Longest Night Service – December 21, 2024

Today’s prayer of approach acknowledges our fleeting nature with so many questions that are unanswered. So many questions that don’t have easy answers. We ask why we hurt. We ask why some of us are better off than others and society does not provide for the less fortunate. We ask why people use their power to exclude others. We ask why we must grieve. We are saddened by our weariness and ask why we become anxious and depressed.

But God tells us, “Do not be afraid.” We hear these words through the first two chapters of the Gospel of Luke. First, an angel tells Zechariah not to be afraid because his wife is pregnant with John. Then, an angel tells Mary not to be afraid because she will conceive and bear a son, Jesus. Third, an angel appears to the shepherds watching their flocks in the field by night and tells them not to be afraid for there is good news for all the people – the Messiah has been born in Bethlehem. Finally, in the first chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, an angel tells Joseph not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife.

Throughout creation, God has spoken to us and told us, “Do not be afraid.” And yet there is much to be afraid of. We fear the pandemic that slowly abates, and perhaps the arrival of another. We fear illness. We fear financial pressure. We fear depression. We fear breakdown of our relationships. We fear the loss of our aging parents or partners. We fear that God will let us down and we will have to suffer.

But the God in whom we believe – whether we are Christian, Jewish, or Muslim – and even the great creator of other spiritualities and faiths is present always. God is present during the dramatic, beautiful unfolding of continuous creation and recreation. In the midst of that unfolding, we experience bad things AND good things in our lives: suffering and triumph, death and new life, sickness and healing, sorrows and joys, loneliness and companionship. Yet, God is with us always, alongside us, as we go through life. God loves us. God loves creation. God wants us to respond to that love with our own love and gratitude. Even when it’s hard.

God is present always. We witness that reality every time that we choose life in the face of suffering. Every time we choose forgiveness in the face of betrayal. Every time we choose hope in the midst of loneliness. Every time we choose love in the midst of grief and loss.

God has an answer for the evil and suffering in this world, and the answer for us is Jesus. When we follow Jesus, embracing life in the midst of the joys and sorrows, we are participating in the divine presence of God. When we trust in Jesus, our sorrows and grief are transformed. We WILL still struggle, but we will know hope and peace and joy and love. 

God tells us, “Do not be afraid.” Today, we are invited to be unafraid of Christ’s coming again to transform all of our pain and sorrow into the joy of our eternal home.

“Do not be afraid, for see, I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord” (Lk 2:10). Come, Lord Jesus, come.