer.
As we debate immigration policy, the weak suffer.
As we debate healthcare policy, the weak suffer.
But God, in this bleak midwinter we hold tightly to your promise.
Indeed, we are gathered in this place to bear witness against the darkness
that your light shines and will not be overcome.
May your Word fill the deafening silence;
may your Light shine in the darkness.
We offer prayers for those we know and love:
Those in the bleak midwinter of chemotherapy;
the bleak midwinter of the death of a parent;
the bleak midwinter of moving from one nursing home to another.
May they know your hope – established, not in optimism,
but in your sure presence and promise.
Come, Lord Jesus Christ,
into the darkness and despair of our bleak midwinter,
for our hope is in you.
Help us to remain faithful until that awesome day.
For we have heard the prophecy again
and there is coming a day when swords shall be beaten into plowshares,
and spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more.
O God help us to remain faithful until that day,
until there is a new vision and a new hope,
and we witness the birth of a child born for us and for this day,
May “Love Made Flesh” be born again and again –
a new appearance of the Christ for our day and our time.
And so we sing:
Lo, he comes with clouds descending,
a thousand thousand saints attending,
Christ the Lord returns to reign over a kingdom like no other:
A kingdom of truth and righteousness,
A kingdom of compassion and peace.
A kingdom of the dignity of all creation.
Until that day let us live as people who believe the signs and symbols
that surround us in this 100 year old sanctuary:
for the Lord is coming into yet another bleak midwinter.
And the candle of hope that shines in our midwinter darkness will not be overcome.
We pray in the name of the Light, even the Lord Jesus Christ,
the One who taught us to pray, saying:
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.