Longest Night
A Service of Reflection and Hope

We Gather Together in the Shadows

Prelude

Call to Worship

Leader: Tonight we gather in a time of refuge,
All: for we are lost, we are lonely, we are afraid.
Leader: Tonight we gather, daring to wonder if God has indeed come in Jesus— feeling the pain we have known, intimate with our failed relationships, holding our heartache in hands of tenderness. Tonight we gather with neighbours and strangers, a community made one by our brokenness.
All: We come with our hearts full of longing and our heads full of doubts. We come because we need a place where we can be ourselves.
Leader: Tonight we gather just as we are. For God has promised to meet us here and to welcome us for who we are.

Hymn    #122  Oh come, oh come, Emmanuel    vss. 1,3,7

Welcome

Lighting of the Christ Candle

Gathering Prayer

Song  Longest Night (The Many) sung by MC Pazzano

We Listen for Hope in Sacred Story

Learning to Walk in the Shadows
With thanks to Laura Alary

Sung Refrain – We are waiting for you

Scripture & Wondering

1 Kings 19:1-16
Luke 1:26-38
Psalm 139:1-16; 23-24

Reflections     Adele Halliday

A Ritual of Memory and Hope

Candle Lighting

Musical Reflection   And I love you so (Don McLean)
Mary-Catherine Pazzano

Prayer of Hope

Hymn    #341  Before the world began

Blessing

 Thank you to Those who Contributed to this Service

Speaker: Adele Halliday
Ministers: Courtney Crawford, Hugh Donnelly
Music Director: Mary-Catherine Pazzano
Script: Laura Alary
Sound: Mark Culp
Broadcast: Grant Birks
Multimedia: Kathleen Forde