This podcast episode centers on the poignant observance of the longest night of the year, which coincides with the third Sunday of Advent at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church. The service, led by Pastor Will Rose, provides a reflective space for congregants to acknowledge the complexities of the season, particularly the interplay of joy and grief that many experience during this time. It is emphasized that the Advent season, while often marked by celebration, can also evoke feelings of sorrow and loneliness, thus granting permission to fully embrace a spectrum of emotions.

Will articulates the profound truth that God's unconditional love and grace endure through our struggles, reminding us of the light that Christ brings even in our darkest moments. This service serves as a collective invitation to reflect, mourn, and find solace in community, as we navigate both our hopes and our heartaches. The sacred space of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Chapel Hill resonated with profound reflections on December 21st, as congregants gathered for a special service that marked both the third Sunday of Advent and the winter solstice—the longest night of the year.

Under the guidance of Pastor Will Rose, the service was meticulously crafted to honor the complexity of human emotion during a season typically filled with joy and expectation. Pastor Rose's introduction set a reflective tone, inviting attendees to acknowledge that, while Advent is a time of preparation for the celebration of Christ's birth, it can also evoke feelings of loss, loneliness, and sorrow. This duality was a central theme, encouraging worshippers to embrace their authentic experiences of grief within the context of community. Throughout the service, the congregation was led through a series of readings and prayers that thoughtfully addressed the emotional spectrum present during the holiday season.

Will articulated the importance of allowing oneself to feel a range of emotions, recognizing that grief does not negate joy but rather complements it. The theological framework established by the Lutheran tradition, which embraces the coexistence of faith and doubt, provided a rich backdrop for the evening’s reflections. As the service progressed, the language of the hymns and prayers echoed this sentiment, fostering an environment where vulnerability was welcomed and supported. As participants engaged with the liturgy, a sense of solidarity emerged among those present. The acknowledgment that everyone carries their own burdens, especially during a time when societal expectations often emphasize cheerfulness, was both liberating and unifying. The service culminated in a collective understanding that, even in the depths of darkness, the light of Christ offers guidance and hope. Attendees departed with a renewed sense of connection to one another and to their faith, carrying with them the assurance of God's unwavering presence through every season of life.

Takeaways:

1. The service at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church embodies a unique blend of acknowledgment of grief and the joy of the Advent season.
2. Pastor Will Rose's introduction provides poignant insights into the dualities of faith and doubt experienced during this time of year.
3. The longest night of the year serves as a backdrop for reflection on both personal struggles and collective hope within the community.
4. This service encourages participants to embrace a spectrum of emotions, affirming that it is normal to experience joy and sorrow simultaneously.
5. The atmosphere of the service is intentionally crafted to resonate with attendees' feelings, facilitating a shared experience of healing and hope.
6. The message emphasizes that Christ's light guides us through moments of darkness, offering comfort and companionship during life's challenges.

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Foreign.

Thank you for engaging with the homily by Pastor Chill Will from Chapel Hill.

I hope this message encourages you, challenges you and moves you to go deeper in your faith and enrich how you love God and love your neighbor in your day to day life.

Just a reminder.

Like the scriptures and gospels themselves, this homily was written for a particular community in a particular, particular context, time in history.

And yet, like our sacred texts, I hope that these words hold timeless truths about God's unconditional love and grace.

We hope these words speak to you in a meaningful way.

Good afternoon.

Good to see all of you here and those who are gathered online as we gather for our longest night worship service.

Lutherans have a history with both and we believe Christ to be both human and divine.

We have a theology acknowledging that a part of our human condition is that we're both faint and sinner.

We don't have a problem with faith and reason, with doubt and faith.

And over the last few years we've been talking about grief and how we understand the stages of grief, that we're okay with two or three or four emotions occupying ourselves all at the same time.

And so part of this service, the reality of this service is acknowledging and giving ourselves permission that in the midst of this very joyous, happy, bright season that it can also be hard and filled with grief.

It can be blue, blue Christmas in the season of the Advent.

And so part of this service is the acknowledgment and giving ourselves permission to feel all kinds of things in this season that perhaps faith and doubt, grief and sorrow, loneliness and happiness and joyful expectation all live in the same house.

This body, my emotions, and oftentimes these.

What look like polar opposites or different feelings and emotions and realities, they can sometimes gather around and have a drink, maybe a cup of coffee, maybe have a meal.

I'm sure they have lots of conversation.

They sometimes argue, they sometimes see the world differently, but hopefully they can have a friendship and a companionship as we journey through life together.

And that's what this service is about this afternoon.

And so the language and the prayers and the hymns and the silence is very intentional to capture what we're feeling.

Perhaps.

Some words or phrases or songs or prayers will resonate with us what we're going through this season.

And so allow yourself to feel what you're feeling.

You have permission.

And also allow the the Spirit of God, Emmanuel, perhaps shine something new within.

You to move you through this season.

So today is the winter solstice, the longest night of the year.

In the northern hemisphere, hemisphere on Earth.

In our position with the sun.

But then begin tomorrow.

The days start getting just a little.

Bit longer each and every day as we move from this spot on.

And so tonight, as we sing, as we pray, as we reflect, we acknowledge that the light of Christ comes to us and and guides us through the next steps and journey of our lives.

Tonight we gather, daring to wonder if God indeed comes in Jesus, discerning the rejection we have known, intimate with our failed relationships, holding our heartache in hands of tenderness.

Tonight we gather with neighbors and strangers.

A family made one by our brokenness, coming with our hearts full of hope and our heads filled with doubt.

Holy God of Advent, you became weak so that we would find strength in moments of heartbreak.

You left the safety of heaven to.

Wander the wilderness of this world, holding our hands when we feel hopeless.

Set aside your glory to hold our pain that we might be healed even when there seems to be no hope.

You became one of us.

We would never be alone in any moment, in any circumstance.

So come now, child of Bethlehem, you strengthen us in these days and we feel your present way that we've never known.

Not just as one born in a stable long ago and far away, but as one born in our hearts.

You have promised to go before us, into our brokenness, into hospital rooms, into empty houses, into graveyards, into our future held by God.

You are here even now, waiting for each of us.

Serve us, to hold us, comfort us, heal us who live in us now and forever.

Amen.

All around us are the sights and sounds of Christmas, gentle God, the laughter of parties, songs of carolers, shouts of.

Children and music in every store.

Deep within us we carry our pain.

Our grief walks with us every step we take.

Loneliness is a shaw we drape over our shoulders on empty nights.

So in this time, when every night.

Stretches into eternity, we come to you bringing our gifts.

Not gold, frankincense and myrrh, but grief, bitterness and.

The season when so many people don't have enough hours in a day to get their lists checked off, their cards mailed, their presence wrapped.

We have all the time in the world remember the loss that has stolen the joy of the season, the grieve over a job, a dream, a loved one.

Sit in the shadows of our homes, too weary to turn on the lights.

Wander the streets lit by lights on all the houses, but not by the light of the world.

God of hope, you shed your light in the darkness of this world.

Grant that we may always live in the promise of your word made flesh Inspire and empower us to be your body in the world.

God of mercy, you comfort all in need of your all in need of your tender care.

Watch over those who are sick, those who mourn, those who struggle with addiction, those who wrestle with loneliness, those who struggle in the midst of holiday joy.

God of peace, our world longs for shalom.

Establish your justice in the nations of this world, that almighty strive for the well being of all creation, the good of all people.

Out of joy you fill our world with the light of your presence that we may share in word indeed the good news of Christ's coming.

May God bless you and keep you.

May God's holy darkness enfold you and grant you rest.

May God nourish a seed of hope among us.

Amen.

Foreign.

Thank you for listening.

If there is anything that stood out for you, or if you have a question or you just want to have a conversation, you are always free to reach out and contact us.

And remember you are not alone and that you are loved with a love stronger than and death.