MAGDALENE COMMUNITY AT

GRACE EPISCOPAL CHURCH

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2016   4:00 p.m.

Call to Silence and Opening Meditation

Opening Greeting

   Solo:       Peace Be With You

   Unison:  Acquire My Peace Within You

Solo:  Today we welcome winter and honor the coming of the Winter Solstice. Since the festival of Samhain, the Earth has withdrawn into itself.  The darkness of the receding days is felt by all nature and humanity.  The deep wisdom of the unconscious brings forth spiritual insights.  It is a time to stop, look backward in inner reflection and look forward to a new active season as the Sun’s returning power brings increased daylight, growth and activity.

Opening Prayer

Solo:    In this prayer, we honor the fruitful darkness of our lives, the comforting, restful and nurturing darkness.

Dear Fruitful Ground of our Being, you turn the sun’s face away from us as you gather us into the darkness of winter.  You call us inside to the great fires in our hearts.  You ask us to warm the hands of hope in our secret souls.  You show us the heaven seeds that have been planted in our souls, and you remind us that heaven’s answers rest in the dark ground of our beings.

Unison:    We praise you, O Holy Darkness

Solo:    Dear Fruitful Ground of our Being, in the darkness you teach us to trust in what we cannot see, to hope for that which seems impossible, to have faith in the night of unknowing.  You reveal to us the necessity of patience and the holiness of waiting in the dark as we enter into solitude.

Unison:    We praise you, O Holy Darkness

Solo:   Dear Fruitful Ground of our Being, in the darkness you cover us with beauty the poetry of the moon and stars, the loveliness of nocturnal creatures who make music in the forest’s darkness, the mystery of silvery shadows.  You soften the days light to show us the light of night.  You give us the gift of rest and sleep.  You send us your night angel to close our tired eyes and breathe dreams and visions into our longing hearts.

Unison:   We praise you, O Holy Darkness

Solo:   Let us pray.

Unison:   O God, in the quiet darkness of this moment we search for the scred light that shines forth in our darkness.  Just as we find this light in you, O God, help us understand that deep in the recesses of our souls, the same light shines.  Thank you for all the things that grow in darkness.  To find the light we must go into the dark.  Go with us into all the dark places where we must travel.  Take away our fear of darkness.  Bea lantern for us that we may be lanterns for one another.

Readings

A reading from Psalm 46, verse 10 (Revised standard Version)

   Be still, and know that I am God.

A Reading from The Circle of Life, by Joyce Rupp & Macrina Wiederkehr

Winter spirituality motivates us in our desire to touch that place within where we are wise beyond our years. That mysterious well-of-knowing so often hidden from our minds and hearts.  We are called away from the traffic and the noise, anything that would hinder our being.  The way to that holy space within is the way of surrender.  If we want to know God we must give up all our ideas about God and let the Holy One teach us from within.  If we want to know God we must be willing to sit in the darkness, consumed by our longing.  We will reach our well-of-knowing only when we have the courage to leap into the well-of-unknowing.  There in that place of unknowing the soul is taught to trust.  In that sacred space we learn to ask questions without needing answers. The question is part of the quest.

As we arrive at the dark winter time, we turn our thoughts to positive aspects of darkness.  We meditate on the fertile, unexplored, deep parts of our beings where so much creative energy awaits us.  The seed in the ground does not curse the darkness.

Like this seed, until we surrender to the One who awaits us, we will not feel at home in the darkness.  God is always waiting for us, inside.  If we can become silent enough, we can become aware of God.

Call to Conversation

Closing Dialogue

   Solo:      Show us the light of your countenance, O God.

Unison:   Let us go forth into the world in love and peace, giving thanks to God for all creation.

(This service was originally celebrated by the Magdalen Community on December 11, 2005 at the Rothko Chapel)