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| Image by Tony Armstrong-Sly |
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Celtic Christmas Eve
A GREETING
This is the day that God has made—
let us celebrate with joy!
(Psalm 118:24)
A READING
In the beginning
there was the Word;
the Word was in God’s presence,
and the Word was God.
The Word was present to God
from the beginning.
Through the Word
all things came into being,
and apart from the Word
nothing came into being
that has come into being.
In the Word was life,
and that life was humanity’s light—
a Light that shines in the darkness,
a Light that the darkness has never overtaken.
(John 1:1-5)
MUSIC
A MEDITATIVE VERSE
May your love be upon us, O God, as we place all our hope in you.
(Psalm 33:22)
A POEM
I look; morning to night I am never done with looking.
Looking I mean not just standing around,
but standing around as though with your arms open.
And thinking: maybe something will come, some
shining coil of wind,
or a few leaves from any old tree—
they are all in this too.
And now I will tell you the truth.
Everything in the world
comes.
At least, closer.
And, cordially.
Like the nibbling, tinsel-eyed fish; the unlooping snake.
Like goldfinches, little dolls of gold
fluttering around the corner of the sky
of God, the blue air.
- excerpted from "Where Does the Temple Begin, Where Does it End?,"
found in Devotions: The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver
BLESSING
Let us go forth today,
In the love of our Creator,
In the strength of our Redeemer,
In the power of our Sustainer,
In the fellowship of witnesses
From every tribe and nation and culture.
Those who are present,
Those from the past,
Those who are yet to come.
Let us go forth today,
United with the Sacred Three,
In harmony with the Holy One,
Compassion in our hearts,
Gratitude in our thoughts,
Generosity in our deeds,
Justice as our passion.
Let us go forth today
Carrying God’s image
Into our hurting world.
from Celtic Advent: Following an Unfamiliar Path
by Christine Aroney-Sine
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| "Madonna of the Lakes," a triptych by Irish-Scottish painter John Lavery (1919). Painted during and after the Great War, Lavery has set Mary in Ireland, flanked on one side by Patrick and the other by Brigid. The painting was made for St. Patrick's Church in Northern Belfast where it can still be found. |
On our last day, we imagine St. Brigid transformed into a midwife and sitting at the side of Mary, comforting her just as she would any mother in Kildare. Even if this is not how we typically envision the scene, it can be one way to imagine ourselves into the story. The story is what has endured for more than two thousand years, including the several hundreds of years of the early Middle Ages when monastic life was born and grew in Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales.
In the Celtic tradition, Christmas Eve is a time of storytelling. Prayers are offered for those who have passed out of this world during the previous year, and people gather at their graves at night to lay fresh holly, one of the most important plants for the Celtic winter festivals. Sometimes a door is left unlocked to welcome the spirits of those who are gone, with food and a lit candle for an unexpected neighbour or wayfarer or spirit. This custom of leaving out food and drink was later borrowed for Saint Nicholas and Santa.
The joy we associate with the Christ child and the joy of new Creation are so keenly felt because of the surrounding sorrow and fear. The angels’ call to ‘fear not’ at every step of the nativity journey to Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds, is not just to reassure them in the midst of their startling appearance. It is because they otherwise live in fear. It was true in first-century Bethlehem and it is true in contemporary Bethlehem. It was true in the Middle Ages when the threat of Vikings emerged. It is true for us now in the ways that freedoms and rights are being challenged and threatened in far away places and in places very close to home.
At the same time, these moments are a time to ‘fear not.’ Christ comes to disrupt fear and to fuel our passion for justice, with joy and active hope.
So what happens now? We have listened to the wise and prophetic words of philosophers, scientists and poets who have told us over and over that it is still possible to make a restored world. Advent is over: Jesus is being born once again into our lives. What does it mean to release ‘waiting’ and embody 'hope' in Jesus' name? How can we take the torch being passed to us by our ancestors and all the wise inspiring guides we have listened to -- and walk forward into the light?
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Today marks the end of the LC† Vigil in Hope Celtic Advent devotional. Thank you as always for joining us, and for all of your comments and sharing on Facebook. Gratitude always to Catherine Evenden, Henriette Thompson and Pastor Steve Hoffard for their assistance and companionship along the way.
May the peace of the Christ child bless you this Christmas, and always.
See you in Lent! -- Deacon Sherry.
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| Image by Tony Armstrong-Sly |
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Scripture passages are taken from The Inclusive Bible.
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LC† Vigil in Hope is a devotional series of Lutherans Connect, supported by the Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and the Centre for Spirituality and Media at Martin Luther University College. To receive the devotions by email, write to lutheransconnect@gmail.com. The devotional pages are written and curated by Deacon Sherry Coman, with support and input from Pastor Steve Hoffard, Catherine Evenden and Henriette Thompson. Join us on Facebook. Lutherans Connect invites you to make a donation to the Ministry by going to this link on the website of the ELCIC Eastern Synod and selecting "Lutherans Connect Devotionals" under "Fund". Devotions are always freely offered, however your donations help support the ongoing work.
Thank you and peace be with you!
