The Longest Night / Winter Solstice - December 21, 2020

Trinity Episcopal Church PROGRESSIVE  INCLUSIVE 

CREATIVE  DOWNTOWN

Artist: C. Robin Janning, 2014

The Longest Night/Winter Solstice Evening Prayer Monday, December 21, 2020 7:00pm

 Evening Prayer  Prelude

White Christmas

Irving Berlin

(Sy Winnie, Piano)

WELCOME Opening Poem

The Rev. Dr. Lisa Tucker-Gray, Rector The Shortest Day (read by Norah Melden)

by Susan Cooper, 1974

And so the Shortest Day came and the year died And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white world Came people singing, dancing, To drive the dark away.

They lighted candles in the winter trees; They hung their homes with evergreen; They burned beseeching fires all night long To keep the year alive.

And when the new year’s sunshine blazed awake They shouted, reveling.

Through all the frosty ages you can hear them Echoing behind us — listen!

All the long echoes, sing the same delight, This Shortest Day, As promise wakens in the sleeping land: They carol, feast, give thanks, And dearly love their friends, And hope for peace.

And now so do we, here, now, This year and every year.

Welcome Yule!

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Service of Light

Please join us singing in the responses marked as “all� throughout the liturgy.

Opening Collect Priest: People: Priest:

I AM with You

The Work of the People

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Let us pray.

God is present in the muck and mire of our beautiful and messy lives.

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Evening Hymn

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Evening Thanksgiving

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Psalmody, Readings, and Canticle, Psalm 141

Two parts begin:

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FIRST Reading Reader:

Isaiah 43:18-19

A reading from Isaiah

Read by Will Dailey

Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old.

I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?

I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

Reader:

People:

The Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

SECOND READING Reader:

an excerpt by Howard Thurman Read by Leah Reed A reading from Howard Thurman: author, philosopher, theologian, educator, and Civil Rights leader:

Look well to the growing edge! All around us worlds are dying and new worlds are being born; all around us life is dying and life is being born. The fruit ripens on the tree, the roots are silently at work in the darkness of the earth against a time when there shall be new leaves, fresh blossoms, green fruit. Such is the growing edge! It is the extra breath from the exhausted lung, the one more thing to try when all else has failed, the upward reach of life when weariness closes in upon all endeavor. This is the basis of hope in moments of despair, the incentive to carry on when times are out of joint and men have lost their reason, the source of confidence when worlds crash and dreams whiten into ash. The birth of the child — life’s most dramatic answer to death — this is the growing edge incarnate. Look well to the growing edge!

Reader: People:

Homily

The Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Step Back and Step In

The Rev. Dr. Dean Emilie Townes (via The Work of the People)

Dr. Emilie M. Townes, a distinguished scholar and leader in theological education, is Dean of Vanderbilt Divinity School. She is also Distinguished Professor of Womanist Ethics and Society. Townes' broad areas of expertise include Christian ethics, cultural theory and studies, postmodernism and social postmodernism.

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Music for Reflection

There’s Still My Joy

Beth Nielsen Chapman

(Lisa Tucker-Gray)

Prayers of the People For the Darkness of Waiting (From All Desires Known, by Janet Morley) Offered by: Francine MacBride Leader:

For the darkness of waiting of not knowing what is to come of staying ready and quiet and attentive, we praise you O God:

Response:

for the darkness and the light are both alike to you.

Leader:

For the darkness of staying silent for the terror of having nothing to say and for the greater terror of needing to say nothing, we praise you of God:

Response:

for the darkness and the light are both alike to you.

Leader:

For the darkness of loving in which it is safe to surrender to let go of our self-protection and to stop holding back our desire, we praise you of God:

Response:

for the darkness and the light are both alike to you.

Leader:

For the darkness of choosing when you give us the moment to speak, and act, and change, and we cannot know what we have set in motion, but we still have to take the risk, we praise you of God:

Response:

for the darkness and the light are both alike to you.

Leader:

For the darkness of hoping in a world which longs for you, for the wrestling and the laboring of all creation for wholeness and justice and freedom, we praise you of God:

Response:

for the darkness and the light are both alike to you.

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The Annunciation (LUKE 1:26-28, 30-32,38) Cantors: An angel went from God to a town called Nazareth to woman whose name was Mary. The angel said to her, “Rejoice O highly favored, for God is with you. You shall bear a child, and his name shall be Jesus, the Chosen One of God Most High.” And Mary said, “I am the servant of my God, I live to do your will.”

Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55)

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Litany and Prayers & Intercessions

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Lord’s Prayer

(offered via The Work of the People) Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

Closing Prayers For those who may be Suffering (by John O’Donohue) May we be blessed in the holy names of those Who, with or without knowing it, Help to carry and lighten our pain.

May we know serenity When we are called To enter the house of suffering.

May a window of light always surprise us.

May we be granted the wisdom To avoid false resistance; When suffering knocks on the door of our life, May we glimpse its eventual gifts.

May we be able to receive the fruits of suffering.

May memory bless and protect us With the hard-earned light of past travail; To remind us that we have survived before And though the darkness now is deep, We will soon see approaching light.

May the grace of time heal our wounds.

May we know that though the storm might rage, Not a hair of our head will be harmed.

Final Benediction

May Peace Become You 13

The Work of the People

Sending Song

Mary Did You Know Traditional(revised lyrics by: Jennifer Henry)

(Chris Joseph-vocals, Brian Buckner-piano, Lisa Tucker-Gray-guitar)

Mary did you know, that your ancient words still leap right off our pages?

Mary did you know, that your spirit song still echoes through the ages?

Did you know that your holy cry would be subversive word, and tyrants would still tremble when your truth is heard?

Mary did you know, that your lullaby gave peace to God’s creation?

Mary did you know, that your song ignites the work of liberation?

Did you know that your Jubilee is hope within the heart and all who dream of justice, will fight for what is right? Mary did you know?

The drum will sound, the truth will free, the loss will be reclaimed.

The poor will rise, the outcasts loved. And hope will live again.

Mary did you know, that we need your voice for the healing of our nations?

Mary did you know, that your mother’s love gave life to new creation?

Did you know, that we need your faith, your story still inspires, May the God that came in Jesus, come again to set our hearts on fire.

Blessing & Dismissal

Led by David Breen & Grace Hirt

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Trinity Episcopal Church Vestry Leadership Donna Steppe, Sr. Warden, Roberta Durham, Jr. Warden Leah Reed, Clerk, Jane Bueche, Treasurer, Jeffrey Albright, Dennis Degnan, Fritz Hany, Bob Meeker & Jamie Paul

Parish Staff The Rev. Dr. Lisa Tucker-Gray, Rector Heather Meyer, Director of Operations and Community Development Lynzi Miller, Next To New Manager & Communications Coordinator Nick Zurawski, Sexton

Additional Resources & Copyright Info: Bulletin Image: Artwork by C. Robin Janning, 2014 Words and Music for Holden Evening Prayer by Marty Haugen. © 1990, GIA Publications. Permission to stream the music in this service obtained from One License with Copyright license #20577215 Size B, Streaming License #20577284 Size B. Secular music permission through purchase of CCS WORSHIPcast Copyright license #13190 All other printed music from The Hymnal 1982, Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing, My Heart Sings Out, Wonder, Love, and Praise was used by permission through purchase of riteseries.org.

All printed music from Gather permission through purchase of onelicense.net License # A-700000

TRINITY EPISCOPAL CHURCH PROGRESSIVE  

CREATIVE 

INCLUSIVE DOWNTOWN

316 Adams Street, Toledo, OH 43604 (419) 243-1231 www.trinitytoledo.org Facebook.com/TrinityEpiscopalToledo

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